Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
CHRISTIAN
I lean forward, resting my arms on the table and count to ten in my head for the umpteenth time today.
Every one of the men and women in front of me denies sharing any of our secrets, and the biggest problem is that I believe them. One look at my brothers and Terry tells me they do, too. I pretend to be listening to Terry giving them all a formal warning, telling them what will happen if he finds out any of them have been helping the enemy.
There is a new routine for security now, and Calvin has promised to supply armed security for the perimeter. They are trained to be hidden, and that’s what we need right now. He will head home and talk to his business partners to determine who will patrol and when. He has told us not to expect anyone to start for the next twenty-four hours as they will need to move things around first.
“For now, I want everyone to act like everything’s going on as normal. We pretend that the O’Reillys are none the wiser of the threat out for them other than what happened last night. That especially goes for Jasmine.” Terry looks at me, and I bring my attention back to the room. I sense Maximus behind me, placing an arm around Jasmine standing between him and Sean. Jason, as always, is to my right and has had eyes on Gordon the whole time.
“Jasmine is usually kept in the dark about things like this; it’s what they’ll expect, so we will keep them thinking that. She will pretend she knows nothing about the hit out on me or that we have people gunning for us. She will tell her friends she has no idea what happened this weekend. We want people to think she is still out of the loop to keep her protected.” I stand up and look around the people watching me.
“Nearly everyone in this room was present the last time I had to deal with security lying to us. You are all well aware of how that went for them. But here is a reminder. If anything happens to our fiancée, on your watch, your life is forfeit. There will be no second chances. If you fail to report anything suspicious and we find out, you sign your own death warrant. You protect Jasmine with the same commitment as the four of us.” Looking around the table, I can see fear in every eye looking back at me. I tell myself I have made my point and sit back down.
“Does anyone else have anything to say?” When I’m met with silence, I nod once and lean back in my seat. “Then follow Terry and receive your new assignments. Take tonight as the only warning you will get.” They all turn to look at Terry, who stands from his seat and nods towards the door. Everyone stands and starts to leave the room in silence. Jason joins them, and I see him pulling Gordon in the opposite direction from the others. I know he will be giving him his warning.
I stay in place, counting each of the ten staff members and Calvin out of the door until Terry is the last to leave and closes the door behind him. I relax back into my seat and curse under my breath.
“What a fucking day,” Maximus sighs behind me as I pinch the bridge of my nose. I feel two small hands slide over my shoulders before her arms wrap around my neck, her cheek resting against mine.
“Are you okay, Daddy?” she whispers in my ear. I take a deep breath, inhaling her sweet scent.
“Been better, Sweetheart,” I sigh. Pushing my chair back a little, I take her hand and pull her around to sit on my lap. I look deep into her eyes as I cup her face. “I am so proud of you and how you are handling everything.” Leaning in, I press my lips to hers. “You have been my biggest strength the last twenty-four hours.” Jasmine smiles before kissing me again.
“I’m glad I can help.”
We all turn our attention to the door as Jason walks in, looking a little murderous.
“Everything okay?” Sean asks behind me.
“Yeah, he says he doesn’t speak to anyone, and I believe him. He’s been warned, though.” Jason walks over to me and places a kiss on Jasmine's lips. “You were amazing; I’m so proud of you, Jazzy.”
“We all are,” Sean adds as he runs a hand over her head.
“I didn’t do anything,” she argues as we shake our heads.
“You stood beside us and didn’t show one ounce of fear. You held your head high and refused to look away,” Maximus explains as he looks deep into our girl's eyes.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I need a drink,” Jason announces as he turns and heads back to the door.
“Sounds good to me,” Maximus laughs, following him, quickly followed by Sean. Jasmine looks at me, and I can’t help but smile as I help her to her feet and stand beside her.
“I think you deserve one, too.”
Jasmine grins as she kisses me on the cheek and skips off to join my brothers. I turn the lights off in the dining room and follow behind them all. Unknown to Jasmine, there is another reason we are all heading for a drink in the sitting room: we plan on talking to her about what she revealed last night.
We discussed it when we were coming home from Mitchell’s this afternoon. We need to know so we can help her heal. We have given her time, and if she asks for more, we will give her that, too. The controlling side of me wants to know everything, but like Jason said the other day, she doesn’t ask for anything from us. So we have to give her this if it's what she wants.
