17. Jasper
17
JASPER
I stand outside the bar, leaning against the cool metal of my truck, a chill creeping in, and it’s not the mountain air.
Ariana’s taken up space in my head, in all the best ways, yet there’s still that anger boiling inside—frustration over the shit she had to deal with, frustration over the man who wanted to hurt her. And right now, I want to take out my rage on him.
Cage, Ghost, and Cassian are gathered around me, arms crossed, their faces hardened with determination. They know why we’re here. They’ve all seen the footage. We all hate guys like him.
“Bet he thinks he’s some sort of tough guy,” Cage mutters, scanning the street like a wolf searching for his next meal.
“Let him think that,” I reply, cracking my knuckles as I lean against the truck. “He’ll find out real quick that he’s just a coward.”
Cassian chuckles darkly, shaking his head. “I’m just hoping we get the chance to teach him a lesson before he runs off.”
There’s a calmness to the air about us, an unspoken understanding that whatever happens tonight, we’re good with it. Even if it ends with us disposing of a body.
We wait while pedestrians come and go, the laughter and life of the bar rippling out from the entrance.
I scan the area, letting the calm of the night envelop me as my mind races. I want to get home to Ariana. To get her ready for bed and feel her small body curl into me while we both fall asleep. I want to kiss her again. To strip her naked and lick every inch of her tight body before I plunge my cock into her.
Jesus. What is wrong with me? She’s a virgin. And while that pleases me way more than it should, I can’t go all fucking caveman and fuck her into next week… Not the first time, at least.
Then, we catch sight of him. The guy from the parking lot. Dressed in a faded flannel, jeans stretched tight around his frame. He’s got that cocky slouch, the kind that screams “I was the small-town high school quarterback twenty years ago and I think I’m still the shit because of it.” Even from a distance, I can see the arrogance in his posture, oblivious to the danger lurking around him.
“That’s the fucker,” I say, nodding toward him.
My brothers have already spotted him and they’re ready to fuck this guy up. It doesn’t matter that Ariana is still basically a stranger to them. She’s important to me, so she is to them, and they’ll die protecting her without question. It’s what we do. It’s what we signed up for when we were recruited by The Agency to The Elite Team.
We’re not here for small talk; the moment has come.
“Let’s go,” Ghost announces, leading the charge.
We approach him quickly, our strides purposeful and intimidating. He doesn’t seem to notice at first, too engrossed in his conversation with some unsuspecting woman, probably trying to woo her with fake charm and empty promises.
“What’s up?” the guy asks, glancing over impatiently. As soon as he lays eyes on us, he does a double-take and then confusion flickers in his eyes as he takes in our collective presence.
Heat prickles at the back of my neck, and my knuckles ache for the pain of punching him right in the fucking face.
“Step away from her,” I growl, my voice low and filled with barely-contained fury.
The woman’s eyes widen as she registers our energy, shock washing over her. She backs up a step, clinging to her drink like it’s going to save her.
“Who the hell are you?” This idiot pulls his chin up, acting like he holds the cards in this situation.
Spoiler alert: He doesn’t. And he’s about to figure that out the hard way.
“Just a few concerned citizens,” Cassian replies, stepping closer, all too ready. “And we heard you’ve been behaving like a punk ass lately.”
“What does that even mean?” His bravado is still there, but there’s a flicker of uncertainty starting to spark in his eyes.
Ghost scoffs and moves to block his escape behind him. “It means you should think twice before you touch another woman. Because we’re here to make sure you understand it’s not a fucking joke.”
My heart pounds as I lunge, towering over this piece of shit. “You’re never going to put your hands on anyone, especially a woman, ever again. You got that?”
A wave of anger bleeding into uncertainty washes over his face as he realizes we’re not fucking around. “You don’t know who you’re talking to,” he snaps back weakly.
Cage steps forward, fingers flexed like he means business. “Yeah. Neither do you. But you’re about to find out.”
With another word, we grab him, arms wrapping around his shoulders, and drag him toward the back of the parking lot. People in the bar stare, though they don’t try to get in the way.
He begins to protest, but we don’t care. The rambling curses turn to desperate pleading as we shove him into the bed of my truck and tie ropes around his ankles and wrists in record time.
“Let’s go to the outskirts,” I call out over my brothers.
We leave Dickface in the back and get into our trucks. Ghost jumps into the driver’s seat of mine so I can keep an eye on our captive. The engine rumbles to life, and seconds later, we’re tearing out of the lot and onto the open road.
I silently chuckle as the memory of Ariana telling me I was kidnapping her comes to mind. If only she could see this, she would know that I was definitely not kidnapping her.
“You’ll regret this!” the jerk shouts, trying to pound desperately on the side of the bed despite the bindings.
It’s sweet that he thinks that. Too bad for him, we don’t have consciences and have every resource available to make anything disappear.
We drive for a while, the trees lining the road blurring past us. Eventually, we turn onto a dirt trail that winds deeper into the woods, the moonlight filtering through the branches casting eerie shadows across our path. These mountains are our playground, and we’ve spent plenty of time exploring them that we know them like they’re our own backyard.
Finally, Ghost brings us to a stop, and my brothers all get out of the truck, then undo his ankle ropes and pull the guy out of the back. He stumbles, but they hold him steady.
