Well, fuck, maybe Hunter ain’t so bad after all. But still, he took my woman. “You still took what is mine.”
He waves it off. “Yeah and because of her we’re not going to war. I’ll even give you back something you lost.” He waves a hand, and a struggling Wrath comes out, hands tied behind his back, as he’s shoved through the doors.
“Motherfucker!” I spit out between clenched teeth. “You betray me? You betray your club?”
He spits on the ground. “Not my club anymore, turning into a pussy club, almost worse than the Angels Warriors.” Hunter steps away from Justine and punches Wrath in the stomach.
“As much as I don’t care for the Angels, what they are doing is admirable. They aren’t one-percenters like us, they don’t dive into our territory. We respect them.” Well, fuck, Hunter is full of surprises tonight.
“What changed in you?” I ask him, going to Justine’s side who hasn’t said a word since I showed up. I hope like fuck she’s not still pissed at me about what I did.
“Life happened,” is all he says, cryptic as fuck.
He gives me Justine and I nod to the woods for the guys to fall back, and we head out, hoping like fuck this isn’t a mistake. Hunter, true to his word, lets us leave. Two of his men follow us, dragging Wrath. His ass is mine, after I deal with that fucking cop. Or maybe I’ll let Rage have a go at him. He’s been struggling lately with not much going on in our world. It’s been surprisingly calm.
So, I know Rage needs to let loose.
I put Justine in the cage and hop in the driver’s seat, we make it home without her talking. Soon as we get to her house, Melissa and Anara come running out, tears streaming down their faces as they open Justine’s door and pull her in for a hug.
“We were so scared. Are you okay?” Melissa cries.
Justine sniffles. “I’m fine, it was scary at first, but everything that happened was just surreal. I don’t even have words for what happened right now. Though, I have to tell you, I have a brother.” She looks to Anara and bites her lip. “Hunter is my brother.”
Anara gasps. “I didn’t know he was here.” She looks to me, worriedly.
“He moved here a few years ago, it’s why I was so skeptical of you when I found out about the connection,” I tell her getting out of the driver’s side.
The girls take Justine into the house, and I talk to Rage. “Wrath is yours, I’m gonna take tonight to be with Justine, then I’ll meet up tomorrow at the clubhouse to deal with that shit-stain cop.”
Rage nods and smiles at the cage, where Wrath is in the back shouting. “Later,” he says as he hops inside the cage and takes off.
Now it’s time to send the girls home so I can talk to Justine alone. And I hope like fuck she’ll let me talk. I need her like I need air to breathe.
Chapter Fifty-two
Justine
The girls all leave, leaving me alone with Carson. I’m sitting on the couch not sure what to say right now. I’m still so angry with him. And being with him just got me kidnapped, even though it all ended okay.
“Will you look at me,” he asks, and I look up; his face is ravaged with pain. “I’m so sorry about tonight, I knew things were heating up with the Jacks, didn’t think they’d try something like this, though.”
“It’s good it did, I don’t think Hunter and I would have found out about each other otherwise. Eileen wasn’t exactly forthcoming with details when she requested me,” I tell him, shrugging.
“Yeah, about that, what did she want?”
“Me.”
“And Hunter killing her?”
I shrug, “I don’t know how to feel about that. Part of me is upset because she was my mother, a shitty one, but still mine. But at the same time, I’m relieved that I don’t have to go through all the hurt constantly with her trying to be part of my life. I feel like I can finally move on from my past hurts.” And it’s true, sounds terrible of me but I feel now, with her death, I can really move on with my life. Her hurting me has always been in my head, causing me anxiety whenever I thought about it. Dragging down the people with me.
“It’s okay to be upset, I’ll help you talk to your dad about her if you want. We’ll even do up a funeral or something.”
He’s being sweet right now when really, I just want to be alone.
“We have to talk, Justine, talk about us.”
I shake my head. “No, we’re done, Carson. You cheated on me, when you knew exactly how I felt about that, I even told you so many times, not to put a label on us because I knew you were sleeping with other people. And then, your shit got me kidnapped. Sure, it turned out okay, but it could have been different.”
He comes to me, kneeling in front of me. “Don’t give up on us.”
“I didn’t, Hangman, you did that all on your own.” I try to stand up, but he pushes me back down.
“I love you, Justine, you’re the air I breathe, all I can think about.”
“You didn’t think shit about me when you were fucking other bitches!” I snap at him, wanting him away from me.
“I’ll prove it to you. I’ll vow it right now; you’re mine and I’m yours, no one else.”
Tears fall down my face as he says that. I want to believe him, but I just don’t. “I don’t, I can’t. I just...” I sigh, “I can’t do this right now.”
Carson is quiet, just staring at me, almost willing me to give into him.
Finally, he nods. “I get it, but I’m not letting you go. You’re claimed by me, you’re mine, and I’m going to prove to you that it’s only you for me. If that takes time, then so be it.”
He’s forty-five years old, it’s not like he has all the time in the world, I want him but at the same time, I don’t want to fall into a pattern. Maybe one day, I’ll forgive him but today is not that day. Not after everything else that’s happened tonight.
“You need to leave.”
“I’m leaving, but just know this isn’t over. I’ll keep a prospect posted outside. He’s your guard, I know Hunter said we have a truce, but I also don’t trust him.” He comes close to me as he gets off the floor at my feet, then rests his forehead on mine.
“I meant what I said, Justine. I fucking love you.”
“I love you, too, Carson, but sometimes, love just isn’t enough,” I say, my words jagged as I struggle to say them.
His breathing changes, “You can’t tell me you love me while pushing me away. It doesn’t work like that.”
“Just go,” I demand, pulling away from him.
He leaves, but not before giving me a harsh, demanding kiss.
I need time, I just need time.
Chapter Fifty-three
Hangman
Leaving Justine was hard as fuck, but I know she needs time. She barely had time to process shit from what I did to her, let alone being kidnapped. I shoot Melissa a message telling her she’s keeping Emily again, as I have shit to deal with and she texts back it’s fine.