Chapter 12
T o my surprise, the house had turned into a refugee camp overnight. Every guest room was occupied and every soft surface served as a makeshift bed. The bathrooms seemed to be always occupied. Our food ran low in the first few days and someone had to venture out to get more supplies.
But it would have been insensitive to complain. These men risked their lives for me and my husband, ensuring the house remained safe and secure.
The men that had been wounded were recovering and their spirits remained high though hopeful. I use the term lightly. I assume many of them are seeking revenge.
There were of course some benefits to our situation as well. The house felt more lively than it had during my recovery and I wasn’t feeling as lonely anymore. I could smell food being prepared practically every hour and the sounds of laughter made me almost believe we weren’t in grave danger.
But above that, I got to see my husband more. I had missed him so much during his absence and we took every opportunity to make up lost time. If he wasn’t down stairs elaborating plans with his men, we were entangled in each other’s arms, often naked, that lead into hours of passionate lovemaking.
One day I noticed all of the men were hustling and bustling in the common area, cleaning and tidying up. I almost burst into whistling while they worked. Jax captured me under his arm as I approached him.
“What’s going on?”
“Moving day.”
“Oh?”
“Most of the men are recovered enough to move into different safehouses. It’s uncommon to stay in one place for too long when we still don’t know who leaked the security codes.”
“Understandable.” Giving him a light squeeze I tried to offer my support though I knew right now he was in his element, leading, planning and delegating. My presence wasn’t needed but I wanted to be near him as much as possible, anyway. I bit my lip and turned the ring on my finger, unsure what my role was in all this. “What do you want me to do?”
“Pack.”
“I’m leaving too?”
“Like I said, we can’t stay in one place for too long. I just wanted to give you ample time to recover.”
“I’ve been fine for days.”
“I know-” Leaning over and lowering his voice so only I could hear, he continued. “-but I wanted you all to myself for a few days.”
Hiding my face behind my hands, I mumbled something along the lines of ‘I’ll go up and start packing’ and turned on my heels before anyone had time to notice the blush creeping up my face.
Not that there was much for me to pack since all my possessions were still at the penthouse. The few things I had accumulated in the past few days belonged to the house. I still spent a good ten or so minutes tidying up the rooms we had used, pocketed my toothbrush and knife, before returning downstairs with an armful of laundry.
Not long after, a caravan of blacked out SUVs were due to depart. Jax insisted I ride with him, which I didn’t protest, of course, and buckled myself next to him with haste. To think a mere months ago it would have been the last thing on my wish list and now I couldn’t get enough of him. My husband. I warped his trench coat tighter around me and inhaled his musky scent.
I had no memory of the road that led to the house. For the next hour my eyes wandered over the unfamiliar landscape in an attempt to recognize any of the landmarks. Another hour passed before I was able to identify some of the road names.
I was about to ask where we were headed, but when I glanced over at Jax, I saw his serious expression, focused, intent on the road ahead, so I decided against it. Instead, I stayed silent, gazing out into the distance, trusting that he knew the way.
My questions were quickly answered when he made a turn off the road and came to a stop at a roadside grill. Leaving the engine running he stepped out of the car and motioned me to follow him. He was already at the booth when I managed to climb out of the car and scanned our surroundings. The place looked deserted, just a forgotten pitstop between the trees and the road.
A cold breeze blew through the crowns, making them sway and hum quietly. There was something eerie about this place making a shiver run down my spine. The grill looked like it had been abandoned a long time ago based on the rust on the window panes. I stepped over the weeds growing from the cracks in the dirt covered concrete.
When Jax returned, he was tapping away on his phone. Before I had time to ask my question, he had already closed the distance between us and placed a fleeting kiss on my cheek.
“There is a tower a few miles from here, the only place there is cell service in this whole county.”
“So you left the house to come here?”
“Yes. I had other things I needed to take care of but this was the closest place to keep in contact with the people I knew I could trust.” His phone buzzed again and his brows creased looking at it.
“Oh, I understand. Like a safe hot spot.”
He hummed in response, stepping away from me and leaning on the hood of the car, tapping his reply to the incoming messages. Though there was no snow on the ground, the air was still nippy. I dug my hands into the jacket pocket and pulled out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes, placing one on his lips and lighting it up. His eyes gleamed in the soft orange glow of the embers. It reminded me of the night we first met.
I let out a sigh. Love. This is definitely love. What I thought had been the worst night of my life turned out to be one of the best. I couldn’t believe I ever thought kissing this man was a mistake. He was mine .
