Dawn of Forever (Jack & Jill 3)

“Five minutes.”

Gunner stayed glued to her side, ready to attack on command as she stepped back.

“I see you bought the smallest place on the block.” His beady eyes appraised his surroundings. “Does it have indoor plumbing?”

“Four minutes.”

He smirked. “You could have bought a place ten times the size of this one.”

“I’d live on the street before I’d take a dime from you.”

He nodded, still taking in her belongings. When she finally got the nerve to leave him, she did it with only the clothes on her back and even those ended up in the trash.

“Well you’re not far off.”

“Three minutes.”

“I want you back, Ryn.”

All she could do was laugh.

“I’m serious.” He stepped toward her.

Gunner growled. Preston glared at her dog.

“I want a two-headed horse with magic wings. Maybe when that happens, I’ll come back to you.”

“We were young. We both made some mistakes—”

“What did you just say? We? Are you serious?”

“We both had our whole lives ahead of us, then you went and got pregnant.”

“Oh. My. God.” She shook her head. “Time’s up.”

“Think about it … for Maddie.”

“Go to hell. Now … out.”

Preston backed up as Gunner bared his teeth, moving slowly toward him.

“That tattooed asshole is trouble. I don’t trust him, and I sure as fuck don’t like that he’s trying to take something that’s mine.”

“You beat the living crap out of me because I overcooked your steak. You threw me down the stairs because I wore a dress you deemed too short to a holiday party and some asshole friend of yours commented on my legs.”

“I’m not that guy anymore.”

“You’re exactly that guy. After all these years you still think you own me.”

He clenched his teeth. Ryn recognized the muscle twitch in his jaw and the vein on his forehead. Had Gunner not been a foot from castrating him, Ryn had no doubt Preston would have backhanded her for being “disrespectful.” It was always his signature first strike.

“He’s a speeding ticket away from being thrown in jail. Chances are they’d find drugs, illegal weapons, or whatever I’d want them to find in his trunk.”

Ryn narrowed her eyes. Why couldn’t he just let her go? Why did he have to destroy her entire life?

“Think about it.” He opened the door and turned to a large man in a hoodie, jeans, black boots with Yaktrax, and murder on his face.

“Be easy on her. She’ll need some recovery time after what I did to her.” Preston wore his usual asshole smirk as he rested a hand on Jackson’s shoulder, attempting to side step him.

“Fuck!” Preston squeaked out when Jackson grabbed his neck with one hand, shoving him into the siding. Preston’s face turned crimson as he clutched at Jackson’s iron hold with no success.

“I’m going to end you.”

Preston maybe had twenty seconds before passing out, but even then he was too stupid to shut up.

“Is … t-that a threat?”

Jackson’s head turned side to side slowly as he leaned in and whispered in Preston’s ear. Ryn heard every chilling word.

“It’s a promise.” He released him.

Preston fell like dead weight to his hands and knees, gasping and coughing.

Jackson stepped inside and shut the door without a single glance back at Preston.

“You let the man, who put you in the hospital, into your house?”

“It was the only way to get him to leave.” She hugged herself to ward off the chill from the door being open so long and the icy wave of anger that radiated off Jackson.

“What the hell do you have that dog for?”

She narrowed her eyes. “That dog has a name and you know it.”

“That dog should be feasting on the corpse of your ex-husband right now.”

“Stop calling him—”

“What?” Jackson shoved her against the wall and covered her mouth with his hand.

Gunner growled.

“That dog is growling at me, Ryn.”

Her heart pumped so fast all she could hear was its pounding pulse.

“But he’s not attacking me. Why is that?”

She blinked and struggled to get out of his hold.

“Do something, Ryn. Knee me in the groin. Bite my hand and tell Gunner to attack me. But stop being the fucking victim. Stop inviting the enemy into your house.”

Tears stung her eyes and when she blinked they spilled over.

“DO IT!”

Her body fell limp. Jackson removed his hand and grabbed her as she released her first sob. He just yelled at her. He scared her. He made her cry. Despite all of that … she clung to him.

“I hate him … I hate him so much for breaking me.”

Jackson leaned against the wall and slid down it with Ryn hugged to his body.

“He … he took everything.”

“I’m going to give it back to you—all of it.” He took her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. “Baby, you have an attack dog that won’t attack. What the hell?”

Ryn sniffled. “Gunner doesn’t do anything without my command, including that.”