Jet: A Marked Men Novel

by Jay Crownover

  “He’s almost as pretty as she is, isn’t he?”

  Rule’s question snapped me out of my reverie and I gave Ayden a wink before turning back to him.

  “He’s a pain in the ass.”

  Rule snorted and turned over the burgers he was watching.

  “Shaw likes him, which surprises me after everything he put Ayden through, and Cora thinks he’s a riot.’

  “That’s because they’re chicks and that dude has more game in his pinkie finger than we have combined. It’s unreal.”

  Rule squinted his eyes a little, in the direction where the rest of the group was sitting in a circle lounging on lawn chairs on the grassy lawn. Rowdy and Nash were messing around with a whole pile of fireworks that looked illegal as hell. I assumed they probably came from across the state border in Wyoming. Cora was sitting next to Rule’s older brother Rome and neither one of them looked too happy with the situation or the company.

  “I know all about siblings being a pain in the ass.”

  I had only seen Rome a few times since he had gotten back from Afghanistan. I knew through the grapevine—the grapevine being Rowdy—that he and Rule weren’t exactly feeling the brotherly love. I guess Rome was still pissed at his folks about something to do with their other brother and it was pretty obvious whatever had happened involved Shaw, because the older Archer brother was barely civil to her and this was her house. I knew Rome and Rule were tight, so whatever was going on was going to have to be addressed, but I guess Rome was wound pretty tight and had been pretty unpredictable since his return. Nash had mentioned a couple times, since they were roommates now that he had never seen the big guy drink the way he did now. I knew the guys were worried about him, but Rome was the oldest and by default the leader, so I think they were having a hard time addressing any of it with him.

  Rule’s pale eyes flicked back to me. “How are things with the rest of the family?”

  I shrugged and watched as Ayden got up and started down the steps of the deck. I wondered if my heart was always going to turn over when it realized she was coming to me, always to me. I could watch her move all day on those killer legs and I elbowed Rule in the ribs when I caught him checking them out as well. He just lifted an eyebrow like it was an involuntary response.

  “The same I guess. Mom hasn’t forgiven me for not inviting them to the wedding in Vegas, even though I told her she could come as long as she left that bastard at home. She just doesn’t get it. Ayd’s even tried to talk to her, tried to explain that as long as she stays with him that she won’t be part of our family. God forbid we have kids, because the old man is coming nowhere near them. Sometimes, it looks like the sun is shining through the clouds, only for it to disappear again. I have more important things to worry about and focus on, so that’s what I do.”

  When Ayden reached my side, I hauled her in close with an arm around her neck and planted a kiss on her temple. Her arm went around my waist and she leaned against me lightly. Rowdy was almost done with the piece that took up my entire ribs on the backside and she was used to having to be gentle with the tender skin and new ink.

  “What are you two over here gossiping about like a bunch of girls?”

  Rule narrowed his eyes at her and I chuckled. “Family drama.”

  She made a face and snagged the beer I was holding out of my hand.

  “Yuck. Hey, are you going to be in town all week? I was thinking about taking a summer interim class to catch up on some of the stuff I had to miss last semester, but if you’re going to be around, I don’t want to do it.”

  It was a tough balancing act with both our schedules. I was gone more than I had thought I would be, because starting the label meant finding bands, and finding bands meant I had to go places where bands played. With her being in school, that meant she couldn’t come with me. Which sucked for both of us, but we were learning to adjust.

  The first band I actually signed and agreed to work with was the new band Jorge had formed after finally getting tired of Ryan’s crap with Black Market Alphas. The band was amazing, even better than Enmity was, in my opinion, and I really thought I could make Jorge into the star I always thought he was. I loved it and had clearly found my calling, even though I still played with the guys in town and wrote songs when I found the time. My favorite time to sing was when I sang Ayden to sleep at night. I still refused to learn any of that new country junk she liked, but luckily the old stuff still rattled around in my brain and she never complained about it.

  I was going to tell her to take the class regardless, because it was important to her and we had the rest of forever to spend time together, but I never got the chance. Across the yard, Cora screeched, and the next thing we knew Rome was soaking wet as she dumped her beer over his dark head, a feat that would have been impossible if the guy had been standing, because she was itty bitty and Rome was a giant. Nash scooped her up before she could lunge at the glaring soldier and Rowdy stepped between all of them. Shaw bolted to her feet and came running down from the deck as Rule stomped off in the direction of the fray. Asa could only watch from the deck since his gimpy limbs kept him pretty immobile, and Ayden and I just watched the entire thing in silence.

  “You’re an asshole!” Cora’s voice was sharp and loud as Nash hauled her over in our direction. She was pointing a finger at Rome and her heated anger was almost alive in its intensity. Nash kept right on walking past us and I heard Rule holler at his brother.

  “What in the hell was that all about?”

