“Cut the shit. Got any jobs? I need a distraction.”
“Is that a serious question? Of course I do. The elderly couple who moved into to the big place on the south side of town. They used to be ranchers or some shit and they’re loaded.”
“Great. I’ll be there in twenty.”
“Wait, J. They’ll be home,” he said.
“Since when has that stopped us?” I snapped before ending the call.
I made it to the house in ten minutes. I tend to drive faster than usual when I’m pissed off. Sam got there shortly after me.
“You packing?” he asked me as he killed his bike. We parked back in the trees so we wouldn’t run the risk of a passerby seeing our rides.
I shook my head at Sam. “Not after what happened last year,” I whispered.
Sam nodded as he tucked his 9mm pistol into the waistband of his jeans.
I watched in shock as Jasper got on his bike and sped out of the parking lot.
“Well, there went my ride,” I said as I rolled my eyes.
“Get your pizza to go. I’ll give you a ride home,” Bennett said as he put his hand on the small of my back.
“I’m not hungry anymore. Let’s just get out of here.”
He nodded before turning to lead the way to his sports car. He opened the door for me like he always did and I slid into the passenger seat. He took off driving in the direction of my apartment without me telling him where it was. I wasn’t surprised because I was certain that Shiloh would have told him where I was staying.
Bennett was quiet for the entire drive to my apartment. Once he had parked in front of my building I turned toward him and looked at him expectantly.
“What?” he asked.
“How do you know Jasper and why don’t you like him?” I asked in a rush.
“I’ve known him since last year, Mace. He's bad news.”
“How so?” I asked, irritated that he was being short with me.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about people down here,” he started.
“You mean there’s a lot I don’t know about Raiders?”
He jerked his head back when he heard me say the word. “You know he’s a Raider?” he asked, shocked.
“Yes. He told me.”
“Then I guess it’s safe to assume that he knows about you, too.” It wasn’t a question.
“No, I haven’t told him anything,” I lied. I wasn’t worried about Bennett being upset that Jasper knew I was a Protector, but if Shi found out he would be beyond pissed.
Bennett studied me for a moment before dropping the bomb.
“He's a murderer, Macie.”
My jaw dropped open and my stomach jolted.
“What makes you think that?” I asked in a whisper.
“I’m the one who tried to save his victim. I was too late. I felt everything. I'll never forget that night. And I'll never forgive Jasper White.” His face was stoic as he said it. I could practically feel the hatred spewing out of him. I felt sick. I had to get out of his car.
“I need you to leave, Bennett. I'll call you when I'm ready to talk.” I opened the door and stepped out of his vehicle.
“Don’t fall for his charm, Macie. Don’t be stupid. Your brother raised you better than that.”
I inhaled a sharp breath as I watched him drive away. I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. I did my best to catch my breath as I slowly walked into my apartment.
I was in a daze, completely lost inside of my own head. I don't remember hearing Jasper knock on my door and I'm not positive that I actually let him inside. But there he was, standing in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Macie, talk to me,” he said, sternly. I met his eyes and slowly shook my head as I took a step back.
“Ask me. Don't I deserve that much?” The irritation in his voice made me angry.
“I don't want to hear it,” I said as I rolled my eyes and stormed down the hall toward my bedroom.
“You don't get to walk away. Not yet,” Jasper said as he grabbed my wrist and spun me around.
“Why not? You get to walk away whenever you fucking please!” I screeched. A look of hurt crossed over his face before he schooled his features back into a look of indifference.
“You get to leave when things aren't as easy as you'd like them to be. You’ve walked out of my apartment time and time again. You walked out on our lunch, leaving me to find a ride home. You don't get to tell me when I can or can't walk away, Jasper.” I shoved against his chest as hard as I could before I ran to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I slid down to the floor with my back against the door just as the first tear fell.
“Macie?” he whispered through the door. I didn't answer.
“I'm not going anywhere this time.” I felt his weight against the other side of my door and assumed he was sitting in the same position I was.
Ten minutes passed without either of us saying a word. I was wiping the tears off of my cheeks when I looked up and saw Jasper floating in front of me.
“Damnit!” I shrieked at the sight of him. My hand flew to my chest as my heart rate picked up pace after being caught off guard.
“Sorry,” he murmured.
“That's not fair. I don't want to see your face.”
“Please come out and talk to me.”
I rolled my eyes before pushing myself up off the floor and opening the door. Jasper was standing in the hall looking at me expectantly. I looked over my shoulder to make sure the other Jasper was gone. He was. A ghost of a smile played on his lips when I turned back to him.
“Did you really kill someone?” I blurted out.
His face turned to stone, but I didn't back down. I continued to stare at him as I waited for an answer.
“No,” he bit out. I stood still and waited for him to ask where I'd gotten that crazy idea from, but he didn't say anything else.
“I assume you know what Bennett told me,” I said quietly.
“I think I've got a pretty good guess,” he said through clenched teeth. I looked away from him nervously and focused on my fidgeting fingers.
“Macie,” he said as he cupped my cheek and brought my eyes to meet his. “You believe me, don't you?”
