Page 2 of Because You're Mine

When Allie had been a child, her mother had watched over the orphan boy as though he were her own. Veronica had made sure he was fed when his foster homes forgot. More than once she'd given him a roof over his head when things got too bad to stay in his placement. When he was old enough to care for himself, he returned the favour by watching over Veronica and her young daughter. He made sure none of Veronica's clients got too rough and he helped Veronica get clean when she was ready to make the choice. When he was able to run a crew of his own, Jay worked his way up the streets until he was able to create enough legitimate business opportunities that he could get Veronica and Allie off the streets.

Allie adored Jay all of her life. Her mother assured her the infatuation would wane. It didn't. With each passing year it only grew until Allie became old enough that Jay began noticing Allie too. Veronica and Jay agreed that Allie was too good for the life he'd chosen. The life that had chosen him. She was destined for better things. When Allie turned eighteen and gradated from high school, her excellent grades and, unbeknownst to her, Jay’s maneuvering, earned her a scholarship to a university two provinces away. Allie didn't want to go. But Jay had insisted.

The separation had been difficult. She'd cried for him every night. She'd written him letters and phoned him. He never answered her letters and rarely picked up her calls. When he had, it was monosyllabic responses before abruptly ending the call. Confused and hurt, she'd finally decided to forge a life without him. When she visited her mother, she stubbornly avoided talking about him and almost never saw him. The last time she'd heard from Jay was three years ago to receive his decline to her wedding and an extremely beautiful pearl necklace as a wedding gift.

She'd only seen him twice in the ten years since he’d sent her away. The last time she'd actually seen Jay had been at Veronica's wedding five years ago. He'd walked the bride down the aisle, turned to Allie, held her close for several seconds pressing his lips against her temple and then leaving abruptly. The time before that was seven years ago when he'd come to her apartment out of the blue. She’d just graduated from the Addictions Education program and had accepted a job as an Addictions Counsellor. He wanted her to quit.

"It's too dangerous, Allison."

"Of course it's not! Its perfect for me. Its something that I've always wanted to do. With the way I grew up and my mother’s past, its practically the only think that makes sense for me. Why can't you just support me in this?" she'd pleaded with him.

"Support you? I pulled you out of the fucking gutter! Now you want to jump in head first. I refuse to support this shit."

"Jay! You don't get to dictate to me. You shut me out of your life years ago. Now I'm living it the way I want to."

"Tread carefully, little girl. I can wrap you in chains just as easily as I set you free."

But that was years ago. Now, as Allie looked up into the eyes of the man that used to possess her every thought, those same words echoed in her mind. His gaze hardened on her face. "What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"We're going home, Allie."

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