by J Bree
He’s too damn observant.
I definitely need to eat my feelings and the pasta here is unbeatable. I wait for a few minutes so my stomach settles and then I eat like it’s my last meal on death row. Ash watches me carefully, like I’m about to break. Great. Now I’m a crazy liability; a shitty mark can set me off into an episode and I have to be coddled out of it. Perfect.
“Stop it.” Ash snaps and I shoot him a look.
“What?! I’m eating it, aren’t I!” They’ve all become weird about my food.
“Stop thinking about whatever the hell is making you look so fucking miserable. It’s one bullshit mark, given to you by a petty, jealous cunt. What does it matter?”
I put my fork down and glare at him when he scowls at me. I know compared to everything else we have going on it’s nothing but, fuck. I wasn’t ever expecting my grades to factor into this.
“It matters because my whole life, the only thing that was ever going to get me out of the shit-show I was born into was my grades. I’ve never had a B+. I’ve never failed because I can’t afford to fail. I’m dead if my grades are anything less than perfect. I think I’m allowed to have a minute to freak out over that!”
Ash nods and crosses his arms, leaning back in his seat. I have a little moment of deja vu, having seen him do it a hundred times during our tutoring sessions. “Is Harley not worth the risk?”
I flinch back. “Don’t be an asshole, of course he is.”
He shrugs. “Then get over it. She did it because you have something she so desperately wants. Avery will fix it. We will fix anything that threatens you. This isn’t going to work if you don’t trust us to back you up. You’re not the only one who can defend us.”
My stomach turns. I’m panicking for a whole new reason. “I do trust you. I’m still learning how to do this… family thing.”
Ash’s mask is impenetrable and just this once I wish I could see through it. “I told you, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you. If you need that woman to disappear then she’s going to disappear, Mounty, but we’ll trust Avery to fix it for now.”
I blush and look away. I need to get a hold of myself. Ash scoots across Avery’s seat to tuck me into his side again, gently squeezing me until I feel my control slip back into place.
“Like I said last night, Mounty, come sleep in my bed and I’ll make sure you’re nice and relaxed by morning.”
By the time we’re all settled around the table back in our room that night, with takeout and assignments spread out around us, there’s a mark change and formal apology in my inbox. It doesn’t read as sincere at all, and when I show it to Avery she starts texting furiously.
“Don’t worry about it, Aves. The mark is all I give a shit about.” I mumble around my dumplings and she hums under her breath at me, distracted by the conversation she’s having. I’m a little worried she’s ordering a hit.
Her eyes snap up to mine. “How long are we going to be in the Bay? I’m making arrangements to meet up with someone.”
Ash sets down his fork with a dark look. “Who?”
Oh dear.
At least we haven’t replaced the fine china yet because Avery looks at Ash like she’s going to throw a plate at his head. I slip my hand in hers because, well, ride or die. And by the looks Ash and Harley are throwing at us both there might be bloodshed. Harley’s leg is tense against mine.
“None of your damn business.” She snarls and I know exactly what that means.
It’s Atticus Crawford.
Ash’s eyes narrow and I cut in before our dinner is ruined. “Arrange to meet him for lunch or dinner at the hotel the first night we’re there. That way if we have to get out of there after the meeting you won’t have to blow him off.”
Blaise smirks and I shoot him what I hope is a savage look. He doesn’t give a shit. “Maybe blowing him is exactly what she wants to do, Star.”
My quick thinking saves Blaise’s life as I slide my ass into Harley’s lap to stop him from getting up and throttling him. He grunts and grabs my hips to hold me still. I don’t think about why because I don’t need to be blushing like a damn fool right now. Ash is surprisingly more forgiving of Blaise’s smart mouth and just shoots him a look.
“Right. Now that’s sorted, let’s discuss the party.” I say and when I try to slide back to my seat Harley’s hands stop me. Avery does not look happy. In fact, she looks like she’s going to scratch his eyes out.
