She Will Be Loved

She Will Be Loved - Chp 23

Chapter 23

"Get out." Her voice was resolute in its decision. I watched Cynthia take in Jonie's only response to her plea, wondering how well she'd take it. These two had no secrets that the other didn't know. Every action must have been anticipated, I had to be the only one left in the dark. The blonde's expression was virtually unreadable. Would she throw a tantrum? Would weapons be brought into this? Just how safe was Emily, sleeping upstairs? Without realizing it, I'd begun gnawing away at my lower lip, wishing the tension would break. Finally, Cynthia turned to leave.

"Things are gonna go back to the way they were, Jonie, I promise."

That was all she said before exiting the kitchen and making her way from the house. My eyes shot to Jonie immediately, a new panic set in them. "What did she mean by that?" Things going back to the way they were. It may have been a harmless wish to have things be the way they were between the two but it sounded something sinister in the echoing silence that followed. Things being the way they were would be a disaster for me. How anyone wanted to revisit their past was beyond my comprehension and the whole thing was unsettling. "Answer me! What'd she mean by—"

"I don't know, okay??" She shot back, sounding more frustrated than at any point in which she'd been unable to effectively collect data. Her words were plagued with a panic I'd never known. "I...I just don't know. She's different. She's changed and I don't know how and I can't think straight. Don't you see? It doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense, Kai, but I don't think she can. Things will never be the same. Too much has changed and I don't think she'd ready to accept that." Everything about the Jonie standing in front of me told me that she was afraid and this only added to my fear. Jonie Matthews was fearless. If Cynthia could crack her defences, she was no small walk in the park. She was big league, faked death, revenge seeking badass.

I wanted nothing more than to get up but I didn't trust my legs to support me just yet. First, the news needed to be internalized. Something had to be done before the girl ruined the paradise I'd somehow gotten for myself.

"Keep an eye on Emi...and Jayden. He's not an idiot, but neither is she."

I nodded, feeling too numb by recent events to do much else. Evidently the girl couldn't be trusted to be alone with anyone else. She was a disaster the moment she hit a room. My thoughts drifted to her departure. Where had she gone? Back to the house? Where would she stay? There was more than enough room at the house for her but that was hardly the issue. Jonie said only Cynthia knew how to brew that poison and all the vials were in her house, but if the girl had invented it herself, there was no need for Jonie's confiscated vials. Brewing another batch must have been nothing to her; much like giving it to a three year old. There was no telling what she would do to Matt—or Dustin and Tara. In so many ways, this seemed out of our qualification level, like we were in over our heads, but I wouldn't be mentioning that to Jonie. There was enough of her plate as it was. I wouldn't be the one to add doubt. Right now she needed someone who still believed in her skills because Cynthia's reappearance was taking its toll on her. She was losing confidence in herself. Earlier was the first I'd seen Jonie give up on information and despite having witnessed it with my eyes, I didn't want to believe it.

"Mommy?" Jonie and I looked to the archway where Emi now stood rubbing at her eyes. She wobbled over to me, still clearly half asleep and placed her head in my lap. "I'm hungry."

"I've got just the thing for you, Kiddo." Jonie launched away from the counter she'd been leaning against and headed for the microwave. "This was your mother's but I don't think she'll mind you having it." She got a plate to put the pizza slice on then she was swooped up and propped her up onto the stool next to mine. "Have at it."