The Hornsey Bay Chapters

Chapter 5 - Bolognaise and Back Scratches

Jared is not happy about being forced to leave his friends behind.

He knows it was the top priority to get Floren out of harm's way, and he really couldn't skip work today, but everything inside him is begging him to go back. He wants to go join his friends, help them and take care of them... or, at the very least, bind their wounds if they have any.

Experience tells him that he should rather be worried about the opposition; if he had to be very honest, he is. Ranger is unpredictable at the best of times (these days, even more so than usual), and though he's generally a warm-hearted guy, Archer is not someone you want to get into a real fight with. Yet, it's John he's worried about the most.

John is grumpy, but he hardly ever gets truly angry. On the rare occasions that he does succumb to anger, he does so with passionate commitment. His anger triggers almost always involve one or more innocent people being threatened or hurt by forces stronger than themselves. He becomes someone completely different during those moments, and Jared doesn't really trust the other two idiots to reel him in and calm him down.

If John somehow truly injures someone, he would not be able to live with himself, even if the other party got what they deserved... and he would get into serious trouble.

Jared checks his phone for the 100th time and he has to do it surreptitiously because his boss will not understand his concern for his friends. He'd left voice mails on all their phones, requesting feedback; there has been none so far. He'd also called Floren to make sure that she was alright.

She said she was fine, but she was tense and frightened. Jared considers bowing out of work to go sit with her. He is worried that they'd all been too rough with her earlier when she was fighting them like a feral cat, and he doesn't like that idea at all. She wouldn't even let on if they'd actually injured her.

"Dammit!"

The restaurant is the last place he wants to be right now. He is chomping on the bit, working on a plan to sneak away and go check on his friends.

To hell with this crappy job!

He is going to leave and will just deal with the consequences later. He still has his phone in his hand while he makes up his mind about how he should leave when it begins to vibrate, announcing an incoming call. It startles him into almost dropping it into the pot of Bolognaise sauce he's stirring for the chef.

Jared is always wondering why the stingy bastard cannot appoint more staff. He has to spend four nights a week, until well past midnight, running between being a waiter, host, busboy and kitchen helper. He is sure that there are laws to prevent this kind of situation.

He hates this job and is sick of the greasy smell of the sub-par food. He is really worried that he might lose his temper with his abusive boss one of these days, probably today... and shove the petty man into one of his bland soufflés.

Arrogant asshole.

This afternoon, Jared is not being his positive, upbeat self at all. He seldom is when he's alone and can finally just feel what he feels without affecting the people around him.

After fumbling enough to fear missing the call, he finally manages to answer the phone. "Yeah?!" he barks as soon as a connection is made, sounding more aggressive than he means to.

"What the hell do you want?"

Jared didn't even bother checking the screen to see the name of the caller before answering it and is therefore surprised to hear Ranger's lazy drawl in his ear. The guy normally sucks at returning calls.

"Huh? You called me," Jared points out, relief at hearing Ranger's voice washing over him in almost nauseating waves until the fact that Ranger seldom returns calls hits him, turning his relief into worry for his cousin and John.