28. Harper
HARPER
“Idon’t think I can ever go back to flying like a normal person,” I announced as we walked across the tarmac to the airport lobby. “Being able to sleep and stretch out on a couch is so much better than those cramped seats where your neighbor has BO and sleeps on your shoulder.”
“Yes, it would also be perfect for mind-blowing sex as well. Could you imagine what people would think if we did that on a normal flight? The outrage,” Ghost exclaimed, waving his hands dramatically.
The other two just shook their heads at us like we were the strange ones. I knew they were tired after switching on and off through the entire flight, and Magnus didn’t get any sleep during his break.
“Where to now?” I asked. “I know you have a house here, but is it close by, or are we driving into the mountains to your secret hideaway.”
Jaxson chuckled as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “While I love that vivid imagination, not all of our homes are as swanky as Bali. This place is actually a split level, and we rent out the lower half so it doesn’t look empty. Plus, it helps pay for all these places without bleeding us dry.”
I had to hand it to these guys. They were smart, always coming up with ways to make things work. It would never have occurred to me to do something so simple to keep attention off myself.
“The house is about thirty minutes away, so we can spend the rest of the day relaxing. Jaxson and I need to get some good sleep, and it will help to adjust to the time change,” Magnus informed me.
“I think we will be fine if we wait a day or two before heading to Russia. I want to check out the situation now that we know you’ve been picked up before.
Then once we know it’s safe, we’ll make a plan on how we’re going to get this girl out once we find her. ”
“What do we know about her?” I inquired as Ghost went off to talk to someone at the desk.
Magnus pulled out his phone and handed it to me.
There on the screen was a picture of a young girl in her teens with a small elven-like face, bright blue eyes, neon pink dreadlocks, and a hoop in her right nostril.
Under the photo was a paragraph of information informing me she was seventeen, a student, and worked at a coffee shop.
“Wait, are we sure this isn’t Dax’s kid?” I asked, looking at Magnus. “They look like they could be mother and daughter for sure.”
“From what I understand, her mother was the daughter to Dax’s contact for weapons.
She is going to be taken by either the mafia her deadbeat father sold her to or by the KGB as a black widow or some shit.
Either way, it’s our job to get her out and hidden away in the States with Dax.
That’s where our job ends with the girl.
The other part of this is getting the weapons wherever Dax needs them to finish this war,” Magnus explained.
“Then we can start working on our life together.”
“Ugh, why did I have to have such a troublemaker for a best friend,” I groaned, leaning into Jaxson.
Ghost jogged back over to us, waving keys in the air. “Got the car. Since we only need it for two days, I got something fun for a change.”
“Can it fit all four of us?” Jaxson asked, sounding skeptical.
Ghost rolled his eyes. “Yes, everyone can fit and have a seat belt to wear, Mom. Come on. I want to get to the house, unwind, and drink some good wine!”
Leading the way, we headed out into a parking lot with a row of cars with number plaques posted in front of them.
Ghost walked to the end, stopping in front of a bright blue sports car.
Being that girl who sucked at knowing brand names that had nothing to do with fashion, I was lost at knowing if this was a specialty car or not.
It was beautiful and looked like it could go really fast, and by the excited grin on Ghost’s face, it had to be special.
“Really?” Magnus asked, shaking his head. “Pop the trunk and let’s get this over with. Remember, the only reason you’re driving is because I had to fly our asses here. Don’t do anything stupid. We have Harper in the car.”
I came to such an abrupt halt that Jaxson almost knocked me over. “What’s the matter, gorgeous?”
“Why is Maggie making it sound like Ghost is a worse driver than either of you?” I asked.
“He’s not, and we would never put you in a situation to get hurt, you know this,” Jaxson pointed out. “Magnus is just a controlling asshole and doesn’t like it when he can’t be the one to drive.”
That made me feel a little better since it made sense to me, and I totally believed Magnus would do something like that.
