7. Unhinged #2
“It’s the best we can do for now,” Caleb noted. “Besides, they attacked Deja’s family.”
Keith shook his head. “They’ve lost their fucking minds.”
“Oooh! You said a bad word!” Shantell gasped.
Caleb abruptly covered Shantell’s ears. “Can you not curse around her!”
Keith scoffed. “She just saw you smash a man’s head into the pavement like a tomato, and you’re worried about ‘bad words’?!”
“Shit. There are more Reapers nearby,” Ian said, checking his watch. “And I need to bandage her leg.”
“What? I thought you and Keith had sent them a message,” Caleb said.
“No… We were only there to implant the trackers for moments like this. But there are too many of them in plain sight,” Ian warned.
“They seem to be sending their own message by attacking Deja’s home,” Keith muttered.
“We have to warn Jax,” Ian noted.
“We can’t tell Jax,” Caleb protested. “He’ll completely lose his shit.”
Ian scoffed. “He’ll lose it regardless…”
“I remember her very first science project. Third grade. And it wasn’t the typical volcano like the other kids. Oh no. Not Deja Louis. That little future scientist created an entire ecosystem in a shoebox!” Jose grinned.
“Dear Lord, I could still smell it!” Debra laughed. “Had that nasty thing growing in my fridge!”
“She said it needed a ‘cold habitat’, remember?” Jared grinned. “How many times did we get sick 'cause she was growing some fungus for research?”
“Ahh… She was so cute, though,” Jose chuckled.
Deja’s cheeks burned. Not just because they were exhausted from her fake smile, but because Jose kept going on about her… in front of Jax.
Jax wore a stoic expression, so cold and blank it unnerved her.
Her fingers rubbed against his forearm to snap him out of it.
“Baby…?” she said softly. Jax finally looked down at her, and the distant look in his eyes took her off guard.
As if noticing her concern, Jax laced his fingers with hers and lifted her hand to his lips, tenderly kissing her fingers.
A genuine smile finally replaced the fake one on her face as she held Jax’s gaze.
“I hope that a baby and the chaos of being in the public eye haven’t distracted you from your work,” Jose interrupted.
Deja looked at Jose, annoyed. “No. I mean, obviously taking care of Chloe is my priority-”
“Must eat a lot of your time, being a new mother. Hiding from the media,” Jose said sympathetically. “Much more stressful than our shoebox days.”
Deja caught the suggestive look in Jose’s gaze. “Well… we didn’t really have much to stress over in high school,” she joked as Jose laughed. “But Jax takes care of me. So, I’m doing fine. But thank you for your concern.”
Jose smiled at Jax. “Lucky guy, Mr. Donovan. I hope you are good to her Even if the media says otherwise…” Jax’s jaw tensed as he glowered at Jose.
“She’s one-of-a-kind that one. And as men…
” Jose averted his gaze back to Deja. “...we tend to make stupid mistakes we end up regretting. Don’t make her the one that got away… ”
Deja irritably cleared her throat. “Jose, could we talk for a minute?”
Jose smiled. “Of course.”
But Jax immediately grabbed Deja’s arm. “...Deja,” he muttered tensely.
Lifting onto her toes, Deja pressed her lips against Jax’s. Her hand lay against his chest until she felt his heartbeat slow. “...do you trust me?”
Pressing his fingers into the small of her back, Jax gradually relaxed. Deja’s tongue flicked against his lips before she pulled back, looking up at him with those big doe eyes he had fallen madly in love with. “...fine…” he resigned.
Deja gave him a reassuring smile before pulling away. She motioned to Jose, who stared at them awkwardly before following her. Jax’s gaze lingered on them as his nails dug deep into his palm.
Deja found a quiet, secluded spot. “I have to say, Deja, for someone who just had a baby, you look incred-” Jose started.
“What are you doing?” Deja cut him off.
Jose looked at her, confused. “What do you mean?”
“This isn’t like you,” she said. “We haven’t spoken in years, and now you’re acting like I’m some long-lost girlfriend.
‘The one who got away?’ We ended our relationship mutually and amicably.
We agreed that going our separate ways was for the best. In fact, we broke up because you didn’t want to do long-distance and wanted to date other people. So… what is this?”
Jose sighed. “Look… when I heard that you and Jax broke up, I… got concerned.”
“Okay, but Jose, that’s none of your business.”
“Deja, your relationship was on national television. People were calling you a murderer, a gold-digger, and… so much worse. Why wouldn’t I be worried?”
Deja sighed. “You could have just called.”
“I did,” he insisted. Deja rubbed her arms in frustration, and Jose grabbed her shoulder to comfort her, but she quickly pulled back from him. He looked at her, offended. “So I can’t be concerned about you… or touch you?”
