Little Bird (Caged #1) (17 page)

She pulls back from me, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I don't want to be responsible for you bleeding out, because I know your heart is throbbing right now," she says cupping my dick. "And Bronson will be knocking on that—"

"Birdie? I have to pee."

"Door any minute." She smirks and kisses me quickly before opening the door and trading places with the boy. "Luke can help you out."

"I don't need help, Luke. But can you make me a peanut butter sandwich? I'm hungry." He smiles up at me and I chuckle, leaving him to do his business.

Sometimes a man just needs alone time. 

Megan insists on making the sandwich and I don't fight it. It's been less than twenty-four hours since I was brutally shot by the woman I love. I make myself comfortable on the couch while Bronson races on the Xbox again. I swear this kid is going to know how to drive a car before he learns how to write his own name. 

She's right. He does need some sort of education. Her keeping him will mean nothing if she doesn't get him into a good school that can help get him up to speed. 

Once the sun is gone and the room is dark, Megan finally moves to the couch with me. I don't ask where she's been. I've heard her moving around the house for awhile and my only guess is that she's cleaning up after me, which makes me smile. 

As we sit here, Bronson snuggled into my left side passed out and Megan on my right, about to fall asleep, I wonder how my life got to be this muddled. From murdering people, to being shot, to pretending we are this 'family' style unit. This shit is so fucked. 

I love her, and goddammit she loves me too. Even if she doesn't realize it yet. None of that matters though, because I don't have room for this in my life. This is my last night with her. Tomorrow I'm making damn sure she leaves and doesn't come back. It's for the good of everyone. 

We fall asleep on the couch together and sometime around midnight I notice Megan get up and move Bronson to bed. She doesn't try to leave, or make excuses when she helps me off the couch. I want nothing more than to sink inside her tonight, but that's not an option. No, tonight is for time. Time to spend together, since we don't have much longer before there is none. 

We lay in bed together, her body warm and pressed against mine, and don't speak. Her fingers trail gentle patterns on my bare chest, making sure to smooth over each raised scar. She never asks where they came from, and I'd rather not relive that part of my life. My childhood wasn't easy. My parents loved me... at times... but they weren't good people. 

Not long after we lay down, her breathing evens out and I'm about to finally rest, knowing the girl I love is safe in my arms. Even if only for one more night. 

***

The knocking on my door wakes me from a deep sleep. I hear him yelling before I can even roll out of bed. The sun is way too bright and my leg is way too stiff for this today. Motherfucker.

"God fucking dammit, Ace. I know you're in there!" Jasper's bellowing is ricocheting off the nearby houses and I'm afraid the neighbors are going to hear him. We don't need anyone to call the cops today. I'm sure they would just love finding two wanted criminals.

Slowly getting up out of bed, I take my time making it to the door only because I really don't have time for his antics today. I'm just so fucking tired of his drama. I told him I'd call him; I have no idea what he's doing here right now. Thank god Megan and Bronson went back to her house last night. It's been three days since she shot me, and she's finally getting comfortable leaving me be and letting me do things on my own, and Bronson missed playing with La Petite.

Shit, I don't want to know what Jasper would do if he found her and the kid here this morning. 

When I swing the door open, I'm met with the red faced, completely livid Jasper.

"Can I ask why you're screaming at my door at nine in the morning? This is an elderly community, Jasper. If you want to have the police called, then by all means scream away. I'm sure they'll find enough on you to put you away for years." I'm angry but I'm not going to let him see those emotions.

I hate that he's pushing this with Megan so fast. It's giving me no time to figure a way out of it. She still won't take my advice and leave, but she's not doing anything else, either! 

"You're going to let me in, you're going to close the door, and you're going to close the blinds." He's growling and in his right fist I see his grip tight around his gun. "Now, Ace!" 

