Power of the Keys (Jackett Family Book #2)

Chapter 6

KEYS

I was so proud of Lucy for getting the courage to get out of the house a few times this last week. It was hard watching her have a panic attack when she tried to leave that first time. I wanted nothing more than to run upstairs and pull her into my arms. She was strong as fuck and there was nothing wrong with being strong and needing people to have your back. I’d always have Lucy’s back. Cabin fever was starting to set in a little bit for me. Unlike Lucy, I wasn’t nervous about leaving the house or moving on after getting shot. I wanted everything to go back to normal. Except for my new relationship with Lucy, of course.

She still didn’t want to tell anybody that we were together. Although I’d scream it from the rooftops, I respected where she was coming from. I did not doubt that a punch to the face was coming by way of at least one Jackett brother. Telling them sooner than later might help me, maybe they’d hold off punching a guy who was still recovering. Scratch that, they wouldn’t give a fuck about hitting me when I was down. They’d get over it though because they know the kind of man I am. Another man doesn’t exist who will respect Lucy the way I will.

Getting the green light from my doctor to start additional activity and physical therapy was a dream come true. While the therapy sessions themselves felt like medieval torture, I was getting out of the house a few days a week and actually seeing the sun again. My poor ginger skin was almost glowing in the dark from being downstairs and away from natural light for so long. Best of all, I was making progress using the stairs and moving around on my own. 

“Do you want to try going downstairs solo?” Flor had asked after we got home from my latest session.

“I think I’ll stay up here for a bit if that is okay with you,” I replied.

“You’re always welcome up here, Keys. You know I love that sweet face of yours.” I bend down so she can kiss my cheek before heading off in the direction of her office. I go the other direction and make my way into the living area, choosing to sit at the dining room table rather than the more comfortable living room furniture. The couch is way more comfortable, but a bitch to stand up from. I pulled out my phone as I sat down and sent a text message out to Lucy.

Me: A weird guy is sitting in your kitchen, better investigate.

A few moments later I heard movement down the hallway and then she appeared around the corner with a huge smile on her face, “You.”

“Yeah, me,” I chuckle. “How was your day? Did you get all that business-y stuff done?”

“Of course, all that business-y stuff.” She giggles while she takes a seat next to me. She allows me to reach out and take her hand. We were alone, except for possibly Flor, so I was hoping that she wouldn’t pull away. To my surprise, she didn’t fit the gesture and happily linked her fingers to mine. “I had a phone interview with a new bartender today. She just moved here from Las Vegas to help take care of her parents and wanted a side job to make a little cash.”

“Oh, I didn’t see anything about her from the guys.”

Lucy rolled her eyes, “Jesus, Keys, there are normal systems that we can run background checks through. Not everything needs to go through your over-the-top search.”

“Fuck that noise. If she’s going to be working at the bar and with family we need to know who she is.”

“We don’t even know if she will be working for us. Rhett is still going to interview her in person and then if he likes her she’ll have a test night before we even give her a job offer.”

“And a background check done by me,” I insist once again.

“If it makes you feel better, Keys, you can do it then, but only if we are considering hiring her and not a moment sooner. I’ve heard about some of the things you’ve discovered about people, it’s a violation of privacy, you know?”