Blood Match (Blood Type 2)

Chapter 19

Jodie still hadn’t surfaced the next day or the day after that. Her hangover had to be long gone. Reyna didn’t know why she wouldn’t come out of her room. Or, rather, Meghan’s room.

Reyna banged on the door. “Jodie, open up! I know you’re in there.”

She was still banging on the door when it abruptly opened in her face. She tilted forward and had to catch the doorframe to keep from falling over. Jodie stood there looking like a hot mess in baggy gym clothes, her hair even more unruly than normal.

“What do you want, Reyna?” she asked.

“I came to check on you. It’s been days since the club. Why are you still in here?”

“I don’t want to be here at all.” She started to close the door to emphasize her point, but Reyna threw her hand out to stop her.

“What happened to make you feel like this about Elle?”

“Are you serious?” she asked. “I was the one urging you to break us out. I always wanted to get out. I mean, did you ever think about whether I had someone else out there?”

Reyna swallowed and considered the pain on her friend’s face. She had considered a lot about what Jodie must have gone through and how long she had endured it. But she hadn’t wondered about her life before Visage. And she should have.

“No, I didn’t. I’m sorry. I didn’t think that you wanted to talk. But if you have people out there that you want to see, I’d help you get them here,” Reyna told her calmly and confidently. “Elle went out of the way to get my brothers and soon-to-be sister-in-law here. I’m sure they’d do the same for you.”

Jodie shrugged and then gestured for Reyna to come inside. Reyna slipped the door closed behind her and took a seat on a chair as Jodie dropped onto the bed.

“So…who is it that you want to find?”

Jodie shrugged and glanced away.

“Come on. You started this. Who is it?”

“My cousin and best friend, June. She lived in the capital. I have to find her. I was living with her after the economic collapse. Visage had just taken over and her neighborhood was a test area for blood type testing before it went nationwide. When my blood type came back abnormal, June and I overheard them tell her parents that I was going to have to leave with them. That they had a special program for us. They made it sound like a great opportunity, but we could tell right away it wasn’t.” Jodie glanced off as she fought back tears. “June tried to get me out of there. She promised she’d keep me safe. We didn’t even make it across the county line before we were picked up. June was taken from me and I was taken to Visage. I’d been there ever since.”

Reyna’s hand moved to her mouth. “Oh my God, Jodie. How old were you?”

“Twelve.”

Reyna had no words. No words for the life that had been stolen from Jodie. It proved that Visage was the villain of this world. One that she was more determined than ever to take down.

“I think we can find June,” Reyna told her.

“No one is going to help me.”

Reyna walked over to the bed and sat down. She placed her hand on Jodie’s. “I’ll help you.”

“Really? And what do you want in return?” Jodie asked in the most jaded way possible.

“Nothing.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

“Well, one thing,” Reyna said with a small smile.

“Oh, here we go.”

“I need help planning a wedding.”

Jodie’s eyes rounded. “Bitch, you’re getting married and you’re just now telling me? Damn, that vamp moves fast. When did he ask you?”

Reyna laughed and shook her head, fending her off. “Dear God, no. Not me. Though Beckham and I did get back together. But we’re not getting married. My brother is getting married on Christmas.”

“Like in two weeks?”

Reyna nodded. “Bun in the oven. And I promised I’d help. I thought some normal would do me good. Maybe it’ll do you good too?”

“All right. If you help me find June, then I’ll help your crazy ass brother get married in two weeks.”

Reyna held out her hand. “Deal?”

“Deal,” Jodie said, shaking her hand. “Now, tell me all about you and Beckham getting back together!”

* * *

—

A few days later, the girls had had wrangled Meghan into trying to help them get the supplies they needed and a facility for Brian and Laura’s wedding. She was still pissed with both Reyna and Jodie for going with Gabe that night, but she didn’t take it out on Laura. She just sent silent reprimands with her eyes.

“But the dress,” Reyna said.

“Seriously, the dress is the last thing on my mind,” Laura insisted. “If we can pull this all off by Christmas, I’ll be over the moon.”

“No, you need a freaking dress,” Jodie told her.