2. Broken Promises
Chapter 2
Broken Promises
Julian
Five Years – Three Months Ago
I t was two months after Raven had told Julian the news. That she was pregnant.
Knocking drew Julian up off of his couch and towards the front door.
He wasn’t sure who he expected to be there, but it wasn’t Jayce.
Julian had been pointedly ignoring the man for weeks. Eight specifically.
“Come talk with me?” Jayce asked.
“Just get inside before anyone sees you.” Julian stepped back from his apartment’s doorway, gesturing for Jayce to join him. He needed to have this conversation either way.
Better now than never.
Jayce didn’t pause in the living room; they couldn’t discuss anything there. There was only one place where they could talk freely.
Julian followed him into the master closet, shutting the door behind them. He knew it was suspicious, but so long as they didn’t use this room too often or stay too long they would be left alone.
“Anadil is prepping, we only have three days left. Where have you been?” Jayce’s words were soft, but his tone was harsh.
Julian turned away. “Don’t you mean Nightingale?” He spoke the question at the closet door.
Jayce grabbed his shoulders, flipping him around. “Shut the fuck up! Not even in here.”
Julian’s lips curled up cruelly. “You’re an idiot. You are going to lose the last good thing left here.”
Eyes widening in confusion, Jayce dropped his hold. “What are you talking about?”
Julian thought about it for a moment. Mulling over the words. “Night—sorry, Anadil is up to something. She has been meeting with a few men from your group without you.” Men from the Brutality Faction. More specifically, the assholes that joined because they enjoyed fighting not because they wanted to right any wrongs in the world.
It was clear Jayce wasn’t expecting that. “What do you mean?” The words echoed around the small room.
Julian was fuming from Jayce’s ignorance. Everyone else could see that Nightingale was unhinged, that she was going to go off the rails; they just didn’t care. They wanted something to happen. Anything . But Jayce was just ignorant, blinded by his longtime friendship with the girl.
How would Jayce feel if he knew she was conspiring with more than just those in their Factions? With those that had hurt him on more than one occasion ?
She had been disappearing off with Jayce’s parents, the Rogers, for hours at a time and Julian couldn’t imagine it was for anything good.
“Raven is going to get caught up in this.” Julian reached up as if to catch the words.
“Keep her name out of your disgusting mouth. You think I don’t see the way you watch her? How you ogle her? You’re fucking lucky I haven’t kicked your ass for it,” Jayce boomed, no longer confined to a softer tone.
Jayce’s temper was a flare and Julian had ignited it.
Julian reared back as if slapped, but quickly recovered. “At least I didn’t get the poor girl pregnant and keep her trapped! Put her directly in the line of danger! How soon until she’s caught up in this mess? Until Anadil turns her wrath on Raven?”
A plethora of emotions sparked across Jayce’s face–confusion, apprehension, understanding–before finally landing on anger.
“She told you?”
“Don’t get your panties in a twist, she was on the way to find you after our fight,” Julian sneered at him.
“That was two months ago. She told me last week.”
Ice dropped into Julian’s stomach. He had just broken their pinky promise. “She was on the way to tell you…something must have happened. What were you doing after the fight anyways?”
“Talking to…Anadil.” Jayce hung his head in shame. “Raven told me last week and I talked to Anadil today again.” The previous anger was now replaced by something else entirely. “Julian. Look–” Jayce took a step forward, invading Julian’s personal space.
“What is it?” He didn’t like the tone. He didn’t like the way Jayce’s eyes were flickering about in anxiety. How his anger had come and gone so quickly. Half the scars on Julian were there because of Jayce’s hot-headedness .
“I told Anadil. About Raven being pregnant.”
Julian didn’t think before his fist was colliding with the side of Jayce’s face. “What is wrong with you?” Julian was seething as he ignored his pulsing hand. He didn’t trust Nightingale. He knew she was up to no good. Julian was constantly watching Raven which meant he was around her as much as he could be.
Which meant he saw the hot, pulsating rage that danced behind Anadil’s eyes, that grew every time she looked at her younger sister, Raven.
“You’re right.” Jayce didn’t even move from where Julian’s fist had thrown him. Instead, he dropped down to the floor onto his knees. “There was something off. I never saw it before, but she’s…she’s not the girl I grew up with. The friend I thought she was. She’s changed.”
“Of course she has, you idiot. She’s been used and abused for years and the one man that tried to keep her safe, that she is in love with, has not only been boning her little sister, but is about to have a child with her.”
Jayce finally whipped his head up. “Anadil isn’t in love with me. She’s like a sister.” The words were hoarse, pitched.
“Either you’re an idiot or you decided to one day be an ignorant asshole, but yes, she is.” Julian was livid. Jayce was going to get Raven killed.
“I fucked up,” Jayce expelled after a few silent beats.
“You did.” Julian was done with this conversation. Done with this idiot of a man. They would not be friends when he stepped out of this closet. Julian would no longer be a part of any Faction. Instead, he vowed then and there he would make it his mission to keep Raven safe.
“Anadil won’t expect you,” Jayce rushed out, causing Julian to pause.
With his fingers inches from the door knob, Julian turned back to Jayce. The latter was on his knees, his hands steepled together. He was begging.
“Please, she won’t pay you any mind. I’ll tell her you are working behind the scenes, that you will be fighting from the crowd. But you have to be there. Stay with Raven in the shadows. Make sure nothing happens to her…to our child.”
“You don’t deserve her.” Julian spat the words onto Jayce below. He wanted to beat the man into a bloody pulp. But it wouldn’t help anything. It wouldn’t take back the damage Jayce had already done.
It would just upset Raven. He didn’t want to hurt her.
“I know,” Jayce croaked. “Please.”
“I’ll fucking do it, but I want you to listen to me.” Julian bent until the men were eye level. “If this goes sideways, and trust me it will go sideways, I will get her somewhere safe. I will keep her protected, but you aren’t to look for her. You need to leave her alone. Let her live a safer life without you.”
“I can’t do that, she’s carrying my child.”
“I don’t fucking care!” Julian snapped. “She isn’t safe with you!”
“Oh, but she’s safe with you?” Jayce’s annoyance was written clearly in his clenched fists and furrowed brow. He snapped swiftly to his feet.
Julian straightened to his full height, posturing over Jayce. The men were close in stature, but in this moment, Julian felt immensely pleased with the few inches he had on Jayce. “She isn’t safe with either of us, but I won’t put anyone above her. I won’t let stupid mindless notions put her in danger. When we leave this room, I never want to speak to you again. I never want to see you again. But mark my words, no matter what happens, I will keep Raven safe.”
Julian didn’t want to spend another second with the man. His fear, his anger, his disgust nearly choked him. It felt like Raven was balanced on the edge of a cliff and any wrong move by either of the men, she would fall. Tumble to her death below.
And Jayce had just made a terrible misstep in trusting Nightingale.
Julian would do what he could to keep Raven safe .
But will it be enough?
“Sparrow.”
Julian stopped in his tracks before wrenching the door open.
“If she has a girl, she wants to name her Sparrow.”
Julian didn’t turn back this time as he threw open the door, leaving the room. He didn’t stop until he was in their designated outside area. He paid no mind to the guards.
He knew it wasn’t wise, but the emotions whirling through him couldn’t be tempered. He found who he was looking for.
If he couldn’t fight Jayce, he knew there was someone else always rearing to go.
Jeremy Stone only allowed him one sucker punch before hitting him back.
Julian was thankful for the mindless fight. The pain from the much larger man’s hands.
It was a needed distraction. In three days, this entire Facility was going to be turned upside down, and he had no doubt that Raven would be collateral in its demise.