Page 44 of Casper
Holding a hand to my mouth, I stared in horror at the fight. Someone took my arm, pulling me away from the commotion. I think it was Storm. She and Codie had returned, flanking me on either side.
Casper got a foot up between him and Jace, using it to launch Jace off him. Then they were both up on their feet again, circling one another. Knowing what they were both capable of, I worried that somebody was about to die.
“What’s wrong, asshole?” Jace taunted. “Cat got your tongue? Got nothing to say?”
Casper responded with a middle finger. He was about to lunge toward Jace again when Jace suddenly pulled a knife from his pocket. I screamed.
“Stop,” I shouted. “Please, no more.”
Casper’s expression became scrunched and conflicted. Like all he wanted was to beat the living hell out of Jace. Instead, he backed off.
Rebel stepped forward, acting as the spokesperson for the Kings. “You know what they say about bringing a knife to a gun fight, don’t you? Is that a chance you really want to take?”
Nobody drew a gun. They didn’t have to. Jace was smart enough to know he didn’t want to call their bluff.
“No worries. I’m leaving.” Holding both hands up, Jace backed away. He didn’t leave without a parting remark though. “I’ll see you real soon, Luna. Count on it.”
Casper wrapped an arm around me, holding me tight against him as he led me toward the church. My entire body shook with nerves. I kept glancing back over my shoulder, making sure Jace was really leaving. Rebel and Dom stayed behind to make sure of it.
I’d been riding high on feel good emotions lately. Enjoying how amazing everything had been. Just that easily Jace brought it all crashing to a halt.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CASPER
When some time in the church away from everyone else didn’t help Luna calm down, I decided it was time to leave. She seemed to be incredibly shaken up. That told me more about her ex than anything else. It took all of my willpower and inner strength to stay with her and not go after him. He was a fucking dead man.
“Let’s get out of here,” I signed. “We’ll go grab a coffee or something.”
Luna sniffed, her nose red from the cold. She looked so fucking sad when she nodded. “Okay. That would be nice.”
I paused to tell Stray to let me know if that fucker was spotted again before leading Luna from the church. Neither of us had had much to drink yet tonight. We took an Uber back to the house to pick up my car. From there, we went to an all-night diner the guys and I occasionally frequented.
Grabbing my favorite booth in the corner, I picked up the menu, flipping to the page filled with burgers. I didn’t want to push Luna to open up too quickly, but we needed to talk. She needed to tell me more about this guy. He was up to no good.
The waitress came by our table to take our drink order. We both opted for coffee. I already knew what I wanted for food. I got the same bacon cheeseburger every time I came here. Lunaoccupied herself by perusing the menu carefully. I got the feeling she was using the time to gather her thoughts. Deciding what exactly she wanted to tell me.
When the waitress returned with our coffee, I pointed at my selection on the menu. Luna shoved her menu aside and said, “I’ll just have some fries, please.”
The menu wasn’t all that veggie friendly. Maybe I should’ve taken her somewhere else.
“Sorry about the lack of plant based options,” I signed. “Next time we’ll go somewhere that has more choices for both of us.”
She waved away my concern, offering me a small smile. “It’s all good. I like fries. I mean, who doesn’t? I’m not really all that hungry anyway.”
That was understandable. I, on the other hand, was ravenous. Nothing like a good scrap to stimulate the appetite. Too bad it hadn’t ended the way I would’ve preferred. With that scumbag as just another body to get rid of.
“Are you all right? Would you like to tell me about him?” I waited patiently for Luna to open up. Pushing her too quickly would only make her withdraw. She’d allowed me to share some of my darkest memories with her. I wanted her to feel that she could do the same.
Propping her chin in her hand, Luna leaned forward on the table, a heavy sigh escaping her. “His name is Jace Ford. We dated when we were teenagers. A couple of years on and off. He went to jail when we were seventeen after killing a gas station employee.”
I listened attentively while she told me about her time with Jace. He’d been young and desperate to make a name for himself. Getting involved in various criminal activity from drug dealing to grand theft auto. Until one night it escalated, ending in the death of the gas station attendant.
“He wasn’t a very good boyfriend,” she continued. “It didn’t take much to make him jealous. If he thought I was talking to another guy, he would flip out. Beat the crap out of the guy. Sometimes he took his anger out on me.”
“He hurt you?” I held her gaze, finding her eyes filled with pain. Any man who made my flower hurt was going to pay the fucking price.
The waitress returned with our food. Luna waited for her to move out of earshot before continuing.
