Sixes & Sevens (Seven Hearts Book 1) (20 page)

Sean really wanted to beat that sad sack of crap within an inch of his life for daring to put his hands on Jaycee, but he couldn’t. He was a black belt, and Roger had probably never been instructed on how to throw a proper punch. If the little weasel decided to prosecute, it wouldn’t look good for Sean. While Sean had still punched Roger, it was well deserved. Even the grocery store’s security cameras would have picked up Jaycee’s struggle. He made a mental note to call them later, and acquire a copy of the day’s tapes. Sooner was better than later, in case they reused the same tape each day.

When they returned home, Sean told Jaycee to hang out in his room while he unloaded all the groceries, and made his phone call. Jaycee headed upstairs, and entered his domain. It felt weird to be there without Sean, even with his permission. He had a massive amount of tech in his room. His desk alone held eight monitors, set up in two rows, mounted to some kind of frame that held them together like one big curved screen. His walls were a cheery Kelly green, and his bedspread was tan. Jaycee didn’t want to look like she was snooping through his computer, so she sat on the bed instead of in his computer chair. Sean had framed pictures of Jonathan and him hanging on the walls. There weren’t any photos of their parents, though there was one of the two of them on a yacht large enough to hold a whole family.

Opposite the bed was a large dresser with an even larger flat-screen above it. Connected without cables, were several gaming systems. On either side on the dresser were towers filled with games. Jaycee browsed the titles, but none of them meant anything to her. Spotting a remote on the dresser, Jaycee retrieved it to channel surf. It would take Sean awhile to put away the groceries by himself, but he’d insisted. Someday, Jaycee would be comfortable enough to stand her ground and fight them when they were coddling her, but today she was somewhat relieved. Roger had shaken her up, and she really needed to collect herself. It wasn’t fair to Sean that his day be ruined by her baggage. She’d had such a nice day with Alec, she wanted each of the guys’ days to go as nicely. Maybe she could plan a surprise for him later? She wasn’t lying about being a good cook, perhaps she could bake him something. Only she didn’t know what he liked; she would need to pick Jonathan’s brain later.

“I see you found my room okay,” he joked awhile later, coming to sit beside her on the bed.

“Sorry for making myself at home,” Jaycee replied, inclining her head.

“It’s okay, I was just teasing. Do you want to try playing a video game?” he asked, getting up to turn on the console.

“If you want to. I still don’t make any promises-about not sucking though,” she said.

“I consider myself duly warned. I have several fighting games if you want to try one, but I do have a couple that are more adventure games like
Tomb Raider
. Or, there are some like
Grand Theft Auto
that while having adult content, don’t actually require fighting for the majority of the game. Then there’s the mystery adventure games that make you solve puzzles. Anything sound appealing?” Sean asked.

“I think the mystery games would probably be best.” Smiling, she tried to imagine what playing any of the games would be like, but couldn’t quite see it. Roger had played video games on occasion, but since they weren’t remotely close, she’d never stuck around to watch.

They wound up trying several games, from
Tomb Raider
to
Rabbids
, but Jaycee found
Lego Jurassic World
to be the most fun. It was less violent than most of the games, and it was cool seeing the pieces explode when you destroyed something. They played games for several hours before they started to grow hungry.

“Do you want to eat lunch now?” Sean asked, turning off the Xbox One.

“Yes, please!” Jaycee rose from the bed, twisting this way and that trying to realign her spine, and wake her cramped muscles.

“Anything sound good to you?” he asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t turn down a chicken sandwich,” Jaycee offered.

“All right, Burger King good?” Stuffing his wallet in his back pocket, Sean grabbed his keys before taking Jaycee’s hand.

“Yup!” Jaycee cheered.

Eating lunch went much smoother than their grocery run had. Roger was gone and their bellies satisfied. Jaycee felt stuffed after eating a classic chicken sandwich and fries, but it was so worth it. They dumped their trash, and headed to the Trailblazer. In a race to open the car door, Jaycee tripped on Sean’s shoe, causing her head to fly toward the vehicle. Sean raced ahead of her, to place himself between her and the door. Their foreheads bumped, and their lips just barely brushed at the corner.

“Are you okay?” Concerned, Sean’s brow wrinkled, as he tilted Jaycee’s chin up to look into her eyes.

“Yes, thanks to you. Maybe I should come with a warning label.” Jaycee closed her eyes, since she couldn’t hang her head, with his hand still holding her chin. Instead of feeding her pretty words, Sean lowered his forehead to her own, and held her close. A warm feeling spread slowly through Jaycee’s chest. She felt protected, safe even. The world dropped away as they stood there together. Sean wrapped his arms around Jaycee, and hugged her tight.

