Page 42 of Queen of Vengeance

Even if she got a little jail time, so what? She should have just minded her own business and not threatened to go to BPR to report me!

Deep down, the sickness in Jax only grew stronger. He didn’t know the cause, but the more he thought about Lea, the more it gnawed at him.

Jax was waiting outside Lea’s home before school the following day. He was aware that she usually left early and wanted to catch her before they were in the presence of his peers. While waiting, Jax stared long and hard at the big sign slapped across her front door in bright red lettering. REPOSSESSED.

“Don’t you see, Lea? This is what playing by the rules will get you. You will never get ahead with the world trying to hold you back.” Jax shook his head, feeling sympathetic toward her even under these circumstances. “Perhaps a part of me holds her in some regard.”

The front door opened suddenly, and he was standing so close to it that she ran right into him when Lea rushed out.

Jax caught her from tumbling backward from the sheer and sudden force. “Holy Lunaira, Lea! Don’t you look before you walk?”

Jax shouted at her. He didn’t mean to and wasn’t particularly mad at her. It was just instinctual. He was used to jumping to violence now, thanks to his “odds and ends” jobs with his uncle. He didn’t want that to be his second nature, though.

Lea gave him a puzzled look. First, fear crossed her face, followed by annoyance. “Sorry, I don’t normally expect a six-foot-tall thief to be standing on my doorstep first thing in the morning!”

“Fair point. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He softened his voice, remembering the reason he came here in the first place.

“You didn’t.” Lea’s curtness didn’t cut Jax one bit.

He would have to care much more about Lea than he did to be injured by her cold shoulder. He watched her lock the front door and tuck the key into her pocket before marching away from him. “Hey! Wait up!”

He ran after her when she failed to stop. “What? Do you hate me now? Has this one little realization of yours changed everything?”

She stopped, snapping her head around to glare at him. “It isn’t a little realization. It was a terrible thing you did, Jax. Don’t forget that… And no. I don’t hate you.”

She kept walking, and hope lightened the weight on Jax’s chest.

“I’m glad to hear that. I would hate it if you hated me.” Jax caught up with her once more.

“What was your purpose in coming here, Jax? You wouldn’t have me believe you came here to apologize, and you’ve never been this nice to me in your entire life. So why don’t you just get it out in the open so we don’t have to keep up the charade?”

Her amber eyes blazed with rage, almost turning golden.

Jax remained silent, trying to keep his perceived “upper hand.”

Lea sighed, unwilling to waste any more time on the matter. “You came here to find out if I reported you to BPR, right? Of course, you did. Why else would you be here?”

She then balled up her fists and turned away from Jax for a moment, taking a deep breath before turning back to him. “No, Jax. I couldn’t bring myself to report you, to begin with. While I disagree with why you did it, I understand your point of view. Besides, I don’t think the punishment you would receive there would equal your crime. That place was… Horrific.”

Just the mere thought of the BPR headquarters gave shivers down the spine.

“Thank you… I appreciate you looking out for me, even though I didn’t deserve it.” Jax smiled prematurely, feeling as if he had already won. “Is there any way I can repay you for your kindness?”

“Yeah, stay out of trouble, and when you do become rich and famous, don’t end up like all of these assholes. Create a better world than the one we had to grow up in.” Lea watched as the smile fell from Jax’s face.

For the first time, he wondered if he could change the world like that. He had never considered that. He focused only on playing by whatever rules he had to to get ahead, even if it meant stepping over good people to get there. He nodded, unsure of himself.

They started walking again with nothing but silence between them. That was until Jax remembered his purpose in coming here.

“You really don’t think I’ve been nice to you?” He turned his head but kept up with her at the same pace.

“Nicer than most… But never this nice,” she explained, refusing to meet his eyes again.

“I’m sorry you feel that way because I really like being nice to you.” Jax moved closer to Lea, causing her shoulders to tense up.

She couldn’t help but turn her head and look now. “Is there something else on your mind, Jax?”

“I know my recent actions might have turned you away from the idea, but I do like you, Lea. I think you’re incredibly gifted, and I find it difficult not being around you now,” Jax lied. He was so good at it, too, almost like it was second nature.

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