Chapter 80

“Jane,” the harsh whisper startled her from her sleep. “Wake up.”

Jane rolled to her back, groaning. “Wendy, what are you doing here?” She glanced around her bed, quickly noting David wasn’t there. It stung that he’d let her wake up without him, but Wendy was there—maybe he left them alone to avoid anything awkward.

Wendy sat beside her, pushing her dirty-blond hair behind her ear as she peered at the door. “I was coming to check on you because I heard about last night.” She turned to Jane again, worry dancing in her brown eyes. “I can’t believe you were almost kidnapped. You didn’t even call me to let me know if you’re okay. I had to hear about it at work, and that was mainly Ryder fighting your stepdad.”

“Sorry, a lot kinda happened.” Jane hated that she could be such a terrible friend.

Wendy darted her gaze toward the door again. “I guess now isn’t a good time to tell you David and his dad are next door. The Godsons are outside.” She paused when Jane sat up fast, then finished,

“There’s a lot of yelling going on. Your mom is screaming like a banshee.”

“Oh, shit.” Jane stood, glancing down at the panties and cami David had put her in.

“Don’t go out there like that,” Wendy said, rushing to her drawers. She threw Jane a pair of leggings and a hoodie. “Do you think carrying a bible will help?”

She laughed as she pulled on the clothes and hopped in place, trying to get her shoes on. “That’ll give Kingston Catholic School ideas.”

“You guys aren’t Catholic.” Wendy opened the door. “If he says something about shipping you off, run to my car. I got paid today. We can make it to Mexico and hook up with some hot cholos.” Jane bust out laughing as they ran down the hall. “Oh my God. Never say cholo again.” “Whatever. Don’t you have some Spanish in you?” “That’s Spain,” Jane replied distractedly.

“Well, just imagine it, Ryder and David come riding through Mexico to fight our hot Mexican boyfriends. They’ll have to bring someone who wants to fight for me.”

Sliding to a stop, Jane turned to hug Wendy. “Thank you for having my back. But stop acting like no one would fight for you. Those country boys are always asking you out.”

“Not the ones I like.” Her best friend returned the hug and smacked her ass. “Hurry up, chica. If they rumble, I’m jumping on Savaş and telling him to snag you and dump you in my car.”

“Savaş, huh?”

Wendy’s face flushed. “It’ll be like riding a wild bull.”

Jane made it to the front door laughing, but her laughter died as soon as she opened it and heard the roar of insults hurled between Ryder and Kingston. “Shit.”

Wendy nodded as she looped her arm through Jane’s and dragged her toward the yard.

Everyone was there. David stood between Ryder and Kingston, but he was glaring at his dad, yelling right back as Savaş and Archer kept them both from getting too close to Kingston.

Luc was on the steps, arms crossed as he watched the mayhem unfold. Her mother was tugging on Kingston’s arm, sobbing as though someone was about to get shot.

Kingston wasn’t calming down, though. He jabbed a finger at David’s chest. “She’s your goddamn sister!”

Thankfully Ryder was holding onto David but that didn’t stop David from firing right back, “She’s the girl I loved before you started sleeping with her mom!”

“Dang,” Wendy dragged out with a snicker. “If he had said ‘fucking’, I would’ve creamed.”

Jane was too worried to comment on that, too focused on what his words meant. David had told his dad. They were never going to be able to be alone together for the rest of their lives.

Inner-Jane rolled her eyes at herself, and she took a breath. Okay, she was almost eighteen, and Kingston couldn’t control their lives forever. She could handle this.

Slap.

Jane gasped, covering her mouth as Kingston’s hand left David’s cheek. Everyone quieted as David stayed still, his face turned to the side. The handprint on his cheek was huge. After all, his dad was just as tall as he was and strong, too. It looked like David was about to bleed.

She’d never seen a guy slap another guy, but it seemed more insulting.