With Jaxson’s nudging, I put my bag in the trunk and climbed into the back, leaving Magnus to take shotgun.
If he couldn’t drive, then he’d be the next seat over running the show, no doubt.
Ghost pushed the button to start the car, and it roared to life like it had a jet engine. I grabbed Jaxson’s hand and clung to it for dear life. We backed out calmly enough, but the moment the car faced the direction it needed to go, Ghost dropped the clutch, and we launched forward.
“We’re so going to die,” I wailed as we drifted around the corner and flew down the street.
“Calm down, gorgeous. Ghost is a trained formula one racer. A hobby he took up a few years ago, he can handle the speed and the tight corners better than any of us,” Jaxson explained, trying to calm me down.
His efforts were in vain. There was no way I was going to be able to relax in this situation.
They’d claimed the house was a half-hour away, but I swear to God, he got us there in ten minutes flat.
When we finally came to a stop, it was in front of a cute burnt orange house with lots of windows and appeared to be well looked after.
It had a fenced yard with rich green grass, and I caught a glimpse of a patio on the side of the house.
It was clear there were two entrances, reminding me that someone lived in the bottom level, and they used the upper level.
“You good, angel? You’re a little green around the edges,” Ghost commented as he reached out a hand to help me out.
It was almost like getting off a boat and trying to find your land legs again. I wobbled a few paces, then got the hang of it to stand upright. “Remind me I’m more than happy to walk the next time you want to drive.”
“Aw, come on, I’m not that bad,” Ghost said with a pout. “A car like this was made to be driven fast and hard… just like someone else I know,” he teased, wagging his brows at me.
I held up a hand when he tried to kiss me, blocking his advances. “I’m not cutting you off. Just a little sick to my stomach and wouldn’t want to puke on you.”
“You get car sick?” Ghost turned to look at Magnus. “Your ass is in the back next time. Harper got car sick.”
Magnus leaned on the roof of the car, looking at me. “Do I need to run to the store to get you anything? I’m not sure what we have in the house. I figured we would order in for tonight and grab breakfast out tomorrow, but I’ll go right now.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m fine. There is no need to go rushing off to the store when you are dead tired. It’s just the long flight, then the crazy ride. I think I’m maxed out for the day. The sooner we can get upstairs and just relax, everything will be fine,” I said, waving off their concern.
I turned to grab my bag from the trunk, but Jaxson was already closing it. “Don’t worry, gorgeous, I got your stuff. Let’s get you settled inside.”
Magnus came up behind me and picked me up bridal style, following behind Jaxson. “I thought we agreed we wouldn’t be doing this in public.”
“We’re not in public. We’re home,” Magnus countered.
“I’m never going to win, am I?” I asked rhetorically as I held on, wrapping an arm around his neck.
Magnus kissed my temple as he chuckled. “No, but I love that you still try. It lets me know I’m not pushing things too far. While I want to ensure you’re safe and looked after, I never want you to lose your stubbornness or fighting spirit. I find it irrationally sexy when it comes from you.”
Jaxson already had the door open, and we walked into the living room.
The space was simple with white walls and a suede couch in gray tones, but it made it bright and cheery with all the windows.
There was a kitchen and eating area to the left, so I assumed the bedrooms were to the right.
Magnus deposited me on the couch and pulled a blanket off the back, tucking it around me.
“Don’t move,” he ordered, pointing a finger to make sure I understood.
“I’m a little queasy, not on my deathbed, all right,” I shot back. “Go do what you need to. I’ll be fine.”
The three of them split up and headed in different directions on their own mission without saying a word to each other.
It was moments like this that I totally believed they had some triplet connection to each other.
Or they’d just been together so long they had a system in place.
Nah, triplet brain is a way better story.
I grabbed one of the pillows, tucked it under my head, and watched them move about the space. The creak and groan of the old floorboards told me where each one of them was. Granted, the home wasn’t overly large, but with each space having a door to it, I couldn’t always see what was going on.
