Chapter 3

With money I’d practically bled for, I paid Mike’s tuition just before the deadline.

Early one morning that weekend, Mike rode the bus for two hours to come see me.

Mike’s eyes reddened the moment he saw my paper-white face and the bandage on my forehead.

“How did you get so thin?”

He took my hand, clearly worried, and insisted on taking me out for a good meal.

I couldn’t talk him out of it, so I threw on my coat.

But just as we reached the dark mouth of the alley by my place, disaster struck without warning.

A few heavily tattooed thugs blocked our way.

They’d come to collect the overdue payment.

Their leader, Rocco Hayes, spat on the ground and fixed me with a vicious glare.

“Daisy, where’s that piece of garbage Jax? This month’s interest is three days late!”

Jax had taken the money for the interest payment and used it to pay Camilla’s rent.

“I don’t know where he is.” I kept Mike behind me, shielding him.

Rocco flew into a rage, grabbed me by the hair, and slammed me to the ground.

“You don’t know? That son of a bitch has the nerve to spend my money on some woman!”

They couldn’t find Jax, so they took it all out on me.

“Hey! Don’t you touch my sister!”

His eyes blazing, Mike lunged at them, trying to shove them away.

Rocco sneered and kicked Mike so hard he flew into the wall.

He grabbed a thick, rusty steel pipe and brought it down on Mike’s right leg without mercy.

I heard the sickening crack of bone, followed by Mike’s agonized scream.

In that moment, my whole world fell apart.

I scrambled over and held on tight to Mike, who’d passed out from the pain.

My hands were covered in warm blood.

The thugs cursed as they left, warning that next time, they’d break Jax’s hands.

My hands trembling, I pulled out my phone and frantically called Jax.

The first time, no one answered.

The second call was declined.

It wasn’t until the third try that he picked up.

On the other end, I could hear cheerful amusement park music and screams from a roller coaster.

Jax’s voice was sickeningly sweet, though I could hear the impatience underneath. “Babe, come on. Camilla’s kid has a cold and feels miserable, so I took them out to cheer them up.”

“Jax! The loan sharks sent their thugs after us! They broke Mike’s leg! Where the hell are you?” I screamed, my voice cracking.

Jax was quiet for a second, but his voice was still light and breezy.

“Stop blowing things out of proportion. Legs don’t break that easily.

“I’ll pick up some chicken later and make him some soup. Be good, babe. I’ve got to go.”

He hung up without a second thought. The line went dead.

I knelt in the pouring rain, holding Mike in despair.

The rain washed the blood off the pavement as I begged every single passerby for money.

“Please, I’m begging you. Save my brother.”

The wound on my forehead reopened. Blood and rainwater trickled into my mouth, leaving a bitter taste.

I took out loans through every lending app I could find. Once I’d scraped together enough for the surgery, they wheeled Mike into the OR.

After an endless wait, the surgeon came out and wearily pulled off his mask.

“I’m sorry. He was brought in too late. We missed the window to repair the nerve damage.

“The damage to your brother’s right leg is permanent. He’ll never walk normally again.”

My legs gave out, and I sank to the floor. I couldn’t make a sound.

When Mike woke up, he was strangely quiet.

He didn’t shed a single tear.

With his injured leg weighed down by a heavy cast, he struggled to lean toward me.

He clumsily reached out and wiped the mud and dried blood off my face.

“Daisy, let’s leave him. It doesn’t hurt.”

His voice was barely above a whisper, but every word cut straight through me.

Looking into Mike’s clear eyes, I felt the last of my foolish love for Jax finally die.

In its place was a hatred that cut to the bone.

I swore I would make them pay, and pay dearly.