Tangled Love

CHAPTER 48

"Did you sleep well?" Jake murmurs down my ear. I smile and close my eyes before nodding.

"I sleep like a baby when you're next to me." I tell him. The nightmare are slowly beginning to become less frequent and for that I'll always be grateful. Jake chuckles quietly in response before climbing out of bed.

"You should get dressed Muffin, we've got stuff to do today." He tells me firmly, pulling a clean white shirt over his head. I'm slightly disappointed at the sight of his clothes, I prefer the shirtless bedhead look on him.

"Can I at least know where we're going?" I ask him, feeling slightly nervous from his mysterious act.

"You'll soon see." Jake replies, not giving away any clues. He walks over to his wardrobe and I roll my eyes at his back before jumping off the bed and heading for his bedroom door. I pull it open and step out in to the hallway, coming face to face with Tobias.

"Hey," I say quietly noticing how his eyes are roaming down my body disapprovingly. I quickly tug on Jake's shirt self consciously knowing exactly how this must look to him. Tobias barely glances at me before scoffing and walking away. God, what is his problem?

*****

"Jake, can you slow down? I'm not an olympian athlete." I mutter in his direction, jogging to try and keep up. He comes to a slow walk, turning to give me an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I'm a little on edge."

"A little?" I question, my eyebrow raised as I glance around at our surroundings. We drove for around twenty minutes and the buildings around here don't resemble the ones I see daily. Half of them are

closed up, boarded with wood and cardboard to stop anyone from entering. The streets are littered with rubbish, glass bottles and its so deserted, I haven't seen a single other human being.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going? I don't like surprises." I ask him firmly, reaching out to take hold of his arm. He pauses and turns around, blue eyes darkening with worry. I begin to chew nervously on my bottom lip, noticing how rigid his body is and how he keeps checking over his shoulder every minute.

"Are we being followed?" I say quietly, glancing around the empty streets. Jake shakes his head, peering down at his watch before sighing.

"No, I'm checking to make sure it stays like that. Emily, you need to listen to me carefully, okay?"

I nod my head, looking up into his blue eyes to show him I'm listening. Once he's satisfied with my level of interest, he speaks again —

"Where I'm about to take you is not a game. Don't speak unless you're spoken to and be very careful what you say. Let me do all of the talking if possible, okay?" Jake says firmly. A thousand and one questions whirl through my mind but I'm so confused, I simply nod back in response.

His hand finds mine and he intertwines our fingers together before squeezing. The small sign of affection causes my anxiety to subside slightly and I smile up at him tightly, my stomach a ball of nerves.

"Okay, let's carry on. We're almost there." Jake murmurs. I nod again, resembling a robot and both of us begin walking. We turn the corner and head for the metal staircase placed at the side of a large building. When Jake begins to climb them, I stumble slightly and his hand shoots out, steadying me. We don't speak another word until we're at the top. I peer over the edge, grimacing at the distance to the floor.

"Why are we here? Who are we meeting? Can I go back?" I blurt out all at once, the feeling of safety completely disappearing. Jake stands directly in front of me, taking hold of my arms.

"Look at me." He says firmly, blue eyes flickering between mine. I breathe in sharply, my heart hammering against my chest.

"You're with me and I'll never let anything bad happen to you. We're here because I think he can give us the help that we need. We can't fight this alone Emily."

That's how we end up walking along the roof of a derelict building before we come face to face with another door. Jake enters and walks down the staircase with me directly behind him. It's dark, cramped and smells like rotting fish. At the bottom we're faced with another door and I stand back and watch as Jake knocks on it three times before kicking the bottom right corner. I blink and take a step back, wondering what the hell I'm witnessing right now.

"Is that a code?" I mumble in slight shock. The door bangs causing me to jump and it opens slowly, creaking. Jake takes a deep breath, releases my hand and pushes the door open further.

My hand grow clammy with nerves and I follow Jake, taking in my surroundings. It's a dark room only lit up with a few bulbs hanging from the ceiling. In front of me is a large pool table and next to it was a small bar scattered with a few bottles of alcohol on top. The walls are covered with graffiti, a language I don't recognise.

I glanced to my left, noticing a set of leather seats pushed up against the wall. So it's basically a bachelor pad. . . Nothing too scary.

I inhale deeply, forcing my nerves to calm down. My eyes flicker over the room and I notice the desk in the far corner. Sat behind it is one of the most intimidating men i've ever laid eyes on. He's staring

directly at me, dark eyes flickering with interest. His black hair is fixed firmly in place by gel, catching the light from the bulbs.

He's dressed in all black and I notice a very expensive looking gold watch perched on his wrist. In one hand he holds a cigar and in the other, a small black object. He twists his hand, almost as if he knows exactly what I'm staring at. It suddenly dawns on me what he's holding . . . A gun.