Page 19 of Harper’s Renegades

My brain was spinning with their questions and harsh tones as they kept coming after me with this hypothetical situation. “Stop, just stop,” I demanded, tossing my hands up. “What the hell is going on right now? Is this because of what you learned about more people coming after me?”

Magnus came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my front, so his hand gripped my throat and pushed my head up to look at him. “You are ours, Harper, and because of that, you are our weakness. Once people learn about you, they will never stop trying to get to you so they can get to us. I’ll be damned if I will make it easy for them, and leaving you with no knowledge of how to defend yourself isn’t smart. I pray you’ll never have to use what we teach you, but I will not leave you vulnerable.”

I wanted to argue, but in his face, I could see he wasn’t going to budge. Magnus was a controlling asshole, but when he got like this, it was almost as if he was reacting out of fear.

“Has it happened before?” I asked bluntly.

“Ask the real question, Harper,” Magnus demanded.

I licked my lips, not sure I wanted the answer, but I needed to know. It was only fair. “Have you lost someone you loved because you weren’t there to protect them?”

“Yes,” he answered in a clipped tone, letting go of me, but I still tracked him as he turned his back. “That is all I will say for now. It’s in the past, and there’s nothing I can do to change it, but I can learn from it, which is why you are coming with us to the range and learning to shoot. I also want to see what moves Dax taught you.”

Jaxson walked over and took my hand, tugging me off the stool, then headed for the bedroom. “Let me show you where your workout clothes are. That will be better suited than a dress for what we want to do today.”

Everything in me wanted to go to Magnus and hug him, to let him know I knew what it was like to have someone you loved taken from you in a moment. When I tried to do that, Jaxson squeezed my hand and shook his head no. Begrudgingly, I followed him into the bedroom and to a closet I hadn’t noticed before.

It appeared this closet was where the guys kept their clothes. Jaxson stopped at the first dresser and pulled open the middle drawer revealing leggings, sports bras, T-shirts, and tank tops in my favorite colors. He opened another drawer just above it, and I discovered they did have normal bras and underwear for me to wear, although they were all on the sexy side.

“He’ll tell you in time,” Jaxson said, breaking the silence. “It’s hard for him to admit his failures, especially ones that cost someone their life. We were teenagers, and she was the first girl to worm her way into his heart. After that, his controlling nature became even worse, creating the man you see today. He believes if he can control everything, then it will keep us all safe.”

“It took me a long time to get my driver’s license. I think it was because I needed it for college that I actually went and did it. My parents were killed in a drunk-driver accident, and I think I figured if I didn’t drive, then I couldn’t get hurt like they did,” I shared as I sorted through the clothes. “I’m not saying our stories are the same, but I suppose you could say I understand the pain of losing someone you loved so suddenly.”

Jaxson pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head. “We knew you lost your parents, but none of us thought it was right to snoop into it.”

“Oh, that’s crossing the line for you. Good to know,” I teased. “What about you guys? Do you have any family?”

“There might be a sperm donor running around in the world. We haven’t really looked. Mom’s dead, overdosed on drugs, chased with any liquor she could get her hands on. We never bothered to look up any relatives since we were trying to avoid foster care at all costs,” Jaxson told me, nuzzling into my hair as if to hide his face from me. “Doesn’t matter now. I have you and my brothers. That’s all the family that means anything to me.”

“Yeah, I was lucky to have my grandparents take me in, so I didn’t have to go that route either.” I sighed, hugging him tightly. “All right, I’ll play nice when it comes to this whole guns and shooting thing. I’ve never liked the damn things, but it seems I’ve landed myself in a world where they are everywhere.”

“Thank you,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss on my lips before leaving me to get dressed.

As I looked around the closet, I stumbled upon several pairs of shoes that were meant for me since they were far too small for any of the boys to wear. Dressed and ready for the day, I tossed my hair into a high pony and went in search of the triplets. Not finding them in the house, I walked out front and spotted them packing the Jeep with everything we would need.

“Ready to go, angel?” Ghost called, greeting me with a bright smile I was coming to love.

“I suppose. Let’s do this before I change my mind,” I said, climbing up into the front passenger seat.

“Ah, angel, what do you think you’re doing?” Ghost asked, cocking his head at me.

Resting my arm on the door, I leaned forward, giving him an innocent look. “What? Did one of you call shotgun, and I didn’t hear it? Or is this a no-girls allowed in the front seat type situation?”

“Well, no…”

“Great!” I chirped, sitting back and clicking my seat belt.

Ghost gaped at me, looking at his brothers and pointing at me. “She can’t do that!”

“Why not?” Magnus asked, trying not to smile.

“Seriously,” Ghost shouted, looking like a toddler who wanted to throw a temper tantrum. “If she sits there, then I have to sit next to him,” he grumbled, pointing at Jaxson. “If she sits in the back, then Jax and I agreed to take turns, but we can’t do that if she sits up front. It ruins the whole plan.”

Magnus rolled his eyes. “I think you’ll survive one trip without her sitting beside you. As for the future, make sure one of you calls shotgun so she can’t pull the same stunt. Or better yet, why not ask her to sit next to you? She might do it.”

Ghost marched up to me and leaned in so our noses were touching. “You ride with me on the way back.”

“That’s not asking, and I hate to break it to you, but you’re not as scary as Magnus to order me around,” I commented, booping him on the nose with my finger. “If you ask nicely, I might consider it.”