“Colton,” I breathe. “You can’t. You don’t know what you’re getting into. These guys … they’re not just kids who grew up in a bad neighborhood, they’re killers. They love it and they won’t stop until you’re gone. You can’t declare war against them. It won’t end pretty.”
“I won’t be declaring shit,” he tells me, clearly pissed off with me but the fact that he hasn’t thrown me out speaks volumes. Maybe he really is serious about making this work. Maybe he is prepared to look over my shortcomings and take me as I am—flaws and all. “I’m going to hit him where it fucking hurts and he’ll never see me coming.”
My hand flinches in his, the thought of Nic getting hurt still tearing at my soul but it’s a feeling that I’m going to have to get used to because I won’t try to stop him. I trust Colton and if this is how he wants to deal with this, then I’m standing by his side through thick and thin. Nic has wronged me one too many times.
“What about the others?” he asks. “Were they in on this?”
I shake my head. “No. They found out only after the fact and handled Nic themselves.”
“I don’t give a shit if they handled Nic. No one takes my revenge from me.”
I nod, understanding his pain as clear as day. There’s something a person just has to do themselves, something that a stand-in just won’t cut it for. “You haven’t thrown me out of your car yet,” I note, biting down on my bottom lip as I look up and meet his eyes.
“Don’t get me wrong, Jade. I’m fucking furious with you. You should have told me the second you found out, but I understand why you didn’t and I can’t fault you for that, but if you ever keep something like that from me again, you and I are going to have problems.”
“I won’t,” I whisper. “You have my word.”
Colton nods, reaching across the car and taking my hand. He pulls it up to his lips and brushes a gentle kiss over my hand. “I only just got you back, Jade, and watching you walk away isn’t something I’m willing to see again. I wasn’t kidding before, I fucking love you and I’m all in. You and me until the end, even if it means we have to tear each other to shreds just to get there.”
My lips pull into a twisted grin, watching as the change of topic has the anger slowly fading out of him. “Just for the record,” I tell him. “If it came to tearing each other to shreds, I’d definitely win.”
“Are you really sure about that?” he questions, checking his mirrors and pulling back out onto the road to take us home. “I’m pretty fucking certain that I’d let you win just so I could see that proud grin on your face when you think you’ve finally outdone me.”
“No one ever lets me win.”
“Really?” he laughs. “All those times I would walk away at the beginning, do you really think that was because I couldn’t handle you or because I wanted you to fall in love with the idea of being able to beat me.”
My brows pinch. “And why the hell would you do that?”
“Because when you think you already have a win in the bag, you let your guard down, and then taking it out from under you is so much more satisfying.”
My mouth drops as a shocked gasp sails out of me. “No, you wouldn't do that.”
He looks across at me, his eyes sparkling with laughter. “Wouldn’t I?”
My mouth drops, realizing that he one hundred percent would. “You little bitch. Fuck you. I was so proud of myself for being able to take down the egotistical bastard making my life a living hell.”
He laughs. “I know. Watching the little house kitten thinking she could take on a fucking lion was pretty entertaining so thank you for that.”
I roll my eyes and glare out my side window. “Word of warning, Carrington. Those who underestimate the little house kitten usually end up with scars.”
“In that case,” he murmurs, keeping his eyes on the road. “Let’s hope that Dominic Garcia underestimates you.”
We return to the Carrington mansion and I can’t help but feel happy to be here. I feel a million times lighter despite the hell that’s going on in my life. Milo is having a shit time but I know he’s going to be alright. I still have absolutely no idea how this bullshit is going to go down with Nic and the Widows, but I know it’s going to be bad.
Despite all of that, I’m happy. I feel as though I’ve removed all the toxicity from my life. Questions finally have answers and while there’s still so much to work through, I can finally start to discover who I really am.
Jude is gone and no longer someone that I have to fear. Nic is on his way out and the fuckers who burned their mark on the back of my neck will be handled when the time comes. As for now, I have Colton, a shitload of new friends—who wouldn’t dream of stabbing me in my back—and as always, I have my mom.
Speaking of …
Colton brings his car to a stop out front of his flawless mansion and I don’t waste a second opening the door and running around to the stairs. I just spent the last few minutes of the car ride home explaining exactly what had gone down between me and Mom and now that I’m home, I can’t possibly go another second without making this right.
Colton can hardly keep up with me as I race up the stairs and before I know it, I'm barging through the door, feeling a million times better knowing that there’s no chance in hell that I could run into Laurelle. I race through the mansion, aiming for the staff quarters when I hear the familiar sound of the vacuum coming from down the hallway.
I hurry after it, knowing damn well that there’s only one person in this mansion who would have the nerve to use the vacuum and make all that noise while the Carrington's are still in the house.
I step through to the private kitchen and find Mom in the sunken living room, vacuuming the most expensive rug that I’ve ever had the pleasure of sinking my toes into. As she turns around, she finds me flying toward her, only having the slightest chance to brace herself and throw her arms out.
I slam into her chest and her arms wrap around me, tears instantly forming in both of our eyes. “Oh, my sweet, sweet girl,” she cries into my shoulder as I do exactly the same to hers while she shuts off the vacuum with her foot. “I’m so sorry. I handled it wrong. I should have been there for you. I failed you. I want you to feel as though you can come to me about everything and the one time you need your mommy the most, you couldn't. I should never have made you feel that way. I swear to you, my sweet angel, I will never make you feel like that again.”
“No,” I say, wiping my tears against her shirt. “I should have been honest with you. I didn’t want to hurt you. You were so happy here and I didn’t want to be the reason that you started worrying. You'd already been through so much with losing Dad. I couldn’t bear the thought of adding to that pain. I know how you worry and I feared that you would regret the decision to come here when in reality, this is the best thing that has ever happened to us.”
“Oh, honey. When will you realize that I’m the parent in this relationship? You don’t need to always be strong for me. You went through something traumatic and I wasn’t there for you when you needed me and I will always bear that on my soul, but I promise you, you always have been and always will be my number one priority. I will be better. From now on, you will never feel that you can’t come to me. I just wish I’d have been there for you. I would have just sat there with you and we would have cried until the pain went away.”