Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
We fall back into a steady routine, the events of the party and our long weekend away fading into the background with so much classwork to get done.
Harley is still barely around and I miss him so goddamn much it’s like a hole in my chest. Ash is quieter and more reserved the longer we’re back, but I decide to wait him out. There’s no point pushing him, he’ll only snark and hiss like the lovable asshole he is.
Blaise becomes so focused on his grades that I’m fucking impressed as shit at him.
He refuses to fool around until his work is done and we’ve worked on my vocal training, which still rattles me no matter how long we’ve been doing it.
I’m usually so shaky after we’re done that he won’t do much more than kiss me, but fuck it feels good to finally hear myself sing without vomiting.
I think Blaise likes being able to help me, to teach me, and not always be the student.
Plus it doesn’t take a genius to figure out he finds my voice a turn-on, more often than not he has to use his bag to cover himself when Avery gets back from ballet.
There’s nothing that girl likes more than threatening some dicks.
I start to relax a little. Just enough that I’m once again caught unaware by the next move on the board.
I’m sitting in Choir with Blaise, trying to ignore the sick feeling of dread in my stomach as we warm up, when my phone starts vibrating insistently in my pocket. My rock god boyfriend raises his eyebrows at me and I shrug, knowing there’s only one person outside of Hannaford who would be calling.
Well, two but I doubt I’m on the Jackal’s speed dial these days.
When class finally comes to an end, I check my phone and see Illi has called eight times and left three messages.
I duck into a little alcove in the hallway to call him back, anxiety creeping up my spine.
Blaise crowds into the little nook, his broad shoulders covering me from prying eyes and I lean my forehead onto his chest while I wait for Illi to answer.
“Is Odie okay?” I whisper the second I hear the phone pick up. Blaise wraps me into his arms at my quiet tone.
There’s a beat of silence and then Illi sighs heavily down the phone.
“You’re too good for this fucked-up world we’re in.
My girl is safe, kid. I’m calling to let you know I’ve just had to have a stern chat with three more guys sent by our friend.
” Translation: he’s just killed three of the Jackal’s men.
He doesn’t wait for me to comment. “They were sent up the coast, kid. They were sent after Iris, to finish what that dickhead Liam started.”
I suck in a breath. Fuck. How the hell had I forgotten about Harley’s mom? Of course the Jackal would go after her, she’s a sitting fucking duck! Blaise runs a hand up and down my spine gently, resting his cheek on the top of my head.
“I’m only saying this in a phone call because I don’t want to leave her. You might want to suggest to your little mobster that he send her somewhere a little more secure now that he has the funds.”
Closing my eyes and centering myself with a heavy sigh, I finally find my voice again. “I’ll sort it. Thank you, Illi. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
He chuckles down the phone and says, “You have my back, kid, and you have from the first day we met. I’ll have yours until I stop fucking breathing. Tell Arbour not to worry, I’ll keep her safe until you can move her.”
I end the call and let Blaise hold me until I can figure out my plan of action.
Avery is already handling Harley’s fortune. The moment the money hit my accounts, I had her move the money into investment accounts she had set up for him. It’s a fuck-ton of money, and he could easily pay for his mom to move to any facility in the world. Avery will know what to do.
The problem is I have to tell him first.
“Is his wife alive?” Blaise mumbles, and I shake myself out of my thoughts as I pull away from him.
“She’s fine. We need to go. We need to find the others, fuck,” I mumble, and he tucks me under his arm.
“Avery’s already sent a text to ask why we’re late to lunch. Let’s go eat and you can tell us what the hell is happening now.”
I nod distractedly and let him guide me to the dining hall. The others have already grabbed food for us and are sitting in our usual seats. I’m relieved there’s a little buffer of empty chairs around them, and one look at the thunder on Ash’s face tells me he’s the reason.
Harley calls out to us as soon as Blaise has me in earshot, but Blaise can only shrug back at him.
I step up to my usual seat next to Avery but I take a second to think before I sit down. Apparently that’s the wrong thing to do because the tension at the table suddenly heightens until I’m choking on it.
“What the fuck has happened now?” Ash hisses, and I quickly drop to my seat.
“I’m trying to decide if I should say it here or drag Harley away so he doesn’t rage out and flip the whole fucking table,” I mumble, and Ash’s eyes narrow.
Sighing, I turn to Harley before blurting it out. “The Jackal sent men after your mom.”
His face shuts down, his body turning to stone, and his cutlery drops to crash down on his plate. I reach over and grab his hand, squeezing until I know he’s listening.
“Illi dealt with them. He called to let me know he’s staying with her for now, but we need to move her somewhere more secure, somewhere far enough away that the Jackal forgets about her until we can… deal with him.”
Avery immediately takes over. She’s out of her seat and snapping orders down the phone as she moves to the door for privacy. We’re too close to where the teachers are sitting for comfort. The Jackal has eyes in the school and we still don’t know who they are.
“I’m sorry,” I croak, and Harley’s eyes flash up to meet mine.
“Don’t apologize for that sick fuck; this is payback for us provoking him. Well, fuck him. I’m not giving you up,” he says, his free hand closing over the little gold locket at his neck.
I feel like a monster.
All my bullshit is at our door.
Ash watches us both and then says, “Liam’s been trying to kill her for years, Mounty. Adding the Jackal to the mix barely changes things. We all have demons stalking us, don’t take it out on yourself.”
My eyes flick over to him. “What’s eating you today?”
His mask settles into place, and he turns back to his food. “Joey.”
