I heard Fox's door opening down the corridor and finally decided to give up on sleep altogether, pushing out of bed and heading to my own door with Mutt leaping up excitedly too. The little monster always loved it when I got up because he knew that signalled breakfast.
I pulled my door open and shrieked in alarm as I found Fox right on the other side of it like he'd been about to knock or come in or maybe like he’d just been listening at my door like a fucking creeper.
"You nearly gave me a damn heart attack," I scolded, slapping his big, naked chest and making my hand sting from the impact.
"I was just coming to see if you wanted to come for a run with me?" he offered but I smelled bullshit.
"I don't run for pleasure, Badger, only to escape."
His eyes moved over me slowly, taking in JJ's Nirvana band tee which had become my pyjamas after I'd gotten back, matched with a pair of Green Power Ranger panties which I freaking loved.
"Do you need more clothes to sleep in?" he asked me and I frowned.
"Do you object to the Green Power Ranger? Because if you think we had problems before, that won't have anything on the shit storm you're about to bring down on your head if you start trying to tell me Red is better."
Fox snorted in amusement, leaning in close and having to duck to put us on eye level. "Everyone knows the Red Ranger is the best, hummingbird. You're just so defensive about it because you know you’re wrong."
I clutched my chest and gasped in horror and he laughed as he turned and strode away from me, leaving me there to reel in the terrifying reality that he'd just spouted those poisonous words right in my face. And I'd thought our relationship was balancing on a knife edge before. What the fuck was the world coming to?
"Hurry up if you want me to make you pancakes," Fox called over his shoulder. "That ass of yours won't stay so round if you start skipping meals.”
"Err, I'll have you know that my ass is sustained via a diet of regular junk food and a strict squat routine which I carry out at least once a month. Besides, I've seen you staring at it often enough to know there is zero chance of you starving it out of spite." I chased him down the stairs, but I lost sight of him as he headed away into the kitchen. "And I'm not just going to let you get away with that Red Ranger bullshit either, Badger. Because you know as well as I do that Green is-" A yelp escaped me as I stormed into the kitchen and something whipped against my ass with a sharp snap.
I leapt away from the source of the pain and found Fox grinning at me as he snapped the dishcloth my way again and a snarl escaped my lips.
"You'll pay for that, Fox Harlequin," I warned, snatching a spatula from the drawer and brandishing it at him threateningly.
"So you just got over the fact that she spent the last ten days taking Maverick's cock like a pro then, did you?" Chase interrupted us as he strode into the room in a pair of low hanging gym shorts that showed off the beautiful V that dipped below his waistband. He did not deserve that V and I cut him a glare for it and his words.
The humour fell from Fox's face and I couldn't miss the hurt that lined his features a second before he turned away from me to start grabbing ingredients from the fridge.
"Don't speak about her like that again or you'll fucking pay for it," he snapped, throwing a box of eggs down on the counter hard enough that one of them cracked and started leaking out of the box.
For some unknown reason the badger’s defence of me made my gut twist uncomfortably and I blew out a breath, moving closer to Fox and nudging him.
"No one ever taught me how to make pancakes," I said, looking up at him and making him fall still as he placed a bag of flour down with a little less rage to his movements. "And when I was sitting in that police cell, waiting to get sent to prison after the three of you left me behind on that ferry-" I met Chase's gaze and he gritted his teeth. "I couldn't help but think about all the awful breakfasts I'd have to eat in prison for year after year after-"
Fox caught my chin and turned me to look up at him. "That never would have been your fate, hummingbird," he growled and suddenly I wasn't looking at the man I thought I knew. I was looking into the eyes of one of the leaders of the most notorious gangs in the country and I knew he meant every damn word. When Fox Harlequin made a vow like this, he would move heaven and earth to make it happen. "I would have gotten you out of there long before Maverick showed up if only I'd known where they'd taken you."
I wetted my lips and nodded slowly, knowing that he meant that and trying not to get lost in all the implications which went with that vow.
