Chapter Twenty-Five
Jakob
The office that I have at the bar is small, and that’s putting it generously.
There’s enough room for my desk, some file cabinets, and two guest chairs.
By the fourth hour of combing over reports and making note of all the things that need to be restocked, I’m starting to go stir crazy.
Grabbing my phone, I check it for the thousandth time. Still nothing from Dec.
It’s not a huge deal. Last night was just really intense.
From his confession until we fell asleep.
It all felt raw and exposed, and when I woke up this morning to an empty bed, no text, and no call, it kind of made me doubt how solid we are.
It’s stupid, I know. I haven’t wanted to reach out to him and seem like a needy asshole or bother him while he’s working.
So I shake the thoughts from my head again and try to focus back on my work.
I’m not sure how long it’s been, but a knock comes from my office door just before the door swings open and Jasper walks in.
Without a word he walks over and picks my phone off the desk, examining it like it’s a foreign object.
He tilts it every which way before grabbing his own phone and pressing a button. A few seconds later my phone rings out.
“So it isn’t broken.” He nods decisively.
“Oh, fuck off. I’ve been busy.” I roll my eyes at him while taking off my glasses and rubbing at the bridge of my nose.
“Busy ditching us for Byrne, maybe.” He flops down into one of the chairs in front of my office.
“That’s not fair.” The argument is weak, but I still use it.
“No, what’s not fair is ditching your friends for your old best friend who fucked you over.” He throws his feet up on the front of my desk.
I can’t help the anger that surges throughout my veins. I knock his feet off and push to mine.
“Talk about him like that again, and I swear to whatever god you believe in Jasp, I’ll cut your fucking tongue out and ship it to your goddamn mother in a box.” My voice is eerily calm, but that just makes my threat that much more lethal.
He sits there in stunned silence for a few moments while he composes himself. Then he also stands and leans over the other side so we’re only inches apart. The tension and anger in the small room is thick enough to choke you.
“Then talk to us, asshole. You freeze us out and expect us not to have an issue with it? You’re even more dense than I thought.”
“Fine.” I pick up my phone and shoot off a text to our group chat.
Jakob: Hi. Just so there isn’t any confusion.
Declan and I are together. Like the real deal.
He is my boyfriend. We do sex stuff and everything.
Got a problem with it? Find a new friend.
Also all of you besides Dieter and Ethan can go fuck yourselves for talking about me and not asking for yourselves.
*Jakob removed himself from the group chat*
I wait until his phone pings and watch as he reads it. He brings his shocked gaze to mine.
“Now get the fuck out of my business, Jasper. Both figuratively and literally.”
He storms out of my office, slamming the door so hard that it rattles against the frame.
I don’t have time to worry about his shitty homophobic rhetoric right now.
They can get wrecked for all I care. What kind of fucking friends act like that because I’m dating a man?
But he wants to call me dense? Yeah, okay.
My phone lights up in my hand and excitement shoots through me like a bolt of electricity, but as quickly as it came, it’s gone when I see Elias’ name on my phone.
I ignore him and no sooner than I do, it starts again with Tucker.
I ignore all the calls coming through until I see Ethan’s name pop up.
“Hello?” I answer as I put my reports away for a later time.
“Hello?? You drop that bomb in the group chat before removing yourself and ignoring everyone, but it’s cool because I get an answer and a casual hello?” His laugh is loud and carefree. “Damn, it sucks to be the others.”
“Is there a point to this, E?”
“Yes. One, are you also answering Dieter’s calls? And two, I’ve been told to tell you they weren’t talking behind your back and that they didn’t know about you and Dec. They thought you were missing because you guys have become best friends again.”
“I mean, I guess in the most basic sense we are?” After making sure everything’s put up, I lock up my file cabinets and pack up my laptop.
“Yeah, but not like us. We’re your top best friends still…” He lets his sentence trail in uncertainty.
“I mean, I regularly let him put my dick in his mouth, so– I think it’s safe to say you guys are behind him.”
Ethan laughs again, and the sound makes me smile at his easy going nature. Not much rattles him. “Okay. Fair. So when are you going to bring him to hang around us?”
“Did you not see the text? I think I was pretty clear. I’m not going to deal with any of that stupid bullshit when it comes to my relationship.”
I lock the front door to the bar and when I turn, I see her with Mikhail and Yuri posted up against my truck.
“Uh, E. I’ve gotta go pick Hannah up from ballet. Tell Dieter we can talk about Declan later.”
With that, I hang up knowing damn well that he’ll get what I’m trying to say. Hannah isn’t even in ballet. He needs to get Dieter to call Dec. Hopefully this doesn’t turn to shit. Sliding my mask of indifference firmly into place, I walk around them to the driver’s side of my truck.
“Can I help you, Tasha?”
“Yeah, you can back off of Declan.” The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end at the possessive tone in her voice.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I pause by my driver side door as I watch them round the front of my truck.
“He’s marrying me, Jakob. I don’t need my husband to have a lover. Especially not one like you.” She practically spits the last word in disgust.
“You mean a man?” I challenge with a raised eyebrow.
“You said it, not me. Make yourself scarce, Jakob, or I’ll do it for you. Don’t want to end up in a predicament like your sister’s now do you?”
