Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
MAXIMUS
The car journey home is much more sombre than the one to the club. Each of us has had to do shit we don’t like tonight after we were left with no choice.
After Christian killed that prick, we had the rest of the arseholes to deal with. Thankfully, after they saw what Christian did to their little friend, most played ball, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t forced to play the arseholes and beat the shit out of them. Two tried to fight back, and Jason took one out whilst I was forced to break the neck of the other. I hate killing, especially when it’s hands-on. When you pull a trigger, you can switch it off to a point. But breaking someone’s neck is personal, and you feel the moment you send them to hell.
I look at Sean sitting with his eyes closed and his head resting on the back of the seat. Tonight, when I saw that arsehole pull a knife on my twin, I lost it. I would have killed him for having the nerve even to consider hurting him. I love my brothers, each of them, but they aren’t wrong when they say twins are closer because we are. We know each other inside and out. He knows if I’m hurting or need him, no matter where I am. It’s the same with me; I can tell when he is in trouble without having to be there. It comes in handy at times, for example, tonight. I was on the other side of the room to Sean, but I just felt that I had to find him and managed to do it before he found himself in real danger.
“So what's the plan now?” His voice drags me out of the dark place.
“Well, now we know that I haven’t been paranoid and our enemies are trying to rise above us; we need to devise a game plan,” Christian answers as he rubs his knuckles absent-mindedly. It's not surprising they hurt, given the mess he left of that guy’s face or what was left of it. He deserved everything he got and should have suffered more. Hearing that he was there when Jasmine was assaulted and how she screamed in pain made the red mist descend. If Christian hadn’t killed him, I would have.
“We can deal with all of that later,” Jason declares, sipping from his glass. “All I want to do right now is collapse into bed and pretend for a few hours that tonight never happened.” He finishes his drink before pouring another big one. Jason has his demons, which he fights with daily, and I can see he’s fighting them now.
Christian looks at Jason, and for a moment, Christian looks furious. He looks like there is more he wants to say, but instead, he shakes his head, downs his drink and pours another one.
We continue to travel in silence for the rest of the journey. The tension surrounding us doesn’t improve; if anything, it’s worsening. I don’t miss how Christian's jaw clenches whenever he glances at Jason. I try to think what could have happened to make Christian pissed at him. It must have been one of the times the rest of us were removing the bodies or cleaning up the mess. Usually, we leave that to Terry’s team, but with them being a few guys down, Christian demanded we all stay and help. It was the last thing any of us wanted to do, but it needed to be done properly.
The car stops, and I realise we are finally home. Climbing out one by one, we make our way to the back door, where a member of security is waiting for us.
“Any issues?” Christian asks.
“No, sir. Whatever happened there wasn’t planned for here as well. But it helped to have the two extra staff members to watch the perimeter,” the security guy says. Christian nods and tells them to stay on duty until their relief comes in the morning.
“Hopefully, we dealt with everything, but I want everyone to be on alert for a few days to be sure. I will be holding a staff meeting at midday. I will send a message out now, letting everyone know. I don’t expect you three to be there, but I will ensure you are informed of what's said.”
The security guard nods before stepping back and out of Christian’s way.
“We will be there, sir.”
Christian nods, and the four of us head out of the kitchen and straight for the stairs.
As we walk into the hallway, I spot the clock and realise it’s three AM. I was convinced it would be later. I haven’t checked my phone in hours as I didn’t want to see any messages from Shorty, as it would make the guilt I feel from what I have done tonight worse.
“Everyone, head to bed. I want to meet in the office at ten to discuss what we learned tonight,” Christian declares. We all agree through various types of grunts. I'm too tired to speak.
“I’m going to sleep in with Shorty,” I mumble as I head to her room. I’m stopped by someone grabbing my arm. I look up to see it’s Christian stopping me.
“No, you’re not, let her sleep. Go to your room.”
