by Penny Blush
“Watch your tone Charlie,” I added a hefty dose of authority into my voice for him to know that I was not playing. “I don’t give a shit who you are. I don’t care if you are God himself, you will speak to her with respect.” I was barely hanging on to my need to pummel his ass into the ground.
“Memphis, it’s fine,” Hedge said.
“No, it’s not, and I will not allow him to speak to you like you are worthless.”
I locked eyes with her as I talked so that she would know how serious I was. What I saw in her eyes was unexpected. I expected to see that she was pissed off or annoyed but what I saw was lust, pure lust. The heat flared in her eyes let me know just how turned on she was. Interesting. I needed to get Charlie out of here, so I could figure out what was going on in that beautiful head of hers.
“Fine,” Charlie sighed tiredly. “I will see what I can find out, and I will let you know. I’ll have the sit down arranged. I’ll be in contact.”
“Charlie, do not come back here or contact me here again,” Hedge said with finality. “My family is not to be involved in any way do you understand? If you need to contact me, use my old number.”
“You still have it?” He asked. She nodded. “As you wish, well I’ll leave you to your evening. It’s lovely to see you, child.” We watched as he headed for the back door, then stopped and turned back adding, “you look good, this life suits you,” and with that, he left.
Hedge locked the back door behind him and trudged up the stairs to our home. I followed silently behind her.
I stood at the kitchen bench watching as she placed the takeout in the microwave reheating our dinner then put a bottle of spiced rum and two glasses on the counter.
Ice clinked into the glass tumblers followed by the dark golden liquid. I stood silently as she raised the glass taking a healthy swig of straight liquor before refilling her glass then adding cola.
She slid the second glass across to me, rested her elbows on the bench, laid her head in her hands and simply said, “Fuck.”
Chapter 28 Hedge
God, I hate myself so much right now. I’m lying and keeping things from Memphis. The fact that I’m doing it to protect him has not stopped the overwhelming sense of self-loathing or the feeling that I want to throw up.
Lying is not something that I want to do but, I have to if Memphis knew what I was planning he would try to stop me or want to come with me. I couldn't allow either to happen. I wouldn’t be able to do what I had to and keep a level head if I was worried about him the whole time.
If my plan was going to work, I needed to get Jaxon on board, and that was not going to be easy. I had made sure that everyone was preoccupied with clients, except for Jaxon meaning that he would be free to come with me to get the crew dinner. We hadn’t been in the car for a full five minutes before Jaxon spoke.
“Okay, out with it.”
“Out with what?” I asked innocently.
“You can’t-fool me Cuz. I can hear your brain working overtime from here. Everyone else was preoccupied, so I’d be the one to go with you and you obviously want to talk so, out with it.”
This conversation was going to suck big time. I took a deep breath and waited for the yelling to begin.
“Charlie came to visit me.”
The truck swerved as Jax yelled, “He WHAT!?”
We weren’t that far from Jax place, I told him to pull in there, so he wasn’t screaming at me while driving. He parked the truck slamming the door as he got out, stormed up the porch steps, shoved the front door opened then banged it shut behind me. Jaxon stormed into the kitchen grabbing a beer from the fridge thumping the door closed, guzzled half his beer slamming the bottle on the bench, looked at me with volcanic rage in his eyes.
“TALK!”
“Hey! Stop slamming around the place and barking at me like I’ve done something wrong,” I hissed back.
“WHAT THE FUCK!” He yelled stepping up to me, but I cut him off I didn’t need this shit from him.
“Jaxon James O’Hare! Back the fuck up now. I am not taking this shit from you. I said back up, or I will drop you on your ass!”
I got in his face refusing to back down, and neither was he. We were locked in a stare down. Jax had his fists clenched beside him.
I was not worried that he was going to hit me, but I was concerned that he was going to throw a punch at the fridge or wall and damage his tattoo hand. Jaxon huffed out a frustrated breath, looking to the sky for divine intervention I’m sure.
“Fine, sorry,” he muttered stepping back and hoisted his large-frame up to sit on the kitchen bench. “Can you tell me what happened please?”
“Charlie came to visit me,” I started.
“When? Where?” Jax fired at me.
“Sunday night about fifteen minutes after you left.”
“Was Memphis there? What did he want?”
“Yes, Memphis was there, and yes Charlie is still alive,” I gave a little smile. “Charlie was here to see me. He had some bad-news that he wanted to tell me in person.”
Jaxon sat quietly while I told him everything. I explained that Stella and Brian had been murdered to send a message that the Marino family would not be fucked with and how Vex had set me up.
I thought he was going to have an aneurysm when I described how I went to pay Vex a visit to tell him to forgive the debt and back off or I, well, Morningstar would be paying him another visit. Jax’ face was red, his eye twitched, and he was holding his breath.
“You said you were finished with all of that,” he said.
