Sicko(90)

Jade clears her throat, stepping farther toward me while an angelic smile remains passive on her lips. “I love you. You know that, right?”

“What are you doing?” I say, exasperated. If I didn’t love her so damn much, I’d put a bullet between her pretty little eyes just to put myself out of my misery. She has always been the crux of my pain, but around that crux, we had a life together.

“As I was saying, an angel has been working with you for years,” Poppy says, turning to face Kyle.

The blood in Kyle’s face drains, his skin going pale. I’m still standing here, fucking gobsmacked as to what the fuck I’m missing.

“Me,” Jade announces, like she’s fucking bulletproof. She steps closer to Kyle and my hand flies out to connect to hers.

She turns to face me. “Roy, I’ve been through more than you know over the years. Let me handle this. Please.”

There’s an internal battle that pulls in my chest. The me who wants to protect her at all costs and not let anyone go near her ever again, and then there’s the other side. The side that has realized over the past few days just how much she has grown. By the hand of my father, she has endured pain, suffering, and loss, and that’s only from what I know. I know that there’s so much more she has to tell me. But with that pain and suffering came resilience.

I let her hand go, with my other fisted so tight that crescent moons scar my palms.

“Over the years, I’ve been freeing girls,” Jade announces, her shoulders back. Lion takes the few steps it is to me, leaving the girls at the front line. We hang back like hungry wolves, waiting for our alphas to say it’s feeding time.

I’m good with that.

Jade carries on. “The first girl I freed was Poppy. After seeing her the first time you took me to the compound, curled up in the corner crying. I knew right then and there that I would not allow my part in your life to be in vain. I would use it for good.”

Jesus fucking Christ, I want to fuck all that good out of her right now.

Jade leans down, her hands pressed on either side of the chair. “You thought you were so smart, Kyle. But among all of it, you seemed to forget one thing.”

“And what’s that?” Kyle snaps, and I watch as defeat drags out of his eyes.

“I was your blind spot. You conditioned me to sit like a lapdog, which I did. I battled with a lot of guilt inside of me, but there’s always one thing that would outweigh the abuse, and that’s the strength I built. I wanted revenge. I wanted to help these girls. So, one after the other, I freed them before they even made it to the podium. I wish I could have saved them all, but I always went for the younger ones first.” Jade pushes off the chair. “Poppy got in contact with me the day I started at the university. She said that they had formed an elite group of women, and all of those women were girls I saved over the years.” She looks at me over her shoulder. “With the help of some wealthy rich pricks, they have been able to do so much more for survivors.” My brain fuzzes. Anonymous? She turns back to Kyle. “I agreed to continue when I found out. To play your game until the right time came.” She moves to standing. “But then Royce happened, and you stole me.”

“You knew about your mom being alive?” I say, teeth clenched. “Trying not to be pissed at you right now, baby, but you’re making it real fucking hard.”

“Sorry,” she whispers, looking at me over her shoulder. “I get that you all have a score to settle with Kyle.” She turns to face us all. “Wicked, what he did to you and me, and to Poppy.” She moves to Olivia. “My mom, who received the worst of it and then had to further fake her own death while allowing her daughter to bring down the most dangerous man in history. I understand why she didn’t tell me Lion was my father. It would have distracted me.” Jade folds her arms in front of herself, and I watch as her lip trembles. “I understand the pain he has caused. You all want revenge. But the women who stand behind me, and the many more that there are, are only the tip of this iceberg. We can take the dealer off the streets, but that doesn’t remove the drugs.” She walks closer to me, and I snarl at her. I already know what she’s going to ask of me.

“Royce.” Her voice alone has a direct line to every fucking emotion that resides inside of me. “We let them take him. Isaac needs him to bring down the buyers. There were a lot, Roy. Kyle has connections to the biggest trafficking rings not just in America, but the entire world. We owe it to those who have had their innocence stolen from them to do better than just murder.”

I shake my head. “Can’t, baby. Can’t let him leave here unless it’s by his skin on my back.”

Her hand comes to my cheek before her fingers flex toward the back of my neck, pulling me down to her.

“You can,” she whispers. “I’m just asking for not yet. Let them get what they need. I promise you, promise you, Isaac will get you in. Just—” she sighs, and tears roll down her cheeks. “Let this be about more than revenge. Let this be about change.” All of her pain spills out from her and washes over me.

I soak it up, wanting to take it away from her, knowing damn well that I’m going to give this girl whatever the fuck she wants.

“One month.”

“Six,” she replies simply, her lips over mine.

“Four,” I snap, biting her bottom lip.