Page 128 of Break Out

Shit. I might have enjoyed it when Steel tied me to his bed last weekend, but I didn’t want these people restraining me.

“She’s pregnant, she’s gonna have to pee, you know,” Josie said.

Maybe she had a conscience after all.

I slowly sat up and opened my eyes.

Sledge glowered at me. “Something about her is familiar. Josie, get her to the fuckin’ john and tie her up after.”

I stood before Josie reached me. With an arch of her brow, she led me to a cramped bathroom, if you could call it that. The entire space felt like an old closet that had been outfitted with a toilet and tiny sink. She stood in the doorway and turned her head while I took care of business.

One thing was official. This year wasn’t shaping up the way I thought it would. Pregnancy hadn’t been on my bingo card, and kidnapping sure as hell hadn’t made the cut, either.

After I peed, I rinsed my hands at the sink – there was no soap. Shocker.

Josie rolled her eyes when she turned her head back to me. “Let’s go. There’s a chair with your name on it, Jade.”

Thankfully, I hid my shock at her calling me Jade and Steel’s words at my parent’s house replayed in my mind. He’d called me that to protect me. With any luck, that might pay off. I had a bad feeling about Sledge, especially when he said I seemed familiar.

Josie led me to a chair. On the other side of the room, Sledge and Mug were snorting cocaine. I sat down, and Josie tied me up. Unfortunately, she probably did it tighter than Mug or Sledge. I had my circulation still, but I wasn’t going anywhere.

Chapter 23

Ruthlessness

Steel

“Okay,” I said and paused. Nothing was okay about Jordan’s demand that I get rid of Simone. I swung my arm out toward the empty room for church. “We’re both raising our voices right now. Let’s go in here so we can sit down and get some things straight.”

Jordan’s lips curled as he took in the room and the huge table with our patch etched into the center. I couldn’t believe Deb had raised him to be so judgmental. After a beat, he trudged toward the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

I shut the door, and sat across from him. “You and I can get along without Simone being an issue, Jordan.”

He gave a short head shake. “The fact I used to sleep with her doesn’t bother you?”

I took in a deep breath while I ground my teeth together.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Jordan said.

I exhaled slowly. “I didn’t say anything, Jordan. As long as you don’t dwell on it, I don’t see there being an issue.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I suppose that’s what you’ll say about all the years you weren’t around, too. If I don’t dwell on it and rub it in your face, it’s not an issue.”

I dragged my hand along my jaw. “Believe it or not, I was there, Jordan. Every little league game, high school games. Hell, I was there when you took Robin to prom.”

His jaw dropped open a touch. “No, you weren’t.”

“How do you think you were able to do all of those things? That shit costs money.”

“Child support is what you’re supposed to do, Steel.”

I lowered my chin. “Yeah, and every sport and extracurricular activity cost money that went above and beyond what I was ordered to give your mom. I did more than I was supposed to because you’re my son, and I fuckin’ love you, Jordan.”

He stared at me for a long moment. “I think Mom needs help.”

I shook my head. “What do you mean? She was here two weeks ago and confronted me. What kind of help are you talking about?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s just so angry and bitter all the time.”

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