Lexi's Justice

by Renee Shearer

  “Nice to meet you both. How long have you owned this restaurant? It’s fabulous.”

  “We’ve had this one for 10 years. The others are newer, about 8 or so years. The pub is the oldest at 14 years.”

  “Others?”

  “Yes, we own a total of 5. But they’re all different cuisine. With different names. No one would ever know they were owned by the same people, just by looking at them. My husband and I are very proud of them.” Her smile was radiant, I could see where the guys got their smiles from.

  “Wow that’s amazing!” I’m blown away, though I didn’t know why. Both Connor and Colter were hardworking people, stood to reason that their parents would be as well. Them owning their own business made a lot more sense as well.

  “Yes, well enough about me. I want to know more about you, dear.”

  Well shit, my diverting tactic didn’t work. I cast my glance the way Colter went, no luck. He’s already gone, I was on my own. Me and my big fat fucking mouth again. Why the hell did I encourage him to go?

  I rubbed my temples; I could feel a headache coming on. “Uh, sure what do you want to know?”

  “Any siblings?”

  “I had a sister.”

  “Had?”

  “Yes, she passed away. 7 years ago.”

  “Oh, dear, I am so sorry to hear that. Your parents must have been devastated as were you I’m sure. I don’t mean to pry, but was it an accident?”

  Fuck a duck… this was the question I always dreaded. Not because I was ashamed of my sister, never that. But, honestly, when people asked this question or asked how you were holding up--they didn’t really want to hear the answer. Instead they wanted some platitudes of how you were being strong and are holding it together. No one ever wanted to hear that you were falling apart, and had no idea how the hell you were going to come back from that.

  I took a deep breath and went with the truth, but shortened it as I didn’t want to talk about this here and ruin my day with Colter. “The police and everyone else, think it was a bad batch of honey.”

  “But you don’t.” I’m taken back a little, how did she know that? It wasn’t a question so much as a forceful statement.

  “Why would you say that?” I cautiously asked. Like I said no one actually wanted to be dumped on with this shit. Plus, if I ever wanted to have a shot in hell at being with her sons, I didn’t want to seem like a crazy person in front of this woman.

  Whoa, nelly hold your fucking horses! Who said anything like that? Not I.

  Yes, you did. Ever since meeting them!

  I don’t know what you are talking about.

  I mentally eye rolled myself. Maybe Susan wouldn’t be so off the mark if she thought I was crazy.

  “Because of the way you phrased it, dear. Tell me why you don’t believe it was an accident?”

  With that simple sentence it was as if the dam broke, the words just came flooding out. “She was the only person affected, out of 50 people who bought honey at that farmers stand the day she got it. Granted she put honey on practically everything, but she had been sick off and on for 2 weeks before she bought the honey and another 2 weeks before she died. Her boyfriend at the time, wasn’t home he was on some business trip,” I air quoted business trip, waving my hands around in agitation. “Why would he conveniently leave when she was so sick? She didn’t call me until she was dying. She took her last breath on the phone with me. Her boyfriend didn’t even show up for her funeral. I never met him, there were no pictures of him and her in the house. The police said she had to of been making him up. But I know I saw bruises on her arms. I think her boyfriend went to great lengths to hide from us, so no I don’t believe it was an accident. I think she was murdered and my sister never got justice for what was done to her,”

  I took a deep breath and grabbed my water, gulping it down, I berated myself. What the fuck are you thinking dumping all of that onto her?

  Susan cocked her head to the right, looking at me curiously. “You feel strongly about justice don’t you?”

  I nodded my head slowly, concentrating on keeping my breathing even and not blowing up again. “There is no greater shame in the world then to not have justice served. Without justice, or checks and balances if you will, then the world falls into chaos. If chaos rules then the world falls. Justice is the only thing standing between us and utter destruction.”

  “Now where did you come up with that? It’s brilliant.”

  “Grams used to say that all the time. I grew up hearing it.”

