“Yeah, but?—”
“Out. Now!” Everyone roars with laughter.
Chapter 21
Figured It Out?
JESSICA
Present Day
“Jeez, slow down, kid. You act like you haven’t eaten a meal in days,” Christian teases as he tries to steal a roll from my tray.
I growl at him, literally growl.
He drops the roll. “Fine. I’ll have someone bring me my own food,” he grumbles under his breath. “You want something?” he asks Sodie.
“I could eat. You may want to bring Jessica another tray,” Sodie adds.
Christian rolls his eyes. “Where do you put it?” he asks me.
I ignore him and continue to berate Sodie. “So, you and Skunk kidnapped me?”
“We didn’t kidnap you. We took you somewhere to be safe.”
“How is it now that you don’t trust Shadow? From what I just heard, he went after you because you had a secret. Youdidkidnap me.” He snorts, and I hold up my finger, stopping him. “But he didn’t kill you. Instead, he took you to a restaurant forbeer and food, listened to your side of the story, and introduced you to my brothers, your nephews, whom I haven’t even met yet. And then…” I wave my hand for him to continue his story.
“Then, nothing. I had minimal contact with him until we returned home a year later, and you know howthatwent.”
“Okay, so?—”
“Why are you taking his side?”
“I have my own reasons not to trust him, but from my perspective, he protected me. He tried to understand the whole story. If you ask me, he gave you a fair chance to prove your innocence.”
“He almost killed me, if not for Liam and Darwin. You can’t trust someone like that, with that kind of magic and rage. His magic strengthens with fear, Jessica. You didn’t see his eyes. The magic he wields is horrifying.”
I let out a long breath. “I know about his crazy, and I’ve seen what he can do. You don’t know him like I do. It’s complicated.”
“You can’t still be in love with him, Jessica. He’s not the same person you think you fell in love with. I was there when he attacked you. I wish he?—”
“Don’t. Everything that happened to him was my fault. So don’t, just don’t.”
“Fine. Are you going to answer my question? We had a deal.”
“I told you the truth.”
“You told me about how you fractured your hand, not why you’re protecting that asshole, Marcus Greystone. Who, by the way, I saw you knock the fuck out when you were—what?—sixteen.”
I shrug. “Maybe I like abusive assholes,”
Sodie runs his hand over his face. “Can you help me out here?” he asks Christian. “She’s so damn stubborn.”
Christian types a text on his phone. “What can I say? Stubbornness runs in the family.”
I frown. “What the hell do you know about my family other than what you learned from my interview?”
He sets his phone down and leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “I know a hell of a lot more than just from your interview.”
