JD's Redemption

by Lauren Firminger

  “I’ll take him.” We looked over to the door and saw Ellie standing there, leant up against the door frame.

  “You will?” She gave Chaos a nod.

  “I’m not worried about what he will do. I’m not the one who lost a large portion of last night and yes we can show him security footage or we can talk him through it but in the end, he is the one who has to process it. If being alone is what he needs to do that, then I will take him home and I will be waiting for him when he comes back to me. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind the last time we were together. It’s different this time. We’re different. If he needs to talk he will come and speak with one of us.” Ellie met my gaze, I opened my arms for her. She crossed the room slowly and came and sat down in my lap. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I nuzzled into her neck and closed my eyes. I had my girl, now I just needed the all clear from Tucker.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Ellie

  For the last few hours, I had felt like total crap. After spending the morning in his arms, a quiet reassurance from him that we were solid, and he wasn’t going away for good, watching JD leave was one of the hardest things I have seen, second to the incident last night. There was nothing that could have prepared me for that. Either of those events but deep down, I knew he had to do it. If only so he could get his head right because as hard as it was for me to see him like that, going through what he did and not being able to remember it, would be killing him.

  What had me feeling like the worst person on earth though was what Raven, Chaos and I had decided to keep from him. He would never forgive himself if he knew, even if he had no control at the time. We would take that to the grave with us. Mischa was gone so we didn’t have an issue there and we had her phone. Duke had checked and there were no videos on there and no text messages sent. We had covered all bases and hidden any trace of it. I was ready for him to never find this out.

  Abby was coming into the Phoenix tonight to help out with the bar while JD was off so all I needed to worry about now was the girls and notifying all of Mischa’s clients that she was no longer at the club. All her regulars would be pissed, and I was hoping most of them would select one of the other girls, but I was prepared for some of them to leave which was fine. This would cause a major disruption for them as they had a standing appointment for the same nights every week and didn’t like to deviate from it. There was no point stressing about it though, I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

  The sound of my phone going off pulled me from my thoughts. Getting out of bed, which I got back into after JD left, I went into the kitchen to where I had it on charge. It was a group text from Abby, Hailee and Katy.

  Abby: “We’ve decided that you need to go out tonight and we are going to take you.”

  Hailee: “No is not an answer we will accept so don’t even try it!”

  Katy: “Thomas is on daddy duty tonight so if I can go, then your ass sure as hell is.”

  Abby: “Melissa has the club under control. She made calls saying that Mischa wasn’t available tonight and brought us more time for damage control tomorrow.”

  Katy: “So be ready at eight! We’ll be there to pick you up.”

  I had two options. I could refuse not to go, work instead and mope around or I could go out with the girls, have a good night and kill some time. Try to at least. Just the thought of going out and having fun was making me feel guilty. I didn’t really have a choice though come to think about it. If the girls wanted me out, then I would be going out. Who knows it may do me some good. Checking the time on my phone before slipping it into my pocket. Seeing that it was only four, I went into my living room and picked a movie off the shelf, I still had hours before I had to shower and pick out what I was wearing. Putting the movie in the DVD player, I sat down and curled my legs up under me and turned the TV on. As I waited for the movie to start, I let my mind wander. I thought about how close I had come to beating the shit out of Mischa. What I wouldn’t give to get my hands on her again. She was gone though so there was no way I could. Tilting my head to the side as a stray thought came to mind, I don’t actually know what happened to her. Cameron got her out of there while Thomas and I worked on freeing JD from his capture and getting him help. When I asked what happened to her, all they said was that they had taken care of her.

  Taking my phone back out, I pulled up my messages again and replied to the group.

  Ellie: “Sounds good! Need a stiff fucking drink after last night. Also need to get my hands on that slut and finish what I started last night.”

  I sent the text off and waited to see who would reply first. Hailee could find out from Cameron, but she wasn’t the queen of subtle so if he rang I knew to avoid it. Katy could distract Thomas with Mia and get the answer out of him or Abby could get it out of Corey. Setting my phone down on the arm of the chair, I rested my head against the arm as I attempted to watch my movie. I could try and sleep but every time I tried last night, I kept picturing Mischa straddling JD and it would wake me back up. I didn’t blame him, and never would I hold this against him, but I needed to get this image out of my head. The sound of my phone again pulled me from my thoughts as I saw a message from the last person I expected to see.

  Him: “Be there soon.”

  Well now this was gonna be interesting. I got up from the couch, remembering what I was wearing and went into the bedroom. I removed my pajama shorts and slipped on the pair of jeans I’d pulled out. Grabbing a bra and tank top, I put them both on and walked over to the dresser. Running a brush through my hair, I pulled it up into a ponytail. Going into my bathroom, I grabbed my face washer and ran it under warm water before washing my face. Hanging the washer on the rail so it dried, I had just stepped out of the bathroom when there was a knock at the door. I opened it up, my face blank of expression.

