She leans forward and presses her lips against mine. I’ve kissed her hundreds of times before, but as she slips her tongue in and sweeps it across mine, I know this is my first real kiss.
“Is there anything else I need to hear?”
“Nope, but there is something I need to hear from you. You’re mine, and…”
Resting my forehead against hers, I hold onto her hips and pull her even closer to me.
“You’re mine, babe. All.Fucking.Mine.”
She releases a shaky breath and I realise I’m holding in too much air too. Her hands find their way up to my cheeks and her warmth blasts against my cool skin. Claiming her mouth again, it hits me that these lips are the only lips I’m going to kiss again and I’m so fucking good with that, I can’t remember why I kept leaving her before. Perhaps she is my moment. The moment everyone has where their way of life changes for the best, for all days, and for the better part of me.
She pulls away, staying so close I can feel her breath hitting my chin.
“We’re going to do this, JJ, and it’s going to be good. Just us, doing our own thing and finding our place together.”
“I like the sound of that, of us.”
Leaning in, I find her mouth again and wrap my fingers around her hair. I’m the only one she’ll kiss from now on and I’m the only one she’ll taste.
“Hey, Jason, you wanna put my cousin down?” India calls over, but she’s smiling, she’s all good.
Harper chuckles into my mouth and the side of her head falls against my lips as she turns to look over at India and Rayna hanging out by the tree.
“She’s the one who jumped on my bike,” I call back, pointing out my defence.
I don’t want to move from this position with her, but I also don’t want to be the afternoon show for everyone around us.
Swinging my leg over, I’m careful of Harper and hold my hand out to help her off. I make myself comfortable with my arm around her and we walk into the bar.
“Hearts are breaking all over town,” Zach grins.
“Fuck off,” I grunt, all in good nature, letting her go.
Grabbing two bottles of beer from the bar, I stop shortly. I haven’t seen Harper drink since she came back.
Putting them back, I reach for a bottle of water instead and head for the couches by the pool table.
Cas is the first one I see strut through the door and then brothers follow him with Leo holding one guy by the scruff of his collar and dad is shoving another guy in front of him.
“Do you recognise them?” Cas asks Harper.
“No, they were wearing ski masks.”
“This one is called Lim, that’s the name you said, wasn’t it?”
She nods and her eyes drift over to the guys who are watching her a little too closely for my liking.
I stand and block their view of her, she doesn’t move, and I take it as a sign not to move.
“This one is his brother, found them coming out of a bar.”
Harper stands behind me and holds onto the back of my belt as she comes to stand beside me.
Mom smiles at her and then she’s moving across the bar. She stops in front of the one called Lim and stares at him until he gulps thickly.
“Tell me I’m pretty,” she says and everyone in the bar goes silent.
Frowning, I burn to go to her, but I hang back and wait for her to do her thing. The guy doesn’t open his mouth.
“Tell me,” she purrs angrily.
Leo shoves him, staying close to him and my girl doesn’t budge.
“You’re pretty,” the guy spits out.
She turns to the second guy and steps towards him.
“Tell him to leave me alone.”
The muscles in my back tense and my hands clench into fists, she’s fucking getting them to say things they said to her when they took her.
“Leave her alone.”
Her head nods and she comes back to me. Her arm slides around my waist, mine holding onto her as my dad cocks his eyebrow at our closeness.
“They’re the men who took me. I know their voices, clear as day.”
Cas gives the nod and they’re both hauled down to the basement. After the guy who shot Cas was killed down there, I’m under no illusion that these two will come back up alive. I wait for the brothers to disappear downstairs before turning to Harper.
“Don’t you go anywhere, wait right here for me.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she smiles.
Lightly brushing my lips against hers, I don’t care who sees and I don’t care who has to say shit about it.
Especially not Cas, who is waiting by the top of the stairs leading down to the basement, and nods when he looks at me.
“What?”
“I’m wondering who’s gonna try and claim Lily, and truly piss Slade off.”
I bark out a laugh as Cas realises what he’s just said.
“As long as it ain’t you, Prez, I don’t think Aunt Lana would appreciate it.”
I feel a swift slap to the back of my head and I feel like a naughty kid again.
“You wanna shed some blood, or do you want me spilling yours?” he asks.
I jog down the concreate steps, my veins thrumming with the impending bloodshed. I was expecting them to be already tied to chairs, but as the brothers circle them, they hover in the middle of everyone swivelling their heads around trying to keep their eyes on every brother. An attack could come from any direction and they look ready for anything. They better be ready for me. I stand beside Leo and Cas shuts the door, closing us in.
“I’m not going to make threats, I’m not going to ask question after question expecting answers about your president, I’m not even going to break a sweat taking my anger out on you,” Cas says, walking up to the one called Lim. “I could keep you both down here for days, it wouldn’t be the first time. I could make you piss yourself at the mere sight of me walking in if I wanted, and I should because it turns out, the girl you took is my daughter. It’s because of her I’m not going to waste my time with you.”
