Page 146 of Jude

A series of aggressive raps on the glass jerked me from a doze as I sat parked in the alley with a direct view of Sofia’s workplace.

I found Bishop glaring at me through the window, his face half buried in a black hoodie.

Levi stood right behind him, a cap pulled over his locs.

Bishop gestured for me to get out.

With a snarl, I shoved the door open and stepped out into the pouring rain, with my hands crossed over my chest.

‘Damn,’ Bishop growled, his eyes scanning my wild hair and sunken cheeks. ‘Look at yourself, man! You’re sitting in the dark like a freakin’ stalker. It’s shady as fuck, and I’m sure your wife doesn’t appreciate it!’

Fury erupted in my gut. I lunged forward, shoving Levi back into the wet hood of my car, my hands clawing at his leather jacket.

‘Keep your mouth shut about my wife.’

Bishop stepped between us, wrapping an iron grip around my wrist and twisting it down with lethal force.

‘He’s right, Jude. You’re acting unhinged. This isn’t love, it’s a sickness.’

I growled, my eyes wild, my chest heaving in the downpour as I slammed my shoulder into Bishop to back him off.

Levi stepped in between us, and I shoved at him too.

‘I’ll stay here for as long as it takes to get her back. I can’t stand it that she’s living in this dump? I’m wounded brothers, because I’m the cause of her suffering. It’s killing me that she’s sleeping nights in a tiny cot without my arms around her. So, get your hands off me before I wipe you out.’

‘You really think stalking her is what she needs right now?’

Bishop’s growl reminded me that both of them had formed a bond with Sofia since the day they met her.

Their protectiveness of her made me feel even more shitty for what I did to her.

‘She doesn’t need you crowding and suffocating her, you clown.’

Levi’s insult snapped my remaining thread of restraint.

I swung a wild hook toward his chin.

Levi ducked the clumsy aim, pivoted on his heel, and punched me squarely in the jaw with a sickening, solid crack.

The force propelled me backward, knocking me hard into the rusted metal dumpsters.

I dragged myself up using the greasy edge of the garbage bin and wiped a smear of blood from my split lower lip with the back of my hand.

‘Need more straightening out, you idiot?’ Levi growled, his fists still raised.

‘Yes,’ I rasped, speaking from the depths of my agony. ‘Give me more. I deserve every bit of it. Break my ribs if you want.’

‘Stop being a sucker for punishment, Judah,’ Bishop snapped, his eyes flashing with annoyance. ‘This self-pity party sucks. If any pap catches you in this state, you’ve blown up your career. You’re a public figure, you can’t indulge in this risky shit.’

‘Then tell me what to do!’ I roared in pure, unadulterated frustration, the sound tearing from my throat as I slammed my open palm on my car’s front panel. ‘Tell me how to fix the trust I pulverized with Sofia, because I’m out of options!’

‘You’re spiraling,’ Bishop rumbled, his expression hardening. ‘You’re coming with us and we’re taking you home.’

Levi grabbed my left arm as Bishop tightened his grip around my right elbow.

They hauled my exhausted body out of the alleyway, shoving me into the back seat of Bishop’s truck.

They ripped the key fob from my fingers and locked my car.