Page 14 of Finn

“Sorry for almost making us lose everything we’ve worked so hard for?” Jax bites out.

His barely restrained temper shoots a defiant, if not somewhat guilty, shockwave through me that hardens my spine and makes me stand straighter.

“It’s not her fault,” Finn says, sticking up for me once again.

“Damn right. It’s yours!” Jax roars.

He may be shorter than his brother, but he’s broader, and evidently, scarier. I’ve seen Cole act like this, but I know him. He has boundaries he won’t cross when it comes to me, but I’m not familiar with Jax. He’s not directing his ire at me right now, but the tension that settles over the room is damn near suffocating.

Jax takes several deep breaths, his slick, jet-black hair wet. “As soon as she came here, you should have sent her on her way.”

“That’s the problem,” Finn explains. “I don’t want to.”

The crimson rage that stains Jax’s cheeks deepens. He moves his gaze to me then back to his brother before starting to pace. Sighing, he runs tattooed hands through his hair and then clasps his fingers behind his neck. “It’s not worth it, and you know it.”

“Come on, man,” Finn says. “You know—”

Jax doesn’t even let his brother finish. “No,you knowthat if Cole wants to shut our shit down, he can. That’sallyou need to know. The only reason we were allowed to do this was because of—” He cuts himself short this time with a frown. The big man suddenly showing a bit of emotion.

“Princess, I know. And her guys,” Finn adds.

“Who’s princess?” I butt in. Why do I keep hearing that name?

“I’ll tell you later,” Finn says over his shoulder.

“The fuck you will,” Jax explodes. “Finn, for once in your goddamn life, quit acting like life is just for fun. It’s so much more than that.”

Finn spins my way, an angry red blush greeting me. He tries to smile but it’s forced now and it looks so wrong on his face. “Can you please give us a minute?”

“Give him your entire life,” Jax snaps. “Don’t come back.”

I stiffen at his words, and Finn glares at his brother over his shoulder.

“What?” Jax asks. He’s like a dog with a bone. Coming out from behind the desk, he makes Finn step back, so he’s addressing both of us. “Your brother threatened us last night. He can easily take away our business. Not just the gym, but more importantly, the Ring. It’s our livelihood. We’ve sunk everything into that place.” He heaves a big breath, his broad shoulders bunching. He’s no longer yelling, and I can read the real fear in his eyes when he addresses me. “I am begging you. Please stay away. I know it’s not fair, but what my brother doesn’t realize is that life is rarely ever fair. You can’t change who you are, or more importantly, who your brother is. He has the power to ruin us.”

I bite the inside of my cheek as he talks. The real emotion pouring out of him stings my eyes. I always believed Cole was a threat to other bad people. Other gang members. I’ve never seen it from this perspective before. With real people living in the Heights. Why would he want to hurt them? Is this really over one fucking dance?

“You really think he’d take this away?” My lip wobbles, so I bite down on it harder.

Jax steps up to me, and his proximity makes me stand at attention. “He only let us do what we wanted as a favor to a friend.”

“I can call her,” Finn suggests.

“No,” Jax snaps. But then he looks toward his brother with real affection. “That’s unfair. They don’t need any more of this shit in their life.”

The small, cramped room, coupled with the tension, is making my shirt stick to my back. I need some air, stat. “I get it,” I say, even though the anger is bubbling up inside me so fast that I just want to scream.

The emotions around my brother are always so conflicting that they can lead me into a spiral.

I smile at Jax, and his shoulders release some of the stress. Then, I turn to Finn. He drops his head to the side as he regards me. I reach out, tugging on the cuff of his sleeve. “Looks like I’m going to apologize again. I’m sorry about my brother for more than one reason now. Don’t worry about me screwing anything up for you guys.” I swallow as Finn’s face hardens at my words. “It’s no big deal,” I lie. “It probably would’ve fizzled out sooner rather than later.”

Even as the words leave my mouth, they ring untrue. More so when they hang in the air between us rather than just inside my head.

“You two take care of yourselves. I’ll tell Cole he can back off.”

I spin on my heel and shove the door open. “Leenie!” Finn calls out. Sounds of a scuffle sound behind me, but the door closes, and the noises of the gym swallow up whatever is going on inside the office.

I hurry the hell out of here before a few tears stray down my cheeks. Brushing them away, I immediately send my brother a text.I’m coming over. You better be there.

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