Page 70 of Pretty Little Disaster

“Wanna talk about it? I mean, I’m no Cass but I guess I could listen.” He must have come here straight from the gym because he’s wearing a black hooded top that matches his sweats, and he’s really sweaty.

“It’s guy trouble. Do you really want to hear it?” I smile, because it’s sweet that he’s prepared to try.

“Sure,” he shrugs, gesturing with his hand for me to continue.

“Me and Nic were at this charity thing, and a woman whose fiancé is competing for the same district as Nic said some things that hurt me,” I start to explain.

“What kind of things?” Jonah frowns.

“Well, for a start, he’s only marrying me so he can get his precious district.” Hearing me say that out loud makes me suddenly feel really stupid. I’ve been so on edge, and moody that I reacted far too fast.

“You know what, I need to talk to Nic about this.” I laugh at myself as I hold the armrest and push myself back up. Maybe us being a family will help Nic, but that doesn’t mean all this has been fake. I’ve been there for those moments. I’ve seen the way he looks at me. Nic wants to get that district for our family, and I can’t believe I almost let a manipulative bitch like Bianca ruin that for us.

“I’m sorry, Lorna, but I can’t let you do that.” I hear Jonah’s voice come from behind me when I’m halfway to the door again.

“Jeez, it’s just a little rain. You’re starting to sound like Ni–” I stun myself silent when I turn round and realize that he’s pointing a gun at me.

“Jonah, if this is a joke I should remind you that pulling pranks on someone as pregnant as I am, comes with its risks.” Ican tell by the way he shakes his head that this isnota fucking joke.

“Sit back down, Lorna.” He makes space for me to pass him, keeping the gun aimed at me as he takes out his cell, and types something out. I move slowly, trying to remain calm. I don’t know what this is but, right now, Jonah’s looking way more scared than I am.

“Doyouwant to talk about it?” I ask as I steady myself back onto the couch. I’ve watched enough episodes of Criminal Minds to know that what I say from here on out is crucial. The last thing I want to do is trigger him, but it’s also important that I keep him talking. If he’s talking, he isn’t shooting.

“I wouldn’t know where to start.” He shakes his head and suddenly looks very vulnerable.

“Just start at the beginning. Let me listen.” I somehow manage to smile at him, if what he told me about Cass was true, she’ll be home soon.

“It started when Mom lost her job last year.” His voice comes out shaky. “She couldn’t pay the rent. She couldn't pay my school fees. I wasn’t gonna let my little brother starve.” He lifts up his hood and slides his hand over his face as if he doesn’t want to be seen.

“I needed money, Lorna. And my wages from the gas station were never going to stretch as far as I needed it to.”

I nod sympathetically and manage not to wince when I feel the pain in my lower back travel to the front.

“A kid I worked with told me to speak to his cousin, he’d been doing some work for Amanté Greco and was earning a decent dollar for it,” he explains, while I try and recall where I’ve heard that name before. “He managed to get me a meet with him and, man, you should have seen his crib. It was just like Madalina’s place, and Amanté, he was way kinder than I was expecting. He even gave me an advance to pay off my first set of student fees.”I’m figuring, from the fact that he’s here pointing a gun at me, that all this went wrong at some point.

“So, what happened?” I ask.

“I worked for him. I ran errands and drugs. Sometimes, I’d just do jobs around his house. It was nothing too heavy, but eventually, he started to trust me with bigger jobs that paid more money. I was even starting to save up enough to put Ethan through college as well as myself.”

“Jonah.” I can tell he’s avoiding getting to the next part.

“I was making a drop off to some fancy complex for Amanté one day and the guy I delivered to offered me a one-off job. $5k for three hours work, all I had to do was make a drop off to a house in Brooklyn and the money would be mine,” he explains, starting to look twitchy.

“So you took it.”

“I took it.” He nods. “But the guy who gave me the job warned me it would be dangerous, said a kid like me working on the street should be carrying, and I don’t know, Lorna, I guess I thought he was right.” Jonah looks so ashamed of himself, I can’t help feeling sorry for him.

“So, that's where you got the gun.” Part of this story is starting to make sense. I’m still not understanding why that gun is pointed at me, though.

He shakes his head and sits down on the coffee table again, tears filling his eyes as the gun in his hand continues to shake.

“The guy from the complex linked me up with some Russian arms dealer, and I bought a gun. I’ll admit, it felt kind of powerful. I was starting to believe that I might belong in that life. I had money, I was partying with some really cool people. Amanté was good to me, too. He knew my situation and he respected me for taking care of my family.” Jonah pauses from trying to convince me of this amazing life and sags his shoulders.

“I missed out on telling you before, that when I was doing that work on Amanté’s house…I met his daughter.” Jonah's eyes sink deep into his head and I suddenly get the feeling that we’re only just getting started.

“I’d been seeing her for about six months. We both knew it couldn't be anything serious, her dad had plans for her to marry into one of the other families, and we both knew he’d have my head if he knew we were fooling around. So we met in secret. Once, sometimes twice a week, at a safe house her dad owned near the Hamptons.” He clutches the gun in his hand, and I realize that it’s no longer pointing at me. Talking seems to be working, and my relief of that fact is short-lived when I feel another painful cramp tighten my stomach.

“You okay?” Jonah must notice the way I grip the couch because he sits forward and rests his hand on my knee. His concern is confusing, considering he’s holding me at gunpoint.

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