Who in their right mind complained they were loved too much?
No one.
Not a single, normal, sane person would whine about being protected and cherished.
“No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to do, Addy. Not even me.”
“Really? And who’s gonna stop them from trampling over my life and taking over?”
“I am.”
I went rock solid at the vigor in his tone. He was serious. He would stop them—not try to, he would simply make it so.
I remained frozen in my seat in an effort to contain the hope that was threatening to break free. Hope that I promised myself I’d never have again.
A heavy silence fell and neither of us tried to fill it.
I didn’t know what Trey was thinking about and I didn’t dare ask. My head was too muddled with all the garbage I’d sworn to myself I’d never think about again.
Keith had no place in my life. Yet, neither did hope, but there I was sitting next to Trey trusting him.
Man, I really messed up. I knew down deep in my bones Trey wouldn’t give up. Not on me, and he’d be relentless in his pursuit of the truth.
Crap.
“He said what?” my brother seethed.
Oh, heck, Jason was pissed. Madder than I can remember seeing him in recent history. This was because ten minutes after we’d walked into Triple Canopy, Trey had called a meeting. Not just any meeting, he’d requested everyone’s presence. That meant Jason, Nick, Carter, Brady, Logan, Matt, Drake, Luke, Dylan, Trey, and myself were jammed into the conference room, which was not small, yet with all the testosterone seeping from the men, the room turned stifling.
Trey hadn’t even let the men settle before he launched into the scene Jake created at the café. Through this, I didn’t speak or fill in the blanks because there were none to fill in. Trey was thorough, as in thorough. The only thing he’d left out was me finding Jake with another woman before he shipped out. Which, I was fairly certain, was only because I was in the room and he would later dish out that tidbit. Of course, that would only fuel my brother’s anger. Not to mention my cousins’.
Trey didn’t repeat Jake’s threat. Instead, he turned to Dylan. “Need you to start digging. I want to know everything there is to know about Jake Belview.”
I didn’t bother protesting this as it would be a waste of my breath. The men were now in full battle mode and they would move as they saw fit.
“You’re coming to stay with me and Mercy,” Jason commanded.
There it was, I’d lost. My dad and uncles hadn’t even gotten into the mix and my brother, being a mini-Jasper, was making demands.
“Actually, Adalynn’s staying with me. She moved in last night and will stay there until we sort out the situation.”
Those words came from Trey—strong, resolute, stubborn.
“Trey—”
“Not up for discussion,” Trey spoke over my brother. “You know I got mad respect for you and your family. But this isn’t about you, it’s about Adalynn and what she wants.”
The vibe in the room shifted from uncomfortable to downright hostile. With all the hostility coming from my brother. It was thick and ugly and I knew from experience when Jason felt like he was backed into a corner he lashed out and he did it ugly. It had been years since I’d seen his temper flare, but that wasn’t to say I didn’t remember.
“Right, and Adalynn came to the conclusion she wanted to move in with you, instead of, say, her brother or parents. Or, hey, even one of her cousins,” Jason sneered.
His insinuation was hard to miss. And if the insinuation didn’t smack you in the face, his condescension did.
“Jason,” I called out to get my brother’s attention. But once I had it, I flinched at the fury I saw. “I want to stay with Trey. It was my choice. He offered to stay with me, and Brady and Hadley already gave me the option of staying with them.”
I lost Jason’s gaze when it sliced back to Trey. But when he spoke, his question was aimed at me and it was beyond ugly.
“And did you make this decision before or after he talked you into his bed?”
“The fuck?”
I ignored Trey’s deadly tone and decided it was time to end this. I was well over an age where my big brother got to play the role of the almighty protector.
“Between the first time and second time,” I told him.
“Come again?” Jason’s body tensed and once again I had his full attention.
