Page 67 of The Gentleness of Rage

But I had something to say that I’d been bottling up.

“Yeah. You two let me rot. How many times did I plead for help, and what was your response? To send me back. And Damien beat me black and blue. I didn’t have food poisoning for a week. I couldn’t fuckin’ move because I was a mass of bruises because you failed me. That wasn’t your only time of ignoring my pleas. You’re not friends. Believe me. Friends don’t turn on me like you did.” I spat at Lacey’s feet as she cried out and looked guilty as hell.

“Jaelynn—”

“You don’t exist. You’re nothing to me. Take them away. After Wade shooting Sindy today and trying to kidnap me… which is on camera… in case you think I’m imagining shit.” I stared at Lewis and Lacey so they knew I meant them. “I’ve had enough. Can I just have one quiet night?”

“We’ll take them,” Ramirez said as Ben grabbed Lewis’s arm.

“Find out how they found me, please,” I asked and closed my eyes. “I’m going to eat dinner and relax.”

Slate

Slate picked his laptop up and carried it over to the sofa. Jaelynn looked tired, and he guessed she’d not slept well last night. Dorothy and Aunt Elsie had stayed, and everyone was quiet. The joy the morning had brought had disappeared under the weight of the day’s events. He had today and two more days before he flew Jaelynn out, and he wanted to give her something to look forward to.

“What’s up?” she asked tiredly.

“I’ve got something to show you. It’s a surprise,” Slate said, and Jaelynn eyed him warily.

“We’ve had enough surprises, I think,” she retorted, and Slate laughed.

“Probably, but this is a good one." Slate opened the laptop and brought up the tab he’d been looking at.

“That’s a cabin on a lake,” Jaelynn replied, confused.

“This is a cabin close to Rage’s. It’s up for sale and comes with a massive plot of land. Molly and Roscoe would be safe to run around freely.”

Jaelynn sat up and began flicking through the pictures. Slate could tell she was falling in love by the expression on her face.

“We’ve got an appointment in two hours if you want to go view it,” Slate offered.

Jaelynn lit up, and then her happiness crashed. “I can’t afford it.”

“Good job I can. I’ll buy this in cash,” Slate replied.

“Slate, that is one hefty price tag,” Jaelynn stated, looking bemused.

“Babe, until a couple of years ago, I stayed in my bunk at the clubhouse. Then, I rented with several other prospects. I put my house up for sale last week, and I’ve got two offers. I’ve got money. As soon as you fell in love with that lake, I knew I’d break my back to get you a home there,” Slate said.

Jaelynn looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Fuck, I love you!” she exclaimed and flung her arms around him.

Slate grinned just as Jaelynn’s mouth found his, and she kissed him deeply. His cock perked up instantly, and Jaelynn let out a muffled giggle.

“And there’re two cockblockers in the house,” Jaelynn muttered as Aunt Elsie raised her voice.

“Let’s go see the damn cabin,” Slate complained, resigned. His hand still held a handful of Jaelynn’s ass. At this rate, he wouldn’t last a minute once he got inside of her. Blue balls were a bastard.

Jaelynn

I walked down the carved steps to the dock, which stood over the lake. The entire thing was perfect. The only things that worried me were hunters and the dogs; because of their fluffy coats, they might be mistaken for prey. But Slate promised he’d have our land fenced in so Molly and Roscoe could run free but not get hurt.

And with water so close, we’d never get Roscoe out. Molly liked swimming, but Roscoe lived for it.

I took in the view, including the cabin. It was stunning. Somebody had cleared the trees, so the front looked directly over the lake without impediment. There was a lot of wood, naturally, and glass. And I was in love.

In all honesty, it was bigger than I’d expected. The main door led into a huge room that acted as a living and dining area. A side door opened to a galley kitchen running the cabin’s length. A pantry and utility room lay beyond a second door, and I was ecstatic; I’d always wanted one of them.

Another exit led to a hallway with three rooms. There was a bathroom and flight of stairs, which led to a family bathroom and four bedrooms.

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