4. Harper
HARPER
After I’d appeased Magnus by eating everything on my plate, I fell into a food coma and wanted nothing more than to go back to bed. When I voiced this idea, all of them shook their heads, and the next thing I knew, I was being hustled into a Jeep Wrangler with the doors and soft siding removed.
“Where are we even going?” I grumbled as Jaxson tossed a pair of flip-flops at me along with a sun hat. I had to admit, I was pretty impressed he’d thought of it and couldn’t help but smile.
Ghost hopped in next to me and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “Trust, angel, we told you we were going to help you get a life, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”
“For some reason, I was thinking that was starting tomorrow. Isn’t there a rule about traveling internationally that you’re lazy for the first day?” I argued.
“Only if you’re boring,” Jaxson shot back over his shoulder. “Now buckle up and hold on. We don’t have real roads to get where we’re going.”
Magnus was once again driving and threw the car in gear, rocketing us down the dirt drive onto a narrow paved road. I held my hat with my hand as the speed of our travel wanted to take it off my head, and I was in desperate need of sunglasses without it on.
This was the first glimpse of wherever it was they brought me. Everything was lush and green, bursting with life as people worked in fields with oxen-pulled plows. Some areas were flooded and had little shoots coming out of them, giving no clue what it could be.
“Why on earth did they drown the plants in those fields?” I asked Ghost, leaning into him so he could hear me.
He glanced at where I was pointing before wrapping an arm around my shoulder so he could pull me closer.
“They’re rice paddy fields. Those are young fields, so the sprouts are just pushing up past the water.
Soon they will grow bigger and fill out until they look like those other fields right below that one. ”
“I guess I never knew how rice was really grown. I just buy it at the store and go on with my day,” I commented as I watched men and women slogging through the fields planting their sprouts.
Ghost’s fingers trailed up and down my arm as he spoke, distracting me from his words, so I had to fight to pay attention.
“That is the one thing about traveling around the world. You learn so much more about life and appreciate what you have in an entirely new way. I know that my brothers and I are far from normal, but we’ve seen enough of the world, good and bad, that we know what we want out of life.
Hopefully, after we’re done with you, you will figure out what you really want. ”
As we drove, we moved away from the hilly farmlands into the mountains, where I felt like I was being transported into another world.
The trees were crawling with shaggy moss giving it a fanciful feel as if we were in some magical place where elves lived or something.
Soon Magnus pulled off the main road onto a dirt track that took us deeper into the foothills.
I’d never been more thankful for a seat belt in my entire life as I was tossed all over the place, gripping the Jeep's frame for dear life. In one section, we had to crawl up the side of a cliff with shattered boulders strewn all over the place.
“We aren’t going any further, are we? I’m guessing we need to get out and walk the rest of the way to wherever we are going,” I reasoned as Magnus stopped and shifted into a different gear while pressing a few buttons.
He glanced at me with a wide grin. “Never gone mountain crawling before? This is a piece of cake. Once, we crawled all the way up a canyon shoot when I got us stuck in a ravine with no other way out but up.”
“Of course, mountain crawling, why didn’t I realize that was how this was going to work… maybe because I don’t have a death wish,” I yelled as Magnus started the slow, careful crawl up the cliff.
I watched as the right tire climbed past the Jeep’s hood doing something no car should do as it rolled over a boulder, pulling us upward.
“Angel, relax. The Jeep is built to be able to do this. It has a crazy customized suspension to handle things like this. Remember, this is all about pushing you out of your comfort zone but knowing we will keep you safe.”
My jaw dropped at this. “So for your first outing together, you decided it was a good idea to climb up a mountain in a Jeep? Nothing says you’re perfectly safe like knowing if that tire slips and we go crashing to the ground, we’ll all die.”
“Exactly,” Jaxson exclaimed, twisting to look at me. “Why would we do something so stupid it could get all of us killed, especially when we haven’t gotten a chance to taste that delectable body of yours. That alone should let you know how safe this is.”
“Mad, you’re all mad,” I muttered, closing my eyes, and gripped the Jeep's frame as we reached the top of the cliff, praying we would make it to flat ground and live to see another day.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder when the Jeep stopped moving, and I cracked open one eye to look at Ghost. “We’re here. You can relax now.”