I take a breath and clear my throat, stepping aside so he can move into the house. Taking a quick glance outside, I notice there's a car waiting down the street a few houses. A car I've never seen before. I'm curious if it's just Jasper today or if he brought the cleanup crew with him. It's sad that after all these years I'm not even certain who he is anymore and what he's capable of. I know he isn't stupid enough to try and kill me right now, or at least he used to have a head on his shoulders. Now though, I'm not so sure.

"You," he growls, his hands shaking. "You fucking
lied
to me, Lucas! You... my... my brother!" He's pacing the room and I take stock of the objects around I can use as defense until I make it to my gun in the bedroom. I stupidly took if off of me when I laid down, not thinking I would be attacked by an insane, pacing madman first thing in the morning.

He looks like he's finally lost that last string that was holding him together. 

"You know what your problem is?" He waves the gun at me, still pacing. "You think you're better than all of us! One fucking job and you can't do it! You fucking lied to me, Ace!" He storms over to me and moves to take a hold of my neck but I grab his wrist and stop him. 

"You don't walk into my house and threaten me, Jasper," I growl pushing his hand back.

"Your house, Lucas? You killed someone to live here and babysit that cunt, and you couldn't even do that right." His growl is menacing but he doesn't scare me. "I see that look on your face, Ace." He chuckles then walks closer to me. "You're fucking losing it, Lucas."

I slam into him and pin him to the wall. His face is pure amusement while he pushes the gun into my side. 

"Such a bad decision, Ace." He shakes his head. 

"Tell me what the fuck you're doing here, Jasper. I'm so fucking tired of these games." I keep him pinned to the wall as long as he has the gun pushed into my side. 

"The kid in her house? That one you were supposed to kill? Why's he still alive, Lucas?" 

His words send a blow to my chest, making me feel something I've never felt before. 

Pure and utter fear. Not of him, but the fact he found out.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I back up from him.

How the fuck?

He shakes his head, obviously enjoying this little game. "You see, the minute you called about your little bullet wound, I sent Manny to check things out. I needed to believe that you were really hurt." 

"You sent a spy!? When have I given you reason not to trust me, Jasper?!" My breathing is erratic and I know I need to calm myself before he realizes the truth. 

"Oh, I don't trust anyone, Ace. You of all people should know this." He chuckles and waves the gun at the door. "So you're going to go over there right now and kill that fucking kid, like you were supposed to do the first time, then you're going to help me skin the life from my Little Bird like we should have already done." 

"Have I ever given you a reason to think that I was lying to you? The kid's fucking dead. Why do you think that fat ass Manny with bad vision knows better than me?"

He narrows his eyes at me and cocks his head. 

"Exactly. Every fucking kill has been legit. I killed that motherfucking runt," I growl, feeling the bile rise in my throat. "Right after I put a bullet through his mom's skull in front of him." God-fucking-dammit. 

"Then why is there a child in her house right now?" he growls. 

"I don't fucking know, I was sleeping! Listen, all the olds have grandkids. Maybe she's watching one of them. Who the hell knows, but if you walk in there and kill a random child, you're going to have a hellhole of shit to deal with and everything, as you know it, will be over. This entire empire will be gone because of a split second, rash decision."

He curses and drops his gun to his side then starts pacing again. He starts mumbling then screams and topples the side table. This behavior is new in just the last few weeks from him, which tells me he's really not dealing well with any of this. All I can hope is that he sees through the fog and remembers just what game we're playing here before he ruins it all and I have to ruin him.

"I need her dead, Ace! I need her dead and out of my fucking life! Out of my head!" He kicks over a chair and stares at it. 

"That's all good and fine. I'm healed enough. You have a replacement. I'll make sure the kid is gone by morning, then we move. We don't need any suspicious activity, Jasper. People here, they watch. Even if you don't know it."

He stares at me for a moment then curses. "Fuck!" He slams his fist down on the table, his breathing still heavy. "Before the fucking sun comes up, Ace, you better be ready." 

