Page 47 of Jasper

The woman’s eyes widen as she registers our energy, shock washing over her. She backs up a step, clinging to her drink like it’s going to save her.

“Who the hell are you?” This idiot pulls his chin up, acting like he holds the cards in this situation.

Spoiler alert: He doesn’t. And he’s about to figure that out the hard way.

“Just a few concerned citizens,” Cassian replies, stepping closer, all too ready. “And we heard you’ve been behaving like a punk ass lately.”

“What does that even mean?” His bravado is still there, but there’s a flicker of uncertainty starting to spark in his eyes.

Ghost scoffs and moves to block his escape behind him. “It means you should think twice before you touch another woman. Because we’re here to make sure you understand it’s not a fucking joke.”

My heart pounds as I lunge, towering over this piece of shit. “You’re never going to put your hands on anyone, especially a woman, ever again. You got that?”

A wave of anger bleeding into uncertainty washes over his face as he realizes we’re not fucking around. “You don’t know who you’re talking to,” he snaps back weakly.

Cage steps forward, fingers flexed like he means business. “Yeah. Neither do you. But you’re about to find out.”

With another word, we grab him, arms wrapping around his shoulders, and drag him toward the back of the parking lot. People in the bar stare, though they don’t try to get in the way.

He begins to protest, but we don’t care. The rambling curses turn to desperate pleading as we shove him into the bed of my truck and tie ropes around his ankles and wrists in record time.

“Let’s go to the outskirts,” I call out over my brothers.

We leave Dickface in the back and get into our trucks. Ghost jumps into the driver’s seat of mine so I can keep an eye on our captive. The engine rumbles to life, and seconds later, we’re tearing out of the lot and onto the open road.

I silently chuckle as the memory of Ariana telling me I was kidnapping her comes to mind. If only she could see this, she would know that I was definitely not kidnapping her.

“You’ll regret this!” the jerk shouts, trying to pound desperately on the side of the bed despite the bindings.

It’s sweet that he thinks that. Too bad for him, we don’t have consciences and have every resource available to make anything disappear.

We drive for a while, the trees lining the road blurring past us. Eventually, we turn onto a dirt trail that winds deeper into the woods, the moonlight filtering through the branches casting eerie shadows across our path. These mountains are our playground, and we’ve spent plenty of time exploring them that we know them like they’re our own backyard.

Finally, Ghost brings us to a stop, and my brothers all get out of the truck, then undo his ankle ropes and pull the guy out of the back. He stumbles, but they hold him steady.

“This is where it ends for you,” I say, my voice sharp as a knife. “You think you can put your hands on someone and get away with it? It doesn’t work that way anymore.”

Panic plays over his face like a movie on repeat. “Hey! You guys can’t do this! I swear, I won’t hurt anyone again. I didn’t mean?—”

“No, you meant it,” I hiss, leaning in closer so he can really hear me. “You don’t get to treat women like that. Ever. And if you try again, I won’t just leave you out here to live with the animals. This is your one shot—your last chance. Next time, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

This time, the fear is palpable. Sweat drips down his forehead as I shine my flashlight in his face, momentarily blinding him. Finally, I step back and shove him hard, sending him flying to the ground with a hard thump.

I walk back to the truck, not looking around as Ghost gets in and starts the engine again.

“Good luck finding your way home, asshole,” I call over my shoulder. “I hope the bears eat you before you make it.”

Then we drive off, leaving him nearly eighty miles from any sort of civilization.

As the trees rush by on our way home, I can’t help but think about how I’m going to take care of my Little thief… and how I’m not letting anyone or anything hurt her again.

* * *

Islam the door behind me, impatient to see my girl. But the moment I step inside, I tense.

Theo is pacing near the front door, his expression taut as he rakes his hand through his messy hair. Panic wells up in my chest. “What’s wrong?” I demand, my pulse racing as dread settles deep in my gut.

He stops mid-step, eyes wide and filled with concern. “I messed up, Jasper.”

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