I just … left.”
“You just left?”
He made it sound like I did something impossible. I guess it should have been,
but it wouldn’t be the first time I’d done the impossible.
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Maybe thirty minutes?”
Darren released a heavy breath, closed his eyes, and ran his fingers through his
hair. I watched as he walked away from the counter, his chest rising and falling and
further quaking my nerves until he finally looked at me. For the first time ever, I
actually saw fear in his eyes. Fear and pain.
“Jesus, Jaden, I almost lost you today. You would have been killed. Do you realize
that? You’re lucky I was there to intervene.”
“Yes, I realize that.”
“Then why the FUCK did you disobey me and go beyond the trees?!” The anger in
his voice made me jolt inside, but it didn’t dull my own voice. I felt the shock of my
near-death experience begin to lift. How the fuck could I know the trees meant
wolves?
“I didn’t mean to! I slipped on some ice, and Camaro got loose. She chased after
some animal, and I went after her.”
“And you didn’t think that maybe there was a good reason why I wanted you to
stay within proximity of the house?”
“I wasn’t just going to let her run off and get lost!” I shouted at him. “I had no
idea there were wolves out there!”
“Neither did I! Which was why I went hunting with Scott earlier to make sure the
area was safe!”
“Well maybe you should have disclosed that first! I might have actually listened
for once if you had better intentions other than being a controlling asshole!”
“Watch it, little girl,” he growled. “None of this would have happened if you’d
gone with your guards like you were supposed to.”
“And I would have if they weren’t total dicks! Romero wouldn’t even let me go
outside after you said I could and that’s bullshit! I have no one, Darren! The least
they could do is be nice to me!”
Darren regarded me for a moment before his gaze suddenly intensified, his arms
folding across his chest as he squared his stance.
“And what made Romero rescind on my order?” he asked, the accusation in his
tone evident.
I bit my bottom lip and glared at him. “Probably had something to do with the
fact that I kicked him in the ribs and knocked him on his ass.”
I could see the amusement flash in his eyes, but it was gone in a second.
“Why?” he asked.
I huffed a heavy breath, blowing a strand of stray hair out of my face before I
found the guts to answer. “Apparently, he likes to exercise his smart mouth, too.”
Darren shook his head in disappointment and turned his gaze away.
“You’re supposed to listen to them, Jaden. End of. If you’re having issues with
their behavior, you take it up with me, not them.”
“I tried that this morning, and you punished me for it, remember?”
“Romero and Alex had every reason to keep you off the balcony. When it comes
to your safety, I will take every precaution and never budge. Get used to it,” he said
darkly and left the bathroom. When I heard the bedroom door open and slam shut,
I knew he would be gone for a while.
Slowly making my way from the bathroom, I collapsed onto the bed. Whatever
pills Darren had given me were making me drowsy, and I was out like a light within
a few minutes
40
RAGE
Slamming the door behind me, I stormed out of the room, leaving Jaden to wallow
in her mess. With her injured, if I didn’t leave now, I would have hurt her more.
“She doesn’t leave this room without my direct orders,” I commanded as I
walked past Jaden’s new guards.
“Yes, sir,” they both said in unison.
I needed to clear my head before I handled Romero and Alex; otherwise, if I went
in there now, they wouldn’t walk out alive. I instantly regretted not bringing Clive
and Owen. Aside from the one holiday, they were training with more of Scott’s men
to advance their combative skills as well as their observational ones. I wanted
everyone who guarded my manipulative little spitfire to be sharp and ready for
anything. The only reason that security wasn’t as tight around her while we were
up here was because no one really knew about this place except for my closest inner
circle, and I wanted to see if Jaden could handle less security when she was treated
to something as nice as this. Obviously not. She sounded like the damn younger
sibling who taunted their older sibling to get them in trouble.
And hadn’t she accomplished her goal.
I could barely catch my breath when I saw the wolf had her forearm between its
teeth. Scott and I were just heading back to the house to get the truck to pick up the
two bears we’d shot when I heard Jaden’s scream. I’d never lifted my rifle so fast,
never more grateful that my finger was already on the trigger. Jaden would have
been dead, mauled to pieces in front of my fucking eyes. Another perfect fucking
reason why I was always armed everywhere I went. Always.
I knew Scott would have been able to react the same way because the second my
rifle was drawn, so was his. The moment I fired the first shot, the bullet drove
straight into the wolf’s body, taking it down. As soon as I saw it hit the ground and
didn’t get back up, I’d never run so fast in my entire life. I needed clarification that
Jaden was okay, and I needed
