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  She shook her head, her eyes narrowing. “They don’t need to look for him anymore. They already found him.”

  “No,” I breathed. Clutching my stomach, I felt sick.

  “It’s all your fault, you know?” Nina ground out angrily. “I told Jasper it was a mistake to bring you back here, and I was right. I knew you’d be the death of him.”

  “I never wanted any of this, Nina. You have to believe me.”

  She studied me a moment, then clucked her tongue. “He really cared about you, and I think he really believed you cared about him too.”

  “I did.” I paused, hugging myself. “I do.”

  “You can save your lies for Jasper. I know better.” Nina stepped back into the doorway and started to close the door.

  “Wait!” I held out my arm. “Who found him?”

  “The police,” she spoke quietly, and in her eyes I saw the sadness she felt. It cut to my heart. If only we had a different relationship, I’d comfort her. But I knew she’d never receive it from me. Besides, I hadn’t come here to help her. I’d come for Jasper.

  “When?”

  “This morning.”

  I nodded. Grant had been right. Maybe he’d known all along. “Where were they taking him?”

  She snorted. “Where do you think?”

  The police station. Desperation clawed at my insides. He’d been there since this morning. What kind of torture and humiliation had he endured in all this time? I kicked myself for driving all the way out here before checking the station. But I hadn’t known. I had hoped I’d get to him first. “I’m going to fix this, Nina. I promise.”

  Shaking her head, she said, “Just go away and leave us alone. You’ve done enough damage.”

  I flinched when she slammed the door. But her words wouldn’t deter me. Nina could think what she wanted about me. It wasn’t her that mattered. It was Jasper. He knew I cared about him, and I was positive that he cared about me.

  Now I just had to prove it to the rest of the world.

  13

  THE STATION

  MY ENTIRE FAMILY was at the police station when I arrived. Mom rushed toward me the minute I walked in.

  “Oh, there you are, Layla.” She wrapped me in a fierce hug. “We were so worried. Where did you go?”

  I appreciated Mom’s concern for me, but I didn’t have time for it right now. I wasn’t the one in danger. Pushing her back, I said, “Mom, I’m fine.” When she reached for me again, I stepped away, my gaze shooting frantically around. “Where’s Jasper?”

  “What?” Mom’s eyes widened.

  “I know Jasper’s here.”

  “How do you know that?” Kevin asked. “Where have you been?”

  I let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, no. I’m not confiding in you anymore.” His face reddened. “Just tell me where Jasper is. I need to see him. Now!” I demanded.

  “Layla, honey, you need to calm down,” Mom spoke to me like I was a five-year-old.

  “What I need is to see Jasper,” I said firmly, raising my chin. When my gaze found Kevin’s, I narrowed my eyes into the harshest glare I could muster. “You’re the reason he’s here. Tell me where he is.”

  Kevin shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to see him.” He stepped toward me. “I know you’re upset, but--”

  “He doesn’t belong here,” I said, my agitation growing by the minute. “You know that, Kevin.”

  His hand cupped my elbow. “I know you’re scared, but he’s in custody. You’re safe now.”

  I swear this guy was starting to sound like a broken record. Why couldn’t he hear what I was saying? “I was always safe!” I explained. “Kevin, what I told you was the truth. I can’t believe you betrayed me like this.” My bottom lip quivered, and I bit down on it. This wasn’t the time to unravel.

  “No one betrayed you.” Dad came up beside me. “Kevin was only trying to protect you. We all are.”

  “I don’t need prote--” The word got lodged in my throat when I spotted Jasper. He was being led through the station by an officer, his hands bound behind his back. My heart lurched in my throat. “Jasper!”

  His head bounced toward my voice. When his gaze met mine, my breath hitched in my throat. I felt sick. There were bruises and cuts all over his face. Exhaling, I shoved away from my family and ran toward him. But before I could get very far, Dad’s fingers clamped around my wrist.

  “Layla, stay back.”

  “No.” I shook his fingers off. Then I held up my palms, keeping my family at bay. “Just, please, give me a minute with him.”

