EVERYTHING HAPPENED for a reason. Life. Death. So on and so forth. Blah, blah, blah. But seeing my sister standing in front of me, her lips moving but no sound coming out, I couldn’t process what I was hearing. I just kept hearing, “I had to”, over and over again. She had to. To protect me. To protect herself. She got caught up with the wrong people. She had to leave. She could have called. She could have fucking called. Or written a letter. I would have known it was her. I would have been able to live with myself, knowing she hadn’t left because of me. “You could have called,” I whispered.
Everyone had filed out of the room but not before Meeka apologized to me for all of the secrets. I hugged her back because I knew it was the right thing to do and I didn’t want to make a scene in front of everyone—but I was pissed. Beyond mad. Fury and betrayal battled each other inside of me. She had something to do with Violet’s disappearance but I didn’t know what.
“How, Jay?” she asked, sitting on the edge of my bed and reached for my hand. A bandage had been wrapped around the hand with the missing finger. Bile rose to my throat as memories surfaced of the package I had received.
“How?” I snatched my hand away. “By picking up the damn phone. I would have been fine with a letter.”
“None of that was possible.” She folded and unfolded her hands in her lap. “You can’t imagine what I went through not being able to contact you.”
“You?” I screamed. “What you went through? I thought you left because of me, Vi. I was told over and over how you left because you found a man or you ran off because you couldn’t stand our home. People even told me you died.”
Tears streamed down her face. “I’m sorry. It was selfish of me. I know that now. I should have told you. I should have come to you first. I know. God, I know.”
“I could have helped you. We could have disappeared together.” That time I was the one to reach for her hand.
She slid her fingers between mine, cupping our joined hands with the other. “I couldn’t do that to you.”
“Why the hell not? You could have saved me from Tyler.”
Her eyes snapped to mine. “I…oh God.”
“Yeah, exactly,” I mumbled.
“But you were able to get away from him. You’re in love.”
“Don’t change the subject.” I pulled from her grip and removed the covers. My gaze slid to my legs. I gasped, stifling a sob. Bruises and scratches marred my pale skin.
A growl sounded from the doorway.
My gaze snapped up, seeing Angel’s large frame filling the small space. “I’m fine.”
“Are you? Because I sure as hell am not, knowing another man laid his hands on your body. That another man hurt you. That he tried to fucking break you.” Angel shook, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.
“I should go,” Violet mumbled.
“No,” I told her. “I haven’t seen you in years. You are not leaving.” I looked back at Angel. “She’s not leaving.”
“That’s fine,” he took a step forward. “But neither am I.”
I sighed, patting the spot beside me. I loved him in all of his Alpha glory and I understood where he was coming from. Having a man who was possessive of me was not the norm. Tyler never gave a shit about who touched me. He found it hilarious, the bastard.
Angel sat on the bed, pulling me forward and wrapping his arms around me.
“I assume you two have met each other already,” I mumbled.
***
(Angel)
I had to fight back the urge to run my hands over Jay’s body where Vega had touched her. Where he bruised and marked her. Bile had risen in my throat, taking up permanent residence from the moment his name had left the Agent’s mouth. How the man I had respected for years—the person I called my friend—had done all of this, I would never understand. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to understand. He was a sick bastard, forcing Jay to watch him kill himself in front of her. She was strong, hiding within herself. She would break and I would be there to pick up the pieces.
The possessive hold I had on her, and her hand cupping my inner thigh, gave me a peace I hadn’t felt since she was taken out of her home almost three days ago.
Jay and Violet talked and talked. Catching up, crying, laughing, revealing parts of their lives they hadn’t shared with each other in years. Although Jay joked and cried along with her sister, her tone was clipped. Her heart was hard to get a piece of and now that her sister had hurt her, Jay wouldn’t let her back in for a while. I understood why Violet had stayed away, wanting to protect her family, but making Jay go through that pain of not knowing bordered on unforgivable.
They may have been twins but once I saw them both together, Jay was more beautiful. Call me biased and maybe it was the fact that Violet had led a harder life, but Jay was vibrant. Where Violet was thin and frail, Jay’s eyes held a strength stretched beyond imagination. A hint of something hid behind them. The person who cracked through that wall would never be the same on the other side.
“You can stay at my place,” Jay told her between visits from the nurse.
“I can’t do that,” Violet shook her head. “It’s your home.”
“After everything… I don’t know if I can go back.” Jay gripped my thigh. “I-I need time away.”
“I understand that but what about your tattoo shop?” Violet asked. “And besides, I don’t know when I can pay you back.”
“You’re my sister. I would never ask you to pay me back. You can be my receptionist if you want to help but you don’t have to. I need someone to live in the apartment anyway,” Jay insisted. “Do you mind having a roomie?” she asked me.