“I’m not allowed to go for dinner with an old friend, but you can grind on Lips at the dinner table? Get fucked, Arbour.” Avery hisses, and I start to pray that I can eat my damn dumplings before she flips the fucking table at them. I pry Harley’s fingers off of me and settle back into my seat. Everyone is throwing savage looks except me. Yay.
“I think I should go alone. Harley is being targeted by the Jackal, I don’t want to paint targets on Ash and Blaise, and Avery wouldn’t be safe there. Illi has offered to pick me up so I’m going to take him up on that.”
All of the savage looks swing to focus on me.
For fuck’s sake!
“Over my dead fucking body are you going to a party at the docks with the Butcher without me.” Harley growls.
I grit my teeth. “It’s not like I haven’t been a million times before and Illi will watch my back. It’s not somewhere I want to take you guys.”
Blaise scowls, flicking his beer bottle cap at Harley. “Why? I mean, the Jackal could come to Hannaford and kill Harley whenever he wants to, the gossip site has announced our relationships to the world, and we always protect Avery. Why not take us so we can protect you too?”
I scrub a hand over my face. “You want to take Avery somewhere full of drugs, sex, murder, violence, girls being kidnapped, torture, rape, the list goes fucking on? You want that? Because I sure as hell don’t.”
I expect some sort of reaction from Blaise, but he just stares me down. Ash is the one to snarl, “Well, that settles it. We’re all fucking going. End of discussion.”
Chapter Eleven
It takes me weeks to find the things we need to attend the party.
Avery gives me a hard look when I ask her for everyone's measurements and I refuse to tell her why I need them. There is no way I’m telling any of them what the outfits have to be because fuck that. I don’t need the headache any sooner than I have to have it.
I have the items ordered at one of the boutique stores in Haven and they arrive on the Thursday before fall break. I email all of my teachers to get out of class the following day and when I ask to borrow Harley’s car to go pick them up he stares me down like I’m testing him. When he crawls into my bed after midnight, he informs me that he’s escorting me to Haven in the morning.
I wake to Harley’s hands cupping my ass and pulling me into his body.
I swear he was put on this Earth to tease me, to break all of my control and turn me into a desperate mess and, sweet fucking lord, he was fucking good at it. I keep my eyes closed as I reach out to find his face, drawing him into my lips for a kiss. I’m too content to deal with today, I don’t want to leave the bed and let the outside world fuck with us. I need a break, dammit!
“We could stay here.” I mumble and he groans into my mouth.
“Don’t fucking tempt me, babe. You said we had to pick up the shit you ordered and it’s already late. Ash and Blaise took Avery down to class hours ago.”
I frown at him like a pissy toddler. “That’s not helping. I don’t want to leave this warm bed in my empty room.”
Harley groans and pushes away from me, stumbling out of the bed and rearranging his dick in his shorts like that’ll somehow help the raging hard-on he has. “If we don’t leave now we can’t stop for French toast at the coffee shop and we both know you’ll lose your shit if you’re hungry. If we leave now, we can get everything finished in time and I’ll convince Avery to have a sleepover with Ash.”
I shiver because, fuck yes. “Get dressed, Arbour. I need food.”
W
e have to stop off at the guys room to grab Harley’s spare set of keys after he turns the living room back at my room apart looking for his original set. I make a mental note to myself because I’ve been burned by missing keys before.
We take Harley’s ‘Stang to Haven and I get to admire the way he drives it like it’s an extension of himself, effortless and smooth. I love watching his hands, big and rough and scarred, and then my lungs forget how to work as I remember what they feel like on my body. Fuck, I need to inhale my food and get this shopping over with.
Harley smirks at my flushed cheeks like a smug dick.
We park behind the cafe because it closes the earliest, and then I bite my lip as Harley refuses to let me pay for our food. I make a note to never tell him I’ve been the one giving him money since I inducted him. He might have a stroke.
