Chapter 28 Elias
ELIAS
Jules has been with us for a couple of weeks, effortlessly blending in with our family, getting more comfortable every day.
I haven’t mentioned my fantasy of fucking her in the Big Top in front of the Seven Sins crew again, but it’s always at the forefront of my mind when we’re fucking.
My Jewel is as much of an exhibitionist as I am.
We pulled stakes and jumped town, rolling into Ashford in Graves County, an unplanned stop. And my reporter knows it.
“Okay, what’s going on?” she questions as we’re gathered in my trailer. The space feels smaller than usual with an extra body. I might have to start pitching a tent just for inner circle meetings.
“What’s the problem, Blue?” Cole asks with a wink.
Jules is not about to take any shit, though, straightening her back even as she sits on my lap.
“The problem is,” she begins, “that we’re in my home county. I saw the schedule and permits, and I know we were supposed to go west.”
“You got us, little bird,” Rowe says wryly.
I lean in and kiss the side of her neck before speaking. “I asked Silas to look into the whereabouts of your family.”
Her muscles go taut, her breathing hitching. Her anguish makes my chest tight, makes a heart I didn’t know I still had ache.
“He didn’t tell me what happened,” Si says softly. “Just that your parents, and your uncle and cousin, especially, deserve some...”
“Karma,” Marek fills in where his brother trails off.
Jules’s breathing comes in ragged pants as she looks at the understanding on their faces. Her shoulders rise and fall as she sighs, then she clears her throat and speaks.
“When I was a kid, my older cousin, Rick, started abusing me. My parents gaslighted me into keeping it quiet. My uncle threatened me.”
“Motherfuckers,” Logan snarls viciously, my other brothers agreeing with murmured growls.
“Anyway, when I was fifteen, I stabbed him… in the act,” Jules continues. “My whole family saw, and my parents and I weren’t welcome anymore. They fucking hated me for it, so I picked up my shit and left as soon as I could. And here I am.”
I hold her tighter and kiss her cheek. “My brave girl.”
She snorts dismissively. “I don’t know that I was brave. I ran. I never told anyone about it until you. I helped other abuse victims tell their stories, but never told my own.”
“Would you like to change that?” Silas offers mildly.
“What do you mean?” she asks, her tone cautious.
My brother produces a small stack of papers and throws them on the table.
“Thomas and Evelyn Beck’s current location, their financial situation, social connections.
” He throws another, thicker stack next to it.
“Preston and Richard Caldwell. Fiona Caldwell is deceased, her death ruled a suicide, though anyone with eyes could see that’s a load of shit. ”
Jules extends a shaking hand toward the thicker stack. “What happened to her?”
“Overdosed on meds,” Silas replies. “They were prescriptions. The part the cops should’ve looked into was that she met with a lawyer to start divorce proceedings just three days earlier.”
“No shit?” Jules breathes. “Aunt Fi woke up long enough to want to leave?”
“According to her lawyer, your uncle was as fond of young girls as his son. The housekeeper’s daughter was mentioned.”
“That piece of shit,” Jules hisses. “And he called me sick for tempting my cousin.”
My arms clench around her until she whimpers in protest.
“Sorry, baby,” I breathe. “Just so fucking mad.”
“That’s why we’re here, right?” Cole drawls. “To find a healthy outlet for the anger.”
Jonah grunts. “You think slicing deviants into ribbons is a healthy outlet.”
Cole grins, his smile razor sharp. “Exactly.”
“What about my parents?” Jules asks softly. “I don’t know that I could…”
“We know,” I say when she trails off, running my hand down her back. “There are two things we could do. One, ruin them financially.”
“I found quite a few tax irregularities,” Si adds.
“Or?” Jules breathes.
My hand stills on her back. “Or you could print a story in the local paper.”
I hear her breath catch in her throat, her body going rigid atop mine.
“I’ve had the story written since I was eighteen,” she confesses quietly. “It was like I needed to get it on paper… but I was never brave enough to hit send.”
“It’s up to you,” I say, my palm resuming its path over the expanse of her back. “We’re with you, whatever you decide to do.”
“They shouldn’t be allowed to hurt more women,” Jules finally says after a while.
“You’re right,” I agree, but let her take the lead.
“If I publish the article exposing them and then my uncle and cousin get killed, it’ll be far too suspicious. It’s one or the other,” she muses.
“Not necessarily,” Marek hums. “Not if they die of natural causes.”
I lift an eyebrow. “What do you know that we don’t?”
“Plenty,” Marek replies. “But let’s start with the facts. Both Caldwells have unfortunate habits.”
“That’s right,” Silas picks up. “Senior loves his ketamine and whiskey. Junior prefers cocaine and hookers.”
I chuckle, seeing the beauty of their suggestions. “It’s only natural for addictions to escalate under stress.”
“So exposé first, and then…” Jules lifts a hand and gestures at my brothers.
“And then Senior gets some fentanyl mixed with his K, and Junior wraps his Beemer around a tree on a drunken whoring rampage,” Logan finishes.
“Sounds good to me,” I say, giving the narrative my blessing. “Little Sapphire?”
Jules is quiet for a minute, and we let her have the peace she needs to work things through in her head. It’s her family, after all, her demons. We handle ours in our own way. She should decide how she handles hers.
“Alright,” she finally says. “I’ll look over what I wrote and send it to my contact at the Gazette.”
“I’ll tip off the IRS,” Jonah says, slapping Silas on the back and nearly knocking him over.
Logan whoops. “Let’s get this party started.”
Jules turns so we’re face-to-face and presses her forehead against mine.
“Thank you,” she says into the diminished space between us.
I bring my hands to the sides of her head and gently run my fingertips over the shells of her ears. “For what, baby?”
“For caring,” she whispers against my lips.
“Ah, fuck, Jewel,” I mutter, moving my mouth to her ear. “Don’t make me wanna say things I’ve never said before while my idiot brothers are listening in.”
She laughs wryly. “Later, then. Tell me later.”
I kiss the side of her neck, pausing to take in her sweet scent of leather and bubblegum.
“Later,” I promise.