"I will be," I say stoically, like I'm ready to murder anyone and do anything for this empire. "Oh, and, Jasper?" I say stopping him as he's on the sidewalk. He turns around and looks at me, evil glaring in his eyes. "You can tell Manny to go home now. I'm certain watching a wounded man nap isn't the most thrilling of days. I'll deal with that shit later."

He narrows his eyes and grins at me before continuing down the sidewalk to his car.

"Dawn, Ace!" he yells to me from the vehicle. 

Right. Motherfucking dawn. I have less than twenty-four hours to figure this shit out.  

After calming Bronson down from a nightmare that woke him from his nap screaming, I get him fed and he's made me promise to take him to see Lucas. He's dreamed something happened to Luke so we're standing on his front porch knocking. I need to avoid this guy because I'm falling into a comfort with him that I don't need.

I meekly smile when he pulls open the door, but when I see a panic or something across his face, I push open the door and look at his leg.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" I blurt dropping to my knees to check out his thigh.

"No just... Get inside. Come on." He's pulling and shoving us inside before searching the street and closing the door following it with locking both locks. "I'm good. It feels fine, thanks." He huffs and looks around the room before his eyes land on Bronson. "Hey, bud, how are ya?" 

"He had a bad dream you were hurt," I mutter guiltily. "Probably because your leg," I tell him while Bronson hugs his safe leg.

"Luke, are you hurt?"

"No, buddy, I'm not hurt, see." He smiles and jumps up before landing on both feet. He's still smiling at Bronson but I see the tension in his body after landing so hard.

Idiot.

"You hungry? I have new snacks in the kitchen."

Bronson's eyes light up then he looks up at me for approval. 

"Go ahead. Don't choose too quickly. Shop your options," I say hoping to buy us more time because I know Lucas wants to tell me something. As soon as he darts away, I feel like I'm possessed as I grab his face and pop to my toes to get my lips to his. "What's wrong? What happened?" 

He pulls his face away from me and curses, then starts to pace. "You guys have to leave, Megs. Now. Take more snacks with you, grab some sodas. Whatever you need, but you two need to go. Far." The shaking of his hands give away his panic, and when he stops and finally looks at me, I see hope in his eyes that I'm actually going to listen to his stupid demands. 

"Bronson!" I call out. "Pack a bag full of snacks, sodas too!"

He exhales a shaky breath and I see relief come over his face. I almost feel guilty for doing that to him.

Staring him in the face I say, "Luke said we don't have to shop this week."

His brows furrow and eyes narrow.

"Lucas." I chuckle. "I'm not going anywhere. I will take the snacks though 'cause I don't have any, so thanks. But I'm assuming this is because of Jasper." I take his hand walking him into the kitchen. "Sit down."

He looks over at Bronson who's way too excited filling the shopping bag with snacks to be paying attention to us. 

"He knows about him, Megs." There's an undertone of defeat in his voice and I hate it. I hate he feels so defeated because of us. "I've tried. Hell, he wanted me to come over this morning and..." He trails off, nodding his head. "They've been watching you since I got injured." He gestures to his thigh. "They saw the kid and now you have till morning, Megan. Both of you. The plan is already in motion and I can't figure a way out of this for the life of me other than getting you guys safe and far away from here. I can erase you two like you never existed and you can start again. He's already got a replacement for you and shit." He huffs and shakes his head.

My eyes narrow. No one will ever fucking replace me and I have half the mind leaving town just so Jasper can figure that out. But I'd rather take care of what I've been planning for years, and if Lucas will help me, I'll be more than happy to let him. 

"Birdie, can I have this now?" Bronson hold up a chocolate muffin and I roll my eyes at all the shit Luke constantly has in this house.

