“What do you mean, beautiful?”
“I don’t want to stay here tonight. Whoever it is, was in there while I slept, and while I took a shower. None of this feels okay.”
This is what we’ve wanted for a while.
“Babygirl, you don’t have to ask. Our home is always open to you. Let’s get you inside and pack a bag and get Tyger’s stuff together. I know you wanted to cook dinner, but why don’t we just pick something up on our way home?”
Jane is so much stronger than she realizes. I can tell the moment that she gets a hold of herself and is about to argue with my brother like no one else would dare to.
“No.”
Hands now on his hips, Jon glares down at her with a look that would scare most people.
“What the fuck do you mean, no? You just said—”
“Not no to all of it. Yes, I’m going to go pack a bag and get Tyger’s stuff ready. No, we don’t need to pick something up. I can grab what I was going to make, bring it with me and cook at your place. That is if you’ve got pots and pans and stuff.” There’s her attitude that my brother’s alphaness seems to bring out.
Juan is obviously over this.
“Baby, of course we have that shit. We don’t eat out all the time and we do know how to cook.” I can feel like he’s about to add something that will firmly stick his foot in his mouth as he seems to do often around Jane. The need to coral this circus and get her to our place so then we can go hunting great.
“Beautiful, why don’t you go inside and get everything you want to bring ready and we’ll get you loaded up so we can go and get ya settled in.”
“Okay, I’ll go pack my stuff. What about the flowers on my table?”
Looking at my brothers, Tim, and Ben, I feel like we all agree without saying anything.
“Baby, I’ll follow you in just a minute and take care of it.” Jane gives a little smile to Juan in response and heads in to pack.
Juan
“Tell me we are going to kill this guy and do it slowly and methodically.” I can tell Ror is almost shaking with rage as he looks at Jon to see what he says.
Low, and with a calm that hides a volcano of rage I can see inside him.
Jon takes control.
“We are going to make this person sorry for every fucking petal they left our woman before we send him off to meet his maker. J, before you clean up the shit in there, take pics of it so we can try to figure out what the fuck this person is trying to leave for Jane. Tim and Ben, I have a feeling this fucker got into the house last night sometime. I’m gonna set up a rotation with y’all, some brothers and prospects and have this place watched twenty-four seven. This fucker has snuck around our cameras and scared the shit out of our woman for the last fucking time.”
“My niece did nothing to warrant this shit. Make a schedule but put me and Tim on for a big chunk of it. We ain’t working and that’s my blood in there. The only good blood relation I have left and I won’t let shit happen to her.”
“I’ll have it by tomorrow night. For now, you two stay here. I’ll send a text and let you know when your relief is coming. J, go on in and take care of things. You know she’s not going to take long to pack. She’s gonna take longer getting that damn dog’s shit together. Oh, and grab a couple of those fucking blanket things she loves so much.”
“On it.”
Fighting the urge to grab Jane and carry her over my bike and take her home this very second, I walk into the house and look over at the table. It’s completely covered in flowers, but different ones than before. The white rose petals from before are just along the edge of the table, and black rose roses and some other flowers are in the middle.
“I googled them. Black roses mean death and the poppies in Chinese are harbingers of evil. Why the change from just the white roses and lilies?”
Grabbing one of the bags she has in her hands and setting it on the couch, I look at her and for the first time ever, see fear.
“I dunno, baby, but we’re going to figure this shit out. Finish getting ready and I’m gonna get rid of all this.”
“I just gotta grab the stuff for dinner and my work bag and I’ll be ready.”
I grab a garbage bag and sweep all the flowers and petals off the table into the trash.
???