“I wouldn’t change one thing about you, sweetie,” he said on a sigh.

Jaycee couldn’t find the words to reply, so she did the only thing she could think of, she placed a quick kiss on Sean’s cheek. Sean’s eyes flew open wide, and he placed a hand tenderly to the spot she’d kissed. Sean couldn’t fight the blush on his face, any more than he could keep her from tripping, but he wasn’t afraid of her reaction. He knew he could be himself around her, without any need for artifice.

When they arrived back at the house, Sean offered to let Jaycee pick a movie for them to watch. Since they’d watched
The Avengers
before, Jaycee chose a romantic comedy this time. They curled up on the couch, Sean’s arm around her, with her head nestled in his side. Jaycee still couldn’t believe her luck. Life couldn’t get much better than this…unless she could figure out how to save her father. Some things would just take time. For now, she chose to live in the moment, and appreciate the gifts she’d been given. After school started, and she felt more comfortable in Riverton; then, she’d take the reins, and find a way to free Paul.

January 7, 2016

When the movie was over, they popped in another. This time a comedy. Jaycee loved to hear Sean’s laugh, it was such a beautiful sound. He didn’t hold back on pretense, he just let out a low rumbling sound from deep in his soul. Jaycee could feel the reverberation in his chest, with her ear pressed so close. Watching the movie, Jaycee settled further onto Sean’s torso, until her ear was firmly pressed over his heart. The rhythmic pounding slowly relaxed her, until she fell asleep.

“Ha, ha! That’s hilarious! Did you see…” Looking down, Sean noted Jaycee’s closed eyes and deep breathing. “So beautiful.” He whispered, caressing her cheek. Lowering the volume to a quieter level, Sean settled back on the sofa to enjoy cuddling his angel. Wrapping his arms around her, he couldn’t think of a better way to spend their day together. He pressed his lips to her hair, and smelled that sweet scent that was uniquely her. If he lived to be one hundred, he’d never find a better companion. Lulled by the smooth sound of her breaths, Sean drifted off to join her in an afternoon nap.

Lee was the first to return to the house that evening. When he walked in, it was hard not to notice the couple snuggled up on the sofa. Sometime during their nap Sean had fallen to the side, where Jaycee was laying down on his chest. Her cheek still pressed to his heart.

“I see she’s no longer upset,” Lee whispered as Sean’s eyes opened, sensing that someone was looking at him. “Good. You look cozy. Have a nice nap?” Lee said with a smirk.

“Don’t be jealous, Lee, it doesn’t suit you.” Sean chuckled quietly. He squeezed Jaycee a bit tighter as if to keep their quiet solitude protected.

“Jealous? Me? You must have the wrong guy. Marc’s not here,” he joked.

“No, but the eyes staring at me when I woke up weren’t exactly shooting hearts.” Laughing, Sean tried to keep his movements small, and his noise down. He didn’t want Jaycee to wake up just yet. “All kidding aside, she’s had a rough day. Roger really shook her up. We’ve been watching movies most of the afternoon. I didn’t want to risk taking her back out.”

“Did he go home?” Lee asked.

“Yes, I’ve been keeping an eye on him, he hasn’t moved since he got home. Probably too busy licking his wounds,” Sean growled low.

“You did well, it’s a shame we couldn’t take him out, and be done with it.” Lee said.

“Agreed. This won’t be the last we hear from her foster family,” Sean said, looking worried.

“No, it won’t, but maybe it will make them think twice before they come looking for her again. At least he didn’t find her here…although I’d like to know how he found her there.” Running a hand through his hair, Lee puzzled, but couldn’t decide what had happened. Even if Roger had gone to Muller and talked to Sara, he shouldn’t have been able to find her at the store. Of course, there was only one grocery in town. Perhaps he simply drove around until he spotted her. It was a much better thought, than Roger knowing where they lived. While he wasn’t much of a threat against them by himself, if he got his parents involved things could get messy quick. Legally, they couldn’t force Jaycee to go back with them, but there were plenty of ways they could coerce her. He needed to have a talk with her, prep her for what possibilities might lay ahead. At least if they had a game plan, she wouldn’t be walking blind into whatever trap they might lay for her. Jaycee rolled in her sleep to face Lee sitting on the coffee table (Jonathan would flip if he saw him, but what he didn’t know…). Her little fists gripped Sean’s shirt over his abs. Lee grunted, but still smiled, shaking his head in mirth. She was like a little kitten when she was sleeping. He wondered who would get the honor of sleeping beside her tonight. He prayed he’d be so lucky.