“Excuse me?” I snap, pulling my arm from his grip as my eyebrows disappear into my hair. “Since when do you tell me what I can and cannot do with my own fiancée?” I demand, turning to look at him.
“When it’s for her own good. She will know something’s wrong when she wakes up and sees you with a bruised cheek,” he answers.
“She will know when she wakes up alone,” Jason points out. “At least if Maximus is in there, he can distract her enough for everyone to get their story straight since you won’t let us tell her the truth about what happened tonight.”
Christian turns his attention to Jason, and I see the rage he was trying to hide when in the car.
“I told you why I want to do that,” he snaps.
“Fine, you know best as always. But that still doesn’t give you a right to dictate what we do when it comes to Jazzy. If Maximus wants to sleep in with his fiancée and isn’t interrupting any of our alone time with her, then he can.”
“And you think you should have any right to make decisions when it comes to Jasmine?” Christian asks through gritted teeth. Jason looks at him, shocked for a second, before frowning.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you, of all people, have no right deciding what is right for her when she was sexually assaulted because of you!”
“You think I don’t know that?” Jason shouts. “You think I haven’t relived what that arsehole said about what happened to her? I wanted to throw up hearing how she screamed, how Hudson made her bleed.”
“None of that would have happened if you had just fucking killed him when you had the chance the first time!” Christian shouts back.
“Guys, you're going to wake her,” Sean warns, trying to get between them.
“Fuck you, Christian! You, of all people, know how tough this life is.”
“Yeah, I do, especially with you hiding behind me and expecting me to fix your mistakes all the fucking time.” Christian takes another step towards Jason, who doesn’t back down. “How long until another one of your fuck ups puts her in danger again?”
“Fuck you,” Jason snaps. Before any of us see it coming, Christian punches Jason in the face. Sean and I stand shocked as Jason stares at Christian as he wipes blood from the corner of his mouth.
“Feel better now?”
“No,” Christian answers as he swings to punch him again, but this time, Jason is expecting it and lets out a roar before rugby-tackling Christian. The two of them go down hard. Jason manages to straddle him and get in a hard punch before Christian rolls them and starts punching back.
“You fucking piece of shit!” Jason yells as I see blood on the side of his face.
“Guys, pack it the fuck in!” I yell, trying to pull Jason off Christian, who quickly rolls them out of my reach and manages to get a few punches in.
“Christian, stop!” Sean yells as we both manage to grab him and pull him off Jason, who jumps to his feet and charges towards us.
“Let him go!” Jason shouts, grabbing Christian's shirt and pulling him to his feet. Christian grabs Jason's shirt in return and, after a few turns, manages to pin Jason to the wall.
“Daddy!”
We all turn to find Jasmine standing at her door, staring at us wide-eyed.
“Get in your room, Jasmine,” Christian snaps before slamming Jason into the wall. “Now!”
“Don’t fucking speak to her like that!” Jason yells, pushing Christian away from him. “It’s not her fault you are an arsehole!” Jason shouts. He goes to turn towards Jasmine, but Christian grabs him and throws him in the opposite direction. Jason falls and slides across the wooden floor, before coming to a stop closer to his room.
“You don’t go near her!” Christian warns, stepping between Jason and Jasmine.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jasmine yells, going to rush towards Jason, but Christian grabs her arm to stop her.
“Get in your room, now.”
“No!” Jasmine snaps, staring at him straight in the eye. She has balls I’ll give her that.
“Jasmine Rose, do as you are fucking told for once in your life!” Christian yells as he turns to drag her back to her room. Jason, Sean and I all charge towards them as we hear her cry out.
“You’re hurting me.”
Christian stops in his tracks, looks down at his hand and lets her go immediately. I grab her and place her behind me as Sean stands beside us, keeping Christian away from our girl.
“Sweetheart, I’m. I-” I watch as the realisation hits, and he stares at Jasmine while she stays behind me. He takes a step forward, but Sean gets in the way.
