Page 87 of Trial of Deceit

“A no wa yu think, Jed!”Reine exclaimed as they reached outside, and he stopped suddenly.

He halted.Glowering, he spun around.“Yu don’ in a dealings with him?”

Reine licked her lips.“N-no…”

Jediah’s scowl returned.He yanked a gun from a guard and continued toward the warehouse, then into the dungeon.

“Why you a go down here?”Reine locked her fingers around Jediah’s arm, failing to bring him to a stop.Cold air brought goosebumps to their skin.“You a keep Dimitri down here?!”

“Bring her up,” he ordered a guard while another opened the door to a chamber.

Reine fought against the men as the door opened.She froze as her eyes landed on Dimitri.His back was turned toward them.He was unmoving as the children laughed with each other.He didn’t jump as a gunshot went off.

“You a touch mi likkle sister?”Jediah asked from the doorway through gritted teeth.

Dimitri turned his head to the side.Jediah doubted the man could manage to glance over his shoulder.

“He’s not!”Reine cried, flailing as the men tried to drag her away from the door.Her head smacked into the wall.

The men froze.

Reine’s cries died down as she winced, disoriented.

The men gulped as their gazes snapped to Jediah.

Jediah scowled.Usually, under no circumstances would he have allowed anyone to manhandle his sister.But this time was different.Who did Reine think she was to be running around with Dimitri when she should’ve been concentrating on school and the books?

Reine’s focus returned.Her lips trembled.Her eyes watered, as they settled on Jediah.“Ash… Please… Don’ mek him do it,” she begged.

Jediah looked around, realizing Ashari was half-way into the room with him.

She had her attention fixed on Dimitri.Her eyes were wide.They returned to normal as she looked at him.“Don’t kill him, and I’ll forgive you.”

Jediah’s heart stopped beating.His grip loosened around the gun.Then, it tightened.“Stay out of family matters, Ashari.”He stepped into the room while saying to another guard, “Bring her up, too… Carefully.”

“I’m your wife,” Ashari stated, and Jediah paused to look at her.Her eyes were cold.“Ashari Richardson is my name.You meant what you said earlier, right?”she asked, and his jaw tightened.She held out a hand.“Don’t, Jediah…”

He looked at Dimitri, who was still trying to see what was happening behind him.His scowl faded as he reached for Ashari’s hand.While handing the guard the gun, he gave the order to release Reine.Reine almost tripped over her feet as she rushed into the room and began working on Dimitri’s restraints.

Ashari led Jediah away.Brought him to their room.Sat him on their bed.Tended to his bullet wound.

“Why’d you do it?”he asked as she finished up.

“Because you remind me of Romar… He was upset when he found out that I like women too.”

Jediah’s brows furrowed.“Why did that make him angry?”

Ashari shrugged after a pause.“Back then, I didn’t know why.Now, I do.Either way, I never cared ’cause I was with a person I loved.She taught me to be comfortable about who I am, but I hurt her…” She trailed off.A distant look erased the light in her eyes before she looked at him and said, “Take out your anger about Dimitri on me.”

“What?”he asked, wondering how he could possibly kill her.He’d thought about it on several occasions, but each time, he’d ended up doing something that tied her more to him.

Ashari shrugged off her dress and sat on the bed beside him.His eyes raked down her body as she said, “I know how Reine feels to have a big brother very mad at her, and trust me when I say, it’ll hurt you more than her if you try to get between them.You took my brother away from me, but you don’t deserve your sister taken from you… No matter all that you ever did to me.”

He pondered her words, then he stood and towered over her.“I won’t be gentle.”

“I don’t want you to be…” she said, parting her legs while leaning back.

“No.”Jediah’s hand shot out, holding her shoulder to stop her.Her brows crinkled as he helped her onto her side.“Don’ wan’ yu hurt yuself before yu heal.”

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