Barber Shop Ink - Book 3: Riverworth

by Penny Blush

  But we had our life and our wedding to get back to.

  Chapter 58 Jupiter

  We stayed at the cabin for a week where we fought and laughed and loved each other. There was every chance that if we were any lesser couple that our time at Bear Lake could have broken us, but it strengthened our relationship and love.

  It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There was screaming and yelling and door slamming, but at the end of the day, we always found our way back into each other’s arms.

  I told Memphis as much as I could about my time in London. I told him that I was hurt but left out the details of how badly. No good would come from telling him that I was hit by a car twice and shot three times. It would only trigger another argument.

  I let him work out his anger, fear and frustration knowing it was something he needed to do. A lesser man, a man not as secure as Memphis would have balked at the idea of having a woman being the protector, the alpha. It didn’t take long before I handed the reigns back to Memphis and let him go all alpha protector on me.

  I didn’t want to be the strong one all the time, I didn’t want to be the one in control. Memphis was the only one I would turn control over to and the last night in the cabin I did. I let him finish what he started when he tied me to the bed. It was delicious and tortuous and mind blowing.

  My legs were still shaking the next morning when we reluctantly packed our belongings into his truck.

  We returned home and to our life. Things returning to normal well as normal as things could be with wedding plans going full steam ahead. With Tabby at the helm of the wedding crazy train you had little choice but to get on board or get run over.

  I went for our final dress fittings with Tabby and Cass. We sipped champagne, cried and laughed our way through the dress fittings. The girls looked amazing in their bridesmaid dresses. The dresses were the same colour, but the designs were different. Cassidy wore a 1950’s Rockabilly Prom dress with capped sleeves and a sweet heart neckline. Tabby wore a halter neck Grecian style floor-length gown. The champagne rose colour of the fabric did wonders for their skin tones and the styles suited their unique personalities.

  It was my turn for my final fitting, Cassidy had yet to see me in my dress. I took a deep breath and walked into the staging area and up on to the small platform.

  “Oh, my God Hedge,” Cassidy gasped in awe. “You look…” She looked to Tabby searching for the right words.

  “Stunning,” Tabby supplied her hands clutched over her heart.

  We spent the day checking in with suppliers and making final arrangements for the wedding. Tabby’s limo pulled up out the front of the shop and she traded us out for the boys. The five boys looked apprehensive as the limo pulled away.

  When the guys returned anyone would have thought someone tortured them, held against their wills and forced to do something horrible. When, all they did was try on their suits.

  Over the next few weeks gifts arrived.

  Uncle Charlie sent a diamond encrusted hair clip that had belonged to my grandmother on my father’s side along with pictures of my parents from when they were young. Photo’s that I had never seen before. Charlie also sent a photo of me with Brian and Stella, I was happy to have something of them, but it broke my heart they were gone and couldn’t be with me on my wedding day. He also sent a cheque for eighty-five thousand pounds. He explained it was from the sale of Stella’s salon, saying she would have wanted me to have it.

  Georgiou and Gianni sent us a holiday. Flights to London and then we had the use of Georgiou’s private jet and any of his properties throughout Europe. I had to promised to catch up and introduce them to Memphis.

  All three of them wanted to come to the wedding but I didn’t think it was a good idea to have all three of them enter the country at the same time. Besides, they all agreed that it would draw too much attention to the wedding and me. None of us wanted to draw that kind of attention having three crime bosses at my wedding would.

  We checked and rechecked all the plans for our wedding and we were more than ready to get married. I just needed to do one more thing.

  Get rid of the Box.

  Chapter 59 Jax

  “Jaxon, these are words I never wanted to utter again in my life. Jax, could you open ‘The Box’ please?”

  “You are not fucking funny,” I pointed at my cousin who was doubled over killing herself laughing.

  “Oh, come on you have to admit, it’s a little bit funny,” she giggled her hands on her hips.