  Shaw looked anxious at Rule’s side when Rome climbed to his feet. The guy easily topped six and a half feet and looked like he could bench press a semi-truck without breaking a sweat. He also looked good and pissed off on top of being soggy and irritated that his brother was getting in his face. I glanced down at my wife (hell, yeah, I called her that any chance I got) and gave her a questioning look.

  “What do you make of that?”

  She lifted a shoulder and rested her hand on my stomach under the edge of my shirt. Her pinkie finger snuck below the waistband and it made me suck in a breath. She still went to my head faster than a shot of Jameson and nothing would ever be better than that as far as I was concerned.

  “Who knows? Cora has a big mouth and isn’t afraid to give anyone her opinion, even if they don’t want it, and Rome doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy to just sit back and let her steamroll him. He’s kind of intense.”

  She moved her finger a little lower and I narrowed my eyes at her. She just gave me an impish grin and batted those bright eyes at me.

  Things in the yard escalated when Rule reached out and shoved his brother in his massive chest. Shaw screamed something I didn’t hear, and Rowdy yanked her out of the way as the older Archer brother returned the favor by putting Rule on his ass. Some really angry and heated words were exchanged and the next thing we knew, Rome was storming past us and slamming the back gate to the fence on his way out. The roar of the Harley he had arrived on rattled the tension in the air and everyone just kind of looked at one another in silence. I sighed and reached out to put my hands in Ayden’s back pockets.

  “It’s never boring with this crew, is it?”

  She stood on the toes of her boots—these were red and my new favorites—and kissed me on the underside of my jaw.

  “We’re a family, and when you’re a family, there’s going to be issues. They’ll get it figured out. Shaw will make them. Let’s go watch the fireworks.”

  “It isn’t even dark out yet.”

  She wiggled around until she was plastered to my front and wrapped her arms around my neck. This girl was just the best part of my day, every day, and I would never take that for granted.

  “Those aren’t the fireworks I was talking about.”

  She made me laugh. She made me happy. She was my family and my future, and while it might have taken both of us letting go of what we thought we wanted and needed to be happy in order to see that all we needed was each other, it was so clear to bot
h of us now.

  “You already lit the fuse, Ayd. You better be ready to deal with the boom that follows.”

  She licked her bottom lip and gave me the look that told me she would never be afraid of the fire and the heat I threw her way. She just stood in the center of it and let the embers fall all around her. Every time she walked away unscathed, and I had a little less of it inside me burning things up. We were going to leave without even saying good-bye to anyone, when Cora’s head popped over the edge of the deck. She still looked mad but there was something else moving around in her two-toned gaze.

  “See . . . like I always said, you two are just perfect. That’s what I want.” She sounded so sad and wistful that it concerned me.

  “I keep telling you that your expectations are too high.”

  Ayden nodded.

  “Love isn’t perfect. It’s hard work and sometimes it’s more effort to be in love than it is to just run away. If you keep looking for perfect, the real thing is going to pass right by you.”

  She waved a hand and walked over to sit down next to Asa, who was watching the entire show in silence. I could swear I could see wheels turning in his head.

  “I’ll know it when I see it.”

  I didn’t have a response to that because even though Cora was a good judge of character, when it came to her personal life, she was kind of like a lion tamer, always fending everyone off with a whip and a chair no matter how fierce or tame the predator was.

  I looked down at Ayden and I could tell she was more than likely thinking the same thing.

  “You ready to go?”

  “Yep.”

  And that’s how it was. We walked the same way, no more running, no more fear, no more secrets. Just me and her, in sync and together, even though we came from two separate sides of the spectrum. I was her perfect future and she my perfect love and that was how every good love song should end.

  So it ends . . . at least for now

  Jet’s Playlist

  (You might need earplugs for this one if you don’t like metal)

  Slayer: “Love to Hate”

  Danzig: “Twist of Cain”

  Neurosis: “Black”

  Metallica: “Master of Puppets”

  Dystopia: “Backstabber”

  Morbid Angel: “Rapture”

  Mastodon: “Black Tongue”

  Wolves in the Throne Room: “Astral Blood”

  Jucifer: “Contempt”

  Lacuna Coil: “Heaven’s a Lie”

  Memphis May Fire: “The Sinner,” “Vices,” “Prove Me Right” (they get the most because this is how I think Enmity sounds and how Jet would sing)

  Venom: “Black Metal”

  Jet’s Playlist for Ayden

  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: “Love the One You’re With”

  George Jones: “Tennessee Whiskey”

  Waylon Jennings: “Good Hearted Woman”

  Merle Haggard: “Today I Started Loving You Again”

  Willie Nelson: “Always on My Mind,” “Whiskey River”

  Conway Twitty: “Hello Darlin’ ”

  Johnny Cash: “I Walk the Line”

  Hank Williams: “So Lonesome I Could Cry”

  Patsy Cline: “Crazy”

  Tanya Tucker: “Would You Lay With Me”

  Ayden’s Playlist

  (Courtesy of my favorite person in the whole world: my mom!)

