Sixes & Sevens (Seven Hearts Book 1) (12 page)

“You kept your word. I didn’t see anyone when we came in,” Jaycee couldn’t keep the tremble out of her voice.

“They promised they’d be gone when you got here. Jonathan made you dinner. I’m sure he left it in the oven. Do you want me to bring you a plate?” Marc stood in the doorway, giving her some space.

“In a bit. I’m just going to lie down for a while. I need some time to process.” Jaycee sat on the bed and took off her shoes.

“All right, if you need anything call out or you can text me. The door has a lock; no one will be offended if you use it,” Marc told her.

“Thank you…and Marc?” she spoke as she crawled under his covers.

“Yeah?” he replied.

“It’s good to see you again.” Her voice was slightly muffled by the comforter pulled up under her nose.

“I’m glad you’re here and safe, Jaycee.” He turned off the lamps, and closed the door. A part of him wanted to crawl in bed with her and hold her, but it wasn’t what she needed right now. Instead, he headed back downstairs to put her food in the fridge and find the guys. It had been too long since he’d seen them all, and he’d missed their company. He didn’t like most of the self-absorbed asshats he worked with in the fashion world. They thought he was a dick. Well, he could live with that, so long as he could come back and see his family after it was over. He needed to hear Alec’s jokes and listen to Sean ramble about his latest project. He missed just spending time hanging out and playing video games with Garrett and helping Lee and Jonathan take care of the other guys. When he was away, it felt like a part of him was missing. They texted, but it wasn’t a good substitute for being there. With Jaycee back, he’d told his work people to clear his schedule. He didn’t want to go anywhere or have any jobs that would pull him away from what mattered. Being there for he and his family.

Marc
did
feel like an ass for not coming forward, and telling Jaycee he was a member of the team, but he had been so busy with his last job…and the guys had told him they’d had things under control. He couldn’t fault them for leaving things to him, any more than he could blame himself for being away when Jaycee came home. Sometimes life just gives you terrible timing, and you have to make do the best you can. She didn’t deserve some phone call out of the blue unloading everything in her lap. He was sure she’d realize that as soon as she cooled down. Really, he had gotten off easy. She hadn’t called him names. Besides raising her voice a bit, she’d let him off without punishment. He could handle her hiding out. After he’d waited this long to see her again, he could stand to wait a few more days to truly reconcile.

In Marc’s room, Jaycee wasn’t thinking things over like she’d said. After crawling into bed, she had promptly fallen asleep. Marc’s bed was so comfy and somehow it still smelled like him…an aromatic spicy, slightly sweet woodsy scent. He wore Pierre Cardin’s Legend. His pillow still smelled like him. She’d rolled over and buried her nose in the fabric as she drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with confusing images. The guys were sweet and kind one second, but morphed into fire-breathing dragons the next. It wasn’t hard to figure out where the dreams came from. She needed to talk to them. Hiding out wasn’t going to solve her problems.

Jaycee’s intent had been to cool off before speaking to them, but maybe that was counterintuitive. Maybe, she needed to hash it out with them now, and get it over with. Confrontation of
any
kind was hard for her, but after how sweet they’d been before, it was near impossible to rake them over the coals for their actions. She felt guilty for being mad when they’d been so kind in taking her in; but they’d lied to her, and that thought kept making her angrier. Every time she thought about it, she just got madder…till eventually she threw off the covers. She was going to have this out tonight. This kitten had found her claws.

January 5, 2016 — the house

Marching down the steps, Jaycee gained fire in her spirit with every step she took. She straightened her spine and prepared to do verbal battle. She was good and keyed up. Slaying dragons in her sleep had flipped her switch. They had lied to her! They let her find out from a
stranger
that the Wallners had died! They
concealed
Marc’s identity from her! Why? So they could draw out her pain? To keep her in the dark? It didn’t matter that she knew the real reason was valid, she needed them to understand. If she were to truly trust them, they needed to be upfront with her. No manipulation, no white lies. No delitescent truths. Jaycee hadn’t expected to find them all staring at her when she reached the living room.

There they were. All six of them around the couch and she felt a moment of remorse for what she was about to do. Could she really yell at these gorgeous men she’d likened to angels? Could she ream them for what they’d done? Yes. Yes, she could. Jaycee stalked them like an angry lioness. Stopping a few feet in front of them, she put her hands on her hips and stared at them. Heads dropped and eye contact was quickly broken. Only Marc was still standing and staring. He couldn’t get enough of the sight of her. He could barely force himself to blink. She was beautiful, regardless, but when mad? She was resplendent. The others hung their heads in shame. They’d hurt their girl…even if it wasn’t on purpose. They should have done more to be upfront with her.

“I’m so angry, but mostly…I’m hurt. How could you? All of you kept Marc’s identity from me. Why? So I could be surprised later? Oh, I was surprised, but not in a good way! Can’t you see by lying to me, you only negate all the sweet things you’ve done for me up until now?! How am I supposed to trust your word now? How can I be sure what you’re doing is to help me, and that there isn’t some hidden agenda?” Jaycee realized that last part was unfair, but she wouldn’t backtrack until she’d said her peace. Right or wrong, she was going to get this monster off her chest.

