CHAPTER SIXTEEN


Jace parked outside a rundown white-picketed home that'd seen the footsteps
of too many vandalizing drunkfests.


The porch had too many holes, but Jace knew his footing. He walked his way
through and I followed, reluctantly.


For some reason, I knew I might not like who I met on the other side. It was
a forbidding gloom that took root and blossomed as Jace didn't knock against the
splintered and stripped painted door. He just walked inside and glanced
upwards.


He led me inside with a hand held behind me, but not touching me. I gingerly
stepped into the living room and saw the molded blankets that barely covered the
couches and chairs underneath. They looked cat-stripped and retrieved from the
ditch's ownership.


"Rafe." Jace murmured softly as he watched upstairs and circled to the bottom
of the dust-ridden wood steps that were naked from rugs or carpet.


The house would've been beautiful and a home if it had been tidied, given a
fresh paint, and rubbed free from the grime that clung to it. When I saw the
first boot step downstairs, from the assuredness and cock-sure stride of the
walk, I knew the owner didn't give one shit about how pretty his home was.


Her home.


The boot belonged to a long pair of legs covered in trendy, clingy, jeans and
a western-styled diamond-studded vest that rode overtop a simple white tank-top.
Rafe's hair hung free with blonde loose-curls that framed a perfect heart-shaped
face.


She would've been beautiful by anyone's standard. Hot by the red-blooded
man's standards, but the flat affect over her face and the dull gleam in her
eyes shone a different picture.


She skimmed Jace and found me. Her eyes lingered home as she measured me up,
at every angle, and quickly raced through every scenario for why I stood before
her, breathing and all solid-form.


A knife appeared in her hands as she absentmindedly tossed and flipped it
between her fingers.


She gestured towards me, but her words spoke to Jace, "What's she doing
here?"


"She's mine. Not yours." Jace said coolly.


Rafe's ocean green eyes whipped to his and she nodded, slowly, after a second
perusal. "Fine." She said shortly.


Throwing one of her legs around a chair, she straddled it and asked, "So what
are you doing here?"


Jace grinned faintly and murmured, "I've been turned rabbit and I need a
hole…for a little while."


"She got a name?"


"We got a room?" Jace countered swiftly.


'Rafe' stood up and stepped face to face with him. The two faced off and I
had a sudden vision of their past history. Whatever was between them, it had
ended with a reluctant acknowledgement of the alpha male—Jace, but he'd won by a
bare millimeter.


Whatever her story, whatever soul lay inside of her, I knew instantly that
she didn't care for the same social constraints as Jace and myself. We were
bonded in that moment, and there was some sense of 'survival of the fittest' in
this trashed fantasy of a home.


I also knew that I wanted Jace to stand in front of me, in that moment.


I wasn't ready to stand against 'Rafe', but that didn't mean the time
wouldn't come. It'd come and it'd probably arrive before I was ready, but I'd
cross the doorstep when it swung open to my face.


She wore the old gleam of street to her skin. I almost saw the glow in her
eyes and I knew that I'd be tested, but until then—I was okay with Jace standing
for me.


"Fine." She sounded bored, but it was a façade. I knew what was for show and
what wasn't.


Boredom: show. The calculating gleam: not for show.


'Rafe' rolled her eyes and shifted back a step. "You guys can have the
'hidey-hole' behind the stairs."


"You don't have a room?" Jace gritted out.


"Sorry. We're all booked."


"Rafe."


"We are, Jace, so you can take it or leave it. After tonight—you can have the
'penthouse', but I've got Glean staying here with his crew. They're passing
through town and I already promised the place to them. He won't like having you
around, but since you got a girl—he might not care that much."


"We're not going to get any sleeping done with Glean here."


Rafe shrugged and replied, uncaring, "I don't care."


Jace glanced at me, for some unnecessary reason, because he said tightly,
"Fine."


"Look." Rafe watched me with malicious delight, "You might not want your
'pretty pretty princess' around when Glean and his crew get here."


