AJ's Salvation (18 page)

“Someone’s trying to put you in prison,” Spencer announced without further ado, and her jaw dropped. “I know, Alessia. I got a letter telling me everything.” He waved a paper, and she looked around her little escape, noticing that suddenly Spencer was a lot more interesting than before.

“And you tell me that here and right now why?” she asked, suppressed anger coloring her voice. 

He leaned in closer; lowering his voice just enough so she knew he didn’t mean to patronize her. “Because if I get information like that and don’t do anything about it, they’ll find another person until you’re eventually reported and brought in,” he fussed, and she shook her head in disbelief. 

“No, I don’t …” She reached for the paper, snagging it from him and then reading it. “They deliberately left out why I did it,” she whispered, and he arched a brow, waiting. She crossed her arms, knowing she was challenging him. “You don’t think there’s a good reason, do you?” 

He closed his eyes and then drowned his hands in his hair, looking as if he was ready to pull it out. “I’m here alone, aren’t I? I was hoping it wasn’t true,” he admitted, and she looked at him, waiting. “Tell me. Right now, right here,” he demanded, and she pressed her hands flat on the countertop.

“He was Jam’s, and just like his father, he was being abused. Except he was only a baby. Jamison handed him over to me when he was no older than four months and asked me to take him away. I refused … until Jam unwrapped the blanket and a bruised body appeared. I didn’t know there was more to the mother’s beating until Jam returned and I saw his scars. So did I do something illegal? Yes. Do I regret it? No.” She held Spencer’s eyes, knowing though that everyone else in that room had heard her. 

“How bad?” 

“Jam feared for his life. He stayed away because he worried someone could figure it out,” she explained. 

“Well, girl, someone did. The woman who took away your son. How did she do it?” The elderly woman, who earlier had talked about her and her husband, got up and came over.

“How did she do what?” Aly wanted to know and another woman got up. 

“How did she figure out that you had the child? Did Jam tell her?” she inquired, joining the little group forming in front of Aly’s counter. 

“She said she remembered from the one time he said I was beautiful. I kidnapped her grandchild, and she figured it out because of something he said,” she whispered, surprised at how free it made her feel to talk about it with strangers who, very clearly, weren’t judging her.

“It probably was the way he said it. It felt real to her. She saw on his face that he loved you. Have you ever been a couple?” another woman chimed in, and Alessia shook her head. It was weird, but she suddenly didn’t care if they locked her up. She still had the pictures the doctor had taken back then of the injuries on Alessandro’s body. This way she could at least try to get a lawsuit and make sure Jam would get her son. Maybe she should return to Townsend. Someone needed to stop the Karmisons.

“No, never. I didn’t think he ever had feelings for me, but it seems I was wrong all those years. He tried to protect Alessandro and me by staying away. No court of law would ever let me get away with what I did, no matter the reason. And everything was fine until this woman showed up because her abusive daughter is missing.  I’m functioning, but that’s about all.”

“My son’s a lawyer, girl. I can call him up. This is not fair. You're being bullied,” one of her regulars, Mrs. Cleo, announced. 

“I kidnapped a child,” she reminded them, but the old woman just waved her off. 

“You saved him. And by the way his father looked at you, I don’t think he thinks you kidnapped his child, either,” she explained, but Aly had a hard time seeing right as tears flooded her eyes.

“How do you know I’m telling you the story the way it is? How can you trust my word this easily?” she wondered out loud, realizing that the lady from the Women’s Committee had joined her behind the counter and now hugged her tight. 

“You're part of this community. We’ve known you since you arrived, missy. There’s nothing we don’t know, and your good heart is more than obvious to everyone here.”

A few agreeing noises came from all corners of the room. “Besides, we ain’t letting a stranger take away the woman who makes the best hot cocoa around here,” Mrs. Cleo called out, and Aly felt the tears dripping down her cheeks. Getting up this morning, she had never expected the day to turn out like this, but now, she was actually glad she had opened the café after all.

Jam threw open the door, feeling exhausted. He had been sanding shutters all day, the sun burning down on his back. A few times, he had been tempted to take off his shirt, but then he remembered why he never showed his skin anymore.

“Jamison?”

Great, Greg was pissed. It was exactly what Jam had
not
wanted when coming home. “I need a shower.” It had been more than five days since he had seen Alessandro and almost two weeks since he had walked out of Aly’s life. The unknown number, his personal demon, kept him updated on the fact that Spencer was a constant companion for Aly. There weren’t any more hugging pictures, but it still cut deep.

“Your shower can wait. We have guests.” Jam paused at the stairs, closing his eyes. 

“Just a minute,” he almost pleaded. 

“Hey, Jamison.” He opened his eyes, staring at Aly’s best friend. 

“She can’t be here. Philomena, I try everything to keep her out of this whole mess, and she just walks into that town?” He wanted to throw something.

“She's not here. I just needed to see you alone. I mean before you walk in there.” Something in her eyes made Jam pause. She was looking like he felt—somewhat broken and a lot worried.

“What's up?” he finally asked, settling down on the stairs. He could think of better places to have an endless talk, but she didn't look as if she was moving.

“You don't look like a happy man,” Philomena commented, and he sat up straighter. Anger surged through him. She had to be fucking kidding.

