NINETEEN
Cove left for the basement an hour ago. It usually takes him a while to prepare for the upcoming fights, and he likes being alone with his thoughts before I, of course, go inside the locker rooms to give him a pep talk. He claims he hates it, but I notice how his shoulders always seem to relax whenever I give him a little encouragement.
Mom and Blair are in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. I would’ve helped, but Mom shooed me away, almost throwing the wooden spoon at my head. Blair didn’t seem to mind being left alone with my parents; hence, I decided to busy myself with my little sister.
Aria’s been rather off lately.
She’s sixteen, almost seventeen at this point, and I’m trying to be really patient with her hormonal, teenage self, but God, she’s been testing my patience lately. She’s been snappy, short with snarky quips that I can never understand how quickly she comes up with them. It’s like her head is filled with comebacks for every given situation.
“What’s going on through that head of yours, squirt?”
Aria’s eyes snap to mine, then her brows narrow. “Stop calling me that. It’s the same as calling me a little shit.”
I grin. “I’m aware.”
“What do you want from me, Arlo?”
She snaps.
And there it is, that annoyingly defiant attitude. I try reminding myself that I’m the adult here and that it’s normal that she’s going through rebellious phases, but it’s taking a lot of willpower not to snap right back at her.
“You seem to be targeting me a lot as of late, Aria. I’m trying my hardest here to be understanding. What’s wrong?”
She scoffs. “I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you left me and went to fucking Illinois, didn’t respond to any of my texts, then returned and didn’t even come to see me.”
I sigh. “That was work.”
“Since when is stalking considered a profession?”
A laugh comes from me, and I shake my head. She’s right, of course, but the fact that she knows what I’ve been doing means that she found a way to track me, or she became a good little eavesdropper. Neither of which I’m particularly happy about, but it’s not unexpected, either. She’s a De Santis, too.
“Look,”
I take a deep breath, sitting next to her on the couch. She’s quick to scoot as far as possible from me, then folding her arms in front of her chest. My brow twitches in annoyance, and I can swear that I see a smirk on her face for a moment. “I know we haven’t been spending time together lately, and I’m sorry, but I’m really busy right now.”
Aria doesn’t respond and gives me a small nod instead.
My eyes fall on her forearm, with a deep, nasty purple bruise. I inch closer to her, inspecting the bruise, and Aria just sighs.
“What happened?”
“Volleyball,”
she rolls her eyes. “Again.”
I lift an amused brow. “You keep getting bruises in odd places from falling. If you have two left feet, maybe you shouldn’t be playing.”
“Shut up,”
she mumbles and rolls down her sleeves. Then, she turns to look at me. There’s something in her eyes that I can’t understand, like she’s battling something on the inside, debating whether or not to tell me. I can see her eyes boring into mine, but it’s gone before I can make out what the fuck’s happening.
“Is everything okay?”
Aria nods. “Yeah, it is.”
Silence falls around us, and I’m trying my best not to push her into speaking. I was as moody as she is in my teen years, and I know that pushing her will only make her more closed off. There’s not a single scenario where me pushing her to speak would end with her opening up.
“On another note,”
she turns to look at me, and the uncertainty leaves her features entirely, like she just flipped a switch. “Does Blair know that you stalked her?”
“Yes.”
Aria frowns. “And she’s still around? What an odd girl.”
I can’t help a snort that falls from my lips. “Don’t let her hear that. She might change her mind and leave.”
“As if,”
she scoffs. “I doubt you’d ever let her leave.”
A sly smirk tugs on the corner of my lips. “You almost sound like an expert, hm?”
“No, I just know you. When you want something, you’re like a dog with a bone. Unless someone quite literally kills you, there’s no chance you’re ever letting her go. I’m just curious, why? What makes her that special?”
“Does she need to be special?”
“Under normal circumstances, no. But this is anything but normal, so I’m assuming there’s something that makes her special.”
Aria’s not a child, despite her childish behavior. However, telling her all the details of this isn’t something I can do without consulting our parents. Besides, unless Blair tells her what happened to her, it’s not my place. But the curiosity in Aria’s eyes makes it difficult not to reveal at least something.
“How much do you know about Aunt Jane?”
Aria’s brows narrow. “Just that her boyfriend killed her and that her daughter’s been missing, presumed dead. Why?”
