Jase (Kings of Korruption MC Book 3) (10 page)

I blink at her
in complete shock. “My parents kicked me out, and I was a child
myself. I went to live with my friend and her family, and Paul and
I continued to go to the same school for the rest of that year. I
never hid from him!” My nostrils flare and I can feel the heat of
my rage right to the tips of my ears.

“
Do you have someone to prove that?”

I don’t
hesitate. “School records? My best friend has been with me through
it all, so she can testify to all of it.”

“
Good. Now, the last thing that was brought up is that you are
heavily involved with a well known organized crime
ring.”

My mouth drops
to the floor. “What? I’m a nurse. I take care of dying people.”

“
According to Paul, your son contacted him yesterday, scared
because you were affiliated with the Kings of Korruption motorcycle
club. Is this true?”

I can’t
breathe. Bryce had called Paul about Jase? Was Bryce scared of
Jase? And an organized crime ring? I know the Kings have a
reputation, but is that what they are? “I have a friend I work with
who’s married to one of their members. I know some of the guys
because their friend was in my care, but I don’t know anything
about organized crime. They’re just a bunch of guys that ride
motorcycles as far as I’m concerned.”

Stella’s lips
press into a thin, harsh line. “I’m afraid the judge doesn’t see it
that way. The Kings are known for their illegal activity, and if
you’re affiliated with them in any way, you make Paul’s case much
stronger.”

Bile begins to
rise up my throat. I listen to the rest of Stella’s rundown,
desperately trying to understand everything she says, but all I can
think of is that even being friends with Jase could cost me my son.
I haven’t even left the courthouse yet when I send him a text to
cancel our date.

Me: I’m sorry,
Jase, but no date tomorrow. And no more rides home. I need to focus
on my kid.

CHAPTER TEN

Jase

I
t’s eleven
o’clock the next day when I pull up in front of Ellen’s house. I’d
gotten her sorry excuse for cancelling our date, and it seems like
her and I need to have a little chat about that. We’d made plans,
and I have every intention to follow through on them.

Walking up the
steps to her house, I realize just how quiet her neighborhood is.
The perfect neighborhood for a family. It’s certainly not the type
of place I’ve ever spent any amount of time in—I’d never lived in a
house before in my life. My dad and I had a shitty apartment once,
but for the most part, we lived at the clubhouse. It made it easier
for my dad to do club shit and get laid.

I raise my
fist and knock on the door. Hearing her footsteps coming closer
from inside, I prepare myself for an argument. If there’s one thing
I’ve learned about Ellen in the last couple of weeks, it’s that
she’s consistent. She’s into me, I know she is, but she won’t let
herself admit it.

The door
swings open and Ellen quickly grabs my arm, yanking me inside. I’d
expected her to throw a fit while I was still outside, so already,
I feel like I’ve won.

“
What are you doing here?” she hisses. “Didn’t you get my
text?”

I cross my
arms and stare at her. “I got it. I just didn’t like it.”

“
Well too bad!” she cries. “Whether you liked it or not, I
meant it. No dates, no rides, no nothing—God! Why are you so
fucking stubborn?”

Dropping my
arms to my sides, I take three steps towards her, crowding her
personal space so she has no other choice but to look at me. “Take
a look in the mirror, El, ‘cause you give me a run for my money in
that department, and watch your tone. I don’t disrespect you, and I
expect the same courtesy.”

Throwing
her arms up in the air, she lets out an angry growl. “You don’t get
it. Look, I need you to go, right now. Hop on your motorcycle and
just
leave
.”

“
What am I not understanding here?” I don’t get why she’s so
angry, but I don’t like the way she’s talking to me. “I thought we
were supposed to go for a fuckin’ ride this afternoon. Then I get
some bullshit text blowing me off, yet again. Well, you know what?
Forget it. I can take a hint.” I turn to leave, my whole body tense
with anger, and my head screaming that this is wrong. Just as I’m
about to walk out the door, I turn back and give her a withering
look. “I get it. You’re an independent woman and all that shit, but
sweetheart, you’re gonna be a lonely woman if you continue to keep
all your shit to yourself. You need to find someone to rely on and
help you work through it, ‘cause I’m done.” Turning back to the
door, I put my hand on the doorknob.

“
God!” she screams. I turn back around, shocked at her
outburst. “I’m losing my mind, okay? I have some pretty heavy shit
going on right now, and I need to focus on that. I was really
looking forward to going out with you today, but my lawyer told me
that Bryce had called his father and told him that you were here.
The judge didn’t like it, so I can’t see you anymore. If I do, I
could lose my kid.”

“
Okay.” I take a step closer. “Can we try that again, but
slower this time?”

Ellen slaps
her palm against her forehead and lets out a frustrated groan. “My
son’s father is taking me to court for custody of my son.” I nod,
indicating for her to go on. “We had our first court date
yesterday, and apparently Bryce—my son—called his father after you
left the other day. He told him that you were here with me, and
that you were a member of the Kings.”

I frown. “How
the hell did he know that?”

Ellen rolls
her eyes. “He’s a kid, Jase, not an idiot. Your vesty thing gave it
away.”

“
Vesty thing?” I point at my leather. “You mean my
cut?”

“
Whatever,” she exclaims. “Anyways, Paul brought it up in
court as a way to get my son from me, and my lawyer told me that if
I had anything to do with you, or anyone from the Kings, that Paul
could win.” She leans in and stage whispers, “She said you’re
involved in organized crime.”

I blow out a
heavy breath, trying to wrap my head around everything she’s told
me. “Who is this Paul guy anyways?”