“I’ve come to appreciate you all so much the last couple of days, but that only makes this hurt so much deeper.” Tears formed in her eyes. “I. Let. You. In.” The last part was spoken at a low volume, but with steel behind her words.

“Jaycee…I can’t say how sorry I am. I should have told you I knew where we were headed. I should have been the one to tell you about Annie and Ed. I am
so
sorry. I’ll understand if you can’t forgive me.” Tears pooled in Sean’s eyes and a lone drop raced down his cheek.

Garrett spoke up next, “I’m sorry for keeping Marc’s identity a secret. I should have told you, but I thought it would be nice to surprise you…I never thought it would go down like this.” Garrett wrung his hands as he spoke.

“As team leader, it’s my fault. I figured out who you were to us first. I should have clued you in at the pool, little flower. I’m sorry. I only meant to keep you safe while Marc returned. Please forgive the guys, they’re used to following my orders. Don’t blame them. Blame me.” Lee ran his hands through his hair, tugging on the short pieces till it hurt.

“Jaycee, my job is to heal people, but instead of healing you, I helped give you more pain, and for that I’ll be eternally sorry.” Jonathan took off his eyes and cleaned the lenses to cover the tears he was holding back.

Alec lifted his head and stared Jaycee in the eye. She was surprised to see tears there too. “Pretty girl, we all f’ed up, royally. I’ll admit, it was fun keeping Marc’s identity secret, but not to hurt you. Just to see your surprise. We didn’t think about the secrets that would need to be kept to surprise you in that way. When you wouldn’t reveal who you really were…that’s when it occurred to us how royally we were fucked—”

“Language!” Jonathan and Garrett called out in sync.

“Sorry.” Alec cringed. “I just meant, we don’t deserve you, but we want to learn how to. If only you’ll give us another chance.”

Tears poured down Jaycee’s face. They didn’t hate her for yelling at them. Understanding and acceptance practically radiated from them. They had let her speak her peace and purge her anger without turning on her, or turning away from her. Instead they sat there berating themselves for their well-meaning mistakes. She began to sob. How had she gotten so lucky? These men cared so much about her, and why? Because Marc had spent a tragic day with her when he was nine? They had let her into their inner circle with open arms. Her legs gave out trying to hold her up, and she fell to her knees. The guys jumped up to catch her. Instead she pulled them close. Six sets of hands wrapped around her. They held onto her hands, her shoulders, her leg…whatever innocent part of her they could reach.

“I’m sorry for yelling. I hated every second of it, but I couldn’t just let this go. I didn’t want to cheapen what is growing between us by lying to you all and saying I was fine. I’m not fine, but I will heal. You all have helped me so much already.” Jaycee looked around her at the faces she could see. Not a dry eye in the house. Just then Jaycee felt her pocket vibrate. Who? Shit! Her foster father was calling. Jaycee pulled out the phone and stared at the screen like it was a snake that was poised to strike. She pulled away from the guys, and everyone stood—staring at her phone.

“What is it?” someone asked.

Jaycee’s hand trembled. What should she do? She took too long to decide. The phone stopped ringing. Seconds ticked by, they felt like hours, till she heard the tell-tale tone. She had a voicemail. Jaycee’s face went pale, and her heartbeat began to race. She sat on the floor, dropped her head to her knobby knees, and closed her eyes tight.

“Jaycee, sweetheart? Tell us what’s wrong,” Jonathan pleaded, kneeling beside her again. “We can’t help if we don’t know what’s happening.” He couldn’t resist placing two fingers under her chin to gauge her heart rate.

“Little flower, who called you?” Lee asked.

“My foster father.” Jaycee squeezed Jonathan’s hand in reassurance as she pulled his hand away.

“Why do you look so afraid? Has he hurt you?” Sean asked, concerned.

“No, no one’s hurt me. Why don’t you guys sit down? I need to tell you some truths myself.” Taking a few deep breaths in and out, Jaycee waited while the guys sat down. “You all know what happened to my father, right?” Heads nodded, and Jaycee started again. “Okay, well the night I was taken from Marc’s house…,” she paused to smile sadly at him, “I was placed in the foster system by social services. I got placed with a family a few hours from here first. They knew my story and they weren’t happy to have me. Before you ask, they didn’t hurt me. They did burn all my photos and refused to let me talk about what had happened to my father. I couldn’t talk about my past at all really. Eventually, they got sick of me, and they passed me off to another family even farther away from here. They had too many foster kids. The house was a mess, always filled with marijuana. It was pretty awful. I always wondered if one of the other kids called protective services on them, cause one day the house got raided, and we were all sent to other homes. That’s when I wound up with the Smythes.” Jaycee stared at her phone, collecting her thoughts.

“Maggie and Ted didn’t care that my dad was in jail. At least, they didn’t hate me for it. They just wanted me to be someone I wasn’t…. Maggie and Ted have a son, Roger, but after he was born, they’d tried again and again without success to have another child. Maggie had her heart set on having a girl like her. After they found out she couldn’t have more kids, they got me. They’re not terrible people…but I don’t feel safe with them with their son Roger around. He’s a pervert, and has a fascination with me.”

