Chapter 2: It's All Relative

Angel rolled over and opened her eyes. Everything in the room was white and crisp, except for the hard wood floor. Her head was throbbing as she tried to focus.

"Oh good you're awake," Jordan's voice came from somewhere beyond her line of sight.

Angel was startled and rolled over, "Where am I?" She was going to be sick, "Oh God," She groaned.

Jordan rushed over to help her up out of bed and into the nearby bathroom. She heaved and vomited into the toilet. Her head pounded and her belly rumbled, and she thought she was near death.

"Are you OK?" Jordan asked after she stopped heaving.

Angel was embarrassed he had witnessed her vomiting. Her face flushed red. She turned around and looked up at him. He was wearing cowboy boots and jeans. The sort of outfit she despised. "W-who are you?"

It was obvious to Jordan she didn't remember anything from the night before.

"How did I get here?" Angel asked.

Jordan knelt down and looked at her, "I didn't know where else to take you, so I brought you home with me. This is my house."

Angel wondered what on earth she had gotten herself into, "Do I know you?" She asked. His looks were so familiar they unnerved her. She wondered if she had been kidnapped and taken back to Reno.

"I don't think we've ever met," Jordan said.

A loud pounding on Jordan's front door interrupted them.

"Open up Parker," Angel could hear Frank's voice coming from outside the front door.

Jordan left Angel and walked slowly to his front door and opened it.

"You son-of-a-bitch," Frank said as the door opened. He stormed inside Jordan's house, "Where's my sister?"

Jordan was stunned, "What?"

"My sister, Angel," Frank said in an angry voice, "Where is she?"

Jordan couldn't believe Angel was Frank Pirelli's sister. He thought he knew all of Frank's sisters, and the woman in his bathroom wasn't one of them.

Angel was so weak and sick she had difficulty standing, but somehow she managed to get to her feet and stumble out to the living room. Jordan's house was very nice. It was old, and the old wood was beautiful. The house was nicely decorated and it had a very classy and clean feel to it.

When Frank saw Angel he was relieved. He walked over and grabbed her by the arm.

"I had no idea she was your sister," Jordan said in disbelief, "If I would have known I would have left her there."

Angel wasn't sure she liked that statement.

"Just don't ever go near her again," Frank quipped at him in irritation.

It was becoming obvious to Angel that there was no love lost between Jordan Parker and her brother Frank. They seemed to be bitter enemies even though unbeknownst to Angel they had once been good friends.

"If not for me she would have been raped and left at Red's Barn to rot," Jordan said in irritation.

Frank didn't want to accept the fact that Jordan had rescued his sister, "You're full of shit Parker," Frank said angrily.

Jordan looked first at Frank and then at Angel, "Where have you been hiding her Frank? If she was my sister I wouldn't let her go running around dressed like a slut and drinking like a sailor. You should have seen her last night."

Frank looked at Angel. She was definitely dressed like a slut and based on what he had heard from his friends who had been at the bar, she had behaved terribly.

"What she really needs is a good spanking," Jordan added with disgust.

Angel flushed red, "You're a brute," She said bitterly. And as she stood there she began to remember her behavior from the night before. She realized she had put on quite a show. What had she been thinking?

Frank wanted to defend his sister's honor, but when he looked at the way she was dressed and the guilty expression on her face, he couldn't seem to find the words. "Just stay the hell away from her Parker," Frank warned.

"Like I said," Jordan shrugged as he looked at Angel, "I didn't know she was your sister."

Jordan seemed so condescending, Angel didn't like it.

"I ought to give her a good spanking anyway," Jordan continued, "For wasting my time."

Frank became angry that Jordan continued to push the issue, "She's right Parker, you are a brute," And then Frank rushed towards the door with Angel on his arm.

Jordan knew he should be happy that Frank had come and picked Angel up, since he had no idea what he was going to do with her, but for some reason he was livid. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps the realization that Angel was Frank's sister had set him on edge, "You better teach her to behave herself or next time I just might take her over my knee," Jordan continued to taunt them both, mostly because he knew it was getting under Frank's skin.

Angel felt like a child the way Jordan kept going on about spanking her. She didn't like it. Who did he think he was? He was threatening to spank her, and it sounded to her like he meant it. It made her blood boil.

"C'mon Angel," Frank said and helped her out to his truck, "You're staying with me from now on, I should have never let you stay at that sleazy motel alone last night."

"Hah," Jordan gritted his teeth with disapproval as he heard Frank's words, "You let her stay at the Hanover Motel? Some brother you are," Jordan scoffed.

Frank locked eyes with Jordan, "You and I will settle this later Parker," then he turned to his sister, "Let's go Angel," he pushed her inside the truck and then got in and revved up the engine and quickly drove away.

Jordan wondered what had gotten into him. He felt a bit stupid for threatening Angel with of all things, a spanking. He wasn't sure why he had done it, but something about her seemed to bring it out in him. Maybe it was because part of her reminded him of an innocent child, even though he knew from what he had seen the night before that she was far from innocent.

Frank was angry. "Why did you go home with Parker?" Frank demanded as he drove Angel furiously towards the Hanover Motel to get her belongings.

"I didn't know what I was doing," Angel admitted, looking down remorsefully. She wasn't sure if Jordan Parker had taken advantage of her in her drunken state or not, but somehow she didn't think so. He wasn't the type, "How was I supposed to know you didn't like him?"

"You've been back in Argus Falls less than twenty-four hours," Frank said with disgust.

Angel's head was still pounding, "I need a bathroom Frank," she whined as he sharply rounded a corner.

Frank shook his head. As much as he hated to think about it, Jordan Parker was right, his sister had behaved like a slut or even worse and she probably did need a good hard spanking. Some things never changed.

Frank pulled up to the motel and Angel jumped out and fumbled to unlock the door to her motel room. Once inside, she ran into the bathroom to be sick.

When she came out of the bathroom she looked down with embarrassment, Frank had been examining her room and he was holding the bottle of vodka she had purchased the night before. "I was hoping maybe you had changed Angel," Frank said and she could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"I have changed Frank," Angel protested, and she rushed over to Frank and threw her arms around his neck. She didn't think she could stand it if he rejected her right now. She needed him, "I swear I have."

Frank put his arms around his sister and hugged her tightly with affection. Despite everything, he loved her and he always had. Part of him wanted to demand Angel start giving him answers about where she had been the past fourteen years but another part of him sensed he was probably better off not knowing.

"C'mon," Frank said to her, "Get your things and let's go to my place."

Angel hesitated, "I can't stay with you Frank. What if Pop finds out? He wouldn't approve."

"I don't care about that," Frank said and he rolled his eyes, "We aren't kids anymore."

"You shouldn't have to put up with Pop's disapproval because of me," Angel said.

Frank began to laugh, "I'm used to it sis. Now quit arguing with me and get your things." Frank had spent half the night thinking about Angel and he was more than ready to stand up to his father. He had never agreed with his father's attitude about Angel and his father knew it. Enough was enough.

"I better not stay with you Frank," Angel said again warily, "It's OK, I'll just stay here."

"Get your stuff or I'll do like Parker said and take you over my knee," Frank smirked.

Angel shook her head, "Jordan Parker," she said bitterly, "Who does he think he is?"

Frank had loathed Jordan Parker ever since the night he caught him in a motel room with his ex-wife. They had once been the best of friends and even though he despised Parker now, he was grateful that he had rescued Angel from Red's Barn. He shuddered to think of what could have happened to his sister. He would keep his eye on her from here on out, that much he knew.