“Don’t you put that shit on me. That’s not fair.”

Just as Joel turns away from Jai, there’s a knock at the door. Instinctively, my entire body tenses, my muscles burning with cramps. Jai and I exchange looks, the kind of look that says “Are you expecting anybody?”

I shake my head.

With an air of casualty, Joel pats up the hall toward the door. In the distance, I hear the deep murmur of voices and a distinct laugh. There’s only one person I knew that has a laugh so obnoxious and loud. The front door slams shut and the sound of heavy boots thump against the wooden floor boards. I lean forward as they file into the kitchen one by one. Ted’s in front carrying a football and wearing a light purple tee with black cargo shorts. Trailing miserably behind is Huss, draped in a pink polo and dark, denim jeans that bunch around his white shoes. Oh, fuck. I push myself to my feet.

“Kitten!” Ted cheers, stretching out his arm, pointing the end of his football at me.

I really hope he doesn’t expect me to catch that. Also, I’d really like the whole Kitten thing to stop now.

“It’s Emily.”

Huss waves. “Morning, Emma.”

I roll my eyes. It’s fucking pointless. They’re going to call me whatever the hell they like and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Unlike Ted, Huss doesn’t appear to be in the most cheerful mood. If he is, I sure as hell can’t tell underneath all the swelling. He’s covered in cuts, stitches, bruises and even has a shiny black cast for his broken arm. Poor guy. He’s been in better shape, that’s for sure.

“It’s Emil—” Forget it. It’s not like they give a shit anyway.

“Huss. Catch.” Ted lobs the football to Huss and it hits his broken arm before bouncing awkwardly into the kitchen.

“Ouch!” Huss growls, groaning so hard under his breath a vessel threatens to pop. “If you do that one more time asshole I’ll—”

His threat is cut off by a howl of laughter from Ted. “It’s just so funny. You should see your face.”

Stepping around them, Joel grabs the pan off the bench and slips it into the sink.

“Why are you in such a good mood?” I ask Ted, strolling back over to my plate.

He gives me a strange look as he reaches out and plucks a few straps of bacon from the pile. “Joel didn’t tell you?”

“Joel didn’t tell us what?” Jai asks before I get the chance.

Ted stuffs the belts of bacon into his mouth, purposely making it impossible for him to answer, and points at Joel who narrows his dark eyes at Ted. With a heavy exhale, Joel turns on the tap and leaves the gushing water to fill the sink.

“I’m paying them each fifty grand to help me get Monique out of Skull’s compound.” Joel tells us, leaning his hip against the edge of the bench. He nervously runs his hands over the back of his head as silence rears its ugly head and Ted reaches out with his slender fingers for more bacon.

I clear my throat. “How—how’d you even contact them? There are no phones. No internet.”

Pushing off the bench, Joel reaches into the back pocket of his gray sweatpants. “Huss left his cell here. I found it in the couch.”

He holds out the slim smartphone for Huss who takes it and slips it into one of his front pockets.

“So let me get this straight...you’re going to risk their lives for your own gain?” The disgust and confusion in Jai’s tone is loud, too loud to ignore.

Joel shrugs. “Why not? You did.”

I cringe and hold my breath, waiting for Jai to explode.

It doesn’t come.

Surprisingly.

“I have the blueprints to Skull’s compound in the car. I have to get them back by seven p.m. tonight to avoid any suspicion from the Captain.”

Joel nods, the tiniest hint of victory curling his lips. He shuts off the tap and suddenly his aura feels different. What was despair and anger is now determination and hope. I’m both happy for him and sad at the same time. Imagine how Monique will be if he manages to get to her...Skull is a sick man. Joel will be lucky to find her with her sanity still intact.

“I’m gonna get some air.”

Jai turns on his heel and storms toward the back porch. With his powerful hands, he shoves the flimsy screen door so hard it flies open and slams against the wall, making me jump.

“You should go talk to him.”

I whip my head around to face Ted and follow a thin drip of oil as it rolls down his chin.

“Me? Why me?”

“Because you’re the love interest.” He swipes at the oil with his forearm, smearing it into his skin. “And you’re not in danger of being punched in the face.”

Huss nods and Joel continues to wash his stupid pan, pretending the annoying situation he created doesn’t exist. He should be the one fixing it, not me. Pulling Jai out of one of his moods isn’t an easy feat and I’m tired of being the one who has to do it.

“You’re a police officer and you’re afraid of getting punched in the face?” I ask Ted who shrugs his strong, broad shoulders.

“Say what you want. A fist to the face hurts and I don’t like blood in my breakfast.”

Huss drags his sorry ass up to the counter as Ted slips a white, porcelain plate in front of him.

I sigh. Who wants to eat breakfast while it’s fresh anyway? Fuck me, right?

“Fine. I’ll go talk to him since none of you have the balls.”

They murmur their thanks and I roll my eyes.

Pussies.

****

Dry bark crunches under the force of Jai’s fist as he slams it into the trunk of a large oak tree, four yards out from the lake. He curses under his breath, lifting his fist to his face to examine the damage.

“Aw.” I pout, stopping a few feet out, crossing my arms over my chest.

It’s a desperate attempt to hold as much of my rapidly evaporating body heat against me as I can.

“What’d that innocent tree do to you?”

Jai snaps his head in my direction, his grazed and bleeding hand clenching and relaxing at his side. Blowing out a heavy exhale, he turns and rests his back against the thick trunk of the browning tree, his feet buried in the fallen leaves on the damp ground. The cold breeze whips at my bare arms and I shiver. It’s sharp, like it’s carrying miniscule shards of ice. An obvious sign of impending doom. Or winter, as I like to call it.

Jai flicks his head at me. “Come here.”

His tone is light, but his eyes are the darkest kind of blue, still filled with the frustration put there by his brother. I walk towards him, the tips of my toes freezing against the damp ground. Even the bright morning sun isn’t enough to warm the green blades of grass chilled by nightfall.

The sea of dying leaves crunch and break underneath my feet as I close the distance between us. When I’m within arm’s reach he catches me by the shoulders and I stumble as he pulls me into him. He wraps his strong, heavy arms around my neck, pressing his hard chest against my cheek.  I hug him back, slipping my arms around his slim waist and burying my fingers in his black sweater to prevent frostbite. I love snuggling into his sweaters. His smell catches in the fibers of the material, adding to its warmth and comfort for when I bury my nose in it.

“Does he bug you as much as he bugs me or am I being dramatic?” He asks, planting a soft kiss on my head.

I fight a smile. It’s not foreign for Jai to be a little dramatic. That being said, his brother doesn’t exactly have his head screwed on straight at the moment either. Occasionally, even I want to slap the shit out of him.

“A little bit of both.”

He laughs once, sounding more like a ‘humph’ in my ear as it presses against his chest. Another breeze whips around us, the dry leaves sounding like paper as they rub together. We listen to the chorus of trees, until the wind runs out of breath. The silence of nature is bliss and, unlike the stale silence of an awkward conversation, it feels alive.

Jai shifts, moving his feet shoulder width apart, pulling me even tighter against him. I feel his fingers toying with my hair against my back, wrapping thin locks of it around his finger, tugging slightly at my scalp.