“I left your town after having a fight with the woman I try to protect at all costs. I walked out on her after thoroughly fucking with her mind and then receive a call because my son has been taken away from her, hurting her even more in the process. She's sad, heartbroken, and lonely. I'm not allowed to see my son unless his evil grandmother lets me into the house. I can't seem to find a solution that keeps Alessia out of prison yet finally solves all this. Besides that ... I miss her like a parched man misses water. For thirteen years, I was okay with watching her, or not even that, but those seven days I actually held her changed everything. I know what I could have had if Collene wouldn't have been in my life. I'm lying awake at night, staring at the ceiling. How in the world am I supposed to be a happy man?” Maybe he could do the whole psychologist thing. He seemed to be quite articulate when it came to baring his soul. Then he shook his head. Telling Aly's best friend about the feelings he had concerning Alessia was something different from explaining to a stranger all the ways Collene had marked his body.

Phil fumbled with her phone, making him curious. “Someone is going to quite a length to make her believe otherwise. I know she's hurting a lot about Alessandro being gone, and she tells herself that this is all she should be worrying about, but I saw it on her face, Jam. She thought you were lying to her all the time you've been there,” Phil reported and then showed him pictures of him and Shannon. It almost made him laugh out loud because now he could guess what Spence really was doing at Aly's place.

Getting out his phone, he showed her the photos he had gotten, his heart surprisingly light. He hadn't even realized how much the thought of having pushed Aly into Spencer's arms had bothered him.

“I called him when I realized Dorly and I would be leaving her alone,” Philomena explained, almost outraged. “Jam, you should have seen her. She didn't eat, and she didn't sleep much. She just stared at the water and cried.” So Dorly was the second guest waiting for him. He almost felt bad that the only mother figure Aly had was now gone from her side, too, even if it was only temporary. 

“Why did you come?” Phil shrugged and hugged herself. It reminded him of the way Alessia had tried to hold herself together the night they had fought.

“Someone needed to come and make sure that ...” She shook her head, searching for words. It was then that Jam understood.

“You thought I was just hanging out with my girlfriend while her son was being tortured by his family," he concluded, and she pulled up her shoulders another time. 

“All we had to go on was how you looked at Aly and the way that woman was allowed to touch you. You hugged her. We didn't know what to think. Aly didn't know what to think. And Jam, if what she told us about you is true, we wondered how you'd be able to stop worrying about your son to date.” A pleading look was on her face. She wanted him to forgive her, forgive them, for having thought he'd just leave and betray Aly like that.

“So far she's my only hope to free Aly from the threat hanging over her head and she tried really everything, but I refuse to have Alessia here.”

“Same,” Phil agreed, not really surprising him. It still made him smile. “She was ready to come, Jam, and to be honest, I don't think all of that was for Alessandro,” she admitted, and Jam shook his head. Man, he wanted to see Aly. He wished he could make her forget for just a little while. 

The doorbell rang, and Jam cursed. He'd never get to have his shower. “I got it,” he called out so Greg wouldn't even bother to get up. Phil stayed in the hallway with him, and he turned the knob. Before the door was even fully open, Shannon breezed in, already chatting away.

“Your girl obviously is much more amazing than we gave her credit for,” she stated, and Jam picked up a brow. He doubted that because he knew exactly how great she was. “I got a call today from a very nice young man. His name is Lenard Cleo. Does that ring a bell?”

“That's probably the son of one of Alessia's regulars,” Phil chimed in, and Shannon turned to her, beaming. 

“Exactly. Hey, I'm Shannon. You must be Alessia Rhyme's best friend, Philomena.” Jam hid a smirk as Phil's jaw almost hit the floor. “I'm a lawyer. I need to know my shit.” Shannon grinned, and Jam shook his head.

“I told her about you,” he clarified, and Phil nodded slowly while Shannon's expression softened.

“How is she? I've heard so much about her that I feel as if I know her personally,” the lawyer whispered, and Jam was relieved as the shadow of a smile appeared on Phil’s face.

“If you'd talk to her, I assume she wouldn't like you very much, but besides that, she is desperate and sad, I'd say,” Philomena guessed, and Shannon gave Jam a questioning look, but he just waved it off.

“She's trying very hard to get herself taken into custody.” The disapproval was clear in Shannon's voice, and Jam pushed away from the wall he was leaning against. 

“What?” Greg and Dorly now joined them before Shannon could reply. Jam gave Greg and her a moment to say a proper hello then he waved a hand in front of her face.

“Care to elaborate?” He wanted to know, and Shannon nodded. 

“I got a call today from Lenard Cleo because obviously half or more of Sunrow knows what Aly had done. That guy, her boyfriend -” 

“He's not her damn boyfriend, for God's sake. I called him so Aly wouldn't be alone,” Philomena protested, and Shannon raised her hands, trying to pacify Aly's friend.

“Well, seems there's more going on here. Someone's sending letters to her friends, telling them she kidnapped a child. We can be glad Spencer went to her first to ask for an explanation. She told everyone in the café her version of the truth, and they went wild. The support she's getting extends as far as her having a pro bono attorney. We need to fly out there and talk to him, Jam. Are you free in the next days? It won't be longer than three,” she promised. “Lenard sounds really nice, and if we play our cards right, Alessia might not ever see a prison from the inside.” That was all that mattered to Jam. Plus, he'd be able to see Aly.

The smile that almost appeared on his face vanished, though, the moment he realized he couldn't leave. “No, Shannon, I can't go with you. Alessandro is with the Karmisons still. I won't leave.”

“Collene has not been seen, and I don't think anyone else will harm the boy. You need to go there, Jamison,” Shannon insisted. 

“Why?” 

“Because someone needs to stop Aly from doing stupid things.” Since no one protested, Jam just lowered his head. 

“Can I at least shower before we talk more?” he asked, and Greg slapped his back.

“Definitely. You stink.”
Thank God for best friends
, Jam thought with a grin. They always managed to make you smile no matter how terrible the situation was. And Greg definitely was a pro at that, making him irreplaceable in Jam's life.