Page 50 of Reckless Forever
“Jaxon, tell him to take this letter. It’s important.” I turned my head just enough to shout, but I was still watching how his finger hovered over the only thing separating me from life and death.
“We not here for that shit.” Jaxon’s voice was cold, but low.
“It’s about Ivy!” I roared, my voice cracking under the strain, knowing I had only a second left before he grew tired of the conversation.
Judah’s eyes flickered at the sound of her name, just for a moment. A hesitation. So quick, I probably would have missed it. His finger twitched on the trigger, and I swear I could already feel the bullet tearing through my forehead.
“Take it, Judah!” Jaxon called out.
The bull’s jaw flexed. His chest rose and fell, each breath louder, harder. The silence between us stretched while he contemplated whether it was worth it. His eyes darted to the paper, then back to mine.
Finally, he snatched the letter from my fingers. He did it so hard that it jerked my hand and almost ripped the skin from my fingers. He held it in one hand, the rifle aimed steady with the other. His eyes scanned the words. I saw the muscle in his jaw tick. His nostrils flared.
I exhaled deeply, slow and heavy. Grateful for the second chance to inhale Bolivian air. I chuckled as I watched him read the letter in its entirety. I swelled with pride so big that it almost broke me.
Judah Jennings had passed the test.
My job here was done.
CHAPTER 15
Judah
To my daughter’s husband:
Congratulations, you have passed her godfather’s test. Every father would say so, but my daughter is a special woman. She is driven, talented, beautiful, but most of all, she is the last purity that this life created. Cherish that and cherish her. I do not know you or your story, but if I know anything about Santos, you are a soldier.
Normally, a man would ask a father for his daughter’s hand in marriage, but you were chosen. By me and by him. Protect my daughter from all of the wicked things that I have done in this world that she will have to answer for.
I gave my life to protect my daughter, and now I’m passing on the responsibility to you to do the same.
Do not fail me. Do not fail her.
-Her Father
My chest tightened as I read the letter; the words felt like someone was stabbing me. Even when I was done, they just echoed in my head.To my daughter’s husband… do not fail me. Do not fail her.Of all the things that I had seen in the Mafia life, nothing had ever shaken a nigga like those words had.
I looked up and caught Santos watching me. That same smile was creeping up on his face, like he’d been waiting his whole life for this moment. It hit me hard. For a split second, I wanted to drop the rifle and sit in silence, but instead, I turned around and handed the letter to Jax and Trouble.
They both read it quietly. Trouble didn’t say shit, but the way he looked at me was enough. Jax let out a slow exhale and gave me a nod. It wasn’t sympathy. Just the look of a brother who understood what the weight looked like.
Santos waved off his men. They saluted us in respect before dropping their rifles at their side and disappearing into the shadows. The air shifted. It wasn’t war anymore. It was something heavier.
The old man walked toward me. His steps were careful, almost cautious, like he didn’t know how I would react because my men were still armed and trained to go. Then he did something I didn’t expect. He reached his hand out. His voice cracked, thick with accent but clear enough to speak the first word of English that I had heard since I had known him.
“Son.”
That one word almost got to me.
I hesitated, staring at his hand like it was a setup, but I took it. His grip was firm, steady, and then he pulled me in with surprising old man strength. He embraced me like blood, not business. For the first time, I didn’t see the boss of the Cartel in his eyes. I saw a man carrying a promise he would die before breaking.
He pulled back and spoke to Jaxon in Spanish. My brother nodded, his eyes shooting to me. “He said Ivy’s father made him swear her husband had to be strong enough to survive a war. That was the test.”
Santos placed another letter into Jax’s hand. The second one. Jax read aloud, his Spanish smooth, translating word by word.That one wasn’t for me. It was from Ivany to Santos, swearing him to guard Ivy’s future. Hearing it out loud, knowing that I was the nigga chosen for that type of promise, hit different.
I took the letter he had given me, sat in the truck, and re-read it. Every line pressed on me like a weight I didn’t know if I was ready to carry. My chest was tight, my mind moving faster than I wanted it to.
Trouble leaned against the doorframe, watching me. “You good, bro?”
