Page 34 of Hell of a Mess

Thirty

Luther

Slamming my fist into the punching bag drowned out the noise around me and helped a little with the shit in my head.

I’d spent more time in the home gym with this bag than I had sleeping since getting home two days ago.

Other than giving Linc a recap of what we had found at the Halsten residence, I hadn’t spoken to him.

In fact, I’d been going out of my way not to see or speak to anyone. It was better that way.

“I need your help.”

Mal’s voice carried over the room, and I froze, inhaling sharply through my nose. I’d not heard him come in, but then that was the point of beating the hell out of the bag. Blocking everything out.

“Fuck off,” I replied, not turning around to look at the bastard.

“She’s not eating.”

That got my attention. I dropped my arms to my sides and faced him.

“And you’re asking me for help?” I asked, pointing at my chest as a bitter smile curled my lips.

“Don’t be an ass, Luther. She’s barely put any food in her mouth, and…and she cries in her sleep. Some nights, it is louder than others, and I don’t know what to fucking do. It breaks my heart. The shit she went through and the nightmares she must be plagued with.”

Fuck! That was not what I’d needed to hear. I’d almost exhausted myself until I calmed down.

“What? You don’t want her near me. How the hell am I supposed to help?” I asked, taking off my gloves and tossing them aside before reaching for my bottle of water.

“Do you know how hard it was to come ask you for help?” he snapped. “You’re right. I don’t want you near her, but you seem to be the only person who can get her to eat. And when she was here, did she cry at night? Did you hear her?”

No, she didn’t cry because I didn’t let her.

“Yeah, I’d hear her.”

“Was it every night?”

I took a long pull from my bottle, then leveled my gaze on his. He didn’t want to hear what I had done to make her monsters go away. But I didn’t give a shit what he wanted. I did, however, care about Lace. To a dangerous degree. Where I wasn’t sure I had control over my actions when triggered.

“No,” I said as a smug smile curled my lips.

His brows drew together, and he really did look like a worried dad. I should feel guilty. But I didn’t.

“When did they stop? Did it just take her getting comfortable here?”

I didn’t have my gun in arm’s reach, and I knew he had one tucked at his back. If I told him the truth, there was a chance he’d put a bullet in me.

“I’d wake her up and tell her she was safe, and she’d go back to sleep.” In my arms. I left off the last step.

“I wasn’t sure if I should wake her. I’ll try that then,” he replied with a nod of his head. “And the eating?”

I shrugged. “Don’t think you can do that one. Seems it’s just me she likes to eat for.”

His eyes narrowed, and I held up both hands.

“Hey, don’t glare at me. It’s not my fault. I just ask her to eat something, tell her it’s good and she’s okay, and she does it.”

Mal let out a frustrated groan and ran his hand through his hair.

“I’ve tried that. I took her shopping yesterday and bought her more books than anything.

Then we went to get lunch. She wouldn’t order anything but a side salad and barely touched it.

I tried telling her how good their burgers were and asked her to take a bite of mine.

She looked like she might vomit—which she has, by the way. After dinner, two nights in a row.”

Dammit. She had to eat more than that.

“You took her away from me,” I reminded him.

“She called me. Asked to leave.”

That was painful. I hated hearing it.

“I can’t believe I’m asking you this, but can you come to the house for dinner? Get her to eat. Please. She’s got dark circles under her eyes, and she looks pale. I don’t know if it’s from lack of sleep or nutrition or both.”

Why the fuck was I just now hearing about this?! She was that bad off? Dammit! Why had she left me?

“All right, but I’m not doing this for you,” I replied, picking back up a glove.

“You’re doing it for her,” he said somberly.

I nodded.

“Don’t make me regret this, Luther.”

“Ah, Mal, you already do,” I drawled with a smirk and turned back to plant my fist into the bag with a new wave of rage I needed to expel.

I’d spent the last three hours pacing the length of my bedroom and watching the time. The closer it got to when I would see Lace, the more fucking crazed I felt.

When Mal opened the front door of his house, he seemed so fucking relieved to see me that it was almost comical.

“You’re early,” he said, not sounding upset about it as he stepped back to let me enter.

“Please tell me you aren’t the one cooking,” I said, walking past him and into the foyer.

“No, I just hired a new cook,” he replied, then glanced nervously in the direction of where the great room was located. “Gwen just brought out appetizers though.”

“Gwen?”

“The cook,” he explained. “Gathe and Locke have both eaten some, but she’s not even glanced at it, other than to say, ‘No thank you,’ when Locke offered her some.”

I’d seen Gathe’s truck outside. Locke must have ridden with him. Seemed the whole fucking family was here.

I walked toward the great room, wishing like hell I could do this alone. See her for the first time since she’d left. Ask her why. Not have an audience. But that wasn’t happening, and she needed to eat. She needed me. She shouldn’t have left me.

My strides lengthened the closer I got with the promise of soaking her in.

Seeing that she was okay. Just being near her.

I ignored the others in the room as I entered, my gaze locking in on her immediately.

She was at the opposite end of the sofa, sitting straight, her hands in her lap, looking so goddamn beautiful that it wasn’t fair.