  “Who was your Grandmother?”

  “Alexandria Sanderson. I’m named after her.”

  Susan sat back in her seat, staring at me dumbfounded, I’m used to that look when people find out who my grandmother was. “Sanderson? As in Judge Sanderson? From the T.V show?”

  I nodded my head, chuckling. I loved my grandmother, but it had made it hard for us to go out when people were recognizing her all the time from her T.V show. Over the years I had stopped telling people who she was. Not because I was ashamed of her, but because then I could avoid the whole legal conversation. The ‘If I ended up in front of her, you would be able to help me out right? Put in a good word for me?’ I hated that.

  I had accidentally stabbed a guy in the hand with my fork when he asked if I would be able to get him off for ripping off his first girlfriend. In my opinion I did the female population a favor by stabbing him. It was a justified stabbing. I chuckled, and Colter’s mom grinned at me.

  “I can imagine what is running through your head. Don’t worry I won’t ask for any legal advice. I was deeply saddened to hear of her passing. And not just because I lost a good show to watch. But also because of the changes she was trying to make. To make it legal for a woman to marry more than one man. Hell if those Mormons can do it with women why can’t we with men?”

  Oh shit. I could feel it rising… this was one subject people did not want to bring up with me. I took a deep breath and clenched my hands in my lap, casting my gaze frantically around the room, hoping the food was going to be coming soon. I needed saving, or rather, Susan was about to need saving from my runaway mouth.

  I have no will power; it didn’t take long for the words to pour out again.

  “I’m glad to hear you say that, as I really like both of your sons, Thorne and Shane. So that’s nice. Actually, did you know that they have found remains with a female caveman surrounded by four males? They concluded that they were her protectors’, her family. In my opinion she was banging all of them. They were her husbands, and it makes since, the bigger her harem the more likely she and her children were to survive. If the ice age hadn’t of happened. Then back in the 15th century the kings decided that was too much power for a woman. But then again this was the era where you couldn’t have sex for the sole purpose of having a child. Coincidentally enough that is how we got the word fuck. It’s actually an acronym. Did you know that? Who would’ve thought fuck was an acronym that we just plum forgot about? Now we use it for everything. Fuck this-- fuck that hurt.”

  My brain was screaming at me to shut the fuck up! But I couldn’t! This was so much worse than anything else I had ever done. I was saying fuck so often it would’ve made even the worst potty mouth blush, and to Colter and Connors Mother of all people. Not to mention I told her I liked both her sons and their friends. I was so doomed.

  Someone, please, kill me now!

  Since no one did...I kept going, “Fuck you. And then there are the variations we got from it, fucking hell, you are so fucked. Fucknut, fuckwit, I don’t give two flying fucks. Who are you fucking? Those kinds of thin…” Finally a hand clamped over my mouth. I looked up into the dancing eyes of Colter. I tried to give him a wide smile but his hand was blocking it. While I was grateful as fuck, no pun intended, to Colter, right now I just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

  “Colter! Let go of her mouth! What on earth are you doing?”

  “Trust me, Mom, I just saved your ears. Although I would like to
know how the subject of fucking came up.”

  I mumbled behind his hand, “It wasn’t fucking but the word fuck.” but it only came out garbled.

  “Colter, I, for one, want to know the original meaning of fuck, it sounds fascinating! Let go of her mouth.”

  “There’s something I never thought I’d hear your mother say.” His dad was rocking back on his heels and laughing. Without missing a beat, she swatted him, barely avoiding his dangly bits.

  Crap, now I had an image of her smacking his dangly bits in my mind. I did NOT need to be thinking of the guys I wanted to sleep with father’s dangly bits! How rude of me.

  Not to mention the ick factor.

  We’re not mentioning that, we’re acting like everything is perfectly normal.

  Is it though?

  Yes, now hush!

