Page 27 of Shattered

“Get your fucking hands off my wife.”

He had the audacity to laugh, but what he didnotdo was let her go. My hand itched to unstrap the gun on my hip, to shove the barrel against his temple, and dare him to laugh again when I saw her wince. Instead, I grabbed his thumb and yanked it backward, dislodging the grip he had. The asshole cried out when I spun, sweeping my leg against the back of his knees, dropping him unceremoniously to the ground.

“Leave him alone,” a woman I hadn’t noticed screamed and moved like she was going to intervene, only to be blocked by Keaton.

“Be smart, lady,” he warned.

“Not possible,” Jade muttered.

My eyes snapped to hers, taking her in. “Are you okay?”

“I am now.”

“Wife?” Henley shrieked. “Are you shitting me right now?”

“Little Bird,” Keaton chided.

He didn’t have to say anything else. I knew I’d fucked up. In my defense, I wasn’t exactly thinking straight when I announced our marriage.

During their exchange, the two trespassers—I assumed were Jade’s parents—began to slink backward in an attempt to sneak away from the havoc they’d wreaked, but when the front door opened, they changed course.

“Go back inside, Jett,” Henley requested quietly.

“Happy birthday, baby,” his mother cried out.

“Go away,” he replied. “Nobody wants you here.”

Moving to the top of the steps as they reached the bottom, I gripped the railing on either side, blocking their path and their view. “You heard him. Leave and don’t come back,”

“Wait.” Jade slipped under my arm, which I then instinctively wrapped around her waist, drawing her back into my chest. “Why are you really here?”

“We came to see our baby on his birthday,” her mother quipped.

“Bullshit,” Jett bellowed.

The fact Jade didn’t correct his language said enough about her state of mind to raise my hackles. I should’ve had Nelson dig through their background when she firsttold me they’d popped back up; a mistake I’d be rectifying immediately.

“Oh, son, she’s brainwashed you against us.”

“No need to brainwash me. I’ve always known you were shit parents.”

This needed to end. Now.

“Enough, Jett,” I gruffed.

Jade shifted slightly in my arms, locking eyes with her brother. “We’ve got this handled. Please go back inside.” A tense heartbeat later, he nodded, then spun and did as she asked.

“The police are on their way,” Keaton announced, coming to my side. “I’d suggest you get gone before they arrive.”

“This isn’t over.” He stomped toward the street, casting a final threat over his shoulder. “We’ll be back, daughter. And next time even your newhusbandwon’t be able to stop us.”

Once they disappeared around the corner, Jade sagged against my chest, the tension slipping from her body as she matched my breaths subconsciously. Leaning in, I kissed her temple, then inhaled—catching notes of cinnamon and vanilla—my new favorite scent.

“They won’t touch either of you,” I vowed.

“You can’t promise that, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

Unease rippled through my gut; the sense of foreboding intense enough to be crippling. She was right. It was damn-near impossible to be with her twenty-four seven. The idea of anything happening to the woman, who’d quickly become my sole reason for being, was incomprehensible. I’d have to figure out something before the fear of losing her smothered me like a weighted blanket.

---