I couldn't look away from him. The look on his face was so vulnerable. He needed me to believe him. He needed me to believe in him.
So, I did.
I barely had enough time to nod before he slammed his lips against mine. He cupped my face with both hands and deepened the kiss. When he pulled away we were both out of breath. His chest was heaving and his hands were trembling.
“I was there that night. I had a gun, but I never shot it. I swear, I never shot it,” his voice cracked and he turned his back to me. “Sam and Daniel were with me. They both shot, but nobody knows whose bullet hit the man. I was standing there, frozen in shock when Bennett showed up. He tried to save him, but it was too late.” I put my hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at me just long enough for me to notice the tears in his eyes. “I ran. I didn't stay to help Bennett. I didn't stay to tell my side of the story. I just ran.” He rubbed his hands over his face roughly.
“Hey, it's okay. It's over. It's not your fault,” I said quietly.
“I should have stayed to help him. Shit, I shouldn't have been there in the first place. I shouldn't have had a loaded gun in my hand.”
“Isn't that what being a Raider is all about? Taking what you want and doing whatever it takes to make sure nobody gets in your way?”
When he looked at me is lips were parted and his forehead was scrunched in confusion. He walked down the hall without saying a word. He grabbed his jacket off the back of my couch and when he did something fell out of the pocket. As I got closer I saw that it was jewelry. A necklace. I tried to grab it, but Jasper beat me to it. He swiped it off the ground and quickly shoved it back into his pocket.
I saw red.
“What the hell was that?” I yelled.
“Leave it alone, Macie,” he warned.
“Where did you get that necklace, Jasper?”
He stared at me. I could see it on his face that he didn't plan on answering me.
“Let me take a wild guess. You left me at a fucking pizza place so you could go rob an innocent woman of her jewelry?”
“It’s not like that, Macie. I just had to blow off some steam. That's what Raiders do.”
“What Raiders do, huh? What does Jasper do? Does Jasper enjoy stealing from people who work their asses off to get the things they have? Does Jasper think it’s all in a night’s work when his friends shoot and kill an innocent man?” I knew I was taking it too far, but I couldn't stop myself. I was livid.
“I can't change who I am, Macie.” He almost looked sad when he said it. If I weren't busy being pissed the hell off then I might have felt bad for him.
“You can't change? Or you won't change?” I hissed.
He looked as if I'd slapped him. He opened and closed his mouth twice before slowly shaking his head.
“Get out of my apartment. Whatever this was is over,” I said quietly.
“I'm not going to do that, Macie. I'm not going to give up that easy.”
I felt a knot start to form in the back of my throat. I shook my head and took a step away from him as I prepared to dart toward my bedroom.
Jasper reached out toward me, but stopped just inches away from grabbing my hand.
“I know I'm not the best kind of man, Macie. I fuck up and make bad choices daily. But you make me want to be better. You make me want to be the best. You asked me to try my hardest, and I'm not done trying yet.”
A single tear spilled over onto my cheek before I could blink it away. I swiped at the wet spot on my cheek as quickly as I could, but he saw it. He stepped closer to me, cupping my cheek in the process.
“I'm going to give you some time, Macie, but I’ll be here as soon as you're ready.” He didn't wait for me to respond before he placed a soft kiss on my forehead and walked out of my apartment.
***
After a long night of binge drinking wine and wallowing, I did what I should have done in the first place. I called Taylor.
“I'm here! And I brought ice cream and romantic comedies!” she yelled as she walked in.
I had been brushing my teeth but stepped into the hall to give her a thumbs up.
“All right, spill it,” she demanded as she pointed at the empty wine bottle on my coffee table when I came into the room.
I went over everything involving Jasper. I gave her all the details of him being a Raider, me saving Sam’s life, and what Bennett had told me. She nodded in all the right spots and gave me a few looks that clearly said, “what the fuck” when I'd expected her to. When I finished, she opened a pint of rocky road flavored ice cream and held a spoon out for me.
“I'm intrigued about the fact that Jasper felt you drop the hair dryer on your foot, but we will get to that later. I'm proud of you for standing your ground, but have you thought that you're being too hard on him?” she asked with a shrug. Now it was my turn to give her a “what the fuck” look.
“Just listen, Mace. He warned you several times about him being a bad guy. He made it clear that he was a Raider and quite close to being the opposite of a Protector. And you were okay with all of that. You agreed to give him a chance. Do you think you've let Bennett’s opinion of him sway your own?”
I stared at her for a moment, speechless. “You may be on to something, Tay. But I know in my heart that I won't be okay with the lifestyle he's living if he continues it. I can't handle the lying and stealing. And I won't tolerate him harming other people,” I said as I shook my head.
“Let's not dwell on it for the moment. I brought some Matthew McConaughey!”
I loved her ability to distract me just as much as I loved the ice cream I was shoveling into my mouth.
“One last thing…you need to tell Shiloh. Everything.”
“Shit,” I muttered. I knew she was right. That is, if Bennett hadn't already beat me to it. “I’ll call him tonight.” I was already dreading it.
