Chapter 8
Wesley
Ihave a silent house for all of twenty minutes before I hear the stirring of others upstairs.
During that time, I quickly prepare breakfast. It’s something I do every morning. Every move I make is automatic, my mind already piecing together the ingredients needed to make a filling meal. As I move around, my more immediate thoughts center around Ledger’s godchild.
I’m not sure what I expected when meeting the infamous hitman’s daughter, but a young woman covered in blood was pretty close, I suppose.
What I didn’t expect was how dramatically her presence would affect Ledger.
I’ve known Ledger since I was nineteen. We’d gone through basic training together, rose through the ranks, and did tours as a team.
Ledger is unwavering in his determination to protect, a stone-cold bastard to his enemies, and always logical—qualities that earned my loyalty.
When I got out, he saved my life again by bringing me here and giving me a fresh start.
There’s no one I trust more with my life than Ledger.
That held true even after I stumbled upon Ledger’s dark secret and learned far more than I cared to know about him.
I didn’t know he had a thing for his godchild, and quite frankly, I didn’t want more details after I found out.
I had seen enough to avoid further questions.
All I cared about at the time was that Ledger was unraveling at the seams, and he needed help.
Because Ledger put so much faith in me, it was easy to step in and cover up the consequences of his one, horrifically poor decision. That terrible secret, the one that had been trapped in a hidden room in the basement, was a one time lapse on Ledger’s part.
I thought that was all behind us.
Now that Blair’s here, I’m worried that’s not the case.
Last night, when I climbed into the truck after we picked up Blair, I could tell instantly that something had changed in Ledger’s demeanor.
It was like an electrical charge gathering in the air before lightning strikes.
It wasn’t the exhilaration of an impending strike that one might expect, but a strange, fatal finality that left the hair on my body standing on end.
This is… worrisome.
When the world feels like it’s falling apart, Ledger’s the pillar in the storm we all reach for. He’s the foundation that keeps this house standing. Rhett, Santi, and I need him and his stability. If Ledger keeps that unstable energy up, I’m afraid our pillar might crack.
This is why I agreed to help him look after Blair.
I sigh as I consider the heavy responsibility I’ve been given.
She is Ledger’s weakness. I understand that she’s in a dangerous position, and I’m more than happy to help out someone in need.
But I’m not doing this for her. I’m doing it for Ledger.
If I can help Ledger keep his sanity by running interference between him and Blair, then I will.
It will also save this poor girl from a fate worse than death.
Maybe I’ll be able to save two lives by being a buffer of sorts.
Whatever it takes, I’ll do it—no matter the toll it’ll take on me.
The sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs captures my attention, snapping me out of my musing. A few seconds later, I’m joined by Rhett who stomps into the room.
“Good morning,” I greet, looking over my shoulder at him.
Rhett’s face is perpetually pinched into a sour expression.
I don’t take offense when he shoots me a look void of much emotion.
He’s gone through a lot in his life. Sometimes our personal demons are stronger than our will to live.
I have a sinking feeling that one day, Rhett will choose to listen to the demons in his head.
While I do my best to be there for him, Rhett doesn’t want help or solace.
So, until that day comes, I make sure to let him know I care about him in little ways.
Like, making sure I acknowledge him with my full attention or making him at least two meals a day so that his stomach is full.
“Hey,” he huffs out.
“Where’s Santi?” I ask him, checking my watch. “He’s usually chit-chatting away while I’m cooking and trying to steal something off my hot pan.”
The manager of The Shop, which is the small hardware store at the bottom of Gnarly Pine’s property, is also Rhett’s best and only friend.
The two of them are inseparable. While Santi lives on his own downtown, he’s here ninety percent of the time hanging out with us. He’s family just as much as Rhett is.
“He’s runnin’ late,” Rhett replies. “He texted to say he’ll get to The Shop right on time, which means he’s probably just now getting out of bed.”
I nod as I place breakfast down in front of him. He looks down at my breakfast tacos, then to me.
“We haven’t had these in a while.”
“Ledger’s godchild arrived last night. I figured the best way to make a good impression is to make my favorite breakfast for her,” I tell him as I go back to preparing the rest of the breakfast tacos. Once a few are ready, I plop them onto a large serving dish and carry it over to the island.
