by JM LOWE
She still insisted on doing her own shopping, cooking, even the majority of her cleaning. And now as the four big men shared their war stories with Jacks parents, he couldn't help but smile.
"You ok?" Harry closed the patio door before joining Jacks who was stood at the side of the pool.
"Fucking crazy few day’s man" Jacks glanced round, up at the bedroom he knew Hannah was sleeping in.
"Tell me about it, we just need to know if we got them all"
"He's dead Harry, all of them. It’s over ..." Jacks spoke slowly, his hands in his pockets, he looked at his friend, the relief clear to see on Harrys face.
"You're sure? I Mean, how do we know for sure?" Harry asked
"Besides the fact that Boss snapped his neck then slammed his head into his desk so it looked like he did it falling... Rebecca Walker ... aka Detective Walker, Jenson didn’t go into detail and I'm not gonna push, but they are sure its him. For someone who was trying to be a big-time smack dealer, he sure was a dumb fuck ... "
"fuck ... things have a way of moving at full speed around us don't they ... "
"It was the maid, well that's what they think. The sick fuck had mouth raped her man and she wasn't the first, in fact she was one of many by the sounds of it. Anyway, long story short, she left the gas on, accident and that is all there is too it."
Harry listened as Jacks told him that a prosecution wasn't likely as it looked like the gas had been left on by accident, but both Jacks and Harry knew different.
And they were both just fine with that.
"So, what happens now? Was kind of getting used to living the five-star life" Connor loaded his plate with the Pasta bake that Elizabeth Hunter has just removed from the oven. "God this is so good, and it beats the take-out crap we have been having."
Elizabeth smiled as she looked at the brood in front of her as they ate.
Then her eyes fell on her eldest son and her heart ached for him. He was a boy in love, it was as plain as the nose on his face, but he was troubled and she knew full well it was to do with a certain young lady who had stolen his heart. Breakfast was certainly going to be interesting.
Jacks watched as his parents said goodnight before making their way to bed, then he turned to the six men who stood in front of him, He took a deep breath and looked at Jenson who nodded and then he began to speak.
The proposal was simple in principle "Ok, we have the chance to set up in the private sector, we pool our talents, let Walker here run point, we would answer to him and Ray, salaries would be paid by The Hunter Hotel Group to start with, and we each get a ten percent share in the company, with Ray holding the final thirty. But when we get jobs they will be financed until such a time we start to make a clear profit. Each of us including myself and Chris who is gonna have to be trained from scratch will be paid a set rate salary starting at £100k per year"
"Excuse me, come again? " Harry almost gagged on the bottle of Bud he had been enjoying with his food. "Did you just say A HUNDRED THOUDSAND?"
"Yeah, did I stutter?" Jacks smiled, hell they all fucking smiled "Any way as I was saying, starting salary £100k per year, but we all agree to regular medicals, random drugs testing and anyone found to be using is out. There is a bit more too it, but that’s the basics, so gentlemen ... are we in or are we in and don't you mother fuckers make out you have lives, we have all been miserable as shit." Jacks looked at his brothers, knew their answers before he even spoke.
Life had been hard for each of them in one way or another since they had left the military and coming together again these last few days had proved once and for all the job was in their blood.
Ok so this hadn't become the shoot em up they had expected, but if anything, a job done without leaving any loose ends was the best kind, perhaps one day he would find that maid and shake her hand. Make life just a little bit easier for her, he was sure Detective Rebecca Walker could help with that.
The seven men stood, bottles raised and clashed together as a chorus of 'yeehaaa' rang out.
Briggs grabbed Chris in a head lock and gave his hair a scrub, "Welcome to the mad house kid ... "
Chris pulled away, trying to straighten his hair "I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?"
Jones laughed "Absafuckinlutely .... "
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Hannah lay with her eyes still closed, she had been awake for about half an hour now, but didn’t want to let the world in, it was still too painful.