"So show me how to make pancakes then, Fox," I asked again. "Remind me what the good life tastes like."
Fox gave me a half smile and released me, giving my thrumming heart a moment of respite as he started passing me ingredients while I placed them in the batter bowl. When they needed mixing, he moved to stand at my back, his arms around me and his body pressed flush to mine while his hand covered mine where I gripped the whisk.
It was utterly unnecessary, but some combination of the death glares Chase was giving me and the rich cedar scent of home which enveloped me while Fox held me like that had me staying right where I was. And the sexy chef fantasies didn’t hurt. Maybe he could wear one of those white hats and knead my dough while I battered his…sausage. Damn. Where was my sexy fantasy head at these days? Now I couldn’t even make cake sound sexy and everyone knew how fucking sexy cake was.
Soon we were plating up pancakes and I was passing a plate to Chase, giving him a sweet as pie smile while telling him with my eyes that I hoped he choked on them.
The garage door clicked as it was unlocked from the other side and I looked up as JJ stepped into the room. He had dark rings under his eyes and his chest was bare and gleaming with sweat. A black feather clung to his neck and Fox barked a laugh as he looked at him.
"Gave you a rough ride did she, brother?" he teased, pushing another plate of pancakes across the kitchen island for JJ to claim.
"Who?" I asked curiously.
"Our boy's been out working all night, haven't you, you dirty fucker?" Chase joked and JJ snorted a laugh too as he took his seat.
"It's hard work, but someone's gotta do it," he said vaguely, his gaze falling to his pancakes as something cold and squirming started writhing in my gut.
"Come on, how many of them did you have screaming your name last night?" Fox pressed him, chuckling as he started to help me plate up my own food. I was pretty sure the only reason I was moving at all was because Fox's hand was curled tight around my fist to guide the spatula and without him, I would have fallen deathly still.
"Let's see all that green then," Chase added, lunging at JJ who tried to bat him off before yanking a fistful of cash from his pocket and dumping it down on the breakfast bar with a low whistle. "Shit, that's gotta be at least five clients, right? How the hell do you manage to get hard for them all one after another like that? You gotta be using Viagra, right?"
"Nah," Fox answered before JJ could. "He's just a horny motherfucker. Any hole's a goal for you, isn't that right, J? You'll fuck any woman who gets close enough for too long."
"For the right price," Chase added and the two of them laughed loudly while I died a little inside.
It wasn't that I had anything against the sex trade, but since the two of us had been together I guessed I'd been fooling myself into thinking that it might have meant something to him. But maybe I'd just been the closest hole after all. It clearly wasn't like he'd stopped working while I was missing. I mean, I’d been enjoying the warmth of Maverick’s bed while I’d been away, but that was different. For one, I’d thought JJ had dumped me on that ferry, and for two, well…it was Rick. He meant as much to me as JJ did and maybe that was messed up, but when it came to the five of us, normal rules just didn’t apply.
Fox gave me a shove to make me go and sit down with my food and I found myself right beside JJ as the scent of latex and sex sailed off of his skin.
"Good morning, pretty girl," he said
to me in a low voice, trying to catch my eye and I just nodded, unable to look at him and focusing on my food instead. Not that I had any kind of appetite anymore.
"What's the feather about, dude?" Chase asked. "You been doing fetish shit again?"
"Err, yeah," JJ said, his gaze still burning into the side of my head while I just stared at the utterly unappetising looking pancakes.
The sound of the front door unlocking interrupted all of us and suddenly the three of them were on their feet, panic coating the air and making me look up in fright.
"What is-" I began but JJ yanked me out of my chair and slapped a hand over my mouth as the sound of the front door opening reached us.
I was hauled off of my feet and JJ broke into a run, yanking open the door to the basement and shoving me through it with a wild look in his eyes. My lips popped open as I stumbled and almost fell down the freaking stairs but JJ steadied me, his hand still clamped tight over my mouth. Mutt shot in behind me, growling low at JJ for the manhandling while I tried to figure out what the fuck was happening.
