Lethal Temptations (Tempted #5)(97)

I won’t let it.

“Your fate?” He slammed his palm against the table, earning the attention and wary eyes of the correction officers. Jack raised his hand to the C.O., an attempt at an apology as well as a silent vow that he would control himself.

Control and Jack didn’t go hand in hand.

He was uncontrollable.

He leaned over the table, glaring at me as he spoke through clenched teeth.

“I’ll tell you what your motherf*cking fate is…it’s riding alongside me. It’s sitting at the left side of my table and being the f*cking soldier you signed up to be. That is your f*cking fate, Blackie. Your fate is your place in your club, it’s the patch sewn into your cut, not this shit,” he growled as he glanced around the visitor’s room.

“The club needs you on the outside,” he seethed as he leaned back in his chair and stared back at me.

“And you?” I challenged. “Where do you need me?”

“That depends on how you answer the next question,” he replied, propping his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Riggs spotted the father of the kid arguing with someone you know pretty f*cking well,” he said pointedly, pausing to chew on his lip before slapping his palms against the table. “Boots.”

“Boots was with the father of the kid that tried to rape Lace?”

Everything inside me went numb as I stared at Jack waiting for him to answer.

“Apparently, they had a plan. The Corrupt Bastards have an online gaming site and the father owed the club a nice chunk of change. Boots was going to squash the debt if his kid got close to Lacey— “

“Listen to me, you got to shut Boots down,” I cut him off, leaning over the table. “You hear me? You need to put that motherf*cker down before he gets to her,” I demanded, pushing back my hair and zeroing my eyes onto his.

“Tell me why,” he ordered. “Tell me why Boots is going after my daughter, Black,” he whisper shouted, leaning his body further over the table. “Say it!” he growled, through clenched teeth.

Game over.

I leaned forward, met his gaze head on and gave him the truth that’s been suffocating me.

“Because she’s mine,” I seethed, waiting for his reaction but he kept his face like stone as he stared at me. “Boots knows, he’s been watching us for months.”

“Months.”

“He’s been watching me since I was in the hospital,” I confessed. “I was going to tell you but then I went up to meet with him and he knew. So, I broke things off with her. I made it ugly so she’d hate me and stay away from me, hoping that Boots got the message she didn’t matter,” I paused. “He saw me love her, and I needed to reverse that shit.”

“Love her,” he hissed.

“Love her,” I confirmed. “Now you got what you wanted from me, time for you to get out of here and take care of him. You do what you got to do to keep her safe,” I demanded. “Or you get me the f*ck out of here so I can do it… your choice.”

Jack lifted his head, his dark eyes pierced mine and watched him morph into the Bulldog as he lunged for me, pulling me by my prison garb over the table.

“You motherf*cker!” He roared as the C.O.’s moved quickly through the visitor’s room and pulled the alarm. “You put a claim on my daughter behind my back and then you f*cking toyed with her head!”

“Only reason I f*cked with her head was to save her goddamn life. Trust me man, never wanted to let her go. Never!”

The correction officer’s pulled him back, forcing him to release his hold on me.

“You have no idea what you did,” he hissed, fighting against the guards. “Had a f*cking doctor come to my house and diagnose my daughter a manic depressive and you go and f*ck with her head,” he growled. “This is over! You! You’re done. I’ll be waiting for you on the other side Black… me, the motherf*cking Bulldog.”

He always had the last word.

This time his parting words had the ability to wreck me.

Manic depressive.

My Lace.

“I came here, hoping someone, anyone, would see me.”

“I see you.”

“You see what I allow you to. No one sees the real me,”

No.

Why didn’t I pay closer to attention?

I threaded my fingers through my hair, tugging viciously on the ends before slamming my head against the metal table as they buzzed Jack out of the visitor’s room.

I came clean and gave him the truth… my truth, I loved Lace.

And in turn he gave me her truth.

My Lace was battling a disease she had no control over, and all the while she was trying to better me she was suffering in silence. I should’ve been the one helping her, giving her whatever she needed, supporting her the way she tried to support me.

I was always looking to save her.

I never thought she needed to be saved from herself.

I never wanted to inflict that type of pain on her. I wanted to hurt her, yes, make her hate me because hating me kept her away and kept her safe. I never would’ve done it if I knew what my words could do to her.

I’ve seen Jack go over the edge time and time again, sometimes it’s a great big event that pushes him other times it’s nothing. When the maker comes out and play there’s no rhyme or reason.