by J Marie
He shook his head, and tore off the mitts. “Your body did. But you didn’t.”
I placed my hands on my hips and furrowed my brows, still trying to catch my
breath but remained stoic. “Well, I–”
“We’re done for the day,” he said, completely interrupting me as he headed out
of the cage. I watched him walk out of the gym and slam the door behind him.
Shaking my head, I grabbed my boxing gloves from the floor and headed out of
the cage while removing my wraps. I didn’t know what to make of his reaction.
What had I done wrong?
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked Clive and Owen as they took my gear from
me.
Clive simply sighed while he set my stuff on the nearby bench, and Owen just
shook his head.
“Why did you train with Scott?” Owen asked me.
I almost glared at him. The answer was obvious. “Because Darren told me to.”
“And if he hadn’t told you to, would you have wanted to?” Clive asked.
I shrugged. “Only if it would have made Darren happy.”
“And that’s the problem, isn’t it? You only do things that make Mr. Davis
happy,” Owen said. “You need to do things that make you happy as well.”
I felt taken aback by that, the inappropriateness of the conversation suddenly
weighing on me.
“I don’t think we should be having this conversation,” I said.
Clive rolled his eyes and began to usher me out of the gym. “Come on. You need
a shower, little girl.”
I got halfway up the staircase when I suddenly realized I didn’t even care that
Clive had called me little.
What the fuck had happened to me?
54
COMEBACK
A nother month went by with barely any change in Jaden. She still wasn’t training
on her own, only when I asked. Her muscle tone was disappearing, and she was
losing weight in muscle mass. After finally forcing her to train with Scott, he’d
never been so disappointed in his life. She was still able to complete every move
and keep up, but her drive and power were completely absent. It was like she
wasn’t even there inside. She was somewhere else.
I was ready to fucking strangle something.
Sid told me he thought she was struggling with PTSD, which explained her lack
of emotion, her disdain for her old activities and habits, and her poor sleep and
nightmares. The only time she ever smiled was when I was spending time with her,
but it just felt wrong, fake, like she wasn’t really there, just a part of her.
Even now, with Jaden curled up against my side while we watched the Detroit
Red Wings play the Toronto Maple Leaves, there was nothing from her. Zero
emotion. It was killing me inside.
I had allowed this concealed misery to linger long enough. I needed to find
something that would start the goddamn fire and bring Jaden back to life. I just had
to find the one thing that would finally make her snap out of this shadow and rise
to rule at my side like the fucking queen she was meant to be.
My phone started to ring just after the Red Wings scored their winning goal, and
I answered, knowing I wouldn’t have to worry about Jaden listening in anymore. I
was almost disappointed by that.
“Yeah?” I answered.
“Man, do I have a surprise for you,” Scott said on the other line.
“What?” I asked.
“I found our snitch. The last and original snitch. Fucker’s been hiding under our
nose the whole time.”
I felt my blood begin to boil inside. Whoever it was, I was going to fucking rip
them apart for the shit they caused me. “Who is it?”
“Come down to the shed and see for yourself. You’re going to love this.”
“Be down in a minute,” I said and hung up. I kissed Jaden’s head and then
moved to get up. “I’ve got to handle something.”
Jaden’s eyes immediately lit up with concern. “Will you be gone long?” she
asked. She knew better than to ask where I was going. It was none of her business,
but she did know how and when to ask the right questions. At least then, she would
know when to expect me.
“Probably,” I answered. “Make sure you take your sleep aid in an hour. I expect
you to be out when I return.” If we’d finally found the last of the traitors, then I was
going to make sure this fight lasted a nice long time. It didn’t even cross my mind
to bring her to this one like I would for the others. I figured maybe, for once, I’d
give her a break.
I kissed her softly, brushing her hair behind her ear before grabbing my jacket.
Heading out, I found Clive and Owen standing on either side of the door just as they
should be.
“Make sure she’s asleep in an hour,” I said, heading past them.
My heart was racing with anticipation. I wanted to sink my fists into the face of
the fucker who’d been causing me so much trouble. I wanted to rip his traitorous
tongue out and gut him right down the center until his screams deafened me.
When I made it down to the soundproof shed, Scott greeted me at the bottom of
the steps with a wide snake-like grin. He was just as excited about this as I was.
About ten more of my closest and most loyal men were scattered around the room,
circling the stupid fuck in the middle. When he turned around, I almost did a
double take; I couldn’t believe who it was.
Jared stood in the middle of the circle, blood dripping from the corner of his lips
as he returned a glare at me.
Motherfucker.
I took a few steps forward, rage pumping through my veins as I itched to tear
into him.