“There’s so much more to the story,”
I pause, internally debating how much to reveal. Aria’s bound to find out eventually, and given how big her role may end up being, it’s better to be revealed sooner rather than later.
Aria is an excellent shooter. She takes up a few jobs here and there, nothing drastic so it doesn’t interfere with her schoolwork, social life, and other activities a normal teenager should indulge in. But if I need someone to shoot a person from a mile away, without missing, it’s Aria. She’s damn talented, and it’s fucking scary.
“Aunt Jane was involved with two politicians. Her boyfriend, Nelson Adams, and his close colleague, Paul Simmons.”
Aria’s frown deepens, then a look of realization washes over her. Her mouth opens and closes a few times before she snaps out of it. “Wait, you mean the current candidate for the mayor of New York and the man running for president next year?”
I nod.
“Holy shit,”
she breathes out. “Do you think one of them did it?”
“Adams did it; there’s proof, but it’s not enough.”
She nods. “How does any of that correlate to Blair, though?”
“Those two… they hurt her. That’s my connection to her.”
“Let me guess, you’re helping her get revenge?”
My brows shoot up to my hairline. “Yes. How did you figure it out so quickly?”
She snorts. “It’s so cliché it’s funny,”
she laughs. “I’m assuming you’re not willing to share any more information on how they hurt Blair, which is fair, but if it’s as bad as I think it is, you realize that she might never recover from it, right?”
“She’ll… never get back time and things she lost to them, that’s for sure. I wish I could take all the pain away and make it all disappear, but I can’t. All I can do is give her the strength to push forward and to live her life without being chained to the monsters of her past.”
“Ah, so you’re being patient with her. Smart move.”
I blink. “Are you praising me?”
“No,”
she scoffs. “I’m just saying that you’re not as stupid as you look.”
I’m momentarily baffled. Only Aria can praise, compliment, and insult me in one breath without sounding like she planned on doing it. Teenagers these days are scary as fuck, especially this one, with unlimited access to guns and knives.
“You’re one mean girl.”
“And you’re an ass.”
“Will you ever forgive me for ignoring you?”
“That depends.”
I sigh. “Depends on what?”
“How much are you willing to spend?”
she shrugs. “There are these new shoes I’ve been wanting, a new laptop for school, and while we’re at it, I could use a bigger bed and some new clothes.”
“Classic. Going after my bank account.”
She smiles, sheepishly. “What can I say? It’s not fun using Mom and Dad’s money. Sucking your bank account dry and seeing you sweat is funny.”
“You little–”
I hissed, then stopped myself. I take a deep breath, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Fine. I’ll get it for you. Anything else, your highness?”
“I could use a new car.”
I blink. “Not happening.”
She sighs dramatically. “Shame. I can’t believe I’m left brotherless.”
“Alright, fine, stop being a menace. I’ll get you a new car. Am I forgiven?”
Aria grins widely and nods, enthusiasm etching on her face. “Absolutely! Thanks!”
I reach out, ruffling her hair and watching her scowl at me. She tries swatting my hand away, then just gives up and lets me mess up her hair when she sees that there’s no point in trying to push me off.
“Hey, can I ask a favor?”
Her ears perk up when I retract my hand. She tries fixing up the mess on her head, nods, but still watches me carefully. “Yeah… What is it?”
“Could you… make an effort with Blair? Just try to make her feel included a little; take her out for lunch and maybe shopping.”
“Add in some new jewelry, and I’ll call her big sister if you like.”
I snort. “You’re too materialistic.”
“No, I see an opportunity, and I take it. Not my fault you taught me that you never say no to me. You’ve indulged in my every whim and turned me into a spoiled brat.”
I grab one of the pillows off the couch and toss it at her. She ducks, dodges it, and sticks her tongue out at me, laughing. A soft smile plays on my lips as I hear the sound of her laughter.
“Fine, I’ll do it,”
she caves. “But don’t get too jealous if she starts liking me more. I’m the better sibling.”
Before I can give her a response, she darts out of the living room. With a sigh, I chuckle and shake my head before heading back into the kitchen, following behind her. Aria approaches Blair, and although Blair’s a little uncertain, Aria’s bubbly personality lures her in.