We sit, side-by-side, in one of the corner booths at the back. The waitress keeps looking at Harley like she’d bend over any available surface for him and the haughty, disinterested look he gives her in return makes me concerned about eating the food she serves us, but it’s worth it.
“How is Avery handling the news about Senior’s plans to have them both killed?” Harley mumbles around his mouthful of eggs. It should be gross but the guy is so fucking hot he could get away with anything.
I shrug at him. “Our room has never been cleaner. Avery is pissed there’s nothing she can do to help and now Ash is fucking livid that it’ll all rest on my shoulders to get them out of this.”
Harley scowls. “Well, of course he is. We all are. It’s hard enough keeping you safe and alive as it is, we don’t need some psycho coming to the Bay to join the mix.”
I snort at him, ever the lady, and poke a fork in his direction. “I survived without you guys having my back for seventeen years. I’ll be fine, it’s all of you lot with your shitty families that are the concern.”
Fuck. That reminds me… I clear my throat. “Look, the meeting isn’t just about the Vulture’s death. We’re also going to go through the usual bullshit and I’ve put something big in motion. I’ve… fuck, okay… I’ve called in some favors to get you free and clear from your grandfather once and for all. You need to be prepared for that meeting. You need to stick to all of the rules I’ve told you and be on your best behavior because once we’re through it, we’ll have one less threat stalking us.”
Harley chews slowly, frowning down at his plate. I wait him out, the last thing he needs is to be pushed about his issues.
Finally, he flicks his eyes up to mine. “Are you at risk? Is this putting you in more fucking danger?”
I shake my head and he sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Okay. Okay, I’ll play along. I don’t want my grandfather coming after me and finding you, so if this gets him off my ass then I’ll do it.”
I lean over and try to kiss him sweetly, something I’m still unsure of because I don’t know how the fuck to be sweet. He cups my cheek to hold me there so I think I succeed.
“Come on, let’s get your shopping and go back so I can do more than just kiss you.”
Harley carries all of the bags in one hand and threads his fingers through mine with the other. He swings our arms playfully as we head back to the alleyway we’d left the car in, so relaxed and unlike himself that I laugh like a besotted idiot at him in return. I guess that’s exactly what I am.
The streets have cleared now that the sun is going down. Only the bar is still open, and it’s on the other side of the sleepy town, so we’re alone and happy to walk in silence, soaking up each other without the distraction of words.
We turn into the alleyway, and Harley gives my hand a little squeeze before letting go to fish his keys out of his jeans. My senses pick up the slight rasp of feet attempting to be silent behind us half a second before Harley realizes what’s happening. My hand is already slipping into my pocket to grab my knife when the body slams into Harley from behind.
The bags all go flying into the air as Harley throws his arms out to break his fall.
I freeze for a second, assuming it’s a rich asshole from Hannaford trying to eke out a revenge beating for a failed fight in the boys dorms, and then I see the flash of light hitting the steel blade in the attacker’s hand.
It’s a hit.
Lips retreats back into the farthest reaches of my mind, where she’s safe and protected, and leaves me with the Wolf.
Harley manages to dislodge the guy enough to roll over and I see first hand that he’s a fucking good brawler; strong, fast, and willing to fight dirty. The problem is that Harley’s only going to knock him the fuck out, and if we let him live it’s a sign of weakness. Something that will eat away at the carefully constructed image I’ve built as the Wolf, and our lives all depend on that image. If we let him go alive, the Jackal will just keep sending guys until eventually one of them kill Harley.
I cannot let that happen.
Harley knocks the knife away and grabs him with one hand by the throat. I take my chance and use every ounce of strength I have to ram the blade of my knife through the base of his skull, the quickest and most effect way to kill someone. Harley’s strong grip gives me just the right resistance to help push the blade through the spinal cord and it’s lights out for the attacker.
He’s dead instantly.
