We both go into the adjoining room, where there's a selection of clean clothes and showers. It's time to clean up and get back to my family. My work's certainly done for the night; one mole's dead and the other's locked in a cell, and will be joining him in death soon.
Chapter Nineteen
Wrath
It's been a week since Cam arrived, and he seems to be settling in really well. He's coming out of his shell, talking to more brothers, and smiling more easily. I absolutely love getting to know my son; despite everything he's been through in his short life, he's not as jaded as you might expect. He's an enthusiastic, incredibly amazing young man who wears his heart on his sleeve. I already feel the bond between us as father and son growing; he's slowly opened up to me about everything his mother has done to him over the years. I've never wished for someone to die quite as much as I have, Claire. The things she's done to my son are horrific and unforgivable. I promise she will fucking pay with her life for what she's done.
I love seeing the way his relationship has developed with Flame, too. There's a deeper understanding between them because of Flame's own childhood trauma. He understands what Cam's been through in a way I don't. I don't begrudge their bond; I think I'd be more worried if they weren't bonding. They both mean far too much to me for there to be issues betweenthem. I'm fucking lucky. I know that. I have an amazing son and an amazing partner. What more could I ask for out of life?
Cam's currently hanging out with Tech again, learning more about computers; he's really taken to them. He asked Tech to teach him, and Tech was overjoyed about the opportunity. He's taken a real shine to Cam, he's like the younger brother Tech never had. I'm currently sitting in my office waiting for a call from Blade, who's gone to the address Tech found for Jasmine. He's hoping that he can get her to come in and talk.
My phone rings, and it's Blade. Let's hope it's good news. I could do with some; recently, all we've been hitting are dead ends where Claire's concerned.
“Hey, did you manage to catch her at home?”I ask him eagerly.
“Yeah, she was here when I arrived; she seemed really wary of me at first, but when I mentioned Cam was with you, she seemed intrigued. She's following me back to The Compound in her car and is willing to talk to you.”
“That's great. Bring her to my office when you get here. I want to talk to her alone before I bring Cam in.”
“Sure thing, Prez. I don't blame you for wanting to protect him and feel her out.”
We hang up, and I sit and wait.
While I'm waiting, I quickly send a text to Flame, who's gone to work out at The Gym, telling him Jasmine is on her way in and willing to talk. Hopefully, he'll be finished soon. I don't particularly like doing this meeting without him, but I know he can't always be here.
Ten minutes later, there was a knock on my door.
“Come in!"I shout.
Blade enters first, with a young woman behind him. She looks nothing like her sister. She's tall and extremely slim, with shoulder-length black hair. She has green eyes that are filled with fear. She looks terrified. She gasps when she looks at me,and I can only guess it's because of how much Cam looks like me. I've never met Jasmine before, so how much my son looks like me has clearly taken her by surprise.
“Oh my gosh. He looks so much like you.”She exclaims.
“I find he's very much my mini-me. Thank you for coming in to talk to me. I know you haven't seen Cam since he was young, but I'm hopeful anything you have to tell me will be helpful in some way.”I state.
“I don't mind; I'm not sure how what I know could help you, but I'll answer any questions you have on one condition. You protect me from my sister. She's pure evil, and no doubt her minion she's had watching me knows I'm here, and I now have a target on my back.”She quickly speaks.
“We’ll protect you no matter what you tell us, purely because I know you tried to protect my son,”I tell her honestly.
She lets out a breath and whispers,“Thank you. Now what do you want to know?”
“What can you tell us about Claire and her plans for us? I'm sure this isn't a new plan she has; I'm sure she's been planning it for a long time.”I say.
"Yes, you're right; it's not new at all. She's had dreams of revenge since you killed her good-for-nothing father. Fucking horrible, man. It certainly wasn't a loss to anyone but her when he was killed. She sank as much time and money into her plans as she possibly could without it being obvious that she was up to something. She was afraid someone would find out what she was doing and tell you. She wants to kill Hunter and Alex in front of you, Jackson; she blames you personally for everything that happened. She's fucking delusional if you ask me; she doesn’t see how what they were planning and the results are their own fault.”
She stops for a moment, shaking her head.
“Anyway, that's her end goal. Grab all three of you and make you watch your best friend and your twin die before killing you. Originally, she was going to make Cam her weapon to do it, but the more he grew up looking like you, the more she hated him. When she first got violent with him in front of me, I tried to protect him. She threatened my life, but not before.”She cuts off what she's saying as she starts to cry.
“What happened, Jasmine?”I ask gently.
“She ordered one of her henchmen to rape me and then beat me.”She whispers.“And he did; right there in front of her, and she enjoyed every second of it. She sat there, watching and laughing. When he was done, she told me to keep my mouth shut, or next time she'd have me killed too. She's been watching me since to ensure I don't do anything that could fuck up her plans.”
“I’m so fucking sorry your sister had that done to you. She'll get what's coming to her; I promise you that. Now Blade's going to go with you in your car to pack up some essentials, and then you're going to come and stay here, where you'll be protected. Do you have a day job?”I ask.
"No, not right now; I've just finished my tattoo artist apprenticeship, and I'm looking for a full-time position now.”She tells us.
I can't help but smile. Maybe we can help her even more than I thought.