It’s not long before they’re sitting at the counter, sipping on some hot cocoa, whispering in hushed tones, often glancing at me, then laughing softly. Knowing Aria, she’s probably telling her the most embarrassing stories from our childhood, and I don’t mind it, not one bit.
Just seeing Blair’s smile makes my heart flutter. Slowly, I’ll show her that she truly belongs here with me, with us – that she’s a part of our family, and that in this family, we protect and love each other.
Cove’s fight was… a sight.
Blair was excited to see an actual ring, a fight. Her eyes were practically glowing with thrill, and she was all but bouncing in her seat. She didn’t seem to notice people staring at her – at us. Mainly because she’s the first person I’ve ever brought to the basement to watch Cove fight.
My girl didn’t even flinch while Cove was sending hit after hit at his opponent. The poor guy didn’t know what he agreed to, because for whatever reason, Cove was rather agitated before the fight even began; hence, he was really just blowing off steam.
Needless to say, Cove won, got a lot of money, and ended up leaving the basement before I could catch up with him. Cove has those little moments when he needs his solitude, and even I’m not allowed to interrupt him.
Blair’s sitting in the passenger’s seat, gazing out the window. Although I’m trying my damn best to focus on the road, it’s impossible. Her sweet scent fills all my senses, and it stirs something inside of me. The way her hair falls over her shoulders, the bow still holding the pieces at the back – it looks so good on her, and it’s next to impossible to ignore the burning sensation in the pit of my stomach.
Instinctively, my hand reaches for her thigh, gripping it lightly and holding it there. The small contact sends electric waves down my entire body, and I can’t get enough of how good it feels to touch her bare skin, to feel it under my fingertips.
Blair glances at my hand holding her thigh, then lifts her eyes to meet my gaze as I park outside of my parent’s house. There’s an amused look on her face, and I’m internally praying she doesn’t remove my hand. I don’t think I’ll survive her taking my hand off her thigh. I think I might even cry if she does.
Instead of removing my hand, she places hers gently on mine, and I swear, my heart is ready to leap straight out of my chest. I’m pretty sure she can hear it, too.
I clear my throat, giving her thigh a soft squeeze. “So, did you enjoy yourself?”
Her eyes light up. “I did! It was fun watching it. Although, I did underestimate Cove. I thought he’d get a little bit hurt, or at least allow the opponent to get a hit or two in.”
“Cove would rather die than let someone hit him. Well, unless he wants to play with them. Then he lets them hit him to create the illusion of being less strong than he actually is.”
Blair nods. “Makes sense.”
“It’s still fairly early; you should eat and go to bed.”
She lifts a brow.
“I don’t mean to boss you around, but tomorrow, I’m taking you somewhere.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’m going to show you where Dad trains people. And while we’re there, I’ll train you a little.”
The light dims in her eyes, and she groans. “I guess we’re starting, then?”
I give her a small squeeze of reassurance, trying to ignore the fire that ignites within me when goosebumps tug on her skin. “Yeah, butterfly. We’re starting. And you’re not alone. I’ll be with you every step of the way. It will be hard. I’ve created a regime specifically for you; it will drain you, and it will make you want to step in front of a moving bus, but once you finish it, you’ll feel much stronger, mentally and physically, I promise.”
Blair takes in a small breath, closes her eyes, and nods. When her eyes open again, all I see is determination and strong resolve in those gorgeous eyes. The pride threatens to overwhelm me, and I can’t help the wide smile that breaks on my face.
“I’m proud of you, Blair.”
“Hm?”
She tilts her head to the side, slightly confused.
“I’m proud because you survived. You’ve gone through hell and back many times, and you survived. You’re here, and you’re going to be okay. I swear it on my life.”
Blair gives me a small nod, the resolve in her expression not faltering in the slightest. “I know. Somehow, I think you’re here to stay.”
The words spill out of my mouth before I can think about what I’m saying.
“There isn’t a single thing that will ever make me leave. In every single sense, you’re my kingdom come. My heaven, my entire life. Not only will I never leave, but I’ll give you all the fucking reasons you should stay with me.”
Her throat bobs, and her eyes are frantically searching for my face for any trace of lies. When she finds none, a shaky breath comes from her, her eyes slowly swelling with tears. She swallows them back and nods.
“Give me the reasons to stay after all of this is over, and I will.”