“Go to bed and sleep it off,” Sean warns, holding a hand up. “You’ve had too much to drink and a lot of shit to deal with. Sleep it off, and we will all talk tomorrow.”
Christian goes to speak to her again, but I’ve had enough.
“Don’t even look at her! If you try to go near her again tonight, you will have me to deal with.”
Christian looks from Sean to me and then finally to Jason. Now that they have stopped fighting, I can see how beat up they are. Neither of them held back.
“I’m so sorry, Sweetheart,” Christian whispers as he tries to look at Jasmine again. I reach round to move her further behind me, only to find she has moved away from him, herself.
“I know,” she whispers before leaning into my back. I want to punch him for scaring her like this, but one look at him and I can see how much he hates himself for what he just did. He doesn’t say anything or look at us before turning on his heels and storming into his room, slamming the door behind him.
“Are you okay, Princess?” Sean asks, turning to look at Jasmine. I continue to watch the door for a moment, checking that he isn’t coming back out.
“No,” Jasmine gasps as I hear her voice wobble. “What the hell happened?” she asks, sobbing. The three of us share a look, all wanting to tell her the truth but not knowing how badly Christian will react if we do.
“Nothing for you to worry about, Jazzy. It was just a stressful night, and we had to deal with some shit. I pushed his buttons when we got back, and he lashed out.” Jason rubs his face and hisses when he catches a gash on his cheek.
Jasmine steps forward and reaches out to touch him, but he stops her hand before she can touch his face.
“I’m okay, Jazzy. Nothing a shower, some painkillers and a good sleep won’t cure.” Kissing her palm, he closes his eyes briefly, savouring what little touch he will allow himself. “Stay with Maximus or both of them tonight. I will come and see you in the morning.” He lowers her hand and gives her a small smile before turning around and heading to his room, closing the door behind him.
When Jasmine turns to face me, I can see the tears streaming down her face.
“Come here, Shorty,” I whisper, pulling her into my arms and leading her towards our room. I look at Sean and nod to the door. Silently asking if he will be joining us.
“I’ll be a moment. Let me just get changed,” he whispers, kissing her cheek before heading to his room next door.
Leading her into our room, I encourage her to sit on our bed. Reaching for the bedside cabinet, I grab a box of tissues and hold them out for her. Jasmine takes one and starts to dry her face, but the tears really begin then, and she breaks down.
Sitting beside her, I pull her onto my lap and hold her as she cries into my chest. I start shushing her gently whilst running a hand up and down her back.
“You’re okay, Shorty. I’ve got you,” I whisper into her hair, pressing kisses to it every few moments in the hope of calming her. She’s still crying when Sean walks in a few minutes later and sees how upset she is.
“Oh, Princess,” he sighs, sitting beside me so he can hold her hand.
“What happened?” she asks between sobs. She looks up at Sean and sees his taped cut. “Did he do that to you?” she demands. He shakes his head before looking at me.
“No, Princess. Someone who wasn’t meant to be there tonight turned up and caused an issue. But everything is okay now. Christian’s just struggling with some things someone taunted us with.” Sean cups Jasmine's cheek lovingly, ensuring she is looking at him. “But he would never purposely hurt you. He loves you so much that hearing what he heard tonight pushed him over the edge.”
“What did he hear?” she asks, holding his hand. I can see Sean isn’t sure about telling her or just doesn’t want to say the words, so I take over.
“Apparently, the guy was in the house Taylor kept you in. He told us he was in the room when Hudson hurt you. He went into detail to rile Christian up, and it worked.” I feel my poor woman's body tense as she realises what I’m referring to.
“Did he have blonde hair and tattoos on his neck?” she asks.
“Yes, Princess,” Sean answers. “Was he in the room?”
Jasmine nods, leaning into me as I tighten my hold on her. My brother and I share a look, and I know he wishes he could kill the bastard himself.
“Why were they fighting just then?”
I look down so I can see a little of Jasmine’s face.
