Page 33 of The Eraser

I run a hand over her back, trying to soothe her. "Don't worry," I say. "We can get them from Chloe. You need to calm down. Getting worked up isn't going to help you heal. Your da worked you over pretty hard."

She shrugs. "It's not the worst he's done," she sighs. "It's okay, I heal fast. He didn't break anything, just some bruises."

I grit my teeth. Fuck, the way she brushes it off pisses me the fuck off. How can she be so nonchalant about it all?

She doesn't say another word. She just pushes closer to me and closes her eyes. My jaw is locked. It's taking everything in me not to tell Maverick to pull over so I can find that cunt and break him slowly.

* * *

Maverick pulls into the drive. It's taken over an hour for us to get here. I wanted the house to be away from the city and somewhere secluded as it's the perfect place to have the best security in place. It would have taken around twenty minutes had there not been a fucking crash on the road that had cars backed up for over a mile.

Once the car is parked, I open the door and slide out, pulling Jess' sleeping body with me, careful not to wake her. Freddie grabs the bag and we head for the house.

"You doing okay?" Mav asks, his voice low so as not to wake Jess. "This shit..." He shakes his head. "It's going to fucking blow up, and when it does, it's not going to end well."

"I'm going to kill him," I snarl. "I'm going to rip his fucking head off."

Mav smiles. "He deserves everything that's coming to him." He runs his hand through his dark hair. "I should have known there was something going on. I should have seen the signs."

He really should have, but it's not just down to him. No one else fucking saw them either. Which begs the question: why was there no one there for her? They're family, so why have they left her with that fucking animal?

Freddie opens the front door and I move directly to the bedroom. She's fast asleep and I want her to stay that way. She's been through the mill tonight and rest will help her. I should fucking know. Rest was the only thing that helped when my da was a fucking bastard.

I lay her on the bed and throw the covers over her. She doesn't even stir, and I wonder when was the last time she slept properly. I've never seen someone so out of it before.

It takes everything in me to leave the bedroom and go in search of Freddie and Maverick.

"What's the plan?" Freddie asks the second I'm in the living room. "She's staying here, that's a given, but we all know her family aren't going to be happy."

Oh, of that I have no doubt. Especially Callie. But whatever, they'll have to deal.

"Ma's probably going to want her to stay with them," Maverick says as he sits on the sofa, a beer in hand.

"That ain't fucking happening," I grind out. "No fucking way. She's not going anywhere."

Mav's smile is sinister. "I know that, but you know what Ma's like."

"Mav," Freddie chuckles. "The way Stephen is about Jess, he'll tell Mama O'Hara to fuck off, and that's a headache no one wants."

He's right. Mav and Callie's ma can be a tad self-righteous at times, and while I respect the woman and she's been a part of my life for a while, she's not going to pull Jess away from me. There are only three people I trust with her safety and those three are in this room.

"We've all fucked up when it comes to Jess. Ma especially. She's not going to want to hear that she let her down, but we all did," Mav says, taking a sip of beer. "The main thing is Jess is safe, but brace yourself, Stephen, Callie's going to be fucking pissed."

I shrug. I couldn't give a fuck. Callie has always been someone I consider family. I will do whatever the hell it takes to ensure that she's safe, but she doesn't dictate my life. I want Jess, and that's not going to change because she's not happy about it all.

Freddie grins. "This'll be fun. Just don't say you weren't warned."

I glare at him and wonder how long I have to put up with them both. I'd rather be in the room watching over Jess and ensuring she's okay.

I'm so fucking twisted by this woman. I have been since the moment I saw her. I'm relieved that she's here, that she's safe and she's not going anywhere.

Fuck what anyone else says. If Jess didn't want to be with me she'd have said so. She was scared of Freddie but curled into me. I'm taking that as a win and that she's comfortable to stay here. Until she says otherwise, it's staying this way.

"No matter what," Maverick says, "we've got your back."

I know he means it. He'd go toe-to-toe with his family for me, just as I would for him. I may have started out hating the guy, but he's one of my closest and most trusted friends.

ChapterFourteen

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