Danger! Bad Boy(27)

"We're almost there," he explained in a tense voice.

I blinked open my eyes to see the lights of the city in the distance come into focus.

Back in Denver.

Back to reality.

We were on the I-70 descent down the mountain and into the outlying suburbs.

Thirty short minutes later we were on the freeway and exiting into Broomfield. I felt extremely nervous about facing my mom. But with Caleb by my side, I’d find the strength. My mom would never be able to tear us apart. I loved Caleb and even though he hadn't said the words aloud, I knew he loved me, too.

Glancing over at Caleb, I saw he was still in a bad mood. He was probably just worried or stressed about dealing with my mom. It sucked to be the one with the crazy parent. His dad, Scott, was so cool about us, even though it was breaking up his marriage. Hopefully he'd be happier away from my mom, like my dad was.



CALEB



The closer we got to Gianna's house, the tighter my chest felt. I had to think of something.

Fast.

Nothing came to me. It didn’t help that I was spazzing out inside. I didn't doubt Julie's words. She was crazy enough to send her daughter to Siberia to get her away from me. As adorable as Gianna would be all bundled up like an Eskimo, I didn’t relish the thought of seeing it on Skype.

I glanced over at Gianna and although she seemed agitated, she managed to give me a quick smile. Maybe we could just keep driving through Denver, all the way to the East coast. If we weren't so young, it might’ve worked. Unfortunately, two teenagers on their own wouldn’t fare well. A psychotic mother looking for them would only hurt their chances. I could just imagine Julie’s heartfelt pleas to the media, desperate to find her missing daughter. She’d probably find a way to get me thrown me into prison

I didn't want all that insanity for Gianna.

Plus, my money would only last so long, only go so far. What would we do after that? Get jobs at McDonald's? Maybe Julie was right and Gianna did deserve better than me.

Still without any alternative or a plan, I pulled my car into the driveway of Gianna's house, turning off the engine reluctantly. Grabbing her suitcase out of the trunk, I followed her to the front door then inside the house.

Where Julie was waiting.

For the past couple days I’d experienced heaven and now I was entering hell.



GIANNA



I shouldn't have been surprised to see my mom standing in the entryway of the house when we walked in, but I was. Had she been looking out the window when we pulled up in Caleb's car?

Her arms were crossed over her chest and she had a calculating look on her face. She ignored me and looked to Caleb. "So, you're finished with her?"

What the hell? She'd really gone insane this time. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

I glanced at Caleb but he didn't seem to be experiencing my confusion. His expression was blank, closed off. He didn’t respond to my mom's crazy question.

I started to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and an ache in my chest.

My mom continued, this time addressing me, a softer expression on her face, "Gianna, I tried to protect you from guys like him."

I shook my head, wanting out of this confrontation. "What are you talking about? What on earth could I need protecting from?"

My mom gave Caleb a pointed look and he finally said, "Me."

I laughed, this was ridiculous. "You two are going to have to explain this to me. I don't quite understand. Why would you be worried about Caleb hurting me?"

My mom had a resigned look on her face. "I really wish you hadn't taken off with him like that, Gianna. If you’d only given me a chance to warn you." She shook her head in sorrow. "As your mother, I only blame myself."

I knew underneath all the crazy my mom loved me. She just had so many issues from when she was a teenager and the way my dad divorced her. She needed to let it go and let me live my life the way I wanted.

I moved closer to Caleb. "There's nothing to warn me about. I think I know Caleb a little better than you do."

"No, you don't," she disagreed solemnly.

"Just spit it out, Julie," Caleb muttered with a thread of menace in his voice and the coldest look I'd ever seen on his face.

She glanced at him sharply. "Caleb is on probation, Gianna."

"Yeah, I know."

"You do?" Caleb looked at me in surprise before nodding his head, "Oh yeah, Ian opened his big mouth."

My mom was also surprised at my knowledge. Her eyes narrowed. "Do you know what for?"

I crossed my arms, not caring. "No, and it doesn't matter."

"He almost beat a guy to death." she rasped harshly.

I flinched, my turn to be shocked. The thought had never crossed my mind it could be for a violent crime. I’d assumed it would be for possession or something like that.