Hostile Takeover ❖ Jake Riley | ✓ [book 1]

17~ Love is Growing Up

"Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up."

~ James Baldwin

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While in uni, Jenna had studied the seven types of love: there was Agape, the universal love, such as the love for strangers, or God. Then there was Philia, a love for friendship and good-will. Then Storge, a love between family members, Pragma, love between long-standing couples, Eros, sexual, passionate love, and Philautia, self love. And then there was Ludus, something that was playful, uncommitted, flirty even.

Right now, she was stuck in Ludus, walking on a yellow line dividing a highway. If she shifted her weight even a little, she'd be hit and sent into a world of disaster. The hospital room TV played as background noise to the thoughts running wild in her head, all the old memories of past boyfriends coming back to her. She'd only gotten as far as Ludus with all of them, only one she felt confident enough to spend her nights with. But Jake? This was so different than her past hook ups and boy toys. Jake genuinely cared, he wanted to take care of her, and he protected her. While she laid up in that bed, watching as Sheldon Cooper attempted yoga, she couldn't stop thinking of Jake.

She remembered three days ago, when Jake was first training her to fight. She remembered when he had her against the wall, holding her tightly, but not so much as to hurt her. She remembered feeling the warmth of his body over hers, breathing in his redolence of sweat and musk. Her skin began to burn, feeling a hot spell overtake her at the raging thoughts. She wanted to feel that again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We have units patrolling the streets night and day, and border guards all have Max's photograph on file. He's not getting out of here," Slater spoke over the skype line with Jake and Lex in one of the reception offices, "How's Jenna?"

"Traumatized, but she's alive," Jake said.

"Jake and I are going to stay until the doctors clear her to leave," Lex said. Slater had his hands clasped in front of his face as he nodded.

"Very well. I hope that Ms. Desmond understands that now given the circumstances, I can't allow anybody else to pass out of the district," he said.

Jake nodded, "I've explained it to her, she understands completely," he said.

"Good. Have we determined how Max was able to escape?" he asked.

"The tactile team did a full sweep of the building. They found Officer Lezebnik with a 45 caliber bullet hole in his head, and no clothes on," Lex said.

"So he voluntarily sacrifices himself for Max, or Max kills him. Either way, he takes his police uniform and walks right out the front door," Jake said.

"As infuriating at that little bastard is, you have to give him his respect," a telephone suddenly started to ring. Slater picked up the landline and answered.

"Tate, you have me, Lex, and Jake," he said.

"What'd you find in the fun house, doc?" Lex asked.

"Let me put it to you simply, I could spend a week in here with a black light and radiation scanner, and still not find a single infected cell," he said.

"You mean you didn't find anything?" Jake asked.

"If the virus was in here, then it's radiation signature has long faded away, or Max and his team did a great job cleaning up this place," he replied.