Page 80 of Resolve
“What happened?” Aiden demands. “Where were you?”
Jackson stops a couple of feet from us, his sapphire gaze eyeing the crowd gathering around us. Some move back when he looks at them, and a small smile forms on his lips. “In the basement,” he replies coolly. “Taking care of a loose end.”
“Excuse me.” Elias taps on a couple shoulders to grab their attention that’s pinned on Jack before they realize who’s speaking and hurriedly move aside. “What’s all this about?” He freezes when Jackson glances over his shoulder at him.
“He killed Bea,” Reid supplies.
Dane curses. “Dammit, Jack!”
“Let’s take this upstairs,” Aiden says in a tone that brooks noarguments.
“My apartment,” Elias adds, garnering a look from Aiden, who’d probably wanted us to handle this between the five of us.
Aiden begrudgingly nods, and Elias leads the way. I grab my napkin and go to Jack. He immediately takes my free hand while I wipe some of the blood from his face.
It doesn’t bother me. The crimson color he wears is a reminder of what he’ll do to keep me protected. I do it out of respect for Elias and his home to make sure he’s not leaving evidence of what he’s done behind.
Jackson grabs the back of my head and pulls me into a kiss before I can finish. He kisses me like the God of Death as he takes my breath away. Takes my mouth with a ruthlessness that has my knees trembling. Violence radiates from him like a dark energy that prickles along my skin. It demands more blood, more death.
I push back, meeting his savagery with my own. I dig my nails into the back of his neck. Bite his lip so hard he groans, and that bloodlust shifts to desire.
Hold my leash, the words he once told me whisper through my head.
Gripping his hair, I yank him back. “Upstairs. Now,” I command, trying to keep my voice firm even though I’m breathless.
Kellan and Dane stand behind me, blocking others from watching the show. I grip Jack’s hand and lead the rest of us to Elias’s apartment on the top floor. It takes up the entire floor, which means there will be plenty of room for us without being on top of one another.
Which is for the best.
I knock at the door, and Aiden opens it for us.
As soon as the door closes, Elias sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Please explain what happened.”
Reid looks at Jack, and when he doesn’t offer up an explanation, replies, “Bea was causing trouble in the basement.”
“The girl you’d taken prisoner?” Elias clarifies, and Reid nods once. “How does someone who is locked up and giftless cause trouble?”
Jackson cocks his head, regarding Elias with a dark stare and a smile. He looks dangerous and unpredictable right now. “By trying to cut her hand off to get free.”
Elias blanches.
My stomach curls. I’ve dislocated my thumb to get out of cuffs, but I’m not sure I could do something as terrible as that.
“How did she even get something to do that?” I ask.
“Aside from the cuffs, she wasn’t restrained in the basement. I had Cassandra heal her injury. I wanted to see what she would do with that little bit of freedom,” Aiden explains.
“A normal person would’ve tried picking the lock or breaking the door down,” Dane mutters.
“She’s brainwashed by Charles,” Reid says. “She’ll do anything to get back to him.”
“Then why did you have me carrying her around?” Dane snaps at him. “You should have just killed her then.”
Reid levels him with an unbothered stare. “It was worth a try to use her gift against them.”
“Portia could have convinced her,” I murmur softly.
“We don’t need Bea,” Jack counters mildly. “The plan was always to kill her.” He locks his blue eyes on mine. “Alive, she was a threat. And I’ll kill anyone who threatens you.”
