Greg drew in a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know. It seems too risky.”
Aiden sighed. He just wanted to go back to the Napa compound and fall into bed. “It’s always going to be risky. Listen, you’re just going to have to trust me.”
“Says the guy who knocked me out and kidnapped my sister.”
“No, says the guy who just killed two guys for your cop friend. Says the guy who is really fucking tired and needs a good night’s sleep before he goes and lies to the authorities about witnessing a murder committed by your other sister. You are just going to have to go with this all right?”
Liv moved over to stand beside Aiden. “Trust is earned. Both sides are hesitant to trust the other and you know what, maybe one of us gets fucked over, but we have no other choices right now.” She threw her hands up. “If he’s lying and he goes to the Empress than we deal with it and we fight when it comes time to fight. If that’s the case we will take him down then. Until then, we will all have to earn each other’s trust.”
Aiden didn’t know if Liv was sticking up for him or not, but what she said was true. He switched his gaze from Greg over to Jack and Lucy. “She’s right. We are going to have to work this through over time.”
“So you don’t want to stay here?” Lucy asked.
He couldn’t, not yet. “I don’t think it’s a good idea yet.”
“We understand,” she assured him as Jack reached over and took her hand in his. Boy, it still blew his mind to see Jack so taken by a woman. The guy had never cared that much about anything his entire life. That was probably one of the reasons the two of them had gotten along so well.
“Look,” Aiden leaned back in the chair and ran his fingers through is hair, “I’m not usually a sentimental guy, but I feel it’s worth mentioning while everyone is in one room that I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be, a good guy. But when I took Lucy, I didn’t know the extent of crazy the Empress had gone.
I have done a lot of shit in my time and I’m not going to apologize for any of it now, it was how I lived, how I was brought up and I won’t be sorry for my life. However, I can admit when I’ve done something wrong … and I was wrong for taking Lucy to the Empress.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Among other things. That’s over now.”
“Yes, it is. In any case, I’ll stay here tonight, but after talking with the lawyer and the police tomorrow, I’m going back to Napa.”
Greg yawned and then stretched his arms wide. “All right, if that’s what you want. I don’t think I need to give you the whole ‘if you fuck us over speech’ … or do I?”
“Nope, I’m good.”
Dan pushed away from the table and rubbed his eyes. “I’m going to sleep on the couch. I don’t think I can go any further than that anyway.” He rose from the table and gave the room a wave. “Night y’all.” He stripped off his shirt as he pushed open the door leading into the living room.
“Don’t get dirt all over the couch, Dan!” Lucy shouted as the door swung shut behind her brother.
“Fuck off,” he yelled back.
Aiden liked the way this family interacted. He admired their loyalty and the love that came along with that. He smiled to himself as he lay out a blanket on the floor and then practically fell down on top of it as exhaustion finally began to take over his body.
He could get used to being around these people. Maybe this lifestyle change wouldn’t be so bad after all.
CHAPTER
28
DAVID
One Month Later
Beep, beep, beep.
“Turn that thing off,” Hannah mumbled into his shoulder.
He pushed the covers off and leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, I have to get up for work. Go back to sleep.”
She rolled over and mumbled, “Love you,” as she turned away.
Every day he went through the same dilemma, and had to force himself out of bed instead of wrapping his arms around her and snuggling in close, which almost always led to more. Nope, today there was no time for that.
After a quick shower, he quietly slipped back into the bedroom and donned his Summer Hollow Police Department uniform. Yeah, he caved to love and wanted to be as close to Hannah as he could, which meant moving in with her and taking the job the sheriff had offered him.
He enjoyed the small-town cop job more than he thought he would. Sure, it had its downsides, but what job didn’t. He worked alongside Sheriff Davis, who had been more than happy to sign him on. Mrs. Davis, was just as ecstatic as her husband, probably more so, and honestly, he was glad to be back in their lives. He’d missed Darcy something fierce, the way a son should miss his mother.
The Estmond family had forgiven him, even Dan, who had been the hardest to crack. The family claimed he was one of them now. He was a guardian in his own right. Though, in his mind it was hard to agree with them when he had needed saving. He was supposed to be the one who did the rescuing.
He buttoned up his shirt and stared down at Hannah. Her dark red hair fanned across the pillow behind her and her bare shoulder peeked out from underneath the blankets, exposing her Jedi tattoo. She was his Jedi Knight, trained from birth to protect the innocent from evil.
The trial had just ended, but she wasn’t scheduled to go back to work just yet. The hospital had to do their own judging to decide if they wanted to continue to employ her. Regardless of the reasons, she had performed an autopsy on a man she had killed. It was ethically wrong for her to do so and the board would be making the final decision whether she stayed on or not.
He felt bad for her. She had been cleared of the murder charges and self-defense was the final verdict, as expected. Aiden’s coming forward to witness did help win the case. But, her job was what she loved, what she had spent so many years going to school for. She had a duty to protect the souls, and being a medical examiner was her way of doing it.
