“Now, about that other thing. The Club we discussed in our last
meeting.”
Raven froze and Jake stiffened too. “We shouldn’t ever talk about them
again,” Jake said.
Mack looked at him. “I need to tell you that I hear things,
Jake. I’m worried about you guys.”
“What’ve you heard?”
“I heard it aint over. I heard they still plan to make a move.”
Jake spun and looked at Mack with eyes
that were like cold steel. “Tell me
exactly what you heard,” he said through grit teeth.
“All I’m saying is that you need to be
careful. Now, I happen to have my intel ,” Mack said, his voice still calm. “I know things about these people. And if they do make a move, you let me
know, Jake. Just come and tell
me—call me, any hour of the day. And I’ll help you.”
Jake was staring at him. “How do I know you’re not with them?”
Mack’s smile grew wider. “You won’t know it until the time is
right, my friend. For now, I
suppose you’ll just have to hope you and your lady friend are lucky and not
unlucky. Because if I am with the
Club, then your life might just have gotten a whole lot more complicated.”
Jake pulled away from him and grabbed
Raven’s hand. “Come on,” he told
her. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Be careful,” Mack told them as they
left.
As they left the building, Raven turned
to Jake. “What do you think?” she
asked him. “Is he really with Club
Alpha?”
Jake shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s just a member of the club
like I was. Maybe he’s just fucking
with us.”
“I don’t like this,” Raven said, looking
around as they walked down the street to where Jake had parked his jeep. She felt anxious, paranoid. She hadn’t felt like this since they’d
left the cabin.
“It’s going to fine,” Jake told her, but
his voice was tight.
They got in the jeep and drove home.
That night, neither of them said
much. Both were lost in thought,
lost in their own private worlds.
Raven didn’t like the way Jake had
withdrawn from her. He went for a
long night swim at the beach, not inviting her, and then came inside and had a
beer.
She texted with Skylar and her brother,
telling them very little about her own adventures, and instead asking more
about what they had been doing. It
was nice to get lost in other people’s worlds for a while.
Danny told her that the family was
getting tired of staying at the various hotels that Jake had arranged for
them. They wanted to go home, but
no home existed and the insurance money still hadn’t come in.
Skylar said she was feeling better, but
Raven wasn’t certain that it was the truth.
I
want to come and see you ,
Raven texted her.
Don’t
be silly. I’m doing fine, there’s
no reason for you to come back yet .
Jake was drinking his beer and watching
Rocky III on the couch, and Raven didn’t feel comfortable even trying to talk
to him, so she went upstairs to the bedroom and read articles about Jake’s
music online, finding some new commentary on her as well.
For the first time, she was seeing some
positive stuff on the web attached to her name.
Apparently, Mack Zee had called her a
producing genius and credited her for bringing Jake’s song Too Far From Home to
the public’s attention. Now,
instead of seeing people on Twitter and Facebook calling her the new Yoko Ono,
there were people defending her and saying that Jake Novak had been nothing but
an overhyped Disney product until Raven Hartley had come along and turned him
into a true artist .
Obviously, Raven didn’t think she was
that responsible for Jake’s newfound critical success. He’d written those songs, he was the
musical genius. But it was still
nice to know that maybe she did have a place in his story that wasn’t all about
undermining and destroying his career.
And even though Mack Zee was an enigma,
and potentially a threat, he’d made
meeting.”
Raven froze and Jake stiffened too. “We shouldn’t ever talk about them
again,” Jake said.
Mack looked at him. “I need to tell you that I hear things,
Jake. I’m worried about you guys.”
“What’ve you heard?”
“I heard it aint over. I heard they still plan to make a move.”
Jake spun and looked at Mack with eyes
that were like cold steel. “Tell me
exactly what you heard,” he said through grit teeth.
“All I’m saying is that you need to be
careful. Now, I happen to have my intel ,” Mack said, his voice still calm. “I know things about these people. And if they do make a move, you let me
know, Jake. Just come and tell
me—call me, any hour of the day. And I’ll help you.”
Jake was staring at him. “How do I know you’re not with them?”
Mack’s smile grew wider. “You won’t know it until the time is
right, my friend. For now, I
suppose you’ll just have to hope you and your lady friend are lucky and not
unlucky. Because if I am with the
Club, then your life might just have gotten a whole lot more complicated.”
Jake pulled away from him and grabbed
Raven’s hand. “Come on,” he told
her. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Be careful,” Mack told them as they
left.
As they left the building, Raven turned
to Jake. “What do you think?” she
asked him. “Is he really with Club
Alpha?”
Jake shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s just a member of the club
like I was. Maybe he’s just fucking
with us.”
“I don’t like this,” Raven said, looking
around as they walked down the street to where Jake had parked his jeep. She felt anxious, paranoid. She hadn’t felt like this since they’d
left the cabin.
“It’s going to fine,” Jake told her, but
his voice was tight.
They got in the jeep and drove home.
That night, neither of them said
much. Both were lost in thought,
lost in their own private worlds.
Raven didn’t like the way Jake had
withdrawn from her. He went for a
long night swim at the beach, not inviting her, and then came inside and had a
beer.
She texted with Skylar and her brother,
telling them very little about her own adventures, and instead asking more
about what they had been doing. It
was nice to get lost in other people’s worlds for a while.
Danny told her that the family was
getting tired of staying at the various hotels that Jake had arranged for
them. They wanted to go home, but
no home existed and the insurance money still hadn’t come in.
Skylar said she was feeling better, but
Raven wasn’t certain that it was the truth.
I
want to come and see you ,
Raven texted her.
Don’t
be silly. I’m doing fine, there’s
no reason for you to come back yet .
Jake was drinking his beer and watching
Rocky III on the couch, and Raven didn’t feel comfortable even trying to talk
to him, so she went upstairs to the bedroom and read articles about Jake’s
music online, finding some new commentary on her as well.
For the first time, she was seeing some
positive stuff on the web attached to her name.
Apparently, Mack Zee had called her a
producing genius and credited her for bringing Jake’s song Too Far From Home to
the public’s attention. Now,
instead of seeing people on Twitter and Facebook calling her the new Yoko Ono,
there were people defending her and saying that Jake Novak had been nothing but
an overhyped Disney product until Raven Hartley had come along and turned him
into a true artist .
Obviously, Raven didn’t think she was
that responsible for Jake’s newfound critical success. He’d written those songs, he was the
musical genius. But it was still
nice to know that maybe she did have a place in his story that wasn’t all about
undermining and destroying his career.
And even though Mack Zee was an enigma,
and potentially a threat, he’d made
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