"Yes. Take it in the living room and turn on the TV." When he runs out of the room, I shift onto Luke's lap careful not to put pressure on his hurt leg. "Help me," I tell him and his brows furrow. "I've been planning on killing Jasper for the past five years. Help me get close enough to him that it can go as smoothly as I've been waiting for. I would have done it sooner if I didn't care about other casualties. And I didn't plan on this happening for a few more years, but now." I glance toward the living room where Bronson's jumping up and down to a song playing from a kid show. "Now my future is compromised. I'm not going to wait a few more years. We can leave here together and figure out the last few details to my plan of attack."

His eyebrows are raised and he's looking at me like I've lost my damn mind. 

"What are you saying to me, Megs? You want to hide together then come back and kill Jasper together?" He furrows his brows then slowly shifts me off his lap and stands up. "You want me to end the only constant I've ever known in my entire life? And for what? Power? You want fucking power, Megan? Move! Go somewhere far away and start your own shit! Killing Jasper isn't going to get you that!"

"Actually, I'll be moving into Jasper's house." I smirk and tap my nails on the table. "When Jasper dies, who do you think he's left everything to? You?" I laugh, watching his eyes narrow at me. "Everything is left to me. If I walk into his house and put a gun between his eyes and there are witnesses, I'm dead and get nothing. If I can attack him when no one else is around to see who's done it, I get everything. Every fucking thing Jasper has. Everything I've helped him build up. I'm only on the West coast region because he refused to admit to others the power I have. I prefer a quiet life so I didn't complain when he tucked me away. But who do you think helped him build his crumbling empire?" I slam my hand on the table. "He hasn't fucking replaced me. He's made the biggest mistake of his life. I've already got his right hand man on my side." I gesture to him and laugh then watch the look on his face almost turn to hurt. "I just need Jasper gone."

"That's interesting, Megs. Really fucking interesting. You're damn good at keeping emotions buried but not that good. Are you trying to tell me that this," he gestures between the two of us, "was only because you needed someone to make your plan easier?!" He lets out a sharp bark of laughter, like he's having a hard time believing it himself. "Fuck that, Megan. You've showed me... We've... Fuck!" His hands slam against the wall, denting the drywall. 

"Actually." I get to my feet. "You've made my plan a hell of a lot harder. That's why I shot you." I gesture to his leg and give him a cocky smirk when he growls at me. "I didn't plan for you, or any of Jasper's lackeys to hound me. I didn't plan for Bronson," I quietly snarl. "But I've always been able to adjust when things go awry. If you fucking want, Luke, walk out the fucking door and get the hell out of my community. Leave us the fuck alone! You did this. You came here trying to score with your next kill. Well congrats, you've done it. If you don't have the balls to kill me, get the fuck out of my life."

"I'm not killing the only woman I've ever loved. Even if she is a psycho bitch that refuses to realize what she's really feeling is better and truer than anything she's ever felt before. And I'm not leaving her here to die with that boy in the other room." His eyes narrow on me. "You two leave and this whole thing is over. It's the easiest solution for us all. I'll know you're alive and safe. You can keep pretending we never had anything between us. And we'll never see each other again while I continue life here making sure Jasper isn't coming for you."

"Did you stay because you love me? Are you refusing to kill us because you love me, Luke?"

"I thought that was blatantly clear." He sighs and leans against the wall he just punched, dropping his head. "I'm fucked any way you look at it, Megs. I either lose you and that boy and have to live with a seething Jasper the rest of my life, or I refuse to kill you tomorrow morning, which gets all of us a one way ticket to the burn pile." 

I approach him and press my body against his. "No one but Jasper is going to die. If you love me, help me. Be my king and..." I look away because this is the closest to admitting feelings I've ever come. "I'll be your queen."

"I do like the sound of you being my queen," he whispers as his hand slides over my cheek and he thumbs my scar. "But, baby, I don't think that's an option. You're not killing Jasper and now that there's a hit out for you, you're not sticking around here."

"Seriously?" I snicker taking a step back from his touch. "You think you can tell me what I will and won't do?" My eyebrows are high and I'm fighting an attack of rage.