I had a sudden desire to hold my own knife tight, but I resisted.


Jace glanced back, skimmed my features, and sighed. "Fine."


"You know the way." She jerked her head backwards and grinned with the same
evil-delight before she turned and stalked into a backroom.


I said softly, once we were alone, "This is your 'better base, better
weapons?'"


Jace grinned and said dryly, "She warms up, trust me."


"She's an ounce away from a cokehead's life. I don't think I should trust you
that much."


"Rafe's all bark—mostly."


"She'd skin me alive, happily, and sing a 'jaunty' tune."


Jace considered it and acknowledged, "Probably."


"What's this 'hidey-hole'? Is that what I think it is?"


Jace smiled brightly and I saw the first glimpse of genuine amusement as he
nodded. "Yep. It's a closet underneath the stairs with a bed mattress, wall to
wall, but we do get our own toilet with a curtain around it."


"We're going to wake up to the fine tunes of someone puking." I hissed.


"Probably."


"Jace."


"What?"


"Why are we here?"


Jace turned serious in a flash and said flatly, "Are you serious?"


Can we not deliberate the irony of that statement?


He added, "We're here because your boyfriend is coming to town. Not
mine."


"Only because you lied to me."


"It's all kinda blurry—who lied to who. I lied to you. Oscar lied to me. You
lied to me…do we have to get technical? Maybe we both lied to Oscar?"


"Shut up."


Jace laughed.


"Shut up."


He laughed harder.


I rolled my eyes and gripped my bag tighter.


"Alright. Alright." Jace still chuckled when he said. "If I know Glean—and I
think I know Glean pretty well—it would be best if we got some food and hunkered
down for the night. Rafe'll tell him tonight, when they're all cozy-like and
snuggling in bed and it'll be too late for him to blow a torch."


I was starting to get a keen sense of who this Glean actually was. It didn't
bode well with my stomach.


"Don't tell me that Glean's not the man around here?" I taunted.


"Glean likes to think he's the man around anyone." Jace flashed a
grin and I knew what he didn't say.


Glean hadn't met Jace. Not the Jace I knew, because it hadn't come to that.
Not yet.


"I don't like that plan." I announced.


"Why not?"


"Because it never goes how you think it'll go."


"Oh come on. We'll be sleeping by then. It'll be fine."


"It won't and you'll be sleeping with your gun—and you know it."


"Technically," Jace flashed another grin, "I'll be sleeping with you, but if
that's your little name for yourself—who am I to get in the way of
naughty-self-talk?"


"And you're slightly disgusting. Who knew."


"I'm hungry." Jace remarked.


"When are you not?" I griped.


"Will you hold my gun?" Jace suddenly asked.


"What?"


"Nothing."


I glared. I couldn't do anything else.


Jace chuckled and led me inside the kitchen, to a side doorway, and to
another small door that opened up to our…toilet that separated itself from our
hidey-hole to it's immediate left.


Lovely.


I sighed and mused, "I've slept in a lot of places. Cars. Ditches. Houses.
Even a church one time, but this…with the accompanying tune of vomit
tonight—this might top the charts."


"If I wasn't so anal, I'd offer you earplugs." Jace said softly.


"No thanks." I said just as softly.


"Well…," And I could hear the wheels spinning to spin an adventurous light,
"just imagine this as…we're sleeping with guns tonight. How many times has that
happened in your life?"


"Are you talking just me or whoever shared my bed that night?"


Jace's smile faltered, but for only a second. "Guns and knives. That's
exciting."


"That's life-saving and called smart." I said curtly.


"Yeah. I know." He sighed.


I moved past him and swept back the curtain that hid our cozy mattress that
lined the walls. It was enough room for two, but perfect for a cozy two.


We'd manage.


I dropped my bag and knelt on the mattress, "So who's Rafe and how do you
know her?"


"Rafe is…"


I could hear those same wheels spin—how do I put her in a good
light?—"She's….someone that I helped out on a job before."


"She's scary." I said dryly.