“When I made the decision, Jason. It was between the first time and the second time I found myself happily in his bed. Though, just to clarify, the first time was in my bed. And just clearing up something else, I decided to move in with him instead of the other way around because I was freaked out Hadley saw Jake outside my house. But frankly, I made the decision to even entertain the idea that I needed to stay with Trey because Hadley pointed out that with everything our family has been through, it’s best to err on the side of caution. I also don’t want to worry Mom and Dad. Me, Jason. I made those decisions.”
“Adalynn. You have to know, he’s—”
“If I were you I’d stop, brother, before you let that foul temper of yours get you into something you cannot undo,” I warned.
“Straight up, Addy, you’re my baby sister. It’s my job to look after you. Especially when you’re too naïve to see what’s going on.”
“And straight up, Jay, you just crossed the line I warned you not to cross. You’ll always be my big brother and I will always love you. But what you just said is total bullshit. I am far from naïve, and the fact you’d say that to me is the very reason I’m staying with Trey and not you.”
“Addy.” My brother softened his tone but it was too late.
I put my hand up to halt Jason from continuing.
“You know I’ll forgive you for that,” I whispered, too hurt and angry to care the room had gone still. “But when you calm down and think back you’ll know that not only did you embarrass your sister in front of a group of men, but you’ll also kick yourself in the ass for being incredibly insulting. My sex life is none of your goddamned business, brother. And fuck you for thinking I’m so stupid I’d jump into bed with a man who I didn’t have feelings for and knew returned those feelings. I want no part of this. I think Trey’s being over-protective, Brady’s on board to blow it up, and now you’ll take it further. And when Dad catches wind, all hell will break loose. Have fun digging into Jake’s life—in the meantime, I’m living mine and I’m doing it any damn way I see fit. And so help me God, if any one of you tries to stop me, I’ll never forgive you.”
I’d made it to the door when Trey called out. I stopped and craned my neck so I could look over my shoulder.
He gave me a small smile and I swear to all things holy, he looked proud. I wanted to soak up that look and lock it in so I’d always have it, but I was too ticked off at my brother to fully appreciate it.
“Baby, please don’t leave the building.”
Gah. I wanted to steal his keys, get in his truck, and go back to his big house where I could hide in his big room in his big bed and not think about the monumental butthole Jason was.
Instead, I nodded.
“Thank you.”
Those two words hit me in the chest, and I knew he wasn’t thanking me for not leaving the building.
Hope built.
16
The door quietly clicked behind Addy. As pissed as she’d been at her brother, I admired her self-control. I, on the other hand, was unsure if I possessed the same restraint.
But then, I wasn’t pissed. I wasn’t even angry. I was motherfucking furious.
“Trey—”
“Do not speak to me, Jason.”
The room, so quiet you could hear every inhale, turned strained. Tension so high, one move would inflame an already hostile situation. A room that was filled with deadly men who were no strangers to violence, death, and destruction.
“Razor,” Carter called.
The old nickname cut me to the quick, I wasn’t Razor—not anymore.
I wasn’t anything.
I found Carter through the crush of men, still sitting at the head of the table while the others had stood, prepared to lock down the combatants if the need arose. Nick was moving around the table to take his cousin’s side, Matt was moving in behind me. But I didn’t take my eyes off Carter. During my contemplation, I hadn’t thought about what Carter would think of me being with his cousin. He knew me; we’d served together for years, he’d had a front-row seat to my indiscretions.
“How big of an issue do you think Belview’s gonna be?” Carter asked.
“Gut says a big one,” I returned, happy Addy was no longer in the room, yet not pleased about why that was.
“Right, and are you saying that because you want to keep my sister in your bed?”
Carter’s jaw clenched, Matt moved closer, Nick slid in behind Jason, and I vaguely wondered what Addy would think if her beloved brother left the office with missing teeth. Likely she’d be pissed, though after the shit he’d slung her way, she might not. But Emily Walker would be out of her mind pissed. Although she might be more pissed when she found out why her son needed dental work.