  Colter released my mouth and I casted him an imploring look. The brat just shook his head, smiling at me, “You got yourself into this Macu--” He cleared his throat, when his mom and dad both gave him sharp looks. “uh...Lex. So tell us, where does fuck come from?”

  I sighed, “Fornication Under Consent of the King.”

  “Huh? What does that mean?” His dad sat down just as the servers brought our food to the table.

  I dug into my lobster bisque, practically moaning at how delicious it was. After taking a couple bites I took a sip of my water, and answered Colter’s dad, John.

  “That’s what the word fuck actually derives from. Back in the black plaque days of the 15h century, they were trying to keep the population down so less people would get sick. Plus food supplies were not as plentiful as they are now. So, if people, in the villages under the kings rule, wanted to have a child, they had to get special permission from the king. Then they would have to display a sign that said ‘Fornication Under Consent of the King, somewhere where everyone could see it. Well, as you know, not many could read or write back in those days so they shortened it to F.U.C.K. It was easier to teach people to write four letters, then a whole slew of them. Oh and they were only given a week at most. Then they would have to wait a couple of months to see if his seed had taken root.”

  I had avoided looking at anyone while talking, preferring to pick apart a breadstick and pop little pieces into my mouth. I was starving and really just wanted to go back to eating.

  I couldn't avoid glancing around any longer as there was nothing but silence coming from the table. Colter’s mouth was hanging open and his mom and dad were grinning.

  “What? Do I have something stuck in my teeth? Oh, god is it something I said?”

  “No dear, I am absolutely fascinated by you. How do you know such a thing?”

  I shrug and start to pick at my salad, “I like random facts, that one was a favorite of Grams though. She loved anything to do with old time laws and how they have changed.”

  “It’s simply fascinating. Right Colter?” His mother looked at him and reached over to close his hanging mouth.

  “Completely, and utterly captivating.” He didn’t take his eyes off of me and a little thrill ran up my spine.

  I couldn’t wait until we could be alone. I wondered if he was being honest about both of us staying in their apartment together. I shifted in my chair and the stitches on my back pulled slightly. Blast it all to hell, I forgot about them!

  Well, Shane and I managed, I was sure Colter and I would too. I flashed him a wicked grin and rubbed my foot on his leg, to let him know where my brain was headed.

  “Susan?”

  “Yes, dear?”

  “Are you rubbing my leg?”

  I stopped and quickly excused myself to the bathroom. Could this day get any worse?

  * * *

  After lunch, where I managed to dodge the bullet of who rubbed who’s leg, Colter and I shopped a little more. I was finding out so much about him, he was funny, witty, charming, had a great sense of humor and liked a lot of the same things I did. We clicked well together.

  Not to mention all of the little touches here and there throughout the day he did. They left me panting for more. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands off me, not that I was complaining. Not even a little bit. I wanted more.

  By the time he suggested we grabbed some takeout and headed to his apartment I was practically panting like a bitch in heat. I pressed my thighs together trying to relieve some of the ache. If Colter didn’t have a hold of my naughty hand I would’ve started playing right there in the car.

  “So where is this apartment of yours? Why haven’t you guys been staying in it?”

  “Our main residence is the cabin, after we got back from Afghanistan none of us liked loud noises for very long. So we pooled our money and built the cabin. It was supposed to just be a weekend getaway, a place to unwind and recharge. But as time went on we all slowly moved our stuff there. Since Con and I can do our business from anywhere, it was a good move for us. We keep an apartment in the city, for when we have long projects that we need to oversee. It’s better to be close then to drive an hour every day.”

  “Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just rent a hotel room when you needed it?”

  He chuckled and sent me a heated glance, “It’s a condo, love. It’s already bought and paid for.”

  “Yea, but you still have condo fees. Which I always felt a bit redundant. I mean you pay thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars for these apartments, or mini houses. But then you also have to pay fees on top of paying your mortgage. It’s stupid.”

