I Never Thought I'd See You Again: A Novelists Inc. Anthology by Unknown Page A

began, she’d felt almost safe with Jake.
    Except he didn’t trust her.
    She couldn’t blame him, but it hurt. Eavesdropping on his conversation with Lucky made her feel like shit, but she had to know what was going on. He thought she was holding back, and just because he said he’d protect her didn’t mean that he could. And then he was thinking about calling the cops. She didn’t care if this guy was a friend of his, the police scanner said she was a wanted fugitive. They thought she was part of the gang that killed a cop. She knew how bad this was, that if LAPD thought she was a cop killer, she wasn’t going to be given much chance to explain.
    And what if she got Jake killed? There was too much at stake. Angel didn’t trust anyone, G-5 or the cops. She just didn’t know what or who to believe.
    Jake was right that she was holding something back, but she’d told him everything important. What she didn’t tell him was really none of his damn business. That Marisa was pregnant with George Garcia’s baby shouldn’t matter at all. It was Marisa’s business, no one else’s. Angel didn’t even know know — she’d guessed, and Marisa had just burst into tears and run off. She’d still given her statement, before telling George she wouldn’t go through with it. She had to be hiding, right? Maybe Marisa and George, hiding together until this whole thing blew over.
    Except George wouldn’t turn on his brother. Maybe Marisa joined G-5 and now Angel’s best friend, too, was after her.
    She wanted to let Jake solve her problems. Jams . Yep, get her out of this jam. It was a doozy. But he didn’t trust her, and if he didn’t trust her why was he even helping? Out of guilt? Guilt for leaving her with a drunk mother who stole her child support? If he was telling the truth about that.
    The weight of the small gun she’d stolen from Lucky added to her guilty heart. She didn’t want Lucky to get into trouble for helping Jake. Or her.
    She had an idea. She’d heard Jake’s talking about the prosecutor, Larson, and it seemed that if Angel could get to her, she could get some protection, maybe even give her statement early. If she was on record, a hand through his hair. sGr that would make her safe, right?
    She didn’t know. She didn’t understand the system because she’d worked hard to stay out of it. Juvie, she got. Court, she didn’t. And murder — this was way over her head.
    The rain had stopped. It was a quiet Sunday morning. She hoped she looked like she fit in, but she’d never fit in anywhere.
    She cut through a couple yards. When she rounded the corner onto the main thoroughfare, she walked right into Jake.
    She stared, surprised. Before she could even think of running, he grabbed her arm. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
    She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he wouldn’t let go.
    “You’re hurting me.”
    “I’ll hurt you a hell of a lot more if you don’t tell me the truth now.”
    “Why? You didn’t believe me before.”
    “What makes you think I didn’t believe you? Because you’re feeling guilty for lying to me? Your actions make me think I shouldn’t have trusted you.”
    “This isn’t your problem!”
    He dropped her arm and for a split second, Angel thought he was going to hit her. But he took three steps back and shook his head. “What do you want from me?”
    “What do you want from me?”
    “Trust.”
    “Ditto.”
    They were at a standstill. Jake said, “Does Marisa have a tattoo of a cross on her back?”
    Angel’s chest tightened. “Y-yes. A lot of people have crosses. I have a cross.” She lifted up her jeans and showed him the cross on the back of her calf.
    “Does it go down the length of her back? Elaborate?”
    “Why?”
    “Was she pregnant?”
    Angel’s eyes watered. “How do you know this?”
    “She’s dead.”
    Angel shook her head. “No.”
    “You will be too, if you don’t trust me.”
    Her chest heaved and she could hardly