Judge of Hell (Hell Night Series Book 3)

by Alex Grayson

  The only thing left to do is bury the body in the graveyard we reserve for people like Mitchell.

  After that, my brothers and I will continue our hunt for the remaining members of Sweet Haven.

  Chapter Thirty

  ELLIE

  I STAND AT THE OPEN FRONT door with one hand gripping the handle and the other clenched around the frame, my mouth stupidly hanging open.

  Three pairs of wary eyes stare back at me. One light-brown, one blue, and one hazel.

  “Umm… hi?” I say, inwardly berating myself when my voice comes out squeaky.

  The one named Jamie steps forward first, her smile pleasant and genuine. “Hello. I’m not sure if you remember us. I’m J—”

  “Jamie,” I say, cutting her off. My eyes move to the other two. “Layla and Gillian. I remember. Judge has told me about you.”

  She gives a small nod and looks back at her friends before facing me again. “We were wondering if we could come in and talk?”

  I want to say no, to slam the door in their faces. These women all shared Judge, know him intimately, have been an integral part of his life. But I’m not that person. I can’t be rude. Besides, I pep talk myself, they haven’t done anything wrong. Judge hasn’t either. Sexual behavior is human nature. I have no right to judge them for the lifestyle they chose. Jealousy is a hard pill to swallow, but swallow it I must.

  I step back and gesture for them to come inside. The relief on all of their faces is palpable, and it makes me wonder why they care so much. Judge says it’s because they care about him and his happiness, but could they be there to get close to him through me? Do they have an ulterior motive? I hope not, because they’ll learn real soon that I won’t give him up without a fight.

  “Would any of you like something to drink?” I ask, acting the friendly host while mentally counting down the seconds until they leave. I hate being so cynical, but I know nothing about these women except for what Judge has told me. Women tend to act differently around the opposite sex.

  They decline, so I lead them to the couch and take the chair opposite them. My palms are sweaty, so I rub them down my thighs as I regard them.

  “So,” I begin, tapping my fingers on my knees. “What can I do for you?”

  They quickly glance at each other, something passing from one to the other, before turning back to me.

  “We wanted to get to know you,” Layla says, her voice quiet and sickly sweet.

  I give her my eyes, one brow raised, and ask suspiciously, “Why?”

  She smiles and demurely clasps her hands in her lap. “We mean no ill will toward you, Ellie. We have no hidden agendas. I know this is a strange situation for you. It’s strange for us too. I understand this isn’t something you want to hear, but for years, it was us who Judge came to for emotional support and…” She pauses, a crease forming between her eyes. “…physical relief.”

  I raise my hand a stop her, my stomach churning. “You’re right. I don’t want to hear this.”

  “What she’s trying to say is, we’re in uncharted territory as well,” Jamie says calmly. “However, the only thing that matters to us is Judge’s happiness. What he had with us was temporary and only half of what he needed and deserved. I know we don’t need to tell you how special he is.”

  I tilt my head. “The three of you love him, don’t you?” I ask softly. As much as I don’t want to feel this toward them, sympathy spins a web inside me.

  Jamie drops her gaze to her lap, a small smile playing on her lips. She brings her eyes back to mine.

  “We do, but not in the way you love him. It’s more of an affectionate kind of love, and not the all-consuming kind you two share. Judge will always have a place in our hearts. He was there for us during the darkest parts of our lives, he gave us what we needed, and in exchange, we gave ourselves to him. Not because he requested it or even suggested it. It was our way of giving our gratitude. But that’s over now. We never expected more from him, and the three of us are happy that he found you and Maisy. Truly happy, Ellie.”

  I take a few seconds and let my eyes take in each woman. Beautiful doesn’t seem like a strong enough word to describe them. Outwardly, they’re perfect, something I’ll never be. Gorgeous hair, stunning eyes, slim but shapely figures. Elegance oozes off them, despite the small, dusty Texas town they reside in. Their kind and open expressions seem authentic.

  “So, what is it you want from me?” I ask, more than curious.