Emma had waited for her to fall asleep before she had gone back to her own room and Hannah hadn't woken when she left.
But now she had to face him, she needed to try and get through the next few hours without being alone with Jacks.
The knock on her door was soft, normally Emma would knock and come in, but this time the door stayed shut. She made her way across the room, please don’t let it be him, not right now, as she opened the door slowly, the last person she expected to see was the soft warm face that stood before her.
"Mrs Hunter ..."
"Hi Hannah, may I come in? " she smiled as she held up two large cups of coffee.
"Sure, I mean, of course." Hannah stepped back to let the older woman in, she could see Jacks in the older woman’s face and it literally broke her heart.
"I brought coffee, Harry said you like a cup in a morning. Here, let me look at you, that looks painful, are you sure I can't persuade you to see a doctor?"
"Oh, thank you." Hannah took the cup and tasted the hot liquid, god it was good and just what she needed
"Jacks took me to see Jen yesterday, really, I'm fine, nothing broken, but thank you any way."
"We arrived last night, but didn’t want to wake you. You have had an eventful few days from what I hear. Thought it best to let you sleep." Elizabeth smiled, god this family oozed compassion, and all Hannah could think was how much of a bitch she had been to Jacks.
"Thank you, I feel so embarrassed about all this, I’m hoping it's gonna be over soon, Harry said… " Hannah looked at Elizabeth as she started to smile "What? what is it? "
"I know Hannah" Elizabeth Hunter sat gently on the side of the bed.
"You do?" The younger woman held onto the cup of hot liquid, her grip tighter and tighter.
"Not much those boys can get past me, yes, I know, probably not everything, there are somethings better left unsaid, let’s just say a good woman knows when her man is being, shall we say, less than honest, even if his intentions are honourable" She watched Hannah as she took a sip of her own drink.
"My point is, those boy's down there, two of them in particular, would have moved mountains with their bare hands to make sure you were safe, and from what I am lead to believe, a particularly tall, handsome young man would jump back in and do it all again in a heartbeat, no questions asked"
"I need to get dressed, I need to find Harry and Ja..." Hannah hesitated.
"It’s ok, I know that too... " Elizabeth smiled gently as she held Hannah’s’ hand.
"You do?" Hannah looked at the woman’s kind face and saw where her son got his compassion form.
"That my son loves you? Yes I do, I also know that you love him and he told me what you argued about."
Hannah looked away, he loved her, he loved HER? Shit and she loved him, with every fibre of her being, but it still hung over her, how could she ask him to walk away from his life for her? She couldn’t ...
"Oh god, Mrs Hunter, Jacks doesn't want me, doesn't want to be part of the messed-up situation that is my life, I couldn't do that do him..." Hannah paused as soft hands took hers.
"Hannah, that isn't your decision to make, it's his, and Jackson has made hard decisions before and he will again, but I can assure you, choosing you isn't a hard decision for him, it's how do you say 'a no brainer'."
Hannah listened as Elizabeth’s words described the troubled boy he had been, when he had rebelled against everyone and everything before taking the path that lead him to where he was now. She wondered if this is what having a loving
mother would have been like, Harry and their Dad had tried, made sure she never wanted for anything, but there were some things their relationships hadn't been able to cover, boys, periods, self-doubt, those doubts still remained.
She listened to the words of the kind woman sat beside her, tried to allow herself to make sense of them, to let them guide her as she remembered the look of pain on the face of the man she had fallen so deeply in love with, she had done that to him, had hurt him, after everything he had done for her.
It was all too much, everything was running through her head at a million miles an hour.
Elizabeth gave Hannah a warm embrace before she left the room, passing Emma on the way out.
The two women exchanged a brief conversation before Emma walked into Hannah's room, closing the door behind her.
"You feeling any better?" Hannah knew it was one of those questions asked usually to fill an awkward silence, but coming from Emma, she knew it was sincere.
