“Yes, it is. And you’re still acting like that spoiled, entitled asshole who was sent away.” I waved a hand at him. “Can you even see what you’ve turned into? You’re becoming a selfish monster.”
“I…” Tears filled his blue eyes, and he looked away, whispering, “Am I?”
“Shaw loves Jagger, and Jagger loves her. And I know, deep down, somewhere in that dark pit that you call a heart, you love them both. Yet your selfishness is ruining what they’ve struggled to build.” I took a step closer to him, still a little afraid, but determined to make him understand. “Don’t do this, Cannon.”
“What am I doing?” he exploded. “I haven’t done shit, Violet. Not yet. But I sure as fuck will.”
“You’re destroying your sister. You’re breaking her heart.”
“She’ll get over it.” His voice was hard, but I saw it. The flicker of remorse. It was weak, but just that small light told me there was still hope for him.
“No,” I told him, putting steel in my voice. “That’s unacceptable.”
“Look, Violet—”
I stomped over to him and slapped him across the face. It didn’t make me feel better…
Lie.
It definitely made me feel a little better. But it was the shock on his face that had me doing it a second time. “You listen to me, Cannon Cage,” I snarled. There must have been something in my eyes that told him I wasn’t playing because he cowered back ever so slightly. “You are going to start acting like a decent human being, or I swear I’m going to kick your ass.”
He blinked down at me a few times, then swallowed roughly. “Okay.”
“You’re not going to move in with Jagger.” He opened his mouth to argue, but I slapped him again, the sound echoing in my ears as he touched the angry red welt forming on his cheek. “Say it. Say you aren’t moving in with him.”
“I…I won’t move in with Jagger.”
“And you are going to start treating your sister and other women with respect.” I saw the argument in his eyes, but I punched him in the stomach hard—just like Luca always taught me to do to protect myself—causing Cannon to groan and bend in half. I didn’t condone violence, but it seemed it was the only way to get through to this idiot. “Say it.”
“I’ll respect my sister and other women,” he wheezed out as he wrapped his arms around his middle in pain.
“Starting now,” I made him amend.
“I will respect my sister and other women…starting now.”
Satisfied, I stepped back. “Stop packing. Until you can prove to me that you’re going to treat your sister right, you’re not going anywhere. Least of all to Jagger’s.”
“Violet…?” There was something in his voice that made my chest hurt. I stopped at the door and glared at him over my shoulder. “Do you think you could ever…forgive me?”
It was my turn to swallow hard. “I don’t know. Maybe. I guess it depends on if you can become a guy worthy of forgiveness.”
Jerking the door open, I found Uncle Axton standing there, having obviously been unashamedly listening in. There was amusement in his eyes, and he quickly stepped aside to let me pass. “That’s my girl,” he praised as I passed him.
Chapter 27
Jagger
I woke up alone in bed, and my gut clenched as a foreboding feeling weighed me down. I took a quick shower and then went looking for Shaw. I needed to tell her about Cannon moving in and try to make her understand that this didn’t change anything.
A note in the kitchen told me she’d taken Violet home, but she would be back later. Grimacing, I forced down a bowl of cereal and then parked my ass on the couch to watch mindless television in an attempt to distract myself until she returned.
Sooner than I expected, I heard a key in the door before it swung open.
“Hey, Dimples,” I greeted, relieved she was back already.
She had a tote in one hand that she placed on the coffee table in front of the couch before dropping down beside me. “Hey,” she said. “I told Mom you weren’t feeling well, so she sent you a few things.”
“I’m feeling much better now that you’re here.” I snaked an arm around her and pulled her closer. Kissing the top of her head, I closed my eyes and just savored having her there with me for a moment.
One of her hands rubbed over my stomach. “Have you eaten?”