When the guy’s arms drop and he slumps down, Harley’s eyes flare and fix themselves onto my knife. I shove the limp body off of him before I yank the knife out because the last thing I need is for him to be covered in blood and have some sort of flashback to his dad’s murder. Harley jumps up and stares down at the guy, then at me.
My hands are steady.
I stare at him blankly, waiting for him to start screaming, or hurling accusations, or for something else to happen, and when he takes a step towards me I move back instinctively.
He looks fucking devastated as he holds out a hand to coax me over to him. “Shh, babe. I just need to know you’re okay.”
I blink.
I blink again.
Nope, still no idea how the fuck he can be worried about me when I’m the one who’s just killed a man. Shouldn’t he be afraid of me? Shouldn’t he be calling Avery and getting the family far, far away from me?
“Babe, please. Don’t freak out.” He pleads and I think the word ‘please’ eases the trance I’m in and I step into his arms. He holds me to his chest with the sort of ferocity that you can only feel when there’s a leaking corpse at your feet.
He buries his face into my hair and says, “Tell me what you need me to do.”
I think he means emotionally, but I lost the ability to feel anything about this sort of death years ago. I pull away and shove the guy onto his back with the toe of my boot to get a proper look at him. Great, I know him. He goes by Whip on the streets in Mounts Bay, fuck knows what his real name is. He’s a scumbag, constantly hanging around the docks trying to get close to the Jackal’s men. He thought being a gangster sounded cool.
It hasn’t worked out for him.
I look back at Harley and he’s watching me carefully, his eyes cataloging every breath I’m taking. It’s oddly reassuring.
“Call Avery. Tell her it’s a 911 and ask her if there are any cameras in this alley way, she needs to get them wiped immediately.”
Harley nods and I stare down at Whip’s vacant eyes. It’s weird how quickly the life leaches out of them and leaves behind nothing, even though the eyes themselves haven’t changed.
I shake myself to regain some focus.
Harley murmurs quietly enough that I can make my own call without moving away. I don’t want to leave him here alone with the body. He has a rap sheet, a tattoo on his face, and a bad attitude towards authority and, well, anyone outside our family. If by some cruel twist of fate the cops showed up, he’d get himself shot in a heartbeat without supervision.
“Wolf.” The Bear doesn’t bother with pleasantries, thank fuck. I don’t have it in me to fake it.
“I need a priority cleanup crew
.” I rattle off the address and I hear him directing people in the background. Harley hangs up and makes a series of complicated hand gestures that I assume mean there’s no cameras around. I make a note to start teaching him and the others military hand signals in our oh-so-plentiful spare time.
“Two minutes away.” The Bear says and I shift my focus back to him.
“Perfect. Payment?” I say, tone cool and calm. Harley scowls down at the body like he wants to revive the fuck and kill him himself. He’s weirdly protective of my diamonds.
The Bear grunts, “It’s nothing, kid. I have a job for you, a quick in-and-out you can do in an hour. So if you get it done while you’re here for the meeting I’ll take care of this and owe you another.”
I tilt my head in consideration. I guess that’s more than fair. I don’t want to give up a diamond even though I have more from him than any other member. “It’s a pleasure to work with you, Bear.” I say, my tone still flat and he grunts out a laugh at me.
“See you in the Bay, kid.”
Harley tells the others the finer details of what happened while I shower.
I’m still struggling with the detached feeling, and no matter how hard I try to slip back into Lips, when I dress and leave the bathroom I am still the Wolf.
They all look at me like I’m a ticking bomb.
I stare back blankly.
Avery is the one to try to approach me, to take my hand, and when Harley hisses out a warning she falters for a second. I don’t move back because I trust her and the adrenaline isn’t riding me hard anymore like it was when Harley first tried to touch me.
Avery sighs and goes to grab a tub of my cherry ice cream out of the freezer, jamming a spoon into it and then she holds it out to me like a peace offering. I look at it for a second, puzzled, and then take it. The tension in the room eases a little.