17. Silent Rage #2
Ian gave her a derisive look. “There’s nothing that could stop me from wanting to taste your lips, love,” he said, before kissing her.
With his hand locked behind the back of her neck, Ian held her as his tongue worked her lips open until he could feel her tongue.
But even as her body warmed against him, he could feel the detachment in her kiss.
As if she weren’t all there.
Pulling back, Ian looked at her, concerned. His thumb caressed her cheek until her eyes raised to meet his. The emptiness in them agitated him.
Settling in the backseat, Deja curled around Chloe, who was sleeping in her car seat. Though she caressed her daughter’s tiny hands, Deja’s eyes were distant, her mind even further.
While driving, Jax glanced at Deja in the rearview mirror. A frown creased his stoic, handsome face at the shell of a woman sitting behind him. Glancing at his brother, Jax could see the same uneasy expression on Ian’s face. Ian exchanged glances with Jax before clearing his throat.
“We found out that Joseph was… inducted to be a Reaper...” Ian said. Deja looked up at Ian. “The person he was visiting in California was a recruiter,” Ian continued. “One of the requirements to be a Reaper… is to kill...”
Deja considered Ian’s words. “Being a Reaper requires you to kill someone you know? Someone you love?”
Ian’s jaw tensed. “No...”
Deja’s nostrils flared. “So why would he kill Kristin? Why would he target our friends?”
Ian lowered his eyes. “I don’t have the answer to that, sweetheart.”
Deja slowly exhaled, clenching and releasing her fist. “Who was it?” she asked. “Who was the Reaper that recruited him?”
“It doesn’t matter. We won’t let anyone hurt you,” Ian said.
“And what about my friends?” Deja asked. “Are they targeted for merely associating with me?”
Silence lingered before Jax finally spoke. “Our priority is you and Chloe, Deja.”
Deja scoffed, trying to bite back her bitterness and anger. Her eyes shifted as she tried to think. “Where are Keith and Caleb?”
“Keith received a false address when he was supposed to be headed toward you,” Jax explained. “I sent him and Caleb to find out where the address led.”
Deja furrowed her brows. “Was it Jamie? Did Jamie give him the false address?”
Ian sighed, already knowing the answer. “We don’t know...”
Back at the hotel, Ian took Chloe to bed while Jax ran a warm bath for Deja. As her body settled into the warm water, Deja leaned her head back. She stared at the white tiles while Jax gently ran a rag over her body, cleaning off the blood and dirt.
His palms grazed her breasts, his fingers tracing the stretch marks on her skin, trailing down to the soft pudge of her stomach. Nudging her head to the side, he lowered his lips to her shoulder, nibbling on her soft skin.
Deja’s back arched as Jax’s fingers slid between her thighs, slipping between her labia to claim her clit.
“What does deachdaire mean?” she asked suddenly.
Jax paused, his eyes instinctively flickering. His muscles tensed, already knowing why she would ask such a question. “Dictator,” he said simply. It unsettled him, knowing that Jamie had spoken to her. Feeding her the same poisonous lies he had fed Caleb and destroying their relationship.
Nuzzling the side of her face, Jax affectionately kissed her cheek. “Don’t believe his lies...” Jax whispered. Deja sharply inhaled as Jax’s fingers slid inside her. “He’s dangerous, Deja. He cannot be trusted,” Jax warned her.
Caressing Jax’s face, she leaned into him. “I know, baby...” she said absentmindedly.
“Don’t talk to him again,” Jax warned. “Promise me.”
Deja hesitated to respond. Turning around, she pressed her lips against Jax’s. Her fingers ran through his hair, tugging and nearly pulling him into the tub.
With his fingers entangled in her hair, Jax pulled her head far back as his fingers penetrated her, tugging and teasing until she came apart in his hands.
Her body sloshed in the water as she heaved with need.
Her stomach muscles tightened, and her thighs clenched as Jax pushed her over the edge, plunging her into ecstasy.
Wrapping her in a towel, Jax carried his exhausted lover into the bedroom, placing her on the bed next to their daughter. He slipped one of his t-shirts onto Deja’s body before tucking her under the covers.
With heavy eyes, Deja pulled Chloe into her bosom as she felt Jax lean over her to kiss Chloe before he kissed her cheek as well. She waited for his footsteps to recede before the door closed and everything went silent.
Turning over, Deja grabbed her phone from the dresser to read her texts. She saw several from her parents and a few from her friends, who were reassuring her that they were okay. But she had a feeling in her heart that they were not… And she was to blame.
