Tirone (The Night Skulls MC #2)(52)

Was it odd that I now hated him even more? He’d just ruined one of the very few good things in my life—my mom—for no reason at all except to show me how much he really didn’t want me. What kind of man would think a woman who was a liar, a cheater and a coward was better than he to raise his own boy unless he was a coward himself?

I hadn’t hated Laius Lazzarini more in my life.

Then, as I saw Jo’s head on his chest while he held her like dear life, I knew I was wrong. Now, I hadn’t hated Laius Lazzarini more in my life.

It wasn’t because he was touching the only woman I loved, the one person that was holding me to this life, or because I’d been making love to her all night and at his first appearance she threw herself in his arms.

I hated him because of the look on her face. I knew what it meant because I knew Jo better than herself. That look meant she made her choice even if she hadn’t known it yet.

And she chose him.

Losing my mother was one thing. Losing Jo, too, was going to be the end of me and everything around me.

When she told me to leave last night, saying if Furore had decided to visit, finding us in bed like that would have been the worst way to tell him the truth, I lied to myself and believed her. Deep down, I knew it was because of what I’d said before we went to sleep. Because of the obnoxious feelings she still had for him. I didn’t want to believe it. I lied to myself and gave her some time alone to calm down, hoping she’d see our world through my eyes and realize once again I was only protecting her.

I was a fucking idiot.

How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world.

The demons wailed and screeched. Images of pain and darkness and blood spread out through me like a disease. I wanted to break, to destroy, to maim, to fucking kill.

But if I lost it now, I’d lose her forever. She was all I had left. She was the only one in my life that was worth the fight. One last battle before I won this war or we all lost.

“Ty,” she whispered, lifting her head off Furore.

“I see you two lovebirds have made up,” I said, as flat as possible, but I was quaking like a cortex of an angry volcano.

“I found out I was wrong about my assumption. The reason I wanted to leave your dad doesn’t exist.”

“You think he loves you for you?”

“Yes. After he told me the whole truth, I’m certain of it.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that.”

Her eyes widened at me in shock. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Prez turned out to be an honest man. He was telling the truth about my mother. At least, in the Flores part.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I wish I’d known earlier. I’m sure things would have been different.”

“You’d have never believed me, Rex,” he said, sorrow lacing his tone.

Bitterness filled my mouth. “I guess we’ll never know.”

“I…I have to be honest with Laius, too.” She glanced at me, so pale as if she was about to faint.

“Have you told him what you were about to tell him yesterday?”

“I thought it’d be best if you were here, too.”

“I agree.” I took a seat. “It’s time we told him the truth about us.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Tirone and I—”

“We’re not just a teacher and student. We’re friends, too.” I finished for her.

Furore narrowed his gaze at me. “Friends?”

“Yes. It may sound like nothing for you, but it is inappropriate for many, especially for Jo. It’s been troubling her. You know she’s such a good girl.”

“What the fuck?”

“That’s the truth. We have this connection that started over literature and evolved from there. The first time we formed that bond was at the library. She was there, very engrossed in her reading, and I was desperate to find a certain book. She helped me find it. Then I realized something was troubling her so we started talking. The best talk I’ve ever had. Well, the first of many…with her.

“She listened with all her heart. She seemed to understand my internal conflicts. I’d rambled about you all the time, even though I told her you were dead. She, too, had several daddy issues that she shared, not in great detail, but she did confide in me, didn’t you, Jo?”

She just glared at me.

“Anyway, our talks weren’t solely taking place at school. We met outside. I took her for rides because she loved bikes, outside the city so no one would misinterpret our relationship. We talked over the phone, too, because Jo gets nightmares. I’m sure you know that, right?” I glanced between the two of them. “He knows about your nightmares?”

“What nightmares?” he asked through his teeth.

“Oh, he doesn’t know. Not very cool, Furore, but allow me to shed some light on your girlfriend. She gets nightmares about Madeline and the night of the attack.”

“Why haven’t you told me?” he asked her.

Her mouth parted and shut adorably. Then she shrugged. “We haven’t shared a bed long enough, and we’ve been having a lot of fights…”

“So he used to call you at night to talk?”

“Yes, Prez,” I answered for her. That was my narrative, and I controlled it. “We talked. It helped her sleep. She told me I banished the nightmares. Right, Jo?”