Chapter Five
Arielle looked at him with tears in her eyes.
“That man deserves to die for all the horror he’s done to others.
Ricco Sanchas has no honor, no feelings, no compassion or mercy for any other human being.
We all talk about not harming anyone else but that man has no feelings.
It wasn’t just my family he’s wrecked. There are many he threatened if they didn’t join him.
He’s killed mothers, fathers and even the kids of men who didn’t fall into line immediately.
I’ve done my research and I have watched him for years.
Like I know he shot Todd for sleeping with his wife but does he really love her?
Or does he just love to own her? She meant nothing to him except she looked good on his arm for social activities.
And Todd thought he could thumb his nose at Sanchas by screwing his wife behind his back. He deserved that bullet.”
Jep got to his feet and took her hands into his.
“That doesn’t matter, beautiful. If you kill him, then you’re no better than he is.
Don’t you see that? You have to let the law handle him.
Believe me, putting that man in prison for the rest of his life is better than killing him outright.
One way, he has to sit in a cell for the rest of his days, the other way his pain is done quickly with no consequence.
The man deserves no less than knowing he can’t do shit for the rest of his life.
He will have to sit behind those bars just looking out and there won’t be a damn thing he can do about it. ”
“We have him on tape, shooting Todd and his men,” Bouncer reminded her. “Once we have him in custody, he’ll go to jail for the rest of his life.”
Arielle turned her head to glare at him. “And you have me. I witnessed him killing my mother in cold blood too.”
Bouncer nodded. “Yes, there is that as well. It won’t bring them back, you understand but you’ll have gotten justice for their deaths.”
Arielle face-planted into Jep’s chest and her tears wet his shirt.
He just looked around the room. Then he wrapped his arms around her and held her for a few minutes while she sobbed. When she was done, Jep picked her up and carried her down the hall.
When he got to his room he hesitated, then he opened the door and carried her inside.
He laid her down on his bed and slipped her shoes off then he pulled the covers up over her.
“You need to sleep, I think.” He brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
“Don’t worry, you’re safe here. I’ll keep you safe.
” He patted her hand, then headed toward the door.
“Don’t leave me,” she whispered.
Jep turned around and came back to the bed. He knelt down and looked at her. “I hear ya, loud and clear, I hear ya. And while I’d love nothing better than to crawl into that bed and hold you, I won’t do that.”
“Why?” She asked him quietly.
“Because, for one thing, I won’t take advantage of you in a weak moment. I won’t let anyone say anything bad about you for another. I’m beginning to like you and I want the chance to figure things out but I know I can’t do that if we’re both in the same bed.”
Arielle smiled. “I was hoping you felt something.”
Jep raised his eyebrow. “You were?”
She nodded. “You’re quiet but you watch the people around you. I do that too. But I saw you looking at me when no one else did.”
Jep grinned at her. “You’re a gorgeous woman. Of course, I looked at you.”
Arielle studied him then asked,“You watched me because you think I’m pretty? Was that the only reason?”
Jep shook his head. “Not the only reason. But you are very beautiful.”
“What’s the other reason?”
“I listened to your story and while my heart hurt from most of it, I saw something in your words that reminded me of why I’m alive.”
“What did you hear in my story?” She looked curious.
“I saw the same lonely kid I was, the same righteousness I felt growing up. You, standing there proud and tall and with all your anger, I saw a little bit of myself in you.” Sighing heavily he said, “But we all have our own story.”
“What’s yours?” she asked gently. “You’ve all heard mine.”
Jep smiled gently. “Maybe someday when this is over, I’ll tell you but not today. Right now, you should get some rest. Dawn will be here before you know it and I have a feeling this place will be jumping when the sun comes up.”
Arielle nodded. “You might be right about that. Sanchas isn’t going to wait any longer for his revenge.”
Jep barked out a chuckle. “Yeah, about that, I guess we’ll have to wait and see who gets the upper hand when the sun comes up.”
“Maybe, but don’t underestimate that man. If you do, it might be your biggest mistake. He likes to pull the rug out from under you if you underestimate him.”.
“Thanks for the warning.” Jep nodded his head. “The older guys here know his type. I can see that Boomer has seen guys just like Sanchas before. But we'll be watching.”
A tear ran down her face.
Jep brushed it away with his thumb. “Hey now, no more tears.”
“I just want this to be over, you know?” she whispered. “Its been a nightmare every day since the day I saw my mom murdered. A never-ending nightmare since then. And now I can see light at the end of the tunnel and I can’t wait to walk into that light.”
Jep nodded. “I hear ya woman, I hear ya. Life shouldn’t be that hard, you know? And you’ve been through more than others but there is hope at the end of this. Now get some rest. I’ll come wake you up for the takedown.”
“Ok,” she whispered as she closed her eyes. “I’m trusting you to do that. I want to see the look in his eyes when he realizes he’s done.”
Jep nodded and whispered, “Yes, you deserve that much, if not a whole lot more.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips across her forehead. He jumped a little as he felt a jolt from just kissing her skin.
He got up and left the room as he suddenly remembered something his grandfather told him once, a long time ago.
When he was maybe fourteen, he was sitting with his grandfather on the farm the older man owned.
Jep surprised him by asking him about love.
He remembered looking up and asking his grandpa, ‘How do you know when you meet the right girl?’
His grandpa looked down at the boy and smiled.
‘You'll know when you feel the spark of her touch, boy. It's true enough that there is one woman for every man, but you know when you kiss her and you feel the spark of electricity in your lips. That spark will almost numb your lips. That’s how you know.’
‘Is that how you knew with grandma?’ Jep had asked him.
His grandpa’s face had flushed bright red.
And now, after thirty years on this earth, Jep finally felt that spark. He closed the door behind him and walked back down the hall while whistling softly.