Chapter 13
TYLER
Eddie wasn’t wrong about Jules or Ari. They both had a habit of looking right through you.
Their eyes seemed hollow, except when their gazes found each other.
Then, the hardness in their faces softened and there was something more human about them.
I liked it. They were cold but gave each other warmth.
“Welcome.” I grinned at Ari, aware of the stiffness in his posture as I guided him and Jules through the house.
He eyed the Christmas decorations with trepidation, as the jolly sound of carols filled the entryway from the speaker in the living room.
The confusion and disgust on his face were amusing but not surprising.
If I was right and he had some psychopathic tendencies, then he probably didn’t understand why everyone else loved the holidays so much.
Sentimental celebrations were all about emotions and he had trouble with those.
Ari had a nasty bruise on his jaw, which was new, and it was warping into a strange yellowish color. I wanted to ask him how it happened, but I left that for a later conversation.
Or never.
Because who the hell knew what had gone down when it came to him?
“Thank you for inviting us,” Jules said.
He was better at pretending to be the same as everyone else despite the ice in his veins.
A true cop, but the perfect person for Ari.
At least I didn’t feel afraid around Jules.
Was he scary? Hell yes. But I trusted him.
Maybe because he only hurt bad people, the same as Eddie.
“Thanks for coming. I know this isn’t your usual thing.” I chuckled, and while they didn’t laugh, they weren’t cruel, either. Ari inclined his head in acknowledgement as we swept into the kitchen, where Eddie was finishing up setting the table.
He smiled at them and came around to greet them, but his foot hit one of the legs of a chair and he went flying. It was Jules who caught him before he could smash his nose on the floor.
Eddie laughed in embarrassment. “Oops. Thanks.”
Jules’s eyebrows furrowed. “How do you survive?”
It was a good question.
“With bruises.” Eddie shrugged, a lopsided grin taking over his face. “Lots of bruises.”
“You’ve had some broken bones, too,” I pointed out, remembering the numerous times he’d ended up in a cast.
“Yeah, don’t remind me.” Eddie ran a hand over his head with an awkward laugh, and I didn’t miss the way he peeked at Jules.
He’d made his feelings about Jules clear, but I wanted them to be friends.
While I knew Eddie didn’t hate Jules, he was scared of him, and I needed to change that.
Ari and Jules were good people to have on our side, especially with Chuck sniffing around.
“Neither of us can cook, and we didn’t want to poison you, so we bought Italian.
Manzi’s is so good that as soon as we finished our food from there last night, we decided we wanted it again tonight.
That way we could have something different.
” I grinned and gestured for them to sit, and as stiff as they were, they took their seats while Eddie and I dished out the food and poured wine.
I’d never had friends who came over for dinner, but then, I’d never really had a home, either.
Even with Foster, I was working all the time to make rent and there was nothing left over, not in cash or time.
“Italian sounds delicious,” Ari said. Despite being uncomfortable, I knew this was Ari’s way of showing companionship. He’d presented himself for yet another social situation he didn’t understand or probably give a shit about. It was his way of saying he cared.
We took our seats across from our guests.
Jules cleared his throat and offered us a smile. “We do appreciate the invite. We don’t have a lot of friends.”
“That isn’t entirely true,” Ari argued. “We have those lawyers and their partners.”
Jules chuckled. “They have names.”
Ari shrugged. “I don’t care. They’re friends, aren’t they?” He tilted his head toward Jules and the bruise appeared darker from this angle.
“What happened to your face?” I asked, ignoring the wide-eyed look Eddie gave me. He didn’t understand how important Ari was to me, what he’d done for me, and since Eddie had killed two people on my list, I might tell him more about it. I trusted him.
Ari laughed, and even though the sound was cold and emotionless, it was him and he meant it.
While I suspected Jules was teaching him some skills about socializing, he still wasn’t very good at it.
I appreciated that about him. He didn’t pretend around me, and I didn’t have to do the same for him, either.
We’d seen each other at our worst—in a homeless shelter surrounded by some sick fucks.
“Would you believe me if I told you I take part in an illegal fight ring?”
Eddie sputtered, while I grinned.
“You’d be in your element there.”
He nodded as he twirled his fork in some pasta and shoved it into his mouth. When he finished chewing and swallowing, he focused on me with a glint in his eye. “It’s fun.”
Jules snorted and laid his hand on the back of Ari’s neck, squeezing it.
