“Should’ve known she would pass out sooner or later. She looked tired as hell,” he said in a slightly lower voice, so as not to wake his sister up. I nodded.
“I’ll put her to bed.” I lifted her head slowly, making sure she wouldn’t wake up, and after getting up myself, I picked Harlow up in my arms and walked her to her room. When she was lying in her bed, I covered her up and made sure she was comfortable. She had told me her ribs didn’t hurt thanks to her painkillers, but I still didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
Bending down, I kissed the corner of her mouth softly and then whispered, “Sleep tight, my love.”
“Well, I guess I won’t be needed anymore,” Bliss said as I got back to the living room. She was already standing, smiling at me softly. “If you need me, let me know.”
“Yeah,” Jagger said, looking up to my sister. “You could come back around nine-thirty. We gotta go to the cave and I don’t want Low to be home alone for now. Maybe bring some food. Have some girl-talk or whatever.”
Bliss studied first Jagger, then me. Then she sighed. “You two better be careful. I think to lose you would hurt her more than anything.”
Not sure who that was directed to, but I think Jagger and I both felt it. I nodded and put my arm around her to hug her goodbye. “We got this,” I assured her.
Bliss frowned, looking up at me. “Still a dangerous job you do. Even if you’re good at it,” she whispered.
I nodded again, then gave her a cocky grin. “We’re the best at it.”
Jagger chuckled in agreement, now leaning back in the recliner and spreading his knees to make it more comfortable.
“Of course you are.” With that, she gave us a quick wave and then headed out of the front door.
When it closed behind her, I sat back down on the couch and leaned back, taking in a deep breath. “What kind of job do you think it is this time?” I asked in a low voice. Even if I had closed the door to Harlow’s bedroom, I wanted to make sure she wouldn’t hear us talking about this. I didn’t want her to find out about this. Not this way, that is.
“I’d be up for a killing assignment,” he said bluntly. “Still got some anger in me because of you I would like to get out. Don’t think you would be able to handle another one of my beatings.” Now he was smirking, almost challenging me.
I laughed, shaking my head. “To be honest, man, I don’t think so either.” Truth was, Jagger was a great fighter. And if I didn’t come along that time at the underground boxing ring, seeing him kick some ass, I think he would’ve become a real MMA fighter. But fighting on a real stage was mostly just for show. Starting drama with people you didn’t even know and making them bleed and break their bones. What Jagger did was easy money. But this, working for Gunner, was even easier. And it was nice knowing somebody had your back.
Jagger’s phone rang and he quickly looked at the screen. His face immediately turned serious and he kept on holding the phone in his hand, not answering it.
“Not gonna get that?” I asked, trying to figure out who could possibly be calling him. Gunner never called. Texts were his only way of communicating with us when we weren’t standing directly in front of him.
“Nah,” he simply said. The phone had stopped ringing and Jagger’s tense shoulders relaxed again.
“Everything okay, man?” I asked. He nodded once, putting down the phone on the coffee table in front of us. He propped up his elbows on his knees again, leaning forward and rubbing his face with both his hands.
I gave him a minute, not wanting to push him to tell me who it was. Then, his phone started to ring again and we both looked down at the screen immediately.
Dean was written on it, and I lifted my gaze to Jagger’s face. He looked like he was about to explode or punch something. I knew Dean was his and Harlow’s father, and I also knew they just bailed him out of jail. I knew a lot about Dean and his behavior by the way he treated his young children.
“I thought you told him not to contact you.”
“I did.” He grabbed his phone, staring at the screen. “Ungrateful piece of shit,” Jagger murmured before touching his thumb to the screen and then lifting his phone to his ear. I took a glance over at the hallway, to make sure Harlow wouldn’t come out at this very moment.
“The fuck do you need, Dean.”
I didn’t hear any of what his father was saying on the other side of the line, but I bet it was fucking entertaining. From what Jagger told me, Dean was a dirty, manipulative bastard. Not a father anyone needed. Lucky I didn’t have one. Better off with no father than one like Dean, I thought.
As Jagger listened to his father talk, I leaned back and waited for this call to be over. His eyes traveled up to mine, then he shook his head and gave me an annoyed look.
Well, that could end in any possible situation.
Chapter Forty-Four
Jagger
Dean wasn’t a person I needed in my life. Not since the day I finally had taken enough of his bullshit and packed up the few things we got and left him behind. But that day the cops called, telling me that he drunk drove on the highway like a crazed man and harassed people at several gas stations around Grand Island, I knew I had some shit coming my way. Some major shit.
He was always bad news. What Low didn’t know was that wasn’t the first time I had to bail Dean out. It was the third, and hopefully the last time I had to go and get him. Sweet Low didn’t need to know that, though. And the last two times I got him out of jail, I hadn’t seen or spoken to him. I just went to the police station, paid the amount of money that was needed to let him run free again, and left without a word. Not sure he even knew I was the one paying. Although, I was sure he had lost every friend he has ever had in the past. The last time, though, I had enough of his fucking childish and toxic behavior. Dean was a master manipulator. Lucky, me and Harlow didn’t get any of that from his DNA. Sometimes I wondered if he even was our father, but that day we saw him at the police station, his resemblance to my reflection in the mirror was proof enough that I was his blood. We had the same mouth, nose, and jawline, only things different were his wrinkles.
