ꗃ: 𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𔘓. 𝗍𝖺𝖾𝗃𝖾𝗇𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗄𝗈𝗈𝗄 ! 𓂅

17 | 内なる悪魔

JENNIE SLID INTO THE BACKSEAT with Jimin while Jungkook got into the front. Despite the warmth of her coat, she shivered. Mostly in reaction to the last hour.

Beside her, Jimin shrugged out of his coat leaving him in a t-shirt that stretched tightly across his muscled chest and shoulders.

She wanted nothing more than to burrow into that chest, but she hesitated. She still wasn't sure where she stood with jimin. He seemed to have a lot of mistrust regarding her. So she focused her attention out the window and waited for Taehyung to come out.

She would have to be a fool not to notice the sparks between Taehyung and soo-young, and that bothered her. Bothered her a lot.

Had they been lovers? There was more than idle interest burning in the redhead's eyes. And then there was her comment about Jungkook and Jimin which led Jennie to believe Taehyung had wanted soo-young but his brothers hadn't.

She frowned and closed her eyes. She was tired and mentally exhausted, and she didn't like to dwell on the burning jealousy in her gut.

She barely registered the door opening and closing as Taehyung got in. He turned to look at her, but she didn't meet his gaze, wasn't sure she wanted to see what was there. She was feeling way too insecure to try and figure out what the hell was going on between him and soo-young.

They backed out of the small parking lot and headed out of town. And further from kai.

She began to shake in earnest as the reality of what she had done hit her. She'd stood up to the bastard and won. Now maybe the awful fear that gnawed at her gut would go away.

A warm hand kneaded and massaged her neck. She glanced over to see Jimin staring at her. She searched his face for some sign of what he was thinking, but could find no clue.

"Come here," he said.
She flew into his arms and buried her face in his hard chest. Strong arms wrapped around her and a hand rubbed up and down her back.

"I'm proud of you," he whispered.

Tears streaked down her face as relief poured out of her system. So many weeks of constant fear had eaten away at her. Now she was free.

She snuggled deeper into Jimin's arms, curling herself as close into him as she could.

The next thing she knew the engine had stopped and cold air brushed over her as a door opened. Had she fallen asleep? All she really knew was that she had no desire to move from his arms. Reluctantly she picked her head up. They were back at the cabin.

She slid over as Taehyung opened the door for her then she climbed out of the Land Rover. She pulled her coat tighter around her and hurried for the front door, anxious to be inside where it was warm.

They all entered the house, stamping the snow off their feet inside the door.

"I'm hungry," she announced, realizing she hadn't eaten a thing since the day before.

"Go warm up in front of the fire, and I'll start on lunch," Jungkook said, pushing her toward the living room.

Taehyung and Jimin followed her and Taehyung went to add more logs to the dying embers.

"So what happened in there?" Jimin asked.

Taehyung paused in his task and turned to look at Jennie, obviously wanting to hear as well.

"kai was there when we got to the sheriff's office," she began.

Taehyung swore. "soo-young must have known he was there all along."

"He tried to leave immediately, but I refused to go with him. I thought he was going to force the issue, but soo-young wouldn't let him. I asked her to leave us alone for a few minutes."

"You did what?" Jimin demanded, his expression darkening.

"It was the only way," she said. "I told him that I knew what he'd done on our wedding day, that I'd seen him kill that man. Then I told him I wanted a divorce, and he was going to agree to that divorce or I'd make sure the whole world knew what he'd done."

"Fuck," Jimin said.

"Yeah, fuck is right," Taehyung said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She looked at them in surprise. "But I thought you wanted me to get a divorce."

"Baby, we do," Taehyung said, pulling her into his arms. "But we want you safe, and you've just told us that the bastard now knows you can put him away for life."

"It was the only way to get him to agree to the divorce," she said defensively.

Taehyung rubbed her shoulders soothingly. "Don't worry about it, baby. You'll get your divorce, but more importantly, you won't ever have to face that bastard again."

Jungkook called to them from the doorway. "I threw together some sandwiches. Come eat."

Jennie turned and walked toward the kitchen. Had she made a mistake by threatening kai? She frowned, worry inserting itself back into her mind.

She sat down at the bar and Jungkook shoved a plate in front of her. The brothers took their places, and they began to eat.

"What now?" she asked, unable to keep the question back any longer.

"What do you mean?" Taehyung asked.

She hesitated a moment, feeling unsure about the entire situation. "I mean us."

"We go to Seoul to see Jin so he can fast-track your divorce. And then we get on with our lives. Together."

She looked down at her plate and fiddled with the sandwich. A thousand questions crowded her mind, and she didn't know where to start.

"Want to go riding after lunch?" Jimin interrupted.

She looked at him in relief. Fresh air and a break sounded very inviting. She nodded then caught herself.

"I assume you mean horseback riding? I haven't ridden in a long while."
Jimin shrugged. "I'll make sure you have a good mount."

"Don't go too far," Taehyung warned. "We're in for a storm."

"I don't need a babysitter," Jimin said darkly.

Jennie shoved her plate aside, no longer hungry. Maybe getting out of the house for a while would help. She wanted to relax and not worry about looking over her shoulder for once.

Jimin pushed away from the table. "You ready?"

She nodded and stood up. "Let me go get something warmer on."

"I'll be in the barn. Head on out when you're done."

"They're a lot alike you know."

Taehyung turned his head to Jungkook after watching Jennie leave the room. "What do you mean?"

"Jimin and Jennie," Jungkook replied. "They both know pain. You can see it in their eyes."

His lips tightened. He didn't like to think of either of them in pain, but he knew Jungkook was right. Jennie and his brother fought their demons. He just hoped they won.

"What do you suppose happened over there?" Taehyung muttered.

Jungkook shook his head, sorrow washing into his eyes. "I wish to hell I knew. I wish he'd talk about it. Maybe then the poison would leave his system. I never wanted him to join the damn military anyway."

Taehyung nodded in agreement. But Jimin was stubborn, and once he'd made the decision, no one had been able to sway him. He'd left a cocky, arrogant young man and come back a brooding, tortured soul.

"Maybe she's what he needs," Jungkook murmured. "Maybe she's what we all need."

"And maybe she needs us just as badly," Taehyung added.