Page 16 of Quadruplets for the Vipers (Never Just One #3)

Leah

I t’s strange to see Jace like this, his usual cockiness is gone, in its place is only a kind and compassionate man taking care of me.

He watches me carefully, ensuring I drink every drop of the tea he’s made for me.

He’s right, the drink does make me feel better, less nervous.

I try not to think about the dead man lying upstairs, or how close I came to being attacked by those men.

I wish I knew what they came here for. The thought that if they’d come here to harm me based on some stupid drunken argument earlier is horrifying, yet it’s perhaps the lesser of two evils.

If the men were sent by the Hellhounds for me, then it’s safe to say they must know about the baby.

There’s no other reason why they’d want to harm me.

There’s no one else in this world who would have any malice toward me other than my ex, and while I know he has dangerous contacts, he never mentioned the Hellhounds to me.

“Feeling better?” Jace asks.

“Yes, thanks,” I reply gratefully. “What do you think they’ll do about the man upstairs?”

“They’ll take care of it, there’s no need for you to worry about that. So you and Axel, hey?” He says, changing the subject, his tone light and teasing.

“Don’t you start,” I groan. “This whole situation is bad enough without you making me feel guilty, too.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. I was just trying to figure out whether or not you’re off the market. Are you and Axel together now, or is there still a chance for the rest of us schmucks?” he teases.

“Ever the tease, Jace,” I quit trying to deflect his question.

In truth, I don’t know how I feel about last night or what it means for Axel and me.

“I’m not hearing no,” he says with an impish grin.

“You can have your pick of women, I’m sure you aren’t interested, regardless of Axel and me,” I dismiss.

“I didn’t ask about my interest, I asked about yours.”

“Jace, I’m not in the mood for joking around,” I snap.

He holds up his hands in defense. “Believe it or not, not everything that comes out of my mouth is a joke.”

“Oh really,” I reply sarcastically. “Prove it. Tell me something real.”

He surprises me by asking me a question. “Is the man upstairs the first dead body you’ve ever seen?”

“No.” My mind goes back to the horror and gore upstairs. The reality of a dead body is far more horrific than it is in the movies. “But it’s the first one I remember. I was in the car accident that killed my parents, but I was too young and too traumatized to remember.”

“Shit. I’m sorry about your parents. It’s probably best that you don’t remember their deaths, so you can remember them as they were. I think the first body you see is the one that haunts you. I know it is for me.”

“Who was it? The first body you saw?”

“My mom, I was nine,” he says in the voice of someone who still suffers from the loss.

“I’m so sorry. What happened? That’s if you don’t mind my asking,” I ask gently.

“She took her own life, an overdose.”

“I’m so sorry, Jace, that’s awful, no child should ever have to see that,” I reply sincerely, my heart breaking for young Jace.

He shrugs, brushing it off. “Where did you go when your parents died? Who did you live with?”

“My grandfather.”

“Is he a good man?”

“The best, I was lucky to have him. Where did you live after your mom died?”

“With my dad. The son of a bitch tormented my mom. He was one of the reasons why my mom did what she did; he drove her to it, made her believe she was worthless and that life wasn’t worth living after years of abuse.

Her death didn’t change him much. The motherfucker just beat on me instead.

The second I could get out of that hellhole, I left and never looked back. ”

“Oh, Jace, that’s horrible.”

He shrugs, “I’ve made my peace with it. My brothers and the Steel Vipers are my family now.

However, the one aspect of my past that stays with me is my default defense mechanism.

I learned early on that the best way to avoid a beating was to keep my father happy and laughing, which I did by playing the clown, cracking jokes, and amusing his buddies when they came home drunk.

I might not be that same scared kid anymore, but clowning around when things get too serious is an inbuilt part of me now. ”

“Thank you for explaining that to me,” I say earnestly.

We fall into a comfortable silence as he makes more tea. He tells me that he’s going to go check on the others and to wait there, which I do gladly, not wanting to see the body upstairs again. After a short while, he returns.

“Ready to go? The guys can handle everything here.”

I nod, grateful to be getting as far away as I can from the dead man upstairs. I don’t want to know what Jace means by handling it.

Following Jace’s revelation, I feel a bond with him and a new level of understanding of who he is. Perhaps I was too quick to judge with my dismissal of him as just a cocky jock-type. It’s clear there’s more to Jace than the person he shows to the world.

***

When we arrive at the men’s house, Knox is there.

“Leah,” he says, jumping to his feet. “ I’m sorry I left, Axel and I… well, that doesn’t matter now. How are you doing?”

“Better, thank you,” I reply truthfully.

I’ve no idea why Knox is so mad at Axel, but it’s not my place to ask.

“We’ll find out what those bastards wanted, I promise. If they were here to harm you or the baby, I’ll hunt them down and make them pay,” he promises darkly.

I don’t doubt his seriousness. Though I don’t want any bloodshed on my behalf, it’s nice to know that Knox will do anything to protect me.

“I keep wondering if those guys came after you tonight because of me…” he says, his eyes filled with anguish.

“No, Knox, you can’t blame yourself. You were protecting me. If they were trying to finish what they started, that has nothing to do with you,” I assure him.

He nods, seeming relieved that I don’t blame him.

“You can sleep in my room,” Knox offers. “I don’t mind sleeping on the couch. Unless you plan to stay with Axel in his room.”

He says this with a trace of hurt in his voice that confuses me.

I’m unsure why Knox would have a problem with Axel and me hooking up.

Perhaps it’s purely out of concern for the baby.

Regardless, until I’ve spoken with Axel, I have no idea what he thinks about what happened between us.

With how Axel acted toward me in the past when we kissed, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wants to forget the whole thing even happened.

No way am I about to move into his bedroom without speaking to him first.

“No. If you don’t mind me taking your room, that would be great.”

“She could stay in my room, I wouldn’t mind,” Jace interjects, his voice insinuating he wouldn’t be taking the couch.

Knox shoots him a filthy glare, and Jace chuckles, having gotten the reaction he wanted.

“I’ll go get my room ready for you now, Leah,” Knox says before heading up the stairs.

Knox is in the process of changing the sheets when I join him upstairs.

“Thanks for giving up your room. I’m not sure that I could stay in that house. It was bad enough feeling the absence of Zeus and Donna, but now…” My voice trails off as I think of what might have happened if Axel hadn’t been there.

“It’s no problem. The room is yours for as long as you need it.” Knox gathers some of his things and turns to leave, stopping in the doorway to look at me. “I’m glad you’re safe,” he says softly. “If you need anything, I’m right downstairs, and the others will be back soon.”

I get the impression that there’s more he wants to say.

But he simply closes the door and leaves.

I hear him and Jace talking quietly downstairs as I take a long, hot shower before climbing into bed.

Dawn is almost breaking, and I think there’s no way that I can sleep after everything that happened; my nerves are too frazzled.

Yet, as the cool sheets embrace me, I find myself drifting off into an exhausted slumber.

With the guys downstairs, I know I’m in the safest place I can be.