Walking into the sitting room, I find the twins sitting in their usual spot with Jasmine between them. She’s leaning against Sean's side, her legs bent to the side, and her feet resting on Maximus’s lap. The three of them talk quietly while Jason watches from the makeshift bar. I can already see five glasses out when I reach him. He’s pouring the fourth glass of whiskey as I stop beside him.
“What did you make of it all?” I ask quietly. Jason shrugs as he puts the stopper back in the bottle of whiskey.
“Nobody stood out as lying. I spoke to Calvin very quickly after Gordon, and he said the same. If any of them have shared anything significant, they have no idea they’ve done it.”
There is always the possibility that someone shared information by mistake. Phones can be hacked, software infiltrated, and rooms bugged. Pulling out my phone, I fire off a quick text to Terry.
Christian: I want the whole house and all the cars checked for bugs. I will gather our laptops and phones for you to check as well.
Less than a minute after I click send, there is a knock at the door.
“Come in,” I call, picking up the glass of wine I’ve just poured for Jasmine. Terry enters as I walk over to the sofas and pass her the glass while Jason passes the twins theirs.
“I’m one step ahead of you,” Terry announces as he closes the door behind Layton. Both look like they mean business. “I did the dining room before the meeting and also had signal blockers in each corner to ensure that if a phone had been hacked, they wouldn’t be able to listen into the meeting.” I thank him as I take my seat. “Can you all put your phones on the table?” All five of us immediately oblige and watch as Terry and Layton run something over them, checking for bugs.
“I want an in-depth check done on them all, too,” Jason says as he sits in his usual spot.
“I will need to do that in my office. Are you okay with me taking them?” All five of us nod before Terry collects them all up. “I have already run a check on the landlines, and all are safe. We will check each room to ensure they are on the safe side, but I can’t imagine how they would have been bugged.”
I sip my drink, nodding, thinking the same thing. We are cautious about who we allow in our personal space, especially with Jasmine now living with us. We want our home to be her safe place. The one place she can always come to feel safe.
We all sit quietly as Terry and Layton work together to check the room quickly. Jasmine leans against Sean as she chews on the skin around her thumb, indicating she’s anxious. Sean picks up on it as he pulls her hand from her mouth and whispers something in her ear. I’m not sure what he says, but she leans into him further as he presses a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” Jason announces as he stands and walks from the room. I’m not the only one that watches him leave. Maximus pays attention to our brother as well.
I sit back for a moment and close my eyes. I’m exhausted and stressed and just want today to be over and done with. We did consider if now was the best time to ask Jasmine about the abuse she suffered, especially with everything else going on, but we came to the conclusion she is probably waiting for us to mention it, which will add extra stress. At least if we ask and she says she isn’t ready, she knows we are letting her take the lead with it all.
“Room’s clear,” Layton announces. Reluctantly, I open my eyes and look at Terry and Layton. “I’m going to check the rest of the house while Terry goes for a lie-down. We will both be sleeping on site for the time being, so we are close if anything happens.”
“Thank you. We appreciate it,” I say, giving them both a nod.
“Try and get some rest tonight, all of you,” Terry orders. I don’t miss the fact that he’s mainly focusing on me.
“Which one of us is the boss?” I ask, smirking.
“When you are being a stubborn bastard, I am,” he replies.
“I’ll second that,” Jason announces as he walks back into the room with Jasmine's blanket. He drops something behind the sofa as he walks over to her. “Here, Jazzy, you looked cold,” he smiles at her as he shakes it out and puts it over her legs.
“Thank you, Daddy,” she smiles, pulls it up to her chin, and makes herself comfortable. Jason looks at me and gives me a nod, signalling for us to proceed with the other reason we are here.
“If anything important comes up, let me know; otherwise, we will regroup tomorrow at ten.” Both Layton and Terry nod before wishing us a good night and leaving.
Looking over at Jasmine, I see her staring into space while worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She looks up at me, and I can see she knows why we are here.
“You want to talk about what I remembered, don’t you?” Her voice is small and sounds so vulnerable that it breaks my heart. Standing from my seat, I move to sit on the edge of the coffee table so I can take her hand. Jason moves beside me so all four of us are close to our amazing woman.
