CHAPTER EIGHT
Summer
I finish loading the dishwasher, when the sound of a car making its way down the dirt road has everyone in the kitchen pausing. All of us are on edge, even if none of us will admit it out loud—the Addisons more than me since they have the most to lose.
Malia meets my gaze from where she’s wiping down the kitchen counter. “That must be them.”
“We can trust him,” I assure her and those of us in the room. The tension is thick in the air, and I know it’s not just Malia who is worried.
“Mercedes, make sure my bat is within reach,” Malia orders, then grimaces at my wide-eyed look. “It’s just in case. I swear.”
“Hey, Malia, have you seen this?” Magnolia calls out, her voice getting closer. She’s holding a piece of paper in her hand when she steps into the kitchen. “There was a note stuck to the front door.”
Malia takes it from her and snorts at whatever she reads. “What is it?” I ask, trying to peek.
“Someone challenging me to a food eating contest,” she replies, handing me the note.
Scrawled in barely readable writing is a threat. “I challenge you to a food eating contest. You might be big where you come from, but I’m the champion in this town, and I plan to keep that title. Call me to set up a time and a place,” I read out loud, my eyebrows rising. “Um... this is worrying.”
I leave out that I know exactly who this is from and why it worries me. There is no point in getting her more worked up since Liam will be knocking any second—if that bang was in fact a car door slamming closed.
“Puh-lease. Like whoever that is has a chance.”
“You should call him. He left his number,” Makayla offers. “We haven’t embarrassed anyone in a while. It could be fun to let our hair down for the day.”
“You had a spa treatment last night,” I state, rubbing my hands down my jean shorts.
She waves me off. “That’s nothing.”
“Is someone going to get the door?” Milly yells. “I’m trying to watch the television.”
“Coming,” Malia shouts back, and takes a deep breath. “On your best behaviour, girls.”
I’m left standing in an empty kitchen for a moment, wondering how I’m going to stop them from getting arrested. There is no way Max will let this go, and there is no way Malia will go down without a fight. Either way, we are screwed because even if she wins, he will never stop coming back.
I race after them, skidding to a stop in the hallway when I see our guest isn’t alone. “What are you doing here?” I snap.
Reid smirks, eyeing my shorts and T-shirt. “That’s not a nice way to greet the person who saved your life last night.”
I scoff. “Please, you did a bit of cardio. Let’s not go over the top. But I’ll ask you again, what are you doing here?”
“I was to going to take a look for the horses but I think I’ll stay here,” he tells me, his smirk morphing into a grin when he glances at Liam. “That’s okay, right, Liam?”
I’m not even sure Liam has heard him, because he never once moves his gaze away from Malia. He watches her like he wants to pounce, like any second he’s going to snatch her and take her against the wall. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed attraction so boldly before.
Malia is just as bad. Her gaze goes from lingering at his lips to checking out his physique.
“Right, Liam?” Reid declares a little louder.
“Y-yeah,” he replies, his voice deep, husky.
Malia immediately shudders, and I swear to God I see her sway forward.
I cough into my closed fist. “Aren’t you going to invite them inside?” I ask.
She startles. “Um, yes, yes. Come in.”
She steps aside, and he doesn’t take his gaze off her until he passes her, walking into the living room.
Milly looks up from her programme, and I inwardly groan at the dead body frozen on the screen, from where she’s pressed pause. Reid chuckles under his breath, moving closer until I can feel him at my back.
“She wasn’t lying about needing her Criminal Minds fix.”
“Shut up,” I whisper from the corner of my mouth, before pasting on a smile.
Liam gawks at the screen, then down at Milly. “Um...” Liam mumbles.
Milly drops her chin in her hands, staring up at him. “Did you know the best way to bury a body is to bury them three feet and not six? That way, they decompose a lot quicker.”
“Or you could feed them to pigs,” Reid announces nonchalantly. “Less hassle and less risk.”
“Really?” I snap, backhanding his bicep when I see her mind ticking behind those eyes.
He moves his arm away. “Woah, what’s with the abuse?” he growls. “It’s true.”
“Why don’t we go to the kitchen,” Malia suggests, glaring at her little sister.
Milly pouts, folding her arms over her chest heatedly. “What? I was being on my best behaviour and being completely normal.”
“Please, can we watch Bambi or something?” Magnolia complains.
Milly turns to her sister. “You want to watch a baby fawn lose her mother to poachers instead of something educational? And you say I’m weird.”
