Prologue

. . .

"When I spoke with him after the argument you two had, his face was pale and his eyes were red. I don't think you realize the impact you hold on Kane."

Mason's words resonated within the depths of my mind. I sipped from the steaming coffee, staring out the large window in front of me. The vision of Kane's pale face and red eyes was branding itself into my frontal lobe and with each second passing, my heart weighed in pain. I wasn't capable of holding such an impact on Kane, right? No—what reason would Mason have to lie about something as that?

I heaved a sigh in frustration, settling my coffee down on the polished table and leaned back, closing my eyes as if it would bring me some form of closure.

"Fancy seeing you here, Mindy." Jackson greeted, sitting across the table from me.

I glanced up at Jackson, giving a forced smile in response. "Sure is. Although, you haven't hardly talked to me since I was fired. So, what do you want?"

"Oh, still some harsh feelings towards me?"

"Not really. I find it odd you're going out of your way to talk to me. You never did before, so there must be a reason as to why you're here now, yes?"

"Ah, Mindy… You have always been smarter than your age. How old are you now? Sixteen or seventeen?"

I scoffed in annoyance. Jackson—he wasn't a bad guy, really. I never had a personal grudge against Jackson, although most of the things he does irritates me to no end. For example, right now. I have asked him twice now what he wants, because I know he's not just trying small talk with me. And now, he beats around the bush instead of just getting to the point.

"Seventeen. Now, enough with beating around the bush. What do you want from me?"

Jackson leaned back, placing his palm on the edge of the table he looked out the window and sighed. "I've been trying to get Kane to come and work for me again, but the reason he won't is because—well—you know... He left Majik Tattoo because of you."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I'm not trying to be an asshole but you know just as well as I do that Kane left Majik because of what I had said about you. You remember that day, and that's why Kane left and he won't come back now."

"Okay, so what are you implying?" I pressed on, eager to discover what this weasel was trying to say.

There was a momentary silence and with each second that passed, the tension grew stronger. I stared him down, the glare on his glasses blocking eye-contact.

"I think you should stop seeing Kane."

"What?"

"I would like you to leave Kane alone. Mindy, ever since the two of you met he has completely forgotten his sense of reality."

"You have got to be kidding me right now, Jackson. I don't know what it is with you and what reason you have to be so against me, but you need to mind your own business first of all. Second of all, if Kane is losing his sense of direction because of me, then that's his own issue. It's not like I'm holding a gun to his head and forcing him to make the decisions he's making."

"Regardless, Kane cares a lot about you. But, I don't think the two of you are meant to be friends or anything more. I think the two of you should cut ties completely. You move out of his house and back in with your mom and he can go back to being Kane."

My heart shattered in my chest and I became engulfed with a wave of different emotions ranging from pissed off to depressed, worrying, hurt, confused, frustrated and altogether—I was a complete mess. This is the precise reason as to why I avoid Jackson, this man has and always will get under my skin and make me think. Jackson is the kind of guy who will rip you apart with a smile on his face and sleep like a newborn baby afterwards.

"So you sat down here just to play the role of Kane's mother?" I mocked, standing up from the table.

Jackson's expression revealed that I caught him by surprise. Jackson still knows me as the quiet girl who never had an opinion on anything and always kept to herself. Now, he was seeing me in a different lighting. The fear inside of me was eating me alive, though I didn't back down.

I was tired of backing down from Jackson. He may be stronger and taller than me, but he's no longer my boss and I refuse to allow anyone else to walk all over me. Snatching up my purse that hung on the edge of the chair, I rummaged through it and located my wallet. I pulled a twenty-dollar bill out and slapped it down on the table.

Blazing down at Jackson, I faked one more smile. "Alright. If that's what you want is for me to stay away from Kane, I will gladly do so. I'm sick and tired of this useless bullshit anyway. If exiting Kane's life will keep idiots like you from interrupting my relaxation time, then I will gladly be on my way. Have a nice life, Jackson. From here on out, we are strangers."

And with that being my final words, I left the coffee shop.

. . .