“That son of a bitch. What did he do?” Garrett’s face was red with fury. The rest of the guys seemed equally upset. Marc being the worst.

“If he touched one hair…,” Marc threatened.

“He didn’t touch me. He’s…mostly…harmless. It’s just that he would try to catch me when…,” Jaycee hesitated telling them about Roger’s invasiveness. They were already emotional; she didn’t want anyone to fly off the handle. It was embarrassing having to admit these things at all.

“When what, Jaycee?” Alec asked.

“It doesn’t matter. Never mind. The important thing was I knew I couldn’t stay there. They wouldn’t let me even mention my father, there was no chance of me trying to help him. I’d been going to college where we lived in Independence, Missouri. I hadn’t been allowed to go to a four-year college where I could live on campus. I knew the only way I could help my dad was if I left. So, I waited till I turned eighteen, and started laying the foundation for my escape. I waited till they went to see Roger’s grandparents, and I arranged to go to a campus tour in Kansas City.”

“But you didn’t go to Kansas. You came here,” Lee finished for her.

“Exactly. But there’s a problem. They think I’m still enrolled for this semester back in Independence. They’ll be expecting me to be home when they get back Saturday. I had planned on telling them I was going to do another campus tour over the phone…but I hadn’t thought about classes starting back up at MCC on Monday. Now I need a cover story, or a way to hide, because it won’t take them long to figure out I’m gone.”

“Will they know to look for you here?” Jonathan asked.

“They might. I tried to seem interested in places on the other side of the state to throw them off my scent…but I have no idea if it will work. I’m legally able to make these decisions for myself now, but they’re still considered my guardians. Most people wouldn’t think twice before giving them my contact info if asked. I didn’t put them on any of the forms for UEM, but MCC had to send my transcripts, so it wouldn’t be hard to find out which school I went to. Plus, they know where my dad is being held…”

“All right, first thing we need to do is get you a new phone. If they bought the other one, then they can have it traced. We’ll go shopping and get you a new one on our plan tonight before the shops close. Second, we need to destroy the one you have. It actually works in your favor that you’ve moved in with us, little flower,” Lee said.

“Why is that?” she asked.

“Because you’re registered as living in Muller dorm, but now you won’t be there,” Jonathan provided.

“Let’s keep your contract with university housing for now. As long as the college thinks you’re living in Muller, there won’t be a paper trail leading to you living here.” Pulling Jaycee to her feet, Lee set her in his spot on the couch as he spoke.

“I created half the university’s network and security systems, it would be a breeze for me to delete records if need be,” Sean offered.

“Let’s avoid anything illegal for now. We need Jaycee in their system for the foreseeable future. She won’t be able to attend class if she drops from the rosters. If things escalate, then we might be forced to take drastic steps,” Lee replied.

“We’ll need to keep an eye on her dorm,” Garrett said.

“Right, someone will need to pick up her mail too,” Alec offered.

“We’ll take shifts checking in at Muller. Jaycee, was there anyone at your dorm you met who might be a good contact?” Lee paced as he thought through their plan of action.

“There’s a guy who works the front desk, his name is Jason. He said he’s usually working, and he knows everyone who lives there. He seemed nice. I think he would help us,” Jaycee said, trying to sound confident.

“Good. We’ll need to have a chat with this guy tomorrow. He needs to be briefed on a few details so he knows what to look for. Hopefully, we can get him to pretend you’re still staying in the dorm if anyone asks.” Stopping before the couch again, Lee focused on Jaycee.

“That might require Sara’s help too.” Her stomach sank as he spoke her thought aloud.

“Sara has motivation to help us. We could get her kicked off campus for what she pulled. She’ll help, or else,” Marc growled.

“He’s right, university policy forbids opposite-sex students sleeping in the same room. It’s hard to patrol, but they won’t ignore evidence if it’s brought to them,” Jonathan provided reassuringly.

“So the plan is for me to hide out?” she asked.

“For now that’s the best we can do, gorgeous. Since you’re considered their kid by the state, we don’t want to do anything to draw attention to you. So no making the dean’s list,” Alec teased her to lighten the mood.

“Don’t confuse her. Your studies are very important, and you shouldn’t play dumb. If you make the dean’s list, we will celebrate.” Jonathan sat beside her on her right. He took her hand, and kissed it just above her knuckles.

“I could even create a script that would generate a computer error if certain systems tried to access your files.” Sean was still trying to solve the computer issues.

“You could do that?” she was amazed.

“It would be a shorter list to tell you what he can’t do.” Garrett smiled, and brushed her hair over her shoulder. He’d been seated to her left.

“Thanks, guys. I guess I really owe you one.” Jaycee felt a tug at her heart.

“I’m sure you can find a way to make it up to us.” Alec wiggled his eyebrows making Jaycee giggle. Several sighs could be heard in the wake of her laugh.

“Say something funny again, Alec,” Sean joked, causing another round of giggles.

“Lovely,” Garrett said as Sean putting his phone away. He’d made another sound bite.

“Send that to me,” Lee requested.