Chapter 31
Kaz
I’m sitting on the couch in Jonathan’s living room, him next to me, when Jamison walks in. My whole body tenses up when we lock eyes. What is he thinking right now? Is he even sorry? The look on his face is completely blank which pisses me the fuck off. How dare he come in here and act like he didn’t just torture me over nothing. Jonathan leans in front of me, breaking my eye contact with his brother.
“You okay, Pretty Girl?”
I nod yes at him before looking over his shoulder to find Riley and Corrine walking into the apartment. I jump up, a smile immediately forming on my face. They both run over and hug me.
“Are you okay, Kaz?” Riley asks concerned.
Corrine looks at Jamison with narrowed eyes. “We heard what happened.”
“It was just a slight miscommunication,” I try to reason, knowing full well I have a shit ton of secrets I’m still keeping from them.
“Bullshit,” Corrine seethes out, still eyeing Jamison.
Xavier comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her before whispering in her ear. Her shoulders slump a little and her eyes soften. “We are really glad you’re okay, Kaz.”
Fuck, I feel so bad right now. These girls have been so good to me and I’ve kept so much shit from them. From everyone, really. I’m so tired. I’m tired of trying to keep everything straight. I’m tired of trying to keep track of every little lie. I look back at Jonathan. He’s been too fucking good to me and now he knows everything. He still loves me after all I’ve put him through. Maybe I just need to come clean with everyone. Maybe if I let everything out now, there’s still a chance I can salvage these relationships. I might not have a job at Bolt Corporation, but I can find some other way to make ends meet. I’ve saved enough money over the years to get me by until I figure something else out.
“I have to tell you all some things. I’ve kept a lot of secrets and I think it’s best I just lay it all out there.” I say with a steady voice.
“Unnecessary,” Sebastian responds coolly. “Jamison already informed us of everything.”
My head whips to Jamison and I glare at him. “He told you everything, did he?” I reply to Sebastian. Jamison’s gaze doesn’t waver.
“Yes, Kaz,” Xavier responds. “He told us about your resume and schooling. He also told us about some other family dynamics as well and unless you have a bigger secret than being a fucking ninja, I think it’s all covered.”
“How nice of you to finally decide when it was appropriate for you to spill my secrets,” I seethe out as I stalk over to Jamison. He leans against the wall with his hands in his pockets like he doesn’t have any care in the world. “Were you just waiting for the perfect time to upend my entire life?”
Jamison stares at me but doesn’t say a word. No one does.
“Answer me,” I scream. The sound of my palm cracking against his cheek echoes throughout the apartment. His face whips to the side before he turns slowly back towards me. His lip is bleeding and his eyes are the deepest shade of blue. So dark, that if I didn’t know any better, I would think they were black. Jonathan grabs me around my waist from behind in an attempt to pull me away, but Jamison is too quick. His hand snatches my wrist pulling both me and Jonathan towards him. My body is yanked flush against his with Jonathan sandwiching me between them.
“Jamison, don’t,” Jonathan hisses as my chin is gripped tight and I’m forced to look up into the dark abyss swirling in Jamison’s eyes.
He leans into my face, close enough for only Jonathan and I to hear him. “I deserved that, Kitten, but it will only happen once. The next time you place your hands on me, it will be because I’m fucking you within an inch of your life.”
I’m stunned silent. I have literally zero brain function in this moment. All I can think of is the warmth at my core and the wetness between my thighs. How can someone I despise make me feel like this? Jamison lets go of my chin as Jonathan pulls me away. I turn towards the others to find Sebastian and Xavier holding tightly to both Riley and Corrine. Riley’s expression is worried, while Corrine looks downright angry.
“Before this gets out of hand,” Sebastian states, breaking the tense silence. “Kaz, we have all collectively agreed to not fire you.”
“Wait, what?” I ask, confused.
“Well, yeah. Umm, we were getting to that part. You’ve worked for us for so long and let’s face it, no one can do as good a job as you. With or without a perfect resume.”
“You guys are serious?” I ask, looking between them both as they nod yes. “All of you?” I ask, looking at Jamison. He nods his head and for a brief moment, I see a flicker of some kind of emotion flash in his eyes. “Thank you,” I murmur out, trying not to read too much into it.
“There’s another thing we need to discuss,” Sebastian says, eyeing me. “I put a call into Frederick Degerson on my way over here. We have a meeting set up with his uncle tomorrow at Bolt Corporation. I think this is something you are going to need to be there for.”
He proceeds to tell me all about the information they’ve uncovered. I don’t know what they expect me to do or how they expect me to react, but dread pools in the pit of my stomach. Diablo could be my father, and if that’s the case, he could very well be the reason for Ben’s disappearance.