Free Dark Destiny (Dark Brothers Book #4) by Bec Botefuhr

can’t even begin to explain the shit that went on when I was on that island. I’m not the man you loved, Willow and I fucked up marrying you, because I should have never taken you back. I should have let you go. I’m no good, just accept that and move on.”
    “No,” I say, my voice wobbly.
    “Fuckin’ hell, now isn’t the time to get determined.”
    “You want to hurt me? Fine, Jagger, do it but I won’t stop trying. I don’t know what went down, you’re right about that, but I do know that it didn’t change you so much that you are this different. This isn’t you. This is a shell of you, a part of you that’s damaged and you just refuse to face it. You’re taking the easy road, you’re just going to run instead of facing what happened. I won’t let you do that. One day, you will thank me for it. Now if you try to run, I will scream so loudly everyone will wake up, so go right ahead.”
    He stares angrily down at me for a moment, and then with a frustrated growl, he turns and walks towards his room. When he gets to the door, he yells over his shoulder, “I will never thank you for this, Willow. Never.”
    Then he slams the door and leaves me feeling completely and utterly drained.

CHAPTER 6
    WILLOW
     
    To say the next three days are hell, would be an understatement. Jagger refuses to speak to me, he refuses to even look at me. He’s not changing, after his outburst, he’s just not showing any other signs of pulling through. I don’t know what else I can do. Today is the fourth day, and the boys are becoming quite frustrated with Jagger. Ace has begged me to let him knock him out, a few times now. We all know that’s not going to work, Jagger can fight. So, we are just waiting...waiting for him to get frustrated, waiting for him to break. Damn man is so fucking head strong, it’s ridiculous.
    “Willow, there you are…”
    I turn from the window I was staring out, to see Jenny with a phone in her hands.
    “Hey, sorry, I got distracted.”
    “Mother is on the phone.”
    I sigh and roll my eyes. “Seriously?”
    “Yep, she wants to know why you’re not home so she can see the kids.”
    Sighing, I grip the phone from Jenny’s hand and mouth an ‘I love you’ before pressing it to my ear.
    “Hello, mother!”
    “Willow,” she cries down the line. “Where are you?”
    “We’re out at Jagger’s house, you remember the one I told you about that’s two hours away.”
    “What on earth are you doing out there?”
    “Just taking a break.”
    “Well, how am I supposed to visit my grand babies when I can’t get to them,” she whines.
    “I don’t know, mom…”
    “Jenny offered to bring me out tomorrow, is that ok with you?”
    Damn you Jennifer.
    “Yes, that’s ok.”
    “Well, perhaps you’ll spare some time for me then…”
    “Mom,” I say in a tired voice. “Things are complicated.”
    “They’re always complicated!” she snaps.
    “Fuck you, Ace, you fuckin’ cunt!”
    I hear the words being roared from the living room, and I flinch.
    “I have to go, mom!”
    I hang up the phone before she can answer me. I turn and run from the room, when I skid into the living room, I see Jagger and Ace standing, face to face, both of them with clenched fists, both of them panting.
    “You need to snap out of this, Jagger. I will do whatever it fuckin’ takes, Willow doesn’t deserve this bullshit from you!”
    I see then, that Jagger has a bloody lip. Did Ace hit him?
    “Fuck you all! Can’t you see I don’t want this? Can’t you see I don’t give a fuck about any of you.”
    “That’s bullshit and you know it,” Ace challenges.
    “Back off, Ace.”
    “Or what?”
    Jagger’s eyes flare, and before I can stop him, his fist connects with Ace’s jaw in a punch so hard it sends Ace flying across the room. I open my mouth and scream, rushing over. Angel and Bull are already running up the stairs and Rusty is hesitating behind Jagger, knowing full well he can’t hold him back.