I had enough going on in my life working for Gunner and keeping up with everything that Low had to go through. She wasn’t really doing well in college, missing many classes and not really studying for any of them. She’d much rather work at Frankie’s, helping me paying off bills I already covered with my own money. I didn’t want her to pay for anything. Not bills, not her college, not food. But I had to make her believe she was helping me out. Her heart was bigger than anyone’s I’d ever met in my life, and telling her about my job would crush her, finding out I never really needed her help financially. Somehow it felt wrong keeping it all from her, but it all started the day she got the job at the diner and she was so damn happy after her first paycheck came in, beaming at me like a little girl getting candy, telling me she was finally making her wish come true to help me pay rent and food.
Instead of telling her I had enough money to buy a whole damn house, new furniture and probably also a new car, I hid all the money she gave me behind a loose tile in the bathroom. When I was ready to tell her, or if anything ever changed in our lives, I would get that money out and give it back to her.
Spending the money I had at the moment was not clever. Hastings wasn’t rich. People around here worked their asses off to have a house and afford a normal living. For me, or even Hunter, that wasn’t our goal. Not in Hastings. We both knew that if we suddenly drove around in a new car, we’d look suspicious and didn’t want anyone to know about our job. We loved that job, even if it meant killing people we didn’t know.
I knew it was wrong. Low could afford new clothes with that money, buy things she always wanted to have, but I was keeping it secret, hoping one day I could explain it all to her. I hated lying to her.
She was my all. The most precious thing in my damn life. And the thought of me breaking her heart in an almost deceitful way was killing me inside.
But for now, I had other things to deal with.
One thing was my father, the other my best friend. My best friend was turning into a whole other person. Fuck, it was strange seeing the two of them getting closer and knowing both of them were serious about it. At first, I thought Hunter would only want to experiment with her. He knew she was untouched and he probably saw her as a challenge. But the way he looked at her, and the way she let him get close without any fear in her eyes was proof enough for me. I had to let my protectiveness go and let my baby sister grow up. In the end, I couldn’t keep her locked up and hidden from every man who wanted to get close. I just had to accept the idea that my best friend would be that man.
No, the other thing was way worse. Of course, worse in a whole different way. I knew Dean had my number, but I didn’t know he had the guts to call me. Takes a lot of grit to call up a son who was beaten almost to death at one point as a kid. Not sure how he even dared to think about getting in contact with me, but here we were.
Hearing his voice made me tense up and feel sick at the same time. Knowing nothing good would come from this conversation, I braced myself and listened to his voice on the other side of the line.
“What’s that language, son?” He chuckled, then I heard him take a pull from something, probably a cigarette. Damn, I needed one too. I looked over at Hunter, still sitting on the couch and watching me, his eyebrows slightly drawn together. He was worried. Not a surprise. We cared about each other and Dean was the center of some of our deep conversations. He knew about him, heard multiple stories about my past and what he did to Harlow and me.
I shook my head, letting him know I was pretty much done with this conversation already. Dean was a pain in the ass.
“Why did you call?” I asked, looking down at the coffee table. My voice was monotonous, letting him know I wasn’t up for any of his shit.
He chuckled again, almost sounding drunk. To confirm my theory, three hard swallows and a small pop sound from his lips let me know he was drinking a beer. This could only get worse from here.
“Wanted to check in with my son. And how’s my daughter doing? That little ignorant bitch.” The last words were slurred and I felt my blood boil.
“Relax,” Hunter said in a low voice, making me realize I’d fisted my other hand and my veins ached at my neck. I looked up at him, trying to stay calm, not to wake up Low.
“I’ll make sure you won’t call me again. Don’t try to come close, Dean. This is my final warning.”
With that, I hung up on him, letting my phone drop on the recliner next to me. I ran my hands through my hair, gripping it tightly and pulling on the ends.
“It’s all good, man. He won’t get to you or Harlow. If he steps in Hastings territory, I’ll handle him.”
“I just wish he would fucking disappear from this earth.” I got up, walking over to the fridge and taking out a beer. Unlike Dean, I drank beer to relax my body from people like him. I took two bottles out, opened them, and brought one over to Hunter. He took it, holding it in his hand and looking up at me while I drank some.
“Don’t let him get to you.” Hunter’s words would most times calm me down automatically, letting me know he would always have my back. I nodded as a response, then sat back down.
“Just hoping he won’t surprise Low at the diner. Don’t think she could handle him on her own,” I told him.
“We’ll let Frankie know about Dean.” Great idea. Why don’t we let every single person in the city know about my fucking dad?
I knew Hunter was only trying to help me out, and I appreciated it, but I started to wonder what it would be like to go against Dean on my own, making sure he would never even think about his oh so beloved kids again.
Or not being able to think at all.
