Page 22 of Give Me Forever Love

Jace is a flight risk and, sorry to say, but a fuck-up.

And I have a sick feeling he’s about to screw up even more.

“You say it like it’s that easy,” he says.

“What the hell do you mean? She put Bryce in jail. He may be going to prison. How much easier could it be?”

“She was doing her job,” he says.

I cough laugh, anger making my body hot. “You’re kidding me, right?”

I can’t believe this.

He’s taking up for her?

“Are you not mad?”

He turns his full attention to me. “Oh, I’m mad,” he says dangerously. “I’m so goddamn mad I can’t see straight.”

“And yet you’re defending her?”

“Don’t do that,” he says, shaking his head, removing the smoke between his lips. “Don’t stand there and fucking judge me when you and my brother can’t get your shit straight to save both of you.”

My fingers squeeze the glass in my hand, and before I can think, I throw the thing. Glass shatters and brown liquor splashes against the red brick. Jace doesn’t flinch. He watches it all happen like he almost expected it.

“Fuck you.” I point toward him. “What Bryce and I do… The shit that’s between him and me, it doesn’t hurt other people. This relationship of yours did.”

“Harrison, I don’t give a shit if you’re the girl who stole my brother’s heart, you don’t get to tell me how to live my life. You’re standing by a felon.”

“That felon is your brother!”

“Yeah. Fuckery, ain’t it? My brother is sitting in jail with a possible prison sentence, and I’m in love with the woman who took him down.” He walks over to the fridge and grabs two beers.

I shake my head.

I don’t know who I pity more.

Him or me.

He slides a beer across the counter before he twists the top off his. “I’ll hurt no matter what I do. So, what the fuck do I do?”

I twist the cap off my own, chugging it before I slam it down on the counter. I wipe my mouth and grab my keys from my pocket.

“I guess you’ve got some thinking to do, huh? I’ve got to get to the courthouse.”

He leans back against the fridge; I turn and walk out of the door.

Pissed and hurt, I head to my car, popping a piece of gum into my mouth after I climb inside.

Chapter Seven

Kathrine

I walk back into the apartment, finding Lee standing outside on the balcony having a cigar and Mary sitting on the couch.

She looks over at me. “Did you find him?” she asks, sitting up, dropping her foot from the sofa.

“Yeah. He’s fine. I’m going to freshen up and then we can go.” I have no desire to talk about my argument with Jace. That’s the first time we’ve ever had one, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

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