This isn’t sitting well with me. What the hell is he playing at? They deserve everything coming their way.
I burn to step forward and question my president, but I remain where I am and trust that he will make the right decision in the end, that’s what my dad always told me.
“I didn’t know I was her dad until you took her so as you can imagine we have quite a bit to catch up on, like when she took her first step, how she did in school, how long she’s been banging him,” he says, sticking his thumb at me over his shoulder. “It’s him who will decide how you die, make no mistake that you will not leave this basement alive.”
Cas’s voice grows colder with every word he mutters. He spins on his heels and looks around for me. He jerks his head, calling me over and I take the few steps towards him to close the gap between them.
“I’m in no position to say who Harper sees whether it be a brother or someone from town, but I can make sure she has retribution through us, if you can’t take this on, say now and I’ll do it myself.”
“I can do it…I will do it.”
A moment of silence bounces between us until he faces the brothers and hollers, “Everyone can leave, apart from Sparky, JJ, Slade and Zach.”
Disappointment and disgust oozes from the brothers as they haul their asses back up to the bar. Dad takes his time closing the door after the last brother has left and settles himself on an old wooden chair in the corner. He lights a cigarette and I wonder what’s running through his mind.
Cas takes a seat by the only table down here and Slade leans against the wall, Zach keeping his distance from him.
Leo and I are the only ones left in the middle with the two Crow cunts.
“Regardless of Lily’s confession, this is your chance to prove how far you’d go for Harper. I myself have killed for my old lady, your dad has killed for your mom, all because they came for what’s ours and ours to protect. When they slip through, it’s dow
n to us to make it right. They got Harper, and now they need to pay so I ask you again, how far will you go for her?”
I know how far I would go for her, I’m not liking being tested. I don’t need to prove shit to them.
“Son, it’s different wanting to kill someone, to imagine it so bad it feels real, but when it comes to it and they’re standing in front of you, staring you in the eye, can you watch the life fade from theirs?”
The weight of Harper falling into my arms on the side of the road, the bruises on her body, and her cries during her nightmares make the decision for me.
“Let’s find out.”
I’m not nervous, I’m not doing this because I want to look the big man in front of my brothers, or Cas, or my dad.
I’m doing this because I will eliminate every danger to Harper, and everyone who is connect to her pain. There is no choice to be made, it was made when they choose to kidnap her from the middle of town in broad day light.
Harper’s choices led her to the worst day of her life, but she will live to forget the physical pain of that day. These fucker’s choices have led them here, standing before me as I pull my gun from the back of my jeans.
The one called Lim isn’t fazed, but the other guy is. I see the sweat building on his brow and I can almost taste his fear. I could beat them, I could torture them, but when I leave this room I’ll walk straight into the bar and the last thing I want for Harper to see is me covered in their blood.
Aiming for his forehead, I release the safety and squeeze the trigger. His body hits the ground before the echo of the shot fades to silence.
Lim’s jeans darken as he fucking pisses himself, shaking in his fucking boots. I don’t offer him any last threats, he’s going to die and that’s enough.
I aim for his nose, the nose he put near Harper to smell her hair and squeeze again. His body falls besides his partners and I take in every detail in this moment. The way they’re lying, the blood trickling out of the bullet holes, I take it all in.
Dad’s hand lands on my shoulder and I feel the gun disappear from my grip.
“Don’t let this define you, but don’t ever forget that taking their lives doesn’t make you God, it makes you a survivor, a protector.”
For once, I don’t come back with a sarcastic remark. I let him take my gun and I let him guide me to the sink.
I rinse the blood off my face and wash my hands. Perhaps I should be freaking out, I have just killed two people, but I can’t muster the energy to freak out, not when they deserved everything they got.
I don’t look back as I head for the door, and I keep my head forward as I take the stairs up to the bar.
By the time I reach the top step, I plaster a smile on my face, and I push the last thirteen minutes out of my head. Harper doesn’t need to ever know what happened to them.
Harper
He told me not to go anywhere, like I would. Who would’ve thought all he needed was for me to tell him what to do. I laugh to myself and refrain from squealing like a little girl. I still have the crap with Cas to deal with, but with JJ at my side, I can deal with anything. Not that I want to deal with it right now. I want to enjoy JJ for a while before opening the I’ve-got-a-dad-now situation.
Brothers filtered back up a few minutes ago, bar JJ and a few others and no one could miss the two gun shots that went off a minute ago.
I’m under no illusion that the guys who took me are dead now, I don’t let it in and move on. JJ is the next one up a few minutes later and I stand and go over to him. He slides his arms around my waist and pulls me against him.
“What did you do to them?”
“They won’t get to you or anyone else again,” he answers vaguely.
It’s not much of answer but it’s enough for now.
“What about Ellis?”
“Forget he even exists.”
He drops his arms from around me and takes my hand, leading me over to the couches we were sitting on earlier. As I settle in beside him, I ignore everyone but Slade as he comes towards us. JJ doesn’t see him, and I catch the wink he offers as again, JJ misses it. He’s told me numerous times, he’s happy if I am and I am happy, and he knows it.
