Page 74 of Furious
But he’d never guessed that Eve had paid Derrick to do that.
Now Jax understood that thewhywas much bigger and more targeted than he’d ever suspected. He almost couldn’t wrap his mind around it, but one question still fought its way to the front.
How was Tristan involved in all of this?
“A raccoon almost bit me!” Eve mocked Derrick with a baby voice, then her tone turned to ice. “I gave you a lot of money-”
“Enough!”Tristan’s booming voice echoed into the hallway, and Jax took the last few steps to the door. Peering inside, he had to hold back a gasp.
Tristan stared down at Eve as if she were gum on his shoe, his eyes dangerously dark, his presence daunting. Derrick sat next to her, his mouth open in fear, while Owen, Marci, and Angelo looked on with stunned expressions.
“You came here threatening to cause trouble for Rain and me, and I paid you to stay away. But you didn’t stay away, you took that money -mymoney - and gave it to Derrick,” Tristan shot him a lethal glare, “to sabotage Jax.”
Jax placed a hand against the wall, practically staggering where he stood,because that was downright diabolical. Eve had blackmailed Tristan and then used that cash against him, not caring that Jax, The Pointe, and hundreds of guests were caught in the crossfire.
And Tristan had been trapped as soon as he’d placed a single dollar in Eve’s hand, because she was the type of person to never let him stop without an all-out war.
“Of course I did!” She seemed proud. “You were paying more attention to that twink than me. You don’t deserve to be with-”
Jax started as Tristan suddenly towered over her.
“Don’t call him that again.” Even Jax swallowed nervously at that deep, steel tone, feeling the others bristle behind him.
Honestly, he should be angry right now, angry enough to storm into Owen’s office and handle this himself, but between the excess pain, the heartbreak, and the shock, the beast within couldn’t find a foothold, especially with Tristan taking care of things.
Frozen in place, Jax could only watch in wonder as Tristan continued to rake Eve over the coals, tearing her apart little by little, but once Jax heard his name, he came to life, taking a tiny step forward.
“You tried to ruin Jax, and the stress from that hurt him.Youhurt him, Eve. Just like you do to everyone around you, and I’m sick of it. I’ve already lost too many years to you, but I’m not going to lose anything else, especially the man that I love. That’s why I’m going to make sure that you pay for what you’ve done.”
Jax’s brain screeched to a halt for the second time as he heard that four-letter word, the one with thev. It weaved through his soul like a trail of light, unraveling the knot in his chest, and the surge of emotion had his eyes blurring with tears. Without thinking, he took another step, dangerously drawn to Tristan, and their eyes met.
Paling, Tristan stilled, and everyone else followed his gaze.
“Oh!” Marci exclaimed in surprise, but Eve immediately turned to him, murder in her eyes.
“Your stupid twink is here?” she screeched, and Jax realized his mistake far too late. Within seconds, she was up and across the room, faster than Jax had expected, and cold fear spiked through him. He couldn’t take an injury, not now, but his back wouldn’t let him dodge, so he blocked andbraced, hoping that he wouldn’t get too messed up.
“Don’t touch him!”
A shadow fell across Jax as Tristan dove in front of him, his shoulder taking Eve’s right hook.
“Tristan!” Jax exclaimed, but Tristan shook it off, staring her down.
“I told you not to call him that,” he growled, pushing his arms back and protecting Jax as Eve tried to dart around him. It had all happened so fast that Owen and Angelo had only started reacting, but Marci was halfway across the room.
It didn’t matter because Jax’s mother stepped into the ring. Jax saw her in his peripheral vision, feeling the pressure of her fury, which had presence, as if it were another guest in the office.
“Ma,”was all he managed to get out before she returned Eve’s punch, catching her in the jaw and knocking her to the floor.
“That’s for messin’ with my son.” She shook out her hand, somehow the most threatening person in the room. “I know none of these gentlemen will hit you, butIwill.”
“Gianna, you’re a baddie!” Ollie squealed from the hallway, and Jax looked back to see Finn in shock and Mason far behind him, smiling with glee.
“I’m…” Eve tried to get up, one hand on her face, which was already swelling.
“You’re gonna what, hun? Do you want another? Because I held back. And is this the guy who did your dirty work?” She walked toward Derrick, who cowered in his chair, but Marci stepped between them, admiration in her eyes.
“I like you,” she stated, her smile matching Mason’s. “But will you allow us to take out the trash?”