Relaxing, I looked around and gasped at what I saw before me.
We’d arrived in a grotto with a large pool of water and a waterfall cascading down the mountain.
The spray mixed with the sunshine peeking through the trees made a rainbow effect that wafted around the space on a soft breeze.
From where we were parked, I could tell we’d need to hike a bit to get to the water’s edge, but it would be worth it, that’s for damn sure.
“Guys, this is amazing,” I cried out in excitement, clapping my hands.
Jaxson opened the door, and Ghost hit the button for my seat belt so his brother could scoop me up. I let out a yelp as he swung me onto his back, tucking his arms under my ass, holding me in place. “Come on, Harpster, let’s go have some fun.”
“Yeah, I don’t know about that nickname,” I commented, scrunching up my nose.
“Just give it time. I’m sure it will grow on you,” Jaxson said with complete confidence as he climbed over some tree roots growing over a boulder.
While I knew I could have made it to the waterfall on my own, I couldn’t say I was opposed to Jaxson carrying me.
Hiking was never something I was skilled at.
The last time I tried, a guy I was seeing suggested it as a date, and I almost broke my ankle.
Give me six-inch stilettos, and I can walk any runway you want to throw at me, but put hiking boots on me, and I’m like a baby giraffe trying to walk for the first time.
I’m athletic and strong in the way I’m a level four yoga expert and advanced in Pilates as well, keeping me flexible and fit all at the same time.
Where Dax could probably kill someone with her pinky finger, I, on the other hand, could run fast in the other direction. That might make me a weak female in the eyes of this strange criminal world I was now finding myself in, but I had no idea I was supposed to prepare for something like this.
Jaxson set me down on a large moss-covered rock that was super soft and spongy to the touch.
I took a moment to lean my head back to see the very top of the waterfall, but with the sun and mist, it was hard.
What I did notice was Magnus climbing up the cliffside to an outcropping that was probably fifty feet in the air.
“Jax, what is he doing?” I asked, my voice betraying the panic I was feeling.
“Cliff diving, don’t worry, we’ll start you off on a lower jump,” he answered as he kicked his shoes off, unconcerned his brother was about to jump to his death.
Like a train crash, I couldn’t look away as Magnus looked at me, winked, and jumped off the outcropping. I couldn’t help but scream and rush forward to the water’s edge as he plunged into the water with a splash.
My hands covered my mouth as I searched the water, looking for any sign he was still alive, but when he didn’t come up right away, I started to panic. “Magnus,” I yelled, ripping off my kimono and hat as I readied myself to dive into the water.
Just before my feet left the ground, an arm hooked around my waist, and I was pulled back against a wet body. “You looking for me, doll?”
Hearing his voice, I sagged against him a moment before turning and slamming my fists against his chest. “What.” Hit. “The.” Hit. “Fuck!”
“By the sound of it, I might think you were worried about little old me,” Magnus teased, giving me a grin as he brushed off my hits like I was a gnat before trapping my arms at my sides.
“Now, doll, is that any way to treat someone you were about to jump in and save? One would think you’d be happy I’m standing here safe and sound. ”
“I can’t believe you guys. Everyone is worried about me getting killed by someone else. What they really should be concerned about is me having a heart attack with all the stunts you three pull,” I growled out, glaring up at Magnus.
He blinked once at me slowly before looking over my shoulder and letting out a sigh. “You know, it sounds like you need to cool off a little, doll. Why don’t I help you with that?”
Seconds later, I was flying through the air, my arms windmilling in an attempt to gain some kind of control, only to find I had none.
Then my body was engulfed by cool water as I landed in the pool, shocking the air right out of me.
Thankfully, another pair of arms hauled me up, spluttering, like a drowned cat, hissing in retaliation.
“Oh, it’s on, Magnus. You just wait. I’ll find some way to get you back when you least expect it! ”
All three of them laughed at this as I shoved out of Ghost’s hold to swim on my own away from them to the edge of the pool.
I didn’t want to get out. I just didn’t want to be near them and found myself a little nook to sit where there was a rock I could sit on and keep half my body in the water.
They were still laughing, and I flipped them all off with both hands, sticking out my tongue for good measure.