“Well, this is certainly a surprise,” I said to him as everyone quieting down
around us. “I didn’t think you actually had the balls.”
Jared’s head tilted to the side as he regarded me. Several months ago, he could
barely look me in the eye, and now, here he was staring me down like he had some
kind of chance against me. It was almost comical.
“Took you long enough to figure it out,” he said.
There was going to be so much blood tonight.
I shook my head at him. “I should have just let Jaden kill you all the months ago.
You were a piece of shit then, and you’re an even bigger piece of shit now.”
He scoffed. “You should be thanking me. I’m the reason you have her in the first
place.”
I laughed. “You think that’s some kind of bargaining chip? How I acquired her
doesn’t matter. What does matter is when the men who swear their loyalty to me
betray that trust and get their own brothers killed because of it.”
“You do what you gotta do, man. I’m just—” I didn’t give him the chance to
finish his sentence. My fist slammed into his jaw and knocked him right to the
floor.
“Don’t worry,” I said, taking off my jacket and tossing it the floor. “I am going
to do what I’ve gotta to do. And I’m going to fucking enjoy it.”
And then I destroyed him.
Jared couldn’t fight for shit. His position at the warehouse didn’t require him to
train, but for fuck’s sake, the man could barely throw a punch. Every attempt he
made was slow and easy to dodge. He couldn’t block anything, could barely even lift
his hands
to protect his face. He only had street fighting experience, and it was shit
compared to the advanced training I had. Loud cheers echoed along the walls,
reminding me of how much my men enjoyed the carnage. They hated traitors just
as much as I did and lived for the violence and retribution.
Honestly, the fight was hardly enjoyable. He wasn’t fighting back. No challenge
whatsoever. When Jared was a bloody pulp on the cement floor, I looked down at
him in disgust, ready to reach for my knife and end him. But as I scowled at him, I
realized his death just wasn’t satisfactory enough.
It couldn’t be ignored that if it wasn’t for his blatant stupidity and disregard for
my orders, Jaden would likely have never crossed my path. He had been the one to
bring her to me, turning her entire world upside down. He’d tormented her before
she was mine and even had the pleasure of Kayla when I’d given the order. Jaden
had almost killed him the time I found her encouraging an escape while she beat
his face in with her own fists. He had so much internal bleeding from the stab
wound she originally gave him; it was a miracle he had lived at all. I had wondered
how she would have felt if she had actually killed him. Would it have made a
difference in her demeanor? Would it have changed her personality?
A few months ago, she had successfully gotten me to kill one of my own guards,
and almost two more not much longer after that. I knew she could smell the blood
in the air, but I wondered if she was ready to taste it. And if she did, would she want
more? Vengeance had been the only thing to drive her before, but I was curious. If I
supplemented it a little with something else, would that snap her out of this misery
she was secretly suffering? If ever there was an opportunity to make her a killer,
the opportunity to exact revenge against the real man responsible for her life, this
had to be the golden fucking moment. I owed her that much.
This was the moment to finally break Jaden of the damage I caused and light the
fire once again. I wanted to begin the next phase of her conditioning and officially
welcome her among the wolves. I was ready for the comeback of a lifetime.
“Go get Jaden,” I ordered, a sly smile on my face as a small look of confusion
swept over Jared’s face. “And grab me that chair.”
55
STRIKE
I laid on my side on Darren’s bed facing the door, waiting for him to come back
even though I knew I would be asleep before he did. Because I was a good girl. I
did what I was told when I was told. I didn’t question. I didn’t complain. If I could
be good, I wouldn’t disappoint Darren. I wouldn’t have to go back to the basement.
Just the thought alone had me nearly bursting into tears.
I sat up from the bed and turned to take my sleep aids when the door opened. My
heart skipped a beat, but it was only Clive. Disappointment flooded my heart.
“Miss Jaden, please get dressed to go outside,” he said.
I blinked once before immediately getting up to go to the closet to change.
Ninety-nine percent of Clive’s orders came directly from Darren, so if Clive was
asking me to get dressed, it was because Darren told him to. I quickly changed into
a knee-length black sundress with three-quarter sleeves and a pair of black flats
before hurrying over to the door. I knew Darren didn’t like to be kept waiting.
Clive and Owen escorted me downstairs and out toward the patio. I didn’t ask
where we were going. They wouldn’t answer, and I would find out soon enough.
But when we stepped outside and started to make our way over to the shed, I felt
my heart rate kick up. Only one thing went on down there; it was bloody and
gruesome, and I wanted nothing to do with it. The last time I was down there had
been brutal. I’d witnessed my first murder of what was likely to be many in my
future, and still, it haunted me.