We were halfway through the movie and completely out of ice cream when there was pounding on my door. Taylor and I both jumped at the unexpected sound.
“Who the hell knocks like that?” she snapped as she rolled her eyes.
I rolled mine, too, before going to see just who would be knocking like that.
“Um, can I help you?” I asked when I opened the door to see Brooke standing in the hall.
“I want to speak to Jasper,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Well, he doesn't live here,” I said with just as much attitude as she had used.
“Right,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “When you see him, tell him Brookie stopped by for a chat.”
With a flip of her ponytail she spun around and walked away. I shut the door and turned to see that Taylor was already standing behind me. Before I could get a word out she was pulling my laptop out of my bag and onto my kitchen table.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“We've got a crazy ex-girlfriend on our hands, Mace. And I'm going to find out who she is.” Excitement was evident on her face, and I rolled my eyes at her theatrics.
“Wake me up when you're finished snooping,” I called from the couch. I had just made myself comfortable on my side when Taylor shoved my feet onto the floor so she could take a seat.
“Well, it looks like Brookie has a twin sister that happens to be engaged to Jasper’s best friend,” she said in a high-pitched voice.
“Neat,” I said sarcastically.
“You don't want to know who that chick was? She just randomly shows up asking for your man and you couldn't care less!”
“Jasper’s not my man. And I'll ask him about her when I call him later. I'm not curious enough to stalk her on social media. Besides, I know you'll do that for me,” I said with a wink.
“You're right,” she huffed. “But first I've got to go meet Jarren for dinner. Call you in the morning?”
I nodded. I wanted to ask her about Jarren, but I knew that would start another hour of conversation and I really wanted to take a nap before I had to call Shi.
She hugged me before she left and I rolled onto my side and pulled a blanket over myself. I'm pretty sure I was asleep before the door closed behind her.
I woke to the sound of my phone vibrating across the coffee table. I answered it without opening my eyes.
“Hello?” I answered, groggily.
“Macie, I just spoke to Bennett. You’ve got five seconds to tell me your side before I get on the first flight to Florida,” Shiloh barked through the phone.
I sat up straight, wide awake at the sound of his voice. “Shi, he’s not a murderer. I know he’s not. I’m a better judge of character than that.”
He didn’t respond for several seconds. I started to chew my thumb nail nervously.
“I’m waiting for you to tell me that Bennett was mistaken about your boyfriend’s career choice. Tell me you aren’t trying to date a Raider.”
I didn’t say anything. Shiloh’s frustrated sigh came through the phone loud and clear. He was disappointed in me.
“You don’t know him, Shi,” I said quietly.
“Nat and I are coming to check on you in a few days. I suggest you do some serious soul searching before we show up.” He hung up before I could respond.
“Shit,” I muttered as I ran both hands through my hair.
“Can I come over?” I heard Jasper ask from behind me. I gasped as I jumped off the couch and whirled around to see where he was standing. Only, he wasn’t standing at all.
“Damnit, Jasper!” I snapped as I pressed my hand over my pounding heart.
“I wasn’t trying to scare you. You look upset. I want to help,” he shrugged.
“What’s the point in asking to come over if you’re already here?”
“I’m not. Not really. I can’t hold you or
kiss you.”
“What happened to giving me space?” I asked.
“It’s been twenty-four hours. I never said how long I was willing to give you space,” he said with a small smirk.
I forced myself not to smile at him as I said, “Come on. We have some things to talk about.”
One second he was nodding at me and the next he was gone. I shook my head as I imagined how my life would look to a normal person.
I was watching one of the movies Taylor had brought when Jasper showed up.
“Mace, it’s me,” he called as he knocked on my door.
As I was walking across the room to the door, I heard another voice outside that didn’t belong to Jasper. The voice was quiet and muffled by the door, so I couldn’t understand what the person was saying.
“Woah, what are you doing?” Jasper asked just before I opened the door.
Jasper’s back was to me and his arms were sticking straight out. I saw the hands locked behind his neck and the flip-flop baring feet wrapped around his waist. I stepped to the side to confirm that it was indeed Brooke, hanging onto him for dear life. She had her face buried in his neck and she was muttering things I couldn't make out. Jasper's eyes were wide as they locked with mine.
“I don't know what's happening,” he said quietly. I couldn't help but grin at the look of pure terror on his face.
“Brooke? You can get down now,” I said calmly. She didn't budge.
Jasper slowly peeled her off of him and held her at arm’s length. “Brooke, I told you that this is over. There's nothing left for us to discuss and you can't change my mind. I'm sorry.”
She slapped him across the face before turning to look at me in disgust.
“You'll regret this,” she spat before walking away. I watched her until she turned and was out of sight.
“That's the second time she's come by today,” I said. “I wonder if she ever left. Maybe she's been waiting out here for you to come back all day.” I turned to Jasper with raised eyebrows. He was still rubbing his cheek and staring at the empty hallway. He looked to be in deep thought.
“Do you want to go inside now?” I asked as I placed my hand on his arm.
“You said Brooke has been here once before. When?” He sat on the couch and patted the seat next to him for me to sit.
Change Me (The Protector Series Book 2) Page 8