A stalker ex, a late-night threat, and a desperate escape force Jordyn and Mega to face danger—and growing feelings—in the dead of night.
After locking up the shop, Mega opened the door to his Jeep for Jordyn to get inside. As he walked around to the driver's side, he noticed a piece of paper underneath the windshield wiper. He was reluctant to grab it at first, but after taking a quick canvas of the scene to make sure no one was lurking in the shadows, he grabbed it and unfolded it.
It was a note from Mila. Letting him know how unhappy she was about him being at the ball with someone new. Mega didn’t care about the note or how she felt about him seeing someone else.
He was more concerned with the fact that she followed him to his shop. He didn’t want her following him to Jordyn’s house, in case Mila was out to get Jordyn. So, he took a little detour when they left the parking lot.
“Where we going?”
Without a word, he handed her the note, hoping she would be able to put two and two together on her own.
“Oh wow.” She raised both of her eyebrows while reading it. “She is really pissed off with you.”
“I think she’s more pissed off with you," he laughed. “I just wanna make sure she don’t follow us to your house. That could be all bad. You know?”
“Mhm," Jordyn nodded, hoping her time with him wasn't a mistake.
“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, though. Believe me."
“You know,” she paused to take in the depth of her emotions, “I honestly do believe you. Which is crazy because I really don’t even know you. I feel like I do, but I don’t. It's weird."
That wasn't the first time someone had told him that. Mega wanted to believe he was an okay guy and that he looked out for the people he cared about, but sometimes, he doubted himself.
“You should get to know me," he smirked. "I think I’m pretty cool. Outside of this bullshit."
“You are very cool.” Jordyn smiled. “Even though you have a stalker, crazy ex."
They took the back way back to Jordyn’s house. Along the way, Mega made sure he hit a few extra turns and back streets, just to make sure no one was following them. Jordyn was ok with that as long as she got to spend the extra time with him. She didn’t know whether or not Mila knew where she lived after dealing with Polo, but she didn’t put anything past anyone.
She learned early on in life with her dad that you couldn't put too much trust in people. Not even the ones who were supposed to love you.
“When can I see you again?” Mega asked as he pulled into her driveway.
“You wanna see me again?”
“Of course. Why not?”
In Jordyn's experience, most guys only wanted one thing. And that one thing was something she didn't let go of easily. She had let her guard down too early with Polo, and that turned out to be a disaster she never wanted to experience again.
“I don’t know," she blushed. "I thought this would be a one night thing. I know how guys are. Especially after they don’t get the panties at the end of the night.”
“Nah, I ain’t like that. I’m cool with standards. I actually prefer them.”
“Ok. Well, you can see me whenever. Just let me know when you want to.”
Mega smiled and nodded coolly. He wanted her to spend the night with him that night, even if they didn't have sex.
There was just something about her aura that made him feel relaxed and content. Something that spoke to his heart on a deeper level than any woman ever had.
“You need me to walk you up to the door?” he asked.
“Uhhh, yeah," Jordyn laughed. "That would be the gentlemanly thing to do, right?"
"Yeah," Mega chuckled. "I guess it would."
Before Jordyn could even get her key in the door, Pauline snatched it open with a look of terror on her face. It had been a long time since Jordyn saw her mother so frightened and shaken up. Not since the night her dad tried to kill her.
“Ma?” Jordyn looked her up and down in confusion. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Some men came here looking for you!" Pauline gasped. "They had guns. Big guns. Said if I didn’t tell them where you were, they would kill me.”
Pauline was scared shitless. Old, shaking, and frail from the cancer, she didn’t know what to do or what to think.
Other than hitting the button on her life alert so the police would show up, she froze in the moment and forgot how to protect herself.
“Oh my God!” Jordyn held her mother in her arms as she cried tears of regret. “This is all my fault! I should have never gone out tonight.”
Mega felt like shit for dragging Jordyn and her mom into his drama with Mila. He didn’t know how things would turn out, but he was ready for whatever. If Mila and Polo wanted to play a dirty game, he was all in and ready to go to war to clean up the mess.
“Go pack your stuff," he instructed, keeping his voice low and serious. “I’m bringing y'all with me for the night. We’ll figure out the rest in the morning.”
Jordyn was hesitant, but she didn’t ask any questions. Pauline either. She was so scared she didn’t care where they went, as long as she didn’t have to stay in her own home that night and risk getting her back blown out again.
