That was the start of this nightmare. Maybe I’m not the cause at all—he is.
Of course, he is.
He was an evil son of a bitch.
But something still doesn’t add up. I know Tony came after me for the“favor”he believed I owed him, but how did they know about Izzy? How did they gain access to the ranch?
What the fuck am I missing?
Racking my brain, trying to figure out how this all came to be, a lightbulb suddenly switches on, and it all makes sense.
I shoot up in my chair, gaining the attention of Ander and Via. Their conversations dwindle down from confusion as they take me in, and I manage to get Ander’s attention and nudge my chin toward the back porch, signaling for him to follow me. He does.
Stepping outside, I begin to pace.
“Jett?” Ander says my name as a question, confusion etched in his tone.
“I finally get it. How the fuck did it take me so long, Ander? She almost died because I couldn’t put the fucking pieces together!” I ramble the words, rushing them out faster than my brain can process.
“Whoa... What are we talking about exactly?”
“This entire time. This entire fucking time, I couldn’t connect the dots. How Tony and his gang knew about Izzy, what she meant to me. How they gained access to us so effortlessly, and how they knew about things on the ranch. When the answer was always right under my nose.”
Another look of confusion passes over Ander's face, but I can’t bring myself to continue to look at him. I’m enraged. My pulse is erratic, I’m sweating, and I swear if I allow myself, I’ll explode right here on the spot.
“Who?” Ander asks firmly, finally catching on.
I take off, running toward the workers' quarters, fueled by my anger. From the shuffling behind me, I can tell it’s also clicked for Ander, and he’s with me.
Bursting into the bunkhouse, it doesn’t take me long to spot him among all the guys. Our eyes connect, and by the expression on his face,he knows that I know.
Fucking. Mark.
Striding for him, I don’t say a single word. Neither does he. The tension in my body and the fury painted on my face say more than any words can right now.
Mark retreats until his back meets the wall. All the other guys quickly scatter, exiting the bunkhouse.
“J-Jett, t-they gave me no choice. I still owed Tony. They threatened me, I swear, there was nothing I could do. I’ve been so worked up about this that I started using again, which means I owed him more.” He pauses, swallowing audibly as his eyes meet mine, pleading for forgiveness that he won’t receive. “I only gave them info; I wasn’t there that night. I s-swear, man.”Fuck his words.
My fist connects with Mark’s jaw, and I watch as he stumbles to the side and tries to recover.
“No choice!?” I shout directly in his face. “You were treated like a brother to us, Mark. After all the shady shit, we still gave you a chance. We took you in. We gave you a home. A job. A fucking family. We helped you to get clean.”
I throw another punch at his face, and he falls to the ground this time. Crouching down, I pull him up by his shirt until our eyes meet.
“That day, I called you, desperate for help. I knew you had connections, but I also thought I knew where your loyalty was. SHE. ALMOST. DIED. BECAUSE. OF. YOU,” I growl, slowly enunciating each word.
Pulling my fist back, ready to land another blow, Ander grabs my arm, stopping me. “Jett, don’t. I know you’re seeing red, but—”
“Damn right, I’m seeing red! I’m gonna kill this motherfucker!” I try to wrench free, but Ander tightens his hold.
“You can’t, brother,” he says frantically. “Think of Izzy. I know she’s pissed, but you can’t make things right if you’re rotting in jail for the rest of your life.”
Izzy…
Her beautiful face. Her sharp, feisty tongue. Those sweet lips, saying my name. Her giant heart that is always only thinking of others.
I don’t deserve her. Part of me thinks I never did. But fuck, if there’s even the smallest chance I can make things right with her, then I’ll take it. Ander’s right—this isn’t the way.
