Heathens & Hand Grenades (Book 1 of the Heathens Duet)

Chapter 17- Dario

       I feel like a bag of asses that has been trampled by elephants. I even went to bed at a reasonable hour with no blue light emitting devices to impede a normal sleep pattern. No idea how the other guys do it. Somehow, I woke up feeling more tired because I got more sleep. Makes no damn sense.

There's no sunlight to remind me when to wake up, just the telltale smell of bacon and the sound of Riggs in the kitchen. Boss man is more accurate than any clock.

Groans and creaking bones fill the air, making the bunker sound like a retiring home for skeletons and ghouls. Spooky, scary skeletons. Being down here it's so easy to forget that Halloween isn't too far off, not that we'll be out celebrating. Though a few of us could probably get away with it if we went to a bigger town. Riggs and Kace run the constant risk of being recognized and are stuck here in the bunker most of the time. Riggs seems to be adjusting fine, most of the time. But I'm not completely unobservant. It's obvious he still tries to hide when he's struggling. There's no need, not anymore. We can all hear his mangled screams on nights where it gets really bad. Trying to wake him seems to just make it worse, like the nightmares have weight and become that much harder to fight. Jax never hears them or maybe he does, it's hard to tell with his air pods in.

Kace though, he takes every screaming night like a personal failure. In fact, I think that's why he takes being down here the hardest. A whole life he could be out there living, but he'd rather be down here with us, punishing himself for something he never could have foreseen. Rage might've been a more apt name because the work hard party harder Rave of old is merely a ghost of the man that remains.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Kace's huge body lumbers through the hallway like a zombie on the hunt for that first black cup of coffee. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes and the deep guttural growl that emerges from his throat, his sleep was just as restful as mine. Or just elusive. For the longest time, longer than I'd like to admit, he had me convinced he only slept two hours a day. A night owl myself, it was easy to believe. Kace and Riggs both were constantly looking out for us, catching cat naps only when necessary.

I've never been so introspective, but Callie being here is forcing me to realize that things haven't been great for a minute. I'm floating along behind the guys like usual, hoping what we're doing will get Riggs his life back. Kace is giving in to the rage that has always been brewing below the surface and Jax, Jax should never be locked up with his own thoughts for too long.

Ugh, it's too damn early to be thinking so hard. Need food. "Is food ready yet?" I groan from my deceivingly not comfy position on the couch.

"You can't rush perfection," Riggs offers in response.

"You can at Waffle House," I murmur.

"And get hit with the pan for trying," Kace laughs, somewhat mollified by the first cup of coffee. His laugh signals him being well into his second. "What crawled up your ass and died D?"

"This fucking couch," I say punching the damn thing. "Aren't these supposed to be comfortable? There are certain places springs are never meant to touch," I shiver. "I feel violated. It didn't even buy me dinner first," I mumble.

"I could always take a stab at rubbing the kinks out later if you're so inclined," Jaxson offers lazily.

"Jesus fucking Christ. Do we need to get your ass a fucking bell?" I bark out. Too damn early for all this. "Fuck all of you. You better not have finished the pot," I say making my way to the kitchen.

Bacon, eggs, and Riggs' Gran's biscuits sit on the counter. My mouth begins salivating at the sight. Despite never having had the pleasure of meeting the tiny, fierce woman I've heard countless stories of, she did pass along her love of cooking to her grandson. There were days in the field where I would dream of these biscuits drizzled in honey as I swallowed down another disgusting MRE.

"Truly, you are a god among men," I say as I deftly steal one from the plate.

With the exhausted sigh of a tired parent, Riggs allows it. "At least put the food on the table first. And make sure to save some for Calista."

"I'll go wake her up," I offer since no one else seems likely to volunteer.

"No need," Jax states. "Bambi has been up for a while, haven't you?" He says while staring into the apparently not empty hallway.

Kace's easy going smile vanishes as if her presence and it are incompatible.

Callie cautiously emerges from the hall, her hands tangled up in the hem of my shirt. I wasn't lying last night when I told her she looked good in them. Toned legs, hips begging for me to wrap my hands around, and messy bed hair that I need to run my fingers through. And with that train of thought taking off from the station, I discreetly maneuver myself back to the couch and the thick blanket into my lap. Kace attempts to hide the snigger behind his hand, but the mirth is clear in his eyes. Sometimes I hate the eagle eyed bastard.

"Morning," I smile brightly. Someone has to attempt to ease the tension.

"Morning," she replies with a smile of her own, although slightly more reserved. A far turn around from the forward ease of our conversation last night. Already I can feel myself to ready to drag her back to my room, eager to talk with her more about anything and everything.

Riggs roughly clears his throat and he stares at me with a look I can't decipher. "There's breakfast ready if you're hungry. Hope you like biscuits and gravy," he says while looking at Callie.

"Do I like biscuits and gravy," she scoffs. "Do church ladies gossip? Show me where to load up a plate," she grins.

A laugh bursts out of Jaxson, surprising all of us. The grin that spreads over his face could hardly be called warm and the light in his eyes is manic. Riggs shares a concerned look with Kace and I. Callie sparking Jaxson's interest could turn out a myriad of ways and only half of them would be positive. I hope for her sake they are. Everyone knows you can never truly tame a wild animal. You can only hope when they snap, they remember that they like you and spare you.

With her plate topped high, Callie gracefully sits down beside me on the couch, her thigh glancing mine. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept as well as can be expected, considering," she says with a quick glance around the bunker as if to explain. "Sorry I kicked you out of your bed."

"I'm glad. And it's fine. My bed is the comfiest. Between you and me, I'm half convinced Pretty Boy sleeps upright in a coffin in the corner of his room," I whisper.

Her tinkling laugh warms my chest and I can easily see myself becoming addicted to the feeling. Tamping that down should be a priority. It's not as if she can stay. But like a moth to a porch light, I'm helpless to resist her light's call.

"I heard you earlier you know, when you were talking about the couch. I could sleep out here if you want."

As if any of the guys would let her, myself included. Kace would worry she was too close to the door with no one between them. Riggs, the true Southern gentleman that he is, would never allow it. His Gran would rise from the grave to tan his hide. None of us know what Jaxson would do.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'll live. Plus, it gives me first dibs on the food."

"Are you sure? I mean, the bed is big enough to share if we had to," she offers easily.

I freeze and it's then that I notice the guys have too. All of us are waiting on bated breath for my answer and I wish to God, the other big man, that I knew what that was. I know what I want the right answer to be. Kace's face is a hostile mask, Riggs' indifference, and Jaxson's eyes are alight in amusement. Super helpful. Although I've done my best to shed the dorky man child that could barely talk confidently to a woman without it reverting back to computers and anime, I'm still not the greatest at reading social cues. Does she really mean it? Sharing a bed is pretty intimate just by the nature of the space. My bed isn't exactly a California King. We're bound to bump into each other in the night.

Monkey D Luffy would not be half the pirate he is if he ran away scared, I tell myself. "Sure," I say with a confidence I'm pulling out of my ass. "I'd love to sleep with you."

The room erupts into Kace's braying laughter, Riggs' restrained smile, and Jaxson slinks off somewhere while his shoulders shake from his amusement. Callie shares an embarrassed half smile with me. If I could just gum gum insert my foot into my mouth, that would be great.

"I'd like that D," she whispers.