“Please, let’s go before she starts listing other children movies that have traumatic impacts.”
“Lion King,” Liam mutters, shrugging.
Malia sighs. “Pete’s Dragon.”
Liam chuckles and follows her into the kitchen when the girls start bickering about what movie it is for them. When Milly admits Final Destination traumatised her, which isn’t even in the same category as the kid’s movies, I follow Malia and Liam.
“Go away,” I hiss when Reid follows.
He chuckles. “Oh no, this is getting good.”
“Don’t you have shit to do?” I argue.
“Nothing that can’t wait,” he promises. “God, I’m starving.”
“Then go home,” I snap, and find Malia already putting the kettle on.
Liam is staring at the fridge, and just when I think he might walk out, he lets out the deepest sigh.
“You let a Carter into your home, didn’t you?” he states, jerking his chin to the chain and lock on the fridge doors. “Please tell me it wasn’t Max.”
“Maddox,” Malia replies, then narrows her gaze on Reid. “Don’t think I don’t know about the cookies.”
Unfazed, he glances around the kitchen. “Do you have any more?”
“No,” she snaps. “If you even think to go near my food, I will put your dick through a blender and make you watch.”
Liam takes a step back, his complexion ashen. “Are you related to the Carters?”
She glares at the man who has come here as a favour, making him flinch. “I was really hoping to like you, so please don’t go ruining it now.”
He holds his hands up, but his eyes widen at Reid. “No mention of the Carters. Got it.”
“I’m beginning to think we should do a DNA test,” I whisper.
Reid chuckles. “Would you really want the answer?”
“Go away,” I grumble, rolling my eyes at him.
“What’s this?” he asks, picking up the note from earlier. He begins to laugh. “You are so fucked.”
“What?” Malia asks, eyeing him like he has a few screws loose.
Before he can answer, I dive on his back, slapping my hand over his mouth. He tenses under me, mumbling incoherent words. “Nothing. We are going to look for some horses.”
“I thought you were staying?” she questions, probably wondering if the screw loose thing is contagious.
“Um, I forgot I promised Reid I’d help him look,” I lie, then growl when I feel his tongue across the palm of my hand. He mumbles something inaudible, so I decide to translate. “He said we will see you later.”
He sighs against my hand and begins to walk out of the kitchen with me still on his back.
Magnolia glances up from her book, her lips twitching. “Where are you two off to?”
“Going to search for the horses.”
“Can I come?” Milly asks.
“Not today,” I decline.
It’s not until we are outside that Reid mumbles something under my hand. I remove it slowly.
“Are you going to let me breathe now?” he utters.
“Depends on what you do next.”
He chuckles, the sound vibrating against my lady parts. “Are you planning on getting down?” he asks, walking toward the gate that leads to an open span of land.
I look over at the field overgrown with weeds and whatnot, trying to conjure up the memory of how much land there is. “Depends. Are we walking the entire time?”
“Well, I had planned to take the quad bike out, but I didn’t realise I’d have a passenger with me.”
I smack his shoulder. “Stop. Let’s go get it,” I order, feeling excitement bubble up inside me. “Why the fuck would you want to walk this landscape on a day like this?”
“Will you stop hitting me,” he demands, swinging around to walk back toward the house. “And you practically threatened my life to get me out of the house. I only complied because I value my life.”
I snort. “Are you always this dramatic?”
“Me! You’re the one who jumped on my back like a crazy woman.”
“I don’t want Malia to know who wrote the note. She’s got enough to deal with.”
“Afraid she will lose?”
“I’m afraid she will win,” I admit sheepishly.
He shudders. “As enjoyable as it would be to see the look on Max’s face, I wouldn’t like to be Malia if that happens.”
He gets it. “Exactly.”
“Dickhead, did you forget you were coming out with me to check where I can put up cameras?” Liam calls out, startling me.
Reid throws his hands up, letting go of my legs for a minute. “Why is everyone in a mood today? I didn’t exactly have a choice about leaving,” he states, gesturing to me with his thumb. “And I still don’t understand the reasoning behind the cameras.”
Liam pinches the bridge of his nose. “Reid, if you wanted to get to someone, what would you do?”
I lean over to see Reid’s face scrunch up. “Knock on the front door.”
Exasperated, Liam lets out a sigh. “If you didn’t want them to know you were coming.”
Reid shrugs. “Again, knock on the front door.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Liam grumbles.
Milly pops out from behind Malia, her head shaking side to side. “I had hopes for you.”
