Bittersweet (Redemption #3) - Jessica Prince Page 0,56

his neck.

“I suggest you get started on that real fuckin’ fast,” I said as I started for the door. I stopped at the threshold and looked back at the pathetic excuse of a man that was hunkered against the expensive-as-hell bookcase he’d had specially made for this ridiculous office. “Oh, and just in case you get any crazy ideas, you should know, another skill my connections have—one that I just so happened to acquire as well: we don’t mind getting our hands dirty, unlike the pussies you know. And when we hide a body, it’ll never turn up. Who has the power now, motherfucker?”

My mother was still standing where I’d left her at the foot of the stairs when I came walking down, clutching her necklace and fidgeting from side to side. “Jensen,” she said, her voice pleading. “Son, can we talk?”

“Got nothing to say to you, woman, other than to tell you I am not your son.”

On that, I walked out of that godforsaken house, only this time, I did it with the biggest fucking smile on my face.

Jensen

Eighteen years old

I wasn’t sure exactly how long I’d been out. I remembered Caroline answering the door and yelling for Scooter at the sight of me, then everything went black. But now I could feel myself slowly sinking into consciousness, the muffled sound of voices becoming louder and clearer at the same time the pain in my body made itself know, reminding me of where I was and what had happened.

“I don’t understand why we’re waitin’. We shoulda called the cops the moment he collapsed face first on the entryway floor.”

So that explains the new, sharper pain in my nose. If it hadn’t been broken before, it certainly was now.

“Just wait till the boy wakes up.” I recognized that voice as Scooter Hendrix, which meant the woman’s voice belonged to Caroline.

“Screw that. This boy’s aura is all kinds of black.” Yep, definitely Caroline. “I’m callin’ them now.”

That snapped me all the way into reality. I quickly blinked my eyes opened, muttering, “No cops,” as I took in all three faces hovered around me. Scooter, Caroline, and a glassy-eyed Shane who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

She leaned in, smiling wobbly as she reached up to brush the hair off my forehead. “Hey, you’re awake. You scared the crap out of me, you know.” She was going for light and funny, but I could see the tears welling up in her eyes as they skated across my bruised and swollen face.

I pushed myself up to sitting as gently as possible but my ribs still groaned in agony. Shane saw the wince I hadn’t been able to hide and quickly moved to help me reposition. “Sorry about that,” I said once I was resting back on a mound of pillows against the headboard. “But that five mile walk was a real bitch.”

“Where’s your car?”

“Left it back at the house, along with pretty much everything else.”

Her big, warm eyes filled with sadness as a tear broke free and slid down her cheek. I couldn’t stand to see my girl cry. It always killed, even when they were what she referred to as rage tears. So I looked to her uncle and said, “You can’t call the police. Please. I’ll be okay in no time.”

His face was hard as marble as he spoke to Shane and Caroline, all the while, keeping his focus squarely on me. “You two step out for a minute. I need to talk to Jensen in private.”

“No way!” Shane barked. “I’m not leaving him.”

He turned to look at his niece, his expression growing soft, but he didn’t waver. “You can come back in a few minutes, but right now me and him need to talk man to man. Go on now, darlin’.”

She looked like she wanted to argue, but being the good, respectful girl she was, she did as told. “I’ll be right outside,” she promised me before leaning in to brush a tender kiss to my temple. Then she and her aunt headed out the door, pulling it closed behind them and leaving Scooter and me alone.

He didn’t hesitate or pull any punches when he asked, “Your old man do this to you? That why you don’t want to cops involved?” I didn’t say a word, I didn’t even move. I simply kept my gaze pinned to him and let him read the answer in my eyes. “Fuckin’ thought so,” he snarled. “I’m guessin’ from the looks of