"Not really" Hannah sat, the coffee still clenched in a vice like grip "I want to go home Em, now that Sanchez is dead I have no reason to stay here anymore." Hannah sat up, looking around the room. This place really was beautiful.
"Yeah, you should have been here, if I hadn't known what I do, I would have thought it was another one of their male bonding sessions."
Hannah let out a long hard breath as she thought of her brother, more than just the annoying over protective pain in her ass, he had turned into full blown super hero, hell, all of the men downstairs had turned out to be her very own band of brothers, if you had told her a week ago, what she knew now, Hannah would have laugh.
"I’m serious Han, I've spent a bit more time in their company in the last few days and shit, those boys got up to stuff you certainly wouldn't tell your grandma."
"I have been kind of in a bit of a bubble, haven't I? I'm sorry Em, it's like I just dumped you when we got here. I haven't been thinking straight. He fucking does that to me." Hannah stood and started to pack the few things she had back into the small bag she had managed to grab before they were headed out of the bar a few nights ago.
"You have been in the 'lurrve bubble', look on the bright side, when all around you has been going to shit, at least you have been getting laid." Emma laughed as she spoke. The moment needed lightening.
"You mean you and Harry still haven't ... you know, bumped uglies yet?" Hannah threw her friend off guard and smiled when Emma blushed.
"NO.." Emma watched as Hannah ran her fingers through her messy hair before sculpting it into a lose knot on her head.
"I need to get out of here Em, as big as this place is, while he is here I feel like I'm being squeezed. I need to go; can I crash at yours for a few? I can get Harry to clear his spare room and then will move in there. It’s not like I have much stuff anyway so I'm not gonna take up much room."
She needed to get away from everything, Harry, Jacks, the whole situation that had been out of her control the last few days, apparently fearing for your life could take quite an emotional toll on someone, who knew, Hannah laughed to herself.
Bag packed, bed made, Hannah and Emma made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen where Harry and Mr Walker where sat talking together, Hannah caught the back tail of the conversation, something about 'Compound' and 'Security', but she wasn't interested, she needed to get out of the place before she ran into Jacks.
They looked up as the girls walked into the room. The conversation halted.
Hannah made her way over to her brother who introduced her to Ray Hunter, the kiss the older man placed on her cheek was affectionate and Hannah noticed he had the same broad smile as his son, she couldn't help but admire the warmth that came from each member of this wonderful family.
"I’m gonna be staying with Em for a few days Harry, do you think you can clear your spare room out anytime soon. I'm gonna need to crash until I sort things out." Hannah didn't think they would understand her need to leave, but neither man questioned it.
"Yeah sure, but I'm gonna be out the apartment quite a bit though, you gonna be good with that?" He asked "Sure you don’t just want to stay with Em, doing ya girly shit, pillow fights and all that crap that you girls do?" Hannah smacked his arm before he finished his sentence.
"Grow up dick .... besides, I'm sure me being at Emma's will be more than enough of an excuse for you to just drop by until you get that spare room cleaned up for me. .." Hannah smile as did Ray Hunter.
Harry didn’t reply, but the look on his face said everything.
Jacks stood staring through the kitchen window of the guest cottage, his chest hurt, he had paced a thousand steps that morning knowing his mum was going to talk to Hannah.
He hadn't wanted her to, but she had insisted and as kind as Elizabeth Hunter was, she was also as forceful as any one he knew and wasn't to be crossed when she set her mind to it.
Hannah was exactly the same he thought, how ironic.
As he looked up, he was the familiar figure of his mum came into view, as much as he loved her, she wasn't the person he wanted or needed to see right now.
Jacks opened the door before she knocked. His hair damp from the shower after his run that morning, his usual five miles had been pushed closer to seven, it had been a cold morning and the low temperature had felt good against his skin as he had tried to clear his head.
"I’m sorry son, she left." she rubbed his arm as she spoke, Jacks stood, his shoulders low, had he really expected Hannah to come to him, to run into his arms?
