Chapter 55
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO DO?
Rebel Pierce
“We need to talk,” J.D. said as soon as he walked inside my apartment.
His face remained expressionless, not showing his thoughts, but I sensed the weight of the conversation he believed we should have. J.D. was getting rid of everyone involved in Dani’s murder and there was no way my godfather didn’t know Revels had gone rogue. He just ignored it because Revels was going after Demons United. I didn’t believe he knew what extent Revels had gone to in order to get J.D. out of the way or what his true motives where behind it, but he knew he wasn’t operating inside the law. Which meant he was involved in her death too.
I took in a deep breath and released it, calming my nerves. I loved my godfather. He’d been in my life for as long as I could remember. Did I think he deserved to answer for his part? I did. Did I want the worse to come to him? No, I didn’t. But was that really my decision to make? He hurt J.D. so it was his decision whether I agreed with it.
I closed the door behind him, then walked to the couch in my living room. He still hadn’t let me come back to the clubhouse, and I hadn’t returned to the office either because he didn’t believe I had healed enough. Anything I needed anything, Caesar or a prospect got it for me.
“When’s Siobhan coming home?” I asked since he hadn’t mentioned her since he came home.
The smile that stretched across his face was so beautiful. He absolutely adored his daughter. I knew it had to be hard for him to be away from her this long.
“She’s already home. She’s been asking about you non-stop.”
“Me?” I asked, smiling.
“Yeah. I told her you were under the weather, so it wasn’t a good time for her to see you, but as soon as you were all better, I’d bring you by.”
“I can’t wait to see her. She’s doing good though?” I asked. “You were gone for a bit.”
He leaned back in the chair. “Yeah. When she’s with her aunt and uncle, it’s like I don’t exist,” he said, laughing. “She’s ready to go back. She couldn’t stop talking about how much fun she had with her Papa which blew my mind. But I’m glad Rev is trying to have a relationship with her.”
I think it was beneficial he kept a close relationship with his in-laws because it would benefit Siobhan. She deserved to have a connection to her mother’s family.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
We might as well get it over with.
“I think you know sweetheart.”
“Why are you coming to me with this?”
“Because he’s your godfather, Rebel and I don’t want to hurt you. However, there’s no way he didn’t know Revels had gone off the rails. You know it and I do too.”
“I know, J.D., but you can’t expect me to give you the go ahead to harm him.” I stood, then paced in front of him. “I love him. He’s my family.”
“And he harmed mine.”
I stopped pacing and looked at him. “I understand. I really do but I can’t tell you I’ll be fine with you harming him. I just can’t.”
“Then what do you suggest, I do Rebel because godfather or not, he will pay. He allowed Revels to do whatever the fuck he wanted as long as he brought me and my club down. My family ended up dead because he turned a blind eye.”
“I know. I know.”
“So, tell me what you expect me to do? He won’t walk away without facing the consequences.”
“I don’t believe he knew exactly what Revels was doing.”
“And how do you know that?” J.D. asked. “He’s been after me for a longtime sweetheart. How do you know how far he’d actually go to get rid of me?”
It was a good question. As someone who operated solely on evidence, I was always hesitant to make decisions based on intuition or gut feelings. If you could show me tangible proof, I’d believed it. But in this case, I had no proof he didn’t know. All I had were my feelings for the man who was like a father to me. A man I considered my family.
A tear fell from my eye, and I quickly brushed it away. “I don’t have any proof, J.D. All I know is the man that I know wouldn’t condone what happened to Dani and Luca. The man I know would be disgusted by what Revels did.”
“But is he still that same man?” J.D. asked. “That’s the real question.”
He reached for my hand and gently pulled me down onto his lap. “Look, I’ll listen to whatever he has to say. But Rebel, I’m sorry if I have any sign that he knew anything about Dani, I can’t let it go. He’ll suffer the same consequences that everyone else did. The same consequences my father and my brother faced. This is about my wife and child. I love you but no one gets a pass on hurting my family. They just don’t.”
“But what if he didn’t know?”
I heard the heartbreak in my own voice. I prayed he didn’t, but I can’t say that I know for a fact and it fucking sucked.
“Then the consequences he’ll face will only be for not keeping Revels on a tighter leash while knowing he was doing shit he had no business doing. Can you live with that?” he asked, swiping my hair away from my face.
“You won’t kill him?” I asked.
“No but he’ll wish he was dead,” J.D. said.
If it kept him alive, then I could agree with anything.
