“Alright,” he says around a chuckle.
“Do you have any homework?” I ask Damien. A change of subject sounds good to me right about now. Anything not to think about Jonas, his problematic tongue, and what it says and how he makes me feel.
“Just a little bit. Site words and I have to write my spelling words five times each and use each one in a sentence.” His little boy huff is cute. I know that he’d rather spend his afternoon chasing Scooby around and playing on his computer.
“We have some plumbing issues at the house, so we’ll be staying with Jonas and his family for a few days. We’ll get you set up with a snack when we get there so you can get that done, okay?” I ask.
“Yes! I hope they have cookies and ice cream,” he replies. Because he needs all of that sugar while trying to concentrate on school work.
“We do,” Jonas states and my mouth drops. “Atticus likes to say he eats healthy, but he’s got a sweet tooth so there’s always cookies and ice cream. And as soon as you get done with your homework, you can play with Scooby in the backyard.” I cannot believe he just basically told my kid he could have ice cream. Looks like Jonas and I are long overdue for a talk about boundaries and where lines need to be drawn where my son is concerned.
“I told my friends about my dog,” he proudly announces as he ruffles through his backpack. “One of them made a list of things I should teach him.”
“Oh yeah? We’ll have to go over it after you do your homework.” His head pops up from being buried in his bag before he sticks his bottom lip out. Then something else enters his head and the fact that he was supposed to be upset suddenly dissipates.
“My teacher said I can bring cupcakes for my birthday next week,” he says, a piece of paper in his hand. “And Scotty said I can teach Scooby how to fetch and sit.”
“Then we’ll get the stuff and I’ll make them for you, okay?” I love that he seems to be coming out of shell now that Sinclair isn’t around. I think this is the most he’s talked around someone else in his entire life.
“What about Scooby’s tricks?” he asks as his teeth clamp down on his lower lip.
“Well, I’ve never trained a dog before. It looks like we have some research to do before bed tonight,” I say, hoping this will pacify him for now.
Jonas decides to throw his two cents in and says, “I can do that research while you do your homework if you want, Damien.”
“Thanks, Mr. Jonas.” If nothing else, my boy has good manners. Something that I did all on my own and something that makes me proud as a mother.
Jonas
I can’t believe how beautiful Raven is. Her beauty shines brightly anytime her son is around. Being a mother suits her and makes me long for the day I can experience pregnancy with her. Trust me on this, that woman will be carrying my babies and wearing my ring. I’m never letting her go, now that I’ve found the one, I will fight to keep her. And I’m playing for keeps. She and Damien are mine… for now, and every day in the future.
When we get home, I see that Atticus and Silas are back from their little ‘errand’. They give me a nod to let me know that we have another guest. I hold up my hands and move my fingers indicating I’m going to head to my cave and let them have this one all to themselves. I promised a little man that I’d research dog training, plus, I want to see just how deep these two guests of ours are buried into the organization.
“You’re eating my ice cream?” Atticus asks, seeing Raven with the carton and a bowl.
“Yeah, is it okay, mister?” Damien questions. He looks worried until Atticus grins. I have to admit, my brother is one scary motherfucker to adults, I can’t imagine how scary he is to my little guy.
“Absolutely, as long as I get some too.” Atticus wiggles his eyebrows up and down and gets a little chuckle from Damien.
“Can you help me with my site words?” Ah hell, Atticus hated school and here’s this cute little guy asking for help. I wait, wondering how he’s gonna react, ready to step in and kill him if I need to for hurting little man’s feelings.
“What the fuck are site words?” Atticus asks. I clamp my lips shut so I don’t burst out in laughter at the confused look on his face. It’s comical and I look over when I hear a snicker and see Piper in the background with her belly slightly protruding and her hand firmly placed over her mouth.
“It’s on these cards, see?” Damien hands him a stack of cards. “You show me the word and I have to say it. The ones I get wrong, I have to write down.”
“Why the hell not. Silas, you got the other thing?” Atticus questions, looking over the card.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to swear, mister,” Damien states.
