Page 129 of Undisputed Player
Instead of answering, I gestured to the monitors. "Take a look."
Damon's eyes flicked to the screens, confusion flickering across his sharp features. "What the hell is this?"
"Security footage.” My voice went softer, more intimate, like the beginning of a story told only between monsters. "From across town. See the woman there?"
His eyes narrowed as he studied the feed. Recognition dawned slowly, like a sickness spreading through his features. "That's... that's Estelle Moore.”
"Mmm." I leaned closer, savoring the moment. "Tell me, Damon, what did you try to do to her?"
“What the fuck—” His gaze swung between the white-noise flicker of the screens and the impassive wall of Connor’s form behind him. "Who are you?"
"You really want to know?" I crouched further, close enough for him to see the hard line of my jaw, the gold around my neck. "She’s sleeping so peacefully. No fear, no wondering if today’s the day someone tries to take Leo from her."
Damon's breathing quickened, and beneath the bravado, I saw the beginnings of panic bloom. "You’re fucked, you know that?" he snapped, his voice brittle. "Watching her sleep like some kind of?—"
"Like some kind of what?" I interrupted. "Like someone who loves her? Like someone who would do anything to keep her safe?"
His angry eyes widened. Something was clicking into place.
"Or maybe," I continued, reaching up to remove my sunglasses, "like someone who remembers exactly what you tried to do earlier.”
The moment my eyes were revealed, Damon's expression shifted from confusion to recognition to pure, undiluted terror. His skin went ashen, his mouth falling open as he stared.
"You," he breathed. "You're the one who threatened my men at her apartment.”
"That's right." I folded my sunglasses carefully, tucking them into my shirt’s neckline. "I'm the man who told your boys to stay away from her. The man who made it very fucking clear I’d gut them if it didn’t happen.”
All that charm, all that cartel bravado—it wilted at the realization.
His voice dropped low. "Easton. Jax fucking Easton."
"In the flesh,” I smirked wickedly, gesturing back to the monitors.
There was something so goddamn addicting about this—being recognized for the blood running through my veins, for the reputation my father had chiseled from broken men and shattered enemies. Watching a predator realize he’d just become prey.
Estelle shifted slightly in her sleep, her hand reaching out before flopping over Sierra.
The rage inside me had crystallized into something focused, a diamond-hard purpose that left no room for mercy. I could feel it in my chest, this perfect, terrible love that would tear the world apart to keep her safe.
"Damon," I continued, my voice dropping to a whisper, "you made a mistake. You thought you could hurt her,killher. You thought you could take what was mine."
I leaned in close enough that he could smell my cologne, expensive and civilized—a stark contrast to the monster I was about to become.
"You're the man who killed Giselle Moore. You're the man who tried to steal her son. You're the man who tried to kill Estelle Moore."
Damon tried to sneer, baring his teeth. “Giselle was a junkie. I did her a favor."
"Wrong fucking answer," I said softly.
The first punch was for Estelle and her sister. My rings cracked against his cheekbone, splitting the skin open like overripe fruit. Blood bloomed instantly, painting his face crimson. The second was for Leo—a sharp jab to the ribs that left him gasping, his body folding inward like paper.
Connor held him upright when he sagged, his massive hands gripping Damon's shoulders. "Stay awake," he rumbled, voice carrying the weight of granite. "You're not done yet."
I stepped back, rolling my shoulders, feeling the familiar ache in my knuckles. The sound of my fists connecting with his flesh echoed in the warehouse, a percussion of justice that had been years in themaking. This wasn't the clean violence of the ring. This was personal, necessary.
"You know Estelle found her sister that night?” I asked, my voice conversational despite the blood on my hands. “Her whole life tilted while you were counting money.”
Damon spat blood at my feet. "I gave her what she wanted. The needle was her choice."
