Chapter Five
Sadie
Not only did I see James again, but I spent several panic-filled hours with him and his club while my friend was kidnapped and almost killed.
The memory of the fear thrusts me back, and a giant spiked ball rolls from one side of my gut to the next. I think of it as my very own Indiana Jones boulder of anxiety.
As harrowing as the entire event was, one good thing did come out of it all.
June isn’t lying to me anymore, and I don’t have to pretend I don’t know exactly who she is.
We’re closer than ever. Meanwhile, the divide between June and Evelyn is so wide that my lungs seize any time I think about it.
Taco Tuesday directly after the incident was, of course, canceled due to June’s “motorcycle accident,” which is the lie she fed to our friends to explain her injuries.
Rose accepted the story without blinking, though she’s been fussing over June more than normal.
Ev, on the other hand, glared at June while she explained, nothing but distrust in her eyes.
I’m pretty sure she thinks Theo beat June.
Which, on the one hand, is a fair assumption to make, especially with her history.
On the other hand, Theo would shove his hands in a rusty blender before he ever hurt June.
At least, not in a way they both wouldn’t enjoy.
Taco Tuesday this week was stilted. Ev watched June closely.
June pretended not to notice. Rose complained about Maple, who’s been withdrawing more than normal.
The rest of the week was quiet. Until today, of course.
It’s like the universe was waiting for Friday before contaminating the air with whatever toxin makes everything go wrong.
I woke up to Soot vomiting all over my bedroom floor, likely due to the leftovers he ate last night, then my fertilizer shipment was delayed.
Evelyn called during her lunch break, and we talked for an hour.
After practically a month of the silent treatment, the call was more worrisome than anything else. Something was wrong.
On top of that, two women came in for poison. Typically, I get one every other week. Never two in a day. I managed to talk one off the ledge. The other, I sent to June.
There’s definitely something in the air. So, when I get a text at ten p.m. from Luna asking if June is always this violent, I don’t think. I get in the car and drive to Theo’s. Luna is waiting for me on the front porch when I pull up, and her grim face does nothing to alleviate my fears.
“What happened?” I ask, kicking the car door shut behind me.
“You didn’t have to come all the way out here.”
“I almost lost my best friend two weeks ago. Of course I’m coming. Tell me. What happened?” I stop in front of her, hearing June shout inside.
“Church was…volatile. It’s the first one June came to since everything, and people wouldn’t stop looking at her weird or asking questions. That pissed Theo off, so it was already tense. Then he brought up the South Five, you know that gang that we accidentally started a war with?”
That June accidentally started a war with, I mentally correct. By killing a man before he could kill Theo. Learning about that had provided some clarity to James’s random visits. Not much but enough that his brief stalker moments no longer seem so malicious.
“Daryus made a snide comment about June, which made Theo murderous. Then June asked if she could do something to fix it and acted all self-sacrificial, saying she should be the one to take the blame with the Fivers because she’s the one who killed the guy, and Theo wouldn’t hear any of it, so he kicked her out of the clubhouse. ”
“He what?!”
She nods, pursing her lips. “Anyway, now they’re fighting, and I think June has threatened to cut off his dick and feed it to him at least four times.”
I would laugh if the situation wasn’t so serious. “Me going in there is just as likely to make things worse as it is to help.”
“I didn’t text you expecting you to come over.”
A crash inside makes me flinch. Pulling my shoulders back, I head inside, making sure to let the door shut loudly behind me.
There’s a pause in the arguing, which is originating from Theo’s room, and I mentally force a brick wall in front of the anxiety boulder.
Before I can take more than a step in their direction, a heavy hand falls on my shoulder and tugs me back.
I spin, mouth opening to shout… something. Whatever it was falls from my brain when a pair of green eyes fill my vision. Slicked back red hair that’s shaved on the side and a matching thick, red beard make them look sharper as they narrow straight on me.
“What?” I hiss at James.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Interrupt. They’ll figure it out.”
“Luna said—”
“Luna hasn’t lived with them. Either of them. Trust me, interrupting only makes it worse later. They’ll yell and fight, one of them will storm off, then in an hour, they’ll make up in the bedroom and come out tomorrow satisfied and freshly bruised.”
I frown. Then hear June shout, “You don’t fucking decide for me!” I start turning back toward the shouting, when two giant arms wrap around my middle and pull me away. He picks me up and walks down the hallway, away from Theo’s room.
“Hey!” I yell. A hand covers my mouth, muffling future protests. I twist and buck against his hold.
He grunts. “Stop. Fuck. I’m trying to help.”
My foot connects with his knee, and he curses in my ear.
His arm squeezes, fingers digging into my side as he holds me tight, marching me down the little hallway, past the extra bedroom and bathroom, until we’re at the last door.
Once inside, he kicks the door shut and lets go, dropping me so my feet hit the floor.
“What the fuck was that?” I demand.
“I told you. Interrupting isn’t a good idea.”
“I don’t give a shit. She’s my best friend. I know how to handle her.”
“How many times have you seen her mid-murderous rage?”
My mouth halts halfway open as I realize that I’ve never seen it. I know it happens and I’ve seen the fire burning in her eyes before she finally kills, but I’ve never actually seen her screaming or on the actual edge.
“She wouldn’t hurt me.”
“No, but going in there wouldn’t end well for anyone involved.”
My neck strains as I bite back a string of curses. He’s so fucking infuriating.
“June might be your best friend, but Theo is my brother. I know him. Their fight right now comes down to the one thing he will never bend on—the safety of the woman he loves.”
Well, that’s impossible to argue with, especially knowing what happened to Theo’s only other real girlfriend.
June also told me they had a daughter who was murdered at only three years old.
A second passes before I remember that Scottie was James’s sister.
Shiloh was his niece. Suddenly, the fight drains out of me.
