Page 98 of Break Me Not

No, I didn't fucking want to hear about Jax going to jail. About what they might do to her. If someone hurts her…

I was already so angry I didn't know what to do with myself.

There was still fear under there. Fear that I couldn't see this through the way I wanted to. Fear that I couldn't be the savior everyone needed at the moment. But this time, I was using it to fuel me.

I let out a long sigh and ran my hand through my hair. “Just make sure she doesn't get near the scene, okay?”

No matter how hesitant she was, Sloan still nodded at me.

She reached behind her for a large tote bag. It was way bigger than anything I would've used myself, but it was what was inside that mattered. I liked the weight of it as I slung it over my shoulder. It reminded me that I wasn't going into this empty-handed.

There was a fire inside me that my ex-husband had lit, and it wasn't going to go out soon. Not without some serious consequences.

I gave Sloan a smile and patted her on the arm.

“Tell Lillian I'll reach out to the artist she likes and see if she has anything off-market for her.”

She attempted a lighthearted smile, but it looked like more of a grimace.

“One last chance to back out.”

“Not taking it.”

I walked to where my daughter and Lillian were talking. Lillian looked at me, barely able to control her expression, and I could tell Claire knew something was up.

“You off?”

I nodded.

“I'm going to make sure this doesn't happen again. I'll be home in a few hours.” I hope. But I didn't add that last part.

My daughter got up and pulled me into a strong hug. I hugged her back, inhaling her scent. I remembered how obsessed I’d been with how she smelled from the moment she was born. And while it had changed through the years, she was still there. My baby.

I pulled away to get a good look at her face, and the more I looked at her, the less I saw her father and the more I saw me.

It reminded me that I wasn't just doing this for her. Not just for Jax either. But for me too. I needed to stand up for myself against him.

“I love you,” I said, packing every word with as much sincerity as I could. “I'm sorry about everything. And we will talk about all of it when I come home.”

“Yes,” she breathed. I felt like both of us wanted to say so much more. It was lingering in the space between us, but neither of us could speak it. “When you come home. When you both come home. I love you too, Mom.”

I took her in for one last moment and turned to leave the safety of Sloan's apartment.

I will come back.

He will not break me.

He will not take anything else from me.

From us.

Jax

“What do you mean they won't let me out on bail?” I asked the somewhat familiar-looking lawyer who sat on the other side of the metal table. I had definitely seen her before, and if Sloan had sent her, chances were it had been at the club.

I’m just glad she’s here.

It had been hours since I’d been taken from the scene. They’d told me nothing. Laura was literally my only connection to the outside world.