Outside the windows, the sky was blue with puffy clouds drifting by, birds flitting to and fro.
It made me wonder if they had a nest with eggs or if the baby chicks had hatched or not.
I was losing track of all sense of time and the reality of the world around me.
It was summer, but here the weather was milder and not at all as humid as Bali.
I got up and unlatched the window, swung it open, and did it to a few others to create a cross breeze.
“Harper,” Magnus’s scolding voice echoed through the house.
How did that bastard know I’d moved? I didn’t make a sound.
“Just opened some windows. No need to yell. The neighbors will hear us now,” I hollered back.
Footsteps quickly followed, letting me know I was about to be scolded. Magnus appeared in the living room, arms crossed when he saw me standing. “What did I say?”
“I wanted some fresh air, so I opened a few windows.” I pointed.
“Now I’m going back to the couch. Good Lord, what will you three be like if I actually get sick…
or pregnant for that matter,” I muttered as I flopped back on the couch.
“I’ve been sick plenty of times and dealt with it on my own.
I mean, Dax would check in on me, and Wes might make me soup if it was bad, but I’ve been on my own most of my life. ”
“Hate to break it to you, doll, but when you accepted that ring from us, government paper or no, you’re our responsibility.
Sickness and health, richer or poorer, till death do us part and all that shit,” Magnus explained, sitting on the ottoman so we were almost eye level.
“There is nothing on this earth we won’t do for you, and I’m sure you’ve already noticed we are protective as fuck, so I’d learn to get used to it. ”
I reached out and placed my hands on his knees, looking up at him. “I get what you’re saying. Truly I do, but scolding me because I got up and opened a window isn’t the way to handle this. What if you guys go on a job, and I stay home and get sick?”
“Then we’d drop everything and come home,” he answered as if there wasn’t another option. He reached up and cupped my cheek. “When are you going to understand there is nothing more important to us than you?”
When they said things like that to me, it made my heart melt, and butterflies filled my stomach with the joy it brought me.
Yet there was still a part of me that was scared this wouldn’t last and I’d be alone again.
“Remember when you said you find it irritatingly sexy when I argue? I’m not going to be a yes girl all the time.
In the bed, you can be my king, but in life, we are partners… right?”
Magnus groaned and pulled me off the couch to sit in his lap. “Now, who’s the one who is throwing my own words back at me?”
“I learn from the best,” I quipped, snuggling into him. “Rest with me? Let Ghost do all the work. He got to nap almost the whole way.”
“Hmm, that actually sounds pretty nice,” Magnus answered.
“But…” I said with a sigh, hearing the word dangling off that statement.
He shifted me, so I looked at him and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I need to make a quick stop at our supply warehouse first. Then I can come and join you. The other two will stay here with you, and I will be back as soon as I can.”
My bottom lip popped out as I did my best to give him a pout with puppy dog eyes. I even added a sniffle for extra measure.
“Doll,” Magnus groaned. “That is a dirty trick right there. What am I supposed to do when you look that sad?”
“Stay and cuddle with me. Then you can make sure I don’t get up and do unnecessary things around the house,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and running my nose along his. “Besides, you said we were just going to relax and what you said sounds an awful lot like work.”
“Evil, I tell you, evil,” Magnus muttered as he stood up with me clinging to him like a koala. “Fine, you win. I’ll go tomorrow.”
“Yes,” I cheered as he carried me into the bedroom.
This bed was half the size of the one in Bali, and there was no way it was going to fit all four of us. Three would be pushing it, four, not a chance. “I’m guessing there is a second bedroom?”
“This is the spare room. The other room has a bigger bed, but napping in here means I might get you to myself.” Magnus purred as he settled us on the bed, placing his head right between my boobs.
“You are such an asshole sometimes.” I giggled.
“Hmm,” Magnus hummed, already starting to drift off. “But I’m your asshole.”
I brushed my fingers through his hair smiling. “Yes, you are, Maggie. You absolutely are.”