by Shyla Colt
The girls’ chorus of hellos blended together. A stare-down between Moose and Joey filled the air with electricity. Juliette and Shooter exchanged a knowing look.
“Drinks?” Juliette asked.
“Yes!” The unanimous response made them all laugh. Cracking the ice that had begged to be broken.
“The coolers are over here.” Moose turned to lead the way with Shooter at his side.
Yummy, Joey mouthed, making her laugh.
“Just wait. The day’s young,” Juliette whispered. When they reached the coolers beside the Old Ladies, Juliette made more introductions. Boston went a long way toward loosening them up. In a lot of ways, the men of Mayhem were like any other group of guys. It looked like they were beginning to see that firsthand the more they moved around, mingled, and talked. Stuck in a conversation way over her head between Specs, Gadget, and Hilary, Juliette couldn’t help but be amused. Leave it to Hil to collect data for her books.
Juliette’s phone vibrated in her back pocket, and she frowned. Probably her mother trying to pry more information about Shooter out of her and get her to commit to a time and place to meet. Normally she’d ignore her, but she hadn’t talked to her in about a week. She dug out the phone and frowned at the unfamiliar number. Putting it up to her ear she answered.
“Hello.”
“May I speak to Ms. Juliette Moore?”
“This is she.”
“This is Paul with Randolph Security. We regret to inform you there’s been a break-in at your house. The police are currently on the scene and waiting for your arrival.”
“What!” The air left her lungs in a rush. Anger, fear, and anxiety mixed together forming a potent cocktail. Feeling inebriated, her head grew light.
“I know this is sudden, but these things do happen, and I’m here to walk you through it.” His steady voice brought her down, anchoring her.
“How bad was it?” she whispered closing her eyes as a feeling of violation hit. Someone had been in her space, touching her things, damaging items she could never replace. Peter did this. I know he did. Fury swept to the forefront and she latched on, drawing strength from her outrage. How dare he?
“I’m not sure, ma’am. The police are assessing the damage now.”
“I-I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She felt the weight of three sets of eyes on her.
“What’s wrong, Jul?” Evonne touched her arm gently.
“That was Randolph’s Security Company. Someone broke into my house.”
“Shooter!” Specs’ voice carried across the lawn to the horseshoe pit where Shooter stood with a few others. He took one look at her, and his expression grew dark. Tossing the piece of metal onto the ground, he stalked over. So much for finding their version of normal.
Chapter Thirteen
On the outside of her home everything appeared fine. She walked behind Shooter not ready to see the damage done to her sanctuary. They stepped inside and he shut the door. Her mouth fell open and her soul wept. The photos that lined the wall of her entry way had been thrown to the ground. Glass crunched under the heels of her boots. She avoided the biggest pieces, struggling to take everything in at once as they moved farther inside. It was like being trapped on the movie set of a post-apocalyptic film. Destruction met her gaze everywhere she looked. Tables were overturned, chairs had been slashed. Her chest ached with very breath she took. Her safe place had been taken away from her. She stumbled forward into the kitchen and clutched the counter.
The angel figurine her mother had purchased to watch over her home when she first moved in rested a few inches from her on the counter, broken in three places. Its wings had been removed along with its head. All were laid out neatly in a line. He’d hit below the belt. Tears obscured her vision. How much longer will I have to deal with this? What if he never stops? The weight of uncertainty fell onto her shoulders.
“Hey, you okay?”
“No, I’m really not.”
“Come on, let’s take a breather.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her stand upright.
“Where? Everywhere I look I see utter chaos.” Manic laughter bubbled up in her throat. “I thought I got away, but it was nothing more than an illusion. He’s still calling all the shots.”
“No, he’s not. Look at me.”
She shook her head. Shooter’s comfort meant nothing when her life was literally shattered and scattered into tiny pieces on the ground. He grabbed a hank of her hair and pulled it tight. She looked up to relive the pressure.
“I have you. You’re not alone and you’re not powerless. We’re working on this together. Understand?”
“Yes.” She gave him the response he wanted, but he narrowed his eyes. The man saw through bullshit.
“Do you want to leave?”
“No, I want to see what he did.” She licked her lips.
“All right. You lead I’ll follow.”
***
An hour of sifting through the rubble confirmed what he already knew, nothing was taken, just destroyed. Police wanted to blame it on teenage vandals, but she knew better.
It was Stant.
Not that they’d find his fingerprints anywhere. No, he was too smart for that. He’d hire someone who couldn’t be traced or located. What they referred to as an outside man.
Deflated and fragile, Juliette sat in the middle of the wreckage of her room. Her eyes were glossy and distant, and her hands shook as she picked up the contents of her jewelry box and placed the items back inside the cheery wood square one by one. The police had come and gone, leaving her free to try to piece her place back together.
“Baby?”
She glanced up at Shooter.
“We’ve been here long enough, it’s time to go. Being out in the open like this with no one to watch our backs makes me uneasy as fuck.”
“Go? This is my home.” She shut the lid on the case and ignored him. The numbness and shock had faded. Now she was angry and ready to dig her heels in and rebuild from the ground up.