“Yeah, I can live with that.”
A knock sounded at the door, he tapped my thigh, and I slowly rose from his lap. “I’ll get it,” he said.
I nodded and slowly sat back down in the chair. I woke up this morning feeling some minor pain, but I was so thankful that it wasn’t worse than what it was or as bad as it had been.
I looked up when I heard approaching footsteps and I wanted to roll my eyes. I hadn’t seen my sister for weeks despite her trying to get in contact with me. J.D. leaned over and pecked me on the lips.
“I’m going to head out.”
“You don’t have to leave.”
I desperately wished he would stay a little longer, and Rumi would leave.
“It’s okay. I’ve got to run by the clubhouse, then pick up Siobhan.”
“Okay. Can you call me later?”
I wasn’t happy about it, but I knew he had shit to do. I couldn’t keep him with me twenty-four seven no matter how much I wanted too.
“Of course. Set that meeting up,” he said, as I walked him to the door.
“I will.”
Before he walked out the door, he leaned in and kissed me one last time. I locked it behind him, then walked back to the living room where my sister was sitting on the couch. She looked nervous, but I didn’t have any pity for her. She pointed the finger at J.D. for something she knew goddamn well he’d never do.
“What do you want?” I asked, sitting on the couch but far away from her.
“I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
“I’m fine, Rumi. Now you can leave.”
“Rebel...”
“What Rumi?” I tossed my hands in the air in frustration. “You want me to pretend that everything is fine between us when it’s not? I won’t do that.”
“I just want to apologize. I made a mistake, Rebel. And I’m sorry.”
“I’m not the one you should apologize too, Rumi. He just walked out the damn door. Your mistake almost got him locked up. They had a fucking warrant out for his arrest. He could have been taken away from his daughter! And you’re sorry!”
“You have to understand where I was coming from, Rebel. The life he’s involved in almost got me and you killed. Almost got you killed twice.”
“I know his life is dangerous, but I know for a damn fact he would not try to kill me! I asked you to trust me when it came to my decision to be with him. And the first thing you do is point a finger at the man I love for shit you know deep down he wouldn’t do.”
“I know I messed up. But I’m trying to fix it, Rebel.”
“Fix it? The way to fix it is for you to realize you still have feelings for a man that’s in the same life as J.D. The way you can fix it is to deal with your relationship with Caesar and stop pushing your unresolved feelings for that man and what happened between you two onto me! The way you can fix it is to apologize to the man whose life you almost destroyed because you don’t know how to move on with your life without being bitter! Until you can do those things, there’s nothing else for us to talk about. Please leave.”
“Rebel...”
“No Rumi.” I shook my head. “When you do all those things, I’ll accept your apology. Until then, please leave me the hell alone.”
She stood before me, her eyes filled with tears, but I pretended not to notice. She needed to hear the truth and not be giving pity like my parents and Caesar were doing. She could have destroyed J.D.’s life, and she needed to learn her actions had consequences.
“Are you at least coming to the wedding?”
I would love to stand beside my sister on her big day if it was with the man she truly loved. If all this shit hadn’t happened, I’d been right by her side, regardless of her feeling. But that couldn’t happen because of her actions.
“You asking me that tells me that you’ve heard nothing I’ve said.” I shook my head, then looked at my sister, disappointed that she just wasn’t getting it. “You’re still determined to marry a man that you don’t even love. And you still refuse to acknowledge it while also trying to destroy my relationship. So no, Rumi. I will not be there.”
She gasped in surprise, her eyes widening at the unexpected answer. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, leaving a trail of sorrow in their wake.
“When you get your shit together and take some responsibility for the shit you did to J.D., how you almost destroyed his life and mine, then call me. Until then don’t bother.”
Before she went to the door and left my apartment, she looked at me one last time, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and hurt.
I took in a deep breath then released it. “One down, one to go.”
I picked up my phone, then dialed his number.
“Me and J.D. will be at your home tomorrow at eleven o’clock,” I said the moment he answered the phone.
“Is that so?” he asked. “And why is that?”
“Because you have some explaining to do. And I suggest you take me seriously this time.”
“Is that a threat?”
“No, it’s not a threat. I love you with all my heart, but I’ve done all I can do on this matter. It’s up to you now. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, ending the call.
If he wanted, he could interpret my warning as a threat. I warned him about Agent Revels, and he ignored it. This time if he ignored what I said, then there was nothing I could do to save him. J.D. was going to have his revenge one way or the other.