Chapter Forty-Five
Harlow
I woke up to laughter and a moon shining right in my face. Despite all the rain in Hastings, when the sky cleared, the moon made sure to be seen. It didn’t happen often and I always liked watching it up there and just get lost in my thoughts while staring at it. But when I opened my eyes and heard their voices in the living room, I was more interested in knowing what made them laugh out loud than the moon.
I must’ve fallen asleep watching the movie and someone put me to bed, which was nice. Though, I had other plans that afternoon. I wanted to be awake and close to my brother and Hunter. Bliss too, of course. Instead, I felt the effect the painkillers had on my body. I was weak but I had no pain. Lucky me.
I slowly sat up, putting one hand on my chest, feeling a bit weird because of my lungs. Breathing was okay, but I realized that taking small instead of deep breaths was more pleasant. Other than that funny feeling I had, everything was okay. So I got up, slow and steady, took the few steps to the door and opened it, walking down the hallway toward their laughter.
The second I turned the corner, I saw Jagger and Hunter sitting on the couch with their backs turned to me, and Bliss sitting on the recliner and gesturing wildly with her arms while talking. She was so preoccupied with telling a story that she didn’t notice me standing there. I saw that as a great opportunity to just stand still and listen.
“I tried to warn him. I mean we all know what a sassy bitch I can be but he didn’t listen. So my cocktail went straight down his crotch,” Bliss said, shrugging and grinning. Jagger and Hunter both shook their heads and chuckled.
“I can’t believe he actually tried to hit on you,” Hunter said, amused. “You should’ve told me.”
“Yeah, we could’ve stopped him,” Jagger added, then leaned back. Bliss shrugged again, letting out a small laugh. “It was fun. Besides, I don’t even think a man like Gunner could handle me.”
Hunter laughed, nodding to approve of what his sister just said. “You’re right, he couldn’t.”
Somehow, I felt like that was my cue to say something. “Who’s Gunner?” My voice was quiet and hoarse. Perfect, now my vocal cords were giving in.
All three of them immediately turned their heads and locked eyes with me. At first, I thought none of them were going to say anything, and that I shouldn’t have snuck up on them the way I did, but then Hunter snapped out of his little trance first, got up, and walked over to me, grabbing my face into his hands and eyeing me as if I was something he had never seen before. “Are you okay? You shouldn’t have gotten up without help. You’re weak. How are your ribs?” he said without taking a break between his words.
I narrowed my brows, grabbing both his shoulders to keep him calm. “I’m feeling better,” I told him, hoping he would stop looking at me like a lost, confused pup who was searching for an answer in my face. When did he get so worried?
“Christ, Hunter. Let that girl breathe,” Bliss said from behind him. I was still returning Hunter’s gaze while I lightly squeezed his shoulders to signal I was okay. I really was.
“I feel better,” I whispered so only he could hear and his eyes started to look less concerned.
Hunter nodded once, letting his eyes travel over my whole body before pressing his lips to mine. The kiss was short and I was glad he took a step back since my brother was right there in the room. I didn’t want to make things any more awkward.
“Sleep well?” he asked with a small smile and I nodded as a response. Hunter realized that I was trying to distance him from myself, so he took a step to the side but put his hand on my lower back, almost as if he was trying to support me. Sweet of him, but something was bothering me about that situation.
I looked over at Jagger, pressing my lips into a thin line, and even if I was waiting on a response to my question, I asked again. “Who’s Gunner?”
I had never really heard of any other guy Jagger knew and I never asked about any of them. I kept myself out of his business because he asked me to but something was off and I felt strange hearing from him.
“He’s just a guy we’re friendly with,” Bliss said calmly, probably saving the other two from spilling anything I shouldn’t know. I
took a glance at Bliss before settling my eyes back on Jagger. I could tell he was on the verge of telling me something he’d kept to himself for a long time and that Gunner guy had triggered it. This was getting interesting.
But instead of telling me about it, Jagger got up and walked over to me with a small smile on his face. I felt Hunter move away to give us some space and I looked up at my brother. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Hunter and I need to be somewhere in thirty minutes and I’m not sure when I will be back tonight. Bliss brought some food. You two can have a little girl’s night and watch some movies and talk.”
I wanted to respond, but Jagger used his talking skills to not make any room for my words. “Love you,” he added, kissing my head, then nodded to Hunter and walked out of the house without another word. Something was bothering him, and if I had the strength to, I would’ve run after him and not let him leave without talking to me. But he had things to do and I wasn’t going to stand in his way. We could talk when he got back.
I looked over at Hunter, who was rubbing the back of his neck while looking at me a little confused. He was unsure about what to say, and for the first time, I wondered what could make Hunter Kane speechless.
I took a quick look at Bliss, because in all honesty; I was a bit confused and uncertain myself.
“Uh, I’ll see you later,” Hunter said, giving Bliss a quick look before heading out the door too.
My eyes followed him until the door shut behind him and I immediately looked over at Bliss, who was the worst at hiding secrets. It was clear that Gunner wasn’t just a guy they were friendly with.
God, why was everything starting to make less sense to me?
Chapter Forty-Six
The Hastings Series Page 14