“We want you to know that we are here to talk when you are ready,” I answer, running a thumb over the back of her hand. “You revealed a lot last night, and the last thing we want is for you to think we are sweeping that under the carpet because we aren’t. We want to understand so we can help you, but if you’re not ready for that yet, all you have to do is say.”
Jasmine looks down at our hands as Jason takes her other one.
“We love you so much, Jazzy, you know that. We would never forgive ourselves if we hurt you unintentionally.” My brother’s words stab me in the chest, because that’s exactly what I’ve been beating myself up about since I grabbed her last night.
Jason moving brings me out of my dark place. I glance as he returns to where he dropped something a moment ago and pulls out her white teddy. The one she clings to when she starts digressing into her younger self. The place she goes when she is feeling vulnerable. She takes it from him and clings, burying her face into the top of its head as Sean's arm tightens around her shoulders. I look to Maximus, who is running his hand up and down her legs. All four of us are giving our woman all the attention she needs.
“I didn’t lie to you,” she whispers, not lifting her head. “When I said it was only that one time, I thought it was.”
Jasmine had told me previously that a man entered her room one night when she was ten. He had inserted his fingers into her, and she had screamed so loud that the neighbours called the police. Jasmine was given to her grandparents, and Carol had to prove she was off the drugs before she could go home.
“Were the memories repressed?” Jason asks softly. Jasmine nods into her teddy, still not looking at any of us. Usually, I would tell her, “e yes on me ,” but this will go however she needs it to. There’s a time we are her daddies to guide her; others we are here to give her the love and comfort she needs.
“I have never really remembered much between when my dad left and turning sixteen. After my grandparent’s deaths, the only things I remember focusing on were dancing or my friends. I figured it was because nothing much had happened at home as Mum was too out of it to make memories with me. But for a while, the therapist has thought that I may be repressing the memories.”
I nod, as he has said as much in a few reports, but he wasn’t sure if it was related to abuse from her mother or seeing her in the states she would get into. He believed that one day, they would come back. He expected there to be some sort of trigger.
“What triggered you to remember?” I ask.
“We were talking about seeing Sophia and Amber and how it made me feel,” Jasmine looks up from her teddy for the first time and looks to Maximus.
“When did you see them?” Sean asks, frowning. I glance at Jason and see he has no idea, either.
“The day we went to stay at the hotel,” Maximus answers, unable to take his eyes off Jasmine. “With everything that happened since, I completely forgot about it,” he answers, running his hand up and down her leg.
“What happened?” Sean asks. Jasmine starts to explain how she bumped into them and realised quickly that they had never been real friends to her, not for a long time at least. When I hear it was the same time as Verity went missing, which was only a couple of days before Christmas, I understood why it would have slipped her mind.
“He was asking how our friendship used to be,” she sighs, burying her face into the teddy again. “I was talking about how I hid at Amber’s once when I was sixteen, and Carol tried to sell my virginity for the first time, and it was like a million memories came back at the same time, and I remembered so many other times she had brought men into my room. How she had stood there and let them touch me, made me touch them, all while she looked on.”
“She was in the room?” Maximus growls. Jasmine nods, and I give him a warning look at the same time as Sean and Jason. He nods, acknowledging that he needs to reel it in, and we all go back to giving Jasmine our undivided attention.
“She stayed to ensure they didn’t go too far.” She looks up at me with her tear-filled eyes, and it breaks my heart.
“She stayed to make sure they didn’t rape you,” I finish for her. She nods before wiping her cheeks. Maximus reaches for the small table beside him and holds out a box of tissues for her. She takes one with a small thank you and wipes at her face.
“For a short while, I thought maybe it was because she actually cared and that she was protecting me from the worst of it, but then I remembered an argument she had with one guy. She had stopped him at the last second, and when he argued with her, she told him he could place a bid at the auction.”
That fucking bitch. She really was going to auction off her daughter's virginity, like the sick fuck she was.
“Did anything happen after that one time you remembered? After you went to live with your grandparents?” Jason asks, tightening his grip on her hand. Jasmine nods, tears flowing freely now.