"Do I smell pancakes?" Luther Harlequin's voice stole my breath and sent ice flooding through my veins and the terrified look in JJ's eyes suddenly made all kinds of sense.
He released me slowly as the sound of Fox responding to his dad came in reply and Chase greeted the man who had promised me my death if he ever laid eyes on me again too.
JJ pressed a finger to my lips as he released me and I nodded because I wasn't a fucking fool. I didn’t have a death wish and I wasn't about to give myself away.
JJ backed up, the warmth of his skin against mine disappearing and leaving me cold, the fear in his honey brown eyes paralysing me as the door swung closed between us.
I stayed frozen there in the dark with my heart thrashing and fear speeding through me like poison. I might have been a dead girl walking, but that wouldn't be the case for a single second longer if Luther Harlequin laid eyes on me. My death sat eating breakfast in the other room and if I wanted to keep lingering on in this miserable life of mine then I needed to pray that he didn't figure out I was here.
H oly fucking shit.
My heart hammered like crazy as Luther sat down at the breakfast island as JJ walked back into the room and shared a look with us. The others schooled their expressions quickly, falling into polite small talk with my dad as I washed up some of the utensils I’d used.
Heat burned a line up the back of my neck as I tried to focus on what I was doing, but all I could think of was how close Rogue had just come to being caught. This shit was too dangerous. I needed an advance warning on Luther’s movements. Dammit Kenny, what the fuck are you playing at?
I made a mental note to call Kenny later and make sure he paid for not tipping me off. Again. I wasn’t going to go easy on him either. This was the second huge failure on his part and I wasn’t bribing his ass for nothing. I needed Luther’s location at all fucking times while he was in Sunset Cove, it was life or fucking death. Literally.
While I was distracted, I nearly burned my own pancakes but saved them last minute. Luther pulled the plate which had been Rogue’s closer with his tattooed fingers, picking up the syrup and squeezing a healthy dose all over them. He looked tired, his blonde hair was getting too long and it didn’t look like he’d shaved in a week. My parents had been young when they’d had me, so he was only twenty two years older than I was and sometimes I wondered how different my life might have been if Rogue hadn’t had to run all those years ago. Would I have gotten her knocked up young too? Might there be mini versions of us ready to grow up and wreak havoc across the Cove? I’d never wanted kids because my dad would see them as heirs to the Crew. But the one thing I knew for certain was that I wouldn’t chain any child of mine to this life if I ever did have any. And she was the only girl I would ever have even considered having any with. But if that reality came to pass, I’d let them make the choices which were stolen from me and hopefully my relationship with them would be a whole lot better than mine was with this man.
“What’s the news?” I asked, trying to focus as I sat down beside him and picked up my fork. But fuck if I was hungry anymore.
Luther took his time eating a large mouthful of pancake, his brows pulling together like something displeased him. Maybe I’d burned them while I was distracted with the feeling of Rogue’s ass rubbing against my dick. “You get your cooking talent from your mother.”
Silence burned a hole in my ears and I sensed JJ and Chase shifting awkwardly in their seats as I stared at my dad. He never mentioned Mom, it was a cardinal rule in this house. And I didn’t much care to think about her either. She’d left us, end of story. I didn’t wanna know if I shared this thing in common with her, it wasn’t relevant. She’d made it irrelevant when she’d abandoned us.
Luther cleared his throat. “Why’d you make four portions of pancakes when there’s only three of you?”
Ever the fucking observant asshole.
“I’m bulking,” Chase said, the lie coming out as smoothly as a breath. “Fox has been helping me carb load.”
“Pancakes is no way to build muscle,” Luther scoffed.
“They’re organic and I used a protein powder in the base.” I shrugged and JJ nodded along, scooping a large forkful into his mouth so he didn’t have to add anything. It wasn’t even bullshit. My pancakes were healthy as fuck and just as delicious as regular ones. Better actually.
