The final thing I hear before shock knocks me out is an angry male voice bellowing.
“What the fuck did you think was going to happen?! You careless, insane woman. Why do you women always cause trouble in my life? Fucking great.”
When I wake up in the cold hospital room after what feels like hours or maybe even days, I know I’ve fucked up big time.
1
JAX
LESS THAN 36 HOURS EARLIER
Currently playing: Chapter One by Lifehouse
Itake off my helmet after parking Isla—my gorgeous 2016 Harley-Davidson Softail Breakout—next to the steakhouse where I’m meeting my family for an early dinner. My cousins King, Angel, and Big O Kingston are in town with their father, my uncle Joey. I know those nicknames are hideous, but my cousins own them.
As I walk inside, my oldest cousin, King, is the first to greet me with a tight hug. “Hi J, how’s the shop?”
King is my boss at King Tattoo, a chain of tattoo shops he started almost fifteen years ago at the age of twenty. Now, he has a total of twelve shops around the country, and King Tattoo is one of America's most successful tattoo shops. Obviously, he wants to know how everything is going with the Brooklyn location I manage, even though I’m not here to talk shop.
“Oh,Ethan, you know I don’t like to discuss business in my free time. Get back to me later during office hours,” I mock, and his low chuckle catches the attention of the people around us. A few heads turn to watch us.
“Fair game, cuz. But you better call meKingif you want to keep the business you don’t want to discuss,” my cousin reminds me.
I look at him and smile mischievously. “No way,Ethan. Whenever you mention work, I treat you like you’re my boss, not my cousin.”
He mumbles something under his breath before looking at me. “I get it. I do, Jax?—”
“I’m sensing abutcoming.”
King sighs and shakes his head. “Never mind. Let’s get you seated before we continue this conversation.”
My cousin saunters towards the big round table in the middle of the busy restaurant where there’s a reservation sign for the Kingston family. I sometimes wish I was still a Kingston. After my mom married my first stepfather when I was a toddler, my last name changed to Bennett. I thought about changing back to Kingston, but when I was finally able to make the legal decision myself, it just didn’t feel right. After beingJackson Bennettfor so long, that name was a part of me in a twisted way. Now the name will die with me, too, since my asshole stepfather never had children who could continue his lineage. And I won’t either.
As I get to the table, Angel, my middle cousin, stands up and greets me. I swear, he's been spending more time at the gym since I last saw him—he’s getting huge. “Dude, what the fuck are they feeding you in LA? It looks like you’ve gained at leastfifty pounds of pure muscle since I saw you like six months ago.”
He chuckles and runs a hand over his thick beard while flexing his impressive muscles. “Only like twenty-five, but thanks. I’ve got so much free time now that I finally found an assistant that knows his shit.”
I'm glad he's found the right person to help with the business. Angel owns a music label called Wing Records on the West Coast. It's been growing steadily, and he signed one of his most prominent artists earlier this year.
“Where are Big O and your pops?”
“Big O is in the shop two streets over getting something nerdy. Pops is taking a call out on the terrace,” King informs me.
Big O is the youngest of my cousins and four years older than my twenty-six. He’s a computer genius like my best friend Eli, but with a different type of skill set. Where Eli enjoys data, coding, and analysis, Big O spends his day creating websites and editing photos and videos. His client list is impressive, and there’s a year-long waitlist to be on that list. He also loves all things sci-fi and fantasy—he’s readThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy at least twenty times. One time was enough for me, especially since it took months to finish.
I walk past the restrooms, open the outside patio door, and see Uncle Joey’s big frame leaning against the brick wall. No wonder my cousins are over six feet tall when you look at my uncle. He’s even taller than my six-foot-four. His build is also stockier, and tattoos cover his tanned arms.
Uncle Joey spots me and signs that he's done with his call soon. I check my phone while waiting for him to finish—still nothing from Tiffany, my girlfriend of close to ten months. I should behappy that she isn’t blowing up my phone, but at the same time, it feels like something is brewing below the surface. She’s been skittish lately—nothing like her normal.
When the call ends, my uncle turns my way. “Gimme a minute to finish this, son.” My uncle gestures to his cigarette and smiles at me like he always has. His joy at seeing me reaches his eyes and brings out his dimples, warming me up from the inside.
“I’m glad you could join the Three Musketeers for their trip,” I tell the man who helped to raise me. I never knew my father, who passed away before my birth. But I had Uncle Joey as a father figure growing up.
“Of course, I would never miss an opportunity to see you. Unlike my sister.”
I cringe at the mention ofher. “Yeah. I haven’t heard from Trisha since I moved to New York. It’s like I stopped existing after that. I don’t even know if she’s still with husband number five—or was it six?”
“You know I haven't heard from her after you were put in the system all those years ago, so I have no idea how many fools Trisha has managed to marry afterhim.”
