FORSAKEN

Chapter Twelve

JASIKA

"Are you okay?" Delano asks and I hum in response. It's rainy outside. I'm sitting on the balcony of the verandah. My leg is near my chest and my other foot peeks through my skirt. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Valen." I say softly as he sits down next to me.

"What's wrong with him? Did Vladimir kill him?"

"No, I'm just sad that he has lived like that. He shouted at me because I told him he'd get out of there alive and he calls me a little girl. I'm not helpless."

"We talked about this, didn't we?" He chastised and I sighed. "You shouldn't be telling him that you'd get him out. You don't know what's going to happen with him-"

"I visited him today. Vladimir thrashed him terribly. I asked him for a hug and he says if he hugs me that I should never come back there. I can't leave him there to suffer. It's inhumane."

"Don't do this to yourself," Delano smiles sadly. His eyes go solemn. "You're too young and making a promise to someone and yourself while in turmoil. You're trying to reassure him of freedom but what happens when you feel like you've failed yourself?"

"Valen deserves to live." I hug myself tighter. I can sense Valen is amazing. I'm going with my gut feeling on this one. I may screw up a lot of things but my intuition is always right.

"By the end of the month Jess. I'm working on it." I flinched as the thunder rumbled. "Let's go inside. The weather is deteriorating."

I come off the balcony and go inside. Carlos is there, he watches me with hatred, I wish it was love. We can be civil. I like him, I wished he'd just like me back to. I turn as Delano's phone began ringing. He answers quickly and frowned. The call is curt, he pats my cheek before hugging me. I hug him back because he could leave me here and never return alive. These men love their jobs but some of the people in their lives hate that they love it.

"Take care of her," Delano warns Carlos. "Any complaints-"

"The man-whore can barely take care of him-"

"Be nice Jessie." Delano says as he picks his big black umbrella up before pointing it at us. "The both of you better behave."

I smiled and nodded as he closes the door.

Go ahead and test me Carlos.

"I have one question, why did you have to call him?"

"I was hungry." I tell him and opened the fridge. "I get migraines if I starve myself."

"You didn't even come through the front door."

"Because you were busy having sex on the sofa, what the hell was I supposed to do? You'd be cranky if I had knocked."

His expression changes and he knows I'm right. "I'm sorry okay."

"Forget about it, I have homework and I need your help."

"What subject?"

"Mathematics." I replied and he groans.

*******

"Kiddo," I ended up knocking my bottle of red glitter as Jonah calls me. I shoved my glitter card inside the drawer before looking at him. "What's that you're hiding?" He questions as he looks away from his phone.