Brother, huh? That's interesting, since Jamie has no siblings. Well, she does have a step-sister, but she's not close with her. She hates her in fact, because the girl was always pining for their father's love while putting Jamie down.
So who is this man that claimed to be her brother?
Jamie wants to find out who's this cheeky bastard, so she quietly follows Jace as he goes to the east wing of the estate, where there's a 'special guest room'. She has a feeling she won't like what she'll see there, but the curiosity is stronger than fear.
With Jace by her side, she has no reason to be scared.
Jace keeps a gentle hold on Jamie's hand the whole way to the special room, and knowing nothing about the unwanted guest that disturbed his time with her, he doesn't even let her go inside the room first. What if the guy is a threat? He can't take the risk of having Jamie hurt while she's with him.
The guy sitting on the plain couch springs up at the sight of Jamie and greets her merrily, almost as if he really knows her. "Sister! It's so good to see you!"
"Who are you?" Jamie asks coldly, stepping even closer to Jace. The strange man before her is a complete stranger, so the fact that he pretends to know her is really unnerving. He definitely wants something or there's something else he's aiming for.
"You're hurting my feelings, sis. I came all the way here to meet you and you don't even greet me," the man pouts sulkily, but Jamie instantly notices that his eyes don't express the same emotion as his voice. His gaze stays indifferent, even cold, as he speaks animatedly and proudly shows off fake emotions.
"I don't know you," Jamie states sternly, throwing a short glance at Jace, only to flinch when she notices the murderous glare he's sending their 'guest'.
"Oh really? You don't remember me?" the man quickly sheds his friendly mask and smirks coldly at the couple before him, then casually plops down on the couch again, almost like he owns the place. "Well, that's understandable, I guess, considering what state you were in when we met. Our sweet J.J...."
Oh god, that name... Jamie can't help but flinch at the sound of the cursed nickname she got during her high school years. Now she knows who this man is. She may not know him personally, but she knows who he's associated with.
"What is it, J.J.? Cat got your tongue? No more snarky comments?"
"Shut your mouth," Jace warns deadly, pulling Jamie behind him. "Don't talk to her, talk to me. Who are you and why are you here?"
"You her husband or something? I came here to see J.J., not you," the intruder scoffs, still not taking his eyes off Jamie, who's busy hiding behind Jace and holding onto his shirt for dear life.
"You're in my house, you'll do as I say."
"Ooh, so you're the big boss, huh? Fine then," the man raises his arms in surrender. "But are you sure you wanna defend someone like J.J.?"
"The fuck you mean someone like her? And stop calling her like that," Jace rebukes, not missing how Jamie flinches every time she hears the name.
"I'm calling her for what she is. J.J. - Jamie the Junkie. I think it's fitting, the man grins smugly. "I guess you didn't know she was a druggie. Well, she was. And she still hasn't settled the debts she accumulated over the years. I heard she was taken by that bigshot Burns from Des Moines because of them, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have debts anywhere else. I'm here to collect the money she owes us plus the interest."
"How did you find her?" Jace questions suspiciously. He heard from his Angel that she used to live in Montana, but she never said it was the same city he's taken her to.
"It's not like she was hiding after coming to the city, so of course I heard about her from one of my friends who caught her downtown. Imagine my surprise when I heard she's surrounded by bodyguards! I almost though she finally made it big in the industry, but guess she was just whoring herself to rich men like you..."
Jace doesn't need to hear anything more. He quickly reaches his hand out to Evan, who's been quietly watching this scene unfold this whole time, then takes his gun and aims it at the intruder, still not releasing Jamie's hand from his as she hides behind him. Without as much as a warning, Jace shoots the rude man straight in the head then tosses the gun back to Evan. "Dispose of the trash," he orders before carefully escorting Jamie out of the room.
While Jace is completely fine after killing the man, Jamie can't stop shaking. She has just witnessed a cold-blooded murder. Jace has just mercilessly shot that guy right in front of her, though she has actually been hiding behind him. Why did he do that? What ticked him off? How many more murders will she witness? Did she misjudge Jace? What if he's more dangerous than she thought? What if he loses his temper and points the gun at her?
Lost in her thoughts, Jamie doesn't realize that she and Jace have reached the garden behind the main house. Jace quietly leads her to the glasshouse then gently helps her sit down on the intricate bench placed there and kneels before her, tenderly holding her small hands in his. "Angel, I'm sorry you had to see that," he starts by apologizing, knowing that it must've been a huge shock for Jamie to see him shooting someone. "I couldn't take him insulting you like that and trying to hurt you."
"You killed him."
"I did."
"Because of me?"
"For you," Jace emphasizes, kissing Jamie's hands softly. "He could pose a threat to you and I couldn't risk it. I also hated the way he spoke about you, calling you those derogatory names..."
"He was right though, I was a junkie. Back in high school, I was so focused on my acting career I did everything I could to somehow jumpstart my career. I got involved with a bad crowd and soon got addicted... I didn't care what it took to get the drugs, I only cared about getting my fix. That guy... Timmy, he was friends with the guy that supplied me with drugs for over a year. His name was Rick. He used to deal drugs independently, but then he started working for Burns. That's how my debts ended up snowballing into an amount I would never be able to pay back and that's how Burns got me into... doing that. I guess Timmy, if that's even his real name, found out about me through someone working with Burns," Jamie reveals hesitantly.
Whenever she's nervous, she starts rambling, so Jace immediately knows that the incident a moment ago upset her deeply. Making her anxious was not Jace's intention. "I'm sorry, my love. I shouldn't have let you see that."
"That's all you got out from what I said?" Jamie chuckles incredulously, shaking her head at how unpredictable Jace can be. She just poured her heart out to him, but he recognized that she was anxious and instantly apologized for making her feel that way.
How could she ever doubt this man when he acts like this?
"That's all that matters to me. I told you before, Angel, I don't care about your past. I care about your present and your future, which hopefully I can be a part of," Jace smiles sweetly, wiping off the stray tear that managed to roll down Jamie's cheek. "I can't sit idly while someone insults you, so I had to teach that man a lesson. I will do whatever it takes for you to be safe and happy. Though some of my methods are probably morally wrong, I never claimed to be a good guy, right?"
"Right," Jamie breathes out a short laugh. "You made it very clear from the very beginning that you're a big bad mafia boss."
"I wouldn't dare think about hiding something so important from you, Angel, especially when I trying to pursue you," Jace smiles warmly, gently stroking Jamie's cheek as he gazes into her eyes. He sees no fear in them, no worry, no hate - just relief and love. "I love you, my Angel."
Jamie stays silent for a while. She planned to tell Jace about her feelings on his birthday and make it a nice surprise for him, but now she's not so sure she can wait until then. This dangerous, beautiful man has just killed a guy simply because he insulted her, and then he apologized for it when he realized it made her nervous. Not only that, but he also reassured her that no matter what her past is, be it being a sex slave or a junkie, he doesn't care. Of course, she's neither of those things anymore, but it still means a lot to hear that Jace doesn't judge her for who she used to be.
That's why she decides to not wait with her confession. This specific moment, when she bared her heart to him after he showed her what he's capable of doing for her sake, is perfect for her to confess her feelings.
There won't be a better chance.
She gently pulls her hands away from his and moves them to cup his face softly, then leans down to press her lips to his forehead before smiling at him lovingly.
"I love you too, Jace."