“You did?” Reid asks, his shoulders shaking with a chuckle.
She huffs then eyes Liam. “If someone was to hear a noise, they automatically look to the front or back, or the road. Whilst they are doing that, enemies are coming from another angle,” she states, pointing to the open land.
“Having cameras or even motion detectors at human level would help find the unsub quicker.”
Reid shrugs. “I would still go through the front door.” He pauses. “Or the back. No point in hiding my presence.”
“I wish you would,” I grumble.
“Lies,” he whispers.
Milly glances at me. “I would rethink your choices. He won’t make it here,” she warns sternly before making her way into the house.
Liam chuckles. “I like her. She reminds me of someone.”
“Hayden?” Reid growls, his shoulders slumping. “I’d totally make it here.”
Malia laughs. “No, you wouldn’t. I want to protect my sisters and I can’t do that if I don’t know where my enemies are. Because whilst we are punch first, ask questions later kind of family, we aren’t stupid. We don’t look for trouble.”
I snort. “And you like that they will think they are hunting you when really, it’s you hunting them.”
She shrugs. Liam turns to look at her. “Is she right?”
I laugh. “I’ve never been wrong. Before their parents moved them away, and Magnolia was still in school, a kid was bullying her at school.
He hated that nothing got to her. One day, when he was following her home, ready to corner her when no one was around, Malia was following him.
I’m pretty sure he had to have surgery because she broke his nose. ”
Malia shrugs. “Little dweeb texted what he planned to all of his friends who forwarded it on, and someone messaged Mercedes to tell her. I wasn’t letting it lie, and our parents just told Magnolia to ignore it.”
“But not you?” Liam asks, his eyes distant for a moment.
She shakes her head, laughing. “Rules are meant to be broken when they fail to protect people.”
“Then do the same camera viewpoints as you’ve done to our land,” Reid suggests, lifting me higher up his back.
Liam’s neck flushes. “We haven’t spoken about costs. Whilst I won’t be charging for the labour or stuff I have spare at home, there will be somewhat of a cost. Unless...”
Malia arches her eyebrow, her back straightening. “Unless what?”
“You let me have access to the feeds. Landon mentioned that you said you thought someone had been camping on your land. We are currently looking for someone, and whilst I don’t think he will lower his standards to sleep in a tent, I don’t want to rule anything out.”
Malia visibly relaxes. “Deal. But can we negotiate a payment plan? We have money, but we are starting a business and we aren’t sure how long that will take, and right now only two of us are working.”
Liam shrugs. “Then pay a little when you can. It’s fine.”
Reid scoffs. “You didn’t let us.”
Liam rolls his eyes. “Your security is for your insurance policy. Theirs is for added protection.”
“Added?” Malia questions, tilting her head to the side to study him.
“Something tells me you are the type of woman who can handle herself.”
Reid coughs. “Smooth.”
Liam glares at him. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
Reid throws up his hands, chuckling. “I’m going.” He glances at me over his shoulder. “Are you going to hang out up there all day?”
Blood rushes to my cheeks as I quickly drop my legs. I brush the palm of my hands over my shorts when I put some space between us. “Sorry. Forgot I was up there for a minute,” I admit, before turning to Malia. “I’m going to check on the chickens.”
Reid snorts, like he doesn’t believe me. And he shouldn’t. We don’t have chickens.
“You have chickens?” Liam asks, but his question goes ignored.
Malia arches an eyebrow. “I thought you were going with Reid?”
“Yeah, Summer, I thought you were coming with me,” he declares, a challenge in his tone.
I narrow my gaze on him. “What can I say, I must have found my senses whilst I was up there,” I taunt, pointing to his shoulder.
He chuckles. “Afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands off me?”
I nod vehemently. “Definitely. I’m only twenty-three. I’m not wasting my life in prison.”
He draws back, his eyebrows pinching together. “What?”
“Remember, three feet,” Milly yells from inside the house.
I laugh at his expression when it finally dawns on him what I meant. “See you later, gator.”
Now I just have to pretend to be busy until he’s gone. I fan my face, wondering what the hell I was thinking jumping on his back.
I chance a glance back and find him still standing there, seeming deep in thought. When he meets my gaze, he shakes his head, smirking.
I bite my lip, feeling like my entire nervous system is on fire.
His eyes darken. Heat hits my cheeks and my thighs clench together.
Fuck!
I give him the middle finger and spin around, storming off to find this damn chicken coop, when I hear him chuckle.
I’m in trouble. So much trouble.