I can't look at Jayne anymore. It just hurts too much. My need to both hold her and push her away is constantly battling inside of me. It's so intense that part of me feels like it's about to explode. I need to get myself under control.
"I don't know if they thought I'd call you. They probably thought I'd call the cops or something. You believe me now? Believe I need help?"
My eyes dart to her. At least now, instead of fear, I see hope.
"Yeah, I believe you." I fold my arms over my chest before I continue. "You keep saying they. Do you know who did this?"
"I have a good idea." Jayne chuckles without any joy before she drops down on the edge of the bed. Her shoulders slump down as if she's carrying the weight of the world on them. "It's Xavier."
The sound of another man's name coming off her lips shoots a bolt of jealousy through me. "Who the hell is Xavier? Your boyfriend?"
"Ugh, absolutely not." She shakes her head.
I won't lie, I feel a little better now. Sure, I fuck the sweetbutts from time to time. Nutty can suck the skin off my dick, but I've never managed to forget the sting of heartbreak long enough to get another girlfriend.
"If he's not your boyfriend, who the hell is he?"
She sighs and shakes her head. "Honestly, I don't really know. I thought he was a pimp. He's the man all the girls were afraid of."
"What girls? There are girls?" Eva questions, taking the words right out of my mouth.
From there Jayne tells me an absolutely horrid story of the mess she's gotten herself into.
Jayne moved out of state. She got herself a little desk job at a dental office and a small one-bedroom apartment. Turns out the apartment next to hers held three women. At first she thought they were just roommates. It wasn't until the men started coming in and out that she figured out what it was. Instead of just minding her business and turning a blind eye, she found out that the girls were all there against their will.
A man by the name of Xavier was forcing them to stay there. Jayne said she went to the police, but the girls didn't want to risk getting in trouble. Jayne took that as her sign to do more, so she gave the girls some money, bought all three of them a Greyhound ticket, and sent them on their way. It didn't take Xavier very long to figure out that she was the one messing withhis business, and now he's demanding that Jayne either tell him where the girls are or find him ones to take their place.
"I figured once he realized I wasn't going to give him what he wanted he'd go away, but the threats kept coming and the cops aren't willing to do anything."
"Of course they don't want to. You really stepped in the shit with this bastard." I squeeze my eyes shut and pinch the bridge of my nose. I can feel a migraine trying to settle in.
"There's more."
"Jesus Christ. What do you mean there's more?" I blink my eyes open and look at Jayne again.
"I didn't know, but I found out that Xavier was part of this crew or gang. I don't know. Something called the Burning Souls. I've never seen a patch or anything like that. I just know the minions he's sent to harass me mention it a lot."
Great, just what we need. Another club to be at odds with.
Problem is I don't know anything about these Burning Souls.
I'm going to have to get Virus to look into it.
"Fine, is there anything else?" Now that I know the story, I'm ready to get as far away as possible.
"No." Jayne combs her fingers through her hair before she takes a step in my direction. "What are we going to do now? What happens if they come back?"
"Until we figure out what the hell this Xavier bastard wants, you're going to need to have a protection detail. If they are following you around, there may be a chance they'll come back."
Jayne nods her head. "Okay, just give me a few minutes and I'll pack up what I can."
"Pack up?" She can't be saying what I think she's saying. "What are you packing up for?"
"You said I need a protection detail. At the clubhouse, right?"
"Fuck no." I enunciate each letter. "I'm not going to be stuck in my own home with you lingering around every corner. No, you'll stay here and I'll have someone come watch you."
"Spike!"