I groan. Haven’t we gotten away from that psycho? “What’s the little fucker done now?”
Ash gives me a curt shake of his head that I interpret as not here but could be fuck off for all I know. Blaise snorts and starts on his lunch.
Harley turns his hand to lace his fingers through mine. “I guess I’m going to have to thank Illi now, aren’t I?” he says, a little wryly.
I fight the smile threatening to break out over my face and say, “He loves a good muffin basket. Even better if there’s blueberry.”
By the end of the day Avery has Harley’s mom transferred to a safe facility in Switzerland with a permanent armed guard. Illi stays with her until she’s on the plane and, though he won’t admit it, Harley is fucking relieved to have him there.
I still feel guilty.
I go through the motions for the rest of the day; dinner with Avery, studying with Blaise, then we work on my singing until Avery comes home. Blaise notices how crappy I’m feeling and slips me his iPod before he leaves, kissing me sweetly until Avery bitches him out on her way to the shower.
I climb straight into bed, messing around with the iPod to find a song that will help slow my brain down, when I hear the sound of keys in the door. I frown at the sound. It’s barely ten; Harley never gets here before midnight.
Ash locks the door behind himself and stomps over to my bed, pulling the sweatshirt he’s wearing off and climbing in wearing only his boxer shorts. He sighs and flings an arm over his eyes, channeling the drama of his morbid best friend, but the move only makes his chest look broader.
Oh, fuck.
I try to focus on the blank mask over his features, because something has pushed him to come here, but he really is something else to look at. A half-naked Ash Beaumont has angels freaking weeping at his feet.
I clear my throat twice while I attempt to focus on something other than his nipples, but it’s hard work. He snorts at me, rolling over to tug me into his arms, and the icy depths of his eyes cool me off a little.
“Has something happened?” I murmur, holding my breath as I wait for his answer, because I have so many things on the planner I can’t think about another one. I had pushed Joey out of my mind for now, Senior being the bigger threat.
“Are you planning on killing Joey?” Ash mumbles, his eyes screwing shut, and I grimace.
“I think I’m going to have to. He’s going to force my hand and he’s not someone we can neutralize long term. I have to figure Senior out first, because he’s already made it clear that he’ll kill you and Avery if anything happens to Joey but… yes. I’ll take him out.”
Any hesitance I had in telling Ash I’m planning on murdering his brother is obviously pointless, because he just nods thoughtfully.
He strokes his long fingers over my face, brushing my hair back absently as he thinks. “The gossip site posted about our relationship and Joey messaged me to threaten you. He told Senior about you too. Mounty, I’m not going to let them get to you.”
I swallow roughly at the emotion in his voice, something I’m not sure I ever thought would be aimed at me.
“Don’t think about it. The Crow will keep Senior away until we can deal with him properly.
The only reason I didn’t deal with him last year myself is because you and Avery were underage and there were too many variables.
Now he’s got deals in the pipeline that I have to figure out first. I’m kicking myself for doing it, Avery seems to think Atticus would’ve stepped in for you both but—”
“Fuck Atticus. I’d rather live in the slums with you than owe that dickhead anything,” Ash hisses.
It’s fucking hard work, but I contain my eye roll. How does he go from sweet to asshole in a flash?
I ignore his tantrum and say, “It doesn’t matter now anyway. If we can keep Senior away from you, and somehow neutralize the fucking Morningstar threat, then I’ll sneak into his bedroom and slit his throat while he sleeps. Or Illi can take a meat cleaver to his throat and then dismember him.”
Ash mutters unhappily under his breath at the mention of Illi, and I nudge him playfully.
Avery exits the bathroom, quirking a brow at Ash’s appearance but doesn’t make a comment as she climbs into her own bed and cuts the lights.
I hear her iPod start up and smile at her attempts to give us a little privacy.
I let my eyes drift shut, ready to sleep and forget about the sociopaths looming over us, watching our every freaking move.
Ash presses his lips to mine and kisses me so sweetly I can’t believe it’s him.
He usually kisses me with fire, with dominance, with that arrogance that only a Beaumont can have.
I tremble like a freaking wilting virgin in his arms.
When he breaks away to press his forehead against mine, he whispers, “If I lose you, then everything we’ve done has been for nothing.
If he takes you away from me… I can’t let that happen.
Every time I close my eyes I see you strapped to that fucking table, bleeding out while they watch, and I won’t live through that again.
If there’s even a chance of that happening, we need to kill them both. ”
He pauses for a second, his nose rubbing against mine, then he tucks his face into the crook of my neck before he can pry the last of his confession out.
“I almost wish you weren’t so strong, that we got you to drop out last year, because even though I wouldn’t have you, at least you’d be safe and far away from Senior. ”
I will not cry, I won’t let myself, but fuck, it’s hard not to.
When I’m sure my voice won’t betray me, I say, “If I had dropped out, I’d be the Jackal’s personal whore by now.
He would have chained me to his bed and fucked me until I was nothing but an empty, manipulatable shell.
Then he would control two seats in the Twelve and be unstoppable.
We’ll get through this together, like we’ll get through everything else life throws at us. As a family.”
He nods against my neck, biting the skin softly until a shiver runs down my spine.
I don’t know how long it takes me to fall asleep, but I’m woken by the dip in the bed, and the smell of chlorine hits me before his voice does.
“What the fuck has happened now?” Harley whispers, pulling me back into his arms, and Ash grunts unhappily in his sleep.
“Nothing. He just needed… me.”
Harley nods and kisses my neck, right over the bruise Ash left behind. “We all need you, babe.”