12. In Plain Sight
CHAPTER TWELVE
In Plain Sight
“No… no, that doesn’t make any sense! You were right-!”
Ian curiously watched his lover as she frantically stumbled to the door, swinging it open to look outside. He was surprised she could move at all after the night they had spent with her. The way she winced every time she walked indicated she was still quite sore.
Deja looked outside into the dark, empty hallway of the building they had invaded and shook her head in disbelief.
Was she going crazy? Turning back around, she saw her men standing around the living room, looking at her with eyes full of concern and confusion.
Pulling the bedsheet tighter around her body, she looked at them, embarrassed.
“I don’t… I don’t understand…” she said.
“Baby, maybe you’re just tired,” Caleb tried to reason.
“No!” she said, rushing Caleb. “You have to believe me. You- You were in the living room. You had on a black leather jacket, and you were looking at some- some documents or cards or something. And I- I tried to talk to you about Mad-Blood, but then you got upset and just stormed out.”
Caleb looked at her, genuinely confused as he comfortingly grabbed her shoulders. “Baby, that… that can’t be possible. I was with Keith the whole time…”
Deja opened her mouth to speak, but she was at a loss for words.
She looked from Keith, who was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, his head tilted in concern as he looked at her with confusion, to Jax, who stood next to him.
A considerably different expression on his face.
Less confused and more… stoic. As if he were actually considering her words.
“You’ve been through a lot in the past few hours,” Ian said, approaching her with water and painkillers. “You need rest.”
“I mean, that was a lot of dick you took,” Keith teased. “You really should be getting more rest, baby girl.”
“No, I’m fine-” she protested.
“Darling, don’t argue with me,” Ian pushed, holding up two pills.
Deja wanted to retort, but bit her tongue as her sore pussy throbbed with pain.
She hadn’t had nearly enough time or rest for her body to recover from their erotic onslaught.
Grumbling in resignation, she opened her mouth.
Ian smirked. “That’s my girl,” he said, dropping the pills into her mouth before handing her the water.
Deja sipped as Ian sat her on the couch. Taking her chin between his finger and thumb, he tilted her head back, brushing his lips against hers. “...I have to take care of my girl,” he whispered.
Deja’s thighs clenched as she bashfully smiled up at him. “Thank you, Ian…” Ian licked his lips as he sat next to her. Taking her hand in his, his thumb affectionately caressed the top of her fingers.
“You might just be feeling a little out of it,” Keith said, crouching down in front of her. He peeled the bedsheet to the side, exposing her pussy. She shivered as he gently caressed her swollen labia. Keith bit his lip as he softly and sensually stroked her. “...does it hurt, baby girl…?”
“A little…” she exhaled.
Keith nodded. “Well… we did beat her up pretty relentlessly,” he said, covering her back up.
Deja sharply inhaled as he tenderly pushed an ice pack between her thighs.
“Maybe knocked a few things out of place.” Keith took her other hand, lifting it to his lips.
“Could’ve been talking to a corpse for all you know. ”
Deja sucked her teeth as she snatched her hand away from him. “I’m not crazy, Keith. I know what I saw. It was Caleb. Maybe he just… doesn’t remember.”
“Wait, so now I’m the crazy one?” Caleb asked as Keith laughed.
Ian smirked before he looked at Jax, who was rather quiet throughout the whole ordeal. “Nothing to add, Jax?” Ian probed. Jax looked at Ian, reluctant to speak. “...the mother of your child might be having hallucinations,” Ian added.
Deja scoffed in offense when she noticed how intently Ian was looking at Jax. As if Ian were trying to provoke Jax to speak. Jax’s jaw tensed as his eyes swept from his brother to Deja. “...did he speak?” Jax finally asked.
Deja twisted her mouth. “Well, no, but… Don’t tell me you think I’m crazy, too, Jax. I’m not-”
“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Jax cut her off. Deja looked at him, surprised. His thumb methodically stroked his bottom lip as his gaze focused on her. “Did he have a scar shaped like a crescent moon on his temple?” Jax asked cautiously.
Caleb, Ian, and Keith suddenly looked at Jax, a mixture of shock and confusion on their faces. Catching their surprised expressions, Deja hesitantly answered. “Um… I wasn’t really paying attention like that, but… Caleb doesn’t have a scar on his temple, last I checked.”
Jax’s eyes fell as he remained silent. “Why are you asking her about Jamie?” Caleb asked, breaking the silence.
