Chapter 22 - Jesting

I woke up the following day happier and more cheerful than normal. It felt like a weight had evaporated off my shoulders, and I could breathe easy again. After Zach and my awkward hug in his office, I quickly excused myself and headed to bed. I could tell Zach had things he wanted to talk about, but my brain was fried, and I needed to decompress before answering any more questions.
I knew Zach would have plenty of questions for me this morning, so I woke up extra early and got a head start on my day. After a nice long hot shower, I got dressed and headed into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee before making breakfast for everyone.
Just as I filled my cup with the delicious aromatic caffeine that fueled my day, the lift dinged, and Jaxson walked into the penthouse completely drenched in sweat. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and jogged toward the kitchen.
“Oh, you’re up early,” he commented when he saw me standing in the kitchen.
“And you look like you’ve just had an outdoor shower. You know Zach has a gym upstairs.” I snickered, sipping on my coffee.
“He’s hogging up the treadmill, so I went old school,” he replied, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and chugging it down.
I watched as Jaxson got rid of the bottle before peeling off his t-shirt. I cocked my eyebrow, my eyes scanning how chiseled his torso was. What caught my eye the most was the amount of injury scarring and tattoos he had. Every tattoo was strategically placed and had some kind of writing along it. I wondered if there was a story behind them.
However, the most interesting part about Jaxson’s body art was the wolf tattoo on his chest. I remembered it very vaguely, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was the same wolf tattoo Zach had on his chest. Even the healed broad and long claw-like lacerations matched the once Zach had on his body. Could they have gotten it the same way?
My eyes didn’t miss the sweat bullets running down Jaxson’s chest. It was like watching a Coke commercial where the water droplets run down a chilled bottle.
“Are you checking me out?!” Jaxson’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
*Shit!*
“N-... No!” I lied. Heat rose on my face. This is what I get for opening goggling.
“You totally were!” Jaxson laughed.
I rolled my eyes and ignored his mockery.
“What’s with the scars?” I asked shamelessly. Surely we were in a place in our newly formed friendship where I could just ask these questions.
Jaxon immediately sobered up and stared at me with wide eyes. Did I say something wrong?
“They-... they are war scars.” he cleared his throat.
*Double shit.* Of course. Jaxson was in the Marines; even his scars had a story.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to-...”
“It’s okay,” Jaxson cut me off, giving me a tight smile.
“Although, you can check me out anytime you want. I’ll happily take my clothes off for you,” Jaxson winked at me.
I burst out laughing, “Now you sound exactly like your brother. Here I thought you were different.”
“Oh, I am very different. Trust me; you will find me more interesting than my brother,” Jaxson snickered.
“Really? You all have some obsession with trying to get me out of my pants. It makes you all the same” I chuckled.
“I never said I wanted to get into your pants. What you have in your pants is of no use to me” Jaxson winked at me again before chuckling and walking away.
As I watched Jaxson walk up the stairs, my mind kept playing with what he had just said. “What’s in your pants is of no use to me”...
What did he mean by that?! *Was he….*
Before I could finish my thought, the phone on the wall behind me started ringing.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Ah, there you are. I was calling your cellphone and got worried when you didn’t answer.” Zach’s voice filled my ears.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just about to make breakfast. Will you be down soon?” My eyes darted to the top of the stairs.
“Yes, that’s why I was calling. Keiran is here too, so you might want to make a plate for him too.”
“Oh, I’m sure he is. I’ll see you gentlemen in a bit,” I snickered, ending the call and heading for the fridge.
Within minutes, the kitchen was filled with the heavenly smell of fried bacon and eggs. I flipped the last batch of pancakes and grabbed the butter flavor maple syrup from the pantry. The men’s chattering echoed through the penthouse as I plated the food.
“Hmmm, bacon…” Jaxson cooed as he pulled out a barstool and plopped down on it.
I placed a plate of food in front of him and watched his eyes light up with happiness.
“Oh god, my dick is twitching just from the smell of this scrumptious food,” Keiran blurted, earning him a smack on the back of the head from Zach.