Ari leaned into him, and I watched, warmth for them spreading through me.
Ari deserved happiness, just like I did, and now I’d found mine.
I glanced at Eddie with a smile, and he was already staring at me as though he had similar thoughts.
“You’re a Wheelwright?” Jules’s voice broke through our moment, and Eddie flinched, returning his attention to Jules. “You related to Chuck Wheelwright?”
Eddie swallowed visibly, tensing. I touched his elbow to let him know I was here, ready to support him if needed, and he sent me a wobbly smile.
“Yeah, I am. He’s my asshole dad.” Eddie raised his chin, jaw tight and teeth clenched, daring Jules to say good things about Chuck. He’d defended me against his dad, and I appreciated it. Chuck was one of the few people who truly terrified me, and Eddie was a wall I needed when it came to him.
Jules studied Eddie, the silence in the room thick and tense, before he smiled. “He’s awful. Close friends with the commissioner, Johnston. He also thinks he’s above the law he’s supposed to uphold. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if someone took him out.”
I gaped at him.
“I could do the job, Master,” Ari murmured, ignoring the sharp glance Jules gave him.
“How did you know Eddie was a Wheelwright?” I asked, already aware of the answer. I didn’t know Jules well, but he wasn’t happy after the incident with Mike. I wouldn’t put it past him to do research on Eddie, since he risked a lot to help us.
“How do you think?” Ari shoved more food into his mouth and hummed. “He looked Eddie up in the system. You got a few speeding tickets back in Cali, you naughty boy.” He waved the fork at Eddie.
“I paid them,” Eddie blurted.
We all burst into laughter at the way he puffed out his cheeks. I laid my head on his shoulder.
“They’re teasing you.” At least, I thought they were.
I never truly knew with these two. Sometimes they had their inside jokes I didn’t understand, but I also didn’t want to, either, because they were cold and calculated.
Monsters. Friendly monsters when it came to me. Well, as friendly as they could be.
“Which part of Cali did you move to? I’m from SoCal,” Ari said between bites of food. “Pleasant Beach.”
“I’ve been there. It’s nice.” Eddie relaxed, and they eased into a conversation that was a bit stilted on Ari’s part but still amiable.
I listened as they reminisced about California and the weather—relentlessly normal topics—and part of me ached at the thought of Eddie being there without me.
While I’d forgiven him for leaving me in the dust, there was still a piece of me that stayed angry.
Ari turned his narrowed eyes on me, icy and intent, as if he was planning something.
“And Chuck was your stepdad, right?” I hadn’t told him how I’d gotten my scars, but it didn’t take a genius to figure it out, especially with how much shit I’d talked about Chuck when we were in the shelter together.
“Yeah.” I held my head high, even though I wanted to duck and hide my scars, the same ones Chuck had given me. Since the mirror sex with Eddie, I’d been trying to wrap my head around accepting them, but it wasn’t easy. It would be a work in progress for the rest of my life.
Regardless of the Christmas carols in the background, the moment grew heavy between us, the air thickening until I thought I’d suffocate. Ari wasn’t asking for answers, he was demanding. He wanted to hear me say it was Chuck who’d fucked me up.
“Don’t worry about him,” Eddie said to Ari, surprising me. “I’ll handle him. We don’t need your help.”
Jules’s eyebrows shot up. “Handle him, will you? Like you did with Shanahan?”
Protectiveness surged through me, and I straightened, sending him a glare, even though he scared the shit out of me.
I resisted the urge to jump to my feet and point a finger at him.
“He will and he has. Eddie’s the reason Mike is dead.
He takes care of me better than anyone ever has. Don’t make fun of him.”
“Calm down, pup. Put those teeth away.” Jules laughed and it went deep, right into his chest. Clearly, he was genuinely amused. “I’m making a point.”
“Well, do it somewhere else because I won’t let you insult him.
He’s my Eddie.” I clenched my fist around my fork, wondering if I could reach him and stab him right in the neck before Ari could do anything.
Doubtful. Ari was quick. “We invited you over to have a nice dinner, not for you to mock him.”
“We’re not,” Ari said, then paused to glance at Jules. “We’re not mocking him, are we?”
Jules shook his head. “No.” He held up his palms toward me. “I’m only saying that the next time he decides to kill someone, he should go about it in a better way. He made a mess at the pawnshop, and he’s lucky you know us or he’d be behind bars right now.”