Page 25 of Loving Trent
So, what’s our next move?
Demon
I’ve got a guy about an hour away from Jaxx’s house. I figure we will have the papers we need to be signed not long after that. I’m having another friend look into her mom’s disappearance. Something seems off about the story Jaxx told the police.
Me
Let me know if I can help.
Demon
Will do.
I turn on the water and step under the spray, groaning. My muscles are tight from sitting for so long. I’m going to have to hit the gym soon to work out some of this tension. Shawn’s gym in Cape springs to mind, but I push it away because I can’t go there right now. The urge and need to see him grows, but Harley needs all my attention right now. I hurriedly get clean and get out, conscious that Harley is alone in a new place. After putting on clean clothes, I shove my dirty ones in my bag and head out to the dining room.
As I exit the hallway, Nana turns her gaze to me. Her blue eyes are wet, but that fire is back. Her brows are slanted, and her mouth is in a thin line. “What are we doing about these assholes who hurt this poor baby?”
“I take it Harley told you her story,” I say, setting my bag on the floor and sliding onto the bench seat.
“She sure did, and I want to know what the plan is for them,” Nana demands, placing her hand on Harley’s arm.
Harley has made a decent dent in the food piled on her plate. “Want the truth or the story that won’t get you in trouble?” Grabbing a plate, I fill it with eggs, bacon, and biscuits.
“The truth, Trent Anderson.” Nana’s no-nonsense, fuck around and find out voice causes a shiver to run down my back.
“When I find them, I plan on slowly draining them of blood.” I crumble up my biscuits and add a scoop of gravy on top of them. “Then I’m going to find out if they had any associates who helped cover for them. If they do… well, they will meet the same end.”
I look up to find Harley and Nana staring at me, mouths open and eyes wide. Oh shit, maybe I shouldn’t have said it like that. “How can you so calmly talk about taking someone’s life while putting food on your plate?” Harley asks.
“Simple. They ended multiple children’s lives. The only difference is that when I get done, they will be dead. The children who were put in their care are dead inside, but hopefully, they will find the help they need to overcome what happened to them. Harley, I told you that no one would hurt you again, and I meant it. You are now my family, and I will kill anyone who tries to hurt you or has hurt you.” I motioned to my plate with my fork. “As for the food, I’m starving.” I hope the joke will make her laugh or smile, but it falls flat.
“Why?” Harley asks, her voice low.
I reach across the table and lay my hand palm up. Harley doesn’t hesitate to lay her hand on mine. “Because you deserve someone like me in your corner. Someone who isn’t afraid to defend you. Because you didn’t deserve what happened to you. No child does. I told you we are the same. I had an uncle who stepped up and took me when I needed him. I want to be that person for you. Did me talking like that scare you?” I look toward Nana, seeking reassurance, I guess. Her eyes are bouncing between Harley and me. I can practically see the wheels turning behind them as she tries to figure out how much alike we are.
“A little, but because I don’t want you to get hurt or go to jail,” Harley answers honestly.
“Don’t worry about me. I won’t get hurt, and I definitely won’t go to jail.”
“Damn right, he won’t. We won’t let him,” Nana speaks up finally.
Harley sets her fork down, looks at Nana, and asks, “Can I take a shower?”
“Of course, sweet girl. I’ll show you where the towels are and get you some stuff to use.” Nana holds out her hand, and Harley takes it.
Just as the bathroom door shuts, the front door opens, and Leon and Jenna walk in. “I swear this is the wettest fall we have had in years,” Leon says, shrugging out of his jacket after dropping multiple plastic bags on the ground.
“I know, right? I kind of wish it would turn cold and snow,” Jenna says, leaning forward to nuzzle her nose against the four-year-old little girl on her hip.
“Snow,” Sadie says, throwing her hands up. I let out a chuckle, and Sadie’s attention snaps to me. “Trent,” she yells and starts to wiggle.
Jenna sits her down, and she takes off and throws herself at me. I open my arms just in time to catch her. Two weeks ago, Leon got a call in the middle of the night. It was a hospital out in Illinois, one of Leon’s old co-workers was killed in action, and left behind his four-year-old daughter. Leon was named as the person that Sadie was to go to if something happened like this. I just happened to be at his house when he got the phone call. All three of us loaded up straight away and rushed to the hospital.
Jenna already has three grown children—Adam, Emilee, and Levi—but she wasn’t around when they were growing up. She was in an abusive relationship and really young when she got pregnant with Adam. She ended up addicted to drugs and signed her rights over to all three of her kids to Nana and her husband, George. She eventually got clean but stayed away, thinking it wasbest for the kids. She and Leon have known each other since they were teenagers. So, while they have only been married for a almost two years, they are more than ready for this stage.
Jenna was afraid of how Adam, Levi, and Emilee would react to Sadie, but by the time we got back into town, she learned there was nothing to worry about. Everyone has taken to Sadie and is very excited for Jenna and Leon to be parents. From the little I’ve seen, they will be the best parents around. Everyone who meets Sadie instantly falls in love with her.
“Hey, Sadie bug. What are you doing?” I tickle her sides and smile at how full of life she is. I’m sure when she gets older, the fact that both her parents passed away will try to dim that, but the Hills won’t let it. Turns out Sadie’s mom passed away during childbirth.
