ROTTEN LOVE - Chapter 20: Chapter 20

The elderly lady waves him off, "I'll hold you to it."
"I'm sure you will. My boys will come back tomorrow to drop it off," he grabs a muffin from the counter, "This will be my payment," and starts walking toward the exit.
I couldn't let this opportunity pass by. I follow the man out the door and grab his attention.
"Excuse me, did I hear you say mahogany," I asked Jerry. He turns to look at me with his notebook in hand.
He gives me a quizzical stare, "you sure did. Can I help you with something?"
"I am interested in buying some furniture for my home," I lie.
"You aren't from here," he states.
"So you don't deliver," I ask.
"No, miss, we don't," he looks at me intently.
He is blowing me off. Any true businessman would try to make a sale. I start to get suspicious of him.
"That's a shame. Me and my friends were hoping to make a big buy," I try to entice him.
He grips his notebook tighter, "I don't sell to their kind."
At that, I scrunch my eyebrows. He knows what they are. I can tell he is human. Most, don't know about them.
I get closer to the man, "what kind is that?"
He gives me the same scrutiny. I look away for a brief second, bite my lip to try and loosen the tension in me. I breathe out the air I had in and square up to him.
My shoulders are high. My eyes are stern.
The closer I get to him, I see his eyes blink more. Something like recognition. He gets closer to me this time. I step back.
"What's your name," he cautiously asks.
I probably should not give him my name. If he knows what Marisa and Maddox are, then who's to say he does not know about Jason and me? This man is a person of interest.
A bell jingles in the distance. The coffee shop's door.
"Is there a problem, Helena," Marisa gets close.
The man's eyebrows go high. He touches my arm, "Helena Thorn?"
I pull my arm back but his grip stays on it. I am surprised to hear my full name. Marisa is about to intervene but I tell her I am ok.
Another jingle. Maddox has come out.
"Let go, sir," he instructs Jerry.
Jerry blinks a few times then complies. He looks at our new arrivals and my proximity to them. There is repulsion in his facial features.
I study the man intensely. His auburn hair does not seem familiar. However, his green eyes, a hue similar to mine, with subtle wrinkles underneath seem vaguely recognizable.
I ask, "Do I know you?"
"No. My mistake," he sets to walk off.
I go after him before he makes it to his truck, "you said my name. You know who I am."
He eyes behind me, "Get inside the truck, and I might divulge you with information."
"I don't know you," I answer in disbelief.
"I will not harm you. You can trust me," he says.
I look behind to where Marisa and Maddox are at. They are listening intently. Marisa gives a subtle head nod. She disapproves of the idea.
"Why would I trust you," I question.
"Because I am your uncle," he looks at me firmly.
My eyes raise in surprise. I see it now. The eyes. The skin. He reminds me of Jason. They said he looked like my father. If I had to bet, then I would say he is my father's brother.
My parents were very secretive. Before coming to Vales and working with the Malfattos, I suppose they had a prior life. They never shared any information about their families. They said they had none.
The coven was their family. This man can be playing me, but I don't think so. I move to the passenger door and open it. Maddox is at my side in an instant.
"It can be a lie," he states.
"Look at him. You have a better memory than me. Tell me he does not look like my father and Jason," I protest.
Maddox does not look at Jerry. He keeps his hand on the truck door leaving it open, "and if he is, who cares? You know nothing of him."
"I will be okay," I assure. I try to pull the door close.
He holds it, "the tether."
That's right. Maddox will be pulled to me even if I leave him. I look at Jerry.
He is inside the truck. I see him holding the steering wheel tight. His knuckles are white from the grip, "he is not welcome in my home. None of them are."
"He is attached to me, magically. He cannot leave me. It's for everyone's safety. It's complicated," I decided to tell him. There is no point pretending with him.
If this is my uncle, then he must be a witch too. At the very least, he knows that my father was one. He has to. Unless he is lying.
He looks at the dashboard in thought. Then curses.
"They will follow. He will not get in my truck," Jerry finishes by starting the engine.
I nod. I turn to look at Maddox but he closed the door already. He and Marisa are in the car waiting for Jerry to move.
We begin to drive and I engrave every turn in my head. He might be leading me to Jason. We drive about 15 minutes out from the cafe to a small cabin.
Jerry's house is what I had envisioned Zain's property would have looked like. It's a log cabin on the outskirts of the town. On its outer edge, there is a forest as a backyard.
