Rattle His Cage: The Baxter Boys #4 (The Baxter Boys ~ Rattled)

by Charles, Jane

  “When’s the last time you iced?” Mary asks.

  “Last night I think,” Mia answers.

  Mary takes the discarded icepack, frowns, and leaves again.

  “I really like her,” Mia says after Mary is gone.

  “I do too.” I admit. I like Mary a lot.

  “So…..”

  “There’s a lot to consider.”

  Mia rolls her eyes and puts the water glass on the night stand. “There’s nothing to think about.”

  “You know there is.”

  “No. I don’t. All I know is that you let Patty get in your head somehow and now you are in your own head when it comes to relationships.”

  “I’m over Patty. I’ve been over Patty.” But it was a lesson. She came from a good, stable home, wealthy, and she always kind of looked down on me. I didn’t notice it when we were dating, but looking back, it was like I was there because I was the guy her parents didn’t want her to date. I kiss her forehead. “Besides, I have seen other girls.”

  She frowns. “I never met them.”

  “Have I met every guy you’ve dated?” I counter. She knows I’m right. We hear names but no guy or girl has ever been special enough to bring around. Bringing someone to the brownstone is pretty much the same as bringing them home to meet the parents, and none of us have had anyone like that in our life. “Mary and I are from different worlds.”

  “So, that’s the excuse.”

  “It’s not an excuse. It’s the truth.” Mia is going to persist until I change the subject. “She thought I was in love with you.”

  Mia draws back. “Really? Clearly she doesn’t know us at all.”

  “I told her that I loved you the same as I love Joy, Kate, Alyssa, Zoe, and Scarlett.”

  She forms a pout. “I thought I was your favorite.”

  “Stop it.” I laugh. “So she decided to call you my sister wives without the benefits.”

  Mia starts to laugh but stops and holds her side.

  “Sorry.”

  “You’re out of ice so I brought a bag of peas,” Mary says coming into the room. “It’s probably better for resting along the ribs anyway.”

  “Thanks.” Mia takes the bag from her and puts it against her ribs.

  “Pills should kick in in about an hour. I’ll be back to do breathing exercises.”

  Mia groans.

  “I promised you 24 hours. That time is up.”

  “I take it back. You aren’t nice at all.”

  But there is no anger in Mia’s words, just pouting and a grimace.

  “That’s it,” I say as Mia blows out her last breath.

  “Thank God.”

  “Is it really so bad?” Maybe her injuries are worse than we thought.

  “No. I just like to whine and am not a fan of any pain.”

  Her spirits are better, but I’m still worried about her. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, I am.” There is sincerity in her green eyes. “He hurt me, physically, but he didn’t touch any other part of me.” She bites the good side of her lip as if in thought. “Does that make sense?”

  “Sure does. But, I’m still here if you want to talk.”

  “Thanks.” Then she yawns. “I’m good. And, tell Dylan I’ll replace his frozen peas, even though I’m actually surprised he keeps frozen vegetables.” Then a smile pulls at her lips. “Sister wives, huh?”

  My face scorches. “It was a bad joke. I’m sorry.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. I think it’s funny as hell.” She grins. “You’re right. We are all family and take care of each other.” With a sigh she sinks further into the pillows. “The guys who are in this house mean the world to me. Wouldn’t trade them for anything.”

  “Dylan says you’re all close and have been friends since high school.” I don’t know what it’s like to have even one friend that goes back that far, let alone a dozen.

  “Yep. The girls might as well be my sisters, and the guys, my brothers.” She studies me. “And, as an official sister wife, I give you permission to go after Dylan.”

  “Would you stop?” I stand. “He’s not interested in me.”

  “But you are in him.”

  I purse my lips. I’d tell her I’m not, but I’m a shitty liar.

  “Ah ha!”

  “Please, don’t say anything. I don’t want it uncomfortable, okay.”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure he could make you very, very comfortable. In his bed, and not necessarily in a sleeping kind of way.”

