Page 8 of Vengeful Union

“Good. We’re headed to Illinois.”

* * *

Walking into visitation,I notice instantly that the guards are keeping a cautious eye on me. Well, fuck them. They can look all they like. Jade is family, and that means she's going to have visitors.

Taking a seat, I wait impatiently for the inmates to be brought out. When the door finally opens, everything inside of me freezes.

Jade...

Her right eye is bloodshot, and black and purple bruises are splattered across her face. Her lip is split, and she's walking with a slight limp. If you didn't know her, you wouldn't be able to tell, but fuck... I know. Someone has beaten the ever-loving shit out of her.

She smiles at me as she gets closer. "Well, hey there, Finny. Glad you made it."

I clench my fists as she takes her seat, and I'm able to get a better look at her face. The bruising is covering older bruises. Fuck. This isn't a one off. This is happening repeatedly.

"Jade?" I growl, the noise rumbling in my chest.

She sighs, her gaze going around the room. "I'm fine, Finn. Honestly."

She's full of shit. She's far from fucking fine. I raise a brow, and she glances away.

"Jade, talk to me."

She gives me a pointed look. "How about you go first?" she counters. "I mean, you've turned into an asshole since Uncle Seamus died. You don't talk to anyone, and when you do, you practically bite our heads off. Hell, you steer clear of the family unless it's Makenna, and let's face it, the only reason for that is because she's your boss. If she weren't, you'd have told her to get fucked."

For the first time in four months, I genuinely smile. "Does anyone tell Makenna to get fucked?"

She smirks. "If there was anyone with the balls, it would be you, Finny." The happiness leaves her face, and in its place is worry and concern. "You can't keep going like this. If you do, you're going to end up dead."

I wave her off. "I'm fine. I know what I'm doing."

She scoffs. "Since when did becoming a fucking loan shark come into play? You're pushing into Bratva territory here, Finn, and after all the shit that's gone on between our families, I doubt they're best pleased that you're eating into their profits."

"Jade, I know what I'm doing," I repeat, getting annoyed at having this conversation. "Jacob and I have it all planned."

She shakes her head, her black hair falling out of her ponytail. "Jacob?" she hisses. "He has a bigger death wish than you do."

Okay, I'm done with this conversation. What I do with my life is my business. "Who's hurting you?" I ask, needing to find out who touched her.

She glances at the guards and then back at me. "Don't worry about me. I've got it covered," she assures me.

But I don't believe her. The way the guards’ eyes are narrowed on her, the hatred that shines in them, tells me that what's going on here is a lot more than she’s letting on.

I leave her be, knowing I can't get her to talk unless she wants to.

"What is it you want, Jade?"

She licks her lips as her eyes dart around the room. "Okay, so how much do you know about Carter?"

Ah, James Carter. Head of the Carter Syndicate. Also, the uncle to the bitch who orchestrated the death of my father and one of our men. Not to mention the reason that me, Jade, and some of our men were shot.

"He's been borrowing money like nobody's business. The fucker is in debt with me," I inform her, and smirk, loving how karma has worked out for him. "Why?"

She tuts. "Losing his wife really fucked him up. I mean, since she died last month, he's just gone downhill. Not to mention he’s become extremely chatty."

Oh, now she has my attention. "Do tell," I say.

"I've had this information checked twice," she tells me as she leans in closer. "James Carter was the puppet behind Georgina's strings."

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