CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
Jax
THE REST AREA WAS EMPTY THIS time of night, so we had the place to ourselves, save for the employees and janitors milling about.
Jax found a table near a wall of windows that gave us a clear view of the car. I took a seat across from Jax, eyes wide, as he dug into his mountain of food. And that was no exaggeration. He’d ordered six bacon cheeseburgers, a large fry, onion rings, a jumbo soda, and a milkshake. He unwrapped the first burger and ate half of it in one bite.
“You’re seriously going to eat all that food?” I asked.
He washed down his food with a drink of his soda, then said, “You don’t think I can?”
“No.” Vampire or not, that much food would make anyone sick.
Jax grinned, and my stomach dropped in that way it did when on a rollercoaster. “What do I get if I do eat it all?” he asked.
“What do you want?” I asked before I could think about the implication of my words. Averting my gaze, I busied myself with opening my chicken sandwich.
“I want answers from you. Honest ones.” He slurped his drink.
Lifting my head, I met his stare. “You don’t need to stuff your face for that. I’ve never lied to you, Jax. Unlike you, who has spent the past few weeks doing nothing but lying to me. You really should win an award for your performance.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, sincerity ringing in his words. “I know you’re angry at me and—”
“Yes, I am. And I’m hurt. I trusted you. I told you things.” My gaze darted around, my nerves and emotions too edgy to look directly at him. “Everything I told you about Trent…” I shook my head, refusing to break down in front of him. “You could have told me the truth, but instead, you let me drive myself crazy.”
“I’m sorry,” he said again, this time a little more forcefully.
“Does Trent know we were meeting every week?”
Even before Jax nodded, I knew that was going to be the answer. A new wave of betrayal burrowed into my gut.
“Like he said before we left… nothing went according to plan.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, frustrated.
“I was supposed to look out for you, become your friend, make sure you were okay, that you were safe. Make sure there were no witches lurking in your life.” He unwrapped another burger. “You were never supposed to see Trent, but I made the mistake of telling him about the concert, and he insisted on going, just so he could see for himself that you were okay.” Jax shook his head.
“But then I was almost crushed in the pit and—”
“And he couldn’t let that happen,” Jax finished my thought, then nodded. “We knew it wasn’t going to take you long to make the connection between me and him.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?” I asked.
“Because Trent was adamant that as soon as we took care of the witches we were going to disappear again, let you have the life you wanted,” Jax said with a frown. “Our arrangement was only supposed to be temporary—until you started to remember. Neither of us expected that.”
I sat silently, staring at him, my mind reeling. Clearly, they hadn’t been able to find the witches or learn why they wanted me in the first place, but what if they had? I could still be in Malibu right now. My life could be totally different.
“Don’t be too hard on him, okay? He just wanted to make sure you were okay, to have someone to talk to should things have been going badly, someone to give you advice that wasn’t completely terrible.”
“Yeah, well you sucked at that.” I leaned back and crossed my arms.
The corner of his mouth lifted in an almost smile. “I’ll take whatever punishment you want to dish out, providing it doesn’t have anything to do with fire or pointy sticks.”
I threw my napkin at him. “You’re a jerk.”
“Fair enough.” His voice was sad and defeated. “So, are you going to give me some answers now?”
I shoved a fry into my mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “No,” I said after a moment.
“No?” Disbelief dripped from that single word.
“If you get honest answers from me, then I get them from you, too. I think you owe me that considering…” I ate another fry and waited for him to agree, not that I really expected him to.
“Fine, but then what do I get for eating all my food like a good boy?” He grinned, and heat rose like flames up my neck.
“I’ll buy you ice cream,” I offered.
He held up his milkshake. “Already got that.”
I shook my head but couldn’t stop from smiling. “A candy bar?”
“Nah, chocolate rots my teeth.”
“Seriously?” I didn’t realize vampires had to worry about dental issues.
“No.” He laughed.
I threw a fry at him, and he laughed harder. When I’d first met Trent, it was no secret Jax didn’t like me—and that was putting it mildly—so to be sitting here with him now, knowing everything I knew, including our not so pleasant past, laughing and having a good time, was surreal. Because now that I remembered him, everything was different. My reactions to him. My ability to trust him.
He finished his first burger, then ate his second one. “So, you really have all of your memories back?”
“Yes.” I took a bite of my sandwich and chewed slowly. If that was what he considered a tough question, then his inquisition was going to be easier than I thought. “You really made my father promise I’d never step foot in Keene Valley ever again?”
Jax cringed; it was fleeting, but I hadn’t missed it. “Yes,” he said.
He offered no apologies or explanations, and I didn’t push for any. For now, it was enough to know my father hadn’t lied to me.
He started in on his third burger. “Why did you leave with us so easily?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” I nibbled on a fry, which was now