“This is where it ends for you,” I say, my voice sharp as a knife. “You think you can put your hands on someone and get away with it? It doesn’t work that way anymore.”
Panic plays over his face like a movie on repeat. “Hey! You guys can’t do this! I swear, I won’t hurt anyone again. I didn’t mean?—”
“No, you meant it,” I hiss, leaning in closer so he can really hear me. “You don’t get to treat women like that. Ever. And if you try again, I won’t just leave you out here to live with the animals. This is your one shot—your last chance. Next time, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”
This time, the fear is palpable. Sweat drips down his forehead as I shine my flashlight in his face, momentarily blinding him. Finally, I step back and shove him hard, sending him flying to the ground with a hard thump.
I walk back to the truck, not looking around as Ghost gets in and starts the engine again.
“Good luck finding your way home, asshole,” I call over my shoulder. “I hope the bears eat you before you make it.”
Then we drive off, leaving him nearly eighty miles from any sort of civilization.
As the trees rush by on our way home, I can’t help but think about how I’m going to take care of my Little thief… and how I’m not letting anyone or anything hurt her again.
* * *
I slam the door behind me, impatient to see my girl. But the moment I step inside, I tense.
Theo is pacing near the front door, his expression taut as he rakes his hand through his messy hair. Panic wells up in my chest. “What’s wrong?” I demand, my pulse racing as dread settles deep in my gut.
He stops mid-step, eyes wide and filled with concern. “I messed up, Jasper.”
“What do you mean?” I step closer, fear flooding me. “Did something happen to Ariana?”
“No,” he says quickly, holding up his hands as if to stave off my panic. “Not like that. But I… I was in the living room and, well, I reached for her popcorn without thinking, and she… she smacked my hand away.”
“What?” My heart lurches. Fuck. I should have warned him about her issues with sharing food. “Then what?”
“She got upset and started apologizing, but when she did, she reached out to touch my arm, and I flinched and pulled back. I didn’t mean to, man. I was just in shock that she smacked me. I wasn’t prepared for her to touch me. I’m sorry, Jasper. I think I scared her.” His voice drops, guilt lined in every word. “She ran upstairs.”
“You let her run away?” I look toward the stairs, the urge to go after her surging through me.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Theo throws his hands into the air, frustration flashing in his eyes. “I didn’t want to make things worse by following her.”
I’m already moving toward the stairs. “I’ll go talk to her.”
“Wait,” he calls, grabbing my arm. “Should I go talk to her? Explain why I flinched?”
I shake my head and sigh. “I’ll explain it to her. Don’t worry. She’ll be okay. She doesn’t like people touching her food. She did the same thing to me when I reached for her plate. I should have warned you. This is on me.”
His expression softens as he processes my words, his grip relaxing. He nods slowly, glancing at the staircase, concerned. “Fine. Just… tell her I’m sorry.”
I nod and offer my brother a reassuring smile. “I’ll handle it. I promise.”
Before I turn away, he pulls me into a quick embrace, holding me tight for a moment. “I’m sorry, man.”
“No need to be. We all have our demons. Including her. She’ll understand,” I say, squeezing him back before breaking away and rushing upstairs.
When I reach her room, I knock softly on the closed door, pushing it open slightly. “Rainbow?” I call softly. “Can I come in?”
No response.
My heart spasms. “Ariana,” I repeat, stepping fully inside.
The room is dark, and I’m met with the sight of her curled up in the corner on the floor, knees tucked to her chest, her blanket wrapped tightly in her hand. My pulse quickens as I take in the tear streaks on her cheeks, her small frame trembling slightly.
Shit.
I cross the room quickly, kneeling beside her, and she jumps slightly at my sudden presence. “Hey.”
She looks up at me, eyes glistening with the remnants of tears. “Theo hates me,” she whispers, chin quivering. “I hit him, and now he must think I’m a bad girl.”
Fuck.
“No.” My heart aches as I reach for her instinctively. “No, he doesn’t think that at all.” I scoop her into my arms without waiting for permission, settling into the nearby armchair as I cradle her against my chest. “You’re not a bad girl, baby. You’re a good girl.”
Her small body shakes as she nestles into me, the warmth of my arms wrapping around her like a protective shield. “I shouldn’t have hit him. I don’t know why I did. It’s like I saw him going for my popcorn and I panicked, and I didn’t mean to.”
“I know, baby. And he knows that, too. Just like he didn’t mean to flinch when you touched him. We all make mistakes.” I bury my cheek in her hair, inhaling the soft scent of strawberries that surrounds her. “Trust me, I’ve made plenty of my own. Theo understands. He’s not angry at you, I promise.”
“Really?” She peeks up at me, those bright blue eyes wide and vulnerable.
“Really,” I reassure her, brushing a thumb across her cheek, wiping away any leftover tears. “Hopefully, over time it will get better, but it’s okay if it doesn’t. Either way, you’re safe here, baby. We all have our own demons to fight, and we still accept one another just as we are.”
I close my eyes and hold her close, absorbing every bit of her warm and loving energy. She relaxes against me with an adorable sigh, her breathing growing steadier. I’m not sure how it’s possible for it to happen so fast, but somehow, she calms my demons.
No one has ever been able to do that.
Not until my Little thief.