Chapter 18 Texas
EIGHTEEN
TEXAS
I sighed as I sat out on the porch waiting for Stone.
After tucking Keva in and forcing myself to pull away from Ella, I paged Stone to figure out what the fuck was going on.
And I didn’t like what he had to stay. After dropping Keva off, Jett apparently went back to the storage unit.
So, Stone got to break in and look around himself.
He shot me pictures of things that had appeared since I’d last been there.
A pickaxe. More bottles of bleach. A canister of lye and another body bag.
I didn’t like how this was panning out.
So, once we both knew the girls were out for the night, I stepped out onto the porch to wait for him.
I had two beers waiting for us to drink while we figured out what the fuck we were supposed to be doing about all this.
Now that the court date had come and gone and we knew the authorities wouldn't step in, it was time for us to take matters into our own hands.
Like the Lost Boys always did when the authorities couldn't.
I heard the roar of Stone’s motorcycle coming around the corner.
I saw him riding down the road as he eased off the gas.
His motor puttered as he coasted into the driveway and turned everything off.
He eyed me hotly as he slid his helmet off.
His leather jacket practically screamed for mercy as it pulled against the muscles I knew he’d been blasting in the fucking gym trying to let all this pent-up stress out.
I could only hope he never figured out how I was relieving my stress.
“That for me?” he asked.
I handed him the glass bottle silently before he fell into the chair next to me.
He put the bottle between his teeth and snapped the metal cap off then spat it out into his hand.
I grimaced as I took a swig from mine. I had no idea how the fuck Stone did that shit with his mouth and still managed to have a gleaming white smile.
I could only imagine how large his dental bills were.
“The girls asleep?” he asked.
“Fast asleep for three hours now,” I said.
“You sure?”
I slowly panned my eyes over to him. “Yeah, Stone. I’m sure.”
“How? You go creepin’ into their rooms?”
“I’m gonna wring your fucking neck if—”
He held up his hand, stopping my sentence in its tracks.
I took another long pull from my beer and let Stone have his little fun yanking me around on his damn chain.
I rocked slowly in the chair, staring out into the road.
Keeping my ears peeled for any sounds that could denote that someone was at the house.
In the backyard. Out in the woods and looking in.
I was always on alert when it came to Ella and Keva.
“We can’t wait around for Jett to do something,” I said.
“My sentiments exactly,” Stone grumbled.
“He’s building a fucking arsenal. And I don’t like the fact that he’s got two body bags now.”
“I should’ve laid them out side by side for you.”
“Why?”
Stone’s eyes finally met mine, and there was nothing but darkness in his eye sockets.
“One’s smaller than the other,” he said flatly.
My skin crawled. “You’re fuckin’ with me.”
“I wish I was.”
“Stone, this is out of control. He’s got the damn courts in his pockets. They aren’t gonna do anything,” I said.
“I know.”
“We have to find a way to get rid of Jett. Permanently.”
And finally, I saw that grin bloom on Stone’s face. I was talking his language, and he loved it.
“Whatcha got in mind?” he asked.
“Not what you’ve got in mind, obviously.”
“You’re no fun.”
“I mean we could put him away. Use irrefutable evidence that would slam him behind bars. Like planting drugs in his house or implicating him in a murder. I mean, hell, he’s got the damn storage locker to send him away for years,” I said.
“That would grant Ella full custody. No man in prison can have custody of his kid,” he said.
“We just have to figure out how to set him up.”
Stone drained his beer before shaking his head.
“What? What does hell does that mean?” I asked.
“After this last court case, I know he’s got friends in the justice department.
We set him up for something, he gets off somehow.
I don’t know if he’s payin’ ‘em or blowin’ ‘em, but he’s doing something.
We had plenty enough evidence for at least a temporary restraining order last week.
The fact that he still got off blows my fucking mind,” Stone said.
“It’s still worth a shot.”
“Not if Jett takes that shit and turns around to implicate one of us, it isn’t.”
Shit. I hadn’t even thought about that.
“What if I did it?” I asked.
“Did what?”
“What if I planted the shit on Jett and made a pact to take the fall if he tried to turn it around on us?” I asked.
Stone furrowed his brow. “Why the hell you willing to risk prison for Ella?”
I had the perfect opening to tell him everything.
To finally be honest with the man I called my brother and meant it.
I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to fill him in on the fact that I was falling for his sister.
But I didn’t know how Stone would react, and this family had enough going on.
They didn’t need me throwing in some pathetic bone into an already fiery mix of bullshit.
Plus, I didn’t know how Ella felt. For all I knew, she was only using me as an outlet for all this stress. I mean women had hookups too. They had needs they went out and fulfilled. For all I knew, I was a means to an end for her as well.