Jace smiled behind my shoulder and said lightly, "She's scary to your face.
You're scary behind someone's back. Who's worse?"


That didn't require thought.


I said, "Her."


A smile haunted his features, but Jace sighed, locked the door—we actually
had a lock—how quaint and safe—and he dropped one of the guns from his holster
onto the mattress beside me.


He murmured, "I'd still be up for getting some food."


"After we 'settle' in?" I said sarcastically.


"You're right." Jace said briskly and holstered his gun. "Let's go get food
and come back and stay put."


"This is a bad plan. A very bad plan." I said to his back as I followed
behind.


"Yeah." Jace remarked. "I know, but we've got two baddies in town gunning for
us. I'm sure they found the cabin by now and all the motels are being watched. I
needed a place where they're not going to look at—Rafe's it, for now."


"You're going to have to tell me the history between you two."


"Rafe's a snitch."


I quirked an eyebrow and drawled, "That didn't take long. I didn't even get
to the beating part."


"Rafe's not worth keeping secret." Jace chuckled as he ran a hand through his
hair. "And she doesn't know about me, so—" He shot a sideways glance towards me.
"If you could keep that quiet, I'd appreciate it."


"She's knows you."


"Yeah."


"What do you mean, she doesn't know about you?"


"I'm a guy that helped her out once. She's found me through some local
contacts and asked a few favors. I helped out. There was a gun battle once and
her brother died. That's all she knows about me."


"Who killed her brother?"


"I did." Jace said dryly. "She's been grateful ever since."


"Yeah." I said dully. "She sure seemed pretty grateful."


"Trust me. Rafe's all bark with minimal bite—most of the times—with me."


Jace opted for the drive-through and ordered a chicken sandwich, hold the
mayo and a coffee for me.


The conversation was paused as he handed over the food. Our fingers brushed
when I took the coffee and Jace mused, "You like coffee."


I sipped it, waited for him to bite into his sandwich, and murmured over the
steam, "Yeah, I do."


As we headed back towards Rafe's, I commented, "We should get a security
alarm."


"For our curtain?" Jace shook his head. "Glean's going to show with probably
a crew of eight or nine. They're all going to be camped out in the house. Rafe's
actually doing us a favor by not hauling us to the porch or in the living room.
She's got three rooms upstairs. She sleeps in one. Her little sister sleeps in
the other and I'm sure Glean called the other room for most of his
lieutenants."


I didn't question the label. It was common street language to give rank in
gangs that weren't officially named.


Jace continued, "If Rafe gives us the room, there'll be holy hell to pay
tonight. Rafe won't kick us out over Glean. Those two have been together since
they were kids."


"Again. Security alarm."


"They'll be partying tonight. They're going to need the toilet."


"Henceforth the fine accompanying tune of vomit." I deadpanned. "Not looking
forward to that."


"You're street-wise and knowledgeable. I saw how you knifed Oscar. You did it
perfectly. I'm surprised some less-than-desired sleeping arrangement is
bothering you so much."


"It's not that." But was it? I added, "I just have a bad feeling."


"No—it's your control issues. You don't know Rafe. You don't the house and
you don't know Glean. You don't know what to expect so you can't control it."
Jace identified, triumphantly. "Don't worry. I know what to expect and I'll
protect you, if it comes to that."


I wasn't reassured, but as we traipsed back inside the house, I couldn't help
but watch the corded muscles of his back. I had to admit, if I was going to
cross the loose cannon that I envisioned Glean to be, and possibly Rafe, Jace
was the first choice at who'd be by my elbow.


Rafe looked up lazily from the couch. She placed a tattered novel to the side
and stood languidly. She looked ready to sleep, but I still sensed a coiled
alertness inside of her.


"You guys got food? I just ordered some pizzas." She gestured towards the
kitchen.


"How you gonna break it down to Glean tonight?" Jace asked instead as he
dropped to the couch.


I expected a roundabout game, but I was surprised when Rafe said curtly,
"Tonight just before we have sex."


"You think he's going to appreciate that?" Jace asked sardonically.