  “I agree, but the grounds people, and staff need to get paid too. After that initial money they wouldn’t see anything else.”

  I shrugged still not convinced, “I guess. Still doesn’t make sense to me why people would want to do that instead of just living in an apartment. Or having their own house.”

  “Easy. In an apartment you don’t own the space. You can’t fix it up, design it, or put paint on the walls to show off your personality. In a condo you can tear down walls, paint, upgrade to your heart's desire. It's a house, with no ground maintenance.”

  “Hmm... If you say so. I couldn’t do it. I like mowing my yard, or working in my garden. Speaking of which, I should get back home soon to tend to that.” I mumbled the last part to myself but Colter heard me anyway.

  “Britt’s been doing it. She’s even moved in, per your will.”

  “Wait, what? Come again?”

  “I would, but I haven’t come the first time yet.” He glanced over at me and his hazel eyes looked greener than ever. I could see the hunger in them. Hell I could practically taste it. I shifted in my seat, clenching my thighs together again.

  “Colter, what do you mean per my will?”

  Pulling into an underground parking structure, Colter parked and got out. Continuing our conversation as we headed towards an elevator. He pulled out his phone and shot off a text. I figured it was to the guys to let them know we were all right. They were strangely protective of me. Not that I’m complaining, cuz I’m not.

  “You were declared dead, Lexi.” He swiped a keycard and the doors opened immediately.

  “What the ever loving fucking hell are you talking about? I can’t be declared dead! It’s only been 10 or 11 days since I went hiking! If anything I should still be considered a missing person!”

  “We may have helped out with that… OWW! What the hell was that for Lex?”

  “What the hell do you mean you may have helped with that? What did you do?”

  “Not me, Thorne and, well, Brittany.”

  I growled at him, crossing my arms over my chest, tapping my foot. He was refusing to look at me but I knew he could feel my glare. “Talk. Fast.”

  He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, “As soon as Thorne saw your injuries, he knew someone meant to kill you. So when Con and I told him we had met you before, he came up with a plan. When Connor went and told Britt that you were still alive, Thorn went with him and talked to her. She had already filed a missing person’s report with the police on Tuesday, when you didn�
��t show up. So Thorne had a buddy of his in the morgue call him if a body matching your description came in. Luckily one did, a few days later. He and Britt went down there and she ‘identified’ your body.” He put air quotes on identified. I was so mad I could strangle him. Then Brittany.

  “What about that poor woman's body? What about her family? They should know what happened! Not to mention that means Britt already knew everything and didn’t even tell me about the whole being dead thing. We tell each other everything! And Why the fucking hell didn’t ANY of you tell me this until now?” I hit his arm with every question I asked. I was so pissed I couldn’t see straight. I hated being lied to, or manipulated.

  “Calm down. Lexi.” He lightly grabbed me, pulling me into his arms, just as the elevator dinged. I wanted nothing to do with him at that point in time and ripped myself away. I marched out of the elevator, turning right. Intending on storming to his door.

  “Lexi, it’s the other way.”

  Without missing a beat I pivoted, heading in the other direction, passing a smirking Colter leaning against the wall outside of the elevator. As I got to a door I realized there were four doors in the hallway and I had no idea which one was his.

  Colter whistled a joyful tune, unlocking the door opposite of where I was standing.

  Perfect. Batting a thousand today aren’t we Lexi?

  Breezing past him, I stepped into his apartment and momentarily forgot that I was mad at him. It was perfect, with dark hardwood floors running throughout the open concept design, white walls with pops of color, and comfy looking furniture. It felt warm and inviting. But the clincher for me was the wall of windows overlooking the bay. Off to the right and behind the couch was a built in bookshelf that was jam packed full of books. In front of the bookcase facing the incredible view was a hanging chair, that looked more like a small sofa. It was all very sleek and modern with hints of traditional.

  “Who is your decorator? I need their number. I think I’m in love.” I whispered, walking across the floor straight to the windows.