Rhett sits at the island on one of the stools and grunts his appreciation as I hand him some silverware.
“Judging by the yelling, it didn’t sound like she was all that thrilled to be here,” Rhett says.
Half way between the island and the stove, I freeze. There’d been yelling? I turn back around to look at Rhett who’s chowing down on his taco.
“What do you mean?” I’d only slipped out for less than an hour to take care of that second body. Did Ledger do something while I was gone?
Between bites of his breakfast Rhett says, “They were in the guest room arguing. Couldn’t really hear what about but she sounded pissed.”
I hum thoughtfully at that as I finish making the trek back to the stove.
“Well, she had a stressful trip here,” I muse out loud. “And Ledger’s been anxious for her arrival. I’m sure tempers were high due to the circumstances. It was probably nothing.”
I hope it was nothing.
Rhett says nothing else on the matter while he eats. When he’s done he brings his plate over and dumps it in the sink. I hand him a plate of tacos covered with aluminum foil, then two brown paper bags.
“Breakfast for Santi, and lunch for the two of you,” I explain. “Take the tacos to Santi ASAP. He’s going to be a bear with the customers if he doesn’t get fed.”
Rhett takes the items with a nod. Just as he moves toward the back door, Ledger joins us.
“Mornin’ Rhett, Wes,” he greets.
Rhett waves without looking back, then slips out the door. Ledger strolls over to my side and grabs a plate and fills it with a few tacos.
“These look good,” he says, appreciatively. When he takes a bite, he nods his approval. “Tastes good too.”
“How many do you think Blair will eat?” I ask him as I load up a few more taco shells.
Ledger hums before swallowing the bite he’s taken.
“Truth be told, I’ll be surprised if she gets up at all today.
I’ve never seen her quite that exhausted before, which is saying a lot.
” He scoffs as he shakes his head. “Anchor put her through hell sometimes. For a while, he would force her to stay awake for days at a time. That was… rough to watch. She looked more tired last night than she did after that trial he put her through.”
I whip my head around to look at Ledger. There’s no sign of amusement on his face. He’s not joking.
“Why would he do that to his kid?” I ask, trying desperately to come up with some sort of justifiable answer.
“He wanted her prepared for any and everything.” Ledger’s face twists up into a grimace, letting me know we feel the same way about this. “Anyway, don’t expect her to wake up.”
My chest constricts in objection. What the hell did Blair go through as a child? Rather than inquire about that, I return to the topic at hand. “If she does wake, what then?”
Ledger considers this as he eats. I don’t push him. Instead, I make us a pot of coffee. It’s not until I’ve poured us each a cup that he answers.
“I’ll take over Zone Two today if you don’t mind just hanging up here with her,” he suggests. “She’s not terribly thrilled with the idea of staying but maybe once she gets to know you and the others she might relax a bit. I’ll talk to her tonight about her working here to give her something to do.”
We talked about this briefly over the past few days as we waited for her arrival.
Trying to work Blair into the company would be difficult.
We don’t want too many people knowing she is here, given that she’s supposed to be lying low.
However, Ledger was sure that she wouldn’t want to simply twiddle her thumbs and sit in a house alone either.
“Sure,” I shrug.
Ledger finishes his tacos and dumps his dish into the sink on top of Rhett’s. “Thanks, Wes. I’ll poke my head back in here every once in a while to check on her but—”
“No need. Blair and I will be fine,” I cut off gently.
There’s no time like the present to work on boundaries when it comes to Ledger and Blair. He got her here, now it’s my turn to step in and make sure she’s comfortable during her stay with us.
And safe from him.
Ledger nods. “Right… Thanks.”
He heads for the backdoor that Rhett walked out of just moments ago and leaves without another word.
Turning my attention to the dishes, I make quick work of cleaning them and putting them away.
Just as I move to grab the sponge to wipe down the counters, the softest creak of the floorboard catches my attention.
Tamping down the instinct to tense in surprise, I plaster a smile on my face and turn around.
There, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and hallway, is Blair Shelmore.
Last night, she’d been but a shadowy silhouette. This morning is a different story.