“Of course I did! You were paying more attention to that twink than me. You don’t deserve to be with-”
All of a sudden, Tristan was looming over her, sheer hate pouring from him.
“Don’t call him that again,” Tristan said in a low voice, and she froze in fear before smiling nervously.
“You don’t have to be so upset, Tris-”
“Oh, I’m not just upset, Eve. I’mfurious.” He let out a dark, disbelieving laugh as her smile drained away. Maybe now she’d realize that she was inenemy territory. “I wish I had a better word thanterribleto describe you as a person, because that doesn’t even come close. You’re a selfish manipulator who uses people and tosses them aside, an empty narcissist who only takes and never gives, and even your son, your own flesh and blood, doesn’t love you.”
She recoiled like he’d slapped her, opening her mouth to respond, but he held up a hand, not letting her speak.
“You tried to ruin Jax, and the stress from that hurt him.Youhurt him, Eve. Just like you do to everyone around you, and I’m sick of it. I’ve already lost too many years to you, but I’m not going to lose anything else, especially the man that I love. That’s why I’m going to make sure that you pay for what you’ve done.”
Tristan didn’t know what hit him first, the scent of mint or the motion in his peripheral vision, but something drew his attention, and when he glanced at the door, he froze, unable to hide his shock.
Jax stood in the doorway, staring at Tristan in wonder, his wide, brown eyes shimmering with tears.
17
JAX
Hey,it’sGideon.Youneed to come to The Pointe.
Adrenaline raced through Jax’s bloodstream as he slowly rose from his bed, texting back.
Is Tristan okay?
Gideon replied within seconds.Yes, he’s getting the proof you need. And he’s also facing off with Eve. I think he could use you after.
Wait. What kind of proof? And why was Eve at The Pointe?
In his gut, Jax knew that Tristan was the victim when it came to his ex, but he couldn’t get past the fact that Tristan had been shifty about seeing her, and Jax needed some time to look into his injured heart and figure out what to do. Unfortunately, his anger and sadness had twisted into knots, hurting him in a different way than his back, and he couldn’t untie them for answers.
Tristan’s shattered expression as he’d left the hospital was engraved in Jax’s mind, and he still felt awful about it, but if Tristan hadn’t left that morning, then Jax wouldn’t have been lying there in agony, wishing for help.
Once again, what gnawed at Jax was the why.Whydid Tristan leave? Jax was a thousand percent sure that Tristan wasn’t cheating; he didn’t have it in him, butsomethingwas going on.
And Gideon had reached out, giving Jax a chance to find answers, get his reputation back, and see Tristan again.
Be there soon.Jax thought for a moment before adding another text.BTW how did you get my number?
I grabbed it off Tristan’s phone when he wasn’t looking. See ya.
Shaking his head at Gideon’s audacity, Jax walked through the townhouse with only a slight waddle, nervous excitement washing away his pain. In another day or two, he’d be back to his baseline, so he could take a short car ride to the wedding hall.
Finding Finn and Ollie in the living room, Jax stopped next to the couch.
“We need to go to The Pointe.” He tried not to sound shaken, but his voice wobbled.
“Why? What’s going on?” Ollie asked, his hand in a bag of pretzels. Finn paused the show they were watching, looking at Jax with concern.
“Tristan is facing off with Eve right now.” Jax opened and closed his fists, not sure how to feel as his tangled emotions twisted and heaved.
“What?”Standing, Ollie tossed the bag aside. “How do you know this?”
Jax made a confused face. “I have a man on the inside?”
“Is it Marci?” Finn was already up, grabbing his keys.