He was sitting on the bench speaking to me calmly, but it was a scary type of calm. The kind where you are waiting for the explosion to happen.
“I was. I am Jax, but between Memphis and h, you dis Pops they have paid three-hundred-thousand dollars above the original loan amount and Vex, the ass was still coming to Memphis for more money.”
“So, you figured that was enough to dust off Morningstar and drag out your past?”
“So, you’re okay with sitting back and watching Memphis hand over fistfuls of his hard-earned cash for no reason? You’re comfortable with Memphis getting beaten and stabbed? It’s perfectly fine for Vex to send his goons after Cassidy or any of the boys and threaten them, hurt them to put pressure with Memphis to pay more money? Is that what you think Jax? Is it?”
I was full-on yelling at him now. I knew that he would not be happy with me, but I didn't think that Jax would be so dismissive of Memphis.
“What if I hadn’t gone to find Cassidy, Jax, would you have been able to sleep at night if I hadn’t done something to save her? I know I wouldn’t.”
“Alright,” Jax snapped. “I get your point, okay just stop.”
Jax finished the rest of his beer. I went to the fridge getting myself a beer and Jax another. He sat in silence for a while peeling the label off his bottle.
“So, what now, what does all this mean? Why did Charlie come here and not just call?” he asked.
“He probably figured that I wouldn’t answer if he called, but there was more than he needed to tell me other than about Brian and Stella. The threat Vex mad was my behalf.”
“Fuck Cuz, what now?”
“Georgiou Marino had requested a sit-down.”
“Fuck,”
“Exactly, it’s not the type of request I can say no to,” I said pulling myself up on the bench beside him. “I have to go. I have to try to defuse this situation before it erupts because if it does, the blowback will affect everyone. He won’t think twice about coming after anyone associated with me. I can’t have that on my conscious. I won’t let anyone else get hurt because of me.”
“You know this is Memphis’s fault, right?” Jax said bumping my shoulder with his. “If he had just come to us in the first place we could have handled this.”
“Memphis is not to blame Jax. This is a thousand percent on Vex. It’s a small blessing that Georgiou is willing to talk to me and that’s partly because of Morningsta
r’s reputation and partly because he likes me. Charlie was smart though and got in contact with him immediately after hearing about Brian and Stella. He could have retaliated, but one thing Charlie has always been, is smart. He knew if he did he would be the underdog in that fight. My money would be on Georgiou.”
“What are you going to do?” Jax asked.
“I have to go, even if I didn’t want to. I would have to. You can’t disrespect the head of the Marino family by refusing a meeting request and expect to walk away.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Four a clock in the morning,” I answered after checking my watch.
“Are you going to tell him that your leaving?” Jax asked already knowing the answer.
“You know if I did he would try to stop me or want to come with me and I can’t have him doing either.”
“Jesus J. What?!” he asked when I gave him side eyes. “There’s only us here, I’m allowed to use your real name you know. Have you told Memphis yet?” I smirked. “You’re getting married that's info he might need to know.”
“I know. I’ll tell Memphis, promise.”
“You know by not telling him that you’re going Memphis is going to come after me. He’ll think that I’ll know everything.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but I don’t have any other option. If I don’t go, I’ll be signing a death warrant for all of you. I might as well put a bullet in everyone myself.” I jumped down from the counter and started pacing the kitchen. “I can’t have Memphis with me, Jax. I won’t be able to do what I need to because he’ll want to be involved or my focus will be split because I’ll be worrying about keeping him safe.” I stopped pacing and looked at my cousin. “I am going to handle this, and then I am coming back and getting married and living happily ever after. But none of that can happen with Vex and the Marino family hanging over us.”
Jax sighed, dragging his hand over his head in frustration. He knew once my mind was made up there was no changing it.
“What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to keep him here and do not let him follow me. I’m not going to tell you where I’m going so you won’t be lying when you say you don’t know. Memphis is going to be apocalyptically angry, and I’ll deal with it when I come home, but it will be comforting to know that he is here pissed off but safe.”
“Why can’t we just have normal family problems like me not liking your boyfriend or you hating my choice of profession? But no, you have to be the girl version of John Wick. There aren’t some Russian bad guys after you are there? Cause I draw the line at the Russian’s.”
“No Jax,” I laughed a small weight lifting from my conscience. “I promise there are no Russian’s.”
“Okay good,” Jax finished his beer dropping the bottle in the bin. “Let’s get going we’ve been here forever, they’ll be thinking that we got lost,” he said grabbing his keys.
“I don’t like what you’re doing. I understand your reasons. J, I want you to do something for me.”
“Anything Jax name it.”
“This time you end it for good. Leave Morningstar wherever you are going, don’t bring her back. The Box has to go. I know there are things that you need to keep, like the medical stuff but anything from that life that can’t be quickly dismissed by the police as inconsequential, doesn’t come back with you. Got it.”