  Layla leans forward, her hands pressed together in prayer style. “Only to be your friends,” she says earnestly. “You and Maisy are important to Judge, and we’d really like to get to know you both. Not to be close to him or keep a connection with him, but because what he cares about, we care about.”

  The thought of being friends with the women Judge slept with doesn’t sit well with me, but looking at their hopeful faces, the sincerity in their expressions, the seeming honesty in their words…. Maybe they really do want to be friends.

  For the first time since they got here, Gillian speaks. “Judge loves you, Ellie. Those few weeks he was here after the surgery and you were in Kentucky, he was utterly miserable. Grouchy, never smiling, always in a dark mood. He was content in his life before you came back, but he was quiet, ruthless, and kept a part of himself hidden. He was content, but he wasn’t really happy. Since you showed up, he’s different. Lighter, more relaxed than we’ve ever seen him. He’s finally truly happy. We never gave him that. Only you and Maisy. Yes, we miss him, but it’s the friendship we miss more than anything. We would never do anything to jeopardize his happiness. If you can’t get past what we had with him and want nothing to do with us, we’ll keep away, but we really hope you’ll give us the chance to show you we’re sincere.”

  I clasp my hands together and push them between my knees. Each pair of eyes watches me with naked longing. Could I be friends with these women, knowing they’ve been intimate with Judge? People do it every day. They divorce, remarry, and the new spouses become best friends with the old. I’ve always found the idea strange, but maybe it’s not.

  I relax the tension in my hands and smooth them over my knees. “Okay.”

  “Really?” Layla asks, her eyes widening in disbelief and her shoulders going ramrod straight.

  “Really.” My smile is natural.

  I don’t know, maybe I should be worried that they’re only using me to get to Judge, but something tells me they aren’t. Judge has told me a couple of times that they want to get to know Maisy and me, and I trust him.

  “So.” Layla claps, her grin big enough to show teeth. “Where is that precious girl of yours?”

  I laugh, my anxiety slowly fading. “She’s actually with Judge.” I look at the time on my phone. “Or she should be. He’s picking her up from JW and Eden’s. She spent the night with Thea.”

  “It’s so good she’s making friends. It must have been hard on her, moving so far away.”

  I look at Gillian. “She adjusted better than I thought she would.”

  “That’s good to hear. When my parents moved me across the country when I was thirteen, I thought the world was ending. I threatened to run away.” She rolls her eyes. “Of course, all that changed, the moment I laid eyes on Jasper Callaway.” She sighs, her lips tipping up. “He was the first boy I loved and the first to break my heart when he traded me for Amelia.”

  “Thank God I still have a couple of years left before I have to deal with that,” I comment with a shudder.

  “Judge is going to be a bear with her, scaring away all the boys with just a simple look.”

  I have to agree with Layla. I’m sure if it were up to her dad, Maisy wouldn’t have her first date until she was thirty.

  We talk for a few more minutes about all the ways Judge will make Maisy’s suitors miserable. We laugh, we giggle, we share smiles, and surprisingly, I quickly become comfortable talking to them. They make it very easy to like them, and a twinge of guilt hi
ts me for the way I automatically misjudged their intentions. After the first fifteen minutes, I no longer believe they have nefarious plans to try and steal Judge back, and I feel stupid for even thinking it.

  We all turn our heads toward the door when it opens. Laughter reaches our ears before Maisy comes waltzing in, followed by a grinning Judge. Maisy has her head bent, looking at her tablet, as she continues rambling about something. Judge’s smile fades as he takes in the room and its occupants. When his eyes land on me in question, I offer him a smile, letting him know everything is okay. His shoulders relax and he returns my smile.

  I get up and walk around the couch to meet them.

  “Did you enjoy yourself at Thea’s?” I ask Maisy, palming her cheeks and lifting her head so I can kiss her forehead.

  “Yep. We made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast for her mom and dad.”

  “Oh goodness. Tell me you cleaned up your mess.”

  Maisy loves to work in the kitchen, but she likes to leave the mess for me to clean up.

  “Uh-huh.”