“Is this serious?” he asks JJ first.
“Yes.”
For a moment I thought JJ would treat this like a joke. This is the most serious I’ve seen him.
“Look after her.”
“That’s my plan.”
Then he walks off and JJ relaxes. I didn’t notice how tense he became in the short amount of time my uncle was standing right in front of us.
“Where the fuck is his beating?” Leo calls out after Slade and receives a light slap on the arm from India.
“I thought you said I was worth it?”
I turn my back on their bickering and wind my arms around JJ’s waist.
“I knew my uncle wouldn’t mind us being together.”
“It was for show.”
Oh. Club politics, I don’t think I’ll ever learn it all.
“If you go slow on me, we can slip upstairs.”
It’s been so long since we’ve been together in that way, I crave him now he’s mine. It’s bound to feel a lot better between two people who are committed to each other.
He doesn’t need to be asked twice, and takes my hand, clearing a path for us as he strides towards the stairs. I bounce up after him until he freezes halfway up.
Deep yelling comes from outside and everyone is immediately on alert. My heart pounds even though I don’t have a clue what’s going on.
Cas walks over to the tv screens behind the bar and he looks furious.
“This is the Willow’s Peak police department, Lily McCarthy, we know you’re in there, come out peacefully or we will come in.”
My heart doesn’t pound any longer, it doesn’t thrum erratically, it stops. It stops for so long, dizziness envelopes me until JJ is spinning us around and walking us back down to the bar.
“What do the cops want with your mom?” he asks.
Simon.
Dead on the floor.
It all comes back.
My mouth won’t work. I move my lips, but no sound comes out.
I scan the bar for my mom, I can’t see her. I know she’s here somewhere and I’m guessing she’s by the far table when Slade cuts through the guys and they make a path for him.
Everything happens rapidly, one moment, Slade is whispering to my mom, and the next Cas is yelling for answers as to why there are two officers walking across the lot outside.
All the while, I still can’t talk.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
There is only one reason why they are here, and my mom said coming to Willow’s Peak would save us and we’d be able to forget. I did forget, I suppressed it so deep, even my bones forgot what I did.
Letting go of JJ’s hand, all the lust fades and fear rises in its place. No one moves for me but I push through them like a hot knife through butter. I stop when my mom slightly shakes her head past Slade’s shoulder.
She’s in front of a club full of brothers watching her, they don’t miss the silent message and I want to cry.
“What’s going on, Lil? I can’t fucking help you if you don’t tell me.”
For once, she doesn’t flap around like a fish out of water, panicking and acting the dumbass to get out of answering.
She simply stares at her brother and smiles sadly.
“Look after Harper.”
Before he can argue with her, before I can make a move, the two officers walk hesitantly into the bar and stop looking when they see Lily.
“Lily McCarthy?”
“Here.”
The older officer, greying and his belly bulging so much his shirt buttons are threatening to pop off, unhooks his cuffs and comes to a stand warily by Lily. Slade, the ever-loving big brother even at their ages, tries to protect her but for the first time in my life, I see her strength shine through. I didn’t even know she had an
y.
“Do you know why we’re here?”
“I have no idea, that’s why I’m talking to you.”
“When was the last time you saw Simon Webster?”
Her face doesn’t change, her eye doesn’t tick, her bottom lip doesn’t quiver. She simply stares at him and says, “Must be nearly a year ago, something like that, I’m not sure as I haven’t thought about him. Why? What has he done now?”
Oh, she’s good. I almost believe her, and I know she’s flat out lying through her teeth.
“We’re not sure what he did, but we know where he was found, and he wasn’t up for talking to us.”
Sarcastic much?
“What are you talking about?”
“We have witnesses that say you were Mr Webster’s partner and that you and your daughter were the last ones to be seen with him.”
Ghosts will always haunt you and the past will always chase you. Why we thought this would be our fresh start, I don’t know.
“I can assure you, we haven’t seen him since the night he walked out on me.”
The officers step closer to her and she holds her arm out to stop Slade. The officer, both in fact, keep their eyes open to the rest of the club around them.
“Simon Webster’s body was found seven days ago, and evidence has led us here.”
The cuffs are bigger than I thought, or have seen on the tv, my mom’s wrists will be too small for them. Fuck, why am I thinking about that right now?
“Let them do their job, Slade. I haven’t done anything.”
“Lily McCarthy, you’re under arrest for the murder of Simon Webster…”
It must be my blood rushing through my body so fast as to why I can’t hear anymore. We are safe here. No one can get to us here. That’s what she said to me. That’s what she promised.
I lurch forward and throw my arms around her, not caring about the cops.
“I’ll fix this like I should’ve done long ago,” she whispers in my ear and then steps back.
“Don’t worry about me, I’ve never been to jail before, might be fun,” she smiles.
The fuck?
She’s crazy, she’s out right losing her damn mind.
“Lily?” Slade murmurs confused as hell.