“You will never see her again, boy,” Kingston growled, his blue eyes like ice and he seemed bigger than David all of a sudden. “None of you are to see my daughter again. I’ll call the cops if you step one foot on my property. I’ll have the principal and your coaches aware that if you so much as are caught talking to her, you are expelled. Don’t think I can’t create some story about finding you with her that’ll have them sick to their stomachs at the thought of you near her. If I have to, I’ll see that the universities you’re eyeing are aware of your disgusting behavior with her. You won’t see a day on the field ever again.”

Jane couldn’t move. Even Wendy was shaking.

Kingston couldn’t do this. It wasn’t possible. Mr. Prince wouldn’t believe they had done anything to her. No school would ban them from enrolling or playing. Would they?

David’s fists trembled at his sides as he slowly lifted his head to stare at his father. He didn’t move beyond that, but it seemed Ryder and Tercero weren’t taking chances, and they each had a hand on his shoulders.

Moving her mother aside, Kingston met gazes with David and shook his head. “My pride—that’s what you were to me. Now you’re a sick, disappointing mistake that cost me your mother.”

Jane shook her head as agony filled David’s eyes. If there was one thing he regretted about himself, it was that he was born. His mother had suffered from postpartum depression after having him, and she committed suicide, though no one ever said how she’d done it. David never brought her up, as he was only an infant at the time, but she knew it was the reason David tried so hard to make his dad proud. He wanted to be someone his mother would be proud of, but he wanted to also be the son who was worth keeping. It made all the sense in the world to Jane now why he’d held back—why he put his dad’s second chance at love above his happiness.

“Kingston,” her mom whispered, moving slowly in front of him. “That’s enough.”

He dropped his icy stare down to Sarah before briefly taking in some of the neighbors standing on their porches. Then he spotted Jane. Anger and sadness flitted across his face, but it didn’t stay. He marched over to her, grabbing her by the arm. “I’m beyond disappointed in you.”

Ryder moved forward. “Yeah, you need to let her go.”

Kingston laughed, maneuvering Jane so she wasn’t within reach. “Boy, if you are smart, you’ll go inside right now.”

Jane peeked around Kingston, noting the Godson brothers standing behind Ryder. David looked in a state of confusion and anger, but Savaş kept a heavy hand on him.

Cocky as ever, Ryder winked at her as soon as they made eye contact. “Considering she’s my tutor, you’re the dumb one to think I’ll be smart about shit. Especially when it comes to my girl. Now let her go. You’re not in control.”

“That has been the problem—I trusted my son and you bunch of delinquents to be so close to her,”

Kingston growled out. “You’re not seeing her again.”

A violent light flashed within Ryder’s gaze, and he straightened, giving himself a few inches of height over Kingston. “You can insult me all you want, old man,” he said in that calm way that was more frightening than she expected. “But you’re not Jane’s father. Her father approved of me taking care of and loving his daughter long before you were ever in the picture. You’ve been a clueless stepfather, and you have no fucking say in her love life. That includes what she does with David. You’d be a fool not to know he loved her since we were kids. Now, don’t make me say it again.” He held out a hand, and every bit of Ryder’s dominance hit Kingston like a blow to the face.

Her stepfather flinched, moving half a step back—speechless.

Jane didn’t know what to do, only that she was afraid to let Kingston take her away. She met Ryder’s stare, her frantic heartbeat calming at the sight of the destruction hidden beneath his relaxed stance. Her bad boy was always going to have her back. The only problem was that she had to be realistic. Ryder had already been hauled into the police station for hitting Kingston. A second trip probably wouldn’t be so simple, and she wasn’t going to let him get in trouble for her.

She looked toward David, her lip trembling because he was worried. He wouldn’t fight his dad for her, and she didn’t want him to. It would destroy him, and she was thankful Archer and Savaş were there to keep him from doing something he’d regret.

Kingston tightened his grip. “Let’s go, Jane.”

Ryder’s mask dropped fast, and she rushed around Kingston to stop him.

“Wait!” She pressed a hand to his chest. “Ryder, please.”