From The Dead Read Online Free PDF Page A

a sound, he withdrew his hand with a
tenderness that had, at one time, been passionate but now seemed
shallow.
    Together they sat in silence and listened to the
steady hum of traffic as it rushed along Van Nuys one block
away.
    “Hear that?” she murmured. “Don’t you love the sound
of L.A.? It’s intoxicating.” She paused for a beat. “Everyone has
somewhere to go.” She tilted her head back, exhaled a stream of
silk. The flow crawled like a seductive ghost.
    Jada laid the joint aside, half finished. She drew
her other leg onto her chair and, childlike, cradled both legs
against herself. Jesse watched as she turned in her seat, a pensive
expression on her face, and stared into his eyes. “All right, Green
Eyes, tell me what’s going on.”
    “Huh?”
    “You’re not the same. It’s like you’re no longer the
Jesse I know.”
    He grabbed his camera, which he’d left on the plastic
table between them, and fidgeted with its buttons. In a halfhearted
effort, he forced a smile and snapped a picture of her. She nodded
in faint humor and returned her gaze to the night sky.
    Jesse reached out and brushed his fingers along her
fingertips. “I don’t know what you mean.”
    “You were outgoing way back when we first met. But
now …” She shrugged her shoulders. “You’re never in the mood to
mingle. It’s like you built a life here and just, I don’t know—gave
up.”
    “We went through this the other day, didn’t we?” He
found it difficult to argue with her while she was stoned. She
looked so vulnerable yet could exhibit astounding recall the next
morning. Even when subdued, she could be spiteful. But still, Jesse
understood why she behaved the way she did: Jada had her personal
issues.
    Then again, so did he.
    Jada pursed her lips, rolled her tongue against the
inside of her cheek. She avoided his eyes. “When did you become
your father?” she asked.
    Patience intact, Jesse chose to ignore the question.
“You’re a little under the influence right now. Why don’t we quit
this argument before we say something we’ll regret in the
morning—because we both know you won’t forget.”
    Yet her words jabbed further. “Speaking of your
father, when will I get to meet him?”
    “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
    Jada perked up in her chair, her usual position
before she increased the friction. “We’ve known each other for
eleven years. Isn’t it about time?”
    Jesse said nothing. He watched her eyes narrow, their
pointed depths akin to a missile prepared for launch. The corner of
her mouth turned upward. She must have enjoyed this. And times like
this reminded Jesse of the love-hate relationship he and Jada
shared. How could he be attracted to this woman, yet not bring
himself to trust her?
    Then again, he knew Jada had no use for trust.
    “Come on,” she pressed. “What, you don’t think the
preacher man would approve of me?”
    Jesse clenched his jaw and made a slow rise to his
feet. “Don’t worry, he wouldn’t approve of me either. By the way,
in case you’ve forgotten, he and I haven’t seen each other in those
eleven years. I don’t think his son’s sex life is his primary
concern.”
    Although Jesse had made the occasional phone call to
his father, the last time Jesse had seen the man face-to-face was
the night before Jesse left home. On that night, Jesse had
explained to his dad that he planned to leave in the morning and
revealed he’d made the arrangements weeks before. Jesse was
eighteen at the time and, in his own rebellious fashion, had
escalated the discussion to a heated argument.
    Jesse never revealed the whole story to his father.
The guilt weighed too heavy within. But when it came to the
departure, Jesse assumed his father blamed himself.
    Dad, if only you knew.
    Jada resumed her joint. “So nothing’s wrong; there’s
just a side to you I never knew existed after these years together.
That’s what you’re telling me?”
    “I have my secrets.” Jesse walked away.