“Not at all.” I kissed her forehead, my heart swelling with the fact that something good was able to come out of this shit. We both knew it would be more than her being my roommate. She would live with me and I would make it so she never wanted to leave.
“What do you say, Violet?” Jay asked her sister. “You owe me this much.”
“I…okay.” She nodded. “I just pray you can find it in your heart to forgive me someday.” She rose to her feet and gave Jay a hug before leaving the room.
“Do you think you can?” I asked Jay once we were alone. “I want to. But right now I’m so pissed at her, Angel. Is that wrong of me?”
“No,” I told her, my voice firm.
She sighed. “How are you doing?”
I scoffed. “I found out my boss kidnapped my girlfriend and blew his head off in front of her. I’m fucking great.” And this was why I never trusted anyone. Why I had refused to love for so long. “I wish I would have known.”
“We’re not doing this again, Angel. There was no way you could have known. Promise me you’ll find a way to see that.”
I hugged her against me, whispering I would and how much I loved her. How much I needed her and how much I had to make her my wife.
***
(Jay)
To say I wasn’t pissed at my sister would be the biggest lie I had ever told. She hurt me. She made me feel like I did something where she couldn’t come to me. We were sisters. Twins. We lived and breathed the other. I thought she knew more about me than anyone but I soon learned that I was wrong. Inviting her to live in my apartment was so I could keep her close and there was also no way I could go back. I knew Angel would never argue with me living with him. It appeased his inner Alpha to keep his woman safe and I was happy about that. I embraced his possessive hold on my body and my heart. I needed him to erase these nightmares that would no doubt threaten to destroy me. That would consume all of the light in my life.
Vice-One had been wracked to the core when they learned about their boss and his desires. His evil, sadistic ways. I was shocked that the man was who the agents said he was. It just proved you could never judge a book by their cover, no matter who they were.
After an hour or so, I met with the doctor. She was young, no more than a couple years older than I.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, putting my chart at the foot of the bed.
“I…”
“Be honest.” He trailed a finger down the length of my jaw.
“I feel okay. A little stiff but…I feel better knowing those girls are okay,” I told the doctor.
She nodded. “It’s an amazing thing you did for them.”
“I don’t know what I did but I remember thinking that I couldn’t let any more of them die. I had to know they were safe, that they would make it through even if I couldn’t.” I shrugged. “But I-I can’t get him out of my mind.”
“I understand.” She stood up and handed me a card. “I want you to see a counselor. At least once,” she added when I shook my head. “Even if you only see them the one time, you need to talk to someone.”
“She’s right, princess,” Angel pressed. “You know you can always talk to me but there are things that even I can’t help you with. An unbiased opinion might be better for you. Trust me. We can go together.”
“You would do that for me?” I asked, knowing he had his own personal demons to work through. Being a Navy SEAL for so many years weighed on him. I could see the aging behind his eyes, the darkness he struggled with every day.
“Of course I would.”
“All right,” I told the doctor. “We’ll make an appointment.”
“Good.” She smiled. “Now, I do need to tell you that we have to do a rape kit. Before you jump to conclusions, we do it in most cases as a precaution but because you were held captive by a male, we have to test to make sure you weren’t a victim of abuse.”
“Fuck,” Angel mumbled under his breath.
“Okay,” I agreed. I just wanted this shit over with.
The doctor performed the test with Angel standing by my side. There was no way I would allow him to leave. I needed all the strength I could get.
“Doctor?”
“You’re fine, Genevieve.” She patted my knee. “You weren’t violated and you are healthy minus the bruises and scratches.” Her gaze darkened. “Did you tell the Feds about the marks on your body?”
“Yes,” I answered. “Can I please go home now?”
“Of course. I can’t see why not.” The doctor went to stand but hesitated. “I need to thank you.”
“For what?” My heart started racing at the intensity in her gaze.
“For saving those girls. The world needs more women like you. Your strength and courage is inspiring and if you ever have daughters of your own, I hope you pass on those qualities.”
My mouth fell open, my cheeks heating at the compliment.
Angel chuckled, pinching my chin. “She says thank you.”
The doctor nodded, gave my hand a gentle tap, and left the room.
“She’s right.” Angel kissed my cheek.
I didn’t do anything but I appreciated the acknowledgment. While Angel helped me get dressed, I kept thinking about how I needed to get out of the hospital and into his arms. I wanted to lay in his backyard, stare up at the stars, and have Buck between us. I didn’t want to be afraid anymore, going through life thinking someone could be following me.
“Let’s get you out of here, princess.” Angel slid his fingers between mine, kissing the back of my knuckles.
“Take me to your home, baby,”
He captured my mouth in a tender kiss. “Our home.”
My heart swelled. “Our home.”