“Fuck you!”she shouted angrily.Rearing back with a growl of frustration, my nose burning, Jaden continued to fight me, kicking at every square inch of me she could reach.“Fuck you, you goddamn evil piece of shit!”she screamed.
Sighing, I pulled her flailing body in close, wrapped my arms around her tightly, and lifted her off the floor.
“Let go of me, dammit!”
Ignoring her protests, I carried her over to the bed and laid us both down, holding her closely as she cursed and fought me.She could barely move an inch with my arms and legs wrapped tightly around her, but that didn’t stop her from trying.
Eventually, exhaustion won and her fighting ceased as she collapsed into another fit of tears in my arms.Despite my bruising nose, I lay there like that with her for a long time, letting her cry out her rage and sorrow into my chest, holding her through the pain she had brought on to herself.
Even in the throes of her obvious despair, I still couldn’t bring myself to regret my decision.Remorse for causing her pain paled in comparison to the pain I would bring to the world if it tried to take her from me, and Jaden was no exception.Every time she risked her life, no matter the reason, she was risking the agony of my retribution, and now we would both have to endure it together.
When she had thoroughly worn herself out, which didn’t take very long thanks to her pregnancy, she fell asleep.Cheeks flushed, eyelids puffy, and hair still damp and messy, Jaden’s vulnerabilities did nothing to diminish her beauty.Brushing the stray strands of her hair away from her face, I gazed down at a true angel of fury—my angel of fury.
It didn’t matter how much hell I put this girl through.If it involved keeping her safe, alive, and mine, there was no line I wouldn’t cross.If I had to break her heart every single day to accomplish that, then so be it.I could take her hatred for as long as she could give it.
But I had to admit, for a moment there, she almost seemed to be coming around.
Almost.
The attack onLegionhad ruined much more than just Jaden’s surprise thirtieth birthday party, something I had been planning for weeks to try to compensate for the surprise pregnancy.All of Carla’s hard work in organizing and coordinating with the captain, crew, and management firm had come together perfectly, and now she was fucking dead because apparently my yacht’s location was easier to find than expected.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely all that surprising for a group as sophisticated as General Rainer’s most psychotic remaining cult members to find a yacht like mine.A good portion of them had perished in the crossfires of the numerous small-scale insurgencies we helped inspire throughout Africa and East Asia where many of them were stationed.But for those that were left, once they discovered what happened to their beloved master, the general’s lawyers would undoubtedly have told them where to go.
And now even more of them were at the bottom of the fucking ocean.
Just like Camaro…
I sighed at the thought, clutching Jaden’s sleeping form even tighter to me.Too many times she had almost died for that damn dog, and now she was willing to take our child with her.Well, not on my fucking watch.She would get over Camaro eventually, especially when our baby was finally born.
After a few solitary moments of pure peace, I gently shifted my weight out of the bed, careful not to disturb Jaden as she slept.Heading out into the hall, I found Sloane standing outside at the end of the hallway, staring out the window at the ocean.
“I understand you allowed Jaden to throw my birthday gift to her into the water earlier today,” I stated bluntly.
Sloane turned to me, her arms crossed over her chest and a heated look on her face.
“Apologies,” she acknowledged with a nod.“My priority was to bring her back to the safety of the shore when she tried to swim away in search of her dog’s body.I did not see where it had been thrown, but I can organize a search party to find it.”
I groaned internally because of course my wife would irrationally think she could find her damn dog somewhere in the fucking ocean.
“Then I suggest you do so quickly before it starts to get dark,” I nearly growled at the sound of her tone.“I expect you to lead the search yourself since Jaden will likely be asleep for the next couple of hours.”
I could see her jaw clench before she answered with a lowered gaze.“Yes, sir.”
Trying not grind my own teeth, I turned on my heel.“And schedule someone to remove the bathroom door and repair the frame tomorrow morning,” I added as I headed down the hall.
“What about Daniel?”Sloane called after me.
I stopped just before the stairway to glance back at her.“He should be in surgery by now.And he’s not to go anywhere near her.”
Leaving Sloane to her tasks, I stepped out of the house in need of some air.Standing next to my McLaren that was still parked in front of the fountain, I pulled out a cigarette and lighter from my jacket pocket.I rarely smoked anymore, but there were just some days I could use a little something extra to take the fucking edge off.
Leaning against my car, I took a few drags from my cigarette and checked my phone for the latest emergency.There was always fucking something.But I didn’t get the chance to check before my phone started to ring, the name of someone’s father I rarely had to endure speaking with.The one I preferred to pretend didn’t exist at all.Groaning internally, I answered the phone.
“Hello, Richard,” I greeted, a bite to my tone.He’d better have a damn good reason for calling me.
“I need to speak with you about something urgent,” he said, his voice seemingly rattled.“But not over the phone.”
My brows knitted as I absorbed his request.“Why?”