Chapter Six
Jameson’s heart leaped into his throat. His ears pounded, as if denying what he heard.
“Who did you say?” he asked again, praying he misunderstood.
“James Stanton. I’ve given it some thought over the years.
I think my father stumbled across something in Mr. Stanton’s books.
When my father refused to go along with it, he threatened to hurt us.
It must’ve been something terrible because my father loved us more than anything,” she said, gazing out the window.
“Sometimes, I still hear him screaming my name as they dragged me from the house.”
“I’m sorry, Caroline,” he whispered.
She crossed her arms and glanced back at him. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I want to make him or his evil spawn pay for what he did to my family. There’s no way someone that awful produced anything good.”
Jameson swallowed the bile threatening to spill as he recalled the man who fathered him.
James Stanton made Satan himself blush. The man didn’t have a single ounce of goodness in him.
In fact, he shot Jameson in the stomach and walked away, leaving him to die.
Because of him, his old team no longer trusted him and sent him here.
Only because of Kassie Winters’s insistence they owed Jameson for saving her, Samantha, and their children’s lives.
Even from the grave, his father managed to steal away the little joy he found in the world.
The first time he saw Caroline, Jameson easily fell for her.
She slipped food to the children at every opportunity.
If she got caught, she defied Cain with her steely eyes and took what punishment he doled out to hurt her.
Jameson stepped in when the ringleader lost control, but he rarely hurt Caroline too badly.
After all, he considered her his property.
Always protective of the young women, Jameson didn’t feel surprised at learning she stabbed a man for taking a whip to a young teen.
“James Stanton disappeared a couple of years ago. He went to trial and lost nearly everything. I’m sure he’s dead, rotting in hell,” he informed her.
“I want to see his grave. It’s the only way I’ll believe he’s gone,” she insisted.
Jameson wisely stayed quiet. He couldn’t reveal he knew Victoria Rostova had exacted her own revenge, and he died in a makeshift prison, built especially for him. In the end, he died of prostate cancer, begging for her to end his life. The mafia leader refused to grant him such a quick death.
“We need to head back. Dr. Greene will have me by the balls if I show up late with you,” he said, holding the door open for her.
She peered at the house once more before leaving. They took the steps together and walked to the horse. Jameson helped her up and mounted behind her.
Halfway home, Caroline broke the silence. “Did I say something to make you mad? Maybe I shouldn’t have told you about the man who took me. I don’t need your pity.”
“I’m not upset. You’re a fierce woman. I’m sorry this happened to you, but now you can have a second chance and can do whatever you want,” he assured her, feeling nauseated with every word. He wanted to rage to the heavens, Why her?
“I don’t know what I want to do,” she confessed. “I didn’t dare hope I’d make it out alive.”
“You did. Start thinking about your future, Caroline. You have a bright one ahead of you,” he murmured.
For the first time, he no longer saw himself in it.
When they arrived at the clinic, he helped her down.
“I have some things I need to handle. I’ll see you later,” he said, turning the horse around. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he mounted the horse again. “Go inside. You’re still recovering,” he reminded her. “You don’t want to feel bad when Delaney sends over your fried chicken.”
She nodded and bit her lip in indecision before going into the clinic.
Jameson watched her go before heading to the makeshift office in the old farmhouse.
He slammed the door and walked into the living room, where they kept a decanter of whiskey, and poured himself a drink. He gulped down the first glass, letting the burn seep down his throat and into his belly. He filled another glass and tipped it again.
“Whoa, brother. It’s a little early to hit the hard stuff,” Garrett said from behind him.
“Let’s sit down and talk about this,” Julio suggested as Jameson poured his third glass. Garrett took it from him and guided him to the couch. Matthew, hearing them outside his office, joined them.
“Did something happen to Caroline?” Garrett asked, sitting beside him.
“Yes,” he cried, placing his head between his legs. The pain in his chest continued to grow as he erased every dream of having a life with Caroline from his mind.
Garrett’s hand grasped his shoulder as Matthew handed him a water. Julio sat across from him, and they waited while he gathered his thoughts.
“I took Caroline out today for some fresh air. She told me the story of her abduction. My father killed her family and sold her to Cain,” he said, his voice trembling.
“Shit,” Matthew said, falling into the recliner on the other side of Jameson. “How does she know for sure?”
“Because the son of a bitch did it in front of her,” he told them.
“Damn,” Garrett swore. “Does she know he’s your dad?”
“Do I seem stupid enough to say, ‘Hey, that’s my father,’” he asked sarcastically.
“You have to tell her,” Julio said quietly. “She can’t hear this from anyone else but you.”
“Man, I can’t tell her now. She’s barely recovered from pneumonia, and tonight’s her first real meal in ages,” Jameson explained. “I searched for her for months, and now I have to let her go. There’s no way she’ll get past this.”
“Caroline stabbed a man to keep him from whipping a young teen. You don’t think she can handle your father’s an asshole?” Julio questioned him. “You’re not giving yourself any credit. How many months have you searched for her? I think she’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“Really? How did it work out for Riley and Garrett? You kicked her out of your house because Kenny put doubts in your head,” Jameson said, letting the anger at the unfairness of it all flow through him.
“I admit I lost my mind for a hot five minutes,” Garrett confessed. “Do you recall how much it cost me? Riley left because I didn’t communicate with her. I reminded her of her abusive dad because I acted like him. You’ve done nothing to deserve any affiliation with James Stanton.”
“Do you think she’ll care? The bastard sold her. He shot her parents. Every time she sees me, I’ll remind her of my father,” he said, tormented.
Matthew cleared his throat. “First, you barely resemble James Stanton. Second, we can call Kassie and have her fly down. She can vouch for you,” he suggested.
“No. Kassie may trust me, but we all know the reason why Leo put me on this team. He forced you to take me on because Kassie refused to let them discard me like a piece of trash. It didn’t matter how I stopped James from taking them or killing Samantha.
They put me in the hospital and forgot me unless they showed up with questions.
When I healed, Leo paid me a visit and offered me this gig. ”
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You didn’t spend six years getting told when to eat, shower, or who to fuck,” Julio growled. “When the timing feels right, you sit down and explain it all to her.”
“What do you consider a perfect time? When she’s staying in a survivor’s cabin, wondering what she’ll do with the rest of her life since my dad stole her life,” Jameson asked.
“I lived with the mother fucker, and I hated every minute. He doted on his son, Phillip, and gave me scraps. When he got killed, the old man turned his eyes on me to uphold the family name. I fell for his story on how Kassie caused all the problems. I planned to hurt an innocent woman and her kid. Matthew gave me the opportunity to get close, and I realized how full of shit my father was. Maybe I’m my father’s son after all. ”
“What a crock of shit,” Garrett exploded.
“You’ve saved countless men, women, and children.
There’s nothing about you which screams monster.
She may have gone through some trauma, but Caroline seems like she has a good head on her shoulders.
Riley, Rachel, and Rebecca love her. You’re acting like a chicken shit. ”
Jameson rubbed his forehead. The tension headache grew worse.
His stomach rolled as he envisioned Caroline as he told her about his father.
He wanted to give her a second chance at life and to become part of it.
His future disappeared when she uttered those words.
For the second time in his life, Jameson felt lost.