  “Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in, chewed up and spit back out. How did I get so lucky to get the pleasure of your company?”

  “Charming as ever, Ellie. You wanted to know where Mischa was correct?” I frowned. How the fuck did he know that?

  “I didn’t text you, Freddie. Or anyone even remotely connected to you. How do you know that?” He just flashed me a smirk and I knew there was no way he was going to tell me. I wasn’t really sure what was going on and why the club hitman was on my doorstep, but I knew if I was going to get my shot, he was the one who wouldn’t stop me. He may get his ass kicked for it later by numerous people but he would cop that.

  “Let’s go, Angel. We only have a certain amount of time before they move her again. Once she is gone, that’s it. We won’t get another chance.” I nodded and moved to put my shoes on. Grabbing my phone and my keys, I locked up the house and followed Freddie out to his car. He opened to door for me and I got in. Looking over my shoulder after he shut the door and moved around to the driver’s side, I saw a bag on the backseat. Raising my brow, I just pointed at it. “You may want something in there. I was prepared just in case.”

  “Forever the gentleman.” He just winked at me and started up the car. “You gonna tell JD about this?” He shook his head and looked over at me as he drove down my street.

  “I think it would be better if I don’t.” He turned his attention back to the road as I settled back in the seat. He was right. While JD and I were together now, there was a time there where Freddie and I were seeing each other. Freddie helped me move on when I had learned that JD had cheated on me. It started off innocent, checking on me to make sure I was doing okay, he would bring me dinner most nights when I was at work because he knew I got busy and would forget to eat. It didn’t last long when we did get together because we both realized that while we cared about each other, it wasn’t anything more than friendship. I’m sure in his current state of mind though, JD wouldn’t see it that way.

  “He’ll be okay, ya know.” I looked over at him.

  “I know. He has been through more than most people deserve.”

  “Are you worried that he is goin
g to stray again?” I shook my head, no.

  “If he wasn’t ready then I would say yes but things are different this time. He grew up a lot and if I didn’t trust him then I never would have started dating him again.” He was quiet for a minute, so I studied him. His hands were now gripping the steering wheel tightly and his eyes were narrowed slightly. “What?”

  “You were always blind-sided by him. I just don’t want him to get inside your head and make you think that you are ready for this before you actually are. He is good with words, Angel. Please just promise me you will be careful?”

  “You of all people know that I will be.” I reached over and placed my hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for being concerned though. I know if anyone’s got my back, it’s you.” Placing his hand over mine, his eyes met mine.

  “Always.” I gave him a small smile and pulled my hand away as he headed out of town. Time to get this done.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  JD

  I had never laid my hand on a woman in a negative way. I was an asshole and used them for my own pleasure, but they got something out of that too. Right now though, as I sat here in a dark room and thought about the events of last night, what I could remember, I wanted to kill Mischa. She had taken something from me and all I could see right now was her standing before me, my hands wrapped around her throat as I cut off the oxygen to her brain. I wanted to watch her die but that had been taken away from me by my brothers. The more that thought ran around my head though, the more I wondered if that was actually true. They had all just told me she was gone but hadn’t gone into specifics. Left it open to interpretation though. They could have just led her out of town, they could have killed her, they could have her locked away somewhere. That’s when it hit me. We had a place we used before people disappeared for good. Enough time hadn’t passed to actually make her go away for good so if she was anywhere it would be in this place. One person would know the answer to that and I may just be able to get him to tell me.

  I looked down at the phone in my hand, I had been wanting to message Ellie just to make sure she was doing okay. Being away from her just wasn’t sitting right. Especially with Jai out there somewhere. Would he do something to retaliate now that we had spoiled his plan and found him out? Do I need to get the guys to watch over Ellie? Knowing that there was no way I would let this rest until I called someone, I decided not to bother the guys with this but to go to someone who I knew would put his life on the line to keep her safe.

  “Jase, you okay?”

  “Hey, yeah I’m okay. You busy?”

  “Not for you. Just driving so if it drops out, I’ll call you back. Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, everything is fine. I just wanted to ask you to do something for me.”

  “Of course, what’s up?”

  “Freddie, I need you to help me keep an eye on Ellie for me. I know she isn’t going to like it, but if it’s me or you then she will deal. Sure, I would much rather it be me than you, no offence Hitman, but if I can’t be there then I know you are next best to do it.”

  “First of all, no offence taken. Second of all, of course. You know I will keep her safe.” I didn’t like that there was history there but there was nothing I could do about it. I knew she would have to date someone after me and yes I would have preferred for it not to be one of my brothers but on the same hand, there was no one better for her. Luckily for me though, they only worked as friends and now she was back with me where she belonged.

  “Another question for you.. You wouldn’t know what they did with Mischa, do you?”