“
He was a guy I dated back in high school. He was a football
player, he was popular, and he ran like hell when I got pregnant at
sixteen. I didn’t hear from him, not once, until just last year. He
looked me up on Facebook.”

I frown. “Why
is he trying for custody after all these years?”

She folds her
arms across her chest, almost as if she’s trying to protect
herself. I don’t like it. “He doesn’t like my rules. He wants to
take Bryce away from me entirely.” I grit my teeth. What kind of
man takes a boy away from his mother? “He’s a bully, trying to put
me in my place. And after yesterday, I think he might get the
chance to do just that.”

Without ever
having met him, I know exactly what kind of man he is. He’s one of
those guys who couldn’t lose in high school. They got by, bullying
those that were weaker than them, and scraping by in class because
their coach needed them on the team. They got lots of tail and
scored a few touchdowns. After they graduated, and all that went
away, it left them bitter and angry. They became people who
strong-arm others into doing what they want to feel powerful again,
just like they did in high school. I hate fuckers like that.

I ask the one
question I need to know the answer to before I say anything else.
“Has he ever hurt you or the kid?”

She shakes her
head sadly. “No. He grabbed my arm the last time he was here, but
he left right after, and I haven’t let him see Bryce since.”

“
Did he hurt you?” I growl.

“
I’m tough,” she whispers, her brown eyes boring into
mine.

“
You want me to deal with this guy?”

“
What? God, Jase, no! Why would you say that? I don’t want him
dead!”

I can’t help
but laugh at the mortified look on her face. “Babe, relax. I wasn’t
talkin’ about offing the guy. I meant have a little chat, man to
man.” I turn my head and give her a questioning look. “What kind of
guy do you think I am?”

She blows out
a breath and giggles. “Sorry. I don’t even know what I’m saying. I
feel like my entire world is just spinning out of control, and I
don’t know what to think about anything. But no, I don’t need you
to talk to Paul. It’s sweet of you to offer, but he would just use
that against me, I have no doubt. The only way to make this better
is to stop seeing you.”

I don’t miss
the sad look in her eyes when she says it. “Are you sure about
that, El? ‘Cause I don’t like that idea at all.”

“
I’m sure. Bryce is everything to me, Jase. I have to do
whatever it takes to make sure I don’t lose him.”

My gut
clenches at her words. “You’re a good mom, El.” I lean in and kiss
along her cheek. “Bryce is a lucky kid.”

She lifts her
hand to her chest, her eyes shiny with tears as I walk towards the
door. I pull it open and turn back to her. “If you ever need
someone to unload on, give me a call. You don’t need to do this all
by yourself.” I know that I need to go and give her the chance to
keep her family intact, so with those final words, I turn and walk
out of Ellen’s life.

Ellen

Watching Jase
walk out the door is harder than I thought it would be. We haven’t
spent a lot of time together, and there’s a lot we don’t know about
the other, but deep down, a part of me had wanted all that to
change. It’s the part of me that stands frozen, staring at the
door, and listening to the sound of his motorcycle roaring down the
street and out of my life, once and for all.

“In case you can’t tell, I want to be around you. I want to
know all about you, El. But I can’t do that if you keep pushing me
away.”
God,
Jase.

I swallow down
the giant lump in my throat. The other part of me, the part that
was afraid to get attached to Jase, only to wind up with a broken
heart, breathes a sigh of relief. Imagine how hard that would have
been if we had been closer; if we had gotten to know each other
better. I lean my forehead against the wall and squeeze my eyes
closed. It’s better that we sever all ties now.

A knock on the
door breaks me from my thoughts. I rush to answer it, assuming it’s
Jase, back to convince me to change my mind, but it’s not.

“
Paul? You can’t be here.”

He chuckles
without a trace of humour. “Shut up and listen. This court shit is
going to get messy, and it’s costing me a fucking fortune. My
lawyer’s told me that I have a really good shot at beating you, but
I doubt you want that. So, I’m here to make a deal.”

I can’t
believe this asshole. “Are you kidding me right now? No, I will not
make a deal with you. This is my son we’re talking about, not some
used car, or an old lawnmower that we can just agree to share.” I
step back inside and close the door enough that I’m peeking around
it at him. “You need to leave, Paul. Let our lawyers do the talking
from now on.”

I go to slam
the door shut, but he stops it with his foot. My heart races as he
uses his entire body to shove it open again.

“
You’re making a big mistake, Ellen. A huge mistake. I want
you to know that when I win custody of Bryce, it’ll be a cold day
in Hell before you ever see him again.”

“
Just get out!” I scream, trying to shove the door closed,
even with his body in the way. It’s all I can do to keep the angry
tears from spilling over. “Go, you son of a bitch, or I’m calling
the police.”

He gives me an
evil smile and puts his hands up, backing out of the door. “I’ll
go, but only because tomorrow is my first supervised visit with
Bryce, and there’s not one thing you can do to fuck that up. See
you in court, bitch.”

I watch in
shock as he turns on his heels and walks casually to his car. Just
as he’s about to get in, he turns, giving me a cocky salute. Once I
see that he’s gone, I close the door, making sure it’s locked
tight. My entire body shakes as I crumple to the floor when the
tears I’d been holding start to fall.

This is too
much. I can’t handle this. Losing Jase before I even had him, the
fear of losing my son in this terrifying, impersonal court case,
and the fear of Paul in general, threaten to consume me. I don’t
know how to stop this. I don’t know what to do.

I pull my
knees up to my chest, circling them with my arms, and I cry. I let
all the sadness and anger out in one long crying session. So many
tears fall, I feel like Alice in Wonderland, about to be washed
away in a sea of salty sadness.