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“Morning,” a new voice said. A voice I knew well. A voice which caused my feet to stall and my pulse to speed up.
“Jax?” My gaze met his, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to see behind his dark eyes, but as soon as I met his stare, all I saw was concern. And it made me even more wary about what was about to go down. I didn’t need people to be worried about me. I was a survivor. I always made it through to the next day, not that I had a choice.
“What are you doing here?”
“I messaged him,” Asher supplied. I didn’t look away from Jax, waiting for whatever he was going to say, but all he did was nod in agreement.
“Why?”
“Because you’re sleeping in your goddamn car, El, that’s why.”
I cringed at Jax’s words and closed my eyes. It wasn’t a big deal, not really. And it was only temporary until I had enough money to be able to stay somewhere else. I opened my mouth to tell him that, but he cut me off, “So now you have two choices.”
My eyes flung open and my nostrils flared. “You’re not the boss of me, Jax,” I fumed. He had a goddamn nerve thinking he could tell me what was going to happen. I’d taken it enough from everyone else, so there was no way I was going to let him fill the void now that I was out on my own.
“Technically, I am your boss.” He smirked, and I dropped my backpack on the floor along with my tennis shoes and stepped toward him. He knew exactly what buttons to press. “I’m just sayin’.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ve already been in that situation and—”
“You mean the situation where your boyfriend was beating on you?” I blinked, not knowing what to say to that. “Oh yeah, I know about that too.” Jax stood, meeting me head-on. “You think I’m gonna sit back while people take advantage of you? While you’re sleeping in your goddamn car because your mom got you kicked out?”
“How did you—”
“I called Tony.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “But the question is, why the hell didn’t you call me?”
“Jax,” Asher gritted out in warning, but Jax wasn’t listening to him. He was too focused, giving me a death stare.
“Because I didn’t need to call you,” I said, my voice small. I didn’t want to ask for help. He should have known that about me by now.
“Why?”
“Because you would have done what you’re doing right now. You would have told me what was going to happen, and I don’t need that shit in my life anymore, Jax. I can goddamn provide for myself. I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone to force anything on me.”
“What do you expect me to do, then?” Jax yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. He was the one person who didn’t frighten me when he yelled. He shouted to blow off steam, but he never took it further than that. “You think I’m gonna sit back and watch you struggle? Hell to the fuckin’ no. You’re gonna come back to the clubhouse with me, or I’ll pay for a hotel for you. You’re not sleeping in your car another fuckin’ night.”
I raised my brows and slowly turned to face Asher. “You see this?” I pointed at Jax. “This is why I didn’t tell anyone. This is why—”
“For fuck's sake,” Jax spat. “I’m just—”
“Enough,” Asher gritted out. His voice was low, not loud, but it was enough to have us both shutting our mouths. “Sit down.” He pointed at the circle dining table which held four chairs. “Both of you.”
Jax grumbled but I stayed silent as I moved to the chair opposite him and kept my gaze focused on him. Deep down I knew Jax was only trying to help, but I didn’t need him to demand what was going to happen. I needed to make my own choices and pay my own way. I didn’t need handouts. I didn’t want handouts.
“I think I have a solution,” Asher started. “I was thinking about it this morning.” He moved closer to us and leaned against the counter. “Elodie wants to be independent. Right?” I nodded in response. “And, Jax, you want to make sure she’s safe.” He paused and looked back at me. “I want to make sure you’re safe, and not sleeping in a goddamn alley in your car.” His eyes flared, his hatred for the situation he’d found me in clear. “So, what Elodie needs is her own place.”
“That’s my plan,” I told them both, pushing my shoulders back. “I’m just saving up at the moment, which is why I’m sleeping in my car. Give it a couple of wee
ks and I’ll have—”
Jax slapped his hand on the table, causing it to vibrate. “Hell to the fuckin’ no. You’re not sleeping in your car for two weeks.”
“You can’t stop me—”
“I have a place you can stay,” Asher interrupted, as if Jax and I hadn’t been arguing. “It’s small and the rent is cheap.” He shrugged. “You wouldn’t need a deposit. You could move in today if you wanted.”
“What?” I whispered, sure I’d heard him wrong.
“She ain’t stayin’ here,” Jax growled.
