Page 43 of Jasper
“Yeah,” I say. “I told my ma not to let her in. Queenie’s got a soft spot for women who’ve been through hell. She believes in second chances. But Silver isn’t trying to heal. She’s not broken. She’s dangerous. She wants control without limits.”
“I know the type,” she says. “I’ll keep my distance.”
“I’m sorry she came at you. I should’ve seen that coming.”
Tessa lets out a sigh. “I guess if I’m going to be hanging around you and your family then I just need to toughen up.”
I turn to her. “I like your soft side. Don’t be too quick in getting those hard edges.”
She smiles, but her eyes stay sharp. “She can leave right? She’s not owned by the club or anything like that?”
I lift the mug again, pausing. “Of course not. She had a choice. My ma gave her a way out to get her act together. It’s chores, not chains she has here. Anyone can leave anytime. No strings. But if they do leave, they don’t come back. That’s the rule. And we don’t shove them out empty-handed. They get a couple hundred bucks, a bus ticket, maybe some snacks for the ride.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
“She loves being a club girl and I can’t see her leaving voluntarily. She’s pretty, smart, sassy and I’m told she knows how to keep a brother happy if they’re lucky enough to end up in her bed.”
Tessa smothers back a wry smile, “I’ll just bet she does. I can tell she doesn’t like it when you tell her no.”
“Silver’s stubborn that way. Don’t know what my ma sees in her. You ever deal with any stubborn bastards on your end?” I ask, curious to know about her past.
The color drains for her face and her fingers tighten slightly around her cup and I instantly regret my question. “Yeah. Unfortunately, I did.”
She doesn’t look at me when she starts talking. “He came in fast, love bombing me before I knew exactly what that was. He was charming, gave me too much attention, and far too many gifts. The kind of guy who made you feel lucky to get him. I was young and thought this must be what love was. If only I knew then what I know now, I’d have never given him a second look.It was sunlight and rainbows until he got bored. Then it turned into control, jealousy, screaming, and even hitting.”
Gesturing to her throat, she adds, “The day he put his hands around my throat, I knew if I didn’t get away from him he’d kill me.”
The second I hear that, my throat goes dry and whatever arousal I was feeling takes a gigantic nosedive.
She goes on, “It took me close to a month after the choking to make a clean getaway. I ran and never looked back.”
“Did he ever try to find you?”
She nods without looking at me. “He found me several times, and it took me three tries, but I finally got a restraining order.”
“Did he violate the restraining order?”
“I didn’t give him a chance. I left and changed my number right after the order got approved. I figured, why tempt fate? Moved across the country, back to Cedar Falls. I feel like a bit of a stereotype, being the young, idealistic woman who moved away with a man who turned out to be an abuser, learned the hard way how hard it is to start over, and came running back to my small town to make a clean break.”
I shake my head. “I think it happens a lot for a reason. We all come back to familiar ground when we’re in crisis.”
I grip my coffee cup tighter. “So, do you ever think he might come back?”
She meets my gaze now. Her voice is steady, but her eyes are troubled in a way no one deserves. “No,” she says. “But I’m not naive enough to say never.”
“You haven’t seen any trace of him around Cedar Falls, right?”
She frowns. “I thought I saw him once at an intersection when I first arrived, about seven months ago. To be honest, I think it was just paranoia. If he was here, he’d have made himself known.”
I want to find that guy. Just for five minutes. Not to threaten him, or shout, but to give him the tune-up the fucker deserves for putting his hands on her. He’s the kind of man who deserves to experience fear and pain firsthand.
It’s hard not to look at her differently now. It’s not that she ended up in an abusive relationship. That happens to lots of women. I find myself admiring her for how tenacious she was about clawing her way free from it all. She came out on the other end strong, resilient, and learned more about herself than most people ever have to.
“I’m sorry that happened,” I say. “No one should be manipulated and hurt when they’re still trying to figure out what love even looks like. Just know that Silver’s the same type. If she starts anything, you have my authority to shut it down. And if it doesn’t stop, come to me.”
She lifts her eyebrows slightly. “You would stand up for me if I needed you?”
“Always and with anyone, not just Silver. When you’re with me, you’re safe,” I tell her. “Not just because of the baby, but because I care about what happens to you.”