“Fuck that, you’re old enough to know not to say them, right?” I hear a squeak leave Raven’s mouth. Her face is a shade of red I’ve never quite seen on a human before.
“Yeah, I guess.” He looks at his mom for approval and she looks back at him with wide eyes, then a small smile tilts at the corner of her mouth as she nods her head at Damien.
“Alright, let’s eat our ice cream, then we’ll get started on these site words.” I nearly lose my shit when Atticus turns his back, with Damien following his footsteps, to only see Raven flip Atticus off behind his back. Looks like I can add sassy and feisty to the things I like about her.
I leave the room, confident that between Raven and Piper, they can keep Atticus in check. At least, that’s my hope. I’ve never known anyone, not even Silas, that’s been able to keep Atticus put in his proverbial place.
But I see times changing in our family as it grows. The future's looking bright, I think it’s time I start wearing my shades again.
EIGHT
JONAS
Once I get into my cave, I fire up my laptop and start a search on Shawn and Saul. As that runs, I pull up YouTube and type in puppy training. Holy fuck, there are way too many to choose from. I decide to click on the Cesar Milan one because I remember seeing that he has a show about dogs. People call him the Dog Whisperer so he should be perfect for what Damien’s looking for.
Lost in the world of videos and dog training, I jump when I hear a chime signifying that the search engine has completed the job and information is waiting to be viewed. Turning in my chair, my jaw drops when I see what’s on the monitor. Holy fucking hell, this goes far deeper than we expected. As in way up in the political chain. Now, I have more names to run and research. I can’t believe the intel that I just saw.
“Welch,” I say the last name out loud. There’s something about that name that is nagging in the back of my mind. I’ve heard that name before...but where? He has a son named Marcus that goes to the same college as the Rebel Guardian kids. That has me worried, I’m gonna have to keep an eye on this kid and his father...who happens to be a dirty as fuck District Attorney.
Another search on Marcus Welch and his father gets started. I can always pass it on to Braxton since they’ve got kids in the same college. Right now, however, my priority is Raven. I’ll always do what I can to help out the men and women in my secondary family, but my first family will always be my foremost priority in life.
I print off some puppy training instructions and go to the website I’ve seen on social media. There, I order the recommended treats and toys to use. Thanks to free shipping, it should arrive tomorrow, and Damien and I can get started on Scooby’s training. This should be fun; I haven’t ever helped with something like this before. But then again, I’ve never had an animal before either. Dad wouldn’t allow it and as an adult, I simply haven’t had the time to dedicate to one.
Thinking about my dad makes my chest tighten, and my belly ache. I need to get my head off of him and find something worth my time to think about. No one outside of my brothers understands the extent of the abuse we suffered at that vile man’s hands. My world begins to spin as the memories take hold. I’ve got to get out of here, I need some fresh air, I need to breathe… I need to fight. I pull up my contacts and find Snake Eyes’ number and press the gree
n call button on my phone.
“Jonas, my man, what’s up?” Snake answers on the second ring.
“Need a fight. What’s up for tonight?” I hastily respond to his question.
“You’re in luck. I just had a fighter call out for tonight. Stallion doesn’t have anyone to fight against tonight. I was fixing to call him and let him know he’s on the cancellation list. That is...unless you’re serious and are willing to go up against him. The money is high, he’s undefeated.”
“I’ll take it. I need someone who can keep up with me. You’ve been falling down on that the last few fights I’ve had.”
“Not my fault, man. Unless they’re new, they’re all scared shitless of you,” he chuckles.
“Set me up. What time do I step in the ring?” I ask him.
“In two hours, need you here in one. You know the drill. No rules, anything happens, I’m not responsible.”
“So you’ve been telling me the last ten years, Snake. I’m personally tired of hearing your line of bullshit.”
“It may be bullshit, but I’m gonna spout it each and every time to you. You have two of the craziest sons-of-bitches I’ve ever met as brothers. I’ll keep protecting my life by giving you this notice and protect my balls thank you.”