"Megan." He sighs. "You
have
to listen to me."
I didn't think it was possible but my brows just shot up higher, and before I can pull away, he pulls me against him.

"I love you, Megs. Believe that."

"I'm uninterested in your feelings." I try to pull away but his grip around my waist tightens.

His nose runs up from my chin across my cheek. "The correct response would be 'I love you too, Lucas'." His lips faintly touch mine before he pulls back and waits. When I don't respond, he takes his hands and pushes my cheeks together. "I," he says in a very high pitched tone that better not sound like me. "Megan Porter, love Lucas Acey!"

I slap his hands down and bite down on my lip to keep from laughing. "You're impossible. I think when we live together I might actually not aim for your thigh. If it's any consolation, I've never wanted a king before." I smirk and softly kiss him because he's stupidly undeniable with that smile that confuses women into thinking he's a good man, and those dark eyes that tell stories other women would never comprehend. We're one in the same and we belong together ruling this empire. "I planned on ruling this regime as a solo queen, so take solace that I want you as my king."

"You love me," he says point blank.

"I want you to be my king," I grit out.

"You're not denying it, which is a hell of a lot better than you shooting me." He pulls me closer and presses his lips to my forehead. "As much as you want me, and as much as I love you, you don't have an option in staying." 

"Actually, Ace," I seethe, hating that nickname I've heard for years but didn't realize it was Luke until I put it together. "Us getting rid of Jasper together is an option, and then together we can rule the kingdom. Tell me you're going to help me."

He takes a breath and rubs the back of his neck. I back away from him because that's not the answer I was hoping for.

Cursing and dropping his shaking head he tells me, "Megan, I can't kill Jasper. And I can't let you do it either. He's my brother. He's way more powerful than you give him credit for. I don't want to see your life end because you think you can overpower him, and I'm not going to be the one to kill the only real family I've ever known." 

"But you love me," I mutter dubiously. "You must love him the same. I don't need you to fucking kill him. I need him comfortable and around someone he trusts before he dies. I know everything there is to know about Jasper. He's let me know all about how powerful he is while he sodomized me and scarred my body for years." I walk into the living room. "Bronson, we have to go." I put my hand out and he turns the television off, grabbing his grocery bag of snacks.

"Where the hell are you going?" Luke grabs for my arm but I snatch it away. "Megan, stop. You can't just leave after telling me that! What the hell am I going to do?!" 

"I have to pack, Lucas," I snarl pulling open the door. "You want us out of town, I have to pack, because you've left me with no options, have you? I'll be back later for you to stay with Bronson while I get a few things I'll need." I only glance at him because I'm hurt he denied me for his
brother
. A man he doesn't respect, but he's supposed to love me. 

When he tries to kiss me, I pull away and jog down the steps.

"Megan, it has to be like this. I love you," he says as I walk down the steps.

"I love you, Luke!" Bronson calls out waving.

Luke grins and waves at him, returning the sentiment before slamming the door closed. 

Falling in love before you actually know someone can be dangerous. For me and for him. 

How the hell I let myself fall in love... I guess it's not a mystery. Luke is the first man to show me a kindness and love I've never experienced. Even in the beginning with Jasper, it wasn't like this. I knew my place; he conditioned me to become the woman he wanted, not the woman I am. With Luke, he just wanted me. All five foot seven inches of crazy me. Even with my issues and lack of compassion, he's not letting me die. It's worth seeing this through with him and the only way I can have Luke and Bronson is if I get rid of Jasper right now. It's dangerous, my plan has not come full circle yet with my preparations, but I have no options or we could all end up dead. Luke's plan... put me in hiding and forget about us. This is the part where he doesn't know much about me. I will never hide from monsters and he needs to realize that because if I can do this, he can freely love me. This is the woman I am. Damaged but determined. Insane but patient. Unemotional but learning. And I want Lucas to keep wanting me.