Deja sharply exhaled. “Jose, you’re being weird.
And honestly, I don’t like it. I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine.
You really don’t have to be here. Frankly, you shouldn’t be here at all.
I know you were close with my family because we grew up together, but I’m with someone, and this just isn’t appropriate.
Please don’t show up unannounced again.”
Jax’s gaze was so laser-focused on Deja and Jose that he didn’t sense Kristin approaching. “Can I ask you a question?”
Looking over his shoulder, he finally noticed Kristin standing behind him. “Kristin. What can I do for you-”
“If she’s happier alone, or with someone else, or just… without you… Would you let her go?” Kristin asked frankly.
Jax’s fist clenched tighter as he smiled politely. “You speak as if I’m holding her hostage. Deja is with me because she wants to be with me.”
Kristin scoffed. “You don’t actually believe that, do you? She’s with you because she’s scared of you, Jax. And if you truly cared about her, you would realize that and let her go.”
Jax had mastered self-control. It was a requirement for a man of his position. He was envied for his ability to maintain such composure amid turbulence.
Except when it came to Deja. Deja was the outlier. The anomaly. The deviation from decades of self-discipline.
He wanted to understand Kristin’s frustration.
To sympathize. But all he could think about was crushing her skull between his palms. He wanted to tell her that he understood her apprehension.
But the command to “run” was itching to fall from his lips just so he could enjoy the chase before he ripped her apart, limb from limb.
He slowly exhaled to calm himself, but he could already feel the blood leaking from his palms from how violently his fingers had dug into his skin.
“Are you just gonna ignore me again?” Kristin asked, annoyed.
“Can’t you understand that I’m just looking out for my friend?
I want the best for her, and that might not necessarily be an abuser like you? ”
Jax tried to find the right words, but carnage clouded his mind. Between Kristin’s threats and Jose’s presence, he was on the precipice of succumbing to his bloodlust.
“Kristin,” Shawna said as she abruptly pulled Kristin aside. Stumbling backward, Kristin looked at Shawna and Diamond, annoyed. “What is wrong with you? Why are you berating him at a damn family cookout?” Shawna whispered.
“Oh, come on! You guys agreed that he’s no good for Deja and can’t be trusted,” Kristin snapped.
Shawna quickly shushed her. “Okay, but Kristin, you can’t just confront the dude like this. Are you crazy? Besides, Deja told us to back off, at least for today.”
While Shawna lectured Kristin, Diamond glanced at Jax, who stood inhumanely still. The look in his eyes as he stared at Deja and Jose was unnerving. Unlike anything she had seen before. There was something so off about him. It terrified her.
“I’m sorry about her,” Shawna finally said to Jax. “She’s just concerned about Deja. We all are.”
Jax suddenly looked at the women, his face distorting and his eyes lowering so distinctly that Diamond stepped back. Yet, as menacing as he looked in that moment, he remained… respectful.
“Exactly what… can I do for you ladies?” he asked calmly. Diamond shakily exhaled.
“Did you really not hear anything I said?” Kristin asked.
“I did,” Jax said. “Again. Thank you for your concern.” His eyes slid towards Jose and Deja again. “If that’s all, please excuse me.” Diamond’s shoulders tensed as she watched him walk off.
“Seriously?” Kristin started when Shawna pulled her back.
“Girl, you’re doing too much right now,” Shawna warned.
“I thought we agreed to protect Deja,” Kristin said, annoyed.
“Not like this…” Diamond finally spoke, watching Jax. “I really think… we should just… leave him alone…”
“Diamond! You agreed last night! You don’t think he’d hurt Deja?” Kristin asked.
Diamond turned to face her. “...hurt Deja? Nah. Hurt for her? ...Girl, did you not see the crazy in his eyes?”
Blood leaked from Jax’s palm as he forced himself into seclusion. Leaving Chloe with her grandparents and trusting Deja as he promised, he stepped into the empty kitchen, searching for a cold drink to cool him down and rid his mind of murderous thoughts.
But as he washed a glass cup, his eyes glazed over with bridling anger before the glass abruptly broke from his grip. As water ran from the faucet, Jax silently watched his blood swirl down the drain that was littered with broken glass, when he heard a noise coming from the basement.
Opening the basement door, he walked down the stairs where he spotted Caleb and his brothers surrounding one of the children as Ian bandaged her knees. “What’s going on?” Jax asked.
“Are you a superhero, too?” Shantell asked before anyone could respond. Jax looked at her, confused.
“Now, now. Remember what we said about secret identities,” Ian playfully tapped her nose. “Our little secret, right?” Shantell nodded as Keith helped her to her feet. “Run along now,” Ian encouraged as she took off outside through the garage.