by Ali Parker
I bit my bottom lip and looked at my sister. “Stay here with Luke. I have to go with them and make sure neither of them does something stupid. Okay? Promise you’ll stay here?”
Kim nodded. “Promise.”
“No, Momma,” Luke whimpered, clinging to the front of my shirt. “Don’t go.”
“I have to, Luke. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about me. Neither of them will hurt me.”
“Don’t go.” Luke started to cry.
My heart broke as I pried his fingers loose from my shirt and left him and my sister on the couch. I rushed out into the hall to find one of Kim’s neighbors, a red-headed woman, standing with her hand on her chest as she stared around the corner and down the hall.
I ran by her, and she caught my elbow. “You best stay here, dear. I’m going to call the police. Is anyone in the apartment hurt?”
“No,” I said hurriedly. “Everyone is fine. Don’t call the police. My friend is handling it.”
“The one in the plaid?”
“The leather,” I said.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Don’t be so judgmental,” I said, brushing by her and jabbing the elevator button. “Did they take the stairs?”
The red-headed woman nodded. “I don’t think ‘take’ is the right word. Your friend sort of dragged the other down them.”
“Good,” I muttered as the elevator door chimed and slid open. “Don’t call the cops. Everything is under control.” The doors closed as the woman nodded at me.
Even though the ride to the first floor was only seconds, it felt like forever. I wrung my hands as I waited for the doors to open, and once they started to, I squeezed through. I ran across the foyer, slipping between a man in his bathrobe and a woman I assumed was his wife. They both yelled at me to stay inside.
I could see Jax out on the lawn. He was looming over Kent, who was on his ass in the grass, staring defiantly up into Jax’s face. They were yelling at each other, that was for sure, and I was shocked to see that there was no blood.
Yet.
I made for the door and the man in the robe stopped me. “Stay inside. Those two came through here like bulls in a china shop. It’s not safe.”
“One of them is my friend.”
The man blinked. “The one in the leather?”
I nodded. “I was in trouble. He came to help me. Please make sure no one calls the police? We can handle this on our own. I know it’s not conventional, but it’s what works. Okay?”
The man’s eyes flicked back and forth between mine, but eventually, he conceded. “I’ll hold off for now. But if it starts to get bad …”
“Whatever,” I said, “That’s fine.” Then, I raced outside and down the steps to the lawn.
Jax looked over at me and raised a hand. “Stay where you are.”
I stayed. My bare feet were on the edge of the concrete path and the grass and it separated me from them like crime scene tape. Despite the distance, I still wanted to say my piece. I had confidence now and the comfort of safety. Jax would never let something happen to me. I finally had an opportunity to speak my mind and my truth without fear of setting Kent off. If he lost it, Jax would handle it.
“Kent,” I started, my voice more commanding than I had ever heard it. “You are going to leave and never come back here. You can see Luke once a month in a public place, and I have to be present. If you ever pull anything like this again—”
“Me and my entire MC are coming after your ass,” Jax finished for me. “And if I see your face around here again, I’m not going to take it easy on you.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Kent growled, getting to his feet and brushing dirt and grass from his jeans. “I’m not going to be kept away from my son.”
“You kept yourself away from him!” I yelled.
Both men turned to stare at me. Fury was building inside my chest, and I needed to get it out. “You had your chances, Kent. I gave you hundreds of them. I pleaded with you to stop drinking, and I told you what would happen if you didn’t. I warned you for years before I finally had the nerve to get the hell away from you. You’re an angry drunk. You’re a mean father. And you never, ever treated me right. I deserve better than you and so does Luke, and I’m done lying to myself to keep you happy. You will never get me back. Not ever.”
Kent and Jax were both staring at me. Jax had a weird smirk on his lips, almost like he was impressed by me finally standing up for myself. His confidence in me felt really fucking good. I put my hands on my hips and straightened. “Go home, Kent. And try not to drink yourself to death. Luke is still going to need you in his life.”
I thought I was being more than fair. I thought Kent would see the reason and the mercy in what I was offering him.
But when his hands balled into fists and his sneer shifted from me to Jax, I knew how wrong I had been.
“Kent, don’t!” I shrieked.
But it was too late.
Kent had snapped. His rage gave him tunnel vision, and at the end of that tunnel was Jax.
Kent buried one fist in Jax’s side, who grunted with the impact and staggered back a step. I took a step out onto the grass. Jax held his ribs and let out a fierce snarl that froze me in place. I retreated back to the pavement and watched, body shaking with nerves, as Kent wound back to strike again.
Jax was too fast and too angry to be caught unaware again. He slipped by Kent’s fist, which had been barrelling toward his face, and dealt my ex three quick punches to the gut that dropped him to his knees. Once he was down, Jax knocked him flat on his back with a strike to the jaw and pressed a boot to Kent’s chest.
He leaned over and the two of them exchanged words I couldn’t hear. A few seconds later, Jax lifted his foot and Kent rolled to the side. He scrambled a few feet across the grass, staggered to his feet, and then jogged over to the sidewalk where his Dodge Charger was parked. He shot me a dark look before getting into the car and driving away.