I smell the air and pay attention to the trees. Mahogany. I try not to get excited. Jason has to be here. Maybe, I was not smelling Jason in Zain's territory.
It could have been Jerry. He might be making some power play and show his cards now.
Jerry starts walking inside his house. He stops, "Only you are allowed in. I will leave the door open. Is that enough space?"
I eye Marisa and Maddox. They are the only ones who followed. The rest of our crew stayed behind. I point to a picnic table outside the house.
The house is not big. Maddox would still be feet away from me when he sits at the table. With the door open, Marisa and Maddox get a clear view of the living room couch, a raggedy brown leather sofa.
They take a seat and waste no time. They eye every detail. They will be listening the whole time.
I enter the cabin before glimpsing at Marisa. Her arms are crossed. She is pouting, annoyed.
When I get inside, he leads me to the couch. Hands me a glass of water before sitting in an adjacent rocking chair and taking a sip of water.
"Why are you here Helena," he rocks.
"Tell me about my father," I redirect him.
"Why aren't you in Vales? Do your parents know you are here," he asks.
I flinch at the mention of them, at how disapproving his tone was. It is how I envisioned my father would have scolded me.
"I would imagine not. They are dead," I inform him.
His eyebrows raise up. The rocking stops as he stares at the glass. I only see the nodding of his head. He is grieving but not surprised.
"I should have known. They would of never willingly allowed you here. When did it happen," he asks. His voice is less stern. It has softened with the sadness.
"I was four. Now, I am twenty-three so that would be nineteen years ago," I break the news.
I don't slouch. I make sure to stay on the edge of my seat, prepared for anything.
He looks at the fireplace and sniffles, "That long ago. I had no idea."
"To be expected when you desert your family."
"Ha, is that what your father told you? Typical. He could never take responsibility for his actions."
I get angry, "Do not talk ill about him. You don't know anything about him."
He gets angry, "And whose fault is that? Blame that witch of your mother. If he is dead, then I have no doubt it was due to her. I told him she would bring his ruin."
I get up and step forward, "Keep her out of your mouth. My mother was a great person."
He puts the glass down and stands up. He glares at me, "Then why are they dead?"
"That is not your concern."
"I bet they were finally betrayed by those bloodsuckers. Those very ones outside my cabin," he yells pointing outside.
I look at Maddox and Marisa. Their eyes are severe. They were hanging on to every word.
"My parents chose their faith. They both did. They wanted to make a change."
"Your father was a stupid fool in love. Your mother, on the other hand, was manipulative and arrogant. She got what she deserved."
"So you work with werewolves. You're upset because my father changed sides. That was his choice, not hers," I argue.
He scoffs in disbelief, "It shows you are unaware of nothing. You are as naive as him. He did not belong on either side. He should have kept out of it."
I couldn't argue with that. I had also envisioned my life if I was free from the burden. I wondered why my parents did not live normal lives and stayed out of supernatural affairs.
I shrug my shoulders, "that was still his choice. Witches have a responsibility to help."
"Your father was no such thing," he yells.
I cross my arms, "you don't know what you are talking about. He and my mother were leaders of our coven."
"Did you ever see him practice," he argues.
"I was four. I barely remember him. I barely remember them."
I see lament in his eyes. He feels sorry for me and I hate it. I do not want empathy from him, not from someone who belittles my parents.
"Is that why you are here, then? To get to know him," he says in disbelief. He grabs my shoulders and tells me, "You are not welcome here, Helena. You should have never come. Like I told your father, he may return when he is done with your mother. You may return when you are done with them."
He nods to Marisa and Maddox, "If you are not, then you should leave. You will have a home here only after."
I slightly push him away, "I do not want a home with you. I did not come here seeking family. I have one. I came for my brother. Someone took him. You know who."
He runs his hands through his hair, "fuck. They took him? It's too late. Your father should have told you the truth. I have no hand in the matter, but I can imagine who."
I get closer to him, pleading, "Who? Tell me what you know. I need my brother. I need him at my side."
He begins talking, and I go numb. As each revelation unfolds, chills ice my skin.
"You won't get him back. They run these parts of town. Your mother's pack, the Blood Moon Pack, they have him."
My heart races as I hear the words mother and pack in the same sentence. It bursts when I hear that her pack is his pack too. Zain's my brother's jailer.