They let me be and took turns leaping off the cliffside, going higher and higher, trying to outdo each other.
After seeing they were not getting hurt, I relaxed and laughed at the funny moves they attempted to make before hitting the water.
Unfortunately, Ghost didn’t time one of his right and slapped into the water on his side.
The sound echoed through the forest, making me wince.
After that, he got out and laid on the mossy rock, where he was soon snoring like a bear in hibernation.
“Please don’t tell me he always snores like that,” I asked no one in particular.
Jaxson plopped down next to me, dangling his feet in the water. “Nah, he just needs a day or two to adjust to being back here and in this climate, and he’ll be fine. The one you have to watch out for is me.”
“Do I even want to ask?” I questioned, peering at him out of the corner of my eye.
“No need, I’ll happily tell you that I sleep talk and sleep cook… kind of. See, the problem is that I’m not the best at cooking when I’m awake, and doing it while I’m sleeping makes it so much worse,” he explained.
Magnus let out a loud laugh at his brother’s words. “You make it sound like it’s no big deal. It was your attempt at boiling water that set the apartment we were staying in on fire. We had to leave in the middle of the night and find a new crash pad so we could finish the job.”
“Fuck off,” Jax yelled as he splashed water at Magnus. “One of you was supposed to be watching me, so I didn’t wander off into the kitchen. I can’t be held responsible for what I do when I’m sleeping.”
Magnus laughed as he folded his hands together and whipped his arms around, sending a tidal wave of water at Jax—who was sitting next to me.
With a squeak, I tried to get out of the way, but I didn’t move fast enough and was all but waterboarded with Magnus’s retaliation.
Arms reached out and yanked me up out of the water, so I was standing on solid ground out of the way of Jax leaping to tackle his brother.
“I think it’s time you took a break from the water, don’t you?” Ghost asked as he pressed a kiss to my neck just below my ear. “Those two get a little wild when they lose, especially Mag being the uptight bastard he is.”
It took me far longer than it should have to register what he’d said because my mind was still stuck on the fact he’d been passed out on the other side of the pond. “You were snoring…”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I promise it isn’t a normal thing, but tropical places always throw my sinuses off for a bit,” Ghost commented as he led me to where he’d been.
“Are assassins ninjas?” I pressed, still not able to get off the subject.
“What?” Ghost asked with a snort. “Why would you ask that?”
“Second ago, you were sawing logs right there…” I pointed to where he’d been, “… then out of nowhere, you pull me out of the water like you’d never been asleep.
That is not fucking normal. That, and I can never goddamn hear any of you moving around until it’s too late, and you’re all up in my business. ”
“Oh, trust me when I say we are nowhere near up in your business, but we’d like to be when the time is right,” Ghost teased.
“As for everything else that comes with being an assassin, we wouldn’t be very good at our job if you could hear us coming or could sleep through someone being attacked, now would we? ”
That had me pause for a moment as I discovered I couldn’t really argue with him. “I see your reasoning, but you’re going to have to try not to keep sneaking up on me. One of these days, I’m going to have a heart attack or punch you.”
Ghost reached up and stroked the back of his fingers down my cheek before tucking damp strands behind my ear.
“Don’t worry too much about hurting us, but I can see your point.
Maybe the solution is to teach you to walk as quietly as we do so you can sneak up on us.
I heard your threats to Mag, and if you’re going to pull that off, you’re absolutely going to need my help. ”
“You want to help me get revenge on your brother?” I asked, cocking my head.
He flashed me the biggest smile I’d seen on him yet. “Fuck, yes, I want in on that. I couldn’t think of a better way for us to bond than to plan the demise of my eldest brother.”
Laughing, I shook my head and stretched out on the moss, looking up at the sky and the clouds floating by. “Thanks for bringing me here. It’s stunning. I had no idea a place like this even existed out in the world.”
“Trust me, there are so many more things for us to show you, but we figured we’d start off small,” Ghost answered, hovering over me. “Just so you don’t think I’m going to sneak up on you or anything, I’m planning on kissing the fuck out of you in a moment.”
“I think I’d be okay with that,” I chuckled until it turned into a moan as Ghost made good on his words.