  Judge’s hand settles on my back, and I lean up on my toes for a kiss.

  “Everything good?” he whispers against my lips.

  “Yeah.” I turn back to Maisy. “Set your bag down. There are some ladies I want you to meet.”

  Maisy’s actually already met the women, but this introduction will be different. It’ll be made as friends.

  Layla, Jamie, and Gillian are all standing with soft smiles and expectant expressions. Their eyes don’t stray to Judge once, their focus solely on Maisy.

  “Maisy, I want you to meet some friends I just made. Layla, Jamie, and Gillian, meet Maisy.”

  Layla steps up first, her eyes shiny with her big smile. “It’s so good to finally meet you, Maisy.”

  “You too,” Maisy says. “You have a very pretty name.”

  “Thank you. You have a pretty name too.”

  Jamie approaches next. “Hello. My name isn’t as pretty as Layla’s, but I promise my homemade cupcakes are better.”

  Maisy giggles.

  Gillian comes up and holds out her hand. “You’re pretty popular around here, you know?”

  Maisy’s eyes go wide. “I am?”

  “Yep. Everyone’s talking about how pretty you are and how excited they are to have you and your mom here.”

  She smiles, glancing up at me and then to Judge.

  “Me and the girls are going to town next week to go clothes shopping,” Layla chimes in. “Maybe you can talk your mom into you both going with us.”

  “Can we, Mom?” She looks at me with pleading eyes. “I really want to go. And maybe we can bring Thea and Brittney.”

  I smooth my hand down her soft hair. “We’ll see what’s going on closer to then, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  “Yah!” She bounces on her feet excitedly.

  “Why don’t you show them that new fashion game you showed me earlier?” Judge suggests. “I need to talk to your mom a minute.”

  “Okay.”

  Judge gives the women a chin lift and a half smile, his eyes gentle. Lacing his fingers through mine, he leads me to the kitchen. As soon as we’re away from prying eyes, he spins me around, locking his arms around my waist.

  “When did they get here?” he asks, his gaze intent.

  “Not long ago. Maybe forty-five minutes.”

  “I’m sorry. I had no idea they were coming here. I told them to wait until you were ready.”

  I cup his jaw and smooth my thumb over his prickly cheek. “It’s okay. It’s actually been nice getting to know them.”

  His expression turns suspicious. “That’s hard to believe, considering your strong reluctance to see them.”

  I shrug. “I was wrong about them. They really are good women. My jealousy skewed my opinion.”

  He tucks a loose hair behind my ear, leaving his fingers threaded through my hair. “I like you jealous,” he murmurs, leaning down until his lips hover over mine.

  “It’s a rotten feeling to have, but I’m over it.” I narrow my eyes. “Unless there’s another woman you haven’t mentioned.”

  His shakes his head. “No. No other women besides them. There used to be Jenny, but she’s gone.”

  Something dark and painful crosses his face. A second later, the look fades away.

  “Gone?”

  “She died about six months ago.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  I’m not sorry that Judge had a fourth woman, but for the pain he obviously carries for her death.

  He backs me up slowly until my butt hits the counter, and he hoists me up to sit on the edge. I part my legs when he wedges his hips between them. I place my hands on his shoulders, and his go to the counter on either side of me.

  With me on the counter, I’m slightly taller than him, so I’m forced to look down.

  “I love you.” His whisper is a warm caress against my lips.

  “And I love you.”

  Leaning up, his lips teasingly brush against mine. My tongue slips out to rub against my bottom lip, and he catches it between his teeth. I moan into his mouth, suddenly ravenous for him. My nails dig into the muscles in his shoulders, and his hips jolt against my center, heating me from the inside out.

  He pulls back all too soon, and I barely suppress a whimper at the loss.

  “I wanted to wait, to find the perfect time, make it romantic and special, but I don’t want to wait anymore. Twelve years separated us, and I refuse to waste another minute.”

  He steps back, shoving a hand into his pocket and pulling it back out. My eyes go round at the black velvet box.