“Whatever, Snake. You’re just as lethal and ruthless as they are.” But he knows this, so I don’t know why I get this warning, only me, each time before a fight.
“I may be a mean asshole, but I’ve got nothing on those crazy motherfuckers you call brothers. Like I’ve previously stated, I will protect myself by giving you this information and having you sign a waiver before every fight.”
“Fine, let me get off the fucking phone so I can get there.”
After hanging up the phone, I lock up my cave and take the papers I printed for Scooby to give to Piper. I know she won’t ask questions like Raven would.
I peek in the kitchen and see that Atticus and Damien are still going over the site words while Raven putters at the stove. Not wanting to get into the fact I’ve gotta leave, I keep going and find Piper in the sunroom.
“Piper, I’ve gotta go out for a bit. Need to give these to you,” I say once I’ve got her attention.
“Okay, Jonas. And of course, I know nothing.” See, she always knows not to intrude, unlike my brothers, which is what I love most about my soon to be sister-in-law.
“Yep, same old same old,” I reply. “Thanks, Pipe.”
“No problem.” She looks down at the paper I just handed her, and I see a smirk cross her face. Ignoring the look, I turn away and leave her there.
Running up to my room, I change my clothes, making sure to grab my duffel bag and shove in clean clothes. I always shower directly after a fight to hopefully alleviate any questions from my brothers. I know they suspect something, but I’ve managed to keep this secret for a decade, so I think I’m good. The bumps and bruises are usually harder to explain away, but they don’t usually second guess me and let me get away with the bullshit that spews out of my mouth.
“Jesus Fucking Christ, you keep this up, no one will fight you,” Snake grumbles as he hands me the cash I won. I’d say I feel sorry for Stallion, but I don’t. Every fighter that gets in the octagon knows the drill. Hit or be hit. Kill or die. Tonight, he took every ounce of shit that my memories dredged up. Hopefully, he’ll fix the broken nose once his eyes reopen. He unfortunately wasn’t as much of a challenge as I was looking for. But he did manage to loosen some of the uptight muscles I had...that has to count for something.
“It is what it is,” I state, pocketing the money. I don’t need it, not at all, but it’ll go towards something for Raven or Damien.
I’m pumped as I drive home, the adrenaline still flowing through my veins. All Stallion gave me was a slight cut under my eye. Figure if anyone asks, I’ll tell them I ran into the wall in the dark. Yeah, that’ll work.
Raven
After Jonas disappeared tonight, I spent the evening going over the paper Piper gave me. I decided that I wasn’t in any mood to start training tonight, so instead I watched the cartoon channel with Damien. Once he finally fell asleep, I laid in bed where I’ve done nothing but toss and turn. Finally giving up on sleep claiming me, I hastily toss the covers off of me and run downstairs to grab something to drink and notice Jonas sitting in the kitchen, eating warmed up lasagna.
“Hey,” I say, going to the fridge and getting a bottle of water. My mouth feels like cotton as I speak. I wondered all evening if him leaving the way he did had something to do with me or not. Maybe one day I’ll get up the nerve to ask him that question. For now, I need to let it lie and pretend I didn’t even notice his absence. Yeah right, like that’s humanly possible.
“Hey, sorry I ran out earlier. Had something come up.” I can hear him shovel another bite into his mouth. My eyes close, because even full of food, his mouth does things to me that it shouldn’t.
My eyes shift to look in his direction. I turn and look at him and notice he’s got a cut and bruise under his eye. “What the hell happened to you?” I ask.
“Ran into a wall,” he replies. Right, because I’ve never used that excuse before when my husband laid his hands on me...or rather his fists.
“Yeah, right, tell that to someone who can’t smell bullshit a mile away. Did you clean it?” I don't know why I ask this...he’s a guy, they don’t think they’ll ever get any infections.
“It’s fine, Raven.” Sure it is. I huff, close my eyes, count to ten before I look back over at him. Even with a split eye, he’s the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes upon.
“No, it’s not. Where’s the first aid kit? I know you guys have to have at least one around here.” Can’t imagine these men never get in any scuffles that require medical intervention.
