“I’m not throwing it in your face, I’m just stating the obvious and that is that you would have been taken no matter what. Jagger can be hard, and his life isn’t rosy and sweet, but he’s not a bad person. He’s been through more than you could ever imagine in his short life. He saved you, even if you refuse to see it like that. If you want to blame someone, blame your dad...”
“You think I don’t?”
“Then why are you so hostile towards Jagger?”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
“No, I don’t. I can’t understand why you’re refusing to let this go.”
“I’m in love with him, Angel,” I yell, the words shocking even me. I’ve thought them, God have I thought them, but I’ve never said them out loud. “I hate it, but I fucking love him. It’s sick, it’s twisted, and it’s based on a foundation that is so dangerous I know it’ll break...”
“He’s in love with you, too.”
I grunt.
“Give him a chance and you might just see it. We’re not bad people, you know.”
“You’re all in a gang,” I point out with a small, weak smile.
“I’d prefer to call us a dark brotherhood.”
I huff, and my smile gets a little more genuine. “The dark brothers.”
He smiles.
“Thank you, for being here.”
He stands and stares down at me. “It’s no problem. I’m goin’ to crash on the couch. Get some rest.”
I nod and force myself to stand. With wobbly legs, I take myself to bed.
My heart confused.
My mind a mess.
My body tired.
16
The next morning, Angel and I go back to the hotel as soon as we wake. When we get in, no one is there, not a single sign of life. Angel tries to call Jagger, but his phone is playing up and continually dies. I try on my phone, but nobody answers. We both become uneasy. I had a few missed calls from Jagger early this morning, but being as stubborn as I was, I didn’t answer them and turned my phone off. I turned my phone off. What the fuck is wrong with me?
Angel swears and curses as he tries to get his phone to work, all while giving me one of those concerned looks and then hesitantly drives us back to the apartment. The moment we arrive, Angel tells me to stay in the car and does a quick sweep of the place before coming out to tell me that Jenny and Ava are home. Alone.
I’m a little more than confused.
Rushing out of the car, I go inside, desperate for answers.
“Jagger left early this morning after a phone call,” Jenny explains the second she sees my expression. “Ace went with him. They told us to lock the doors and left us with a few guns. That’s all I know. He didn’t take his phone. He rushed out so quickly we didn’t know what was going on.”
“Why the fuck would he leave you girls alone?” Angel growls, looking around.
“He went quickly. Something was off.”
Angel uses my phone to ring Ace, no answer either. He then calls Rusty and Bull, who are both back at Jagger’s old place. They tell him they haven’t heard from Jagger, and he isn’t there. With every passing second, I can feel my heart lodging into my throat.
“Stay here,” Angel announces, slamming my phone down. “Shut and lock the doors, if anyone comes, you call the police. I don’t care. Just call them. I’m going to find Jagger.”
He’s leaving us alone.
Angel hands me a gun, and I take the heavy, cold object. He does one more sweep of the place and then rushes out the door. I turn to Jenny and Ava, who both look equally as scared. For Jagger to leave us alone...it doesn’t seem right. I lock the doors, then double check them all. My phone rings from my bag and I rush over, pulling it out to see an unknown number flashing across my screen.
“Hello?”
“Willow, it’s me.”
It’s my father. How the hell did he get my number?
“How did you get my number?” I demand.
“It doesn’t matter. You need to listen to me. Jagger is in trouble.”
“What?”
“I called him this morning and made a deal with him. If he let you go and let you live your life without involvement, I’d tell him where Manchez was. They’re making a huge deal down at the wharf today and it’s going to be massive. Jagger is going down there. He wants to end this. He agreed.”
He agreed to let me go.
For information?
I feel sick to my stomach as I clamp my eyes shut.
“What have you done?” I whisper into the phone.
“There is something else. They are going to make a massive bust. It’s going to be a blood bath, Willow. It’s going to end badly. If you want to save him, you’re going to need to stop him but only I can tell you how to do that.”