Page 39 of Savage Revenge (Savage Sins #1)

That’s when I realize I’m crying. Silently. Tears track down my cheeks, dripping off my chin.

Quickly brushing the wetness away, I turn to Caleb and force a smile. “All good? Can you get out now?”

He stares knowingly, concern etched into the corners of his eyes. But he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he approaches me, stopping a couple of feet short, and I have to tip my head back to look at him.

“You’re creating a shadow the size of a house, big guy.” I’m deflecting, but it’s the only thing I can do right now to avoid losing it in front of my bodyguard. Or whatever he is. Was. Fuck.

Caleb smirks at me. I can’t help but return it with a genuine grin because while he might be arrogant and cocky, that damn look he gives me probably makes women melt.

Most women. It doesn’t do it for me. No man does it for me except one.

But I’m sure Caleb has single women lining up to talk to him.

Too bad he probably ruins it the moment he speaks. Annoying jerk.

“If you need anything, here’s Cash’s card with his direct number on it. And here’s mine if you can’t reach him.”

He holds them out for me, and I eye them for a second but shake my head. “I won’t need to call either of you. I’m good, Caleb. I assume you can see yourself out.”

Then, unable to face him a second longer without breaking, I brush past him and go into my bedroom, closing the door softly behind me.

When I’m sure he’s left, I creep out to the open living room, then to the foyer to make sure he locked up when he left. I grab my bag. I stuffed my cell phone when Caleb gave it back to me when we got here. As I make my way back to my room, something catches my eye on the coffee table.

Two business cards.

I pick up both and stare at them as I pad back into my room, shoulders heavy as I close the door behind me again, then sink down onto my bed. With blurry eyes, I plug my phone into the charger and wait for it to turn on. Tears drip down my face, and my hands tremble as I type a message to Jacob.

Jordyn: Are you okay?

We may not be close, but he’s still my half brother. I also want to make sure he’s not going to go to the authorities. We need to let Cash handle this situation his way. It’s the right thing to do for the Savage brothers to get the peace they need.

My phone buzzes almost immediately.

Jacob: Yes. Are you?

Instead of texting him back, I hit the call button.

“Are you okay, Jordyn? They still have Dad,” he answers quietly.

I nod even though he can’t see me. “I’m fine. They brought me home. You’re not going to go to the police, are you?”

Jacob is silent for a second before he lets out an audible breath. “No. If he did what they said, he deserves whatever he has coming.”

I’ve always thought Jacob was too soft to work in our world, but maybe I was wrong.

“Do you think he did it?” I stare down at Cash’s business card.

The silence is deafening, but then he finally speaks. “I honestly don’t know.”

When I don’t say anything, Jacob clears his throat. “Did they… Did they hurt you, Jordyn? Are you sure you’re okay?”

My heart squeezes in my chest, and I blink back more tears. “They didn’t hurt me.” Not in the way he’s worried about. “Thank you for caring, though. I promise I’m okay.”

“Of course I care. You’re my sister. I know we don’t have that sort of relationship, but I still love you. You know that, right?”

I sniffle. “I guess I didn’t. I love you too. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Do you need me to come over? Maybe you should come stay in one of the hotel penthouses for a while, so you have security surrounding you.”

How is it that I’ve known Jacob for so long, but I never noticed his caring side? I guess it’s been there all along, just in subtle ways.

“I’m fine. They aren’t going to come back. The only person they want is the one responsible for murdering Jack Savage.”

Cash’s face flashes into my mind from last night when he talked more about his father. The grief and torment in his gray eyes as he told me how Jack was his best friend and mentor. Witnessing the pain those four men are going through is enough to make me want to hunt down Jack’s murderer myself.

“Call me if you need anything. I’m at home and can come to you.”

I smile to myself. “Thanks, Jacob. I’ll talk to you soon.”

We end the call, and as soon as I put my phone down on my nightstand, my entire body starts to tremble as I let go of a heavy sob and finally let the tears fall freely.

Sadness, heartbreak, and anger drain from me, memories of the past five days floating in my mind.

Painful reminders of what it felt like to be living for once. To feel whole and like I had a place.

It was never meant to be forever.

It wasn’t supposed to become more.

To become a love so deep that I’ll never fully recover.

He made me feel strong and soft at the same time.

He let me be the real me while giving me space to submit to him.

And just like that, it’s gone.

Maybe this was his plan all along.

To torture me in a way that I’ll never recover from.

Eventually, my eyes become too heavy to keep open, so I kick off my sandals and curl up, eventually giving in to the overwhelming exhaustion.