  With wide eyes, they all nodded in unison. Spinning around, I hurried forward.

  “Jasper,” I breathed out like a prayer once I reached him. Seeing him in front of me was a stark reminder of how much I had missed him.

  “Layla,” he repeated, and my heart leapt at the sound of his voice.

  “Who did this to you?” My gaze swept over the injuries on his face. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but I was certain that would be frowned upon in here. First, I needed to get him released. And away from all these prying eyes.

  “Miss, I’m going to need you to join your family. You’re not supposed to be back here,” the officer said.

  I shook my head. “You don’t understand. He’s not a criminal. He doesn’t belong here.” Turning my head, I looked into Jasper’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Jasper. I never meant for this to happen.”

  “I know.” His face softened. “But I need you to go home now. This is no place for you. You don’t belong here.”

  “Neither do you,” I insisted.

  He frowned. “Yes, I do.”

  “Miss,” the officer repeated, this time more insistent.

  Desperation bloomed inside my chest, making it hard to breathe. I glanced around for someone to help me. My family was useless. But then I saw Officer Dante coming toward me. I inhaled sharply. “This is a mistake,” I told him. “Jasper doesn’t belong here. I told you what happened. I told you that he saved my life. He didn’t hurt me.”

  Officer Dante nodded toward the officer holding Jasper’s arm. “You can go ahead and take him back.”

  I leapt in front of Jasper. “No!”

  “Layla, it’s okay,” Jasper spoke gently.

  “It’s not okay.” I swallowed hard, a knot forming in my throat. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “He confessed to holding you against your will,” Officer Dante boomed.

  My head snapped up. “What?”

  “He already made a statement.”

  “But he was lying,” I insisted.

  “Like you were lying when you said a couple took you in?” The sparkle in Officer Dante’s eyes was unnerving. He was enjoying this. They’d been wanting to find the beastly boy for years, and now they had.

  Because of me.

  I worried that I was only making things worse, but I couldn’t leave Jasper. Not now. Not when I could see the damage they were doing to him.

  A tear slid down my cheek as the officer started tugging on Jasper, leading him away from me. I had to make this right somehow.

  “I wasn’t lying. I mean, yeah, maybe it wasn’t a couple who took me in. But the rest was the truth. Jasper saved me from the car accident. He brought me back to his house, but I chose to stay.” I raised my voice, needing Jasper to hear me. Needing everyone to hear me. “I liked it at Jasper’s. He taught me how to garden, how to pick vegetables. We played piano and card games. We talked about all kinds of things. He even made me pizza.” Jasper peered over his shoulder and smiled at me. I grinned back. “I wouldn’t give up our time together for anything.”

  “Me either,” he said softly, but the officer was still leading him away from me.

  I couldn’t let them take him. It couldn’t end like this. And that’s when it hit me. It didn’t matter if they were convinced or not. I had the power here. “I’m not pressing charges,” I spoke loudly.

  Mom gasped. Dad shook his head. Grant
swore. Kevin dropped his head into his hands. The officer guiding Jasper froze. Then he turned, bringing Jasper with him. It was working. Hope swelled in my chest.

  “I’m sorry?” Officer Dante asked as if he hadn’t heard me, but I knew he had.

  “I’m not pressing charges. So, don’t you have to let him go? I’m the alleged victim, right?” I was no expert on police procedure, but I’d watched my share of television.

  The door to the station opened and in walked a group of young men, interrupting my conversation with Officer Dante. Irritation burned through me, but turned to dread when I recognized one of the men.

  “Well, well, well. The rumors were true. The beast has been caught.”

  “Henry? What are you doing here?” My body moved protectively near Jasper as Henry and his friends filed past my family, moving closer to us.

  His gaze fell to me, and it was clear that he hadn’t noticed me before now. “I came to see you, babe. I’m glad you’re safe. I was so worried.”

  What a liar. I’d been home for days and he hadn’t once called or come by. I’d wage a bet that he didn’t even know I was at the station. No, this had all been about Jasper. And if the rumors of Jasper’s presence here continued to make their rounds, pretty soon the entire town would come to gawk at him.