“You’ll so easily threaten my sister when I’ve wrecked people for less? Not to mention her fiancé has a nasty case of trigger finger.”
She shrugs indifferently, “Maybe. Or maybe I’m not talking about Mac’s wife at all.” She winks at me before turning and walking to her own vehicle. Her threat hanging heavy in the air.
She isn’t out of the parking lot for a full minute before it’s flooding with vehicles.
It’s the guys plus the Byrne’s. Declan jumps out of Mac’s jeep and sprints straight to me.
He doesn’t stop until his arms are wrapped around me and his lips are on mine.
He pulls back a few seconds later and examines my face.
“Are you okay? What the hell happened, Chaos?” His hands roam over my neck, shoulders, and arms as he checks me out.
“I think so. They were here when I walked out and I just wanted to be safe. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called in the cavalry.”
“Yes you should have. What did she want?” He presses, his fingers still running over my upper body checking for injuries.
I glance behind him to see all of my friends and his brothers standing in a semicircle behind us.
They’re watching on, not to be nosy but to be supportive.
Even Jasper, who just stormed out of my office, is standing beside Dieter.
It’s when Mac and Flynn catch my gaze that I’m reminded of the jab about Lee and Annie.
I ignore Dec and push past him to get to the men who may have put my sisters in danger.
Before my mind catches up, I haul Mac up close to me with my fist wrapped up in the front of his shirt.
I’m vibrating with rage and looking into Mac’s eyes.
It seems like his own rage is just barely controlled right now.
The Byrne’s aren’t used to being checked, period.
Nevertheless, by someone who isn’t also in the mafia.
“What the fuck do you and your brothers have my sisters wrapped up in?” I ask through clenched teeth. My voice isn’t loud, but the rest of the parking lot is silent so everyone hears me.
“You’re wound up right now because of what’s transpired. So, I’ll give you this moment. But unless you want your hands removed from your wrists, you’ll take them off of me and take about four steps back.” He doesn’t look the least bit perturbed.
In fact, if you didn’t know Mac at all, you’d assume he’s unbothered and just wants me out of his personal space.
However, I know Mac better than that, and I know his threats aren’t at all empty.
Still, we’re talking about my sisters here.
I feel a presence close behind me and know instantly it’s Dieter.
The Byrne’s can puff their chests all they want, but they’ve never come across the Fischer brothers when someone’s threatening their sisters.
I push him back by his shirt, but otherwise don’t move.
“Our sisters in trouble, Byrne?” Dieter asks from behind me with a deadly calm chill to his voice.
Mac glares at us for a few seconds before conceding, “No, they aren’t.
At least not as far as I know.” He shakes his head in genuine confusion as he quickly pulls his phone from his jeans pocket and presses a button before bringing the phone to his ear.
“Beautiful, where are you?” He listens for a few seconds before nodding and letting out a sigh of relief.
“Oka– No, nothing’s wrong… Yeah, I’ll be home soon. I love you too, baby.”
He pockets his phone and shakes his head, “Both her and Annie are at the estate with Nix and Clara. They’re fine.”
“Natasha said, ‘You don’t want to end up in a predicament like your sister’s now do you?’ What ‘predicament’ are they in?” Some of the fire inside of me is dying out now that I know they’re safe at the moment.
Kieran throws his hands up in exasperation. “Who knows? She’s fucking crazy, obviously. You should know as well as everyone that we don’t put our women in danger, full stop.”
“Partners.” Declan’s deep voice rumbles from somewhere behind me.
Kieran nods in embarrassment for his slip up, “We don’t put our partners in danger, full stop.”
“Could she have meant that as a dig? Like because they’re involved with us?” Flynn questions out loud as Miles barks a loud laugh.
“And are they both, Baby Byrne? Involved with you, I mean. We know Lelonie is, but Annie? Last I checked, she’s involved with a middle class, mind numbingly boring, regular, early twenty-something year old.
” I don’t have to turn around to know he’s sneering at him.
My friends are almost just as protective about my sisters as Dieter and I are.
Just like we are about their sisters and younger siblings.
Sully grabs Flynn’s shoulder and whispers something in his ear before they both reluctantly storm off, hop into a car and leave. Not surprised. Somehow, for some reason, my little sister is his pressure point. So fucking weird, the last thing we need is three Byrne/Fischer relationships.
“Okay, can we take this out of this wide open, non sheltered parking lot?” Rowan asks as his and Kieran’s eyes flit around the open space.
“Yeah, let’s go in the bar.” I suggest before turning around to my friends. “Thank you guys for showing up, but I’m good. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“And I’ll punch you in the right ear if you suggest that stupid shit again.” Miles shrugs and walks with the Byrne men up to the front door of the bar. He opens the door for them and they all filter inside.
Jasper stops beside me and claps his hand on my shoulder. “I wasn’t trying to be a dick earlier. I’m good with whatever you want to do. I always have been. But you’re not kicking your old family to the curb for your new one.” He smiles and walks away without another word.
I knew better than that shit earlier. They’re right. I was blowing them off for Dec. It was just more than they realized. And when Declan wraps his arm around me from behind and pulls me until my back crashes into his chest, I realize I want them all to get along more than I want my next breath.