Her head turned, and her eyes went wide when they met mine.

So, Mal hadn’t told her I was coming. I smiled at her and watched as the sadness in those ocean eyes faded and brightened with…

happiness. Fucking hell. That wasn’t helping.

How was I supposed to leave this house and not take her with me like a damn caveman?

“Thought I’d stop by and see how the newest member of the Bowen family is settling in,” I said with a smile. “And eat their food.”

“I invited Luther to dinner,” Mal informed the room.

Why he hadn’t told them before I got here I didn’t know, but whatever. I was here. With her.

Not bothering to even pretend like I was here for any other reason but to see Lace, I went over and sat down beside her, then turned my head to look at her.

“How’s life, Ocean Eyes?” I asked, lowering my voice because I wished like fuck we were alone.

She blinked and swallowed, then licked her lips. The cut now completely gone and no sign of her injury. “It’s okay,” she whispered.

I gave her a mock frown. “Just okay? Is Mal not making it magical here?”

A small laugh escaped her, and the way it made her eyes twinkle had my hands itching to grab her and toss her over my shoulder and leave. Damn this woman for making me a psycho.

“It’s nice,” she corrected herself. “He’s been great.”

I was sure he’d busted his ass to make her love it here. The fact that she didn’t made my inner beast pound his chest. I wasn’t here. She needed me.

Knowing we were being watched by all three of the Bowen men, I leaned back and sighed dramatically. “I get it. You can’t say it, but not everyone can be as magical as I am. It’s fine. The truth hurts, but Mal is a big boy. He can take it.”

Looking over at the large round coffee table, I surveyed the array of appetizers. First issue was, that was a male-oriented menu. Too much fried shit and cheese. Mal couldn’t expect her to dive in and start eating like that. I’d deal with him later.

“Help yourself,” Gathe said. “Dad got a new cook. So far, she’s made some delicious shit.”

I stood up and got a plate, then took a loaded potato skin, two hot wings, and some Tex-Mex-looking dip with chips before going back to my spot beside Lace.

Her eyes were watching me warily, as if she knew I was going to ask her to eat something.

I winked at her as I sat down, and her expression softened.

Leaning closer to her, I held the plate in front of me. “You’re gonna eat something for me, sugar. I miss watching you chew.”

I picked up the potato skin and turned to look at her, holding it. “I’ll give it a taste test first. Gathe will eat anything. His opinion can’t be trusted.”

Her lips quirked as she watched me take a bite. It was good. I nodded my head.

“Yeah, you’ll like this. Give it a try,” I told her as I held it to her lips.

She kept her eyes on me as she opened her mouth. I didn’t force her to take a big bite but a sufficient one. When she was chewing, she kept watching me.

“That’s good, sugar. You did real good. Now, take another one for me. Please,” I said, knowing she liked the praise.

She swallowed and opened her mouth again. I gave her a little more this time.

“That’s my girl,” I whispered.

She smiled so damn sweet. Images of other things I’d like to do to her and praise her about to get that reaction began to play out in my head, and I had to shut it down. Getting a boner in front of Mal and her brothers wasn’t going to help the situation.

I dropped my gaze to the potato skin. “One last bite. I’d rather you eat it. I want the wings.”

When I lifted my eyes back up to hers, she nodded her head and opened her mouth. I placed the last bite between her full lips, and when she closed, I wanted to groan and grab my damn cock. It was suddenly very interested in her open mouth.

Picking up a hot wing, I tore my eyes off her and took a bite, then turned to see the other three in the room staring at us silently.

“She ate, didn’t she?” I asked, then smirked at the lot of them and took another bite of my wing.

“It’s, uh, good to see you eat, Lace,” Mal said, breaking their silence.

Fuckers were making it awkward.

“If you offered her something other than fried cheesy shit, she’d have more options,” I told him, dropping the bone onto the plate and taking the other wing.

“I’m sorry, Lace. If you will make a list of things you like to eat, I can make sure we have it at every meal. I only knew about breakfast.”

But she hasn’t been eating that breakfast, has she, Mal?

Because I wasn’t here.

“That’s not necessary,” Lace replied. “You have plenty to choose from.”

“Except you don’t ever eat anything,” Gathe pointed out obnoxiously.

The way Lace tensed beside me only heightened the protective reaction she alone seemed to trigger.

“What she eats isn’t your fucking concern,” I snapped.

“Yeah, uh, Gathe, why don’t you go see if Gwen is almost done?” Mal suggested.

“Why me?” he asked, not moving.

“Because you can’t control your damn mouth,” Locke said, speaking for the first time since I’d arrived.

Gathe sighed and stood up. “I was just glad she was eating.”

“Kitchen, Gathe,” Mal cut him off before he said anything more.

I turned my head back to Lace, who seemed nervous again. She fidgeted with her cast as she stared down at it, resting in her lap. I laid a hand over her busy fingers and gently squeezed.

“It’s fine. Everyone here cares about you. That’s all,” I reassured her.

The way she looked at me, as if she wanted to memorize my face, was just about to do me in. Why had she left me? She wasn’t comfortable here. They might be her family, but she was better with me.