Jack (The Family Simon 2)

“When?” he barked.

“That last night. The four of us were together, and then you and Donovan had a fight. Janice left because she had a fucking headache, and I stayed and listened to Donovan whine and cry.” He shrugged and staggered to the left, dropping his glass. “What can I say? She was a horny bitch, so I gave it to her.”

Jack took a step forward, and Derek laughed. “That’s right. I stuck it to that bitch more than once.”

Jack’s fist swung out, and he took Derek down with one heavy punch.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Derek shouted, scrambling to his feet and yelping when he cut the palm of his hand in the shattered glass on the tile. “What the hell did you do that for?”

Jack raised his fist, ready to smash the bastard’s face again.

“I did you a goddamn favor. Don’t you see? She was fucking trash from Arkansas. What the hell does someone like us want with someone like that?”

Unease slid through Jack. Derek’s choice of words didn’t sit right.

“What do you mean, you did me a favor?”

Derek rubbed his bloody hand over his forehead and leaned against the wall, chest heaving from his effort to stay on his feet.

“Monique. Now she’s the type of woman to get you all the way to the White House. Not some white trash, honkytonk from Arkansas.”

Jack got right up in Derek’s face again. “I’m only going to ask you one more time. What the fuck did you do?”

“Besides fuck her? I took some pictures and some videos, and I told her that if she ever showed her face in Florida again, I’d use them.”

Something twisted inside Jack, and he let loose with several more quick hits that put Derek McKenzie back down on the floor. When he was done, his knuckles were as bloody as Derek’s face.

“You did all of this?” he roared, stepping away because if he didn’t, he just might kill the bastard.

“No,” Derek gasped. “I didn’t. Cooper has them. I…. He…he took them a couple years ago.” He coughed and made it to his knees. “I would never jeopardize your bid for senator. Never. I swear,” Derek said roughly. “It wasn’t me. Cooper must have leaked the information.”

“Why the hell would Cooper do that? It makes no sense.”

“I don’t know,” Derek said, backing away when Jack took a step forward. “You’d have to ask him that yourself. I’ve been trying to get hold of the bastard ever since the story broke. I was looking out for you, Jack. I always look out for you. It’s my job.”

Heavy breaths falling from him, Jack swore and turned away. He was more confused than ever.

“Jack,” Derek said hoarsely. “We can work this out, right?”

“Who else knows about this?” he spat.

“No one.” Derek was crying. “No one but Cooper. I swear. I haven’t told anyone. I…shit.”

“Who?” Jack asked tersely.

“Jayleigh. Jayleigh knows. I mean, hell she hasn’t seen anything but she knows.”

Jack left without another word. He slid into his Mercedes and sat there, hands on the steering wheel for so long that his fingers cramped. Minutes passed and finally he put the car into gear and drove off, putting a call through as he did so.

“Hey.” Maverick’s voice filled the interior of the car.

“Where’s Cooper at?”

Silence.

“Rick, don’t play games with me. Where the hell is Cooper at?” The son-of-a-bitch was known for disappearing for weeks at a time, and Jack hadn’t heard from him since the fundraiser.

“Jack—”