  If only, but that isn’t going to happen. “Don’t say anything to him,” I order while wagging my finger. “Promise?”

  A small smile pulls at her lips. “I won’t say a word to Dylan.”

  There’s mischief in her eyes and I wonder what she’s thinking.

  No, I know what she’s thinking.

  “You won’t say anything about this to anybody. It stays between you and me.”

  This time she pouts. “Fine! But you are missing out on a good thing.”

  “The only thing I’m missing out on is being uncomfortable around him and Dylan being uncomfortable around me.” I go to the door. “Now, get some sleep.”

  I close the door and lean against the wall in the hallway. I hope to hell she doesn’t tell anybody.

  17

  The kitchen is actually clean. Spotless. Like Mary was never even here. I thought for certain I’d have a couple of hours of scrubbing, soaking, and doing dishes, but there is nothing for me to do.

  Since Mary is up with Mia and I don’t need to clean, I run up and get my laptop and bring it back to the kitchen and settle in after making a pot of coffee. The sun is just coming up and even if I wanted to sleep, I know I couldn’t. Mrs. Kragen is going to call this morning, and I’ll finally find out where Nina is, and maybe Jade too.

  Mary and I talked about so many things last night, but I never mentioned my family. I couldn’t. We were having such great discussions, and she’s really funny, and I didn’t want to ruin it by being a downer and talking about my past.

  Christian and Mia are both pushing me toward Mary, but the timing is all wrong, even if I thought I had a shot. Relationships in general are complicated, messy, and can be unpleasant once the new and exciting wears off. I want to have my family back before I think about bringing anyone else into my life. It’s one thing to be dating a girl and your family is around and quite another to have them show up out of the woodwork when you never mentioned them once.

  When Nina and Jade are back in my life, I’m going to be spending all of my time getting to know them again. I can’t set a girlfriend aside because my sisters are back. It would be unfair to Mary.

  I rub my face and let out a long sigh. One great night with Mary does not a girlfriend make.

  We had fun. We’re friends. That’s it for now, and who knows what the future holds.

  Opening my laptop, I start my search. First up, social media, and I enter the names of my siblings. When I can’t find them, I open up a new document and stare at a blank, white screen.

  “Mia says she’ll replace your peas,” Mary says as she comes into the kitchen about a half hour later. “What are you doing?”

  “Thought I’d write a review of Gino’s.”

  “Which paper?”

  “Blog.”

  “You have a blog?”

  “Yep. SPILL THE BEANS.”

  She grins. “I’ll have to look it up. Food is about my favorite thing.”

  The coffee is done and I get up and get a mug. “Want some?”

  “Sure,” she says around a yawn.

  “Why don’t you go upstairs and get some sleep?”

  “Can’t. Need to turn my inner clock back around.”

  “A nap at least?”

  “If I go upstairs, I’ll sleep real sleep, and then not sleep tonight.” She takes the mug from me. “I’ll just sit on the couch and read. If I doze, that’s fine, but don’t let me sleep like for hours if I do.”

 
; “Deal.”

  “Thanks, Dylan.” She smiles at me. “I really had a nice time last night and this morning.”

  “Me too.”

  It was better than nice, not that I’ll ever tell her, nor am I likely to ever forget.

  Mary stretches and yawns again. “I’ll probably go back a little later and get my laundry. Can’t do it in the apartment and as much as I hate laundromats, it will be quicker with six washers and dryers instead of one.”

  “Let me know if you want help.” Folding Mary’s panties wouldn’t be such a hardship. Okay, maybe it would be since I get hard practically every time I’m around her.

  It’s really hard to concentrate on my book with Dylan pacing in the kitchen. I napped for about two hours. It’s just enough to get me through the day but not enough to keep me up tonight. Not that I know where I’m going to sleep. I can’t keep crashing here, and I know it will be impossible to sleep with a party going on outside of my room.