“The memories are all glitchy and like mini flashes. The therapist believes she started drugging me. Which would explain why there are periods of time I don’t remember very well.” She looks at me then and bursts into tears. “I’m sorry, I didn’t remember, I thought-” Sean doesn’t even try to protest when I grab her from his side and pull her onto my lap. She curls up so small and clings to me as she breaks down.
“Don’t you dare apologise. You have nothing to be sorry for,” I say as I rock her. Holding her so tight, I’m worried I might hurt her, but there is nothing that will make me release her now.
“But I honestly thought you were … She made me believe I was still a…” My body freezes as what she’s saying sinks in. Movement in my peripheral vision makes me look up in time to see Jason jumping up and pulling Maximus from the room with his arm around his shoulders.
“No matter what, you are still ours, Sweetheart. No one will ever take away how special that afternoon was for all five of us,” I whisper into her hair. I had hoped it would calm her, but she starts crying harder instead. I hear her apologise again, and it takes everything in me not to lose it. “Please stop,” I whisper as tears fill my own eyes. “You did nothing wrong, Sweetheart. Absolutely nothing.”
I look to Sean, only to find him paler than I’ve ever seen him. He looks like he is on the verge of breaking down. I also don’t miss how he looks from Jasmine to the door his twin just left through. The two people he loves more than anything in this world are falling apart, and he's stuck, not knowing what to do for either of them.
“I promise no one will ever touch you again,” I whisper as I hold our girl in my arms. “I will hunt down each of them that hurt you and make them pay. Tell me what you need, and it's yours,” I whisper as her sobs start to slow.
“Why would she do that? Now her favourite taunt makes sense, and I hate her even more.”
“What would she say, Princess?” Sean's voice is rough, and I know he is being held on by a thread.
“Whenever I was confused or couldn’t remember what I had done, she would laugh and say, ‘ What you don’t remember doesn’t matter .’ She could keep selling my virginity because, as far as I was concerned, I was still one.” Jasmine rests her head on my chest and cries quietly.
I hear the slightest click and look over my shoulder to where my brothers are walking back in. One look at Maximus’s face, and I know he’s been crying and raging. His eyes are red and puffy, and his whole body is trembling. They watch Jasmine as they return to sitting in the same positions. I’m unsure if she knows they have returned or even left in the first place.
“Tell me what you need, Sweetheart,” I whisper into her hair. “Tell me who they were, and I will kill them for you.”
“You already have, I think.” Leaning back a little, I can’t help but frown at her.
“Who?”
“I heard about the blonde guy who was Hudson's mate. He was there that day when Hudson hurt me.”
“He was one of them?” Jason asks, his face expressing the level of shock we are all feeling. Jasmine nods and starts playing with the ears of her bear.
“I always knew I recognised him from somewhere, and when Daddy Max told me about what he said last night, it all clicked into place. I recognised a few faces in that house, and now I know why.”
“He’s dead; I killed him last night.” I had been worried about telling her I had committed murder, but now I wish I could do it again. I wish I could have kept going until there was nothing left of the fucking bastard.
“Did you know Tommy before we met you?”
I look at Sean and frown; surely, he can’t be implying what I think he is. But Jasmine looks at him and shakes her head.
“No, but I think Mum knew Taylor or at least a few of his guys.”
“When did it stop, Jazzy?” Jason asks, retaking her hand.
“About a year before the wedding, I think. It may have been more like two, as I was hardly home by that point, so she wasn’t able to drug me. I think they tried a couple of times, but I would fight them. She stopped then and just resorted to berating me. She was sober for about six months before introducing me to Tommy a few months before the wedding.”
I watch Jason's shoulders relax a little and realise he is worried that Hudson has been one of the ones who hurt her. It sounds like the kind of thing he was into. But Hudson started working for Taylor a few months after the wedding. I think if he had been one of them, Jason would have lost it, blaming himself even more for letting the bastard live when he should have killed him.
“I don’t remember much more,” she admits quietly before wiping her face. When she looks up at me, her bloodshot eyes break my heart. “I really wanted you to be my first.” Her bottom lip starts to tremble again as I tighten my arms around her, trying desperately to hold her together as she falls apart on my lap.
“He was, Jazzy,” Jason whispers, reaching over to place a finger under her chin and tilting her head up so he can look at her.