  “Not even a little bit,” I huffed lowering the tailgate of my truck. “Now if you’re done being hilarious shut up and give me a hand,” I said dragging the box to the edge.

  “Baby Girl let me,” Memphis said taking a handle as I jumped down, grabbing the other lowering the box to the ground.

  “What the fuck is in this thing?” Memphis asked as Jupe shut the tailgate and locked my truck.

  “Morningstar,” she replied leading the way.

  We were bringing the fucking Box to a deserted quarry to destroy it and its contents. She said that she didn’t want to do it alone, but I know she was doing it for us, Memphis and me. She wanted to be able to prove to us that Morningstar was gone and was never coming back.

  We were going to Morningstar’s funeral.

  “How did you find this place?” Memphis asked.

  “Henry.”

  “Naturally.”

  It took us twenty minutes to walk to the site we were looking for, having to stop occasionally to put the heavy son of a bitch down.

  “How the fuck did you carry this up to the apartment by yourself?” Memphis asked shaking out his hands, red marks crisscrossing his palm.

  “Adrenaline I guess. You know how a four foot nothing mother can lift a car off her trapped kid?”

  “So, you’re saying I was your trapped kid?” Memphis asked smirking.

  “Yes, dickhead you were. The panic in Jupe’s voice was enough to spike my adrenaline and switch on my super human strength. I don’t fucking know, I just did it.”

  “All right boys enough,” Jupe said in her best mum voice. While we had been arguing she had started a fire and had a good blaze going helping to warm the cool early evening air. “All joking aside, Jax open the Box please.”

  I opened the Box for the last time. Earlier while Memphis was out, I brought a different box over for Jupe to put her medical supplies in, it was like a military style footlocker. Jupe transferred the medical equipment to the footlocker and stored it in the closet of the spare room.

  Even with all the medical supplies removed the bastard of a thing still weighted a fucking tonne. The Box was a like an old pirate’s treasure chest weighed down by a multitude of secrets. Memphis handed each of us a beer from the small cooler pack Jupe had been carrying. I cracked open my beer and then cracked open the lid of the Box.

  “Here lies Morningstar, she kept our little Jupiter alive for which we are thankful but hope to fuck we never need her again.”

  “Amen,” Memphis and Jupiter said saluting me with their beers.

  “All right Kid you’re up. It’s time to exercise your demons.”

  I walked over to Jupe clinking my beer bottle against hers and took a seat on the cooler. Jupe sculled the rest of her beer and dropped the empty bottle beside the Box.

  “I will warn you,” Jupe said holding up a bright red wig. “These are made from real human hair, so burning them will stink,” she explained dropping the wig in the fire.

  “Why would you have real hair wigs?” I asked blocking my nose as Jupe dug through the box and came up with four more of varying lengths and styles.

  “Well, if you’ve got the money, why not buy the best,” she said matter-of-factly. “Synthetic wigs are obvious fakes and as Morningstar was in all intents and purposes her own person, everything about her needed to be as real as possible.” She added the other wigs to the flames. “Okay, the smelly burning hair part has ended.”

  She went through the b
ox pulling everything out arranging them into neat organised piles.

  “Baby Girl, could you please explain to me why you would ever need throwing stars?” Memphis asked picking up the metal discs.

  “Well apart from the fact they’re fun to play with, they are an effective and silent weapon.”

  She picked up the rest of the discs and placed them in to a small duffel bag. Holding it open so that Memphis could drop the one he was holding in to it. Memphis walked over to the pile of clothing picking up a pair of leather pants and a black knee-high boot that had buckles all the way up the side.

  “Hey Jax, can you go back to the truck for a while?” Memphis asked.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I would like to meet Morningstar just once,” he said with a devilish grin. “Baby Girl, you have been hiding this in our home all this time and I didn’t get to see it once?”

  “Baby, I have plenty of other outfits made of leather. I would be happy to show you.” She said pulling the pants from his hand as he bent down to kiss her.

