“I don’t want you to see it,” she whispered from the backseat.
Jameson turned around to look at her. Jax glanced to her from the rearview mirror. His dark-blue eyes looked intense as usual.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’ve had to sacrifice a lot. You’ve been on your own and, as you said, alone to fend for yourself. You’re done being alone. You’re done starving from not having enough money or the ability to take care of your health. We’re taking over. We’re taking care of you and it’s because we care. Get used to it.”
Great, now Jameson was acting just like Jax. She didn’t dare reply what was going through her head. She didn’t want to be bossed around, yet knowing that they paid off her loans, her mother’s bills, and turned on her heat made her feel aroused. She was losing her ever-loving mind.
They did this to her. They made her feel appreciated, sexy, and alive from their possessive behavior. If she were smart, she would exert some form of independence and not allow them to think that they could tell her what to do with every aspect of her life. The more she thought that they wanted her to be their puppet the angrier she became. By the time they pulled up to her apartment building and parked the car then entered the crappy entryway, she felt the fight within her diminish.
One look over her shoulder at Jax and Jameson and she could sense their disappointment and disgust with the place. As they climbed the three flights of stairs since the elevator was out of service as usual, she noticed that her apartment door was unlocked.
“Oh no,” she exclaimed, and immediately Jameson was placing her behind him and both men pulled out guns.
“Where did you get those? What are you doing?” she asked in a panic. They were carrying guns all morning and she had no idea?
Jax entered, and she feared that he could get hurt, but then again, they were professional. She was probably robbed because she didn’t come home last night. Someone was watching her place waiting for the opportunity to break in.
Jax walked back a few seconds later.
His search was fast, but her apartment was so freaking small the tour was as quick as a hiccup.
“It’s all clear, but the place is a mess. Completely ransacked.”
“Oh God.”
Jameson pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
“There’s not much to salvage, honey. Clothes are torn up. I think we should call the police and bring you back down to the Rover,” Jax said then stared at Jameson. She noticed the exchange of looks, and it bothered her. Something told her that he wasn’t telling her everything.
“Wait, I want to see.”
Jameson pulled her back, kind of hard.
“Let the police come. They might be able to fingerprint the place and find out who was responsible.”
“No. I want to look.”
She pulled from Jameson and pushed open the door. The place was a complete mess and appeared as if a bomb exploded in it. The further she walked in the more it became clear that nothing was taken, it was just destroyed.
She walked to her bedroom and gasped, covering her mouth.
The words “DIE BITCH” were painted in red on the walls and the letters dripped like blood. A brown knife was sticking into the pillow. Her bras and panties were ripped to shreds.
Jameson wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her out of the room. She could hear Jax talking into the phone.
“Get them here now. Jameson is taking Mariana back to our place.”
Chapter 11
Mariana sat on the couch with her feet tucked under her butt and a blanket over her. She was waiting on hold on the phone for someone at the college’s main office to assist her with replacing her textbooks. She had just paid for the ones she was using.
She couldn’t get the images out of her head. The bloody words, the torn garments. Everything she owned was destroyed. All her clothing, her crappy furniture, her books for school. Everything. Who would do something like this?
“Who are you on the phone with?” Jameson asked as he stormed into the room. He looked fierce as he grabbed the phone from her hands and disconnected the call. She jumped up, the blanket fell from her shoulders, and she yelled at him.
“Why did you do that? I’ve been on hold for fifteen damn minutes with the college main office.”
“For what?” he asked, not even caring that she yelled at him and was angry. He was acting pompous.