  Or worse.

  Before I could register what was happening, Henry took me in his arms. I stiffened. “So great to see you, babe.”

  Why was he still calling me that? Didn’t he have a new girlfriend? Or had she already dumped him?

  I attempted to wriggle out of his embrace, but he only held me tighter. “Henry, let go.”

  “She asked you to take your hands off her,” Jasper’s angry voice rumbled from over my shoulder.

  A smug smile spread across Henry’s face. My insides fluttered. I knew that look. “She’s just playing around. I can hug her whenever I want. She’s my girlfriend.”

  “Ex-girlfriend,” I corrected, and a few of his friends snickered.

  “Layla, come on,” My dad tried once again to get me to leave. “It’s time to go. Let the police do their job.” I wasn’t surprised that he chose now to speak up. He’d never liked Henry.

  “Yeah, come on, honey,” Mom added.

  “Go ahead.” Henry squeezed my shoulders. “Go with your family. I’ll meet you at the house later.”

  “No,” I writhed in his vice-like grip. “I’m not leaving Jasper.”

  “Who’s Jasper?” Henry’s eyes widened as if realizing who I was talking about. “Oh, you mean the monster?”

  “He’s not a monster.” Reaching up, I attempted to pry his fingers from my shoulder.

  “She’s already asked you to get your hands off of her. I suggest you listen,” Jasper said.

  But once again Henry laughed it off. Then he leaned down, pressing his lips to my temple. I froze. What was he doing?

  “Get off of her!” Jasper growled in a voice so low and loud it reverberated through my body.

  Behind me, I heard scuffling and the rattling of chains.

  “Hey, now. Calm down.” A male voice said.

  A few other officers came running over. Jasper grunted. My mom squealed. Throwing my arm out, I pushed Henry off and pivoted. Two officers had Jasper on the ground. He was whimpering.

  “You’re hurting him!” I said.

  “Smart move, freak,” Henry taunted him, chuckling.

  I wanted to punch him. He’d kissed me to get a rise out of Jasper, and for that I hated him.

  When I heard Jasper breathing hard as the officers wrestled him, I dropped to my knees beside him. “Stop!” I said. “He was only trying to help me. You don’t have to hurt him.”

  Jasper lifted his head, his eyes reaching mine. “I’m sorry that I put you in the middle of all this.”

  “Please stop apologizing,” I said.

  “C’mon.” A thick hand landed on my shoulder. It was Dad. “Let’s go.”

  “No. I can’t leave him.”

  Arms wrapped around my middle, pulling me backwards. I screamed, reaching my arms out to Jasper.

  “Layla, what has gotten into you?” Dad asked.

  “Jasper!” I hollered, as the officers picked him up off the floor.

  “It’s okay, Layla,” he said, as the two officers dragged him to a darkened hallway. “Go with your family. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right.”

  But it was a lie. Anyone could see that.

  “Wait. Where are they taking him? I said I wasn’t pressing charges,” I hollered as Dad continued to hold me.

  “Jasper!” I hollered, but he didn’t turn as the officers led him away.

  “Officer Dante,” I spoke angrily. “You need to let Jasper go.”

  “I can’t. You saw him. He’s a danger to this town.”

  I glared at Henry. “He is not. He was trying to help me. That’s all he was ever trying to do.”

  Grant and Kevin joined Dad and were surrounding me now. Mom stood a few feet in front of me looking helpless. Henry stood off to the side laughing with his friends. Nothing much had changed there.

  “We really need to go home now.” Defeated, I didn’t try to fight them this time. It was no use. Nothing I had done had worked. It was time to regroup and come up with a new plan. As he and Kevin ushered me out of the station, I glanced over my shoulder hoping for one last glimpse of Jasper.

  But it was too late.

  He was gone.

  “You know this is wrong, Kev,” I said between gritted teeth as we neared the family car parked in front of the police station. “I can’t believe you did this. I trusted you.”