  Maybe a hotel? I hate to spend the money, but really, what choice do I have?

  Dylan makes another pass in front of the kitchen opening, his head down and stroking his beard like he’s thinking really hard.

  What is up with him? I’ve been awake for about an hour, snuggled on the couch trying to read, and Dylan’s either pacing in the kitchen or working on his laptop. I’ve checked on Mia a few times, and she’s pretty much resting and trying to heal. Kelsey and Alex are at his tattoo parlor to get it ready to open next week, Sean and Ryan went to work, Christian is playing his sax upstairs, and Zach went to a theatre about makeup work.

  Dylan said he was going to write an article about Gino’s. Is writing a review that hard?

  Putting my e-reader aside, I get up and go into the kitchen. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah.” He shakes his head, but he’s kind of distracted. “I need to make a phone call.”

  “Okay.”

  He’s acting really strange, not that I know him well enough to know if this is normal or not, it’s still odd behavior from what I’ve seen him exhibit.

  Dylan grabs his phone and heads out of the kitchen.

  A private phone call then. Of course, it’s not any of my business, but I’m still curious.

  Besides, I need to do laundry. That is the plan and it must be done.

  While he’s on the phone, I head upstairs and check on Mia. “Hey, I need to head out, do you need anything?”

  “I’m good,” she assures me.

  “Well, you’ve got my number. Don’t hesitate to call or text if you need me to bring you anything.”

  “Thanks, Mary.”

  On my way out the door I only grab my e-reader. It’s not like I need anything else at the laundromat except change, which I have in a jar at home. I just hope the laundromat isn’t busy.

  Dylan is putting his phone back in his pocket as I’m grabbing my coat.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Laundry. Remember.”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  He’s really distracted about something. “You sure you’re okay?”

  He just shakes his head. “Yeah. Things on my mind, waiting to hear back from someone on something, that’s all.”

  “Okay,” I say slowly. “If you need anything or want to talk, just call.”

  He smiles. “Thanks. But I’m sure I’ll hear something soon.” He grabs his phone and looks down at it. “I had better.”

  “See ya, later, then.”

  I wish to hell I knew what was going on with him, and as much as I thought about it on the subway ride back to the apartment, I can’t figure it out. What changed from last night and earlier this morning to now? Who is he waiting to hear from and about what?

  The questions are going to keep bugging me, and I have to keep reminding myself it isn’t any of my business, but I can’t help it. Inquiring minds and all that, and I really like the guy.

  I pause in the hall on my floor. No music. Nothing at all. Did they give up? Is the party over? Thank God. Maybe I won’t have to leave to do my laundry.

  “Hey, you’re back,” Shelby says as I walk in. There are still strange people in the apartment, but at least they aren’t blaring music. The guy who was asleep on the couch when I left earlier is sitting up holding a mug of what I assume is coffee. Maybe it will remain a quiet gathering.

  Everyone is staring at me as I walk toward my room and then I see the building manager, Frank.

  “What’s going on?” I ask slowly.

  He stands aside. “Party got a little out of control.” He gestures to the wall.

  That’s when I see a sledgehammer and the hole.

  I lean over and look through it and right at my bed. They put a fucking hole in my wall!

  This is one battle I sure as hell can’t let slide. “Who the hell put a hole in my room and why is there even a sledgehammer here?”

  Shelby, Tiffany, and Brit look at each other then back at me.

  “We thought they were your friends.”

  My mouth pops open and I stare at them. “My friends? I wasn’t the one having the fucking party.”

  The guy, who I don’t know, gets off the couch and just shakes his head. “That’s bullshit.”

  I gasp at him. “Really?”

  Then he looks at Frank. “She wasn’t even here and those three were laughing about how easy it is to drive her away. I’m only here because, well, I thought they liked to have a good time.” He grabs his coat. “Guy with the sledgehammer lives a floor down and they encouraged him to swing it around.” Then he looks at Brit, Tiffany, and Shelby. “You guys are a fucking piece of work.”