“I’m gonna say this one time, Jason. I respect you and your family. I understand you’re looking out for Adalynn. I even get why you don’t like me with your sister. I have a lot to prove to all of you. But I swear to Christ, you take one more dig at my woman, you’ll be eating through a straw.”
Jason reared back and his eyes narrowed. “And that’s how you’re planning on proving you’re good enough for my sister?”
“No, that’s me telling you, brother or not, I will not stand for anyone disrespecting, embarrassing, or talking shit about Adalynn. And you of all fucking people should know that the shit you said to Addy both embarrassed and hurt her. She’s Addy, so she’ll forgive you. Me, not so much. It’s gonna take a long time before I forget. A long fucking time, Jason. And for the record, Addy’s not in my bed, she’s in my life. And I know without having to explain it to you, you know the difference. So that brings us back to my point—you don’t like me for your sister and you wanna take jabs at me, I’m man enough to take them. But you ever embarrass, hurt, or disrespect Adalynn again, you and I will have bigger problems than we have now.”
“You’re fucking my sister,” Jason angrily returned. The electricity that had been bouncing around the room ignited. Matt’s hand curled around my bicep and Nick flanked Jason, stopping him from moving closer. “And you’ve got the balls to tell me how it is.”
“Last time, Jason. I am not fucking your sister. And if you knew her as well as you think you do, you’d already know that.”
“She’s in your bed.”
“She is, absolutely,” I confirmed. “And what we do there is none of your fucking business. But I’ll repeat, I am not fucking Adalynn.”
“Fuck!” A voice boomed from behind me.
Good goddamn.
I didn’t need to turn to know Jasper Walker had entered the room.
“There a reason the two of you are shouting so goddamn loud I heard you from the parking lot?”
I didn’t doubt Jasper heard more than I wanted him to hear, but I doubted he heard because we were shouting. It was likely because Jasper had well-honed fatherly instincts that pinged when one of his children was in distress. Seeing as two of his offspring were involved, that ping would be huge.
I remained rooted, my gaze locked with Jason’s, unwilling to back down even with Jasper in the room, until Addy’s brother understood I was serious. I gave zero fucks what Jason thought about me. It was going to suck, losing the budding friendship, suck more if he decided to fire me, but I wouldn’t stand for him being a prick to Addy—that included him being an ass when she wasn’t around to hear it.
“Jay, man, stand down,” Nick muttered.
Unwilling to budge, Jason didn’t stand down. Further, he continued, uncaring his father was now in attendance. Or maybe he felt that now that Jasper was in the room, he’d have backup therefore he was emboldened.
“Adalynn cannot survive a man like you.”
“A man like me? Tell me, Jason, what kind of a man do you think I am?”
“The kind that doesn’t know how not to fuck. Tell me, Trey, how hard was it for you to play my sister, hook her deep, and have her bending to your demands? Shy, sweet, innocent Addy in your bed. How convenient—Belview pops up, hurls some insults her way, doesn’t like you intervened so he makes his displeasure known, and voilà, you have the perfect excuse to move her in. Hook her deeper. But tell me, when you use up all that innocence, get bored, and cut her loose, where does that leave my sister?”
“Way over the line, cousin,” Carter’s voice rumbled.
It took a full minute to beat back the driving urge to strangle Addy’s brother. That minute was filled with complete silence. Not a single man spoke, including Jasper. When I got a lock on my temper and my body’s natural response to eliminate the enemy—in this case, the enemy being Addy’s family—I exhaled, but otherwise didn’t move.
“I see you don’t know your sister at all. No one bends Adalynn to do anything she doesn’t want to do. I can see how you might think that, since you’ve run roughshod over her all her life, and being the type of person she is, she likely caved to you without much argument. Don’t bother denying it because she begged me not to bring this to the table because she knew you and everyone else would take over, boss her, and trample over her. Those were her words.”