“But-”
“But nothing,” he cuts her off. “He was the first person you gave yourself willingly to. That makes him your first.
“That afternoon, you gave us all the greatest gift we could have ever asked for. You gave us your heart and trust, and it’s something we cherish more than anything else.”
“He’s right, Sweetheart,” I whisper into her hair. “Like I told you a few minutes ago, nothing can take that afternoon away from us. The five of us began something amazing that day, and no one and nothing will ever taint that memory.”
She looks at all of us as we try to hide how much our hearts are breaking for our girl.
“Thank you,” she whispers, leaning her head back into my chest.
“What for, Shorty?” Maximus asks as he leans forward and takes her hand.
“For being supportive like you always are. For letting me take those few days to come to terms with everything before telling you all.”
“You know better than thanking us for looking after you, Angel,” Jason points out, but Jasmine shakes her head.
“I’m thanking you for caring enough to look after me. For always holding me when I feel like I’m breaking apart. I love you all so much, and now and again, I want to show you how much I appreciate you. I do that by saying thank you. So just for once, let me.”
“As you wish, Princess.” Sean leans in and presses a kiss to the top of her head. “But just know that I am so proud of you and how you have handled all of this.”
“I think it’s safe to say we all are,” I add as Maximus and Jason nod in agreement.
“I’m trying to focus on the future,” she whispers as she closes her eyes. “We are going to have a great future together,” she adds, her voice sounding heavy.
One thing we have learnt about Jasmine is that crying wears her out physically as well as mentally. Whenever she cries, she curls up against one of us and falls asleep. I like to think it’s because she feels genuinely safe with us and knows there is nothing we wouldn’t do to protect her.
“Where do you want to sleep tonight, Jazzy?” Jason asks, giving her hand a quick squeeze before she falls into a deep sleep.
“Can I sleep with Daddy?” she asks slowly, not opening her eyes.
“Of course you can, Sweetheart,” I respond, lifting her in my arms as I stand.
“You get her upstairs; I’ll check in with security before calling it a night,” Jason says, looking at me. I nod and leave the sitting room with the twins close behind, as they will want to see her into bed.
Once in our room, I place Jasmine on the bed and step back.
“Let these two help you get ready for bed, Sweetheart. I’ll be right back.” Kissing the top of her head, I go to the bathroom and take a quick shower. At one point, I notice Maximus's arms around Jasmine as she brushes her teeth. After tonight, I know everyone will want a couple of minutes alone with her, making sure, in their own way, she’s okay.
I take my time drying off after my shower and brushing my teeth, giving my brothers as long as they need with Jasmine.
When I finally walk into the bedroom, the twins are gone, and Jason is curled up on the bed with Jasmine. She is almost asleep, clinging to her teddy, which is pressed into her face, to the point I’m worried she can’t breathe. Jason is stroking her hair and whispering to her, so I keep my back turned, giving him space, not wanting to intrude on their time together.
When I eventually turn around, he is still curled up, his eyes closed, as he starts to fall asleep. I walk around to the other side and climb in behind our girl.
“Shit, sorry,” he curses as he wakes with a jump.
“It’s fine to stay there. I think she would want us both here anyway,” I whisper, turning on my side so I can lie behind Jasmine.
“No, I need my bed. But come get me if she gets upset.”
I nod as he climbs off the bed.
“How is Maximus?” I ask, running my hand over her head.
“He flipped. One of the pictures needs a new frame.”
I nod as it’s what I had expected. Maximus has always been the one of us who reacts badly to anything Jasmine is put through. His love for her is everything to him, and he can't handle it when he doesn’t protect her, even If he hadn’t known her when she was hurt.
“Everything else okay?”
Jason nods before yawning.
“Yeah, fine. Try and get some rest, and shout if you need me.”
I nod and wish him a good night as he switches the lamp off on her side of the bed and heads to his own room. Leaving me to lie in the dark with my strong, beautiful woman who has proven once again that there is nothing she can't take on and overcome.
Pulling her into my arms, I lie down, burying my nose into her hair as I remind myself that we are here together, safe and sound, even if only for tonight; I’m not going to think about anything other than that.
Tomorrow is another day, and I’m sure it will bring just as much shit as any other, but as always, I know I can face it with this woman by my side, and I am another day closer to tying her to me forever.