  “Ah, gross c’mon guys I’m only having one beer, so I can drive don’t make me throw it up,’ I grumbled.

  They laughed at my misery and kept kissing until I made gagging sounds. They added Morningstar’ clothing and boots to the bonfire. Next went electronics that had been bleach bathed and microwaved before being barbequed.

  They added more knives and a few guns to the duffel bag. Jupe told me the duffel bag was going to Haun for safe keeping. The knives and throwing stars and a few other weapons, I did not understand what they did or how they worked, were all hand made by Haun himself. There was no way that Jupiter would sell or destroy the weapons. She had shown them to me explaining how they were made and how much they cost.

  Jupiter spoke to Haun, but he wouldn’t take them back or on-sell them as he made them especially for her. But, he did say he would hold them for her in case she needed them.

  Once all the crazy random shit that was crammed into the box were added to the fire it was time for the box itself.

  “Memph, give me a hand to chuck this bastard on the fire,” I said.

  “Jax, wait,” Jupe said getting up a retrieved axe from the bottom of the box.

  “Why do you have an axe? No wait you know what I don’t want to know,” I said taking the axe from her. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

  “Well, Morningstar caused you just as much grief as she did me. Yes, Morningstar, I know that you looked after me and protected me, but you were an epic pain in the ass.” Memphis and I shared a look. She had told us she sometimes spoke to ‘Morningstar’ but we just never had seen it. “Anyway, like I was saying, you have a score to settle as well so take the axe to the box and have at it. Exercise your demons.”

  At first, I thought it was a stupid idea but after a few swings I got into it. Screaming and yelling as I swung the axe splitting the wood. I was breathing heavily and covered in sweat when Memphis caught the handle of the axe mid-swing.

  “My turn,” Memphis growled.

  Memphis let fly with every single last little pent up emotion he had been holding back. He let out everything he felt about Jupiter leaving to fight Vex, about the shit Vex had put him through, he even had a few choice-words to say about his Pops.

  “That is for not letting me know what is going on.” He swung the axe – Whack!

  “That is for not asking me for help.” Whack!

  “That’s for getting into bed with Nicholas,” Whack! “Fucking,” Whack! “Vex,” Whack!

  “That’s for bringing him into my life.” Whack!

  “That’s for putting my life in danger.” Whack!

  “For endangering my family.” Whack!

  “My wife.” Whack!

  “I was almost fucking killed!” Whack! “And so was she!” Whack! Whack! Whack!

  “Wow, Memph,” I said stepping forward taking the axe from him. “Got yourself some repressed emotions there, Bro.”

  “Sorry,” he muttered his hands on his hips and his head hung low.

  Jupiter walked up to him taking his face in her hands talking to him in hushed tones until he wrapped his arms around her hugging her close.

  “Do you feel better though?” I asked dropping the remnants of the box on the fire.

  “Actually. Yes,” he replied. “It was cathartic.”

  “I think we should make this a thing,” I suggested adding the last of the busted wood to the fire. “You know, come out here take out our frustrations on some unsuspecting piece of furniture.”

  We talked and laughed, and they drank as the fire burned. We stayed out there for hours adding more fuel to the fire until all that was left was ash.

  They were happy drunk by the time I dropped them back at the apartment. Memphis walked to the back door to unlock it. Jupiter took her time getting out of the truck.

  “Spit it out Kid,” I said as she hovered at the passenger door.

  “Thank you Jax.”

  “For what?”

  “Helping me bury Morningstar.”

  Chapter 60 Memphis

  Tomorrow she was leaving me.

  Only this time I knew where she would be. This time she told me. The day after tomorrow we are getting married. Tomorrow afternoon Jupiter was being kidnapped and taken away from me by my little sister and her evil best friend, and why?

  Because of fucking tradition.