“Look at you using big words,” I smirked.
“What? I know big words, I read. Seriously though.”
“Yes Jax, I promise. I love my life, and I am stronger than I was the last time I went with Charlie. I kept The Box as a reminder of what I had done. What I had become so that I would have tangible proof that I had survived that I didn’t die in that concrete encased room. That by fighting for my life and getting out that I didn’t lose myself. I don’t need that reminder anymore. I’m more resilient than I was, and I’m not alone this time. I have you, Memphis, Cass, and the boys. I know you were there last time. I know that I would not have survived if it wasn’t for you. I was so messed up and I didn’t trust you, I didn’t trust anyone. But through it all you were my anchor Jax. You kept me alive and sane and made sure I made it out the other side relatively unscathed. There is no way I can ever repay you for what you did for me. But you don’t have to carry the weight of my past solely on your shoulders anymore, there are more people to help you share the load, and that includes me.”
“So, what you’re saying is that you’re going to continue to be a pain in not only my ass but everyone else’s as well?”
“Yes, Jax that’s exactly, what I am saying,” I said seriously.
After a few moments we both started laughing, Jax hugged me and gave me a kiss on the forehead.
“Just come back in one piece or Memphis will kick my ass.”
“I will Jax. I love you. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, Kid I know,” he said giving me a squeeze. “Let’s go get the food.”
We picked up the food and went back to Barber Shop Ink and our family. I had made sure that everyone’s schedules were cleared for an hour and a half so that we could all sit down and have dinner together. It was a silent goodbye.
Apart from Jax, no one knew what was going on. I just sat back absorbing the fun light-hearted energy that was emanating from the table. We talked, laughed and joked. On the outside, I looked like I was having just as much fun as the rest of them but on the inside, I was breaking apart. I prayed like I have never prayed before that this would not be the last time we were together like this.
Chapter 29 Hedge
I lay in bed studying Memphis. He was sound asleep, his soft snore purring through the quiet of the bedroom.
I wanted to memorise everything about him. The different colour shades in his hair and beard. The way his eyelashes brushed his cheeks as he slept. All the smile lines around his eyes dissolved as he rested.
My eyes catalogued every single one of his tattoos. The colors, the designs, the way they followed the contours of his muscles. I wanted to make sure they were seared into my brain so that when I closed my eyes, he would be there to calm me and comfort me.
I ran my fingers across his brow and down his cheek loving the feel of his beard on my fingertips. I brushed my fingers softly over his full bottom lip, leaning in to kiss him gently.
“I love you Memphis Blue, with all that I am,” I whispered kissing him again before silently slipping from the warm comfort of our bed.
I moved into the bathroom down the hall as to not disturb Memphis. I didn’t want to wake him.
I quickly showered, letting the warm water wash away my tears. We had made love for hours, worshipping each other’s bodies, expressing our love for each other in ways that words could not.
I dressed in silence, locking down my feelings. Switching off my emotions. To get through what I was about to do I needed to be emotionless. I turn my heart to stone. I had to become Morningstar.
I walked back into the room, silent as a ghost. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of my man peacefully sleeping in our bed. His gloriously naked form was barely covered by a white sheet, making his tattoos stand out in stark contrast. I slipped my phone out of my back pocket snapping a picture – how could I not?
I placed the handwritten note that I had spent hours agonizing over on the table beside his phone and watch. A single tear slid down my cheek as I brushed a feather light kiss on his lips. Taking one last look at the love of my life, my future husband, my world. I slipped my engagement ring off my finger placing it on top of the letter.
Leaving the room, I hesitated for a moment, just long enough to gather up the Barber Shop Ink t-shirt and the long-sleeved flannel over shirt that he had been wearing. I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help it, I needed something of his with me to give me the strength to get through what needed to be done.
Picking up the bag that I had prepared earlier, I slipped out of the apartment and into the night. A solid black SUV with no headlights pu
lled up to the curb. I climbed in, silently closing the door.
“Is everything ready?” I asked.
“Yes,” Henry replied. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“No, but it has to be done,” I replied solemnly.
“What are you going to do?”
“Finish this.”
To be continued ……………………………………………………
Books by Penny Blush
Barber Shop Ink Book 1 – Always Blue in Memphis
About the Author
My name is Penny Blush, I love all things book and book related. I’m hoping that the people who make the James Bond movies will call me to ask to use my name as the next Bond Girl *Fingers Crossed*
When I’m not hoping for the Bond people to contact me, I usually can be found with my nose in a book getting lost in a story or thinking about stories I would like to write.
I’m Australian, I love to sing, and Christmas is my favourite time of the year. I believe in magic, fairies, the power of the universe and that everything happens for a reason.
Basically, I’m a crazy person, and I’m ok with that. At least my life is not boring!
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