I can’t imagine losing my brothers or nephews.
“Unfortunate that he fell in love with someone who has such a dangerous hobby,” I say.
The skin at the corners of James’s eyes crinkles slightly, the only sign that he might’ve considered smiling. “Yes. Unfortunate.”
We sit in uncomfortable silence before I mumble, “You didn’t have to pick me up, you giant caveman.”
“You weren’t listening, a talent you share with your dear best friend.”
“Don’t talk bad about June.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. I value my life.”
“Despite your propensity to stalk her best friend and flirt with death.”
His cheeks glow with a hint of pink. “I told you, I wasn’t stalking you. And enjoying a thrill is not flirting with death.”
I scoff. “Whatever you say, Weasley.”
“That’s not as creative of a nickname as you might think.”
“My goal isn’t creativity; it’s relatability.”
“How is a reference to a children’s book relatable?”
“Harry Potter is a global phenomenon that shaped a generation, not just a children’s book. Even if it does have the misfortune of being created by a TERF-y bitch.”
“Why?”
“Why is she a TERF? Because—”
“No. Why is your goal to be relatable?”
“Because people need reminders that they’re not alone as often as possible. Even the smallest things, like a random reference to highlight a commonality, can help battle loneliness.”
Our verbal volleying comes to a halt, and James lifts an eyebrow.
I cross my arms, preparing for a parry, but none comes.
It seems he’s hit his hourly quota for speaking, and now he has to plug himself in to recharge before his vocal chords will work again.
He studies me, and I wait in silence as long as I can, which, admittedly, isn’t that long, before giving up and moving for the door. Only then does he speak.
“How did you know they were fighting?”
“Luna texted me.”
“She told you to come over?”
I shift my weight, self-conscious about my rash decision to drive over here after one random text. “No. She just asked if June is always violent, and I had a bad feeling.”
“June is always violent.”
“That’s so untrue that I worry about the efficacy of your brain’s neurons.
” I grudgingly turn back to face him, accepting that this conversation is not, in fact, over.
He’s leaning against the wardrobe in a room, which I haven’t really noticed until now.
It’s surprisingly well-furnished with a king bed dressed in forest green, pillows stacked high, a circular bookshelf in the corner, and a flat-screen mounted across from it.
Model cars and motorcycles line the top of the wardrobe.
Two windows are veiled in gray curtains, and framed photos hang on the remaining wall, too far away to make out.
“One vague text and you’re rushing to the house of a man you barely know to… what? Rescue your friend who is more than capable of taking care of herself?”
“Just because she can take care of herself doesn’t mean she should always have to.”
“Theo would never really hurt her.”
My shoulders relax in acquiescence. “I know that.”
His brows twitch as if considering furrowing. Either this man has the world’s most natural poker face, or he chooses never to let his emotions show.
“Then why did you come over?”
I tuck my hands into my back pockets, a habit I picked up while trying to stop picking at my cuticles. “Honestly? I don’t know. Like I said, I had a bad feeling, and my gut is rarely wrong.”
His pause stretches to the point that I worry we’re about to enter “James has to recharge” territory again, but then he seems to come to some invisible decision.
“The situation with the South Five is growing… tenser. They want blood. June thinks that blood should be hers. She wants the chance to prove she’s more than a monster who kills.
Theo will sacrifice every single Saint before he lets those Fiver bastards anywhere near her.
The Saints can tell their leader is too close to this to make a logical, strategic move, especially if it means using his ol' lady. Honestly, the situation will get worse before it gets better. So, your gut wasn’t wrong.
But that doesn’t mean you can do anything about it. ”
My teeth grind together. I want to tell him to shove it, that of course I can help, but what would I do? Offer a bunch of dangerous gang bangers a bouquet of poisonous flowers as a Trojan horse peace offering?
“I can’t do nothing.”
James rubs a hand down his beard, tugging the wiry strands straight, just for them to coil back into their original form. “You’d really do anything to help June?”
“Anything.”
He nods. “I’d do anything for Theo. Trouble is, they’re both so goddamn stubborn and prideful, they’re not going to let us help.”
“So? What are you suggesting?”
He straightens, pushing himself off the wardrobe. “That we help without them knowing.”
“How?”
“Isn’t that the question? First, they need normalcy back. After all that bullshit with Lorry and now this, they’re on edge. You need to do what you do best and distract June.”
“That’s not all I do,” I argue.
“I need to think some things through before we do anything else. For now, just surround June with all your ridiculous smiles and energy and pop culture references. I’ll let you know when we can discuss next steps.”
Frowning, I narrow my eyes, searching for the catch. He has fifteen members of his little club who I’m sure would do anything to help Theo. He doesn’t need me. He has to have another angle here. Probably whatever his angle was when he slept outside of my apartment three weeks ago.
“Why?” At the slight raise of his eyebrows, I add, “Why would you let me help? I’m not a Saint. We’re not friends.”
“Because you’ll fight for June like I’ll fight for Theo.”
“So?”
“So, as much as the Saints like June, all of them, Luna and myself included, would pick Theo over June if it came down to it. But I know my brother. He wouldn’t survive losing another woman he loves. The only way I can truly protect him is if I know someone will protect June just as ferociously.”
Fuck. I didn’t need to see this weird noble side of James. It carves a chunk out of my dislike for him.
I have no idea what he has planned for helping them with their gang war problem, but I don’t care. If I can help June, I will. And I’m self-aware enough to know this is about more than that. This is a way for me to prove that I’m not just a useless, scared girl.
I nod and hold out a hand. “I’m in, partner.”
His eyes drop to my hand, then lift back to me. He rubs his fingers down the bridge of his nose. I smile, because I just found a third reason to do this.
Getting under James Hartley’s skin is going to be so satisfying.