Page 42 of Tess, Property of Blaze

Blaze

Iexit the shower and grab a towel, wrapping it around my waist. After what happened with Katie, I needed to get her scent off me. I fucked up. I never should have brought her back to my room. I was upset and angry and needed to make the pain go away, even if it was just for a minute, but that didn’t happen. It just made me miss Tess more, and it reminded me of what I had with her: perfection.

As I’m pulling up my jeans, I hear my phone ring and quickly answer it. I recognize the number; it’s Jeff’s. I hesitate to pick it up for s split second because Tess is probably with him, and she’s the last person I want to talk to. But I go ahead and answer it.

“Jeff.”

“Oh good, you picked up.”

I grab a shirt from my drawer, pulling the phone away from my ear for a moment as I tug it over my head. “Now’s not the time, Jeff. I’m about to head—”

“Tess has gone.”

I stop and think on his words for a few seconds. “Yeah, and how is this my problem?” I reply, grabbing my boots and taking a seat on my chair, kicking Tess’s boots out the way at the same time.

“She’s gone back to Viper!” he growls. I still, putting my boot down and sitting back in the chair. “Are you there? Did you hear me? She’s gone back to that maniac.”

I blow out a breath, a sinking feeling in my gut. She really has gone back to him. I was right, it was all just an act.

I wedge the phone between my ear and shoulder and resume putting my boots on. “Again, Jeff, how is this my problem?”

“You’re a fuckin’ asshole, you know that?”

I grind my jaw and move my phone to my hand, gripping it tightly. “Listen here, Jeff. I don’t know what your problem is, she’s not mine… never was,” I say in a low, even tone, not missing the way my heart contracts at the words.

“She didn’t tell you, did she?”

“Tell me what?”

“Tell you why she left and came to New York.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Still trying to work that out, but most likely to get intel for that fucker.”

I hear Jeff blow out a breath, then a loud tsk. “Man, you have no fuckin’ clue, do you? She left because that fucker was beating her.”

I stand, clenching my other fist against my side. “What did you fuckin’ say?”

“Got your attention now, don’t I?”

“What exactly do you mean?” If Jeff doesn’t stop fuckin’ around, so help me….

“Just like I said. She married him because her father’s a fucking asshole. He’s never treated her like his daughter, still blames her for her mom’s death. She married Viper at the time to make her old man happy, but all he did was beat her and rape her. She put up with it all, just to please her old man. Until—”

I don’t let Jeff finish his sentence. With all the anger boiling up inside me, I throw my phone against the wall, sucking in harsh breaths as what Jeff just revealed sinks in. That fuckin’ piece of shit raped and hit Tess—my Tess. Oh fuck, what have I done? I sent her back to him, that’s what I did. Fuck!

I run over to the phone still lying on the ground, relieved when I hear Jeff’s voice coming through. “Blaze, you there?”

I pick it up, then growl out, “When did she leave?”

“Um…. I….”

“Spit it out, Jeff!” I yell.

“Um… around five, I wasn’t sure If I should call you or not.”

I glance down at my watch; it’s almost seven. Two whole fuckin’ hours.

“What the fuck! You know it’s after seven now, Jeff?”

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