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I nod. My heart is still pounding, but seeing it was Rage calmed me instantly. Jackson scans my eyes before releasing my chin and kissing my forehead. He turns back to Rage and says, “Don’t tell Blade. I don’t need him up my ass wanting a competition.”
Rage slowly grins. “Normally, I would agree, but it is rather tempting to say something. Let’s say, to make it even.”
I furrow my eyebrows and glance at Jackson, seeing he is just as confused. “What?” he asks.
Rage drops the grin and raises a brow. “My kitchen and, more specifically, my kitchen table. What the fuck did you guys do?”
I gasp and whirl around to face the kitchen and small dining room to the side. I completely forgot about what we did last night and how tired we were after. We never cleaned up. There is a mess in the kitchen from cooking and the kitchen table. The plates are knocked on the ground with our old food.
Syrup is knocked over on the table and droplets are surrounding one clean spot… the spot I was lying on. My cheeks heat as Jackson chuckles behind me.
Rage sighs. “I don’t even want to know.”
Without looking back at Rage, I walk straight into the kitchen and start cleaning everything up. I hear Rage say something to Jackson, and then their voices are soft in the background. I don’t even try to listen, knowing that if I need to know, I have to trust Jackson to tell me.
After scrubbing for almost an hour, I finally have everything cleaned up. Jackson came in part way through and helped with the floor where our food had sat all night. I didn’t even know that one of us or both had pushed our plates off the table. Jackson has been quiet and lost in thought the whole time he’s been helping, and Rage has remained in the living room on the phone for most of this.
Finished, I wipe my hands off and turn around, leaning against the counter as Jackson cleans the mop before putting it away.
His hair is a mess atop his head. It keeps coming down into his face, and he has to brush it back. He hasn’t done his hair or trimmed his beard, yet he still looks insanely handsome. His black t-shirt practically molds to his arms, and I can’t stop myself from staring at them as the muscles flex when he moves around.
A throat clears next to me, and I jump slightly, turning my head to see Rage standing at the entrance to the kitchen. He gives me a soft smile before glancing at Jackson. “We need to talk.”
Jackson stares at him. They seem to communicate silently, and I feel like I’m intruding, so I step forward. “I can go in the bedroom?” I suggest hesitantly.
Jackson turns his hard eyes on me, but they instantly soften as he locks onto mine. “No angel, we need to talk to you.” There is a wariness in his gaze that I don’t like, but I nod and follow Rage as he leads us back into the living room. He takes a seat on one side of the L-shaped sectional, and Jackson and I sit on the other. Jackson grips my thigh and lets out a harsh breath.
Rage starts, “Presley, if you absolutely do not want to do this, we won’t make you. We will do whatever else we have to do. But I need you to listen and then decide. It’s not going to be easy, alright?”
I look over at Jackson, and he tries to give me a reassuring smile. I place my hand on top of his that is resting on my thigh and take a deep breath. Glancing back at Rage, I nod.
“Alright, so I am assuming Axe told you what happened yesterday?”
I nod again, not trusting my voice as I think about what Jackson told me. He could’ve been hurt so much worse than he was. I could’ve lost him.
“We met with Vance late last night. Ben and his family have been helping Vance since before he was even in charge. They have helped them out of countless charges, so Ben has a good standing relationship with Vance and his men. Ben went to them and told them about your attack. When he worked with the cops here to get it covered up, he had spun it around as someone who knew you. Basically, he made it so when Vance looked at everything, the clear suspect was Axe. Ben asked him if he could get ahold of Axe so that Ben could deal with him and then get you back. Vance believes, based on Ben’s word, that Axe attacked you and you aren’t here by your own free will.”
My hand clenches where it rests on top of Jacksons. My heart is pounding so hard it’s hurting my chest. Everything feels tight, and my vision has gone blurry.
What if they had gotten ahold of Jackson? What would have happened to him? What would Ben do? I no longer know the man who used to be my best friend. He has gone cold and hard. He wants to hurt these people that have come to mean so much to me just to get to me.
Maybe I should go to him. Let him have me and keep me safe. My chest grows even tighter, and I gasp for air.
The thought of leaving here, leaving Rage, Raven, Jackson, and everyone else I have come to care for, would break me into a million pieces. I have already lost my baby because of him. I should not have to lose anything else. It’s not fair.
He can’t take more from me.
I won’t let him.
Jackson’s hands come up to my cheeks, wiping the tears as I gasp and clutch my chest, trying to ease the pain. “Breathe, angel. Breathe with me.”
I watch as he takes a deep breath, and I do my best to follow. Just like every other time he has done this, my breathing slowly syncs with his, and I can breathe normally again.
But part of me can’t breathe fully and peacefully until Ben is gone. He has to go. He is risking my… my family. The people who are helping me heal. The people I have chosen to be a part of my life. He doesn’t get to do that.
I look into Jackson’s eyes, and his light up as he scans my face. “I don’t know what’s going through your head right now, but latch on to it. Whatever is bringing that look onto your face. Latch on and don’t let go of it. We will not let anything happen to anyone. Okay?”
I nod and inhale before letting out a shaky breath. My hands are shaking slightly, and there is still an ache in my chest, but my determination to not lose this family I have gained outweighs any anxiety I feel right now.