Luther chuckled. “Well, I guess you kids know more about all the modern fitness mumbo jumbo than I do these days.” He ate another mouthful of his pancakes, his eyes suddenly darkening. “Anyway, I’m here on business I’m afraid, boys. Three of my men were killed last night on the edge of town. They were picking up arms from the Garcia brothers. All of them were shot dead, and our guns were fucking stolen.” His hand tightened around his fork.
“You think Shawn Mackenzie did it?” I asked venomously.
Luther nodded firmly. “I know so, because he carved The Dead Dogs symbol into all of their fucking faces before he left.” His upper lip peeled back and disgust ran through me. “The message is clear enough. He’s moving in on our turf down here and he wants a war.”
War. The word buzzed in my head as I remembered it written across the Harlequin gates in blood. Maybe Maverick had been telling the truth about that, maybe he really hadn’t beheaded Piston and Rodriguez. But had Shawn Mackenzie or his men really gotten that close to our home? The thought was unnerving and I made a mental note to up security on the place, especially with Rogue staying here.
“Finding Shawn seems pretty impossible, but I’ve got a few photos of his people from when we were back in Sterling. These are some of his top boys. Do you recognise any of them from around town? I have a feeling he’s placed eyes close to us and I want to catch me a rat so I can squeeze Shawn’s location out of its throat.” He took his phone from his pocket, opening the photos and sliding it towards me. I took it as Chase and JJ stood up, moving either side of me so they could see too.
I scrolled through the photographs, studying each face and making sure my boys got a good look as well.
“The last photo’s of him and his girl. The one that went missing,” Luther said. “But he didn’t bring her out to the kinds of places I could get eyes on often and that’s the only picture my men ever got of her. I doubt she’s much of an issue, but she could easily be planted as a spy and she hasn’t been seen for a while, so I’m concerned she’s already been moved down here.”
I scrolled onto the photo and my heart stopped beating. JJ’s hand landed on my back in warning and I took a slow breath to stop myself from reacting. But what. The actual. Fuck?
It was taken from behind so you couldn’t see her face, her hair long and dark, tumbling down her back and brushing against the angel wing tattoos peeking out from her crop top. I’d know her anywhere, in any photo, taken from a thousand miles away. So what the hell was my girl doing in the arms of Shawn motherfucking Mackenzie?!
“Sorry, boss
,” Chase said smoothly, plucking the phone from my locked fist and passing it back to Luther. “Haven’t seen any of them, but we’ll keep an eye out.”
“If you forward me the photos I can have my security on alert at Afterlife, so if any of them come in, we’ll know,” JJ offered while I tried to form a coherent thought. But all that existed in my head right then was a hydrogen bomb going off and a mushroom cloud filling up every space in my brain.
“Thanks, kid,” Luther said.
Mutt barked suddenly, jolting me out of my frozen state and I glanced at the others for information on where he was. Please tell me he’s not with Rogue.
“Aww, where’s the little guy?” my dad asked, pushing out of his seat.
“Err…” JJ started as Luther strode out of the room. “Fuck,” he cursed under his breath and I jumped up, my heart jolting with panic as his face told me exactly where the dog was.
Jesus Christ, how many fires did we have to put out today?
I practically ran after my dad, following him down the hall toward the basement where Mutt was yapping loudly.
“Why’s he down there?” Luther clipped at me like I was abusing the damn animal.
“He keeps getting stuck in there,” I said quickly. “Gotta stop leaving the door open. I’ll get him.” I quickened my pace to try and overtake him, but my dad moved like the fucking wind, making it to the door before me and yanking it wide.
A bark came from downstairs and Luther moved to step inside. I dove into his way like I was taking a bullet, scrambling for a reason as to why I was acting like a lunatic.
“Wait,” I gasped. “There’s a dodgy step,” I blurted, catching JJ and Chase’s wide eyes over my dad’s shoulder.
Dead Man's Isle (Harlequin Crew #2) Page 22
