Page 44 of Break

That thick fuckhead always has to break stuff. Look what he did to Hope’s office. It took freaking hours to replace everything and a lot of favors.

But we had to do it. Not just because we didn’t want people being suspicious, but also because Hope deserves better than broken pieces and destruction. It’s the least we can do to cleanup the mess so that she didn’t have to worry about it on top of everything else.

It’s become clear to us that we need to correct some things and change others if we want her to willingly let us close.

I walk after Jaxon just in time to see one of the wall paintings fling across the room.

But that isn’t what makes anger boil inside me.

Four.

Four fucking cameras lie on her bed.

“All from here?” I ask with an eerie calmness in my voice.

“No,” Knox grits and tosses one more on the bed. “Five.”

“We should’ve killed him,” I say as my fingernails dig into my palms.

“You,” Knox starts, “shouldn’t have stopped me.” He points his finger at Jaxon, and I step between them.

They are both taller, but that won’t matter. I can stand my ground and they know that. Right now, they really don’t want to push me because all I can think about is smashing Jared’s face in for violating Hope in more ways than one.

“Fuck off, both of you,” I say. “Find the cameras and clean this mess up.” I stare at Knox before adding. “Don’t break her stuff. She likes her stuff.”

The tension in his face softens and he stiffly nods before stalking off to pick up the wall painting that he threw across the room.

Jaxon drags his fingers through his hair, sighing through gritted teeth. “If we hadn’t caught him last night, he would’ve gotten away with all of this. He would’ve kept watching her.”

“Sick bastard,” I mutter, picturing his creepy ass watching her on his computer screen with all the lights out. Did he jack off watching her? Did he picture it was him when he watched her touch herself?

Fury churns in my stomach as my fingers flex. We didn’t teach him a good enough lesson, but as much as I want to beat him down again, we have plenty of work to do here. A wrecked apartment is going to freak her out, and I’m not adding to her stress.

Fuck. I wish I could have her in my arms. I wish I could kiss and fuck away her pain. If she lets me get close.

It took us all day and patience to find the cameras and fix the wreckage Knox created. But I’m sure she’ll notice. She’s too smart to not notice that things aren’t exactly in the same place she left them.

“We have to tell her about this,” I say to the guys, and they both nod.

“We’ll show her tonight,” Jaxon says and lifts up the bag filled with the tiny cameras.

“We have to check his apartment more. I don’t think we have everything,” Knox adds, and I can’t disagree with him.

This obsession… there must be more.

My phone buzzes in my back pocket, and I slide it out, staring at the screen as it lights up and Hope’s message appears.

Are you ready to go?

A smile tugs on the corner of my lip. “Our sweetheart is ready to go home. I’ll go get her.”

“We’ll wait in Jared’s apartment,” Jaxon says, and an approving grunt comes from Knox.

I nod and stride out of her apartment, ready to have her back by my side. I just wish I didn’t have such bad news to deliver to her.

Twenty-three

JAXON

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