Closing my eyes, a low rumble vibrates from my chest as Lexi's lips trail along my jaw. My hands glide down her back to grab her ass and pull her closer. Even with her straddling my lap, it still feels like I can't get her close enough. The tension from earlier today is still seeded deep in my bones. It's the kind of ache that can only be healed by the girl in my hands.

Grabbing her chin with one hand, I force Alexis to come back up so I can seal my lips over hers. The scent of coconut and shea butter fill my senses while her hands wrap around my neck, digging her fingers into my hair. I'm so close to losing the last drop of anger in my blood, consumed by Lexi's mouth when my phone vibrates in my pocket.

"Ignore it," she whispers against my lips.

Normally, I would.

Since leaving school, we've hung out with the crew and did our best to act like we weren't facing an uphill battle in the near future. We tried to be normal, movies and junk food followed by some heavy making out once everyone else left my apartment, and if it weren't for the promise I made, I'd happily take Lexi right here on this couch. My dick is straining to get to her with the need she sparks deep inside me. But that fucking promise...

"I'll see you on Monday, Jacob." The words echo in my head.

Fuck him for showing up out of nowhere and forcing me into some bullshit father-son time.

My phone vibrates again and I growl in frustration. Forcing my hips up—and making Lex giggle in the process—I shove my hand in my pocket to grab my phone. Alexis slowly kisses and sucks on my neck while I turn the phone on, doing everything I can not to let my eyes roll back.

Sperm donor: Thought you were going to text me.

I grit my teeth and type out my reply.

Jace: Kinda tied up right now.

Sperm donor: We made plans.

Jace: Yeah, yeah, fucker. I know.

Sperm donor: When and where?

Jace: What the hell are we supposed to do anyway?

Sperm donor: Dinner?

Why go eat with you when I got a full fucking buffet in my lap right now?

But instead of sending that, I settle with the knowledge that I'm not gonna shake him no matter what. A fact that is only drilled home when he sends another message.

Sperm donor: Nowhere on the West Side.

Jace: T's Diner near FHS in an hour.

Sperm diner: I'll be there.

Without responding, I shut off my phone. A heavy sigh escapes me, making Lexi stop her mesmerizing tactics to lean back and look me in the eyes.

"Everything okay?"

I yank my hands through my hair, letting my head fall against the back of the couch. "I guess. I just gotta head out soon."

"Oh."

Quickly lifting my head, I catch the small pout forming on her lips.

"It's not like I wanna go. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here with you."

"Then stay," she whispers, leaning closer with her lips hovering just over mine. She takes my hands and guides them to her hips. "Stay here with me. I...I need you."

Fuck me.

She kisses me and slowly grinds against me, driving me out of my mind. Her hands tangle in the hair at the base of my neck as she closes the small space between us, plastering her chest against mine.

"Baby," I deeply groan.

"I love when you do that," she says between kisses. "The sounds you make when you're turned on, they're so...rough." She takes one of my hands and places it just over the front of her shorts. "I can feel you right here when you do that."

Fire licks at my insides hearing her say this, being so open with me. It also makes me incredibly harder to know how much I affect her. I want her to always feel me there as well as in her heart. I want to imprint on her soul to the point that she can never be free of me. Cause I damn sure will never be free of her.

"Stay," she repeats. "I'll make it worth your while."

God knows she's not lying, but being with Alexis is always worth it. Even if I'm not between her legs or tracing her body with my mouth.

"I know you would, baby, but it's not that easy. I got business to handle."

I already regret the words that leave a bitter taste in my mouth the second she pulls away with a hurtful look in her eyes.

"Oh...o-okay." She nods, getting up from my lap and slowly walking across the room. She grabs her purse off the kitchen taken with a look of dejection, her head hung low. "I'll see you later then I guess."

I'm gonna fucking kill Jacob.

"Lex, I meant what I said. There's nowhere I'd rather be than with you."

"Mmhmm."

She steps towards the door and I'm on my feet, jetting over to block her path.

"Baby," I grab her by the hips, looking down and hoping she'll meet my gaze. "I'm serious. I wouldn't be leaving if I didn't absolutely have to."

Chewing her bottom lip, she finally looks up at me. "You gotta patrol or something?"

Shit.

I know Jacob never said specifically not to tell anyone about him, but I can't help feeling like it was implied. Hell...I don't even know if I want Lexi to know about him. If everything goes as I plan, I'll get what I need from him, and then he's gone. I'll never have to see him again.

Besides, Jacob is a dangerous man if everything he said is true. I don't need to pull Lex into that kind of trouble.

I need to keep her safe.

"Yeah." I nod, instantly feeling a knot in the pit of my stomach. "Guardian responsibilities, you know?"

She nods again, forcing a small smile on her face before pushing up on her toes to kiss me. I fight everything inside me not to deepen the kiss and get lost in her.

