Page 50 of Justice

Joanne busts out of my grip and runs through the house like her ass is on fire.

I follow her and she goes straight to a bedroom, climbing on a chair to grab a laptop off the top of a shelf.

She stands up and lifts it high above her head, like she is going to slam it onto the ground to destroy it.

“What the fuck?” I yell and take the laptop from her at the very last second, and she looks at me, eyes blazing.

“I fucking hate you and that bitch of yours.”

I’ve never hit a woman, and I don’t plan on it, but this cunt is making me think twice about that now.

“Remember, I was nice enough to let you live. Next time I see you after this day? I will forget all about you being a woman.”

I stare at Joanne, my grip tightening on the laptop. "What the hell is on this computer that you're so desperate to destroy?" I demand.

She glares at me defiantly. "None of your fucking business. Just give it back and get out of my house."

I laugh harshly. "Your house? Looks more like a den of depravity to me, with the sick shit your dad is watching out there."

Her face pales slightly but she maintains her defiant stance. "You don't know anything about my family. Now give me the laptop and leave!"

I shake my head, tucking the laptop under my arm. "I don't think so. This is coming with me. And you," I point at her, "had better pray there's nothing incriminating on here. Because if there is, I'll be back. And next time, I won't be so merciful."

I turn on my heel and storm out, Derek right behind me. We emerge into the living room where Joanne's dad is sprawled onthe floor, groaning in pain. Derek must have worked him over good.

"You're a real piece of work," I spit at him. "Getting your rocks off to underage girls, while your daughter is out there setting up her friends to be raped. What a model fucking family."

He just glares at us blearily, too drunk or too pummeled to respond. I signal to Derek and we leave.

Mason and Reid are outside of the house waiting. “What the fuck is that?” Reid nods toward the laptop.

"Not sure yet," I reply, gripping the computer tightly. "But Joanne was desperate to destroy it, so I'm betting it's something big."

We head back to the clubhouse, the weight of the laptop heavy in my hands. My mind is racing, trying to piece together all the new information we've uncovered tonight.

Once inside, I set the laptop on the table and boot it up. The guys gather around, tension thick in the air as we wait to see what secrets it holds.

"Shit," Mason mutters as the screen comes to life. "It's password-protected."

I curse under my breath, frustration building. "Try her birthday or some shit,” I say, throwing out ideas.

Reid types it in and the screen unlocks to my utter shock, revealing a desktop cluttered with folders and files.

In some of the folders, we can see files of Elle’s smiling face walking through the hallway at school

"Fucking bitch," Derek growls. "She was obsessed with Elle."

We start clicking through the folders, our disgust growing with each new discovery. There are hundreds of photos of Elle, many clearly taken without her knowledge. School hallways, the mall, even outside her house.

"This goes way beyond jealousy," I say, my voice tight with anger. "This is full-on stalking."

Then we stumble upon a video file labeled simply "Party Night" and with a shared look of dread, I click play.

The footage is shaky at first, but soon the camera focuses on Elle at the party. She looks happy, laughing with her friends. Then the camera zooms in on her drink as someone's hand—Joanne's, I realize with a jolt—slips something into it.

"That fucking cunt," Mason snarls. "She drugged her herself."

We watch in horrified silence as the video continues, showing Elle stumbling out of the party and into the woods. The camera follows at a distance, catching glimpses of her through the trees.

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