Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Calm, calm, calm.
“Jessie,” I say, hoping she gets the message.
Don’t do it, Jessie, whatever the hell you’re thinking.
Don’t risk your life.
She lowers herself to her knees slowly, causing a series of miniature explosions to go off inside of me, as Tyrone’s grin stretches so wide it’s like it’s going to stretch right off his face.
“This will be a lesson to you, old pal,” Tyrone says, aiming the gun down at Jessie as she settles on the concrete, partially blocked by the car.
She’s not going to bite his goddamn dick off, is she?
What is she planning?
“You should’ve stuck by me. We could’ve had a good thing with the company, especially with how you’ve grown it. We could’ve laundered all the money in the world. But instead, you wanted to open some pathetic little electronics store. Really. What’s wrong with you?”
“Tyrone, I’ll ask you once. Stop this. Stop it now.”
The second he puts that gun down, I’m going to shatter his jaw for how he spoke to my woman, for threatening her.
But I can’t let him know that.
“We’ll forget this even happened. I’ll delete the footage,” I say.
“Nah.” He titters revoltingly. “I think I’d rather feel this young thing’s lips puckered around my big cock. Come on, sweetheart, get on with it.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Jessie
My heart couldn’t be beating any faster, hammering in my chest like it’s trying to choke me. A feeling of sickness swells in my belly as I raise my hands toward Tyrone’s crotch, spurred both by the thing I’m pretending to do and his smell. He reeks of sweat and cigarettes and whisky, the feeling churning in my stomach, making me want to gag.
I winked at Jaxon to let him know I’d never actually do this. I’d die before I touched another man like I want to touch him, but now I’m not sure if I have the courage to go through with my plan.
“What’s the holdup?” Tyrone snarls. “Unless you want a nice little bullet in place of an earring, darling, I suggest you hurry up.”
Bugs crawl over my skin when he calls me darling, the r stretching and becoming gruff and growly. Like he’s doing some twisted impression of a pirate.
“I bet you didn’t think we’d end up here, aye, tough guy?” Tyrone’s voice is arrogant in the extreme, reveling in what he’s doing. “Sucked off by your lover girl and there’s not a thing you can—”
I don’t think. I don’t let myself think. I just do it.
Throwing all my strength into the movement – however much that is – I push down the self-doubt and the whispering voice that tells me this is going to end horribly, and I hit him right in the nuts.
Hard.
I punch him harder than I’ve ever hit anything, letting out a scream.
He bellows and falls back against the wall. Behind me, there’s a noise, and I let out an eek.
I spin to find Jaxon sliding over the hood of the car – the source of the noise – and landing on his feet he lunges forward and wraps his hand around Tyrone’s wrist.
Yelling, I leap away from the mayhem, almost tripping over my feet as I stand and fall back toward the car.
Tyrone cries out when Jaxon crushes his wrist, causing him to drop the gun with a metallic clang.
“Motherfucker,” Jaxon snarls, grabbing onto Tyrone’s neck with his free hand and pushing him against the wall. “You think you can threaten my woman, disrespect her, and get away with it?”
My tongue feels like it’s swelling to ten times its usual size, nerves attacking me, my ribcage compressing tightly. I force myself to walk away, lean down and pick up the gun.
Carrying it off to the side, I look across at the men.
“Well?” Jaxon snaps, squeezing so hard Tyrone’s face has turned red, like his eyeballs are about to burst out of his head. “Nothing to say now, tough guy? That’s my goddamn woman right there, the future mother of my children. And you… And you…”
Tyrone tries to speak, but all that comes out is frantic breathing, wheezing as he tries to push the words past Jaxon’s devastating grip.
I’ve never seen Jaxon filled with such rage, his whole body pulsing and swelling, his entire being seeming to expand like he’s going to erupt and take us all with him.
“Jax,” I whisper, and then forcibly raise my voice. “Jax, you’re going to kill him. Stop, stop.”
My words cut off in a tangled sob. I bite it back, annoyed with myself, but it’s difficult to push it away completely after what I just did.
Hitting Tyrone took a lot out of me, and now I feel deflated. Like a balloon without air.
But I need Jaxon. I need the future we’ve designed, the children we’ve dreamed up, the life we’re fighting for.
“Jax,” I say firmly, stepping closer to them.