  Zac Brown Band: “Colder Weather”

  Kenny Chesney: “You and Tequila”

  Eli Young Band: “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”

  Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss: “Whiskey Lullaby”

  Carrie Underwood: “Blown Away”

  Lady Antebellum: “American Honey”

  The Band Perry: “If I Die Young”

  Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow: “Picture”

  Blake Shelton: “Drink on It”

  Hunter Hayes: “Wanted”

  Acknowledgments

  I am always asked who inspires me, and instead of writing a dedication page, I thought I would just answer that question instead.

  My mom. I love my mom—she is all the things a mom should be. She’s loving, she’s strong, she’s kind, she’s fun, she’s my biggest fan, and whenever I need her to, she puts me back together and reminds me that I am great and deserve great things. She’s my best friend and anything great I have ever done was because she never doubted me or questioned me. Even when I made bad choices or she hated what I was doing to my hair she never, ever let me down.

  My dad. My dad is the guy we all read about in these books. He is a living, breathing hero who would die for my mom and has always—I mean ALWAYS—done whatever I needed him to do, be it fix my car or race over to my house because I’m freaking out about this or that, and only he can handle it. He is flat out my hero and you will never meet a dude who is more badass in real life.

  My gram. My gram is amazing. She is the matriarch in a family of strong, willful women and she is the basis for all of us knowing our own minds and appreciating how important family is. She has never turned me away when I asked for help, and even with various health issues, she is still one of the sassiest and sauciest ladies I have ever met.

  My aunt Linda. My aunt is the smartest person I know, and when I emailed her in a panic because Rule was starting to sell and I had no clue what I was doing, she didn’t hesitate to tell me she would help me and straighten me out. I run any business decision I make past her and frequently send her rambling, stressed-out emails, to which she simply replies, “You’re fine. Calm down and enjoy your success.” When I was younger, I wanted to be her when I grew up. Sometimes I still do.

  My bestie. My best friend is 100 percent the voice of reason in my life. I tend to be melodramatic and hot tempered; my bestie is the only one in the world who can make me see the forest for the trees. She is the best time ever, and is actually from Kentucky, so has all the Southern sass anyone could want. She’s an amazing mom, supergenerous, and never, ever gets fed up with me and the million and one questions I have about everything, all day long. I love her to bits and pieces and when my life went haywire, hers did simultaneously, and I don’t think either of us would have come out on the other side without the other.

  Finally, he who shall not be named. If my life hadn’t ended up dismantled and upside down, I never would have been forced to figure out a new game plan. I never would have forced myself to do something just for me, to challenge myself to prove I could. I win.

  I do want to thank all of you bloggers, tweeters, Facebook followers, and anyone who took a second to email or share my work with a friend. I learned fast how important you all are to this process, and how your embracing what a writer puts out there can impact the success of a story. Thank you for sharing the love, and please keep reading on. It means the world to me and each of you has played a significant part in my figuring out the next phase of my life! Thank you from the bottom of my tattooed heart.

  Can’t get enough of the Marked Men?

  Good news, there’s much more to come . . .

  Up next

  ROME

  On sale January 2014

  Cora Lewis is a whole lot of fun, and she knows how to keep her tattooed bad boy friends in line. But all that flash and sass hide the fact that she’s never gotten over the way her first love broke her heart. Now she has a plan to make sure that never happens again: She’s only going to fall in love with someone perfect.

  Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He’s stubborn and rigid, he’s bossy and has come back from his final tour of duty fundamentally broken. Rome’s used to filling a role: big brother, doting son, super soldier; and now none of these fit anymore. Now he’s just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes the only color on his bleak horizon.

  Perfect isn’t in the cards for these two, but imperfect might just
last forever . . .

  About Me

  First off, I’m a chick. I wouldn’t think I needed that in the “About Me,” but after some of the emails I’ve received I figured it was good to let folks know that Jay is short for Jennifer.

  I’m a native Coloradoan, and if you live here you know why that is a source of pride. I love all the things Colorado has to offer and that is why I choose to set my books in this familiar setting. I try to write about things I know and am familiar with, which is why my stories feature plenty of rock and roll and body modification.

  I’ve been in the bar industry since I was in college and I spend more than forty hours a week watching the interactions between men and women in a unique way. I think my nine-to-five job offers me valuable insights into how relationships start and evolve in a social setting. I love it.

  I like to write New Adult novels because I remember being in my early twenties and thinking I had it all figured out, only to be proven wrong time and time again. When I look back, those were the years that defined who I am today, and good or bad, those decisions ultimately set me on my current path, and that’s what I like to explore in my writing.

  Wanna talk at me? Feel free to touch base with me at any of the following locations. I do like to hear from readers. Feedback has been an important part of this entire process for me: