Page 28 of Jasper

“I looked into it, Jasper. These are hardcore drug dealers who smuggle in drugs for the cartel. She saw them.”

“And that makes her a threat to them.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“I don’t think they’ll find her there, but keep an eye out. She’s the only family I have left, and you’re one of the few people I trust with her safety.”

“I’ll keep her safe. Tell me what you know so I can do some research on the case later.”

Jarrod gave him the names he needed to look up, and then he got quiet. When he spoke again, his tone became almost somber. “And, Jasper?”

“Yeah?”

“You hurt her, I’ll fucking take your fingers off, joint by joint.”

“She’s your family. I’m not going to touch her.”

Jarrod laughed. “I believe that about as much as I believe in the Easter bunny. I’m not telling you to keep your hands off, because I’m hoping you’ll see in her what I do. Like I said, I trust you with her. But there’s something you should know.”

Jasper blinked, unsure what to say.

“There’s a reason she doesn’t trust so easy, especially with alpha males. She was in a relationship with a guy who thought she was put on this Earth only to please him. He was a dick, and as soon as I was home on leave, I beat the shit out of him and told him to fuck off. She knew it was a toxic relationship, and while she was glad he was gone, it left a sour taste in her mouth when it comes to guys like you.”

“I’m not a dick.”

“No, but you are an alpha male, and to her, that’s the same thing. You’re going to have to work to prove her wrong.”

“You’re assuming a lot, here.”

“I know exactly what my cousin looks like. I’ve had to fend off assholes since she was ten. I’m not stupid, Jasper.”

“Dude, I’m not going…”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“You’re fucked up, you know that?”

“No. You’re both family to me, and you both deserve someone to make you happy. I think you need someone as sweet and kind as Sloane is, and she deserves someone who will protect her with their life.”

“Why do I think you’ve thought a lot about this?”

“Because I have.”

“I’m not looking for a relationship, Jay. I’m not in the right frame of mind for that. You know why I came up here away from everything.”

“Which is exactly why you need her. She’s stubborn as a mule, but she knows something about feeling guilty for things that aren’t her fault. I think you can heal each other if you give it a chance.”

Angel getting taken and hurttwicedamn sure was his fault, even if Jarrod didn’t see it that way. Truths were truths.

“And have you told Sloane about your grand plans?”

“Fuck, no. I want to keep my balls intact, thank you very much.”

“Says the man on the other side of the world.”

Jarrod laughed. “You don’t know her yet. She’d track me down on the other side of the worldin a war zonejust to be able to feed my balls to me.”

“And this is the sweet, gentle girl you want to hook me up with?”