“There’s one underneath the sink.” The way his eyes follow me as I move to the sink causes a full body shiver to wrack my body.
I find the first aid kit and walk back over to where he’s sitting. “Turn around,” I command.
“I like it when you get all bossy,” he states. My eyes widen with his statement, because I never thought that his dominant ass would like a woman who takes charge of anything.
“Whatever,” I mumble, grabbing a cleaning wipe and leaning in so I can clean his cut. Being this close to him does things to my insides and I resist squirming when he continues to stare. He’s got a look on his face I don’t understand, but I won’t ask what he’s thinking. That might lead to dangerous territory I’m not willing to explore. He leans over and takes a deep breath. Is he smelling me? Memorizing me? Lord knows I’ve secretly wanted to do the same to him since the meeting we had at the warehouse that day. Jesus, was that only two days ago?
Once I’m sure the wound is clean, I reach for the antibiotic ointment and gently rub some on. “I like your hands on me,” he murmurs, his voice low and sexy. Not knowing what to say, I lick my dehydrated lips and almost swoon when his eyes watch my every move. It feels like a sensual caress on my skin and goosebumps begin to form up and down my arms. “Gonna kiss you now, Raven,” he warns.
He pulls me so I’m between his legs and wraps his hand around my head. I can feel his fingers running through my hair as he gets closer. When his lips touch mine, I barely resist moaning. All thought leaves me, and I succumb to what he’s doing with just a kiss. “I’m a married woman, Jonas.” I hate to say this out loud, but I don’t want him to have any illusions where we’re concerned. We can never be anything more than friends. Legally, I can’t move on, not until Sinclair is found dead at least. Jonas has sort of indicated that he’s no longer on this earth but has said it in a way that I have to read between the lines.
“In the eyes of the law that may be true. But you and I both know that he’s no longer an issue. We just need to bide our time until we can legally take care of that issue.”
“It is true in the eyes of the law, Jonas. There’s no maybe to it.” I hate to say it; I hate to think it. But I know that there’s a cer
tain way this needs to play out so there’s no blowback on him or his brothers. I’m not a stupid woman like Sinclair used to think I was. I knew he was shady; I just had no clue how far that went. Jonas and his brothers, I have a feeling, and it’s in my deeply seated gut, that they’re mercenaries for hire. And my gut is hardly ever wrong.
“Make no mistake, you’re gonna be mine, Raven,” he states.
“Not right now, Jonas,” I reply. Even though I want to throw myself into his arms and let him claim me like only a man like he can.
“I’ll give you that play, sweetheart.” Now he looks like someone stole his candy.
“Um, I’m gonna head back to bed now,” I tell him. “I-I’ll see you in the morning.” I hope I can fall back to sleep with the feel of his lips freshly on mine. I have a feeling I’ll be dreaming of that kiss and all of the erotic things I want him to do to my body. Right now, I could damn myself for all the books I’ve read over the years!
“Night, Raven.” His voice is like a soft caress against my over-heated skin.
“Night, Jonas.” I turn around and drag my feet as I hit the staircase. Not wanting to leave him but knowing that I have to sends disappointment traveling throughout my bones. I wearily trudge up the stairs, secretly hoping that he’ll come up behind me and stop me dead in my tracks. Just like in my romance novels when the hero stops the heroine as she makes her escape. But this is real life and I know that won’t be happening for me. My life is more like a horror book instead of a romance novel anyways. The sooner I accept I’ll never have unicorns and rainbows in my real life, the easier it’ll be to actually live my life.
I don't want to fill my son’s head and heart with what should’ve beens instead of what is happening in the here and now. He has enough struggles in life without me influencing him with happily ever afters. Life unfortunately doesn’t work that way. A lesson I first learned at my father’s hands and lastly in Sinclair’s. He needs to learn that life is full of struggles and heartbreaks. We just have to keep our heads held high and out of the clouds.
Seeking Our Forever: Nelson Brothers' Page 6