Page 237 of Bad for Me

“Did you let them onto the compound?” Cain’s voice is eerily calm, like some fucking traitor isn’t about to get his head blown off. He may have golden retriever energy, but Cain can turn into a rabid dog when you fuck around with the people he cares about.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Mandy cries. She throws her hands in the air as she screams, “You letherback here, and I had to do something before she cast a spell on you again!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Jude snaps.

“You were obviously obsessed with her when we were kids. You never noticed me, no matter how hard I tried to get your attention, because you were paying attention to Wisteria Jean! Always watching her, lurking around her, guarding her. It’s disgusting—she’s yourstepsister. I did you a favor when I told Father Mannix I saw Wisteria’s whore mother meeting some stranger on the far end of the compound. It was the only way we could end up together!”

“You ratted out my mom?” Wisteria guffaws, laughing hysterically as she raises her gun.

“Little flower…” I call her, trying to get her attention.

“I thought he would excommunicate her for cheating on him, and she’d take you with her. I didn’t know she’d have a heart attack and die from the stress of it all. It didn’t make much of a difference anyway—you stayed behind,” Mandy snarked.

Wisteria cocks the trigger, aiming right for Mandy’s face.

“Wisteria, please don’t take her life. You’ll have that on your conscience for the rest of your life,” I remind her. “Killing someone changes you.”

She ignores me. I can see her anger reaching the breaking point as tears stream down her face. “She was a traitor, and she betrayed her brothers and sisters, but I loved my mom.”

“We know, baby girl. But guess what? If you don’t kill Mandy now…we can torture her later. We can rip all her pink fingernails off and cut her a thousand times if you want,” Cain promises.

“Really?”

“Yeah, we can do it as a family. They’re the reason The Skulls came onto this compound and put my father in a coma. They put our woman in danger, and they betrayed Harvest Farms. They’ll be screaming and begging for death by the time we’re done with them.”

“No, no please!” Mason begs. “I’ll do anything.”

Jude shakes his head and hands Cain more zip ties. “Let’s call some of the guys around, and get these two into one of the holding cells. You’ll repent by contacting The Skulls and setting up a meeting. Then you’ll regret ever crossing me in the first place.”

* * *

“So you gotthem to meet you in the mountains, and ambushed them?” Father Mannix asks, astounded at how quickly we took The Skulls out.

“Yes, we had Mason Judd tell them we were meeting a buyer out there and emptying our supply, because we got attention from the ATF. They were dumb enough to raid a big payout,” Cain answers. “We used high vantage points and picked them off pretty fast.”

“It was actually Wisteria’s idea.” Jude holds her hand, and the light catches her engagement ring just right, making it sparkle like a star. “Colin and Cain planned the actual attack.”

Father Mannix swings his gaze to her, and she tries to smile, despite her nerves. It took a few weeks of planning to decimate The Skulls, and Father Mannix woke up a month after that. He’ll have serious mobility complications from shrapnel for the rest of his life, and will need intense physical therapy. We’re all relieved he’s on the mend. Jude, Cain, and I caught him up on the time he missed gradually, and she’s visiting him for the first time today.

“I’m glad you came back, Jeanie,” he says, taking her other hand and giving it a firm squeeze. “I shouldn’t have banished you in the first place—I broke these boys’ hearts.”

“Mine too, but it’s okay. I’m glad to be back.” She smiles at him, and I can tell she means it. Wisteria truly thought of Father Mannix as a father, and I know she missed him. I’m happy she’s able to forgive him and move on.

“I’ve had time to think since I woke up. I inherited my position when your grandfather died. He inherited it when his father died. You’re receiving your position because you’ve earned it, Jude. You all have. I can spend my days resting easy knowing Harvest Farms is in good hands.”

Father Mannix is the only father I have. Hearing such a compliment from him makes me feel like less of a monster. So does the love and support I get from my family.

Jude gets up, and walks to his father’s bedside, then leans over and hugs him gently. “Thank you so much, father. We won’t let you down.”

---