Page 97 of Toy No More

Watchingthemoviewasmy attempt at deluding myself into some sense of normalcy. Just the two of us, spending the evening together like regular people with some popcorn, a silly action flick and cuddling. Instead, Jasper has disappeared into his study, phone to his ear, and I’m left alone. The images move on the screen in front of me without my brain really processing it.

My vision blurs as I focus my attention on what I hear from the half-open door. He’s arguing with someone. It does nothing but makes me more on edge than I’ve been. Ever since he killed his father and then hurt Kobe, it’s been…everything’s been wrong.

I can’t settle next to him. I can’t feel at peace or safe, no matter how hard I try to convince myself to go back to the way things were before.

I turn jerkily at the sound of an angry growl, followed by objects flying off the table. I hear something hit the wall and break. Feeling my heart pumping in my throat, I slowly get up and walk toward the office, even if all my instincts are telling me to run.

“Jasper?” I ask in a voice so low it’s almost a whisper. Touching the doorframe and sticking my head in, I see him leaning over his desk, shoulders shaking with anger. Just about everything that used to be on it has been swept away and scattered across the room. “What’s going on?”

His head might be hanging down so that I can’t see his face, but his tense, quick breaths relay enough information. Grasping the edge of the desk with his hands, Jasper tries to calm down before erupting again and striking the wood in the middle.

“Fuckin’ pigs,” he mumbles to himself, nearly quivering with rage. “Fuck!”

“You’re going to break your wrist,” I say, rushing toward him. I need to believe that I have some sway over him. That the Jasper who said I was the only one who mattered still exists. “Hey.” Even over the fear gripping me, I reach for him. He finally steadies his breath as he shifts his gaze to me. It’s sharp and intense, but not at me.

“A police raid picked up a bunch of our guys when they were moving some people. Goddammit,” he says, looking aside with a frustrated sneer. “They’ve been so fucking active lately. Motherfuckers won’t stop making things difficult.”

I lower my gaze, my hand resting on his chest. “Well…your father used to have a lot of cops in his pocket, right?” Jasper always found it pathetic. ‘Cheating.’ And yet, it seemed to work well enough. “If he was still around, he probably would’ve sorted it. If you hadn’t killed him…” I whisper, glancing down.

Shit.Why the fuck did I just let that slip out of my mouth?

His expression as he looks at me is one of pure fury. Those blue eyes widen and pin me in place.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean anything by—”

“I’m not my father,” he growls through his clenched teeth, getting so close to me it feels he might try to bite my face off like some rabid dog. “I don’t need to pretend. To play their fucking games to survive. I’m not afraid of ‘em, so I won’t put money in their dirty pockets for protection. I don’tneedtheir protection. Don’t need them looking away. They’ll be the ones paying me to look the other way soon.”

Holding my breath, I stare at him before nodding sharply.

Then it hits me. Could this have something to do with what Kobe needed to do in his office?

It couldn’t…could it?

Jasper doesn’t take more of his anger on me, thankfully. He pushes me aside to walk by me, phone next to his ear again. As he paces around the room, I have to remind myself to breathe. I dart my eyes across the mess on the floor, wondering if Kobe would really be as stupid as to go to the cops. To…work with them? CouldIhave helped orchestrate this?

My stomach twists. The fear takes over me—fear that Jasper might somehow see the guilt in me. That he’s going to sense what I’ve done and punish me. Or worse, punish Kobe.

I can’t let that happen.

That thought sits at the forefront of my mind, pushing everything else out with its urgency.

“Yeah. Call in the others.Now.” I jolt into reality, hearing Jasper’s words. There’s fiery determination on his face. Is he just calling in a meeting, or does he plan on retaliating against the entire police force? Would he be that foolish? Either way, he’s like a loose cannon. What if Kobe gets in the middle of it again?

When Jasper ends the call, I quickly step toward him while still keeping some safe distance. “It’s late, babe. You should…”

“Stay out of this. Go to bed,” he orders me without even glancing at me and grabs the jacket from his armchair, heading for the door. I don’t try to stop him when he does.

Instead, I wait before his steps disappear in the hallway. I stand by the window, watching him get in the car and leave before pulling my phone out.

Kobe. I have to talk to him.

The sound of the ringing booming inside my head. I pace in the living room, biting the inside of my lip. “Pick up, pick up, pick up…”

“Apollo?” he responds, voice uneasy. “You really shouldn’t call me, it—”

“Something happened,” I blurt out, interrupting him. “Jasper, he…”

He cuts me off instead. “I know. I got the message. I’m heading to the Dollhouse right now.”

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