Page 46 of Shattered

“You should’ve let me drive,” I muttered.

“Why? So you could get us both killed?” He turned on his blinker, switching lanes to pass an eighteen wheeler. “Use the time to get your head on straight.”

We had our weekly briefing with the DEA an hour away from Huntington on neutral ground. The purpose was to share any information the other had uncovered, which usually added up to less than nothing. This time though, Lanie had overheard a phone call between Little and a man he referred to as Z. They’d set a date, time, and place for a meet. Problem was, we had no idea what they were meeting about.

One thing we knew for certain—courtesy of Lanie’sexceptional hearing—was this Z character had a Russian accent. And if the look Keaton gave me meant what I thought it did, he may have recognized the initial from the notebook my brother sent. Of course, we weren’t ready to divulge that tidbit of information to the DEA quite yet.

“You didn’t hear her voice, K. She’s freaked.”

“And that’s exactly why you have to rein it in. The way you handle yourself will trickle down to her. Be in control and she’ll match your calm.”

Easier said than done, especially when I didn’t know the extent of what we were walking into. Jade had been able to get out that she’d been served papers about custody before she broke down in hysterics. Henley snatched the phone from her and assured me she had my girl until I could get there, but emphasized the need to hurry.

Tires screeched forty minutes later as Keaton slammed on the brakes outside of Over Easy. I was out and running before the vehicle came to a stop.

Sal, Shirley’s husband, held the door open and pointed toward the back, not that I needed his direction. I’d clocked my girl before my boots ever hit the ground. Jade was curled in on herself in the corner of a booth; arms wrapped tightly around bent legs with her head resting on top. Her unfocused, glassy eyes flared with my approach.

“Koen.”

My name on her lips was filled with anguish. Scrambling around Henley, she launched herself into my waiting arms. I swayed on my feet at the impact and quickly lowered the both of us onto a nearby chair, where I could get a better grip on her trembling body.

“I’m here, Angel. I’ve got you.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, she buried her face in the side of my neck and released a heart-wrenching sob.Helpless to stop what happened next, I did the only thing I could.

I held her tighter as she shattered within the safety of my arms, absorbing the burn as the jagged edges of her panic sliced me to the core. All while whispering words of love in her ear.

Time ceased. The diner, along with our friends, faded into the background. Nothing else mattered except Jade. When her wails turned into whimpered hiccups, I knew exhaustion had finally won out.

“What happened?” I vaguely heard Keaton ask.

Henley answered, her voice clogged with emotion. “They’re trying to have her removed as Jett’s guardian.”

Jade stirred then, pushing back from my chest. Her voice cracked when she uttered, “I can’t lose him, Koen.”

Fuck that and fuck them for putting even an ounce of doubt in my girl.

“Dry your eyes, Angel. Those assholes have gotten the last tear from you they’ll ever receive. They don’t deserve them, and they’veneverdeserved you or Jett.”

“You’re absolutely right.” She sat up straighter, gripping the front of my shirt in her fists. “Fuck them.”

“Hell, yes!” Henley yelled.

“I’ll fight them with everything I have?—”

“We’ll fight, Jade,” I interrupted. “You aren’t alone in this.”

“Sorry. We’ll fight and we’ll decimate them on the stand.” Rising from my lap, she began to pace.

“Preach it, Mama Bear,” Shirley shouted while her partners in crime, Betsy and Mitzy, contributed their own words of praise.

But my girl didn’t hear any of it. She was lost in her anger, and it was fucking beautiful to witness.

“He’s not some toy for them to play with. He’s mygoddamn brother! Mine,” she growled, spinning to face me, “not theirs.”

“Definitely not theirs,” I agreed. “So how do you want to play this? It’s your call.”

“We need a lawyer.”

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