Son of a fucking bitch.
“With all due respect, Warden Mathews, the class is full, and we’ve covered, at least, one third of the curriculum I’ve prepared already. This unplanned addition won’t be fair to the new student or the old,” Jo told the fucking warden. The Lanzas must have fucking bought him to bring this dipshit in here.
I didn’t need this shit today. I came here to find her in a motherfucking skirt, showing these pieces of shit more of herself than she’d ever offered, a hint of what she was saving for a fucking pompous ass like Murphy. Already, I’d been fuming with fury all week because she thought I was lying to her about my son.
I wasn’t. Every word I said was true, and it messed up my head that she didn’t believe me. The first time I opened up about my issues with my boy, and I was called a liar. Why I thought she, of all people, would see behind the walls that surrounded me and sift the truth from my words was an act of madness, but I did. I hoped for it. I wanted her to know that side of me. If I was being honest, I wanted her to know all of me. I wanted to lie bare, tell her about every sin, every crime, every flaw, every need so she could see me, hoping against all hope she’d still like me. It was selfish of me to want her to like me when I’d been sent to her own domain to destroy it. To destroy her.
She wasn’t a dumb, little girl. She knew I was on to her, using her to break out of jail or giving her as payment to whomever helped.
She had to know I changed my mind. From the first time I laid eyes on her, a protective urge of her spurted out of nowhere, sending all my instincts on haywire. I wasn’t gonna hurt her. Madeline’s girl or not, I wasn’t gonna hurt her.
The Lanzas must have sniffed something about it because they’d sent their bitch over to do the job I’d been stalling to finish. All I needed was some more time to get Fort to go on with my new plan, and then I’d have been out of here where I’d have been free of their threats. Where I could have protected my boy and her.
“Maverick has shown good progress with the other teachers. I’m sure he can keep up,” Warden Fuckbitch said, and I wanted to rip his throat.
“Fine. Whatever,” she said with a displeased sigh and gestured at Maverick to enter. “Have a seat.”
No, Jo. Why didn’t she fight harder? Like she fought for her authority a second ago when the pig was coming for me? Or do you only do it when it’s about me, baby?
I’d have been flattered and fucking happy for the first time in months if it hadn’t been for that Maverick dick, winking at me with a shit-eating grin as he stuck his motherfucking foot in the classroom.
She held a book and started handing out last week’s papers back to us, red notes decorating them. As much as I wanted to read what she had to say about mine, my whole focus was on Maverick. I knew why he was here. To get her to take off her shades. A thick fuck like him could only do it by a stupid trick or a violent one. If he came near her, my ass would flip. I had to do something. I wouldn’t let his dirty hands on her or let him confirm the Lanzas’ suspicions about her.
“We’re not discussing anything new today,” she said, walking among desks, eyes lusting over her legs and ass the second she turned. I glared and snarled at every motherfucker I caught, and they quickly averted their gazes. Except for that fucker Maverick.
I wasn’t a jealous man in the core, but only because I didn’t give enough shit about just one pussy. The sweetbutts lined up at the club on display for all of the brothers, who knew never to touch anything I was interested in. Not until I was done. I hadn’t had to mark my territory in ages. I’d already claimed my turf and kept it for years. No one dared take as much as a glance at it. But with Jo, it was different. I was different. “We’re revising what we’ve learned so far. I want to make sure you’ve fully grasped—”
“You’re so fine. Like fine fine,” Maverick interrupted, and I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles were white.
She cocked a brow at him. “Using fine three times in two consecutive phrases? I’m not sure what other classes you’ve been taking where you’ve shown good progress in, but Creative Writing or anything related to language, obviously, isn’t one. I understand you’re new here, but what you said is both redundant and inappropriate. I’m your teacher. It’s common sense that you don’t say things like that to your teacher, understood?”
He fucking grinned, not taking his stare off her. “I bet you’ll look even prettier without your shades on. Show me your eyes, baby.”
I’m gonna punch the shit of that slimy mob bitch. I lifted my ass off the chair, but she was quicker than me. She took the book she was holding and smacked him on the back of his head with it. “I said this is inappropriate.”
Laughter barked while the piece of shit swore. The guard was marching toward him as several other students rose to their feet. A smile broke on my face. A strange sense of pride filled me as she lashed out at him. Baby girl got a spine.
“Sorry.” Maverick lifted his hands in surrender like the coward he’d always been when he saw Murphy. “I just really wanna see your eyes.”
She stepped away, her forehead wrinkled and red, but the mob bitch stood and yelled, “Hey, I’m talking to you. Don’t turn your back on me, bitch.” In a split-second, his arm stretched to her shoulder, grabbing her and spinning her in his direction. I flew off my chair, ready to break his fucking bones. Jaw hung low, she gasped as his hand reached for her shades. The motherfucking prick was going to take them off her face.
My elbow collided with his jaw as I shielded her body away from his, and then I bent his arm until it snapped. Everything was happening so fast and loud. His screams and hers fueled the adrenaline pumping through my veins. As I was about to swoop down on the fucker, pain cracked in my back and behind my knees. Murphy’s fucking baton.
I fell to my knees with a growl before I was grabbed and hurled against the wall. My gaze sought after her as I was being cuffed with one question in my head. Did that son of a bitch Maverick get to her? Did he manage to take the shades off her face?
