No Mercy / Book Three

Chapter Three: Helping Hand

Juniper knew she looked like hell when she walked into the restaurant Logan had promised to meet her at, but the waitresses eyes that had widened in horror when she was shown to a booth made her wonder if she should have done something to at least minimize the visual effect of the trauma her body had been through two nights before. She hadn't been vain enough to put makeup over the scrapes and cuts that decorated her hairline and the tops of her cheeks, not wanting to risk infection, and the bridge of her nose was far too sore to have put up with it anyway.

She tugged her cardigan tighter over her body when the waitresses eyes dipped to the splotched bruising on her chest and shoulder, a harsh line thanks to the seatbelt that had caught her before she could be thrown through the windshield of her car. They weren't as vivid as they could have been, the dark cocoa of her skin tone muting the colors just enough to make them look a few days old instead of the tender fresh ones that they were.

"Sabrina! Either ask her what she wants to drink or move your skinny ass and pass out orders," Ruby yelled out from behind the counter, shooting Juniper a wink when she sent her a grateful smile. She had come to love Logan's mother-in-law, enjoyed the calm presence the older woman gave off despite the chaos that followed her around her restaurant. She particularly enjoyed when Ruby took one look at her and sent over a slice of homemade pie before she could even order, just like she did today. A year of having Juniper as a customer and she had never once been wrong about the need of a pick-me-up.

She had barely swallowed her second bite of cherry pie when Logan slid into the booth on the other side, her vibrant red hair disheveled and her lipstick smudged onto her chin.

"Sorry, Stanford wanted a kiss before he went to the rec center and it went on longer than planned," Logan laughed, reaching for the napkin Juniper handed her. She used her phone as a mirror to fix her ruined makeup before putting it away and accepting the piece of pie Sabrina brought over.

Juniper watched as her friend practically inhaled the flaky treat, her own fork moving much more slowly. She knew Logan was pregnant and that was why she waited for her to get done eating before reaching across the table for her hand. Growing a human inside of you meant food first and everything else later.

"I'm sorry to do this to you while you have so much going on in your life," Juniper said softly, "but I don't know where else to turn. I can't keep living in fear."

Logan tightened her own fingers around Juniper's and shook her head, her eyes already filling with tears. It didn't take much to make her friend get emotional at this point in her life, her hormones raging.

"No one should have to constantly look over their shoulder because they're scared that evil has finally caught up to them," Logan sniffled, grabbing the napkin she had used to fix her lipstick and using it to dab at the tears that had started to roll down her cheeks. "But Stanford has a friend, his name is Damion. He agreed to help you."

Juniper's heart fluttered in her chest, hope an almost tangible thread that she could practically reach out and grab onto with both hands. She trusted the man who had taken Logan and turned her from a broken echo of the woman she used to be into the kind of woman who could throw her head back and laugh without the fear that someone would drag her back down into the pits of hell. If he said that Damion was someone she could count on, then she would do so in a heartbeat.

"I just wish I knew why this was happening. Who's doing this to me," she confessed, drawing a blank like every other time she thought about who was making her life hell the last few months. "And I think that's the hardest part. Not knowing why my life is being turned upside down."

They cleared their hands off the table when Sabrina came back to their booth, arms loaded down with plates that Ruby had undoubtedly sent over after noticing their emotional turmoil. Fatty cheeseburgers and another piece of pie were placed in front of them, baskets of fries following quickly after.

Juniper and Logan both tilted their heads up and accepted the kiss Ruby pressed against their cheeks when she dropped off their drinks before returning to their conversation.

"You'll get through this, and come out whole on the other side," Logan promised, dipping her fries in ketchup and popping them into her mouth. "And Damion's a really nice guy, you'll like him once you get to meet him. He's probably the most laid back out of the group."

Juniper took a sip of her sweet tea and reached for a handful of fries, musing over what Logan had said. It would be nice to spend time with someone who wasn't constantly waiting for her to fall apart or seeing how long it would take before they could use her. She trusted very few people when it came to friendships, in her experience most of them ended the second the other person found out that she wouldn't be their personal piggy bank.

"When can I meet him?" Juniper asked, dragging the new piece of pie in front of her and picking up her fork. Logan glanced at the watch on her wrist and shrugged her shoulders, reaching for her own piece of pie.

"We finish this and head out in about twenty minutes and we can catch him before he leaves the rec center," Logan said around a bite of pie. "Or we can wait until tomorrow and meet him at his house. Whatever you want to do."

Juniper pulled some cash out of her wallet and placed it on the table, knowing that Ruby wouldn't send a check over. She had a bad habit of feeding them and not wanting to charge for it, but Juniper had learned to leave the payment and tip under a plate so the restaurant wouldn't lose any money, despite Ruby scolding her every single time.

"Well, there's no time like the present," Juniper said softly, taking one last sip of her drink and waiting for Logan to finish her food.

She told Jaxon if he didn't help her then she would find someone who would and it looked like it was up to her to make sure that someone took the threat on her life seriously. She just hoped that Damion wasn't anything like the cop who was brushing her off.