Hartley (East Dremest Mafia #3)

1. Hartley

1

HARTLEY

There was a lot to do. An entire room to design. I wasn’t into home decorating, but I suddenly found I wanted to learn more about it. Ava had already been through so much, and now she’d have to move in with us.

Oh my god, what if she was scared of Jordan?

I turned, finding him across the living room from where I sat. I was looking online for furniture and bedding. Jordan wouldn’t hear of me trying to help pay for anything. He said it was the least he could do.

He took a seat on the couch and put his head into his hands, his fingers gripping the silver strands of his hair.

Standing, I put the laptop on the coffee table and went to him, dropping to my knees in front of him so I could try to look into his eyes. “Hey,” I said softly while gently pulling his hands away. “What’s going on?”

Tortured hazel eyes met mine. “We’re bringing a child into our home.”

“If you’re concerned with her coming here, why didn’t you bring it up to Vail? ”

“It’s not that. I’m happy to open our home to her, but fucking look at me, Hart. I’m not someone a kid goes to when they’re in need of anything. Look how much I fucked up my relationship with my son. I’m not good at this. With Ava, I’m destined to fail.”

Taking his hand in mine, I stood from the floor and took a seat on his lap so I could loop my arm around his shoulders and hold his hand. “You weren’t good at it. Past tense. You’re not that man any longer.”

“I am. I don’t know shit about raising a child. I’m lucky my son isn’t more fucked up than he is. Plus, I have a business that makes life dangerous.”

“Last I checked, Vail and I are still in one piece.”

Jordan growled. “Don’t. Anything could happen. We’re lucky you haven’t been targeted yet. Now we’re adding a child who will need to be protected at all costs.”

“There’s no better person to do that than you. You already have a guard in mind for her, don’t you?”

Jordan nodded.

My hand started teasing the hair at the nape of his neck. “Care to share?”

“Kayli. I haven’t spoken to her about it yet. She’s supposed to be here any minute. I have men everywhere but few women in my organization, a statistic I aim to fix.”

The elevator dinged, signaling the arrival of Kayli. We turned and watched as she walked toward us. Her blond hair was pulled back with a few of the pieces hanging forward to frame her face, softening her appearance. Today, she wore white sneakers and a pair of jeans with a long-sleeved baby-blue top, making her look much more innocent than I knew she could be.

She sat on the couch to face us. “You asked to see me, sir? ”

“I have a new job for you,” Jordan said. “If you’d like it, that is.”

“When have I ever turned down an assignment? I love sneaking into homes and stealing assholes while I threaten their lives.” Her lips curved into a mischievous grin.

“This isn’t like that. I need a guard detail.”

“Not my usual, but not a bad gig. For how long?”

“If it works out… years.”

“Interesting. Whose body am I guarding?”

“Vail has gained custody of a twelve-year-old girl.” Jordan gave Kayli a brief rundown of what happened with Ava’s mother and how she came to be with us. “Since we’re bringing her into our home, she’ll need protection like Vail and Hartley have.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Kayli asked and leaned closer. “You want me to protect a kid?”

Jordan spoke through clenched teeth. “Yes.” He was barely holding his anger back. Was it wrong it turned me on? I so enjoyed it when Jordan got all angry and tough.

“I’d go to the ends of the earth for you, but I’m not the type to watch a kid. There isn’t a motherly bone in my body.”

“I’m not asking you to babysit her,” he growled. “I need you to keep her safe.”

“I get that, but there will come a point where she asks my opinion or needs help with something I’m ill-equipped to take care of. Then what?”

“She has us.”

“She does, but what if she needs more? There are a lot of men here. To the point I’m usually the only woman in the building unless Irene is working. From the sound of it, Ava spent her entire life with her mom. Being around this many men might not be comfortable for her. She’s going to be upset and scared. I’m not exactly the type people want to hug. But I know someone who is.”

Jordan dropped his head back. “Another I’ll need to do a background check on?”

“Yes, but I can vouch for her skills and how she’s a lot more loving than me.”

“Who?”

Kayli grinned. “My sister.”

“You have a sister?” I asked. I bet Vail knew. He was better at making friends and learning about the people who worked for Jordan. I’d been buried in work and hadn’t had the time to get to know them. Now I felt like shit. Like Jordan needed to bring more women into his organization, I needed to be better about speaking to those who worked for him.

“You’re going to love her, Hartley. She’s like me but nicer.”

“She’ll want to do this?” Jordan asked.

Kayli shrugged. “I’ll stop by her place and see what she says. Last I heard, she was in between jobs.”

“No boyfriend to worry about?”

“Uh, no. The last idiot tried to tell her what to do all the time. She dumped his ass and has been single since. There are no connections for you to worry about with her. If she takes the job, she can be here when you need her.”

