Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
He knows now, and the sound of his disgust is something I’ll never be able to forget.
5
Lex
I’ve slept in a lot of shitty fucking places, but sleeping on my couch last night was one of the worst. Waking with a headache, my skull hurts with every little movement, and there is a distinct pressure behind my eyes, that pounds with every beat of my heart. There’s also a kink in my neck that only adds to the joyous pain.
Sitting up, the events from last night come rushing back. I spent the majority of the night trying to make sense of what I saw. The images of her bruised and scarred back will forever be etched into my mind.
Who the fuck would hurt her?
I can’t fathom why anyone would ever want to lay a hand on her. Then again, those marks weren’t from someone’s hand, they were from a belt or cane. Someone used a damn object to beat the shit out of her, and I want to know who they are. I want to get my hands on them, so I can deliver a similar punishment.
Pushing off the couch, I groan and stretch my arms above my head. Part of me wanted to kick down the fucking door to my bedroom and tell her everything was going to be okay. The tears in her eyes broke my heart, but I knew deep down she needed to be alone. Me going in there and forcing her to talk wasn’t going to do me any good.
Now I understand why she flinched every time I moved. I understand why she was so cautious and assumed I was a bad man who was going to hurt her. All the pieces of the puzzle were coming together, and I didn’t like the image that I saw, not one fucking bit.
As I make my morning coffee, my thoughts shift between Jude, and the shit with Roman last night. There is more than one thing that I need to protect her from now. I don’t even know what I’m going against when it comes to Roman and Ivan.
The mob? That’s some fucked-up shit. Then again, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Luke and Roman are big fuckers, and not someone I would consider crossing, and I’m not saying that just because they’re my friends.
Cracking some eggs into a bowl, I scramble them up and pour them into a hot pan. As I push the eggs around in the pan, I recall a time when Damon Rossi showed up at the gym, dropping off a huge stack of cash.
He seemed more than a little on edge that day and was dressed in a three-piece suit. He looked completely out of place in the gym. Still, that’s not really a reason to assume that Roman and Ivan are working with the Rossi family.
Getting two plates out, I turn the burner off and dish up the eggs and sprinkle some cheese on top. I pop two pieces of toast into the toaster just as Jude comes walking into the kitchen. She’s wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but even as I stare at her clothed body, all I see is the marks on her back.
Her gaze is cast to the floor as she takes a stool at the breakfast nook.
“I made you breakfast,” I tell her, and grab the toast from the toaster, slathering it with some butter before placing it on her plate. I bring the plate over to her and then take the seat across from her.
She looks up at me finally, and I see how swollen her eyes are. I’ll bet she’s been crying all night, which makes me feel like an asshole for not at least trying to check on her.
“Thank you,” she mumbles, stabbing a piece of egg with the fork.
Her hand shakes as she brings the food to her pink lips. I don’t want to bring last night up, but there isn’t any way around it. I’m not going to let her leave here without her knowing that I’m going to do whatever I have to, to protect her.
“About last night…” I roll my shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension out of my muscles.
“What about it?”
“The marks on your back. I’m going to figure out who hurt you, and I’m going to protect you from whoever did that to you.”
Jude doesn’t even look at me as she speaks, “I don’t want your pity, Lex, and I don’t want you getting into trouble because of me.”
“I won’t get in trouble, and I don’t pity you, Jude. In fact, I feel the opposite. I can’t imagine how strong you’ve had to be or how you’ve carried all this pain on your own.”
“You don’t have to pretend like you care. I know you’re disgusted, and I don’t blame you. I can’t even look at myself in the mirror, but don’t lie to me with comforting words in an attempt to make me feel better. I heard your disgust last night.”