My mouth was like a desert, and I clutched the phone, afraid my shaky hands would drop it.
“And I’m guessing,” his father continued, “that since you’re answering his phone, your * must taste pretty damn sweet for him to let you stick around.”
My eyes blurred. “What the hell is the matter with you?” I choked out.
“I’m enlightening you, sweetheart,” he said, his voice turning rigid. “He won’t keep you. Not for long. You can count on that.”
Jax looked over at me, his smile disappearing the moment he saw me.
“Has he told you about the basement yet? The knife he carries? His bitch mother that abandoned him to foster care when he was an infant?”
I swallowed, seeing Jax start to walk over to me. How could a father talk this way about his son?
“If he hasn’t let you inside his head, then he’s not yours, Juliet.”
Jax held my eyes, his expression turning more worried the closer he got.
“He doesn’t trust you enough,” his father warned.
I sucked in a breath, tears pooling as I handed the phone to Jax. “Your father.”
His blue eyes turned to ice, and he grabbed the phone. “What did you say to her?” he growled into the phone. “Hello?” He tightened his lips and gritted his teeth. “Hello?”
“Fuck!” he yelled, staring at the phone.
I wiped the tears, only wanting one thing from Jax.
He had to talk to me. About everything.
His back was to me, but I saw him run his hand through his hair.
“Jax?”
He shook his head, turning around. “Juliet, I’m sorry. My father is …” He trailed off, looking as though he was at a loss for words. “My father is evil. Whatever he said to you is bullshit. He can’t do anything. He can’t hurt you.”
“He didn’t threaten me. He talked about you.”
“He hasn’t seen me since I was thirteen,” Jax gritted out, getting angrier. “He knows nothing. He’s just talking.”
I tipped my chin up. “I want to know.”
“What?”
“Everything!” I held Jax’s hard stare as Madoc’s GTO started and pulled away.
Jax looked at me as if I were the enemy, as if I were the one who was hurting him. He shook his head, defiant, and turned to walk off.
“Stop!” I ordered as he stepped off the porch and made his way home.
I stomped after him. “What about my community service? You can start there.”
“What about it?” he barked over his shoulder.
“You fixed it, didn’t you?” I accused. “To get me back to town. To get me the position in school. How did you know? How did you know about my trouble?”
He didn’t answer me. He didn’t even look at me. He walked through his front door, and I followed him as he headed for the stairs.
“Answer me!” I cried, slamming the door shut and stopping at the bottom of the stairs. “How did you know?”
He spun around, his face twisted in anger. “Because I know everything that happens with you.”