It amazed him that her foster families had been so cruel to her. She was such a loving person, who wore her heart on her sleeve. It was no wonder she’d chosen to run from people then to deal with more heartache. Her dad sounded like a good man who did whatever he could to protect her. It was a shame they’d lived in Maple Grove, and not somewhere with a better judicial system. Paul should never have been convicted of murder. It was self-defense; had the cops not buried the evidence, and the judges not been paid off, Paul wouldn’t have even been on trial. Then again, had Jaycee never been forced away from her father…she never would have had a reason to live with them. On the other hand, she might have grown up with them instead.

“Do you ever wonder what she was like back before everything happened?” Lee asked Sean.

“All the time. Even before I met her, when Marc would talk about her. I wished I had known her, had been able to be there for her. If we hadn’t been so young at the time, maybe we could have helped her like we help others,” Sean replied with anguish. Squeezing his eyes, attempting to block out negative images.

“Maybe, or maybe we just would have gotten in the way. Guess we’ll never know. At least she’s here with us now.” Lee needed to keep reminding himself she was safe; his heart just wouldn’t be settled till he knew she was truly free of the Smythes.

Waking from her nap, Jaycee stretched her arms, slowly uncurling her fingers and toes. A small sigh followed a little yawn. To Lee it looked like a flower in efflorescence, he always called her little flower. Right now she looked like a flower opening its petals at daybreak, ready to welcome the sun. He would love to be her sun. The front door swung open suddenly, Alec stepped in, and observed the scene.

“If you close your eyes again, we could play Sleeping Beauty.” Speaking low, Alec leisurely stalked Jaycee. “I volunteer to kiss the princess from her deep sleep.” Shamelessly flirting, Alec ignored his brothers. He headed straight for Jaycee, pulling her from Sean’s arms, he wrapped her in his own. Holding her close, her put his lips on her neck. Taking a deep breath, he sighed like the world was on his shoulders. “Thanks, babe, I needed this.”

“Rough day?” she asked airily. She sounded close to another yawn.

“You could say that. Got my ass handed to me on the court. I think I might be black and blue under all these clothes. Wanna play doctor?” he whispered so only she could hear.

Giggling, Jaycee replied, “I’m afraid you’ll have to ask Jonathan for medical assistance. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“I could show you where to start, beautiful, but I’ll behave. Did you have a good day with the leprechaun?” Alec pulled away on a laugh, dodging Sean’s smack to his head.

“Other than running into Roger? Yes, we had a lovely day. It was nice to lie around and watch movies. I don’t feel like I’ve been this relaxed in years,” she said wistfully.

“Just wait until Marc’s day. His idea of fun is a day at the spa,” Lee chimed in.

“That would be lovely, but I’m not sure about letting some stranger touch me.” Her nose wrinkled as she tried to imagine stripping down for a massage. The guys laughed, she’d had no problem letting them touch her not long after meeting. Of course she was fully clothed at the time. Still, it made their chests puff out, knowing she had trusted them beyond her normal inclination.

Garrett and Jonathan arrived home together merely by coincidence. While neither one had made it home at their regular hour, they had made it home sooner than anticipated by all. Hugs were shared, with Jaycee being passed from one set of arms to another. It seemed her guys liked to be affectionate. She wouldn’t complain, it was heavenly.

It was another half an hour before Marc swept in, carrying bags of samples he’d been given from some designer, hoping to book him for his next show. His brows were furrowed, and his fists clenched. Marc hadn’t had a good day. His team had battered him for details about Jaycee, but he held firm. They didn’t need to know shit about his girl. They were a means to an end. When their business with him was related to her, that didn’t mean they got to butt into their life together. Keeping his private life private was important to Marc. If he didn’t, it would be complicated working on Lee’s team, not to mention making keeping Jaycee safe tricky. Tossing his rather expensive freebies aside, Marc climbed onto the sofa beside Jaycee, who was now sitting up beside Sean. Marc maneuvered around till his head was in Jaycee’s lap. Not knowing what else to do, Jaycee sat back to give him more room, and softly stroked his hair.

Closing his eyes tight, Marc let out a frustrated sigh and said, “Is dinner ready?”

“Jonathan’s working on it now,” Jaycee replied.

