17. Jordan

17

JORDAN

The anger pouring from me hadn’t ebbed since we fled from our hotel room to the airport and flew home. What was supposed to be a weekend away, a weekend for the men I loved to show me where they grew up and for Hartley to check in on his grandfather’s home, turned into a shit show of epic proportions. And now I had one more person in my building behind a locked door in a small apartment. The man didn’t even have a fucking phone.

I still didn’t know what to do with Lane. He was my key to killing his father and brother. I wasn’t overly concerned with the guards they had. They would be easy to take out. It was the other two who’d been slinking around for far too long. My city would get a hefty donation when they were gone that would further assist the people here. It was a win-win.

Except it was more blood on my hands. Not that I cared, although Vail and Hartley did. Why these murders weighed more heavily on me was anyone’s guess. I killed a man the other day and barely gave it a second thought.

Sighing, I dropped into my chair and put my elbows on the desk so I could hold my head up. It was another day, business as usual. Or it should have been, had we done what we were supposed to and had a normal weekend.

A growl tore up my throat. I lifted my head, looking for something to rip apart, whether it was paper, a book, someone’s fucking body, but I stopped short when I saw Ava in the doorway.

Doing my best to calm myself and put my mask of indifference back on, I asked, “Ava, your school day is over already?” It was the most idiotic question, yet I couldn’t think of anything else to say on short notice.

“Yes, I was wondering if you could help me with a project.”

“You’d like my help?”

She nodded. “We’re supposed to pick a state and create a presentation on the facts about it. I chose Pennsylvania. It wasn’t very original, but since I was born here, I figured it would be easy. It’s not. You grew up here too, right?”

“I did, but I’m not sure I’m the best to give you facts about the state. I’m not very good with history.”

“Vail is downstairs working on his kitchen and Hartley’s working too. I can ask Raiden or?—”

“No, it’s okay,” I said and stood. This was something a parental figure should help her with. She came to me, and I wouldn’t let her down. “Do you have your computer open?”

A smile lifted her lips. “It’s already on the dining table.”

“Okay, let’s see what we can do.”

Ava had a small desk in her room, although she liked to do her homework at the table. I wondered if she did it that way when her mother was still alive.

We took seats at the table. Ava turned the school given laptop toward me to show me the search results. “There are so many things. How do I know what’s important? ”

“Did your teacher give you instructions of what to look for?”

She slid a paper toward me with what the goal of the project was and what should be included. We sat together and went line by line to make sure we had every piece of information. Ava took notes, then typed up a presentation with photos and her sources cited. We worked on it while Irene bustled in the kitchen, preparing dinner. She gave us a snack of sliced fresh fruit. I wanted to glare at her, but it was much better for Ava than junk food, so I kept my gaze on the project.

Vail was the first upstairs, smiling when he saw me at the table with Ava. “There you are. I texted, but you didn’t answer so I reached out to Raiden who said you were with Ava.”

“Raiden?” I asked the guard with a raised eyebrow. He should have interrupted if Vail needed something.

“No, don’t do that,” Vail said as he moved in front of me, blocking my view of Raiden. “I asked him not to say anything when he told me you were busy. It wasn’t urgent. I just wanted to see how you were doing.” What he didn’t say was he wanted to make sure I hadn’t murdered Lane for the irritation he brought to my family.

Lane wasn’t the issue though. I was. This rested on me, and it was for me to fix.

“I’m fine, just helping Ava with her homework.”

The smile Vail wore melted the anger residing in me. “Keep up the good work. I’m going to shower and will be down in time for dinner.”

Ava and I kept trudging along. When her presentation was done, she asked me to read it over and let her know if there were any typos. I found a couple and pointed them out. She diligently corrected them. By the time I was through with it, Ava waited with a hesitant look.

“You did an excellent job,” I told her. “Your teacher will be happy with the work you put into this. It wasn’t hastily done at the last minute. This is full of thought.”

She let out a breath. “That’s good. I don’t want to get a bad grade. Thank you for your help.”

A thought occurred to me. “Ava, you know we don’t expect you to get A’s in every subject, correct?”

“I know, it’s just… My mama always wanted me to do my best. I want to make you three happy, and her too.”

“She’d be very proud of you, just like Vail, Hartley, and I are.”

A genuine smile lit her face.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Irene told us.

Ava put her laptop and papers away, taking them to the backpack.

Irene started setting the table. “You did a good thing by helping her. She should bond with all of you, not just Vail. This was a big step.”

