Read AJ's Salvation for Free Online

here? What’s wrong with you?”
    Aly stopped, wishing she lived somewhere out in a forest. No one would hear them for miles, and she could cry out in frustration. Instead, she needed to calm down and focus. 
    “You don’t seriously think I came here right away! I changed cars twice and took a plane between. I was on the road for four days before coming, and I paid in cash. This was never supposed to be my life, but because I worried about you, I took that upon me. Greg wanted to come, but I told him to stay. Someone needs to keep me updated on what’s happening with the Karmison family. This was my chance, Aly. You have no idea what I’ve been through. You have no idea who I am any longer. I changed. In fact, I was already changing when you took my son. I’m not who you want me to be. I probably never was. No matter what, though, I needed to see him again. I was curious.” Aly saw him shake with suppressed anger, and she read something in his eyes that she never before had seen in him. Self-hatred. 
    “I always wondered how a father couldn’t think about his only child,” she admitted, and Jam shook his head, looking everywhere but at her. 
    “You have no idea about Collene, Aly. The things that went on after you left were beyond crazy. I … I cannot tell you about it. I’m not proud of some things I’ve done. I’ve been part of Collene’s life for too long and …” 
    He stopped there, not giving her any more information, and that was something she wouldn’t take.

Jam saw the way Aly’s forehead furrowed in stubbornness. He didn’t want to tell her; he was too ashamed. 
    “Alessia, you were always such an amazing girl, and now, look at you. You studied, and you love your life here. You managed to do something with your life. I’m going to stay only long enough to make sure no one figured it out. Collene never wanted that child, but once he was gone, she went insane. She accused everyone of taking the baby. The police questioned everyone and their mother. I never had a reason to call you, but I had every reason to believe Collene’s father had my phone tapped. I could’ve gotten another one, but I didn’t want to stir up your life. You needed to settle in and find your routine. If I had called you, you probably would have thought I was trying to control you, and no woman, no person, should ever feel someone else is trying to run their life for them.” He combed his finger through his hair and watched her reaction. Her lower lip was trembling, and she settled down on the sand. He did the same, moving close enough he was almost touching her.
    “I never went to college after I left. There was no way for me to do that with the baby. Your money helped me find a nice little house, and then I looked for work where I could take him. There was a restaurant in town owned by a woman. She had her boy there and the little ones were together from that day on. Alessandro was an easy child. I guessed it was because of … Collene. After all, that’s what she taught him early on. Don’t make a sound when you need something. I waited five months to bring him to a doctor and have him thoroughly checked. Luckily, he didn’t have any lasting damage.” She stared straight ahead, lost in thoughts, and Jam wanted to pull her close and hold her. Hell, he’d be satisfied if she’d only rest her head against his shoulder. Any contact would suit him just fine because Aly was everything Collene was not. As emotional as it made him feel, he wanted to be with a woman like Aly. 
    “I always thought you went through with it. College, I mean. Seems Greg didn’t tell me everything. And he didn’t tell you everything, either, Aly. Don’t hate him … but he knew. From the very first day, he knew your child wasn’t really your child.” The pain crossing her features at his words made him correct them. “He wasn’t your child by blood. The money he gave you … that was mine. I couldn’t live with the thought of