And after all this was done, we were done.
Was all that worth blowing up my friendship with Stone?
I shrugged. “Just worried about all this shit. You need someone to take the fall, that’s why I’m the V.P.”
Stone didn’t say anything for a minute. He simply ran his eyes along my body before leaning back into his chair. He rocked back and forth for a moment, sighing and gathering his thoughts.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall of his mind right now.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure out a way to protect Ella and Keva that doesn't involve any of us going to jail,” Stone said.
“Well, we need to do something. And soon. Because this shit is getting out of control and someone’s going to get hurt.”
“The only one getting hurt is Jett. Once I can get a plan in place, we’ll call church.”
And with that, he pushed out of his chair and started for his bike.
I sat there on the porch and waited until he was gone. Down the road. Out of sight. I drew in a few deep breaths before picking up the two beer bottles and then I pushed my way back into the house.
And I found Ella standing in the kitchen. Right next to the doorway.
I closed the door behind me as she looked up at me.
Her eyes danced between mine as I tossed the beer bottles into the trash can.
She had this look of curiosity and understanding.
Like a revelation had hit her and she wasn’t sure what to do with it.
I tried to ignore it as I locked the front door.
I turned off the porch light and even the kitchen light to try and signal that it was time for us to get back to bed.
And in the silent darkness, Ella began asking questions.
“Why is a man like you single, Texas?”
I froze, feeling her hand pressing against my arm. Willing me to stay. Begging me to, in fact.
“Just am,” I said.
“You’ve never been interested in anyone? At all?” she asked.
I snickered. “I have, but it usually never works out.”
“Why not?”
I shrugged. “Just doesn’t. I’m usually passed over like I was in the foster care system. Plus, I haven’t found the right woman for me yet. I don’t want to settle down with just anyone, and I’m not willing to settle until I find it.”
She paused. “Have you ever thought about having a family? Or kids of your own, maybe?”
“I’d love to have kids sometime. When the time is right.”
“Is it…?”
She cut off her question, and I knew exactly what she was doing.
What was going on in her mind. She had heard the conversation outside, and she was trying to figure out the same thing Stone was.
Her hand tightened around my arm like she just knew I was about to walk away from her.
I bristled in all the right ways because of it.
The warmth of her hand had me by my balls, and the insistent softness of her questions had my mind swirling.
What did she think of the conversation? Did she like it?
Did she like the idea of me protecting her?
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“I’m just… worried about the future,” Ella said.
“There’s no reason for you to worry about something like that. I’m going to make sure you and Keva are safe. No matter what that means for me.”
“But… why?”
The question was so soft, I almost didn’t hear it.
Her words were so breathless that the darkness almost swallowed them whole.
I slipped away from her grasp and took her hand within mine.
I pulled her into my body then wrapped my arms around her and held her close.
I kissed the top of her head, feeling her melt into me.
Her cheek sank into my chest, and her fingers curled into my back, holding me as close as she could get me.
“Because you’re special, Ella. You and Keva both are,” I murmured.
I crooked my finger underneath her chin and slowly pulled her gaze up to meet mine.
All I saw in the darkness of her kitchen was that beautiful, bold stare of hers.
A tear dripped from her jawline to my hand, so I slid my knuckles softly against her skin.
I felt her flinch, and that one soft motion was enough to fill me with the bluntest anger I’d ever swallowed in my entire life.
Jett had scared her, but no more.
This wasn’t happening any longer in her world.
“I’ll always keep you safe,” I whispered.
I led her lips to mine and felt those soft pillows of hers fall into me. Her body shivered as her arms threaded around my neck and I let my hands slide down her sides. The soft kiss tilted her head to the side and her tongue slid across my lips, begging me to let her in. Needing me to let her in.
And that’s exactly what I did.
I cupped her ass cheeks and backed her through the kitchen. I fisted them and picked her up before walking down the hallway. I walked by the bullshit door of the guest bedroom and headed straight for her room as her lips kissed down my cheek.
Down my neck.
Down to my shoulder.
“Stay with me tonight,” she breathed.
I walked through the threshold of her door and softly kicked it closed.
“You didn’t have a choice,” I said.
Then, we tumbled into bed and I got to show Ella exactly how I felt for her.
With every kiss, with every caress, and with every thrust. With every groan I swallowed back so we wouldn't wake up Keva and every gasp of hers I swallowed down my own throat, I got to blanket her in my body.
I pinned her down. I wrapped myself around her.
I kissed every inch of her back and her stomach, memorizing the taste of her skin against my tongue.
I filled myself with her while my body filled hers. And when I released, her name was the only thing falling from my lips.
Ella.
My Ella.
The woman I had officially fallen in love with.