Things weren’t looking good at the hospital either. They were probably going to give her the boot. If they did, it wasn’t like her profession was the kind where one could just go out and find another position. So, it would be difficult for her to find another job. Not to mention that the other hospitals wouldn’t want to hire a medical examiner with any kind of a record.
So, reasonably, she was in a bit of a depression. She spent her days over at the Estmond house, wandering the cemetery and trying to figure out what she was going to do with all the schooling and degrees she had if no one would hire her.
This was his new life … and he loved it.
He was more than happy to wipe out the old and bring in the new. But, there were a few things he had to take care of before the old was eradicated.
The new was amazing though. He didn’t always see the souls, or the auras of the Keepers and Reapers, only when he concentrated on it. When he cleared his mind and let the weight of the world go.
“Love you.” He planted a kiss on Hannah’s cheek and crept out of the room.
The police station in Summer Hollow was basically a tiny office space on the main strip in town. It was small, not what he was used to at all. The position with the SHPD was basically a demotion, but it was one he was glad to take. He was officially a deputy again, but he hadn’t been stripped of his detective credentials. It pretty much boiled down to the fact that he had to wear the uniform instead of a suit.
He drew the line with his car though. Sheriff Davis insisted he drive a patrol car, but David didn’t want to give up his Chevelle, so the car ended up being the deal breaker and he was allowed to drive his car as long as he used a bubble light.
His feelings about everything surprised him. It was as if everything faded away as soon as he realized that he could actually have Hannah back in his life. Everything he had worked so hard for had become meaningless and she was all that mattered. Losing her was something he could only do once. Now he had a second chance and he couldn’t mess it up again … no, he wouldn’t mess it up aga
in.
So, here he was, back where it had all begun.
“Hey, David,” Sheriff Davis greeted him when he strode into the office. “How are ya this morning?”
“Not bad.” David smiled and strode toward his desk. “Hannah is still trying to cope with everything, but she’ll get through this.”
The older man nodded and thoughtfully leaned back in his chair. “It’s a damn shame all this is happening to her. I wish I could do something to help.”
David sat down in his office chair and rolled toward his desk. “Nah, there isn’t much that could be done anyway. She is going to have to pull through this and figure something else out.”
“Well, at least you’re here for her.”
With a deliberate nod of agreement, David got to work with the paperwork on his desk.
After the day was done, he slid behind the wheel of the Chevelle and found himself heading up to The Springs. After the incident with Marcus and Aaron, he started gutting the house, getting ready for some actual remodeling, since that was the story they had gone with regarding the equipment they used to demolish the ugly ass carpet.
He roared up the driveway and came to a rumbling stop in front of the house.
What a fucking disaster the place was. Absolutely nothing good ever happened in that house. His parents, his childhood, and then almost getting killed in there. The trailer was goddamn magnet for disaster.
He cut the engine and stepped out into the warm sunshine. Even though it was October, the temperatures remained comfortable in the eighties. He rounded the car and leaned against the hood so he could stare at the house. Shading his eyes against the evening sun, he took in the dilapidated trailer and wondered for the thousandth time if he should break down and sell it.
That was the thought he was still bouncing around when he heard another vehicle pulling up behind him. He knew by the smooth sound of the engine that it was Hannah, coming to check on him since he didn’t come home right after work.
Turning, he smiled and waved, genuinely happy that she had come searching for him.
CHAPTER
29
HANNAH
There he was, sitting on his car, staring at that house again.
If she could have it her way, she would take a wrecking ball to the damn house. David was always there, dwelling on his past. As long as he kept doing this, he was never going to have any closure.
She parked her car next to his and threw open the door. “Hey,” she called out. “I’ve been calling.”
“Oh.” He looked surprised and pulled his phone out of the pocket of his uniform pants. “It’s on silent. I’m sorry, I haven’t checked it for a while.”
She smiled. “Apparently. Well, it’s no big deal. This gave me an excuse to get out of the house.”
David chuckled, “You can’t fool me. You’re always out of the house, roaming the graveyard and hanging out with the souls.”
It was true, without anything else to do she had been spending a lot of time on patrol in the cemetery. It was her true calling to watch over the souls, so that is what she did. But, walking around all day left her a lot of time to think and she couldn’t come up with a damn thing she could do for work if she wasn’t allowed to be a medical examiner anymore.
That was shitty.
There were ton of shitty things that had happened in the last couple of months, but in the end, she was happy. Happy she wasn’t in jail and even happier that she and David were able to give their relationship a real chance.
He had left the position in Lakeport so he could work in Summer Hollow and be close to her. She offered for him to stay with her, mostly because she didn’t want to be away from him. They had been away from each other for so long … she couldn’t bear to be away from him for any longer than needed.