Rafe dropped to a chair across the room and presented a glazed expression to
us. "He won't go anywhere and he'll be in a better mood afterwards when he would
do something about it."


"Rafe."


"What?"


"I came to you because I need a base. I thought you'd help if it came down to
anything. If Glean's going to disrupt what I'd hoped for, then we're going to go
right now and save ourselves a fight."


The green in her eyes glinted as a marsh-strewn swamp when she studied me
again. Her lip curled upwards in disbelief, "She don't look like she can
fight."


"You'd be surprised." Jace said smoothly. Assured.


"Whatever." Rafe gave up the façade and sat upright. "Glean's coming through
for the night. He won't like that you're here, but I'll tell him that you got a
girl. He won't care that much."


"And when he insists on staying an extra night because he won't believe the
lie that you'll feed him—when you'll tell him that we're only staying the one
night…what then?"


A grin ghosted over her features, but she turned back to stone and said, "He
won't."


"He will and blood will get spilled." Jace prophesized. "Maya's going to have
to stay tomorrow night on her own. If she's not safe, then we're finding a
different 'hidey-hole' and my favors are going to dry up."


A storm was evident that raged inside Rafe, but she contained it and the side
that won murmured, "Fine. Glean won't stay. I promise."


"Good." And Jace stood up with a hand wrapped in mine. He pulled me behind
and threw over his shoulder, "We're going to be in the hidey-hole till sun-up.
And we're locking the bathroom door."


"What?" Rafe stood up. "The guys are going to be pissed."


"Tell them it backed up. No one's going to volunteer to fix it."


Rafe held back at the true words. No one would and Jace had just fixed our
'security' problem.


Jace locked the door behind as I laid on the mattress. This time when he took
his gun out of the shoulder holster, he dropped down beside it and threw an arm
over his head.


"We have a few hours before they even show up. Are you going to sleep this
whole time?" I asked and tried to quell the heat that flared up inside.


"We should sleep as much as possible and leave when they're passed out."


"They're going to be loud partiers aren't they?" I sighed in resigned
acceptance.


"Yeah." Jace peered at me from underneath his arm. "I do have ear plugs, if
you want? I won't wear them."


"How come?" But I already knew.


"I need to hear when the baddies invade." Jace said lightly with an easy
smile.


"Sure." I wouldn't sleep.


Jace twisted and found them in his pack. Our fingers brushed against each
other as I took them from him.


Jace murmured, huskily, "We could waste a few hours with another activity, if
you're game?"


I ignored him and sat up, "What's on the agenda for tomorrow? Where are you
going?"


"I'm going to find some of the 'baddies' and clear them off our tail." Jace
watched me intently. Waiting.


"What?" I asked. "Expect me to balk at that idea?"


"You would've a few hours ago." He pointed out.


"Things change."


"Not that much." He said seriously and sat up beside me. The movement brought
him closer and I felt his breath tickle my shoulder as he added, "Look. You and
I have different opinions on the whereabouts of where you should be, but you're
here and we're both dodging bullets from our backs. We'll figure that out first
and then you and me are going to have a true heart to heart."


"And that's when the blood will be shed, right?" I didn't joke.


Jace was thoughtful for a moment, but sighed, "Probably."


I got up and remarked, "I'm going to brave it and brush my teeth, if we're
tucked in for the night."


"Don't let her intimidate you."


"That's not what I'm worried about." I murmured to myself as I crawled off
the mattress and opened the door to a silent house. A silent eerie house.


Rafe was gone, but the pizzas had arrived in the span of our little talk. The
smell took hold and yanked me closer. She'd ordered six boxes so I risked it and
lifted it with one hand.


When I walked back and locked the door behind me, Jace smiled, but didn't sit
up. I slid the box on the ground and curled up next to him.


"One more chance on my offer." Jace said softly as he watched me.


I grinned, popped the earplugs in, and flipped to present him with my
back.


I didn't need to hear to feel the silent laughter that reverberated through
the blanket.