I ran across the grass to Jax and threw my arms around his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me to him as I cried against him. “Thank you,” I sobbed.
He kissed the side of my head and then released me to cup my cheeks in both hands. He looked me straight in the eyes. “You swear he didn’t lay a hand on you? Or Luke or Kim?”
“I swear. He didn’t hurt us. He just terrorized us all night while he got piss drunk. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t come. I was so scared.”
“I’ve got you,” Jax said, his voice soothing and soft. “You’re all right. Everything is all right. Come on, let’s get you inside away from all these assholes who wanted a show.”
I nodded as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and held me to his side as we walked back up the path and steps. A crowd had gathered in the foyer, and the man in the robe opened the door for us. Jax thanked him with a nod and steered me through the throng of apartment residents toward the elevator. We got on, and I started sobbing again as soon as the doors closed and we were alone.
Jax let me cry. He hugged me close as I sobbed and rested his chin on my head. He didn’t say anything. He just let me grieve until the doors opened, and then I was able to pull myself back together.
Still tucked under his arm, we returned to Kim’s apartment to find her and Luke still curled up in the corner of the sofa. When they saw me come in through the kitchen archway, both of them launched off the sofa and ran to me. Luke wrapped his arms around my legs, and my sister raced by me to hug Jax, who stood awkwardly in place for a moment before Kim apologized and stepped back, wiping the tears from under her eyes.
“It’s okay,” Jax said.
I crouched down in front of Luke and hugged him tightly. “Everything is fine now. We’re all safe. Are you okay?” I held his face in my hands.
Luke’s bottom lip trembled, but he nodded.
I hugged him again and kissed his cheek. “You’re such a good boy.”
There were a dozen things I felt I neede
d to do in that moment. I needed to feed my son. He needed to eat. He also needed to sleep. So did I, and so did Kim. Now that the danger was gone, I was acutely aware of how hungry and exhausted I was. I had been up all night long, sitting in fear, worrying for hours that Kent was going to hurt my family.
Now that the threat was gone, I was afraid I wouldn’t have the strength to even stand up.
But there were other things I needed to do. Primarily, I had to introduce Luke to Jax. I didn’t want to wait and do it later. I wanted to get it over with and show Luke that Jax wasn’t someone he had to be afraid of. He was a friend. Someone to be trusted.
I looked up over my shoulder at Jax and saw his hand resting on his ribs.
Somehow, I stood. “Are you hurt?”
Jax shook his head, and his hand fell from his side. “No. I’m fine.”
“You’re sure?” I didn’t believe him. I had seen it when Kent hit him.
But Jax smiled, and the softness of his eyes put my mind at ease. “You and I both know I’ve seen worse.
I couldn’t argue with that. Jax’s lifestyle put him right smack dab in the middle of fights that were much worse than anything Kent could deliver.
Much worse.
Chapter 19
Jax
Holly and her sister looked exhausted. They’d had a hellish night, and so had Luke, who was hiding behind Holly’s legs and peering up at me with wide green eyes. He looked just like her. It was unreal.
Holly reached around behind her and rested a hand on Luke’s head. “Luke, you don’t have to be shy. This is my friend, Jax. I’ve known him since I was really young.”
Luke shrank back further. I couldn’t blame the kid. I’d just dragged his father out of the house in a not so friendly manner and then kicked his ass out on the front lawn. It wasn’t the way I had been hoping to meet him.
I crouched down, ignoring the tightness in my side from where Kent’s knuckles had hammered into my ribs. I didn’t get any closer, and I was mostly speaking to Holly’s thighs, but that didn’t matter. Luke needed time to feel comfortable. All I needed to do right now was make the introductions.
“Hey, Luke,” I said, “you don’t have to come out, but I just wanted to say hello. Your mom told me you really like Legos, and you’re pretty good at building stuff. Maybe one time you and I could build something together?”
Luke peered at me, and his fingers tightened in Holly’s jeans.
“You just let me know when you want to play,” I said, rising back to my feet. Holly was smiling at me.
“Can you give me a minute?” she asked. “I want to get him something to eat and see if he might be able to get some sleep.”
“Yeah, no problem,” I said and watched her and Luke disappear into the kitchen.
Kim nudged me with her elbow. “Want to sit for a minute?” She pointed her chin to the sofa.
I followed her to the couch and took a seat at the opposite end from her. She pulled her legs up under herself and held her ankles as she regarded me with an unreadable expression. “This would have been a disaster if you hadn’t shown up, you know.”
I had no idea how to respond to her statement, so I shrugged slightly and broke eye contact.
“No, seriously Jax. Kent scares the hell out of Holly. He always has. Thanks for coming and making sure she was safe.”
I still couldn’t think of a damn thing to say, so I sat there like an idiot waiting for her to say something besides thank you. I wasn’t good with thank-yous.
“How do you feel about her?”
I met Kim’s eyes. That was a question I could answer. “The same way I’ve always felt. I care more than is good for me. Holly is and always has been my Achilles’ heel. You know that as well as everyone else.”
