Page 45 of Running on Empty

He waited for me to say it, to acknowledge it, the reality of what would happen if we got them involved. Our dads lived in another world, one where might equalled right and people who stepped out of line didn’t live another day to make that mistake.

“It’ll break Mum’s heart,” I said.

“Lois is our mate, not yours, so she’s ours to deal with. You’ve got to stop thinking about your mum and start thinking about Stevie.”

I did. I really did.

“Jax…”

Ash stepped forward then, pleading with me with his eyes to make the right decision and I was going to.

It just wasn’t the one he approved of.

“Get everyone here and bring whatever you need to get the job done,” I said. “These fuckers have said they’ll do what it takes to get Stevie back.”

“Well, we better make sure they don’t, hadn’t we? See you in a few hours.”

Blue’s wordsrang in my ears as I ended the call, Ash’s grunt of frustration interrupting it, but he didn’t get my attention. She did as she opened the door, our mate stepping out in one piece. Better than that. Stevie glowed with what was no doubt sexual satisfaction, Ronan’s arm wrapped protectively around her as he took the two of us in.

“So what’s going on, brothers?” He saw the bruise forming on Ash’s chin and then tipped his head to me, that fucking grin of his spreading.

“I’ve called the dads,” I told him, told Stevie, willing her to see this attempt to right some of the wrongs. “They’re on their way over with Mum. You want to take these pricks out?” Both of them nodded slowly, seeming mated already, though I couldn’t see any claiming marks on them. “Well, we’re gonna need an army behind us and they’re the one we can get instant access to.”

“Well, let slip the dogs of war,” Ronan said with a smirk, then looked down at our mate. “Looks like it’s time to fuck shit up.”

“Let's do this,” she replied with a sharp nod of her head.

Chapter27

“You should have fucking told us,” Gun snapped at Ash as soon as he and the other dads walked into the complex. And just like that, I was a little girl again. “We were at that fucking barbeque and…” He shot me a heated look. “What did they do to you, love?” He moved in, putting his hands on my shoulders oh so softly, tilting my head back and forth, looking for damage.

Trouble was it was deep inside, not on my skin.

I grabbed his wrists, giving them a squeeze before stepping backwards.

“Don’t start on Stevie,” Lois said before rushing over to me. She grabbed me in a hug, enfolding me in a cloud of sweet floral fragrance, one I longed to just sink down into. “She’s the victim here.”

No, not that. Never that.

“How are you, love? If we’d known—”

“We’d have brought you those rich pricks’ heads before the sun rose the next morning.” Blue pushed closer. “You know that, don’t you?”

Sort of, that was my honest answer. The relationship I had with this family was a strange one. They always stepped in, going above and beyond for just a neighbour’s kid, but… They must’ve known I was their sons’ mates since the moment I walked into their house. I was one of them but not, and that’s how I felt now.

“Sure,” I replied, telling him what he wanted to hear.

“But we don’t need to go that far,” Lois said, her hands fluttering through the air. “Ash will have investigated these… bastards—”

“Bastards.” Rusty, the scariest of the dads said with a snort. “Them’s fighting words, Lois.”

His mate shot him a dirty look before turning to her son.

“You can bring them to justice, right, Ash? Make them pay for what they did.”

“They’ll pay all right.” Jax looked… different. He didn’t spare me a look, his muscular arms crossed, his eyebrows jerked down and the green in his eyes? It was somehow brighter. “And we aren’t doing things Ash’s way.”

“Finally,” Donk, the last of the Kelly dads said, clapping his son on the shoulder.

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