“No.” She draws out the word like I’m a child. “I saw himhelpingus when he didn’t have to. I saw him carry you down the mountain when you couldn’t make it yourself. Isawhim spend his whole Saturday on his knees pulling up our floors so we wouldn’t get caught.”
My mouth falls open. Is she really defending him right now?
“Did you know I offered to help?” she continues. “Did you know that not only did he tell meno,but that he also practically forced me to spend the day vegging on the couch with Calebbecause—in his words—killing someone is one of the worst things for your soul?”
I raise a brow.
“Yeah. He used the wordsoul.” She crinkles her nose. “But I’m just saying, maybe you don’t know him like you think. Caleb also says their father isn’t the nicest…”
Shaking my head, I can’t help but rub at my temples. “Yeah, well neither was ours, but we don’t kill people.”
“Oh, my God.” She throws her hands up. “Fine. Whatever. I don’t care.” She flounces down the hall.
She mutters something I can’t hear, but I don’t careeither,and I roughly pull the blanket back over myself. God. She’s delusional. Jax did all those things becausethat’s what he does. It’s his literal fucking job.
But… I mean… We didn’t reallypayhim, did we?
I shake my head as Nix comes back out, and I quickly focus on the TV. I can’t bring myself to meet her eyes. Because she’s wrong, right? She’s a teenager. She doesn’t see how not normal what Jax does is, even if we may have done the wrong thing with Marshal.
She snatches her phone off the table and goes to the door before pausing, planting a hand on her hip. “You’re not going to croak while I’m gone, right?”
I roll my eyes. “No, I’m not going to croak.” But when I look at her, her staple sass has dimmed to worry. “No,” I say again, this time in earnest. “I’m going to be fine.”
She seems to mull this over before nodding, her features pinching again. “Good, ‘cause I don’t want to sayI love youwhile I’m mad at you.”
I try not to laugh. “Well, good. I don’t want to say it either.”
She presses her lips together, trying not to smile. “Okay, fine.” She rolls her eyes. “I love you.”
“Ew,” I jokingly pull the blanket up higher.
“Don’t die, ‘kay?” She pulls the door open.
“I couldn’t get that lucky,” I holler as she slips out and shuts the door.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jax
Idon’t doubt the younger Noland clocks my Hellcat as she leaves the house, but for whatever reason, she doesn’t go back in and narc to Kira. She’s sharp, that one—sharper than Caleb, who drove past me, none the wiser, on his way to park in front of their house.
James got him a new car—a nice little red piece with shiny chrome tires. But as nice as it is, it doesn’t make up for the bruise I know is forming under Caleb’s left arm. I caught the tail end of an argument between them this morning when they came back from the dealership. James had a grip on him—one I can remember being made on me not too many years ago—that only ceased when I walked into the kitchen.
I sigh, scrubbing my face with my hands as Caleb pulls away with Nix, again oblivious to me. He won’t make it in this business.
I’ve been here all day, watching the Noland house, with nothing but time to think, and I keep coming back to the same conclusion; he won’t make it.
I could have said something in the kitchen this morning,donesomething. And while it took everything in me not to, I didn’t. As much as I wanted to break every single one of Jame’sfingers, Caleb has to learn to stand up to James on his own. If he doesn’t, he’ll be under his thumb forever.
I just hope it happens sooner rather than later because I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to control myself. I don’t know what I was thinking, leaving Caleb with him in the first place. I know firsthand what it’s like. But I had to get out. Or I was going to kill James, which would have only left Caleb an orphan. I thought I was doing the right thing. I mean, James never touched Caleb back then. I should have known, though. I should have known that without me to take his rage out on, he would turn to Caleb.
Cracking my neck, I take a deep breath and settle in for another night. My Hellcat isn’t the comfiest thing, but it sure as fuck beats laying back at the house and going crazy not knowing if Kira is alright or not.
She hasn’t left the house for the last two days, but Caleb said that Nix said that she’s okay, so I’m content to just keep watch for now. I thought maybe she would try to go to the police after Arnold shot the old lady, but it hasn’t happened. And it seems she didn’t even tell her sister because down the grapevine, it would have gone to Caleb and then to me.
But that doesn’t mean she still won’t. Which puts a giant Arnold-shaped target on her back—the fucking prick.
That wasn’t the first time he’s made a mess just to piss me off, but it was the first time he did it on a public street. He’s becoming more unstable with age, more bitter and angry. Apparently, killing people isn’t enough for him anymore. He has to find a way to fuck with me.
