Vaguely, I’m aware of the men talking, of my limbs twitching with powerful aftershocks. But I refuse to leave this place Elias took me to. Not yet, at least.
28
ELIAS
Jules has been with us for a couple of weeks, effortlessly blending in with our family, getting more comfortable every day. I haven’t mentioned my fantasy of fucking her in the Big Top in front of the Seven Sins crew again, but it’s always at the forefront of my mind when we’re fucking. My Jewel is as much of an exhibitionist as I am.
We pulled stakes and jumped town, rolling into Ashford in Graves County, an unplanned stop. And my reporter knows it.
“Okay, what’s going on?” she questions as we’re gathered in my trailer. The space feels smaller than usual with an extra body. I might have to start pitching a tent just for inner circle meetings.
“What’s the problem, Blue?” Cole asks with a wink.
Jules is not about to take any shit, though, straightening her back even as she sits on my lap.
“The problem is,” she begins, “that we’re in my home county. I saw the schedule and permits, and I know we were supposed to go west.”
“You got us, little bird,” Rowe says wryly.
I lean in and kiss the side of her neck before speaking. “I asked Silas to look into the whereabouts of your family.”
Her muscles go taut, her breathing hitching. Her anguish makes my chest tight, makes a heart I didn’t know I still had ache.
“He didn’t tell me what happened,” Si says softly. “Just that your parents, and your uncle and cousin, especially, deserve some...”
“Karma,” Marek fills in where his brother trails off.
Jules’s breathing comes in ragged pants as she looks at the understanding on their faces. Her shoulders rise and fall as she sighs, then she clears her throat and speaks.
“When I was a kid, my older cousin, Rick, started abusing me. My parents gaslighted me into keeping it quiet. My uncle threatened me.”
“Motherfuckers,” Logan snarls viciously, my other brothers agreeing with murmured growls.
“Anyway, when I was fifteen, I stabbed him… in the act,” Jules continues. “My whole family saw, and my parents and I weren’t welcome anymore. They fucking hated me for it, so I picked up my shit and left as soon as I could. And here I am.”
I hold her tighter and kiss her cheek. “My brave girl.”
She snorts dismissively. “I don’t know that I was brave. I ran. I never told anyone about it until you. I helped other abuse victims tell their stories, but never told my own.”
“Would you like to change that?” Silas offers mildly.
“What do you mean?” she asks, her tone cautious.
My brother produces a small stack of papers and throws them on the table. “Thomas and Evelyn Beck’s current location, their financial situation, social connections.” He throws another, thicker stack next to it. “Preston and Richard Caldwell. Fiona Caldwell is deceased, her death ruled a suicide, though anyone with eyes could see that’s a load of shit.”
Jules extends a shaking hand toward the thicker stack. “What happened to her?”
“Overdosed on meds,” Silas replies. “They were prescriptions. The part the cops should’ve looked into was that she met with a lawyer to start divorce proceedings just three days earlier.”
“No shit?” Jules breathes. “Aunt Fi woke up long enough to want to leave?”
“According to her lawyer, your uncle was as fond of young girls as his son. The housekeeper’s daughter was mentioned.”
“That piece of shit,” Jules hisses. “And he calledmesick fortemptingmy cousin.”
My arms clench around her until she whimpers in protest.
“Sorry, baby,” I breathe. “Just so fucking mad.”