  Some bullshit about spending the night apart and it being bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. I grumbled, bitched and moaned but it didn’t do any good. Lucy Liu’s evil twin stamped her foot. Planted her hands on her hips and told me in no uncertain terms to, ‘Suck it up buttercup’, it was tradition and to deal with it.

  We all had spent the day out at Bear’s property setting everything up for the wedding. Good thing Davis is a nimble little fuck because he spent the day climbing trees stringing up twinkle lights. The branches of the trees where so full of twinkle lights I’m sure you could see our wedding from space.

  The marquee was up, the tables and chairs were all in place, ready for the day of our wedding. They organised Bear’s industrial kitchen for the caterers to come in. A portable freezer and fridge were brought in and the drinks were all put on ice.

  Tomorrow the girls would move into Bear’s McMansion to get ready while I was being shipped off to Jaxon’.

  The girls would spend the night doing girly shit then get up in the morning and get ready. The hair and makeup people that Tabby had arranged would be over for more girly shit.

  Where the girls would have fun, my brothers would torture me. We would go to Jaxon’s fire up the BBQ, burn some meat, drink, then drink some more. We’d sit around the fire pit and the boys would give me shit about settling down and only having sex with one person for the rest of my life.

  As much as I loved my brothers and I know that tomorrow night will be fun, I just wanted to skip it all, get married and then get to the party. I wasn’t kidding when I said once I found the person I would marry I couldn’t wait to stand up in front of all my friends and family say: ‘I Do’.

  It’s also no joke that a wedding is more about the people they love than the couple getting married.

  As the day rolled on the grumpier I got. I know it sounds stupid, but I didn’t want to let her out of my sight. Ever since she came back, I have become a little possessive wanting to know where she was just about every second of the day.

  I had an understandable fear she would disappear, again.

  We bought dinner for everyone to thank them for helping us set up. Tomorrow would be another big day of last-minute jobs and making sure everything was ready. I was helping Jax finish stacking cases of beer in the cool room when Jupiter came up behind me.

  “Jax are you just about done with my fiancé?” She asked slipping under my arm settling against my side.

  “Yeah, Kid. Do us all a favour and take his grouchy ass home.”

  “Jax we still have a tray load in the back of your tru
ck that needs putting in the fridge.” I argued hugging Jupiter to me kissing the top of her head.

  “Dude, please go. This will all go a lot faster without you and your annoying rearranging.”

  “Jax, cans go on the bottom, glass on the top it just makes more sense.”

  “Okay Baby let’s go.”

  Jupiter took me by the hand and dragged me around the property to say goodbye to everyone and walked me to the car. She held my hand as we drove home in silence. She held my hand as we walked up the stairs and pulled me in between her legs as she jumped up on the kitchen island.

  “Baby are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  “There’s nothing going on,” I grumbled.

  “Baby, you look like a little kid who’s had his favourite toy taken away.”

  “It's about to be,” I mumbled slipping my hands under her tee massaging her lower back.

  “What?” She laughed.

  “You are going to leave me again,” I huffed.

  “Baby,” she giggled, “I’m not going far. I’ll be at Bear’s house, you can call me any time you want.”

  “Yeah but you won’t be there when I want to hug you, touch you, kiss you. You won’t be in bed with me.”

  I know I sounded like a whiny little bitch but fuck it. I love her with everything I have and her leaving in the middle of the night messed me up. I won’t say she broke my trust, but it’s dented a little.

  “Baby, would it help if I said I am more than happy to slip my prison guards and meet you back here? Or I can sneak you into my room at Bear’s house.”

  She reached out slipping her hands under my tee. Her hands sliding up my chest taking my shirt with them. She leant forward and kissed my chest over my heart.

  “Baby Girl, I need you to promise me something,” I said slipping her tee shirt off and dropping it on the floor next to mine.

  “Anything Baby,” she replied unbuckling my belt.

  “Don’t leave me again ever. I’m serious, when you left it almost killed me and I know we’ve talked and yelled and argued about it already, but I need to hear the words again.”