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

Chapter 23- Kace

This whole situation is a clusterfuck. And trust me to be the lucky SOB level headed enough to unfuck it. Signs of our little guest are everywhere from the load of Dario's laundry in the wash, the kitchen knives hidden in Riggs' room, and the barely restrained glee on Jaxson's face as if this shit show amuses him to no end. Glad someone sees this as humorous.

It wasn't even her I had an issue with. At least not specifically. It was the whole situation. Her presence represented an escalation and authorities would respond accordingly. Exactly what we had been trying to avoid with our careful planning. No injuries, no hostages, warning shots only if necessary.

I don't want to hate it because without Riggs' savior complex we wouldn't have the kid, but for just this once, I wish he could turn a blind eye.

Four in, four out. That was the motto, the creed by which we had lived our lives these past few years. It had served us well. The reason behind this whole mess. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Despite it all, I wouldn't change it. Maybe there was a way we could have gotten here without the some of the scars, but doubtful.

The high whine of my phone was enough to pull me out of my morose thoughts. At least I could use it as yet another opportunity to get Riggs to see things my way. We'd never been so far apart on an issue and the discord was starting to seep into our every interaction.

Fuck.

If I could just convince him, we'd be rid of her and at least some of the heat on our backs. It wouldn't even be hard. A nice nap, a blindfold, and a drop off somewhere relatively safe, but hidden away from any cameras. I'd even volunteer to make sure the damn job got done.

Dario would be devastated. He'd gotten closer to her than any of the rest of us. It was hard to tell how Jax would react. Hell, most days it was hard to tell if he even liked us or if he just stayed for the adrenaline rush. Still, he had always shown up for us when it counted despite orders and that had cemented his place in our brotherhood. I'd kill for the crazy bastard and he'd proven more than willing to do the same for us.

A glance at my phone indicated another family meeting. Considering our last one had happened last night while the girl slept, I didn't see why we need another. Pressing news was unlikely. The kid had his head buried in another problem and probably hadn't even noticed his phone. With his headphones on and his brain fully invested in solving a task, it would take a bomb going off for him to even raise his head. Hell, his first thought would be to inspect his computer for damage. But even as much as I ribbed him about the damn thing, his prowess with it had saved our asses numerous times.

It had led us back to Riggs.

The girl sat wrapped up in one of the old throw blankets, fiddling with a loose thread as she stared blankly at the wall where a tv would've been mounted. Instead, there was a hideous attempt at a Bob Ross style landscape. The poor attempt at happy little trees were more diseased little twigs, but I could see the vision, if I squinted. She didn't even seem to register my presence as I walked past her, lost in her own world.

I spared a quick glance at the door and breathed a sigh of relief at the steady red light that indicted the lock was engaged. Didn't need her to scamper off while we were distracted elsewhere.

Rapping firmly on his door produced no reaction as expected. Inside I found him with his eyes glued to his screen, the light reflecting on his face as his eyes darted back and forth, his fingers doing much of the same with the occasional pause to ruffle his hair. The screen was a mess of different windows I had no chance at deciphering, but he quickly shut them down with a few keystrokes when I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry to interrupt, family meeting."

He rubbed at his eyes before stretching arms out behind his back and rolling his neck. "Again? It's fine, I have new information to add. Might be nothing though."