time they cut off the head of the monster, another seems to spring instantly back in its place.
Needless to say, these are not the kind of people you want to mess around with. Not if you value your life.
If I could get my hands around Jaxon’s throat right now, he’d be a dead man. I knew he was in trouble — enough to scare him off the grid, enough to make him warn me of the fallout heading for us a few weeks back, pale-faced and shaking as he packed a bag in the middle of the night. I had no idea he’d gotten himself entangled with something like this, though.
If I thought it would help, I’d call his parole officer myself. But sending my own brother back to jail won’t protect my family from this. Not the heartbreak of losing him all over again; not the repercussions from men like Barboza and Rico.
If they’re brazen enough to break in during broad daylight, knock me unconscious, and duct tape me to a chair… they’re not going to back off just because I get the cops involved. If anything, that’ll just piss them off further… and put my family in even more danger.
I clear my throat, trying to keep the panic buried. “I don’t know how much Jax owes you, but you’re not going to find anything of value here. Look around — look at where we live. It’s not exactly the Taj Mahal. We don’t have anything to offer you.”
Rico scratches absently at the pockmark scar on his cheek. “Bet that big house up on the point has plenty.”
My heart skips a beat. I take a deep breath, swallowing down my fear and fury. I make sure my voice is very level when I speak. “The people that live there have nothing to do with my family. We just work for them. I’m sure you know that already.”
“Mhm.” Rico stares me down. “You seem pretty tight with that girl.”
My heart stops entirely. “Who?”
“The blonde with the legs.”
“Her?” I snort incredulously. My heart pounds a mad tattoo. “She’s nothing but an obligation. A stuck up brat, like the rest of the kids at my school. My parents used to make me drive her around. That’s it. If I never see her again, it’ll be too soon.”
My words hang in the air between us, heavy with deceit. I can’t tell if he believes me. He doesn’t say anything. He merely runs a hand over his buzzed head, his eyes narrowed in thought.
“Speaking of driving… that’s a pretty shiny truck you’re cruising around town in. You know, for a kid without any money.”
“You want my truck? Fine. Take the damn truck,” I offer, feeling desperate. “But that makes us square. You leave me and my parents out of this from now on. No more threats. No more unexpected drop bys. Stay away from us.”
Rico grins at his partner. “He thinks he can negotiate. Isn’t that cute, Barboza?”
Barboza does not look particularly tickled by my gall. As far as I can tell, the man has exactly one facial expression — an uncompromising, unflinching stare, delivered through soulless eyes. Violence emanates from his skin like perfume.
“The thing is, kid…” Rico blows out a breath. “Our boss wants more than just money from Jaxon. Your brother has some connections in this neck of the woods. Connections we’d like to absorb into our network. You feel me?”
I stare over his shoulder at the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. My jaw is locked so tight, I can barely breathe.
Drugs.
Of course this is all about drugs. It always is, with Jax. Before he was sent to Cedar-Junction Correctional Institution, he was a part-time dealer, full-time junkie. Life with him in this house was erratic at best. I never knew which version of him I was going to get — the loving brother I grew up with or the drugged-out monster who’d hijacked his body.
Growing up, Jaxon was constantly in trouble — first with my parents, then with his teachers, later with the local cops. His crimes escalated with age, from smoking pot in his bedroom to getting busted with a stockpile of pills in his sock drawer to full-fledged dealing at every high school party.
You want Oxy? Adderall? The best pot on the East Coast?
Talk to Jaxon Reyes.
Truth be told, I was relieved when he finally got arrested two years ago. Locked up, at least he’d be sober. At least my parents wouldn’t have to watch