Page 216 of Relentles
“Kendall,” he crooned, drawing her into his arms.
Hugging him, she rested her head on his shoulder and sobbed. “I was so scared when you left,” she admitted. “It crippled me, Johnnie. I couldn’t…” Since his return, she’d pretended everything was okay, but it wasn’t. He needed to know what he’d done. “Rory took care of me. You should be so proud of him,” she said, sniffling. “I don’t think I’ve thanked him or told him what his care meant to me. But he’s still a child. He should never have been put in that position. He needs you. Mattie, JJ, and Blade need you.Ineed you. You’re my everything. Fuck peace!” she snarled. “Go to war. Annihilate those motherfuckers.”
Laughter rumbled from him and he tightened his hold on her. “Things are calming down—”
“Not if he wants Meggie dead!”
“Trust me, gorgeous. Please.”
“I do, Johnnie,” she whispered with sincerity. “I trust you with my life, my heart, my existence.”Her sanity. As that thought crossed her mind, she shivered. That she’d ceded so much control to him frightened her.
Disentangling from her, he took her face between his hands and brushed his lips across her own. “This is all I’ve ever wanted from you, Kendall,” he said huskily. “Your love and faith. Exactly what Megan gives to Christopher. What she would’ve given to me had I married her.”
His words doused her feelings as if a bucket of ice pelted her. But he didn’t detect the change in her mood, her crushing despair.
“We’re so lucky. I’ve had the love of two beautiful women. Megan has always been strength personified. She—”
“Stop!” Kendall cried. “Stop, please!”
His brows snapped together. “What, sweetheart?”
“I’m not Meggie. I’m me.Kendall. We’re different women.”
A small smile curved his mouth, and he thumbed her tears. “No one could ever mistakeyouforher.”
She gasped.
“You’re a strong, fiery Goliath. She’s a sweet, delicate princess.”
Anger surged through Kendall, and she stumbled back. She couldn’t continue this conversation. She’d either say or do something she regretted. Swallowing, she searched her brain for a change of topic. When she found none, she decided to redirect their talk back to the original subject.
“A-and K-P and this R-Rack person?” she stammered, shaken by Johnnie’s callousness. “What about them?”
Studying her, Johnnie lifted a brow. “Whataboutthem?”
She drew in a deep breath. She was an attorney. Once, she’d argued in court on behalf of her clients while nursing hangovers and evidence of abuse. She could handle this, too. “You tell me. Did they have anyone to leave a share to if Big Joe had kept to his word?”
“K-P would’ve left his portion to Val. I think they were trying to keep ownership within the ranks of the club. Val was a part of our group, but he was the only one of us who didn’t have someone to leave him a share.”
“Didn’t Big Joe have a son?”
Johnnie nodded. “Boss knew the score. Joey wasn’t fit to run the fucking club. He sure the fuck wasn’t fit to own part of it. I would’ve thought he would’ve left his shares to Christopher. But he never changed the ownership.”
“In other words, he kept all the deeds and titles in Meggie’s name, instead of assigning the appropriate shares to theaforementioned parties per the agreement after all debts were paid?”
A smile ghosted across Johnnie’s face.
“What?” she demanded crossly.
“Ever the attorney, sweetheart.”
“Don’t fucking flirt with me.”
“What?”
She allowed her anger to kick in again. If she hadn’t let her guard down, he wouldn’t have flung bullshit at her. “I’m so furious with you, I want to kick you.”
“Why, Kendall? I’ve done nothing but try to protect you, thethreeof you in this matter.”
