Melissa looked around when the lack of worrisome gazes from Lola became too obvious. Her hair flung over her shoulder when she frantically looked over the park. She pulled away from Ed's arm and left him standing by the pretzel stand when she ran to Lola after finally spotting her by the roundabout.
She saw them gathered around the car and Jax's men were coming in to help get rid of Cyrus's body.
"What happened here?" Melissa asked. She looked past Lola and Ash and saw the vampire slumped back against the car.
"Oh my god," she mumbled.
"Oh my god!" A loud voice said behind her.
They all turned and saw Ed dropping the pretzel to the ground with utter fear spreading on his face.
"Is he..." Ed began.
"Drunk and sleeping? Yes, he is," Ash said and blocked Ed's view.
Two men walked into the group and carried Cyrus away, they walked with him like a passed-out drunk with his arms flung over their shoulders and put him in a car. Anytime a human looked at them they would roll their eyes and heave a sigh as if to say ' Yes, he's drunk again'.
Three others were cleaning the ground and getting rid of Cyrus's car while Ed was led away with Melissa on his arm. His face was pale and clammy- it looked like the festival food he'd eaten was about to come up.
In just under fifteen minutes they had made it look like no man had been killed here.
Not only was the body gone but any evidence had been washed away and nobody would ever know about Cyrus. Lola stood wondering over the fact that a person's life could so easily be cleaned away.
"Lola," she turned and looked at Jax, "I think we should head home," he said.
"I'm leaving with Melissa, we have this tradition- after the harvest moon festival we go back to her place and watch scary movies," Lola said with a shallow smile.
"No, I'm sorry but I can't let you out of my sight. You're coming home with me," he left no room for argument but Lola wasn't having it. She had done everything right and yet she was disappointed by him at every turn.
"I'm going with Melissa and if you don't trust that I'm safe then maybe you can send Ash in a few hours to check on me. I know how much you like delegating your marital duties," she spat.
Her arms were closed over her chest and the staring contest between Lola and Jax soon gathered unwanted attention. Ash stepped aside to cover them from any preying eyes.
"You're being watched, behave yourselves," He warned.
Jax reached out his hand and unfolded her arms.
"Everything I have done and continue to do is because I care about you,"
Lola shook her head, not believing in his reasoning.
"No, you're doing it because you're scared but you can't control my every step,"
He leaned in and took a quick look around at all of the nosy faces that would love to hear drama about the Blackwoods.
Jax knew that he couldn't make it more obvious that things between him and Lola weren't well because if the town found out it wouldn't be long until the newspapers did.
In a day or two a cover on Lola and Jax would fill three pages in the Daily News with a picture of them on the cover, curtsies of Mrs. Blackwood. Daily News was the most-read newspaper depicting the different classes and that would be the first stepping stone for the lower and middle class reigniting hope that they too could climb to live the life of the socialite.
That was what Lola's marriage to Jax was, a wise deal to garner the respect and perpetuity of the workers and homebound.
They would all see that a girl plucked from nothing could join the highest most mighty in society and if she could- so could they. The Blackwoods needed this after the growing pile of critique and threats that had been aimed at them for the power they held. If only they knew the true power of the Blackwoods and that it wasn't only money.
"I'm not doing this here. Let's go," he said and grabbed her arm. Jax's fingers pressed roughly into her skin and Lola's teeth pressed together.
"Let go of me, Jax." She seethed quietly.
More people were starting to look. The smell of caramelized apples and cotton candy swiveled in the air together with the syrupy goodness of applejack pancakes. It was a sugar festival, to say the least, but everything was homemade and the food had a way of drawing everyone together.
It was usually enjoyable for Lola, one of those rare occasions where life seemed a little easier- now even that had changed.
Jax was pressing harder, pulling her arm down when she tried to resist.
He stepped closer and pulled her close as his lips pulled up in a smile that couldn't fool the darkness in his eyes.
"I am trying to protect you, to keep you safe and all you do is make it harder for me to do so. We're leaving and you're not going anywhere without me ever again."
It felt like a brick wall fell on top of her head. She was baffled, unable to say anything because she didn't know how to speak to the man standing in front of her. It wasn't a man she recognized and the growing rage she felt from his touch and the pain he was causing her was new and fresh.
"You're hurting me," she said and looked at the bruise that was forming quickly around her wrist.
Jax looked down, and something flashed in his eyes, a hint of regret but it was gone too quickly to make a difference. He softened his grip but held her still.
"Don't make a scene, let's just go." He seethed.
Lola stared bewildered. "Who are you?" She said under her breath and pulled her arm free.
"I'm leaving with Melissa and if you so much as try to stop me I will scream bloody murder and tell everyone here the truth." Lola stepped closer and pressed her finger against his chest.
"The whole truth." She threatened.
A pang of guilt shot through her core when she saw the betrayal in his eyes. Jax stepped back, his hands fell to his sides and he looked at her face only to see that she was being honest with him. She wasn't faking anything just so she could go.
He dragged his feet against the ground and turned around with a head as heavy as lead.
Standing behind her was Ash, he didn't let anything show whether he too was disappointed or not, he simply stepped aside.
When Lola walked past him, another Blackwood stood waiting.
"You threatened your husband," Mrs. Blackwood spoke lowly but her words were dripping with poison much like the slithering of a snake.
"Of course, that's all you remark on," Lola said.
"I don't think you quite understand the gravitas of your decisions but maybe this will clear some things up for you." She held out a rolled-up newspaper. "I thought I did what was best for my family's business as well as my son's future happiness when I had you two marry. It's not often that I find myself being wrong but perhaps this is a rare occasion,"
Lola was blocked from her view when Ash stood in front of her.
"That's enough." He ordered.
Mrs. Blackwood snarled and cupped her hands behind her back.
"Yes, it is." She said calmly and walked off.
Everyone was turning back and getting on with their own festive traditions and Lola was hell bent on getting back to hers.
She saw Melissa standing with Ed by the applesauce stand, Mrs. Blackwood was holding his shoulder and explaining something that seemed to make Ed relax.
Mrs. Blackwood shook hands with Melissa and took her leave.
Before Lola could go and join Melissa she was again blocked by Ash and whenever he got angry he blew up and grew to a much bigger size that had her shrink back into her skin.
"Remember when I told you to be careful around Margret?"
Lola nodded.
"Well now I want you to stay away from her, ignore her at any cost, and keep your head down in situations when you're forced to be in her presence."
"Why, what do you think she'll do?" Lola asked.
"Michael Blackwood might be Alpha but he's not the one calling the shots, she is. I have seen her in war and in business and she sees no difference in the two. She's planning something and I want you as far away from her radar as possible."
"Fine," Lola said and smiled. She began walking when he gently grabbed her arm to stop her.
"I'm serious," Ash said, his brows furrowed and his lips pressed in a thin line.
"I know, your job is to protect me, I get it." Lola didn't mean to be surly with her response yet it seemed that Ash took it like a burning pole to his skin.