“You don’t have to tell me.”

“No, but I should say I’m proud of you, Jordan. You were calm and patient with her. Not everyone has that in them.”

“Yes, well…” I stood and pushed the chair to the table. “I should get changed for dinner.” I left before she could say more. I never got changed for dinner. Now I had to because I thought up the excuse to get away from the praise I didn’t deserve.

Vail was toweling off his hair, his jeans resting low on his hips when I entered the room. I wasn’t about to fuck Vail, but I could lean in for a taste of his skin.

I didn’t stop moving until Vail was within reaching distance. My hands went to his hips, my face tucked against his neck, and my tongue licked along his freshly cleaned skin.

“Not that I’m complaining,” he said. “But are you okay?”

“Fine. Just needed to breathe you in.”

“It was sweet seeing you with Ava.”

I growled low, causing Vail to chuckle.

“I mean it.” He dropped the towel onto the floor so he could wrap his arms around me, surrounding me with his scent. “And while it was sweet, it was also a huge turn-on seeing you that way. Caring, fatherly…”

“Is this a kink you haven’t told me about?”

“No, just another layer of you being exposed that I can’t resist.”

“What aren’t we resisting?” Hartley asked, entering the room.

“Jordan helped Ava with her homework this afternoon. They both sat at the dining table and worked on it together.”

“Okay, I get the not resisting him then.” Hartley came up to my back, his body against mine as he put his arms around my waist. He hummed and put his cheek on my shoulder. “Do I get to call you Daddy Jordan now?”

Before I could tell him no, Vail started chuckling. His body vibrated against mine.

“Laugh it up,” I said. I didn’t knock anyone who was into it. It wasn’t my thing.

“I’m only teasing, Jordan,” Hartley murmured, content to be close to us.

“How was your day, Hart?” Vail asked.

“Forest annoyed me all afternoon, asking questions about Pop. Weird shit, like I would know more than he did. Neither of us were living with him when he got sick. It was almost like Forest thought I was keeping stuff from him. I told him to go the hell home and leave me be. But then I worried he might be drinking again, so I went upstairs and found him lying on the couch watching TV. Not drunk. Just stressed for some reason. Moody fucker. I left, figuring he’d talk to me about whatever’s bothering him when he’s ready.”

“Maybe going back home triggered him, and he’s still working through it.”

“Maybe. Whatever. I’m home with the people I love, and Irene is putting out a spread fit for a king.”

Releasing Vail, I turned to face Hartley. “Did you skip lunch again?” He didn’t do it often. If he got caught up in what he was working on, he’d forget to eat. By the time he remembered, he’d eat whatever was in the snack basket in the break room.

I made a mental note to ask Irene to stock up on healthier, protein-enriched snacks, so at least if he skipped a meal, he’d have something of substance in him instead of chips and cookies.

Hartley sighed. “I did, but I had an order I wanted to finish today. On the bright side, I hired someone new. They’re going to run my errands for me and do the shit I don’t have time to, like delivering orders, picking up materials, whatever I need.”

“Good,” I said and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose. “You need more help. You run yourself ragged without realizing you’re doing it.”

“Rory reminds me to take breaks.”

“Rory should be handing you food, so you eat.”

Hartley cupped my cheek. “Rory isn’t my mother. He doesn’t need to remind me to take a few minutes to myself, yet he does. He’s a friend, always looking out for me. Don’t you dare give him shit.”

I wouldn’t, because Hartley was right. Rory was there to keep him safe, not feed him. Though it endeared Rory further to me, since he was checking in with Hartley when he saw him working too long.

“I need to change,” I said.

“Why?” Vail asked. “Did you get something on your suit?”

“No, I had to escape Irene and her… kindness.”

“The horror!” Hartley gasped. “How dare she be nice to the mafia boss of East Dremest? The nerve of her.”

I cocked an eyebrow at him. Of course, it had no effect. Hartley laughed and kissed me, so it had an effect, just not the desired one. Hartley was still a smart-ass sometimes, but I loved him more for it.

With these two men, I never got away with anything. They saw through my moods and gestures. They knew me better than anyone else did.

So what if there was a hint of a smile on my lips as I changed into fucking jeans and a goddamn T-shirt. On top of softening, I was happy. Outwardly happy. It was one thing to do that in front of my men, but I wasn’t walking around cheerily with my guards or anyone who worked for me. I had a reputation to uphold, after all.

If ads affect your reading experience, click here to remove ads on this page.