Page 89 of Chaos

“If I crash this, it’s on you,” I say, pressing the ignition and it roars to life.

“Cars can be replaced, baby. Just be careful with her. There’s a lot of power.”

Great, that gives me confidence as I tap the accelerator and it shoots forward.

After a few minutes, I get the hang of it as Jax is wiping his chest with a t-shirt.

I don’t know what to say to him. He killed a man with his bare hands in the ring. Hell, he would probably have done the same to Brody if I wasn’t there.

But, as I glance over and see that he’s watching my every move, it changes nothing about how I feel about him. I just want to know how his mind works. What made him snap?

I saw it happen. After the guy pointed at me, Jax flipped.

“Why’d you kill that guy?” I ask, keeping my eyes on the road.

“He threatened you,” he replies, clicking his tongue bar.

“So, let me get this straight. A guy simply says some things about me and you cave his skull in?” I blink, shaking my head, trying to wrap my head around his thought process here.

“Yep, and I’d do it again. I told you I’d protect you, that you’re safe with me, that means from anyone. I think I made that clear.”

I chew on the inside of my mouth. “Yeah, I think they got the message, Jax.” I pause. Still reeling from his words in the ring.

“What did you mean you had a brother that died? Brody never mentioned another brother?”

I sense him stiffen beside me. I glance over and his jaw is tight.

“Kai. He was my best friend. My only real brother in this life. He died just before I met you in New York.”

It’s almost as if he stopped before his voice broke and everything starts to click into place. His grief is still eating at him.

“I’m sorry, Jax. That must be hard.”

With a sharp nod, I sigh as he places his bloodied hand on my thigh.

“Are you mad at me?”

“I’m not, Jax. I guess it might take me a while to get used to this. As long as you always tell me the truth, we will be fine. Okay?”

“Always, sweetheart. No secrets. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

Cutting the engine, I pull into our driveway and turn to face him before responding.

“I’m not scared of you. Don’t get me wrong, that whole thing was terrifying. I know you’d never let anything happen to me.”

As he strokes my cheek, I feel a wave of relaxation wash over me.

“Never.”

He takes us inside our home, and without hesitation, I head straight to the freezer to find ice. I can feel his eyes on me as he stands by the counter, his gaze never leaving my movements.

“Let me see your hand.”

With a wide grin on his face, he proudly displays his bruised and battered knuckles. I pick up the left, pressing the ice over the swelling already starting to show.

He lets out a hiss, which makes me struggle to suppress a giggle.

“This hurt?” I touch another open cut with the cool cloth.