When she pulls away, the look in her eyes is a fraction more optimistic. "Come over after?"

A wicked grin pulls at my mouth. "Leave the window unlocked for me."

Sitting in the back booth at T's Diner, I mindlessly stir my soda with my straw and look at the clock on the wall for the tenth time. I'm early, but I'll be damned if my temper isn't peaked anyway. All I want is to get this over with and get back to Lex.

Why am I here?

I can find Caleb's killer on my own. It might take me longer that way but it's not impossible. As for Derek, if that fucker knows what's good for him he'll stay away after today. We won't need Kwan's phone back as long as Derek behaves.

But there's still that small nagging voice in my head that says, "What if?"

What if I can't find the shooter on my own? What if Derek does something stupid again?

What if Jacob's not as bad as I thought?

Rejecting that thought instantly, I shake my head and take a sip of my drink just as the door chimes with a new customer. When I look up, I'm filled with a mix of relief and irritation.

"Hey, son," Jacob says once he reaches my table.

Without looking up at him, I take another quick sip and grit out a simple, "Don't."

He slides into the booth across from me and picks up one of the menus left on the table. After a second of looking at it, he places it back down.

"Have you ordered yet?"

"Not really hungry." I point to my drink. "This is fine."

"Did you eat already?"

"Yeah," I lie.

"With your girlfriend?"

Lifting my head with narrowed eyes, I finally meet Jacob's knowing gaze. "How do you do that?"

Jacob leans back in his seat and crosses his arms. His face is completely relaxed, looking like a calm man just having dinner with his son instead of a deadbeat dad blackmailing the kid he walked out on.

"Do what?" He asks, casually shrugging.

"Don't play fucking stupid. How do you always know where I'm at or what I'm doing?"

The man across from me chews on the inside of his cheek before blowing out a heavy sigh. "That's a tough one. Why don't we start small?"

"This is bullshit." I slip out from the booth. Placing both my hands on the table with a thump loud enough to startle the young waitress behind the counter, I lean down and speak low so only Jacob can hear me. "This whole fucking thing is pointless. Why ask me to get to know you if you won't actually answer any important questions. You're wasting my time, Jacob, and I'm done. I know I shouldn't have come here."

Pushing off the table, I turn to walk away but my arm is grabbed before I can take a step. It takes every ounce of self-control I have not to turn around and knock this fucker out.

"Sit down, please," Jacob says quietly. "I'll answer as many questions as I can."

Grinding my teeth, I freeze in place. I should go. I want to go.

But...

Huffing out a frustrated breath, I yank my arm from his grip and slide back into the booth. "Grab me like that again, old man, and I'll lay you the fuck out. Got it?"

Jacob smirks but nods. "Understood."

"So, you gonna answer my question?"

His dumbass smile vanishes in the blink of an eye. "I...I have connections. People who can give me live feeds of the cameras around town."

"Well, that doesn't shady at all." I lean back with a grin of my own and cross my arms. "So you've been spying on me?"

He nods but grows quiet as the waitress gets closer. While he orders a coke and a burger and fries for both of us, I sit silently and stare at him.

It's weird to look at someone who looks so much like me. I mean I have Mom's eyes and my hair looks like both of them but everything else is purely from the Hall family tree. Height, wide shoulders, even the way he moves reminds me of...well, me.

I notice the way his arms are crossed over his chest and look down to find I'm sitting the same way. Before he can pick up on it, I uncross mine and opt for folding my hands on top of the table.

The waitress gives Jacob a smile and a nod before walking away. When she reaches the kitchen to put in the order I focus on him again.

"How long you been watching me?"

He shrugs, seeming more relaxed than before. "A few years maybe."

The muscles in my back tense. "That's a long fucking time. Why reach out now?"

"Like I said..."

The waitress appears with his drink and sets it down before giving him another smile and walking away.

"You need me," he finishes.

"Bullshit. I never needed you," I sneer.

"If you really believe that you wouldn't be here right now. Whether you like it or not, there's a part of you that's a little curious about me. Maybe even wants me around."

I snort at that and shake my head. "You sound delusional."

"And you sound like you're in denial."

I press my mouth tightly shut, grimacing at the hopeful sound in his voice. After a few tense moments of silence, Jacob clears his throat.

"So, you want to tell me about yourself?"

"You've been watching for years, shouldn't you already know everything," I grumble and stare at my drink.

"Did you want to talk about the guardians, your friends then?"

I shake my head. "I'm not doing that. You're not gonna get info on them from me."

"Okay...How's your mom?"

My eyes flick up to him. "Don't you fucking dare."

"Alright." He nods and leans forward, mirroring me with his hands folded on the table. "Work with me here, Jace. Give me a chance."

