Page 68 of Twisted

Maisie nearly crumbled, but nodded, forehead brushing against his.

“Why do you have…to go?” she whispered, her voice and the strain in which she spoke making his knees wobble. He cupped her cheeks, smoothing his thumbs through the trail of her tears. He knew that she knew; she just needed something to cling to, some reasoning to give her closure.

“Remember that you’re my forever, Mais. I meant what I said when I told ya you’re the only thing for me in this world. A woman like you deserves to be pursued relentlessly. Hope I proved that to ya.”

She withered with a quiet cry and shook her head, clutching at his hands as they held her cheeks.

“But I don’t want ya to go. I don’t want this to happen.”

“We’ve all gotta do things that scare us, Mais,” he whispered, repeating his sentiment from weeks ago. “And no matter what, you’ll always have me, now.”

Gentle, he pressed his hand back to her belly, and she wept. He gathered her into his arms as she sobbed against his neck. And the words he’d always wished she’d speak to him were finally out.

“I’ll love you forever, Jaeger.”

Rancho stayed behind. Jaeger couldn’t bring himself to think anymore about it; it was over and done, she was safe, and he was paying for that safety with his life. He knew his chances with Hades had run out; he couldn’t even be upset.

They drove for hours in his sleek black Escalade, just the two of them, not bothering to say a word. He hoped it would just be a bullet between his eyes, his body buried in an unmarked grave so the world could forget about him—everyone except his Maisie Jane and their baby. He figured driving to his death would have been more frightening, but he only felt numb. Ready. Decisions were easy when you loved someone more than your own life.

“You crossed me again, Jaeger.”

It was the first time Hades had spoken in three hours. Jaeger stared out the windshield into the dreary day. He wanted to say he didn’t give a fuck, but he bit his tongue. He didn’t want anything to happen to Maisie after he was dead and gone.

“I did, sir. Felt like it was a noble enough reason to do so.”

“And now she carries your child.”

Jaeger’s eyes flashed to him, his body quaking with rage. But Hades’ expression was flat and calm and dark, not sinister.

“They will be safe. You have my word.”

And Jaeger knew it was a word he could trust.

Satisfied, he nodded and resumed his staring out into the cloudy day. They passed through Charlotte, through the industrial parts of the city, and back out into nothingness. Fields as far as the eye could see, and then the Smokies bursted into view. Maybe Hades would kill him and bury him up at his cabin, or fake an accidental death by burning him down in the confines of the house he’d built—the very one he’d fixed up with Maisie in mind.

She’d loved it there. She admitted it to him. Said she loved the dust, the mismatched furniture and mugs, the porch with its twinkling lights. He loved it more because she did, because she found her solace there—because he’d given her her overdue freedom in that cabin, in those woods.

She may have pulled the trigger, but he’d been there to harness her chaos, redirect it into healing herself—all while selfishly aching for her to fall for him. And she did in every conceivable way. Even now, on the brink of death, he could smile, for he’d been given the only thing in life he ever wanted; a love so fiery and all-consuming that it burned brighter than the sun, however briefly.

But he knew he’d love her even in death. His soul was hers to keep. And when she was good and done living her beautiful life to the fullest, he knew she’d find him in the afterlife. Because there was no other option, not to him, not to her. They were forever intrinsically bound and would always be. He would always find her.

True to his nature, he had to get his last digs in before the bite of a bullet, or the slash of a knife.

“Fuckin’ woman has been through more than anyone on this planet,” he said, voice calm but somehow still potent, deadly. His eyes flashed to Hades, who only gripped the steering wheel tighter in his huge hands. “And here ya are, taking away the father of her baby. A man she actually loves despite all the shit she went through.”

Satisfied, Jaeger turned to stare ahead, quaking with quiet rage at the unfair situation Maisie had been thrust into again. He knew he was to blame, but if Hades could just fucking let it go—

“I know everything that woman has been through.”

Jaeger’s eyes jumped back to Hades, watching as his jaw clenched, his dark eyes narrowing at the road ahead in a sort of vengeful anger. It was astounding as much as it was frightening and confusing. But before Jaeger could say another word, he blinked, and the white walls of the prison loomed into view.

Hades pulled over before getting to the visitor booth, cranking the vehicle into park, turning and fixing Jaeger with a look of death.

Slow, he held up one finger.

“You get one chance to fix this, Jaeger. And the answer is just beyond those walls. If you do a good enough job, you two are free in every way. Do we have a deal?”

Heart pounding in his ears, face flushed from the onslaught of blood, Jaeger nodded before he knew what he was really agreeing to. But Hades seemed satisfied all the same. With a nod, he put the car into drive and continued on, his final words ringing hope and fire back into Jaeger’s skull.

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