Chapter 25 The confrontation
CAITLYN'S POV
Two days later I had to go back to the grocery store because I had forgotten to get milk. Collin was at work, and I did not want to bother him about something so small, so I just went by myself. I told Mrs Chen where I was going and promised to be back in twenty minutes.
The parking lot was busier this time and I had to park closer to the front. I grabbed my purse and headed inside. The whole trip took maybe ten minutes. I got the milk and some eggs and checked out quickly.
As I walked back to my car I noticed two men standing near a motorcycle. They were both wearing leather vests with patches on them that said something I could not quite read. They were talking to each other but stopped when they saw me.
I tried to walk past them without making eye contact, but one of them stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
"Hey," he said. "You look familiar."
"I do not think so," I said, and tried to move around him, but he moved to block me again.
"No I definitely know you from somewhere," he said and looked at his friend. "Don't you recognize her?"
The other man studied my face and then his eyes went wide. "Yeah, yeah I do. She was at the bar a few months ago. The one on Fifth Street."
My stomach dropped. They had seen me at the bar the night I met Jason. The night that had ruined everything.
"I think you have me confused with someone else," I said and tried to keep my voice steady.
"No confusion," the first man said. "You were with Jason Cross, dancing all over him. We saw you leave together."
"I do not know what you are talking about," I said. "Now please let me pass."
"You are Cross's girl," the second man said and stepped closer. "That makes you our business."
"I am not anyone's girl," I said. "And I need to leave now."
The first man grabbed my arm hard. "You need to give Cross a message from us. Tell him he is a dead man walking, tell him the Vipers are coming for him and everyone he cares about."
"I do not know who you are talking about," I said, and tried to pull my arm free, but his grip was too tight.
"Do not play dumb," he said. "We know you are with Cross. We have seen you together, and when we take him down, you are going down too."
"Please let me go," I said and my voice came out shaky. "I am pregnant. Please just let me go."
"Pregnant with his baby probably," the second man said and laughed. "That is perfect. We can use that against him."
Panic was rising in my chest, and I looked around, hoping someone would see what was happening and help me. But the parking lot was emptier now and no one was paying attention to us.
"Listen carefully," the first man said and leaned in close. "You tell Cross that being tied to him is going to get you killed. We do not care about you or that baby. If you are in the way when we come for him then you will die too. Understand?"
"I am not with Jason Cross," I said desperately. "I do not even know him. You have the wrong person."
"We have exactly the right person," he said. "We saw you at that bar. We know who you are and we will be watching you."
He let go of my arm and I stumbled backward. The two men got on their motorcycle and rode off leaving me standing there shaking. I looked down at my arm and saw red marks where he had grabbed me.
I got in my car as fast as I could and locked all the doors. My hands were trembling so bad I could barely get the key in the ignition. When I finally got the car started, I drove home way too fast, not caring about speed limits or stop signs.
By the time I got to the house, I was crying. Mrs Chen came to the door when she heard me come in and looked alarmed when she saw my face.
"Mrs Hayes what happened?" she asked.
"Nothing," I managed to say. "I just need to lie down."
I went upstairs and locked myself in my room. I sat on the floor with my back against the door and cried until I could not cry anymore. Those men thought I was with Jason. They thought I was his girlfriend or whatever and they were going to hurt me because of it.
This was all Jason's fault. If he had not shown up at my wedding. If he had not been following me. If he had just left me alone then none of this would be happening.
But it was also my fault. I was the one who went to that bar. I was the one who slept with him. I was the one carrying his baby and lying to everyone about it.
I looked at my arm where the man had grabbed me. The red marks were already turning into bruises. How was I going to explain this to Collin? He would demand to know what happened and I could not tell him the truth.
My phone rang and I saw it was Collin calling. I did not want to answer, but I knew if I did not, he would just keep calling or show up at the house.
"Hello?" I answered and tried to make my voice sound normal.
"Hey," Collin said. "Everything okay? Mrs Chen said you seemed upset when you got home."
Why did Mrs Chen have to tell him everything? Could I not have five minutes of privacy in my own house?
"I am fine," I lied. "Just not feeling great. Pregnancy stuff."
"Do you need me to come home?" he asked.
"No," I said quickly. "I just need to rest."
"Okay," he said but he did not sound convinced. "I will be home around six. We can have dinner together."
"Sounds good," I said and hung up.
I sat there on the floor for a long time trying to figure out what to do. Those men had threatened me and the baby. They said they were coming for Jason and anyone connected to him. Did that mean they would come after me again?
And how did they even know about Jason and me? They said they saw us at the bar but that was months ago. Had they been following us all this time? Were they the ones on the motorcycle in the parking lot the other day?
I felt sick thinking about it. I was in danger and I did not even know why. Jason was involved in some kind of gang war and now I was caught in the middle of it. And I could not tell anyone because then I would have to explain how I knew Jason in the first place.
I pulled myself up off the floor and went to the bathroom. I was
shed my face and tried to pull myself together. I needed to act normal when Collin got home.