Diesel bowed his head and drew in another deep breath before looking at Christopher again.
“We like Jana, boy. We takin’ care of her with you, doin’ whatever we need to help her. You ain’t got to marry her, if you ain’t wantin’ to.”
“No, please!” Jana wailed, starting to sob in earnest. “Please, UncleChristopher—”
“Shhh,” Meggie consoled before really Christopher lost his temper with her. “Let Diesel talk to his daddy, love.”
“I want to marry her, Uncle Christopher,” Diesel said.
“Then act like it,” Christopher said. “Tell her you ain’t turnin’ your back on her if she show she got a backbone.”
“I told her to stand up for herself,” Diesel said. “To stand up to me.”
“You shouldna had to say a fuckin’ thing. Any girl with motherfuckin’ self-respect would stand the fuck up to you, but she scared you leavin’ her if she do anything against what you want. Whatever she envision for her future inyourmotherfuckin’ hands. That’s a lotta fuckin’ responsibility. Help her for her. Not for you. Give her the toolssheneed for herself.”
“As long as I have Diesel, I have everything I need, Aunt Meggie,” Jana told her. “If he doesn’t want to marry me…I don’t want to go away to rehabilitation. He might forget about me.”
Diesel winced.
Axel snapped his brows together. Meggie placed a finger over her mouth so he wouldn’t add his two cents. This was a complete fail.
“Jana and I are going shopping next weekend, Momma,” Rebel said with a bit of enthusiasm. “I’ll make sure she knows we won’t let Diesel forget about her.”
“That isn’t up to you, Rebel,” Diesel snapped.
Jana started to raise her head.
“If you look at Diesel, not only aren’t we going, but I will knock you the fuck out,” Rebel said as chillingly calm as Christopher when he was at the end of his rope.
“You’re not helping, Rebel,” Meggie told her, although Jana lowered her lashes, her shoulders shaking.
“Ifyouaren’t paying, Janashouldlook at me, Rebel,” Diesel said.
“I’m not the one having sex with her in a natatorium where you can arrange for anyone to walk in, am I?” Rebel said coldly. “Excuse me. Anyone can accidentally walk in on you in the throes of passion. Neither am I the one setting up your sister’s ex-boyfriend to sleep with other girls. Nor am I the one who helped the other bozos to set me up to meet Kaia. Of course,you’repaying, fuckface.”
“I’ll see who can be on your detail, Rebel,” Meggie interjected before Christopher attacked Diesel, though she felt like doing so herself. “But if no one’s available next weekend, you have to wait. I don’t want any unforeseen threats to pop up. Two guards a piece, with you the entire shopping trip, and ready to shoot to kill.”
“Jana doesn’t have any outstanding drug debts,” Diesel said.
“We cannot be too careful, son.”
“Your ma spoke,” Christopher said flatly. “Case fuckin’ closed.”
“Fine,” Diesel gritted.
“Rebel, I’m so fuckin’ sorry you so hurt,” Christopher told her. “We never should’ve done what we did. I ain’t likin’ how much you like him or he like you. If I had my fuckin’ way, I’d just fuck him up, but your ma would be mad at me. It’s okay to stand your fuckin’ ground when a motherfucker hurt you or wronged you, but you got to take all the fuckin’ facts into consideration. So if you think you can even be his fuckin’ friend, ease up on him and listen to his side.”
“He’s a fucking idiot and Diesel’s a motherfucker. The end. That’s his side, Daddy.”
Christopher glanced at Diesel, who had the good sense to keep his mouth shut. “Baby, you can’t blame Diesel for—”
“He set Kaia up the first time, so don’t even try to take up for him,” Rebel interrupted. “If it wasn’t for him, Kaia never would’ve met Fiaorme.”
Her eyes watered and her lips trembled.
“I’m sorry, Rebel,” Diesel said.
“You don’t know the meaning of the word, you fucking psycho. You can’t fucking play withmylife to amuse yourself. A broken fucking record as much as Jana’s ‘I love yous’.”