  “Sorry bud, I don’t. Raven kept pretty tight lipped about it all.”

  “I thought he might. I was kinda hoping that he got you to move her but oh well. As long as she isn’t anywhere around here, it might keep him away.”

  “I can ask him if you like. I’m not sure what time she was being moved though is all.”

  “All good. I am probably the last person they would tell.”

  “No, I think that would be Ellie. She was so pissed off last night. I honestly think she would have killed her had she of had the chance.”

  “Please keep an eye on her for me. Keep her from doing something she may regret later.”

  “Isn’t that what she has you for though?” I couldn’t help but snort.

  “We both know my moral compass is broken so if she wanted to do something, all she would have to do is give me that look and she knows I would cave.”

  “Your saying that I have the best moral compass?”

  “Well you have a point there.”

  “Hey, can I call you back? I need to go and take care of something. I will come by and see you when I am back in town.”

  “Yeah, no problem. I’ll talk to you soon.” I ended the call and sat my phone back down. Picking up my beer, I took a swig from the bottle and closed my eyes, my head resting back against the chair. Rubbing my hand over my chest as I thought about Ellie again, I could stop myself from wondering what she was up to now. Would she be going into work or would she just get Melissa to cover tonight? She would need to start working on the fallout from losing Mischa. Honestly, I thought the regulars would be better off without the toxic whore. The worst part of all of this was that I wasn’t surprised this had happened. The amount of girls I had screwed over the last few years, one of them was bound to get revenge eventually. Most of them were straddling the line between sane and downright fucking crazy. Ellie didn’t deserve that though. She was worth more than that. My shit should never have been brought into her life. She was so perfect, and I knew that this would change her worse than anything in her life had done. For me though, she would put on a brave face and pretend that it wasn’t killing her. She had already started when she overheard the conversation about me wanting to come home so I could think. Like a coward, I had just walked away from her instead of dealing with it together like we should have done. I could have waited at home while she went to work, had the space I needed but then have her back with me when she got home. Was she better off without me? She could move on eventually. She had done it before. If I wasn’t around, then it would make it easier for her to do it again.

  Just as quickly as the thought entered my mind though, I pushed past it. I was selfish yes but there was no way that I could do that to her because there was the chance that she would never come back from that. We would eventually move on from this and be happy again. Fuck, take Hailee for example. She had been through so much in her life with her crappy childhood and being taken and held captive by her now boyfriends father, raped and tortured but there were days with her, you would never pick it up. One person had changed her for the better when he saved her from that hell. He was selfish enough to keep her from himself, but it was the best thing he could ever do. It was okay for me to do the same. I needed Ellie like I needed air and right now, I was suffocating. I had to get back to her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Ellie

  I listened to the conversation between Freddie and Jason as he drove us into the middle of nowhere. Well that’s what it felt like anyway and had it of been anyone else but these boys then I would have definitely worried about where we were going but I trusted Freddie. Especially after that conversation but there was something bugging me.

  “Did he sound okay to you?” I looked over at Freddie as he stopped the car.

  “No, he didn’t. There were a few times in there that made it sound like he was getting ready to check out of here.” I chewed on my lip as I looked down at my phone. Something wasn’t sitting right with me and being so far away from him had me wanting to run back home. We had driven all this way so I could go in and finish this once and for all, but my head and my heart were telling me that I was in the wrong spot. “Are you ready to do this?”

  I shook my head. My desire for revenge wasn’t strong enough when the man that I loved could be about to pay the price for it. If he called me and I couldn’t get to him then I would regret it for as long as I lived
. I couldn’t say the same for not putting a bullet in her head. “Can you take me home. I have a really bad feeling that he isn’t okay and being here is not where I need to be.” Freddie gave me a nod and started the car back up. As much as I wanted to kill Mischa for what she had done, I would be breaking the one promise that I had made to JD. That I would be there when he came home. As tempting as the thought may be, I wasn’t sure I could actually take a life this way. Cameron clearly had something coming her way, I just needed to trust that the right thing was going to happen.

  “Do you know what’s gonna happen to her when she’s moved?”

  “Nope. No one, not even Raven or Chaos will know what’s happened to her. Once she’s been moved, that’s it, she’s gone.” I glanced over at him. His words came out harshly and I wasn’t quite sure if he had meant them to be or not, but I would stand by my decision.

  “I’m sorry I made you come all the way out here for nothing, but I made a promise to JD to be there when he came home and if something was to happen to him now and I couldn’t get there, I would never forgive myself. I know him as well as you do and that short phone call I just listened to tells me that he is not okay. You can be mad or disappointed in me for wasting your time, but you driving away isn’t going to be the decision I regret.”

  “I just don’t get it Ellie, he has hurt you once before. What makes you think that he won’t fuck up again? Is that why we are going home? You don’t trust him while your back is turned and don’t want to throw your life away for someone like him.”