Deja stared at the ceiling as tears ran down her cheeks. She felt haunted by the friends she couldn’t protect. Guilty that Joseph may have been targeted to be a Reaper because he knew her.
She struggled to breathe as devastation overwhelmed her. Was this her new reality? Would she ever get back control?
She pulled Chloe close, crying silently into her daughter’s hair.
It was still dark when Deja heard the hotel door open and close. Barely hearing their muffled voices through the bedroom door, she quietly cracked it open to listen.
“We can’t risk it,” Ian said. “Keep that information to yourself until we deal with it.”
The smell of pancakes invaded Deja’s senses as she slowly opened her eyes. Feeling around the bed, she realized Chloe was gone and instinctively panicked when the bedroom door opened.
Ian walked in, carrying tea and a tray loaded with pancakes and fruit. His signature charming grin painted his handsome face, dimpling his cheeks at the sight of her. “She awakens.”
“Where’s Chloe?”
“With her father,” Ian said, setting the tray down.
She looked at her phone, and her eyes bulged. “It’s so late! Why didn’t you guys wake me?”
“You needed the rest,” Ian said, sitting next to her.
Gently cupping her cheek, Ian looked into her eyes.
“You’ve been through a lot, Deja. You need to give yourself time to recover.
” Deja slowly exhaled, trying to calm down as Ian tilted her chin up to meet his gaze.
His eyes flickered with concern. “I’m worried about you, sweetheart... ”
She tried to smile, but she couldn’t. Instead, she pushed her lips against his and pulled his hand around her waist. Hooking her leg around his hip, she rocked into him. Her shirt lifted, exposing her panties as Ian’s fingers slipped beneath them to grab a handful of her ass.
Clutching his shirt, Deja felt his fingers slide between her ass, teasing her anus. Her hand slid down his torso until she felt his erection straining his pants. She kissed him hard, pulling him closer as she stuck her hand in his pants, when Ian pulled back.
“What?” she asked.
Ian furrowed his brow. “...you just...” he trailed off as his chest caved in. There was such broken anger in her eyes, and all he wanted to do was make it better.
“I’m fine, Ian,” she said plainly as she swirled her legs off the bed to grab an orange slice.
Sitting next to her, Ian affectionately traced circles on her thigh as he kissed her shoulder. “We should think about heading back...”
“Where?” she asked.
“Home.”
Deja snorted. “Where’s home when you live in hell…?”
Her bitter response worried him. Standing from the bed, Ian kissed her forehead. “I’m here if you need anything...” he offered. Deja sucked on the slice, watching Ian leave.
Deja could hear voices that immediately hushed the moment she opened the door and stepped into the living room. She looked at them wearily. “Don’t stop talking about me on my account.”
Ian sighed as Jax approached her while holding Chloe. “You should get more rest,” Jax said, tenderly kissing her.
Her toe rubbed her ankle as she watched Jax and Ian put on their coats. “Where are you going?” she asked.
“To pick up a few things,” Jax said. “For you.”
Ian kissed her temple. “Something to cheer you up until we figure out our next move.”
“I might actually just do some work,” Deja said. They looked at her, surprised. “To get my mind off of everything,” she added. “So you know… don’t worry about me.”
Jax looked at her cautiously. “Perhaps working on your old passions will help,” he said. Deja simply nodded with a smile. Jax looked at her precariously before leaving with Ian.
Running into the other bedrooms, she started searching their things.
She went through Caleb’s wallet when she heard the door open again, followed by Keith and Caleb’s voices.
Entering the living room, she saw them in gym shorts and sleeveless tank tops, sweat dampening their skin.
They looked at her, surprised to see her awake.
“Hey, baby girl,” Keith said.
“Where were you guys?” she asked.
“Gym,” Caleb said, putting his phone down as he looked at her concerned. “...you okay?”
Deja stared at them seriously. “No. I’m not.”
Keith wasted no time approaching her before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. “I’m so sorry, baby girl. I never even got to-” Grabbing her shoulders, Keith pulled back and searched her eyes. “...I should’ve been there...”
Deja stared up at him silently as Caleb approached. Tilting his head, Caleb looked at her, concerned. “I know you’ve been through a lot, baby. Do you wanna talk about it?”
Deja looked between the two of them.
“You guys reek.”
Caleb bumped into the door as his lips devoured Deja. He nearly fell as he stumbled out of his gym shorts and boxers, tossing his shirt on the floor.
Deja peeled her lips off of Caleb to turn and face Keith as she peeled his shirt from his body. Her fingers ran down his tattooed, muscular abs before she pushed his shorts down with his boxers, exposing his thick, veiny, pierced manhood.