  “You trusted me because you knew I’d help you, and I did.”

  I shook my head. “No, I trusted you to throw people off of Jasper’s track, not lead them right to him. What you did wasn’t helping at all. You ruined everything.”

  “Nothing is ruined. I promise that we’re all safe. You saw him in there. They’ve got him locked up. He can’t hurt us.”

  “Have you even heard one word I’ve said?” I asked, dumbfounded. “I’m not scared of Jasper. I’m scared of you guys. I’m scared of the police. Did you see him in there? They’re hurting him. That’s what scares me.”

  Kevin cocked his head to the side. “I don’t get what’s happening. Did that monster brainwash you or something?”

  I glanced around for some support, but it was clear no one was offering any. My entire family was staring at me like I had gone off the rails. And maybe I had. The only thing I knew was that Jasper didn’t deserve what was happening to him, and I needed to make someone else see that as well.

  “He didn’t brainwash me. He saved my life. He’s my friend. What don’t you get about that?”

  “Layla, that monster isn’t your friend. You saw him in there. He’s dangerous,” Kevin responded earnestly, and that’s when I knew I’d never get through to him. I wasn’t the one brainwashed. He was. This whole town was. They were convinced that Jasper was a monster, a beast, someone to be feared. They’d believed it for so long, it would be nearly impossible to change their minds.

  ***

  I was a prisoner in my home. Being locked up seemed to be my fate this summer. Sure, I wasn’t actually locked up the way I had been at Jasper’s, but I might as well have been. My family was never going to let me leave. All four of them were practically standing guard. Not that I planned to leave right now. I was convinced that showing up at the station had only made things worse for Jasper.

  My chest tightened as I recalled his battered face. Clearly, he wasn’t going to fight for himself. He’d resigned himself to his fate. He thought it was what he deserved. A month ago, I might have agreed with him. But that was before I had gotten to know him. Before I’d seen who he truly was.

  When I dated Henry, he hurt me all the time. He wasn’t physically abusive and he didn’t lock me up, but he might as well have. He never let me be myself. He belittled me, made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. He lied and cheat
ed. And he never felt remorse. All I got from him was excuses and lies.

  But Jasper wasn’t like that. He’d hurt me. He’d made mistakes, but he felt remorse. And more than that, he tried to make it right. He owned up to them and reversed them, even at the risk of his own life. No guy I’d dated had done that.

  And now he was paying the price for it.

  Flinging myself down on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling. When I was at Jasper’s, all I wanted was to escape, to get back here. Even when Jasper and I grew closer, I still wanted to leave. But now I wondered what would have happened if I had stayed. Would he be safe now? Would I have eventually been happy there?

  I wanted nothing more than for Jasper to be safe and unharmed. To be free. It was what he’d given me, and now I wanted to give it to him.

  But I had no idea how to do that. No one would listen to me.

  Frustration burning through me, tears filled my eyes. I had been holding them back all day, but now I let them flow freely. They slipped down my cheeks, stained my lips. When a knock sounded at my door, I laid my arm over my face and hollered out, “Go away!”

  There was no one I wished to talk to. No one would listen anyway. Kevin was the one I’d trusted the most, and look what he’d done. What’s worse was that he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong.

  The knock repeated. With a groan, I sat up. “What?” I snapped, and the door opened in response.

  “Layla?” When I saw that it was Mom, I felt a little guilty. She peeked her head in. “Can I come in a minute?”

  I wanted to say no, but I knew better. “Fine.” Sighing, I flung myself back down on the bed.

  Mom walked gracefully into the room and lowered herself down on the bed next to my hip. Reaching out, she placed a hand over mine. “You okay?”

  Rolling my head in her direction, I stared up at her trying to figure out her angle. But all I saw was genuine concern in her eyes. It caused the well inside me to burst open again. Tears sprung to my eyes, and my lips trembled.

  Squeezing her fingers, I said, “No, I’m not okay.”

  “Talk to me, Layla. Tell me what’s really going on.”

  “I’ve tried to tell people what’s going on, but no one wants to listen.”