“You’ll be staying with me until this shit it taken care of, one way or another.”
“You don’t get to just boss me around—”
“No, what I’m going to do is keep you safe. Now go do what I said.”
He’d cut her off and she saw red. There’s no way I’m giving away any more today. Haven’t I had enough taken by force?
“You’re an asshole!”
Gritting his teeth, he balled his hands into fists. “Not the first time I heard it and it won’t be the last. I get you’re mad, but don’t go off the deep end on me for something I didn’t do.”
“I don’t really want to go anywhere with you right now,” She crossed her arms beneath her chest.
“You don’t have a choice.”
The words hit her like a slap to the face. Her jaw dropped and her hackles rose. The tight rope she’d been walking snapped.
“What did you just say to me?” She dropped her voice an octave and starred him down.
“This is about keeping you safe. If you want to hate me for that, go right ahead. At least you’ll be alive and whole.”
“Fuck you, Shooter.” Her scream echoed through the room as she scrambled to her feet.
“Calm your shit down. You’re overreacting.”
“I just had my house torn apart, I’m trying to pick up the pieces and you’re bulldozing me, I’m not overreacting.”
“Aren’t you? In all the time I’ve known you, you’ve never raised your voice to me.”
“You never acted like a heavy-handed Neanderthal.” She threw her hands up in the air.
“Yes, I have because it’s who I am. I know it and so do you. Hell, I have you the disclaimer before we got involved.” It was true, but she’d be damned if she’d admit it in the middle of a fight.
“So that�
�s an excuse?” she placed her hands on her hips.
“No, sweetheart it’s a fact.” He smirked, and she wanted to claw his eyes out.
“I think we could both use some space.”
“Not going to happen.” He shook his head.
“You don’t dictate what I can or can’t do.”
“I do when you’re being completely irrational and showing a total disregard for your own welfare. I bet Stant’s somewhere waiting for this to happen, rubbing his lily white hands together in glee at the thought of having me out of the way. Fuck that.”
“So what now? I’m trapped in a new arrangement?”
Turning, he slammed his fist into the wall. “Don’t you dare compare me to him. You don’t want me around, fine. But you will stay in my apartment and be followed to and from work until this shit is hashed out. I’m not risking your safety because we picked a shitty time to have our first fight. I’m doing the best I can here, Juliette, give me some fucking credit and a little respect.” He stepped forward and gripped her jaw, pinning her to the spot with pain-filled brown eyes. Something was eating him from the inside out, she could see it. “You own my fucking heart. Be careful what you do with it.”
“Shooter.”
“You’re not the only one with demons, Juliette. I fight mine for you. I need you to do the same for me.” He released her and stepped back.
Her jaw opened and shut rapidly as she floundered. Regret swamped her. None of this was his doing. She silently pleaded for him to forgive her with her eyes. They’d had many conversations with a mere glance.
“Pack a suitcase, take whatever you can’t live without, and call one of your girls. I’ll follow you back to my apartment.”
“And then what?” she whispered.
“Then I’ll give you that space.”
She cringed. His words held a bitter tinge she’d never heard before.
“I’m going to make some calls, check in, and get some air.” He left her in the room, stepped on the back patio, and inhaled the night air. He left her in the room. Closing her eyes, she cursed her misdirected attitude. Springing into action, she hurriedly packed and called Joey who quickly agreed to follow Shooter back to his place. She grabbed her bag and lugged it downstairs. I should apologize. She walked over to the patio and opened the door, sticking her head outside.
“I’m packed. Joey should be here any minute.”
“I’ll come in a minute.”
She hesitated, hovering in the doorframe. She opened her mouth and froze. The words were a jumbled mess in her brain. The silence between them deafened. Completely drained, she shook her head and moved back into the house.
***
“Can you explain to me what’s going on? The air between you and Shooter was colder than a witch’s tit.”
“Did you seriously just say that?” Juliette rolled her eyes. Normally she loved Joey’s eccentrics, but right now it was too much.
“Quit stalling.” Joey tossed her duffle bag on the sofa. “I’d think at a time like this you’d be all up under him.”
“Not when he suddenly decides he had the right to tell me what to do.”
“Okay, details, babe.” Joey patted the seat beside her. “Come, sit, take a deep breath.”
Juliette huffed and sank beside her, retelling the story.
“Honey, he’s worried about you. Everything going on is backing him into a corner, and he’s fighting back the only way he knows how.”
“So you’re taking his side,” Juliette huffed.
“No!” Joey said, exasperated. “I’m not taking anyone’s side. I’m trying to shine a light on his perspective.”
“Really? ’Cause my life isn’t a show! It’s barely my own these days! It’s one unpredictable, terrifying event after another.”
Joey spluttered, holding her hands up, palms facing out. “Whoa, whoa. I’m sorry if I made you feel that way, but it wasn’t my intention. It’s clear you’re on edge right now. Your emotions are swimming so close to the surface, someone stirs the pond a bit and you become a typhoon.” Joey shook her head.
“Can you blame me?”
