Page 64 of Loving Justice
Lanah nodded and laid the spoon aside. “I had no clue that Rigs was dangerous, at least not until the moment that he decided I either help him or my family was in danger.”
“That meant lying and saying that you’re pregnant by Jinx?” Although Justice could see an ounce of remorse in the woman, she wouldn’t get away with pretending this was an innocent act on her part.
The dark circles under her eyes became starker. “I did lie about the baby being Jinx’s.”
“But you are pregnant?”
With a tight nod, her shoulders slumped. “Yes. I wish Jinx was the father, but he’s not. When I told Rigs, he blew up. Refused to acknowledge that he could be the father. I’ve never seen anyone so angry.” Her chest heaved. “I swear he did a complete flip.”
“That’s when he devised the plan to say Jinx was the father?” Justice started to sip her coffee but she couldn’t stomach it.
“I feared for my life. It doesn’t make what I did right, but I had my baby to think about too.”
In a way, Justice could understand. To protect her family, she would do whatever she must. “I’m sorry we were all deceived by Rigs.”
Lanah pushed her coffee cup away. “I needed to air my truth.” She grabbed her purse and pulled it over her shoulder. “Again, thank you for listening.”
Justice had no idea what she could say. She could see that Lanah would have to face that her child’s father had been a cruel, heartless man.
Pushing back her chair, Lanah stood and started to step away, but she stopped and turned back to Justice. “I know it’s none of my business, but Jinx is a good man. They’re hard to find these days. Even though he isn’t the father, he’s offered to help in any way he can.” She laid her palm against her still-flat stomach.
Long after Lanah left, Justice sat at the table in the coffee shop staring through the window, barely registering the hustle and bustle of activity. Her mind and heart were in battle. She cared for Jinx—loved him—but he’d betrayed her.
Her phone rang, and she saw that it was Ilene. She clicked ‘talk’. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything is fine.”
“Aren’t you with your friends?”
“Plans changed. I need your help with something. Can you meet me at the tool barn?”
“Sure. I can be there in twenty minutes.”
They clicked off and Justice reached into her wallet and laid a bill on the table.
She felt Ilene wanted to speak about the issue with Jinx. That morning she’d asked Justice if she and Jinx were fighting. Justice didn’t want to lie to Ilene because she was an intelligent girl, but there were some things that needed to stay private. Justice had no clue what would happen with Jinx and her, but she needed to reassure Ilene that she’d always have a place in Justice’s life.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jinx strolled into the tool barn.
He got a text from his sister saying she needed him immediately.
“Ilene, I thought you were meeting up with your friends? What’s the trouble?” He headed to the back of the barn and stopped mid-stride. It wasn’t his sister staring back at him. “Justice? Ilene asked me to meet her here.”
Justice narrowed her gaze. “She asked me to meet her here too. She said she needed help.”
Now what was his sister up to? He had a feeling he knew.
He heard a rustling noise, and then the barn doors slammed shut, and theclankingof a lock could be heard. He tried to pull them open, but they were locked from the outside. “Ilene? This isn’t funny. Open the doors.”
His cell buzzed and he read the text message from Ilene…
The doors won’t open until you and Justice have made up. I.
He was preparing a stern reply when Justice said, “Looks like she has a romantic bone in her body.” Sitting on a silver platter was a bottle of wine, two glasses, a bowl of chocolate, and another filled with strawberries. “There’s also a note.”
“Of course,” Jinx groaned.