“Hurry up, Jordyn," he called out while gathering Pauline and her bags to head to the door.
While he helped Pauline pack up her clothes and the supplies she needed to keep her comfortable through the night, Jordyn ran around the house in a frenzy, grabbing everything else she thought they might need.
The only place they had ever stayed overnight was the hospital, so Jordyn didn’t really know what to bring with them. It didn’t help that she was so flustered either.
“Ok!" she sobbed and sniffled. "I’m trying to hurry up. I’m sorry! I just...”
She couldn’t hold her terror in any longer and broke down. The last time she was afraid for her life, like she was in that moment, was after witnessing her father put a shotgun to her mother's back and pull the trigger. That happened when she was a little girl, and ever since that night, high-stakes danger was something Jordyn didn't know how to cope with.
“Can you carry yourself to the car, Ms. Pauline?” Mega asked, looking over his shoulder towards a sobbing Jordyn. "I gotta help Jordyn."
“Yeah, I can," Pauline said. "But y'all please hurry. I don’t wanna be out there by myself for too long.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’re right behind you.”
After watching Pauline get safely into the backseat, Mega walked over to Jordyn and lifted her to her feet. One thing he didn't like was weak links in his chain. And that night, Jordyn was the weakest.
“You’re okay. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you or your mom. Alright?”
“I’m so scared, Mega. I don't do well with shit like this. What are we gonna do?”
He could feel her body shaking under his grasp. It made him sick to his stomach for her to be as terrified as she was. Especially at the hands of Polo and Mila. He wished like hell he was there when the boys came knocking. If he was, Pauline might have been more shaken up by him than she was by them.
“I’m sorry," he sighed and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I’ll take care of it. You don't have to worry."
The look in his eyes told her he meant every word he said. He was so gentle and caring with her and her mother, but she could still see the burning rage beneath it all.
She wondered what he’d been through in his life that made him so angry. She wondered if he had been through similar situations before with Mila or if he had ever killed someone.
However, she knew it wasn’t the time for questions. They had to get out of sight before anyone decided to come back and check the scene.
“Come on, we gotta go,” he said softly. “If you need anything after we’re gone I’ll get it for you.”
“Okay.” Jordyn wiped her tears and took his hand. “Ok. I'm ready."
Mega took her bags to the car while she locked up the house. For some reason, she felt like she was moving away. Like she would never see the hood again.
Neither she nor her mother had the money to move away for good, so that was a thought she quickly pushed to the back of her mind.
Jordyn didn’t know what they were going to do when things died down, but she knew there was no way in hell she would feel safe in that house again.
She guessed she just had to trust that Mega would take care of it like he said he would. If not, she and her mother would've had to take their chances at protecting themselves.
Either that or she would have to make amends with Polo to ensure their safety. And that was the last thing she ever wanted to do.
“You good?” Mega rested his hand on her thigh as he drove.
“Yeah.” She placed her hand on top of his. “I’m hungry, though.”
“What you wanna eat at a time like this?" he chuckled.
“It don’t matter.”
“You hungry, Ms. Pauline?” He asked, checking the woman out in the rearview mirror.
“Nah. I ain’t got no appetite after this.”
“Ma, you gotta put something on your stomach tonight," Jordyn lectured. "Even if it’s something light.”
Eating didn't come easy for Pauline, an old woman with cancer. Unless she smoked or her stress levels were slim to none, food wouldn't stay down for her. She was on so many meds half the time, all she could manage to do was sleep, smoke, and piss.
“Alright, fine," Pauline huffed. "Let's eat then."
“What we getting?" Mega asked. "I’ll let you choose since your daughter don’t know what she wanna eat.”
“Shit, I’m easy. I can eat a burger and be ok.”
“Is McDonald’s ok for the night? Or you want me to cook something?”
“You know how to cook?”
Mega looked at Pauline like she had two heads. Cooking was something he loved to do in his spare time, especially when he had someone to cook for.
“Ay," she shrugged. "Most young men can’t find their way around a kitchen to save their lives. So, I don't know."
“I was always up under my granny in the kitchen, so I picked up a few things," Mega said. "Might even be able to show you a thing or two, Old timer."
Pauline laughed so hard she almost coughed up a lung. Cooking was something she loved to do when getting around was easier, and she didn't think anybody knew their way around the kitchen better than she did.
“Maybe that’s a good idea,” Jordyn chimed in. “It might help take our minds off things for the night.”
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