Page 39 of His Virgin Romance Series

“Hans and I managed to get out through a back window. We took cover and watched as the cops overpowered everyone in the storehouse. If those idiots had just left their guns alone, they might have lived, but as it happens, no one survived.”

“No one?”

“Five of our guys died that day and one cop,” I replied. “After that, the gang basically disintegrated. Jonas was the brain behind the operation, and he died in the storehouse shooting. Paul and I got a tiny place in a rundown neighborhood to put that part of our life behind us.

“At least, that’s what we agreed to do. But a few months later, I realized that Paul was still using. He knew some of the suppliers that Jonas had used, and he was obviously getting his drugs from them.

“I was seventeen at the time, and I was starting to want more for my life. I watched Paul become more and more like my father, and it made me sick. I was determined not to become like either one of them. So I left.

“I rented out this tiny attic space in the home of an elderly couple. They cut me a break on the price. I lived there for about two years, working three different jobs. I started thinking about what I wanted for my future. Soon, I earned enough to be able to afford a place of my own. It was a shitty studio apartment in the shittiest neighborhood imaginable—but it was my own and that meant something to me.”

“Did you keep in touch with your brother?” I asked.

“We didn’t speak for six months after I left,” Jared told me. “But we reconnected after that and kept in touch. I chose to believe him when he said he was clean. Whenever I did meet him, he seemed pretty together. He was thinner than I remembered and much paler, but I didn’t think too hard about it. I didn’t pry into his life, and he didn’t pry into mine.” Jared sighed.

“And then…he got caught. Turns out he had used Jonas’ old suppliers and had continued the business, but on a smaller scale. He had tried to sell drugs to an undercover cop who’d developed a relationship with him over the course of months.”

“Wow…”

Jared sighed. “It was such a waste—of his life, his future.”

I leaned in and kissed him softly on the cheek. “Thank you for sharing all that with me.”

Jared gave me a smile. “It felt good to tell you,” he said. “It felt…freeing.”

He kissed me on the lips, and I felt our connection burn bright. When we pulled away, his eyes were soft and present. “Let’s get some pizza.”

“Now?” I asked, in surprise.

“Yes.” He nodded. “I want to finish our date.”

I smiled. “Okay.”

We walked through the park to the parking lot, and the whole time he kept a firm grip on my hand. I couldn’t help feeling that if he never let go, I wouldn’t mind one bit.

---