Deja looked at Caleb, startled. “Jamie? You mean your-”
“Brother,” Ian finished, looking at Jax. “...his twin brother…”
Deja’s mouth dropped as she looked at Caleb. “I didn’t know you had a twin.”
“Keyword… had,” Caleb emphasized while glaring at Jax. “He’s dead. My brother is dead.” Deja’s eyes widened as she watched Caleb approach Jax with a stiff yet determined walk in his step. “Why… are you asking her… if she saw my dead brother…?”
The room remained eerily silent as Jax slowly raised his head until he met Caleb’s gaze. Jax’s face remained stoic and unexpressive, but in his eyes Caleb read it all. The color immediately drained from Caleb’s face as his pupils constricted and his lips parted in shock.
Jax instinctively dodged as Caleb’s fist met the wall, smashing the plaster. Caleb’s other hand was already flipping his switchblade between his fingers before he shoved the blade into Jax’s palm just as Jax blocked his face.
“Caleb!” Deja blurted.
Jax closed his hand around the blade sticking out of his hand and headbutted Caleb in the forehead before shoving him off. Jax pulled the blade out of his bleeding hand before he violently flew into the wall behind him as Caleb ferociously tackled him.
“Caleb, stop!” Deja screamed, rushing towards them. But Caleb was already pinning Jax to the ground as he angrily punched Jax in the face. Jax spat blood before Caleb was punching him in the jaw again.
Caleb felt rage consume him, his angry tears blurring his vision.
He didn’t know what enraged him more, Jax’s deception or his refusal to fight back.
“Fight back!” Caleb growled as he violently punched Jax in the face again, splattering the floor with blood.
“Fight back, you fucking liar! You piece of shit!”
Keith aggressively yanked Caleb off of Jax as Ian got between them. Caleb angrily writhed in Keith’s hold. “Get off me! Get the fuck off me!” Caleb growled.
“Calm down! Caleb!” Keith sneered, tightening his grip.
“Caleb, please stop, baby! Please!” Deja begged, running in front of him. Caleb heaved angrily as he glared from Jax on the floor to Deja standing in front of him with eyes full of fear. Shoving Keith off of him, Caleb stormed out of the suite.
Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Caleb readjusted his leather jacket and anxiously pushed his light brown hair to the side. His pale hazel-green eyes flickered with apprehension before he opened his water bottle and poured some water into his hand, before using it to fix his hair.
He looked up as the bell rang and checked his phone.
Pulling his backpack over his shoulder and his shades over his face, he headed for class.
Checking the door numbers, Caleb stopped at the doorway and noticed how every student in class immediately tensed up at his presence.
Swallowing hard, he quietly walked to an open desk.
“Everyone, take out a pencil and clear your desks. The exam is about to begin.”
Keeping his head low to his desk, Caleb looked around the strange classroom. It felt like everyone was looking at him. They seemed… terrified. His eyes fell to his desk as the teacher placed a small booklet down. “You may begin,” the teacher announced.
Caleb zoned out as he focused on the exam in front of him. His eyes scanned the page faster than his hand moved. He finished 20 minutes before everyone else. Standing from his desk, he approached the teacher and handed in his exam.
She looked at him, surprised. “Really? You? Done before everyone else? Did you cheat?” she asked.
Caleb remained silent as he turned to leave.
“Just a second, Mr. Byrnes. I’ll correct your exam right now.
” Caleb sharply exhaled as he turned around and watched her scan the exam.
His fingers clenched as she looked at him skeptically.
“You rarely come to my class, and when you do, you cause nothing but chaos and aggravation. You don’t even do your homework, yet you expect me to believe you got every question on this exam correct? What kind of fool do you take me for, Jamie?”
Caleb anxiously bit his lip. “I studied… hard…” he muttered.
She looked at him skeptically. “Bullshit.”
Caleb strolled through the hallway as several students moved out of his way. Dressing like his brother always elicited these sorts of reactions, but he still hadn’t gotten used to it.
He bumped into someone as papers scattered on the ground. “Shit! I’m- I’m s-so sorry, J-Jamie,” the boy stuttered, trying to pick up his things.
Caleb crouched down. “It’s alright. I-”
“N-no, please! P-please don’t hurt m-me! I said I’m sorry!” the boy flinched, hiding his face.
Caleb looked at him, startled. “I’m not- I'm just trying to help…” Caleb said, handing him his papers. The boy looked at him in terror before taking the papers and quickly running off. Caleb sighed as he stood to his feet and headed down the hallway.
“Move, freak!”