“Christian and Jason?” She nods into my chest, and I let out a sigh. “It’s hard to explain, Shorty. It doesn’t happen often, and they will have forgiven each other by the morning. That was just the two of them carrying their demons a little too close to the surface after tonight.”
Jasmine sits up from my lap and looks from Sean to me.
“He still blames Daddy Jason, doesn’t he.”
I nod, knowing there is no way we can hide that from her. There has been tension between Jason and Christian a few times since we rescued her. If Jasmine has a bad therapy session or a nightmare about everything that happened in that house, Christian will try to keep his distance from Jason. Jasmine rolls her eyes and looks to the door.
“Will they be okay?”
“They’ll both be fine, Shorty. Just give them some space.”
She nods and climbs off my lap.
“I’m tired.” She doesn’t say anything else, just climbs into the bed on her usual side. I look to Sean, who appears as tired and defeated as I feel.
“I’m going to bed. Shout if you need me.”
I nod and stand as my brother walks over to where Jasmine is lying on her side, looking to the other side of the bed.
“Good night, Princess. If you need me, come to my room okay.” Jasmine nods but doesn’t turn to face him. he leans over and kisses her head, whispering a quiet “I love you” before standing and looking at me. He runs one finger down his cheek, signalling that she’s crying. Closing my eyes momentarily, I try to let out a deep breath quietly before nodding.
For a moment, when I open my eyes, my twin and I stare at each other before Sean steps forward and hugs me.
“You did what you had to tonight.” He leans his forehead against mine as we hold the back of each other’s heads. “We will go for a run tomorrow and talk. But tonight, I think you need her as much as she needs you.” I nod in agreement and step back from my brother, my best friend.
“Night.”
“Night, Maximus.”
He walks out of the room, and I quickly strip and wash my body and face over the sink before brushing my teeth.
When I return to the room, Jasmine is sitting in bed, with her legs up against her chest, resting her chin on her knees.
“Why are you still up, Shorty?” I ask, climbing into bed next to her. She instantly leans into my side, allowing me to wrap an arm around her.
“He hurt me.” Those three words cause my jaw to clench. I know he was angry and caught up in the fight with Jason, but to treat her the way he did is unacceptable. I have given him the benefit of the doubt tonight, emotions were running high, and we all drank a lot on the way home, but if I ever catch him treating her like he did tonight again, I will beat the shit out of him. I will always defend my Shorty before any of my brothers.
“I know, Shorty.” For a moment, I want to tell her he is an arsehole and doesn’t deserve her, but that’s the anger talking, and I know he will hate himself for what he did tonight. “Please don’t be scared of him. He loves you more than anything in this world and will do anything to protect you. Tonight, things just became a lot; there were too many factors he couldn’t control, and it became too much.” Part of me doesn’t want to defend him, but he’s my brother, and I know he loves her. He killed a man with his fists tonight for threatening to break her. He will hate himself for grabbing her like that.
“I know.” The pain and confusion are evident in her voice.
“Come on, let’s try and get some sleep. Hopefully, everyone will be calmer in the morning, and we can all sit down and talk about what happened.”
The two of us slide down the bed, and I hold my girl as she rests her head on my bare chest. This isn’t how I planned on ending tonight. I thought the four of us would be rocking our girl's world, but then what part of tonight went to plan?
“I’m sorry tonight wasn’t as great as it should have been. You all deserved a good stag do.”
Looking down, I press a kiss to her head.
“It’s just one night, Shorty. We are getting a lifetime with you, which is more than we deserve.” I can feel her moving to say more, but I don’t want to hear her telling me I deserve more than I think I do, not after some of the things I did tonight. I don’t deserve this woman in my arms, and I’m terrified she will realise that and leave one day. I lift a hand and place it on her cheek. “Go to sleep, Shorty.”
I kiss her head one last time before closing my eyes and lying back on the pillow.
“Good night, Daddy.”