I drew in a deep breath. “So, tonight when you’re thinking about what a motherfucker you were to your sister, think on that, too. There’s not a damn thing convenient about Belview hurling insults at your sister, think about that tonight, too. You okay with some asshole shouting at your sister in the middle of a café, talking shit to her after he fucked her over? Fucked her over in ways she never told you about. But she told me. You can stand there and look at me like I’m scum, and my guess is you think that because of my reputation—”
“You fuck anything that moves,” Jason cut in.
“I do? I’d like to think I’m a little more discriminating than that. The fact is, I know how many women I’ve had—I was there. Wanna know who wasn’t? You. If my sexual history is what your problem is, let me help you with that. I have fucked a lot of women—a lot. I was single, my field was open, and I enjoyed the fuck out of a variety of women on a variety of different continents. So with all that experience, I can assure you I know the difference between a woman I’d fuck and Adalynn.”
Matt tightened his grip on my arm but I wasn’t done. “Straight up, Jason, she’s your sister, I get it, you want what’s best for her. But I also do not need your approval. I don’t want there to be tension and bad blood between us. I don’t want that because it would fuck with my woman’s head and I want to cushion that for her. But serious as shit, you can hold on and be pissed and it will not make a bit of fucking difference to me.
“But you know what will? If you drag your feet on dealing with Belview. If you make it harder for me to get a lock on him and communicate to him if he so much as glances in my woman’s direction, I’ll slit his throat. The guy is fucked up, he’s dangerous. He hurts Addy again—mentally or physically—and he got his chance because you’re too busy being a dick throwing up roadblocks to keep me from her instead of helping, I swear to God, Jason, I’ll bury you right next to him. Now, I’m gonna go find Addy, make sure she’s okay, get to work, and, Dylan, I’d be obliged you ran those traces. If you don’t, I will.”
I jerked my arm free and gave Matt a lift of my chin. I waited until he dipped his in return before I turned to leave. I appreciated his support, even if he was effectively there to stop me from losing my shit and doing something stupid like actually getting into a fight with Addy’s brother. The momentary pleasure of pounding on a man I considered a loose friend but a good man would be just that—momentary—until the regret se
t in. Addy didn’t need that kind of trouble.
I was near the door when Jasper stepped in front of me. Hard, cold, calculating familiar green eyes took me in. The green a reminder that this was Adalynn’s father. The color so similar, yet Jasper’s held none of the warmth and beauty his daughter’s did. His jaw was set, his expression furious, his posture un-fucking-happy.
Not good. Particularly not good when I’d planned on having a civil conversation with the man about the relationship I’d entered into with his daughter.
Jasper was a man of integrity, deep loyalty, and honor that was so ingrained into him he wore it like armor. I owed him the truth and he’d get it, but it would have to wait until I sorted through my simmering anger.
Jason’s being a good brother, looking out for his baby sister, I reminded myself to no avail. No good brother would humiliate his sister in front of a room full of men, most of whom she didn’t know very well. Had Jason said what he’d said to Quinn, she would’ve handed her brother his ass. Hadley probably would’ve kicked him in the balls. And Delaney would’ve cut him off at the knees. In her own way, Adalynn had told her brother she was unhappy at his remarks, but she wasn’t as vocal or vicious as her sisters would’ve been. And that pissed me right the fuck off that Jason knew, out of all his siblings, Addy would be the least likely to lash out and more apt to hold in her hurt.
“I’ll come find you after I sort this.”
“Respect, Jasper, but I need some time.”
“I’ll come find you after I sort this,” he repeated heatedly.
Shit, goddamn.
“And I need some time to check on Adalynn.”
“Then you better see to that and I’ll find you after I sort this.”
Unyielding.
There was no budging a Walker. Unless the situation was one where emotional manipulation could be carried out. And somehow, I found it hard to believe anyone, man or woman, could manipulate Jasper.
Except maybe Addy.
She was a daddy’s girl. But I wouldn’t hide behind my woman, it was my job to stand tall so she could use me as the buffer should she need to.
Flawed (Triple Canopy Book 2) Page 13