Chapter 26 Damon
DAMON
“Do you want to text your stepmother now?” Jax asks as we walk across the tarmac and toward the small airport where their plane landed.
“Yeah, I can do that.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and unlock it.
Using one hand, I go to my text thread with my stepmom and type out a quick message.
Damon: are you around?
I don’t expect her to answer right away, but my phone vibrates in my hand less than a minute later.
Kait: around?
Damon: I just flew in and I really need to talk to you about something
Kait: did I know you were coming to town?
Damon: no, it was a last minute thing
Damon: can we meet somewhere? I’d rather not come by the house since I can’t stay for long and I don’t want to disappoint the girls by not sticking around
Kait: they’re doing a sleepover with Danica and the kids tonight and your father isn’t home this weekend
Damon: I’ll be there in an hour or so, just depends on how bad traffic is
Kait: I’ll be here
Kait: is everything okay?
Damon: I hope so
I wait to see if she has more to say, then tuck my phone into my pocket.
“So, where are we going?” Jax asks, his phone in his hand. “I’ll just let our driver know.”
“My father’s house,” I tell him and give him the address. “The girls are at Kait’s sister’s for a sleepover with their cousins, and my father is out of town for the weekend.”
“You still doing good?” Jace asks as Jax types out a message. “You don’t have to be a part of this if you don’t want.”
“I’m fine.” I square my shoulders so I hopefully look as confident as I sound, because I’m sure as fuck not feeling it. “And I need to be there.”
Jace nods, and Xave slips his hand in mine.
I clutch it like it’s my safety blanket, and we go out to the front of the airport to meet their driver.
It’s a bit of a tight squeeze with all six of us in the back of the limo, but being squished next to Xave isn’t something I’ll ever complain about.
It takes about forty-five minutes to get to my father’s house, and the rest of the guys chat and joke around while I sit there and try to stay engaged while my stomach feels like it’s full of knots.
When we get to the house, the driver pulls up in front of the main entrance, and Killian throws the door open.
We all pile out of the car, and Xave stands a few feet away from me.
I understand he’s trying to give me space so Kait doesn’t see me clinging to him like a baby koala, but I’m beyond caring what she thinks of me having a boyfriend, and at this point, I don’t even give a fuck if my father finds out about us either.
Stepping closer to Xave, I take his hand and hold it tight. He offers me a reassuring smile, and some of my anxiety settles.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Yup.” Pulling in a deep breath, I lead the group up to the main door.
It swings open just as we reach it, and I don’t miss the way Henry, our longtime butler’s, eyes widen when he sees me and Xave holding hands with his cousins crowded behind us.
“Damon,” he says with all the professionalism in the world as he steps back. “I didn’t know you were coming home this weekend. Or that you were bringing friends.”
“Hi, Henry,” I greet as we all come into the house. “It was a last-minute trip. Is Kait around?”
“She’s in the back living room.” Henry’s eyes dip to Xave and my joined hands, but he quickly lifts them.
“This is Xave,” I tell him. “My boyfriend.”
“Hi,” Xave greets.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Henry says, and there’s genuine warmth both in his eyes and his tone. “Will you or your friends need anything?”
“No, thanks. Are you almost done for the night?”
Henry and most of the staff are usually gone by this time, and I don’t like the idea of having too many witnesses around right now.
“I was just leaving. Unless you need something?”
“No, we’re good. Enjoy your night.”
“You too, and it’s nice to see you again.”
“You too, Henry.” I glance back at Xave’s cousins, who are all standing behind us and looking like a group of supermodel enforcers. “It’s this way.”
They follow me as I lead them through the house and to the back living room, which used to be the girls’ playroom and is now a media room where they watch movies.
“Kait?” I call when we reach the closed door.
“Damon?” she calls back.
“Are you decent?” I ask loudly. “I have some friends with me.”
There’s a pause. “Yeah, come in.”
I push open the door and find her sitting on one of the couches in a pair of leggings, a tank top, and a cardigan.
She looks between the group of us, her eyes flicking to mine and Xave’s joined hands a few times as her expression goes from shocked to curious to weary before landing on welcoming.
“Hi,” she greets and pulls her sweater around her a little tighter. “This is a surprise. I didn’t know you had, I mean, were bringing friends.”
“Like I said earlier, it was a last-minute thing,” I say, ignoring her little slipup.