“We’re having spaghetti and meatballs,” Sean offered.

“Oh, okay. Jaycee, you weren’t hurt today were you?” His hazel eyes met hers upside-down, searching for signs of distress.

“I’m fine, Marc. What happened with you today?” Jaycee was touched by his concern, but she didn’t feel like reliving the day again. Instead, she was dying to know why her usually confident collected Marc looked harassed beyond his limit.

“Nothing you’re thinking beautiful. Just nosy people not knowing their boundaries. I’m sure you can relate,” he said, offering her a consolatory smile.

“That’s true, but are you sure that’s all?” she pushed.

“No. I really missed you. I still have two days until I get my day with you…it seems like forever.” Marc sighed dramatically.

Jaycee reached down to take his hand. “It’s not that long and we can spend our evenings together.”

“By evenings, do you mean nights?” Marc asked hopefully.

“About that, I know we’ve already started randomly, but I was thinking it might be less confusing if I stayed the night with whoever’s day it was the next day,” Jaycee said, biting her bottom lip.

“What about those of us who already had our day?” Sean pouted.

Jaycee let out a short laugh. “Well there are plenty more days between Garrett and Jonathan’s days. I’m sure Garrett would be happy to let one of you take his night, right Garrett?” Jaycee called into the dining room, where Garrett was busy setting the table. A loud grunt was his only response.

“See? He’s fine with it.” Jaycee laughed.

“Right.” Sean chuckled.

“Well, I guess I’ll look forward to Friday night then.” Marc raised the hand Jaycee wasn’t already holding to caress the side of her face.

Garrett poked his head into the room. “I’d like to know more about what happened at the grocer’s today,” he said gruffly.

“I know, but would you all mind if I didn’t go into it? I’m sure Sean could tell you everything after I go to sleep,” Jaycee offered.

“Sure,” Sean said agreeably.

Lee smirked. “Tonight is my night, if we go by Jaycee’s new schedule. Which I fully approve of.”

“You would,” Sean playfully huffed. Jaycee shook her head as she smiled.

Dinner had come to be one of Jaycee’s favorite parts of the day. She got to talk with all the guys about their days, and learn more about what made them tick. While her days, and now nights were devoted to learning them as individuals, she could get to learn their social dynamic seeming them interact. Sean and Jonathan shared a special bond as adopted brothers, but Jonathan was also close to Lee. Probably due to their positions as authority figures. Teasing Sean was a favorite past time of Alec’s, but they seemed to truly be close as they had many interests in common, including gaming. Although they seemed a mismatched pair, Garrett and Marc held a tight bond. Jaycee suspected it was due to their independent nature, but fierce protective sides. They often saw eye to eye on large ideals, even if their daily lives couldn’t be further apart.

As the night wore down, Jaycee excused herself to change for bed. Lee led her to his room upstairs. She remembered seeing the inside the night before…but it was nice to be formally invited inside. “You can take your time getting ready for bed. We’re going to go over the day’s events before we hit the sack.” Lee brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “You don’t have to wait up if you’re tired.”

“It’s okay, I want to!” she insisted.

“Suit yourself, little flower.” Smiling, he turned to head downstairs, closing the door behind him. By now, Jaycee had grown accustomed to taking her duffle with her around the house. She’d packed fresh clothes, leaving her dirty clothes in the laundry room in the basement. Sean had showed her the way, there was a hidden door off the living room/dining room wall that led down. The basement was finished off, but nothing spectacular had been done there, not like the rest of the house.

Lee addressed the group in the living room, after Sean recounted the events of the day. “We need to step up our game. Jaycee’s foster family isn’t going to give up that easily. They know she’s at UEM now, so there’s really no point in trying to hide her. Eventually, they’ll figure out she’s living off campus, and it wouldn’t take much to follow her home.”

“Should we keeping monitoring her dorm?” Sean asked.

“It would probably be a waste of time now,” Garrett said.

“He’s right, we’re better off trying to stick close to Jaycee, instead of stretching our resources,” Lee agreed.

“We still haven’t registered her change of address with the administration, that should help delay them for a bit,” Jonathan reminded them.

“While that’s true, I’m not sure that’s the route they would take anymore. They did send Roger, instead of coming themselves,” Marc said through his teeth, slamming his fist down on the sofa.

“Marc makes a good point. Is it really safe for her to remain here? We really don’t know anything about these people. The things Jaycee has told us weren’t great, but they didn’t give us much insight into how determined they are to keep her. We don’t even know if Roger acted on his own.”