“No, but you can see why I’m hesitant to hop on the ‘bash Shooter’ train. You’re not yourself right now. It’s not like you to be so…”
“Crazy?”
“You said it.” Joey pointed at Juliette. “Not me.”
Banging the back of her head against the couch, she breathed deep. Safe in Shooter’s place with one of her best friends, she lost the wind in her sail. Nothing would happen to her here. The boys had her on some sort of surveillance and not many would be bold enough to walk up into a Mayhem member’s home.
“Okay, maybe I overreacted a little.”
Joey pushed her lips to the side. “If by little you mean a lot, yes.”
“In that moment when he told me I didn’t have a choice, it felt like Peter all over again. Violated, with nowhere to go and no options, I flipped my shit. Too much too soon. My brain overloaded and I took it out on him. I know it wasn’t my best moment. ”
“I get it. But you haven’t. You still have your own place, a good job, and your core group of friends. Sure, you aren’t with us around the clock, like you used to be. But that’s what happens when you get into a serious relationship.”
Recalling Shooter’s response to her behavior, she looked down. The sting of embarrassment sliced through her angry haze. Eventually she’d need to mend the hole she’d placed. Shoving away the tender emotions, she dug into her reserves. Tonight in the bed alone she’d let the impact of the break-in kick her ass. Right now she needed to keep it together. She couldn’t be that weak ass excuse for a woman. Juliette needed to show how strong she’d become. It was a matter of redemption and pride. This time she wouldn’t fall apart or run scared. She’d stand her ground and prove to herself the past no longer held her in its suffocating chokehold. She owed it to herself and Shooter deserved someone whole.
“I guess.” Juliette toyed with the edge of her shirt.
“What did the police say?” Joey tactfully changed the subject.
“They think it was teenagers on a rampage.” She rolled her eyes again. Bullshit!
“You didn’t tell them about Peter!”
“No, I don’t have any proof, and it could come back to haunt Shooter later. He didn’t say anything, but there was murder in his eyes.”
“Good. I hope it’s slow and painful.” She bared her teeth.
“Josephine!”
“After all the shit Peter did to you and who knows how many others, I hope they cut off his dick and shove it in his mouth before he dies.”
“Damn, you’re bloodthirsty!” Juliette couldn’t help but smile at her fierceness.
“Why aren’t you?” Joey turned her body sideways to face her.
“Because I can’t afford to be. If I held on to the deep anger I felt for him I’d be consumed by it. I refuse to become a bitter, angry, empty shell while he sits back in his tower lapping it up like a cat with cream. The journey was long and painful, you know.”
Joey nodded.
“That place was dark, lonely, and cold. I won’t go back. Maybe this time I won’t come out alive.”
“Jul!” Joey wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug.
“I’d rather be dead than live in constant fear. This time the story needs to end with a period. The open-ended thing didn’t work too well for me last time.”
“Whatever we need to do, I promise you at the end you will be the one standing.” The intensity in her friend’s eyes turned Juliette cold. She hadn’t voiced it out loud, but she shared the sentiment. This was kill or be killed. He’d never stop. Her greatest fear had come to life in the form of his reappearing act.
“I know we’re a group of girls, but with Mayhem protecting you, you know I’
m not just blowing smoke up your ass.”
“I know, but it doesn’t take away the fear. I never know what he has planned next. I’m so damn pissed that I’m afraid to go to work Monday. Every second the clock ticks down panics me and I know I need to be stronger this time.”
“Honey, you are.” Joey pulled away and took her face between her hands. “It’s okay to be scared. You should be.”
Chill bumps spread across her skin like wildfire. The big bad had descended upon her and soon she’d be caught in the eye of the storm.
“Your Old Lady has no clue what we’re up to right now, does she?”
Shooter glanced over at Moose and shook his head. “No, she’s too busy being pissed the fuck off right now to give a shit. I’m bunking at the clubhouse for the next few days. The break-in has her fucking off her gourd. I’m sure she wouldn’t have asked me for details even if I had told her.”
“Smart woman. I can’t really blame her for the personality transplant. This shit isn’t the norm for her. Kind of crazy really that she came with this kind of trouble.”
“Truth.” Shooter narrowed his eyes and studied the office building where Peter worked. He put in late nights, staying long after his staff left. With Specs and Gadget collaborating, they were going to kill the computer, loop the feed, and allow him time to get inside and hand deliver a message.
Curling his hand into a fist, Shooter cracked his knuckles, anxious for the secretary to leave for the night. “Is he fucking her or what?”
“I hope not. She’s old enough to be his mother.” Moose wrinkled his nose, and Shooter laughed.
“Never a dull moment when you’re around, bro.” Shooter tapped the steering wheel and shifted his weight in the seat.
“I know, you’re lucky you got paired with me, eh?” Moose winked, and Shooter rolled his eyes.
The front door of the office swung open, and Shooter sat up straight in the unmarked black car. “Finally.”
The secretary, Martha Wash, walked over to her car, got in, and drove off. A few minutes later his phone vibrated. Lifting it, he grinned.