Page 3 of Explosive Union
Fresh air fills my lungs, and I let it seep in. God, it feels so fucking good to be free. It’s been a hell of a long five years. I’m sure as fuck glad to be able to walk out of here a free woman. I let the feeling of the ground beneath my feet fill me with joy. I’m close to tears. The turbulent five years inside of this hellhole were sometimes more than I could ever bear, but I made it through. I made sure those assholes never saw me at my lowest, and when I could, I gave them as good as I got.
The gates open, and I look up at the sun, loving the way the heat caresses my skin. The slight breeze sends a chill through me, but I don’t care. It’s been too long since I’ve felt this good. The moment I step outside of the gates and out of the prison line, I feel a well of emotion hit me. Tears spring to my eyes, and I breathe deeply through my nose, trying not to let those tears fall. My time will come soon, and I’m ready for it. Not one of those bastards are getting away with what they have done to me. Not fucking one of them. They made the biggest mistake when they targeted me, and I’m going to ensure they’ll pay for every single crime they committed against not only me, but the women in the cell with me. They were for me to protect, and I failed them. Both of them. Shona and Marcy.
I shake my head to get rid of the onslaught of memories. No, I can’t deal with them. Not now.
A car door slams, and I glance in the direction it came from. My heart stutters heavily as I see the man who’s just got out. God, I’ve missed him. His black hair is longer than I remember, and he’s wearing a suit, something I hadn’t expected. Before I was sent away, he was happiest wearing jeans and a tee.
I keep one foot in front of the other as I walk toward him. His bright smile is solely for me, but I see anger and guilt swirling in his whiskey-colored eyes.
“Jade.” His gravelly voice is deep and filled with love.
I give him a smile, so glad to be out and with him. My brother is the best person in the world, and I know I hurt him when I refused to see him in prison. I only saw three people while I was locked up. My cousin Finn, my granda Henry, and my sister-in-law Annemarie. It wasn’t because I love them better, or that I wanted to punish anyone. I didn’t want my family to see how much prison had affected me. How deeply those bastards had cut me; not physically, but mentally. I never wanted Hayden, in particular, to see me. He’d feel the guilt more than anyone, especially as I took the fall for him.
“Hey, Hayden, don’t you look dapper?” I say in jest, and I sigh with relief when I see his shoulders shake and the corners of his eyes crinkle.
“Yeah, well, we have a lot to discuss. But first, come here,” he instructs as he opens his arms.
I don’t hesitate. I’ve missed my brother—my best friend. I sink into his embrace and swallow hard as once again the tears well up. God, I didn’t expect to be so emotional today. I’m usually able to close off my emotions, bury them down and forget about them.
“You doing okay, Sissy?” he questions quietly.
I giggle at him calling me Sissy. It’s something he has been using since we were kids. It used to annoy me, but like all big brothers, he was never going to stop. So Sissy stuck. Thankfully, only Hayden calls me it.
“Better now I’m out,” I reply as my hands slide around his waist and I rest my cheek against his chest. It’s been so long since I’ve had a hug.
“I’d say,” he grinds out as he releases me and takes a step backward, his eyes hard and flinty. He opens the car door for me to get in. “We’ll talk on the way home.”
I climb in and see Hayden’s right-hand man, Cody, up front driving. As soon as Hayden settles in beside me, Cody slides up the privacy screen.
“Say it,” I instruct him. I know he has a lot of shit to get off his chest and I’d rather have him say it now when it’s just the two of us.
“I’m so fucking mad at you, Jade. Fucking furious. Words cannot describe just how fucked up this has all been,” he grinds out, his palms pressing against his eyes. He sounds more like our da when he’s angry. His Irish brogue comes out thicker.
“I know,” I reply softly. “I needed you to be able to go on while I was there. I needed you to do what was needed. You needed to focus.”
He raises his head and glares at me. “You have always been so fucking stubborn, Sissy. But Christ, Jade, you were raped. I should have been able to see you. I needed to see you.”
My heart aches for him. I knew the moment Granda Henry found out what had happened to me, he would tell my family, even though I asked him not to.
“I’m sorry. I never wanted you to hurt, but, Hay, I needed to be able to fight this alone. I know if I had seen you, you’d have wanted to kill them. Then you’d have been locked up along with me.”
His sigh is heavy as he leans back against the seat. “I don’t care. If it meant stopping those bastards from ever touching you, then so be it.”
“Then being inside was for nothing. Granda told me that you’re the Head of Indiana.” I smile at him. “I knew you’d do it, Hay. You were always destined to be the boss.”
He once again scrubs his hands down his face. “You think that matters to me—that I’d want to be boss if it meant you were hurt? Fuck’s sake, Jade. You really think that little of me?”
I look at my brother, the man I adore above all else. “That’s not it at all. I think you deserved this, and five years in prison was worth making everything we’ve worked hard for, come true.”
His jaw is tight, but thankfully, he nods. “There’s no way I could ever repay you for everything you’ve done for me.”
I rest my shoulder against his arm. “Just don’t forget me now that you’re the big bad boss of Indiana.”
His chuckle eases my heartache. “Never going to happen, Sissy. You know that. You'd never let it. I get too big for my boots and you’d knock me down a peg or two.”
I laugh. God, it feels so good to be here with him. Not having to worry about what I say or who I say it to. Being inside, I was always on edge, wondering when the next attack was going to come.
“I’d knock you out, more like,” I reply with a bright smile.