Page 36

I’m installing a steel door with biometric screening. I’ll lock this place down like Fort Knox, then we’ll see who can break in.
I chuckle evilly as we enter the living room, thinking about all the ways I could screw with their lives. My plans take a backseat when I see the three of them silently communicating. They drop their hands when they spot us, ending their private conversation.
“You wanted to talk. Talk,” I command.
Soul drops onto one of my sofas while Malice and Grim take up seats on my recliners. I sit opposite my brother on another couch, with Demon beside me and Phantom on his other side.
“I’ve given you a week, Jez. I want to know what the hell you were doing in Phoenix and how you ended up at our doorstep beat to shit,” Soul demands.
I square my jaw. “You do not get to break into my house and demand answers.”
“Jez,” Malice interjects. “We have a right to know what you’re getting yourself involved in.”
Demon tenses beside me. I turn my head to tell him I got this when I see Phantom place his hand on Demon’s thigh. Surprisingly, Demon doesn’t protest, and Malice’s brows hit his hairline for a split-second before he glowers.
My gaze returns to Malice. “You have a right? Do I have a right to know everything that goes on behind church doors?”
Soul fidgets. “That’s not the same.”
I frown. “How is it not the same?”
“Plausible deniability for one thing,” Malice points out.
“You’re a dumbass. I’m the one who gives you the information you need to do what you do,” I remind him. “Let’s get one thing straight right now, since you and my brother can’t pull your heads out of your asses… What the fuck do you think I was doing for those four years with Grim while you two were on the other side of the globe… Painting my fucking nails?” Sarcasm oozes from my words. “No, I was in the fucking thick of it, standing right next to Grim, helping him as anequalpartner.”
Everyone’s mouths drop open in shock, and their heads swivel to Grim, who shrugs like it’s no big deal.
“I told you she’s tough,” Grim signs. “You think I’d let her do anything without training? We’ve been telling you for years that Jez can handle herself. You two have been too stupid to put it together. Didn’t realize we’d need to spell it out for you.”
“How the fuck could you put her in danger?” Soul bellows. “She could’ve been ki?—”
“I didn’t put her in danger,” Grim interrupts. “You did,Prez.”
“I’ve been protecting her!” Soul erupts.
Grim shakes his head. “You think you have, but by stifling what Jez is capable of,youput her in this predicament. She didn’t think she could come to us for help because you sidelined her. Ever since we formed the MC, you’ve put her in a gildedcage, not by our sides like she was with me. If you had her back instead of barking orders, she wouldn’t have been in the position to take matters into her own hands.”
This right here is why Grim is my best friend. He understands me. Soul used to, before burning down our church, but then he and Malice left. I was left picking up the pieces.
I nod in agreement. “He’s right, Soul. You heard and saw what you wanted instead of looking at what was right in front of you. I’m your twin, not a baby. You want me to respect your authority as President of Saints Purgatory, but you don’t give me the same consideration for helping create this MC. Grim knew I needed vengeance just as much as the three of you,” I continue. “Instead of pretending I’m a weak little woman, he helped me harness my inner badass. I have handled and will continue to handle any shit that comes my way.”
“So, we can blame Grim for all this?” Malice jokes.
“No,” I answer honestly. “I would’ve figured out a way to do it by myself, but I didn’t have to because Grim was as broken as I was when you two left. He was smart enough to give me the education I needed to not get hurt.”
“You were hurt, Jezebel,” Soul admonishes. “Twice.”
“How many of your men have been hurt doing what they do?” I ask hotly.
“It’s different, you’re my sister.”
“The only difference is that I don’t have a pole swinging between my legs. Demon is Malice’s younger brother, yet you welcomed him with open arms to prospect for the club, and now he’s a patched member.”
Soul opens his mouth to protest, but I hold up my hand and continue. “Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean that shit isn’t going to come for me. I know how to protect myself, but that doesn’t mean that someone can’t get the jump on me. Like it or not, doing what we do, there’s always a level of danger.Look what happened with Violet. I’m not untouchable just because you think sitting behind a computer protects me. You’ve managed to hurt me more than all the cuts and bruises I’ve ever had with your misogyny.”
Silence fills the room. Demon laces his fingers through mine in silent support.
“Dammit,” Soul mutters, hanging his head in defeat. “I’m so fucking sorry Jez. Sorry for hurting you with what I said the day you came to the clubhouse, in your bedroom, for everything. My heart stopped when I saw you broken and bleeding again. I was scared and pissed because I had no idea you were in danger. I thought I was going to lose you. Can’t you understand that?”