“But Jaden does have a slight vaginal tear and some bruising,” he continued as he glanced over at her.“No need for stitches or surgical intervention, though.It should heal on its own in time.She can take some Tylenol for the pain if she wants it.”
I had to bite back the rage that was beginning to build again at the mention of Jaden’s injuries due to my brother’s actions.So rather than respond with angry words, I nodded silently instead.
“Lots of rest and fluids,” Sid added before grabbing his bag and heading for the door, another cough hot on his lips.As he stepped closer, I took note of the gauntness of his face, the dark circles under his eyes, and the paleness of his skin.The man looked weaker than I’d ever seen him, and I surmised he didn’t have much time left.
“Thanks, Sid,” I murmured as he passed by.
“Of course,” he replied, then shut the door behind him.
“Sloane, get out,” I ordered, my voice laced with the same amount of venom still pumping through my veins.
Sloane stood from her chair, reached into her jacket pocket, and placed the necklace she had been charged with finding on Jaden’s bedside table.Her hard gaze locked with mine for a solid three deliberate seconds.Within that small moment, a thousand words were spoken, and I ignored every single one as she turned away and left the room in complete silence.
Grinding my jaw, I decided those three seconds were going to cost her and then made my way into the bathroom, shedding the rest of my bloody clothes for a literal thirty-second shower.
After drying myself quickly, I turned off all the lights in the bedroom and got into bed with Jaden.I gently gathered her into my arms, pulling her back to my chest, and held her tightly for several minutes.Neither of us said a word as dusk fell into night around us, swallowing the room in darkness.
Her breathing was soft and steady, her bruised skin warm to the touch, but her righteous anger was palpable and strong, practically vibrating the surrounding air.
“I’m so sorry, Jaden,” I murmured, my voice cutting through the heavy silence that weighed us both down.
It took her a while to respond, but when she did, it cut deeper than I expected it to.
“I know,” she whispered, her body finally softening in the cage of my arms.
I breathed her in, grateful for the infinite amount of strength she always seemed to possess but infuriated that she had to utilize it right now.And it was my goddamn fault for not doing something about Daniel sooner.
“You’ll never have to worry about Daniel ever again,” I said, gently pressing my lips to her temple.
I felt her stiffen for a moment.“What did you do?”she whispered, her voice small and uncertain, but mine steadfast.
“Finished what Matt started.”
Jaden remained silent for a while, her breathing slow and even as she absorbed what had been done—for her.For the both of us.
“I’m sorry you had to do that.”
I almost smirked at her, tasting her lie before she could even finish speaking it.
“No, you aren’t, but it’s alright.I just need you to focus on keeping this little one safe.Let me worry about the rest.”
She nodded slightly before quietly releasing a giant breath of what could only be described as relief.I tucked her tighter under my chin, brushing my nose through her hair, and picking up the scent of something tropical and sweet.
But as I reveled in the feel of her, the shadow of my rage crept alongside me at the reminder that Daniel had tried to take this away from me, had tried to spoil it out of jealousy and spite.And it made me want to kill him all over again.
It was a good thing the rest of my family was already dead.Otherwise, I might have had to deal with the headaches of their outrage in the morning.There was only one family headache I would have to deal with, and if she knew what was good for her, she’d keep her fucking mouth shut.
15
RESOLUTIONS
“We need to figure out who is going to permanently take over Daniel’s duties,” I said to Scott as I looked over the dwindling finances of Triguard.The current trajectory was not the progression we had been striving for.
The stocks had tanked, several high-end executives already jumping ship, clients and capital investors taking their money elsewhere.The company would be dead in a year if we didn’t find a way to mitigate our losses and re-secure trust with the legal world.And with Daniel now a pile of ash, it would be a little more difficult to find someone willing to fill his shoes and partner with me to secretly run the company from behind the curtains.
“That’s a tall order,” Scott replied from the conference table.
His eyes remained intently focused as he scrolled through the reports of the multiple investigations into the bombings of the server farms.So far, the authorities had been led to several encroaching cartels thinking the scent of blood in the water was an invitation for a turf war.But my territories stood firm, the boundaries unyielding to the damage we’d sustained from the inside.But if we didn’t patch our wounds quickly, more sharks would emerge.