The look on his face shifts from a dude with a world of confidence to a middle-aged man who's been walking around with the world on his shoulders. Crows feet edge his weary eyes and his cocky fucking grin is replaced with a tired straight line.

"Did you want to talk about Alexis?" He asks cautiously.

A low growl rumbles in my chest at the mention of her name.

"You seem to really care about her," he continues, slowly trying to wedge open the mental door I'm fighting to keep shut. "Maybe...even love her?"

"Of course I do," I blurt out before I realize what I've done.

Another smile slips across Jacobs's face, only less cocky and more...warm.

"I thought so." He chuckles softly. "I knew it the first time I caught sight of the two of you together. But that was a few years ago."

I bite my tongue, trying my damndest not to say anything, not to ask more questions.

"You had to do a lot to protect her, I take it...Maybe even some things you didn't want to do."

Turning my head, I look out the window.

I'm not an idiot. I know what he's getting at. He thinks leaving me and mom is the same thing as when I left Lexi. But he's wrong. I was protecting her. He was protecting himself and his secrets.

"But you're a better man than me already," he continues in a somber tone. "At least you went back and fixed things with her before it was too late. That takes a lot of guts."

"Than what was with that bullshit text you sent?" I ask and immediately regret it.

What Jacob thinks of me and my life doesn't matter. And yet, I can't help but feel the need to get answers.

"Which text?" He asks with a raise of his brow.

"The night I was at the park, you said something about girls having the power to break you and not to let them. If you think me being with Lex is a good thing then why say some shit like that?"

"Ah, that one." Jacob nods and leans back against the booth. "I just meant you're stronger than you think. It was nothing against her."

Better not be.

The waitress brings us our food and despite my claims of not being hungry, I chow down. At least if I'm stuffing my face I won't be able to answer any more stupid questions. Luckily, Jacob makes it easy by not asking any. We eat in peace and when our plates are empty and the bill paid, I slide out of the booth.

Jacob follows me outside without a word, but he finally speaks up once I'm throwing a leg over my bike.

"You in a rush to get somewhere?"

I grab my helmet off the handlebars and narrow my eyes at him. "Not that it's any of your fucking business, but yeah."

"Lexi's?"

My teeth grind from the force to keep my mouth shut. I don't know why he keeps bringing her up or why he's trying so hard to get me to talk.

"I don't fucking trust you," I finally say. "Not with talk about the guardians, or mom, or Alexis. They all mean more to me than you ever will I'll protect them from people like you if it's the last thing I do."

He shoves his hands in his pockets and kicks at a few loose pebbles in the parking lot. "People like me?"

"Yeah, you know what I mean. I shouldn't have to say it."

He nods a couple times before turning to walk away with his head hung like a kicked puppy.

With a sneer aimed at his back, I move to slide on my helmet only to quickly freeze when he whips back around. His dark gaze fixes on me but the look in them is what has me stunned. There's nothing but pain, fear, secrets, and determination aimed my way.

"Quintin Clark," he says confidently with his head held high.

I drop my helmet back down to my lap as my brows furrow with confusion. "Who the hell is that?"

"The guy who killed your friend. The shooter." He takes a few steps my way. "Quintin Clark, but he goes by Snake Eyes on the street. He's one of the Vipers' best hired hands."

Without a second thought, I climb off my bike and close the distance between us. I want to shove him, punch him, anything for just springing this on me right now. Maybe that's irrational or impulsive but keeping my anger from boiling over around this guy is fucking difficult.

What game is he trying to play?

"Why tell me this now?" I aks, nearly nose to nose with him. "You said you'd hand him over on a fucking silver platter and now your just giving me his name. You giving up or just too chicken shit to grab him yourself?"

The smirk that takes over his face gives me another urge to knock it right off his face.

"I'm telling you this because I want you to trust me."

"By giving me some random fucking name that might not even mean shit?" I snarl, balling my hands into fists at my sides.

"It means a lot, trust me."

I stab my finger into his chest. "But I don't! I don't fucking trust you, Jacob! You've given me no reason to!"

He doesn't budge but there's a flash of something dark and dangerous in his stare. "That's what I'm trying to do, son. Earn your trust any way I can."

"Then why give me his name? Why not stick to the deal and bring him to me when the time comes?"

Not that I couldn't get the guy myself but this sudden move from Jacob doesn't make any sense. He's thrown me for a loop...again.

Jacob chuckles. "Giving you his name doesn't mean I'm giving up. Our deal is the same. There's no way you'll get this guy without me."

My eyebrows shoot into my hairline. "You doubt me?"

He places a hand on my shoulder that I immediately shrug off.

"It's nothing against you," Jacob assures. "But Quintin has been in hiding ever since he found out he killed a cop's son. Finding him would be tricky for anyone."

"Anyone but you?" I ask in disbelief.

"Yes, exactly."

I scoff and turn away, yanking my hands through my hair.