“That’s true.” She nodded, sliding up next to him on the hood of the Chevelle. “You know what I mean though.”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
She felt his arm slide around her waist and pull her a little bit closer to him. For a while, neither of them spoke. The two sat there in silence, enjoying the peaceful sound of running water from the creek. Breathing in deep, Hannah leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. The overgrown vegetation surrounding the property always smelled so fresh and clean, that was one of the things she loved most about The Springs.
“Let’s burn it down,” she whispered, as if there were others around who could hear.
He shook his head. “Nah, it’s too risky. I mean, if I thought we could get away with it, I would totally burn this shit hole to the ground. But, with the neighbors and the dry California weather, it’s not a good idea … besides, we would never get away with it and that’s the last thing you need after the trial.”
“Dammit.” She only wanted to help and this was a problem that was not exactly easy to fix. She moved her gaze across the property, searching for something as an idea tickled at her brain. “Come on.” She spotted what she needed and grabbed his hand, pulling him up after her.
“Where are we going?”
“Not far.” She kept her grip on his hand until they approached a huge pile of scrap they had pulled from inside the house. She plucked a long metal rod from the heap of trash and turned to David, offering it to him. “If we can’t get rid of this place, then beat the shit out of it. Beat down the memories from the past that haunts you.”
He extended his arms, accepting the piece of garbage as a warrior would accept a sword, though his eyes were on her when she placed it in his hands. “That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.” The sarcasm and humor was clear in his voice, but his eyes portrayed his feelings behind her gesture.
She was one of the only ones who really knew how fucked up this place was. She understood the reality of what could have happened to him, what kind of person he could have grown up to be. Most kids with parents like his grew up to be just like them, but David was stronger than his parents and fought his way out of that life.
“We’re remodeling the trailer David. We’re gonna need new windows and doors and whatever else needs replaced. The glass doors are already broken anyway, so have at it.”
And he did. She followed him into the house and watched as he lifted the metal and took the first swing. His target was a hideous old lamp. The base shattered on impact, sending shards of glass in every direction.
He plucked his sunglasses from where they were hanging on his pocket and put them on for safety and then went for shelves full of nick knacks. The metal rod sailed through the air, then swept over the shelf, connecting with little glass trinkets of all different sizes and shapes, either breaking them or causing them to fly across the room.
Hannah watched him, smiling and hoping to God that this fucked up therapy made him feel better. It wouldn’t change the past, but it would help him vent some of the hostility and anger he had built up inside.
When he was done, several shelves and windows later, he tossed the bar back onto the scrap pile and jogged toward her. She gasped when he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off of her feet. He pulled her close and found her lips, kissing her with a raw passion she had only felt on that first night they’d spent together since he’d been back in town.
When he pulled away, she was breathless. “Are you all right?” she mumbled, leaning in to nuzzle his neck.
“I’m more than all right. Everything is perfect … absolutely perfect.”
And that’s what scares me, she thought, returning his embrace. Nothing good ever seemed to last very long. But, she would take it while she had it and go day by day.
As if sensing her thoughts, David pulled back and locked gazes with her. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to stay now.”
She nodded. “I know, and I couldn’t ask for anything more right now.” She stood on her tiptoes, stretching herself up for another kiss. He spun her and walked her backward until she felt the cool metal of the Chevelle beneath her.
He la
y her back against the hood. Her legs snaked around him, pulling him closer to her. He took her hands in his, lacing their fingers together and held them above her head so that she was basically pinned beneath him.
Heat flashed through her body and her hips rolled upward, grazing his cock, which she could feel through his pants was already rock hard. She groaned against his lips. “I want you,” she murmured, “Right here. Right now.”
David didn’t need any further go ahead than that. He stood up and began to unbutton his pants, and struggled to be careful with the buttons on his uniform shirt as he hurried to be rid of it.
Meanwhile, Hannah was tearing at her own jeans, trying to get the damn things off. She didn’t even bother with her shirt. She wanted him so badly, she couldn’t wait. The minute his clothes were off and he stood before her, naked and erect, she sat up and took him into her mouth.
A moan of surprise and pure pleasure erupted from between his lips. She reached around and gripped his ass with both hands, bringing him deeper into her throat. “Holy shit, Hannah.” He involuntarily thrust forward.
As her lips and tongue teased up and down his shaft, she felt herself growing slick and wet with want. She moaned hungrily against his cock, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before it was inside of her.
Apparently unable to wait any longer, David gently pushed her back so that he was released from her lips. He reached down and found her hot, wet and ready for him. “Now,” she growled at him. “Take me, now.”
No further invitation needed. He gently pushed into her and she could tell he was restraining himself. “Don’t,” she told him, making sure to look him in the eye. “Don’t hold back. I can take it.”
And she did. He appeared to let go of anything that was holding him back and slammed himself into her. He raised her legs up over his shoulders, bending them forward so that he was so deep inside of her he was touching places she didn’t know existed.
Keeper of the Peace (Graveyard Guardians #2) Page 21