I look to Trouble and see his eyes darken in pain. Remi has her hand underneath Elijah, gently rubbing soothing circles on Trouble’s stomach.
“The anniversary of my sister’s death,” he answers Eden’s question.
She jerks her head around to look at Trouble, her eyes widening. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he grunts. “It was a long time ago.” He pauses for a moment. “Emo and Rella were close,” he explains. “He never does well on the anniversary.”
Her hand in mine tightens.
Elijah begins to fuss, and Remi turns and holds out her hands. “It’s time for my little man to eat. Eden and Grace, you want to get a seat somewhere?”
“Sure.” Grace drains her glass then holds the glass up. “I’m stopping by the bar for another. You want a refill?” she offers only to Eden since Remi still breastfeeds Elijah.
“I’m good.”
The ladies walk off and Trouble and I head toward Judge and Emo. Mae’s back behind the bar helping Doris and Meryl serve customers. When we make it to our brothers, Judge gestures for us to follow him down the hallway. Once we’re inside the office that Mae, Doris, and Meryl share, he closes the door. Curious what this is about, I turn to face him, just as my brothers do the same. His eyes focus on me.
“I got a phone call from an old friend in Pennsylvania before the funeral. He’s pretty sure he’s found your mom and brother.”
My back stiffens and the muscles in my neck cramp. “What?” I ask, because I want to make sure I heard him right.
He nods. “He won’t be able to confirm for several days, maybe a week, but he’s pretty confident.”
All the air in my lungs whooshes out on a hiss. When I draw in my next breath, it’s not only air that rushes through me, but pure, raw rage. It fills me up so fucking fast that I become dizzy with it.
It’s been almost twenty-four years since I’ve set my eyes on my mother, father, and brother. My father died in the raid, but my mother and brother managed to escape. I’ve hunted them for years and have never come up with even a smidgeon of a clue as to where they might be. Every year that went by without any word of their whereabouts, made my anger grow.
The bones in my fingers creak and pop from clenching my fists so hard. Blood rushes to my head furiously. I want them now. I want them in front of me. I want to see the blood drain from their faces as the man they hurt as a boy stands before them, knowing he’s about to take their lives. With not once ounce of mercy.
“Where are they?” I demand, my voice sounding demonic even to my own ears.
“You’ll get that information when it’s been confirmed.”
“Judge,” I growl, “So help me God, give me what I fuckin’ want.”
He straightens his spine and it only pisses me off more. “Not until it’s confirmed.”
I take a step toward him, ready to rip his head off, when Trouble steps in front of me. He places a firm hand against my chest. I glare down at it before shooting my eyes to his.
“A few more days won’t make a difference, JW,” he says. “It’s better to know for sure before you take off. Besides, Eden needs you here right now.”
It’s Eden’s name that cools me down enough to think properly. She needs me to protect her. I can’t leave right now even if I did have the address of where my bitch of a mother and bastard brother have been hiding out, in my hand.
It’s in that moment that I realize that Eden is more important than my vengeance. The pain of something happening to her, of Diego getting his hands on her and gutting her like he did that girl and Jenny, far outweighs my anger toward my mother and brother.
“As soon as I have the confirmed address, I’ll give it to you,” Judge says, stepping forward. “If you don’t want to wait and Diego hasn’t been dealt with yet, I’ll personally watch over Eden twenty-four seven. I’ll even sleep in the same bed as her.”
He’s joking, which is strange coming from Judge, because the man doesn’t have a humorous bone in his body. He would never touch her inappropriately, and Eden wouldn’t allow it either, but even joking around about it still pisses me off.
“Fuck you,” I grit out.
His lips twitch and the tension leaves the room; or it does Judge anyway. I’m still tense as fuck. Knowing Diego is still out there and then finding out I’m real damn close to finding my mother and brother sends my anxiety through the roof.
I’m close. So damn close to finding all three of them that I can practically feel it slithering down my spine.
JW
The Past