"You can look for him all you want but you won't find him. You need my help, Jace," he adds.

Maybe he's right. Maybe I do need him. But I'll be damned if I don't try to find this fucker on my own. If I can get my hands on him without Jacob's help then I can be free of him.

"You can try all you want, Jace. It won't work."

Whipping around, I point a finger in his face. "Stop! Stop trying to act like you know me! You don't know shit!"

"I know you're angry." He lightly pushes my hand out of the way and steps forward. "I know you're confused and upset. I know you're filled with a rage that's hard to deny and even harder to control."

My lip curls at his analysis.

"I know you're pissed you lost your friend and pissed you lost Lexi...twice."

"I got her back," I quickly correct.

"You did," he agrees. "But you're still furious it happened in the first place, aren't you?"

Something inside me splits wide open and I take a step back.

I don't like this. I don't like that this fucker has a direct link to the thoughts in my head. Most of all, I don't like that he's right.

I am still pissed. I'm mad enough that all I can think about is snapping Derek's neck any time I hear his name. Yeah, I have Lexi back and I'm thankful as fuck for that, but what happened today wasn't enough for me. It's not enough to embarrass Derek or put him in his place. Even taking over the school doesn't feel like enough. I want him to hurt and bleed the way I did when he was keeping Lex from me. I want him to know what it feels like to have the most important thing in his life taken away from him.

Just thinking about it has a white-hot fury rush through my veins, and Jacob can see it all. His knowing eyes watch me carefully, picking up on every emotion flooding my head.

"I get it," Jacob says in a calming voice like he's talking to some kid. "I feel it too. It's just who we are. The Hall men have always been filled with anger but I can help you with that too."

"How?" I ask, feeling a wave of disgust at the weakness in my voice.

A small smile tilts his mouth. "By teaching you how to use it."

I don't wanna use it, I wanna banish it. My anger has never helped me.

Growing up all I did was explode and get into trouble. Even as I got older it only got worse. The night we went after the Vipers to make them pay for what they did to Josie was all fueled by anger. And that ended horribly, many of my brothers paying for that fight. Even some of the shit I've said and done to Lexi over the last few weeks came from a dark pissed-off place.

The only one who could ever calm that storm raging inside me was her...but she can't always be around. I can't run to her in the middle of a fight to clear my head and I sure as hell can't let her get close to some of the dangerous shit we sometimes have to deal with it.

No, I need to learn how to control it before I get someone else hurt, or hurt them myself.

Without another word to Jacob, I turn back towards my bike. I climb on top and grab my helmet but just as I'm about to rev the engine, Jacobs calls out loud enough for me to hear.

"Think about it. I can help in a lot of ways if you just let me."

I flip him off which only makes him laugh.

"I'll be in touch. See you in a couple days," he adds before walking away and I finally start my bike.

I speed out of the diner's parking lot with my mind racing just as fast. Everything Jacob's said and done tonight has only added to my already shitty mood. It fills my head with images of hitting someone, anyone.

When I hit a red light I take a quick glance at my phone to check the time, it's barely ten o'clock.

Shit.

I want...no, need to get to Lexi's. I'm sure she's waiting on me. But I also don't want to go to her with this thunder cloud hanging over my head.

Instead of continuing towards her neighborhood, I quickly whip into a gas station and shoot off a quick text.

Jace: Where you at?

Wilder: Monte's warehouse training with Kellin and some others.

Jace: Got room for one more?

Wilder: Hell yeah bro, I could use a sparring partner to show Kellin what the fuck he's doing wrong.

Jace: I'll be there in five.

I shift to slide my phone in my pocket when my phone goes off one more time.

Wilder: You good?

Not bothering to answer, I put my phone away and take off. If I'm lucky, I can work off this frustration before I go see my girl. Worse comes to worst, I'll see her tomorrow and make it up to her.

She doesn't deserve to deal with this shit...my shit. She's been through enough already because of me. 

💘____________________________________💘

Hey, loves!

So sorry for the late update, again. I feel so bad keeping you all waiting. I have been working on DME but I'm at a part in the story that's tougher to work through than I originally thought. I'm trying, but it's just taking me longer than normal. I also apologize if this chapter isn't everything you were waiting for, but it did need to happen for the progression of the story. I'll do my best to deliver some space next chapter to make up for it. 😉

Anyway, on to the question!

What did you think of Jace lying to Lexi? Do you think that will become a problem in the future? Do you believe anything Jacob said? Do you think he really wants to help Jace? What about Quintin 'Snake Eyes' Clark, should Jace go looking for him without Jacob's help? And do you have any predictions for the future?

You can leave your thoughts in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button! I look forward to hearing from all of you!

As usual, the teaser for chapter 23 will be posted on my Instagram and Twitter before the next update. So, keep an eye out for that!

Until next time, loves! 💜 xoxo