“Do you want to sit?” She motions to the many couches and chairs around. “Or maybe you want to grab something to eat? Marta’s already gone home for the night, but you’re welcome to raid the fridge and pantry if you guys are hungry.”
“We’re good.” I glance at the guys behind me. “Want to grab a seat?”
The four of them sit on the nearest sofa, and I bring Xave over to sit on the loveseat closest to where she’s sitting.
She looks between me and Xave expectantly as we sit down, and I can practically see the question marks in her eyes.
“This is Xave,” I tell her. “My boyfriend.”
Her eyes widen, but she pastes on a smile and leans forward, her hand out. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Kait.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.” He shakes her hand.
“I need to talk to you about something,” I say when she looks at me again. “And it has nothing to do with me and Xave.”
“Okay.” Her expression grows concerned. “Are you okay?”
“No, and that’s the problem.”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“A few things happened,” I say, not beating around the bush.
I spent most of the plane ride getting pep talks from Xave and his cousins, and Felix sat with me for almost half an hour before we landed and let me practice what I was going to say with him so I’d be ready for this conversation.
“Someone is trying to kill me,” I say bluntly.
Her eyes widen with shock, and she lets out a gasp as she raises her hands to her mouth.
I know Kait, and she may have been a good model when she was working, but she’s never been a good actress. I can usually clock when she’s lying or pretending, and her reaction seems genuine.
“What?” she asks, her expression melting into one of concern. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “Someone kidnapped me and Xave from a rave we were at after Christmas. Then a few weeks later, someone jumped me at school and would have killed me if my friend didn’t step in and stop him.
And less than two weeks ago, someone almost shot me in the quad at school, and the only reason I’m still alive is because they stopped him.
” I motion to the couch where Xave’s cousins are sitting.
She’s so pale her face is almost white as she gapes at me.
“My friends were able to figure out who’s behind it,” I continue.
“Who is it?” she asks, and the urgency in her voice makes me pause for a few beats.
She’s not acting like someone who’s guilty. Is it possible she has no idea what’s going on?
“Michael,” I tell her.
Her eyes go as round as saucers, and her jaw drops. “What?” she croaks.
“Michael is the one behind the attempts on my life,” I tell her, not mincing words. “He hired those guys and arranged everything.”
“That can’t be.” She shakes her head. “He wouldn’t do something like that.”
“He did,” I tell her. “We have proof.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod.
She shakes her head again. “I can’t believe it.”
I don’t miss the way her eyes dart to the other side of the room, and I look over just as the door to the next room opens and Michael steps through it, a gun in his hand.
“Don’t move or I’m going to start shooting,” he says, swinging the gun around as he tries to point it at all of us at once.
“Fuck yeah,” Jace says with all the enthusiasm of someone who’s just realized they have a winning lottery ticket. “Now this is what I’m talking about.”
“Shut up,” Michael yells and swings to point the gun at Jace, and I don’t miss how his hand is shaking slightly.
Jace just smiles serenely, and before I can fully register what’s happening, he reaches under his jacket and throws something metallic and shiny at Michael with a quick flick of his wrist.
“Ahhhh!” Michael screams as Jace’s knife embeds in his shoulder, and he drops the gun as his arm falls uselessly to his side.
Jax is up and out of his seat before Michael finishes screaming, and he kicks the gun away as he throws Michael onto the nearest couch.
He lands with another scream, but Jax just yanks the knife out of him with a careless tug. While Michael is still spluttering, he wipes the blade off on Michael’s pant leg and tosses it to Jace. “Here, bro.”
Jace catches it by the handle and slips it under his jacket and presumably back into its holster.
With his other hand, he pulls a set of butterfly knives out from the holster I saw him clip onto the back of his jeans in the car, and Jax pulls a large folded knife out of his jacket pocket and flips out a long, curved blade.
“Don’t even think of moving,” Jax says, angling his knife so the blade catches the light, showing off the mirror-sharp edge. “Not unless you want to find out how it feels to get scalped.”
“And don’t even think about lying to us,” Jace adds and spins his butterfly knives around his hands in a complicated pattern that would make a serial killer piss himself. “We don’t like liars, and our friends here hate them.”
“What the fuck?” Kait splutters, looking at Michael and the twins in horror.
“Ask your boyfriend,” I tell her, my voice cold as I look at the guy who started all this.
Objectively, Michael is an attractive guy. He’s about Kait’s age, he’s classically handsome, and he’s in great shape, but right then, he looks ugly as he glares at me.