  “I bought this twelve years ago, knowing I wouldn’t ever be able to give it to you. I bought it because I wanted to give it to you. I kept it because it reminded me of what I could never have. I never thanked God a day in my life until you came back to me. Since then, I’ve thanked him every day and will continue to do so until I draw my last breath.” He opens the box, and I gasp at the beauty of the ring. “I’ll never understand why I was blessed to have met you, and I’ll never be worthy of your love, but I’m greedy and will take it anyway. Ellie, will you marry me?”

  I’m off the counter with my arms wrapped around his shoulders and my legs round his waist, burying my face in the crook of his neck.

  I lift my head and give my answer against his ear.

  “Yes. I’ll marry you.”

  He cranes his head back, staring deeply in my eyes. I don’t realize I’m crying until he takes one hand from my butt and wipes the tears away with his thumb.

  His smile is radiant and full of life, and I know mine matches it.

  It took twelve painful years to finally find each other again, but we did, and what we have now is much stronger than we had before.

  Through heartache and distance, we both finally found our peace and happily ever after.

  Epilogue

  JUDGE

  THREE MONTHS LATER

  “HOW DOES IT FEEL, MRS. BECKETT?” I ask, looking down at Ellie, my heart so damn full of love.

  Her fingers lazily slide through the hair at my neck. “Like I’m finally complete.”

  I pull her closer, our bodies pressed together as our hips sway in sync to the slow country song playing on the overhead speaker. Others are on the makeshift dance floor at The Hill, but our little bubble contains only us.

  After what seemed like a lifetime and never believing it was a possibility, I made Ellie my wife. And it feels so Goddamn good.

  Tilting my head down, I kiss her, my tongue seeking entrance and her giving it. The background noise, the music and laughter, fade away as I ravish her mouth, wishing we were home so I could strip her bare and worship every inch of her body.

  Thank fuck Maisy’s going to JW’s tonight.

  Ellie and I decided against having the traditional honeymoon, preferring to stay in Malus. When Ellie told Eden this, she insisted
on taking Maisy for a few days. I plan to take full advantage.

  Reluctantly, and with a groan, I pull away, but stay close enough that all I see is Ellie. It lights my whole fucking world when she looks at me the way she is right now. Like I’m the only person she will ever need.

  We dance to a couple more songs, our eyes never leaving the others. We’re silent, but we don’t need words. There are no words to express what we feel, what consumes our hearts.

  Just as one song stops and a faster beat sounds through the speakers, an angelic voice asks, “Can I dance with you, Daddy?”

  Ellie I both turn our heads to Maisy in her light blue dress, hair all done up in curls, beautiful green eyes. Sometimes it’s still hard to believe she’s mine.

  “You don’t even have to ask, pretty girl.”

  Ellie laughs. “You’re really going to dance to this?”

  I kiss Ellie before letting her go. “If my girl wants to dance with me, I don’t care what song’s on.”

  She steps back, mirth in her eyes and her fingers laced together, knuckles hiding her smile.

  I don’t recall ever dancing to a fast song a day in my life, but as Maisy grins happily up at me, I know I’ll do it any time she wants. Anything to put that smile on her face.

  I know I look like a fool with my arms flailing about and my hips jerking in some weird movement that came from I have no idea where, but I couldn’t give two shits. Maisy is laughing, and that’s all that matters.

  Raucous laughter comes from our right, and I look over and find Ellie dancing with Trouble. The bastard’s moves are much smoother. Ellie looks at me, shakes her head, and tips her head back and laughs harder. Just to make her do it again, I turn and wiggle my ass at her.

  Another couple comes up between Ellie and Trouble and Maisy and me. I can’t help but bark out a laugh at JW’s awkward dance moves. Thea has her hand at her mouth, but her giggles burst free around it.

  Susan grabs Declan’s hand and drags him onto the floor. His lips twitch and he shakes his head, standing still. It doesn’t take long before Susan has him moving just as ridiculously as I am. Ellie’s uncle made the official move to Malus a week ago after going back and forth between Kentucky and Texas for a couple of months. My two girls were beyond ecstatic with the news.