Page 97 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

“You think I don’t know that?” he snaps back. “You think, as a man, that shit doesn’t haunt me? Why do you think you were able to get onto the property so easy today? As soon as she told me you were coming, I sent everyone away so we could work this out.”

“I think you’re a fucking coward who doesn’t have one honorable bone in his pathetic body.” My gaze swivels to Daphne. “And you? You deserve better. Fucking know your worth, Daph.” My hand presses against Jonsie’s stomach, securing her back firmly to my front.

Nicky tracks the movement, initiating a step in our direction. “Baby J—”

She draws my weapon, her arm steady as she keeps it level with him. “Don’t you fucking touch me,” she whispers, though the hard edge in her tone is unmistakable.

Nicky falters on a shaky inhale, a tear escaping his right eye, clearing a path down his blood-stained cheek.

“Here’s how this is gonna go,” she continues. “I am leaving with him. As of this moment, I relinquish all claims to the Dukes. You need me for something? You follow protocol for addressing another boss’s wifey.” The warmth that pulses within me as she declares herself mine radiates throughout my chest. I readjust my stance, straightening my posture as I eye him from behind her. “You contact him, and he will let you know if your inquiry warrants a direct response from me.”

“Joanna.” Nicky shakes his head as though he can’t believe what he’s hearing.

“Yo!” I snap, shifting her behind me as she lowers the gun. “Did my Queen fucking stutter?”

We stand there, locked in a heated stare until J’s fingers interlace with my own. “Come on, Mav. Let’s go home.”

Home. She’s coming home with me. The relief that surges throughout my body is indescribable. I tighten my grasp on her hand, knowing I will never let anything come between us again.

Sparing Nicky a final glance, I gesture toward his shoulder with my chin. “Should probably get that looked at. Seems like it hurts.” The corner of my mouth tics up into a smirk as I back away, making my way alongside Jonsie over to my Harley.

“Daph!” she calls out to her best friend, who’s currently eyeing Nicky with a distinct look of disappointment. Her attention snaps to us, her gaze meeting J’s. “Keys are in the Audi. I’ll grab it from you later?”

“I got you, boo.” Daph nods with a sad smile.

I knew she was here. Logan told me she gave this address to be dropped off at last night rather than her house. I will never understand how she continues to play the role of his dirty little secret. Daph’s a loudmouth pain in the ass, but—much like J—she’s straight-up wifey material. And any man who treats her as anything other than such is an undeserving douchebag.

Holstering my weapon, I mount the Harley before allowing J to climb on behind me. I’ve never had a girl on my bike before, but fuck if it doesn’t feel like she belongs there. I’m just about to start it up when my phone rings. Reaching into my pocket to retrieve it, I swipe up when I see T’s name.

“Go,” I instruct as I wipe Nicky’s blood from the backs of my palms onto my black jeans.

“Boss,” T’s voice comes out sharp. “We got problems.”

“What?”

“Feds are here at Echo. They’ve got warrants.”

Shit.

“I’m on my way,” I acknowledge with a curt response. “Baby.” Directing my attention over my shoulder, I glance back at her. “I gotta go to one of the clubs. Feds are sniffing around. You want me to drop you at home first?”

She shakes her head no. “‘Til the wheels fall off, remember?”

My throat tightens as she relays the familiar words I’ve gone so long without hearing. Twisting back, I pull her face into mine as my lips press against hers. “I love you,” I whisper, my words earning a smile from her in response.

“I love you, too.” My heart thunders in my chest, racing at her admission. “Now,” she says, wrapping her arms around my torso, “let’s go see who’s causing trouble.”

CHAPTER 43

JONSIE

As Mav and I make our way back into the city, the deep sense of peace I feel being on the back of his bike with him is tainted by the news of my brother’s betrayal. The happiness filling my heart is fractured with a hollowness born from my broken bond with Nicky.

He watched me lie in bed crying for weeks, knowing that I was pregnant, knowing I was struggling with the impending future of being a single teenage mom, and he never said a fucking word.

He watched me slip deeper and deeper into depression after I lost the baby, and he sat there playing the role of the doting older brother—the one who picked up the pieces when the man who caused the mess abandoned me—only for me to discover he chased him away. He saw a future playing out for me that he didn’t approve of, so he sabotaged it all.

The image I have of my brother is a lie. The man I built up in my head, the one I admired and fiercely defended, doesn’t exist. I don’t even know who he is.

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