“He can’t have her,” Marcus says, his eyes shifting entirely too much for my liking. “She’s mine.”
“You don’t own her. She isn’t a piece of property, asshole.” I step forward, itching to put my hands around his throat.
Someone grabs my shoulders quickly, holding me in place. I go to shrug them off when I register Cason’s voice drifting into my ear. “If you attack him, they may not give her over. Be patient. For her.”
I still because he’s right. Part of me can’t help but think if I beat the shit out of them all I won’t have to worry about them giving her over. I know that’s not realistic; all of Vic’s goons have guns strapped to their waists. What kind of pussy hires guys to beat up people for him? Oh yeah. Vic. That’s who.
“Where is she? I want to see her now,” I say through clenched teeth, “If you’ve hurt a single strand of hair on her head, I swear I’ll—”
“Sorry, Vic. My son is a little stressed today. We will require a visual of the girl before we hand over the paperwork,” My father interrupts and takes control over the conversation but still manages to give me a side eye that says cool it.
Fuck him. If this was Mom, he wouldn’t cool it.
“So be it.” Vic waves his hand in the air, and the man driving the SUV opens the door and once again reaches in. This time, he pulls out a very angry Fallon. I watch as she fights with the guard, struggling to break free of his vice-like grip on her arm. But when her eyes find mine, the tears slowly form in the corners of her eyes. Her relief is evident in the way her entire body sags. I really take a hard look at her. Her hair is purple, and her eyes are drained. There is bruising on most of her face, and one eye is so swollen she can barely open it. The guard puts her down and she sags, leaning onto the SUV for support. My hands turn into fists and pure, white-hot rage flows through me.
“You psycho piece of shit. What the fuck did you do to her?” My heart has stopped. My beautiful baby is standing in front of me beaten to nothing, both physically and mentally defeated. All because of this asshole. My feet propel me forward, my determination to get to her fueling my fire.
“Don’t you go near her. Stop him!” Marcus yells to the guard.
Before I can reach her one of Vic’s guys steps in my way blocking her from my view.
“Get out of my fucking way,” I growl through my teeth. I can feel the red haze of rage creeping in. Marcus is going to die. I am going to fucking obliterate him.
“Don’t let him through. She’s mine,” Marcus instructs the guard.
“She was never yours. Ask her. She doesn’t want your psycho ass,” I snap at Marcus. I turn to face the guard. “If you don’t move out of my way, I will hurt you.”
“Boys, enough.” Vic says, “Jesse, you can have her once we confirm your end of the deal.”
“What are you doing Vic? He can’t fucking have her.” Marcus turns to Vic with a snarl. His wild eyes are flashing, and he looks furious.
“Shut up, Marcus. I’ll deal with you later. How you thought this would work out is beyond me,” Vic mutters. He barks orders at some of other his men who come up behind Marcus. The goons try to subdue him, but Marcus puts up a fight. His movements are squirmy and snake-like, which seem like a fitting match to the person he is on the inside. His eyes bulge and shift as he fights off the guard, and it occurs to me that Marcus may not have sold all of Jax’s product after all.
Marcus’s movements become more erratic and before anyone can stop him, he pulls the guard’s gun from its holster and points it straight at him.
I watched the video Marcus showed me of Jesse’s car tumbling closely. I did with both eyes wide open, looking for any clues. I never saw a body, and he never said the words. I held onto that tiny bit of hope it was all just a ploy to get me to be obedient. And I’ve never been so thankful to have guessed right.
I knew there was a chance I might not ever see him again. I stare at Jesse—at his clenching jaw, his heaving chest, his open eyes. Seeing him in the flesh with my own two eyes relieves my soul. Watching him as he stands before me, alive, drains me to the point of exhaustion. This whole time I’ve been fighting to get back to him. But he’s here; I can stop fighting. I was nearly at my breaking point, convinced there was no way out. But he’s here. He is here. He’s still fighting. He didn’t give up.
I’m safe. I’m going to be okay.
I watch as Vic’s guard’s eyes widen in both shock and fear. The other guard shifts quickly, pulling his own gun out.
“Marcus . . . Son, you’re going to want to put that gun down now,” Vic says as he motions to the other guard to stand down.
“But do I really Vic? I won’t let him have her. He can’t have her.” The guard closest to Marcus tries to make a move and lunges. I see the flash before I hear the sound and the guard slumps to the floor. I jump, my skin crawling as a dead man falls to my feet. “I told him I was going to kill him.”
Marcus quickly yanks me in front of him and wraps his arm tightly around my neck with the gun pointed out in front of us at people I love and care for. I reach up and wedge my fingers between my throat and his arm, giving myself just enough
