“He’s going to give you a nice ride to a hotel miles from here. He’s going to stay with you all night so you don’t try to come back over here.”
“I w-won’t. I— Ahh!”
Joel squeezes Jake’s neck so hard his knuckles turn white.
“You’re testing my patience.”
Joel pauses to let Jake quiet down.
“Then in the morning, he’s going to find you the first flight out of Texas. I don’t give a fuck if it takes you to the North Goddamn Pole, you’re leaving this state. Is that understood?”
Jake’s eyes skirt around, but when they land on me, Joel shakes him again. “Nod your fucking head yes.”
He does.
“Now, darlin’ ….”
I look up at Joel, upon realizing that he’s now looking at me. He has the warmest smile on his face despite the death grip he still holds on Jake.
“Do me a favor and turn around. I would hate for you to see what happens next.”
My eyes flare and I part my lips to ask what he’s going to do, but the words get stuck on my tongue. The glint in his eyes is all the indicator I need.
“You boys go and escort her inside,” Joel says when I don’t answer.
Gabe and Ace move to my sides. “Let’s go inside, shall we, Ms. Ellyn?” Ace says in a gentle voice.
I don’t protest even though a million questions circle in my mind. As I walk up the stairs of my porch and toward my front door, a loud thudding sound shocks me into stillness.
Ace is the one to reach forward and twist the knob, opening my door. I glance back to see Jake now lying on my front lawn, eyes closed as if he’s asleep. And is that a trickle of blood coming out of his nose?
I don’t have time to answer my own question before my door’s closed behind me.
CHAPTER 35
Joel
“Make sure that piece of horse shit has the worst flight back,” I tell Micah’s employee that’s come to collect Ellyn’s son-in-law.
He grunts out an assurance, knowing exactly what I mean. When Jake finally does regain consciousness from my punch, he’s not going to have an enjoyable Christmas Eve.
“I’m going back to check on dinner and the women,” Ace says, knowing that all three of their wives are probably chomping at the bit to know what happened.
Especially Jodi, Micah’s wife. As a trained private investigator and pretty good shot, I know she is probably already armed and ready to cause a scene if she knew what happened just now.
I watch all three of my boys go off and then head up to Ellyn’s front door. She pulls it open even before I have a chance to knock.
A gust of air rushes from me when she throws herself into my arms. I instantly hug her to my body, kiss the top of her head, and stroke her back.
It took all of my strength not to snap her son-in-law’s neck the minute I heard him talking to her or her daughter the way he was.
“Are you alright?” She pulls back, her eyes round and wide with concern.
“I should be asking you that question,” I reply, then cup her face. I look her over, searching for even the smallest of signs that the son of a bitch put his hands on her.
“I’m … better now.”
“I knew something was wrong,” I admit. “I should’ve been over sooner.”