Kim smiled and pulled at a loose thread at the hem of her shirt. “Yeah. I think I just wanted to hear you say it out loud. You’re a lot different than the young guy who was always following my sister like a lost puppy dog.”
“I did not—”
She arched an eyebrow.
“All right. Fine.” I conceded.
Kim chuckled. “She feels the same way about you, you know. Are you free tomorrow night?”
“Sorry?”
“Tomorrow night. Are you free?”
“Uh, yeah,” I said, wondering where the hell this was going.
“Take Holly out again. Don’t bring her home this time. Luke and I will hold down the fort, and if you two decide, you can go back to your place. You both deserve some quality alone time I think. Yes?”
“If you let me fix your door, it’s a deal.”
Kim blinked. “Right. I don’t have a front door.”
“No. Sorry about that.”
She surprised me by laughing. She laughed so hard she was holding her ribs and blinking tears from the corners of her eyes. She dabbed the wetness away with her thumbs and got herself under control. “Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry. No, I’m tired. I’m really, really tired. I think I’m losing it a bit.”
“It’s all good. You should go to bed. I’ll call some guys and have them fix your door.”
“Some MC guys?”
“Does it matter?”
“Not even a little bit,” Kim said as she stood and walked around the sofa. She stopped behind me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Thanks again and not just for the whole Kent thing.” She gave my shoulder a squeeze and then slipped away, vanishing behind the door to her bedroom.
I was left alone in the living room with an aching side and made a quick call to Sabian. He answered almost right away, his voice thick with sleep. “Dude. What do you want? It’s not even eight.”
“I know. Sorry. Had a bit of an altercation at Holly’s apartment, and I was hoping you could swing by with a new door. I can text you the dimensions.”
There was a brief pause on the other end. “An altercation, hey?”
“I can give you the details when you get here, all right?”
“Fine. Fuck, man, it’s so fucking early.”
“Just get your ass out of bed. I’ll text you the dimensions and give you the cash when you get here. By the way, did Ryder call you yet?”
“No, was he supposed to?”
“Yeah, but he knows you like your beauty sleep. I’ll fill you in on more Black Hearts developments when you get here. Dani has new information.”
“All right. I’ll head out after I shower. Send me her address too.”
I hung up the phone just as Holly came out of the kitchen. She was wiping what appeared to be peanut butter from the corners of Luke’s mouth as he padded along beside her wiping sleep from his eyes.
She caught my gaze and smiled. “Luke is just going to get into bed, and then I’ll be right back, okay?”
I nodded. “See ya around, Luke.”
He waved at me. Progress was progress.
I got up and searched through the kitchen drawers for a measuring tape. I found one, measured the door, and then sent a text to Sabian.
I returned to the living room at the same time as Holly. “What were you doing?” She asked, dropping down on the couch and curling up into a ball, similar to how her sister had been sitting.
“Measuring the door. I have a buddy on the way with a new one that we’ll put in for your sister.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did,” I said, sliding closer to her. “It’s nothing. Besides, Kim and I made a deal.”
“Oh?”
“I replace the door, and she babysits Luke all night long tomorrow. If you’re comfortable with it, of course. Dinner and then my place? It was her idea.”
Holly beamed at me. “I would love that. As long as Luke is okay, count me in.”
“Great,” I said, running my fingers over her shoulder.
We sat quietly together for a moment.
“Jax?” she said quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Is something bothering you?”
She could
read me like a fucking book. She’d always been able to for as long as I could remember. I don’t know how she did it, but she could see things in me that I didn’t even know were there.
“No, I’m good.”
“I don’t believe you. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I scratched the back of my neck and sighed. “I just didn’t want you to have to see me like that. I’m sorry. That part of me, the angry part, that’s not who I am anymore. That’s just—”
“Jax,” she said sternly, “stop it. I’m not afraid of you. You did what you had to do, and I’m grateful for it. Don’t convince yourself that you’re the bad guy. Okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Good,” she said, stifling a yawn and reaching her arms over her head in a dramatic stretch. “How long until your friend is here?”
“I don’t know. An hour or so. He’s kind of a flake, so he might make a couple of stops on the way.”
“Have a nap with me?”
I hadn’t slept all night either, and I was beat. I nodded, and Holly slid across the sofa cushions to cuddle up beside me.
The warmth of her body was comforting, and her cheek on my chest reminded me of the good old days.
Then a strange thought struck me. I had everything that I’d had in the “good old days” back again. I didn’t need to keep thinking of Holly as someone I was going to inevitably lose. Maybe our time had finally come, and I could stop believing that I was only going to have her for a moment.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and we both stretched out on the couch and promptly fell asleep.
I woke to someone shaking me with their hand on my shoulder. I blinked a couple times, adjusting to the bright sunlight streaming in through all the windows, and found myself staring up at Sabian.
His mouth was twisted in a smile, and he looked at Holly. “Well, don’t you look cozy?”
“Shut up,” I groaned, struggling to extract myself from behind Holly, who was still fast asleep.
I ended up having to climb over the back of the sofa so as not to wake her. Then, Sabian and I went down the hall to the front door.