  Brit, Tiffany and Shelby gasp.

  “This is so not coming out of my deposit.”

  “It won’t.” Frank looks back at my three roommates. “Though it will come out of theirs.”

  They shrug as if it’s no big deal, which is probably isn’t. Their daddies are loaded.

  “When will it be fixed?”

  “Don’t know yet.”

  “When will you know?”

  “As soon as I talk to maintenance. I’ll get back with you.”

  I look over at Shelby and company as he leaves. They just grin at me. This time those bitches have gone too far.

  After unlocking my door, I go in my room and slam it shut. It would give me some satisfaction if I couldn’t see into the living room or hear their laughter.

  The landlord might not be able to get back to me, but I know exactly who to call.

  18

  It’s going to be lunch soon and nothing from Mrs. Kragen. “Nothing!” I gave up waiting and called about an hour ago, only to be told that she’s in court and had an emergency placement problem.

  I know that is how her day usually is. The same could be said for any case manager in that office. Understaffed and underfunded, but they still work their asses off.

  Knowing all of this though doesn’t really help my frustration.

  “Mary asleep in your bed? Give up on the couch?” Christian asks as he comes in the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water.

  “Went back to her place to do laundry.” I glance at my phone again.

  “Nothing from Mrs. Kragen?” he asks with concern.

  “Not yet.”

  “She’ll call. She promised,” he reminds me.

  “It’s going on lunchtime.”

  “Maybe that’s the first chance she’ll get.”

  He’s right. If she’s been slammed with cases, she will have to take a break to eat. At least I assume she will. I put the phone aside. “Guess I’ll keep working on my patience.”

  “You can always go help Mary,” He suggests and waggles his eyebrows.

  What is it with everyone pushing me toward Mary? “I’m sure she can do her laundry without me.” Though after seeing the state of her room last night, before we got to work on it, I have to wonder.

  Stop it! I will not use that as an excuse to check on her, like she doesn’t know better than not to put reds with whites,
instead of just coming out and saying I wanted to spend more time with her.

  Besides, I did offer to go help and she turned me down. Maybe she needs a break from me, from all of us, and her roommates. The laundromat probably seems like a really peaceful haven to her right now, if nobody else is there. She did say she’d been hoping for a break last night and still hasn’t gotten one. At least, no real alone time.

  “Can and want are two different things,” my roommate points out.

  “Leave off, Christian.”

  My tone was harsher than I intended, but I really don’t need someone else giving me their opinion.

  He holds up his hands and backs away. “Okay, I can tell when someone is in a pissy mood.” He grabs a banana on his way out of the kitchen.

  I’m not in that much of a pissy mood. I’m just on edge from waiting.

  “When the hell will Mrs. Kragen call?”

  “We have a contract with a maintenance and construction crew. They can’t get to this for at least three weeks, but Tom Jeffers is going to come by and assess the damage.” Frank acts as if it’s no big deal.

  Sean just shakes his head as if he can’t believe this. He came over on his lunch hour to check on the damage and offer an opinion. He even offered to fix it, which Frank just shot down.

  “There’s a huge hole in my wall!” I remind Frank. “It’s not chipped plaster but a fucking hole.”

  “My hands are tied,” he insists. “We’ve got to stick with the contract or we face fines and they can’t get to the repairs right now.”

  There is no way I’m staying in this room for three weeks with a gaping hole between my room and the living room. “My lease says I’m guaranteed a place to live that is private and secure. That hole is not private or secure.”

  Frank shrugs, as if this is no big deal. “It’s not like it’s open to the hallway or outside. Your living room is on the other side of the wall.”

  “It’s been party central out there for two days. I don’t know most of the people coming in and out.”

  “Ask your roommates not to have any more parties.”

  “Sorry, Frank. One’s already planned for tonight,” Brit says as she stops by my open door. “Too late to call it off.”