Page 93 of Blackout

“Fuck you,” Jack bellows. “I don’t owe you shit. I didn’t sign nothing.”

“I don’t think you know what you’re doing,” Ritzer comments.

“Maybe not, I am crazy after all. Make sure you put that in your fucking paperwork. Now, get the fuck out of my face. You got something else to say, you can call my lawyer,” Jack sneers.

“If you don’t surrender as we agreed, you’ll be forcing me to take another route.”

“Why don’t you bend over and let me show you what route you can fucking take?” Jack fires back, spitting in Ritzer’s face for extra emphasis. Lowering my arm from Lacey’s shoulder, I move to grab Jack before he fucking throws his fist into this cocksucker’s face. Pipe is quicker than me, though, and pulls Jack away.

“Nobody is bending over and fucking anyone, right now,” Pipe hisses, clenching his teeth. “You need to take it easy before you fuck this all up,” he warns, glancing over at Lacey. “Lace, take your father to the cafeteria and get him a cup of coffee.”

Reaching for her father’s hand, Lacey goes to pull him away, but Jack digs his heels in and continues to glare at Ritzer.

“This doesn’t end well for you, Parrish. You better pray that wife of yours makes it. It would be a shame if you couldn’t attend her funeral because you were in prison.”

Before Jack can choke the motherfucker and tack assault as another charge on the growing list, I step between him and the district attorney. Lacey couldn’t move him, but I damn sure can. I push him out of the waiting room. In the hallway, out of everyone’s sight, I let him loose.

Bending he touches his palms to his knees and lets out an anguished scream that vibrates off the hospital walls. Startled, Lacey slinks away. Her back collides with my chest and I wrap an arm around her middle, keeping her close. Jack lifts his head and his bloodshot eyes meet mine.

“I can’t leave her,” he rasps, sounding every bit as broken as he looks, and I note there is desperation. Not just in his tone but also in those dark irises of his.

It’s a message.

A fucking plea.

From him to me.

Jack may not have surrendered to the law, but he still handed over his life and he handed it right to me.

I’ll never be the leader of the Satan’s Knights, but Jack made me the leader of the Parrish family—a role I’m not conditioned to accept and yet, as I stare at my predecessor, I know I have no choice.

I also know my new role begins and ends with me making the ultimate sacrifice.

My throat dries and my chest tightens as I look down at the beautiful woman, I’m holding against me. Part of me wishes she’d look at me and the other is relieved when she doesn’t.

I’m about to break her fucking heart.

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