Page 50 of Roots of the Wicked

Chapter Twenty-One

Jax

After dinner we sat around the table and chatted a while longer. Blake returned and requested to speak to Chase as we prepared to leave. I could imagine what he was about to tell his brother.

The family assumed we were a couple, and I followed Chase’s lead, allowing the lie to settle. Tonya pointed me toward one of the ten bathrooms in the house as Blake dragged Chase into the study near the dining room. He shot an evil eye in my direction before he eased the door closed. In return, I gifted him with the hardest swiveling eyeroll I could manage.

Before I sauntered off to the bathroom, I eyed Tonya. Her easy smile indicated she knew exactly what I was about to ask.

“I’ll give credit where it’s due. The Taylorson men are blessed with good genes, but why do you stay with Blake?” I spat his name, making Tonya giggle.

“If I had a dollar for every time someone’s asked me that question,” she chuckled. “Can I be frank with you Jax?”

“Please.”

“I consider myself lucky to have gotten into this family at all. I was trailer trash. The only thing I had in my future was bartending and drunken one-night stands. I met James through an exclusive escort service I worked for. First night, he pulled me out of there. He kept me as his mistress for a full year.

“He told me that he’d never marry me, but I could continue on in our relationship as is. I really didn’t want that. We’ve had some good times, and he showed me things I would never otherwise see, but I wanted more and told him so. That’s when he decided that I would be better off with his son, so he introduced me to Blake.

My bottom lip hit the floor, and I lost my ability to blink. Tonya didn’t appear bothered by my expression.

“Blake knows about you and his father?” She had my curiosity on lockdown, and although it wasn’t polite to be nosey, I couldn’t help myself.

“He knows everything. Its part of the reason he acts the way he does. He hates his father and hates Chase because he thinks the two are in cahoots to wreck his life.”

I wanted to feel sorry for Blake, but he was still the king of assholes.

“What about you and your happiness?” I scratched my head, staring a whole in Tonya and wondered if she was still sleeping with James.

“Trust me, I live well, and I get to play, discreetly. I would take this life any day over going back to the trailer park.”

To each his own. I would have been in trailer park heaven, saving up for my monthly trip to the flea market.

Her hand brushed my arm. “I have to go, but I’m pretty sure I’ll see you again. James is certainly interested in you.”

“Okay. Hope you have a good evening.” I watched Tonya walk away.

Finally able to uproot myself from the spot I stood in, I went to use the bathroom. On my way back, I couldn’t help being drawn to Chase, and Blake’s raised voices as the noise seeped through the cracked door.

“Why do you even care who I date? You’re desperate for me to fail. If you think she’s so bad for me why say anything at all? Why not let me make the mistake?” Chase questioned his judgmental brother.

“Because you’re a billionaire, and she’s a piece of trash who is after your money. Frankly, I don’t understand why you can’t see it for yourself.”

Son of a bitch!

I bit my lip, and my fist clenched so tight, my nails dug into my palms. It took every muscle to keep from busting through the door to slap the judgement from Blake’s brain for calling me trash.

“Watch your damn mouth!” Chase shouted at Blake. The volume of his tone shook my insides. “She’s not trash. She’s one of the smartest and most hardworking women I know, and since she’s headstrong and brave enough to confront you, you can’t stand it.”

My hand covered my heart, which had flooded with pride for the way Chase defended me against his ass-mouthed brother. All Blake was good for was shitting judgmental words from his mouth.

“No matter what kind of show she puts on in front of everyone else, you must realize she’s beneath us. I mean, for God’s sake’s Chase, the woman has her damn nose, lip, and God knows what else, pierced and tattoos all over her neck and arms.”

Blake lowered his voice, causing me to shove my ear closer to the crack in the door. “And she’s… Black.” The word hung in the air like toxic fumes coming from his mouth. He spit out Black like I was a walking disease.

The rumbling of furniture scraping across the floor had me ready to bust the door down. From the wider crack I opened, I saw that Blake had landed against the large oak desk. The shock on his face at his brother’s reaction was priceless. Chase had pushed him and had his hand around his neck.

Breaths heaving, wide mouth, and eyes aimed like two missiles, Blake knocked Chase’s his hand away from his neck. “Take you’re goddamn hands off of me!” Spittle flew from his mouth.

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