Jonny's Redemption (Gemini Group Book 7) by Riley Edwards (audio ebook reader TXT) 📕

call me fifty-two times, annoy the shit out of me, make demands, question me, and now shout at me and threaten me.

No.

Just no.

“Did you fall down this mornin’ and bump your head?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You must’ve. There’s no other explanation other than you bumped your goddamn head thinkin’ you have the right to call and threaten me. No. Fuck no, I’m not calling Penny and telling her anything. Her personal life is none of my business and it would seem it’s none of yours either seeing as she finally wised up and got shot of your ass. And since I think that’s the smartest thing she’s done since I met her I might buy her a drink tomorrow when I see her.

“Now what’s gonna happen is this—you’re not ever gonna call me again, and I see your number come across my phone I’m gonna take that as harassment and report it. And since you’ve already—very lamely I might add, proving irrefutably what an uninspired moron you are by telling me I’ll be sorry if I don’t fix your fuck-up—you calling just now will be threat number two. I don’t wait for the third strike to make my move, Tony. I’m making it now and you don’t wanna fuck with me. I’ll rain hellfire down over you until you beg for mercy.”

“You’re so full of shit. You got nothing, bitch.”

“I got more than you could ever dream possible. Lose my number, asshole.”

And with that, I hung up.

I was supremely mad. So angry, my hands shook.

But standing in the reception area of Gemini Group after hearing the second person that day make a threat against me, strangely I felt great.

Sure I was furious at Tony, and Dick was a nuisance, but for the first time in my life, I truly felt like I had more than I ever dreamed possible.

I felt it.

The Tonys and Dicks of the world couldn’t touch me. EJ and my father couldn’t hurt me. My mother’s defection had been a blessing.

I had Evie and the girls.

I had Jonny and the guys.

I had it all.

I was living the dream.

And the best part?

I’d earned it.

It was all mine.

So fuck Tony. Fuck Dick.

Jonny had my back.

23

Jonny’s gaze went from his sister-in-law to her husband Alec. Macy had tears in her eyes, Alec’s did not. His were hard and assessing.

It was shit timing. But that was life, or at least it was Jonny’s. A series of shitty events that ended in heartbreak.

Last night when Macy called and said she wanted to talk, Jonny readily agreed. It was time for him to come clean, well past time. But at the time, Jonny had no idea he’d wake up to Dick Dillinger banging on his door. He hadn’t known the little fuckstick Tony would call and give Bobby shit.

He had no way of knowing his day would be waylaid and he’d have to pay Sheriff Baker a visit. Today’s talk with the sheriff had been enlightening and he finally opened up about shit that should’ve been talked about when he was cleaning up the department. In Jonny’s opinion, Baker had made a poor choice keeping it hidden. It was a gamble seeing as Baker was the face of a department that had been tarnished, and if anyone found out he was covering something up—even something that happened a long fucking time ago—it wouldn’t look good for him.

So by the time it was quitting time and he and Bobby left the office—Jonny to go home and meet with Macy and Alec—he was mentally exhausted and wanted nothing more than to take his woman to bed and sleep until they had to catch their flight to Nashville.

But he couldn’t cancel on Macy. So he hadn’t. Then he wasted no time laying it out. From start to finish Jonny told Macy everything. Throughout this, Macy cried and his hatred for Doug and his father grew with every tear that spilled. Alec knew, of course; Jonny had told him and the rest of the guys weeks before. Another reason Jonny could no longer put off telling Macy the truth, it wasn’t right for Jonny to ask Alec to keep secrets from his wife.

Bobby’s hand tightened around his, pulling his attention back to the room.

Macy and Alec were sitting on the smaller of Jonny’s sofas, Bobby and Jonny on the bigger of the two facing the couple with the coffee table between them. Alec’s arm was around his wife, Macy was leaning heavily into her husband. And that was what he’d always wanted for his sister-in-law—a good man to share her life with. A man who would help shoulder the burdens and not create them. A good father for her children, not one who would gamble away the family’s savings.

As much as it was a cop-out Jonny was glad he’d waited to tell Macy the truth until she had someone at her side who would see her through.

So now Macy knew.

There were no more secrets.

“I knew,” Macy hiccupped. “I’m so sorry, Jonny, I knew.”

“Come again?”

Macy buried her face into Alec’s chest and sobbed a muffled, “I’m so sorry.”

Jonny froze. A cold dread crystalized in his lungs making it impossible to breathe.

She knew?

What did Macy know? That Jonny had been withholding the truth about her children’s father? Had Alec told her? On that thought, Jonny looked at Alec. In return, Alec seemingly read his mind and jerked his head in the negative.

The sound of Macy crying twisted in Jonny’s gut. Suddenly it didn’t matter what she knew, when she knew it, or who told her. All he cared about was making the horrifying tears stop.

Fucking Doug.

“Macy, you got nothing to be sorry for.”

It took a moment but Macy gathered herself then she dried her tears and sat up straight. Steely determination replaced the sadness and that fucked with Jonny’s head. He’d seen it too many times over the years. Macy breaking down because of something Doug had said or done then Macy having no choice but