Devin #3
She swallowed hard and continued. “The door was locked from the outside and the windows barred. I was running around looking for a way out when Ida had one of her episodes. I stopped and sat with her, holding her hand, trying to calm her down. The front door burst open and Ida turned frightened eyes on me. I motioned her to be quiet. I locked her bedroom door and snuck toward the front. I didn’t have a weapon, but I could at least move.
When I saw who it was, they whisked me away giving the order to clear the house. I told them I was the only one there.”
Devin found it harder and harder to explain her actions because as she recounted them, it was glaring how wrong she’d been.
“Ida and I had hours to just talk. I knew she was terrified of the club. She had freaked out when I told her who I was and that my brother would come for me. She made me promise that if they came, I’d run with them and never look back…
so that’s what I did. But it’s eaten me alive ever since.
That’s why I wanted to go back for her without the club. ”
There it was out there. She’d finally said it aloud and the tears followed.
Jasper let her cry it out, like he knew she needed to just sit with it. When her sniffles slowed, he spoke softly.
“Devin?” His voice was low and understanding, but did she deserve it?
“You don’t get it Jasper, I chose to honor an old woman’s wishes at the cost of me lying to the club, betraying them, not trusting my brother, and leaving her there. Who knows if Thom took it out on her that I left.”
“Devin.” His tone was still gentle but authoritative, demanding she listen. She raised her head just enough to look into his eyes through her lashes.
“You said yourself she never showed signs of abuse. You making that split-second decision, was you doing what you thought was right, and no one can fault you for that. Yes, it wasn’t being loyal to the club, so, amends will need to be made.
However, it wasn’t betrayal in the typical sense of the word. ”
She went on and filled in the other details he’d need for tomorrow. Honestly, she didn’t give two shits if Thom got his ass handed to him. She’d say her piece, probably kick him in the balls, get him to sign Ida’s admittance papers and that would be that.
They drifted off to sleep and she woke once again to Jasper’s head between her legs. But this time instead of tongue fucking her into oblivion, he was individually kissing each and every scar.
When he was done, he made slow passionate love to her. That was the only way to describe it. Every other time had been a frantic coupling, but this was slow and intimate.
She slipped once again into oblivion, only to be awakened by Jasper and the smell of coffee.
“What time is it?”
“Time for your beautiful ass to get out of bed and get dressed. We have a dickhead to punch and an old lady to rescue.” He handed her the coffee and kissed her forehead. “Sounds like the plot to a cheesy procedural cop show.”
She took him in as she sipped the coffee. Coffee just the way she liked it too, more vanilla creamer than coffee. The man’s observational skills never ceased to amaze her. He looked sexy and dangerous, dressed head to toe in black, including a beanie.
After she got up and dressed, they were ready to go.
After last night, and the way he looked at her that morning, a realization crashed into her.
“After we get Ida safely in the facility, I think I can go back to Utah.” She didn’t need to confront her mother. Jasper had stolen all the power that woman held over her for all those years and handed it back to Devin by simply seeing her. Jasper kept some for himself.
“She still needs to pay, Sweetness. That’s not gonna change. She hurt what’s mine and I won’t let that slide.”
Ignoring his caveman routine, she nodded. As long as what was going to happen happened before Lucas found out, then she was at peace with it.
Jasper got on his bike and followed her to Thom’s neighborhood. She didn’t miss the other motorcycles that stuck with them, hanging back. She expected to be nervous, but she was surprisingly calm. At that point, she’d also realized she didn’t even really need to confront Thom anymore.
Honestly, she probably never needed to, just needed someone to see her as Devin. Not a caretaker or a piece of ass. Not a burden or thunder thighs.
She’d thought confronting those who’d said and done those things would somehow make them take it back or erase it or apologize. But that was never going to happen and even if by some miracle it did, would it change anything? No.
What did change it, was Jasper.
It was a relief, because that minimized the danger, at least to her way of thinking. Subdue Thom, which Jasper could easily do, force him to sign, call the transport for Ida, then go back to Utah.
For the first time in years, she was looking forward instead of spinning her tires or looking in the rearview.
Devin couldn’t wait to tell Jasper she loved him.
She parked back from the house along the road as Jasper had instructed her. One of the other motorcycles rode ahead, and one stopped behind her by Jasper, but only Jasper dismounted.
Opening her door, Jasper pulled her into his body before stepping back and cupping her cheeks. “Ready, Sweetness?”
She nodded. He took her hand and they crept toward the house. The rider of the bike that had ridden ahead was a few paces behind them as they entered the yard.
“Okay, stick to the plan. If anything happens to shift from what we discussed, you head right back out that door. Nitro will be right there. Got it?”
She nodded and Jasper stopped walking.
“I need the words, Devin. No matter what happens. If you aren’t safe, I can’t breathe. So, either promise me right now that you’ll run if shit goes off course or we turn around now.”
“Yes. If anything goes wrong, I run to Nitro.”
He searched her eyes in the dull illumination of a distant streetlight, then kissed her forehead.
She waited by the step as Jasper picked the lock. She knew he had a gun, but he pulled his knife instead and she followed him as they entered the house.
No not Jasper, this was definitely Sasquatch, club enforcer. His entire bearing was different the second he’d dismounted.