She had convinced herself she wasn't good enough for him, what a crock, that couldn't be further from the truth, he should have told her who he was, but then again it shouldn't have mattered, ok, so they came from different places, but he didn't see it as a problem, it wasn't about where they came from for him, it was about where they were destined to be and that as far as he was concerned, was together.
“I don't know what the hell went wrong? what do I do to fix this?" The words fell from his mouth, he was broken and if he was honest with himself he didn’t know the first thing about how to fix the situation. Give him a mountain in Afghanistan or a desert in Iraq over this any day.
"Look at things from Hannah’s point of view, you might not like it, but think about things for a moment, a week ago she was finally putting her life back together after what happened to her father, then within a few days, you show up followed by the rest of the gang, team, whatever you call yourselves these days, suddenly everything that girl has ever known is pulled out from under her feet." Jacks listened as his mother tried to make her son see sense "Was she even given a choice? Don't get me wrong, if she was mine and in danger, I would have dragged her kicking and screaming to safety, but her life was invaded and then god forbid that wasn't enough, the one thing she had left connecting her to her poor father was taken away from her. And don't get me started on being kidnapped"
"But I can help her, I want to..." He started, pacing as he ran his hands down his face.
"This isn’t about what you want Jackson, this is about Hannah needing to have some time for herself and sort things out. She thinks she isn't good enough for you, but that's rubbish, we both know no matter how much money or how big your house, we all end up in the same sized box in the end, but that's something she needs time to come to terms with."
"So, what do I do?" Suddenly the powerful man she was became reduced to her little boy again, and Jacks knew this was one hurt she couldn't fix.
"You fight Jackson, I didn't raise a quitter, the ironic thing is she has no idea you lost everything too, but she needs to learn that from you and no one else son. You need to give her a few days, she's has gone to stay with her friend Emma. I suggest you use the time to think about a few things and then perhaps she will be ready to talk." As she stood and leaned to give her son a kiss, she knew Jacks would have a hard time staying away from Hannah, but she also knew if he pushed to hard he would push her away.
As Jenson and Harry loaded the last of the bags into
the van they had borrowed a few days previous, Jacks made his way towards the main house.
"What's the plan?" He asked as he approached the cluster of bodies all gathered at the front of the house.
"Buy some new tyres." Chris nodded towards the flats that currently sat on his Rover.
Harry finished loading the bags then turned to the rest of the group "I need to go make sure Han is ok to stay at Emma’s while I clear out my spare room for her, this whole thing is still a mess. I can get you your tyres sorted Chris, sorry about that"
"NO, you will not Harry, I'm sure Chris can handle changing his own tyres. Have to say, she is resourceful that sister of yours" Ray looked at his youngest son as he spoke, but Chris had gone to talk to the others.
They had taken him under their wing, but the niceties wouldn’t last long once they were putting the younger man through his training. They would be nothing if not hard task masters, but the rewards would be worth the pain that was for sure.
"Well me and Mr Hunter here are going real estate shopping, should be fun" Jenson cracked his neck as Ray slapped him affectionately on the shoulder.
"The Cramp twins over there are thinking of heading to the nearest bar to find the company of some ladies" Connor nodded towards Briggs and Jones who were stood talking to Chris "And I need to get back home, few things I need to do. Any idea how long things are gonna take to get off the ground? I could do with a location asap so I know if I will need to give my landlord notice. I won’t mind moving that's for sure."
"Will do Connor, it shouldn't be too long, I already have somewhere in mind and I think it’s safe to say you can tell your landlord you will be moving." Ray shook the younger man’s hand before they loaded into the van and Rovers, waving as they exited the property.
Jacks followed his parents back into the house, Chris headed to the kitchen where Elizabeth has started to make the elder sons comfort food of steak and mashed potatoes. Jacks and his father headed to the office and Ray pulled out a thin file that had HUNTERS INC stamped across the front.