“Why hasn’t she worked for Jordan before?” I asked. If she was as skilled as Kayli, it had me wondering why she didn’t follow Kayli when she came to work for Jordan.

“She hates him,” Kayli said matter-of-factly.

Facing Jordan, I asked, “And you want her to work for you?”

“I don’t need her to like me. I need her to protect Ava. Do you think all my employees like me?”

Kayli started laughing. “Oh, the stories I could tell you.” She peered over her shoulder. “Reghan, do you remember that one financial guy who stopped by a couple of years ago? He thought he was so important and ran his mouth the whole way up the elevator with us, until he got in front of Jordan and became the sweetest man ever.”

Reghan chuckled. “He really hated you, sir, but acted like he loved you.”

“Yet he still works for me because he’s damn good at his job and I pay him well,” Jordan stated. “He won’t leave. The money he earns won’t be easily made at another company.”

“And you have meetings with him here, even though he despises you?” I asked.

“No, he isn’t allowed to step foot in this building ever again. He knows his place, and it’s not in my fucking presence. I haven’t seen him face-to-face since.”

“Ah, a freeze out.” I’d been on the receiving end of that once from Jordan. So had Vail. It ended with Jordan driving Vail home and me leaving as well. It didn’t last long. Then again, Jordan wanted us. He clearly didn’t like the man who worked for him.

Jordan’s arm tightened around my waist as he nuzzled his nose along my neck. “Stop, Hart.” Jordan Altair Sr., mind reader extraordinaire.

“If we’re through, I’ll visit my sister and keep you posted,” Kayli said.

Jordan dismissed her. “Thank you, Kayli.”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

Kayli departed, leaving me with Jordan and Reghan. Since we weren’t sure when Vail would be back, I climbed from Jordan’s lap, not wanting Ava’s first time meeting us to be Jordan and I making out. Lana had already taken care of what she had to with Vail. Ava would be here soon. She needed a home, and I was going to help provide that for her.

I stood and went back to my laptop, looking once more for items needed for Ava. As I was browsing online, the elevator dinged again. This time, Irene stepped out.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she hurried to say, dropping her bag in the closet. “I was running my usual errands. What room would you like her in?”

“The end of the hall to give her privacy,” Jordan stated. “Thank you for coming.”

I agreed with him there. What child wanted to sleep close to people she hardly knew? Hell, she hadn’t seen Vail in years, and he was going to be the one primarily caring for her. Though, I wanted to help any way I could and knew Jordan did as well.

Irene bustled upstairs to get the room ready. It wasn’t like there was much in it, but Jordan asked Irene to have it in the best shape possible in a very short amount of time.

Jordan’s hand went through his hair again.

“Stop,” I said. “It’s going to work out. I’m sure we’ll have bumps in the road, but we’ll do everything we can to help her. She has to be in a lot of pain after losing the most important person in her life.”

I’d lost my dad when I was only six years old. My mom died two years later. I was still a child, unable to fully grasp how their deaths would shape me as I grew. For years, I’d have moments of despair where I’d cry from missing them. But in those dark times, I had my grandfather to lean on. He was always there for Forest and me.

Which reminded me… “Is Forest fully moved out now?” He was staying in the apartment over my studio. He had little with him, most of it in storage. The apartment was fully fu rnished, thanks to Jordan. Forest would have a comfortable space to relax and work in.

Jordan looked to Reghan.

“He is,” Reghan said.

“He still has access to this building, right?” I wouldn’t want my brother turned away if he tried to visit.

“He does,” Jordan confirmed. “He’s your brother, therefore, I won’t keep him out.”

“You would if he was still a drunk asshole who wouldn’t help me.”

“That I would.” At least he didn’t sugarcoat it.

Glancing back down at the screen, I decided to leave the room Ava would sleep in alone for the time being. Her taste wasn’t mine. I also didn’t know a thing about what she would be into or the colors she liked. After bookmarking a few sites, I closed the computer and glanced out the tall floor-to-ceiling windows.

I remembered losing my parents and having to live with my grandfather. I was young, but moving in with him had always stuck with me. A memory equally filled with grief and hope.

My mother hadn’t been there for us like we needed her to be after my dad died. She was a shell of the woman she used to be by the end. My grandfather saw what was happening and tried to buffer us from the worst of it, but there came a point when he couldn’t. He moved us in with him when she got worse. Then one day she was gone.

I cried while my grandfather held me, Forest on his other side. We’d been through so much, but so had he. He lost his daughter and son-in-law.

So many nights I’d lain awake in bed and wondered if I did something wrong. If I was the reason she was sick. The older I became; I realized it had nothing to do with me. I was a child who needed his mother, and she couldn’t be there for Forest or me.

Everyone handled grief differently. Looking back, she didn’t handle it at all. She numbed herself, and when what she took wasn’t doing the trick any longer, she found another way to ease her pain. All the while forgetting to care for the two children who needed her most.