Distracted with my thoughts, I didn’t notice the caravan of blacked out cars turning off the road until they stopped right next to us. Questioning, I turned to Jax, but he remained unphased, as if he had expected them. A handful of armed men funneled out of the vehicles and stood guard surrounding us. I had to do a double take to realize who stepped out of the last car.
“Papa?” I couldn’t believe my eyes. He stood there with open arms, smiling, like this was a normal event. Like last time he saw me, hadn’t been terrifying for me. Like he hadn’t beaten me within the inch of my life the night of the wedding. Like he could just walz out here and expect me to not resent him for it.
“Valentina. Come here, malyshka.”
My feet didn’t move. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I was frozen in place, trying to decipher the situation. How is he here? And why? Feeling my pulse spike, I began to fidget with my ring once more, turning it in my finger in an attempt to ground myself. I couldn’t understand what was going on.
His smile fell slightly and I could see the shift in his posture. Snapping out of my trance I forced my feet to move. With great effort I managed a delighted expression to form on my face. I knew better than to anger my father, especially when we were outnumbered. His arms closed around me, pulling me in and patting my back, strangely welcoming. When we parted, I laced my voice with as much honey as possible but I felt my smile failing.
“It’s good to see you, Papa.”
“Malyshka, I’ve missed your subtle venom.”
“No, I mean it. I just wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.” If ever. I’d be perfectly happy if I never see another member of the bratva ever again. But alas, here he is.
“The feeling is mutual, unfortunately the situation has changed. Are you ready?”
“Uh.. ready for what?”
“To leave of course. I’ve come to collect you.”
“To collect- what? No, wait.”
“It’s cold, malyshka. We can’t stay here all day. Come on now. Get in the car.” My father held my arm firmly and began to lead me to the back.
The men surrounding us made their move as well and started funneling back into their vehicles. Frantically, I looked towards my husband seeking his aid, but he remained still, lazily smoking his cigarette. His expression was unreadable and it scared me. How is he okay with this?
“Wait wait wait, just hold on for one second. Jax? Explain.” Nothing. He said nothing, made no move to comfort me nor to protect me. He remained still, like he didn’t care if I was in his life. It can’t be.
“Don’t worry about him, it’s all sorted with the O′Haras.” My father retorted, ignoring my protest as I struggled in his hold. His fingers felt bruising, digging into my flesh, giving me flashbacks to that fateful night. “They won’t be expecting a payment for terminating the contract early.”
“Jax?” It felt like everything else faded away and my vision narrowed only on Jax. Calling out for him again, I managed to snap my arm away from my fathers grasp and take one staggering step back. “No, let go. I have to hear it from him. Is it true?”
“Yes.” When he finally spoke, his voice was low and harsh, just like before, just like the day we met. Sharp like ice. My heart shattered. No. “You will go with your father and be with your family.”
“I don’t understand. Why? Please, explain.” The silent plea for reason did not reach him. He seemed colder, distant, void of emotions, like this didn’t matter. Like I didn’t matter to him.
“The threat on your life hasn’t been eliminated. This is a precaution. I made a deal with your father to take you back, under the condition that you’d be relocated to another safehouse out of the country.”
“Are you serious?” Swallowing the tears that threatened to spill, I hoped it would not be true. I hoped what my father said was a lie and I hoped Jax would stop him from taking me. But his expression told me otherwise. There was no regret there. They were simply empty.
“Yes, it has been decided.”
Those words rung in my head, shaking me to my core. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was not the man that had me in his bed only a few hours ago, this was not the man that had kissed me like he loved me. This was not the man I had given my heart to. How could he throw me away?
“Bullshit! You can’t decide that. What about what I want? Did you ever stop to consider what I want?”
“What you want is irrelevant. This is for the best. It’s for your safety. ”
And just like that, I was back in that room, on Christmas eve, and someone else, a man , was making my life choices for me. I couldn’t accept that, not again.
“I’ll be safe with you. I’m your wife -” I said quietly, desperately trying to reap air into my lungs.
“You were a convenience . A means to an end, nothing more. It’s stupid to think otherwise.”
“Please don’t do this.” My voice cracked, turning into a meek whisper that made its way past my lips. My entire body was shaking, that had nothing to do with the cold. I was surprised I was still able to stand. The forest was spinning and the air felt like ice.
Jax stomped his cigarette and put the final nail to my coffin. “I’m done talking about this. You will go. End of. My decision is final.”
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see him walk away and let the tears fall silently. There was no dignity in crying in front of people. I knew this. I knew I wouldn’t receive any sympathy for showing weakness but I was at the end of my rope. My body numb, I climbed into the car and slammed the door on my heart.