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“I’m so sorry, Jag. What I lived through is nothing compared to what happened to you.”
“It wasn’t your fault, baby. We got tangled up with some dangerous people. I’m just not sure why.” I stared at the floor, willing myself not to cry. Once I’d escaped Psycho, I swore I would never allow myself to be vulnerable again in my life. Yet here I was, gutting myself in front of my stepsister.
“Thank you for telling me, Jag. It’s a lot to process, but there’s no way you would have ever hurt anyone unless you were forced too. I can’t believe that you’re a bad person.”
Her words reached into my soul, providing it a trickle of light.
“How did you get away?” She straightened and wiped the moisture from my cheeks.
“Uncle Gunner had been searching for me for two years. He knows a lot of people, but Psycho moved us around all the time. The one thing I was allowed to do was go to school and play ball, but even then, he had someone watch my every step.
You’d think I would be able to say something to someone at school, a teacher, counselor, or somebody, but that wasn’t the case. Psycho had deep pockets and even deeper connections.
I had finally worked up the nerve to tell my history teacher. After class ended and the students had left, I asked to speak to him in the hall. Since the classroom had windows, I knew I could get shot if Psycho suspected anything. The hall was safer, or so I thought.” I paused then licked my dry lips. “When I approached my teacher’s desk, he opened the top drawer and revealed a gun. How he got it inside the school, I have no idea, but he had the means to buy off most people. As soon as I spotted the weapon, I looked at Mr. Anthony. He smiled before he told me that Psycho said to tell me hello.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah. I wasn’t sure who was working for him and who wasn’t. I was terrified all the time. It didn’t take me long to realize that all I could count on was being the best football player on the field. Even then, I changed schools every few months since Psycho moved us around to keep the cops off our trail. As I said, it took Gunner two years to finally find me. I was at a dog park, playing with the new target and his puppy. In the meantime, one of Gunner’s guys snuck up on the man that had a gun trained on me from his hiding spot a block away. Tiny, Gunner’s guy, took him out, then Gunner grabbed me and we ran. Not only did he save me, but he saved a lot of kids and their families. I owe him everything.”
Ari’s eyes widened. “Your uncle that’s in the MC?ThatUncle Gunner?”
“The one and only. I stayed with him for almost six months before I landed a scholarship at Whitmore. We knew that I’d be out in the open if Psycho wanted to come after me, but he hasn’t. Until recently. He sent me a message through another football player, but I’ve not seen any signs of him.”
“What? He knows where you are?” Ari’s face turned ghostly white.
“Yeah. I don’t know if he was trying to fuck with my head, or if he thinks he can make me work for him. I won’t. I’ll die first. Never again.”
“Jag, you have to tell someone. Like the cops.”
“Tell them what? I have no idea where Psycho is. He’s a damn pro at hiding in plain sight. As I said, he moved us every few months. If there was even a hint that we would be caught, he packed us up and we left whatever state in the middle of the night.”
“There has to be a way to stop him. But I’m still confused about why us? How did you end up on his radar, and why did Dad and Samantha hide the truth?”
“Maybe I sound paranoid, but I don’t trust your dad, Ari. As for the rest of your questions, I don’t know. Uncle Gunner still has his ear to the ground to see if there’s any news on Psycho. He swore to me that Psycho and his people would be a thing of the past once the MC found them.”
“Then let’s help where we can. I won’t say anything to Dad about us for now.”
“Us?”
“I can’t lie. What you told me is a lot to process, but as I said earlier, you’re not a bad person. You were forced against your will to do awful things. I’ve walked in those shoes, Jag. I thought I killed you.”
“Are you sure, Ari? There’s no walking away. Ever. If you stay with me tonight, that’s it. I won’t let you go.”
Ariana leaned over, her breath fanning against my ear. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
I held her against me, never wanting to leave.
She placed a kiss on the tip of my nose. “We should go. Get whatever you need for classes and practice tomorrow. You’re staying with me at my place.”
I quirked my brow at her. “Bossy much?”
She gave me an innocent shrug. “You knew what you were getting into, yet here you are.”
A heartfelt chuckle rumbled through my chest for the first time in years. A flicker of hope was hot on its heels, but even I realized only the foolish allowed themselves to hope.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
Ariana