I followed Owen down the stairs of the trap door while Clive trailed behind.
Below, the same familiar faces filled the room as last time. Scott stood in the corner
with a hard glare in his eye while Clive and Owen moved to flank me. When my eyes
finally locked on Darren, I felt myself freeze from the look he was giving me. Oh,
God, what had I done? Was I in trouble? But then his eyes fell to the man sitting in a
chair next to him. He was bruised, bloody, but still breathing for some reason. Why
had Darren kept him alive? Did he want me to witness another one of his second-
chance murders?
But as I looked into the eyes of the man on death row, I saw something familiar.
It was something I didn’t want to remember, but my memories refused such a
luxury. Emotions I had not felt in the longest time suddenly flooded my body as I
came to recognize the face, allowing a voice to play in my head over and over again.
Can’t be too careful …
Can’t be too careful …
Can’t be too careful …
Motherfucking Jared.
Anger like I had never felt before burned through my veins like acid. I felt my
lips pull back from my teeth, revealing a scowl bordering on animalistic while my
nails bit into the palms of my tightly clenched fists.
Why the fuck was this guy still breathing?
When Jared’s eyes finally found mine, the stupid fuck actually started laughing,
and it only made me seethe more.
“Hey there, hot stuff. Miss me?” he barely croaked out with a gurgled chuckle.
“Is he your traitor?” I asked Darren, my eyes still on Jared.
“Yes.”
“Then why is he still alive?”
“Because I’ve decided his life is not mine to take. It’s yours.”
My head instantly snapped to Darren as my mind filled with confusion. Mine?
Nothing was mine. Everything was his. Everything.
“What?”
“Come here, Jaden,” he ordered and pulled a gun from the side of his hip.
I went to him without hesitation, my heart pounding out of my chest as I found
it difficult to swallow. When I was at his side, he slid a magazine holding what
looked like one bullet into the gun and held it up. A silencer was attached to the
barrel.
“There is now one bullet in the mag. I’m giving you one chance to pull this
trigger and put the bullet in Jared’s head. But I want you to understand that I’m not
forcing you to do this. You can refuse if you want, and I will allow it this one time.
But just know, if you take this gun and you do pull the trigger and end his life, you
start walking down an entirely new path, and there is no walking away from that.
Ever. Do you understand?”
I was suddenly having a hard time finding my breath. I looked down at the black
H&K USP 45 Tactical, and it dawned on me that I actually knew what kind of gun
Darren was holding. I knew of its excellent accuracy, the perfection of the
craftsmanship, and the fantastic reliability it garnered. I also knew it was a .45-
caliber pistol with a threaded barrel to allow the grip of the silencer.
I had never been shy around guns. I grew up around them. My dad hunted and
was an avid shooter and proud gun owner. I followed in his footsteps. When you
obtained a license to carry concealed, you had a responsibility to educate yourself
on that type of weaponry, and I made sure I was a fucking scholar in that area.
I was never afraid of guns. They were nothing to be feared. The only reason to be
afraid was when someone had their finger on the trigger and was pointing it at you.
But the presence and existence of this particular firearm wasn't what had me
alarmed; it was what the man holding it was offering me to do with it.
Darren was offering me a chance to kill someone, and not just anyone—the man
responsible for my life as it was now. The man responsible for taking me from my
family for not being able to handle rejection and placing me in a hell I never wanted
to acknowledge was real. The man responsible for not only my suffering, but also
for my loved ones’ and for countless others I didn’t even know of. The man
responsible for raping Kayla in front of my very eyes with a smile of satisfaction on
his face as she screamed. A man who had taken part in delivering so much misery
to others that I doubted one death for him would be satisfactory.
But even though he was Darren’s traitor, and traitors didn’t survive in Darren’s
world, I found it odd. Even though this man was responsible for my coming into
Darren’s ownership, he still wanted him dead. If I was to be given the opportunity
to kill him, I needed to know why I was the offeree.
“You want me to kill the man responsible for bringing me to you?” I asked. I had
to be sure this was what he wanted.
“How you came to me makes no difference. You’re mine now, and that’s all that
matters,” he answered definitely.
I looked down at the semi-automatic in his hand and went into consideration
again.
“What if I say no?”
“Then you say no, and you go back into the house and ready yourself for bed. You
will not be punished, nor will I treat you any differently. Nothing will change.”
That was it. Like it made no difference to him if I said no. Life would resume as
is.
“And if I say yes?” I asked.
“Then you say yes, and we move on to a new phase in our lives. But only if you
think you’re ready.”
Two decisions. But which one would make him happy? Which one would please
him the most?
“What do you want me to do?” I asked, hopeful he would tell me exactly what he