“Watch your mouth.” Zach scowled, pulling out the bar stool next to Keiran.
Keiran rolled his eyes and rubbed his hands together as I placed his plate in front of him.
“So, Doctor Carter, what do we call you? Zadie or Stacey?” Keiran asked as he stuffed his face with pancakes.
I froze at Keiran’s question, blinking rapidly. “Y-... You know?” I stuttered, my eyes flicking to Jaxson, who also seemed unfazed. “You all know?”
“Umm, I’m the one that got all the information on you. So yes, I know. Jaxson knows because he’s just a nosy ass,” Keiran gushed while receiving a glare from Jaxson.
Got all the information on me? So, he was the only that pulled all my files.
I looked toward Zach, arching my eyebrow.
“Don’t look at me like that. Keiran is good at collecting information on people, so I asked him to look into you. Sue me,” Zach confessed, shrugging his shoulders and stuffing his mouth with bacon.
I sighed and shook my head. These men were going to get me into big trouble.
“Stacey is fine. Regardless of what you guys may know about me, I’m still being hunted by a notorious criminal. I can’t go flaunting my real identity. Besides, people here in Seattle know me as Stacey; it would be weird if the three of you start calling me something else.” I explained, placing coffee cups in front of the men.
Anger flashed across Zach’s handsome features when I mentioned Knox. His eyebrows knitted together, and the sour look on his face made me want to hide.
“I dare that asshole to try and even lay a finger on you. I’ll break his bones one at a time, making him beg me to stop,” Jaxson sneered, an angry fire glowing in his eyes.
“I’ll help you,” Keiran added, casually sipping my coffee.
A wave of acid wells up in my stomach at the thought of Jaxson and Keiran breaking someone’s bones. They were too nice for violence like that.
I watched as the man filled their plates with more food and scuffed it down, making me question my decision to make such a small quantity. I made a mental note to make sure I made more next time.
“Doc, this is so good. I think I might just move in if you are going to keep making such amazing meals,” Keiran muttered while chewing.
Did he just call me Doc?! God, it’s been a while since I’ve heard that word.
“I thought you lived here already? I mean, you are always around,” I snickered.
Zach and Jaxson started laughing.
“Aight, clean a room for me; I’m moving in.” Keiran declared.
“Fuck no! I don’t want your skanks walking around in my house. Keep all your nasty habits under your own roof.” Zach takes his last bite and licks his lips.
Jaxson bursts out laughing, making Keiran roll his eyes and elbow Jaxson in the gut.
“Asshole!” Jaxson coughed, rubbing his stomach.
“Okay. Time to go before you two spill blood.” Zach cleared his throat and got up.
Keiran finished his meal quickly and got up, pulling on his jacket.
“We’re going to Vegas for a meeting. I don’t know when we will be back, so don’t make dinner for us tonight. I’ll get something on the way.” Zach began, adjusting his tie.
He was wearing a white shirt with a cobalt blue suede tie that made his eyes sparkle brighter.
I nodded and started cleaning up, trying to distract myself from how hot Zach looked.
“Don’t worry. I’m here to keep you company.” Jaxson winked at me.
“Hey, why does he get to wink at her, but if I do it, I get beaten up?!” Keiran protested.
“Because, unlike you, Jaxson doesn’t have a twitchy dick.” Zach laughed, Jaxson joining him.
“Fuckers” Keiran grumbled.
I couldn’t help but laugh at them jesting. It had been so long since my life was so boisterous.
Zach picked up his phone from the counter and looked me dead in the eye, making me freeze in my spot.
“Behave. Or I will honor that threat I made last night,” Zach narrowed his eyes at me.
The thought of Zach chaining me to his bed sent a shiver through my body. Even though the idea sounded psychotic, it made my lady bits quiver. Now that he knew who I really was, I could indulge in these feelings, right?
The chuckling in the background broke my trance. I blinked rapidly, clearing my head of all my nasty thoughts. Keiran and Jaxson had matching smirks on their faces like they knew exactly what I was thinking about.
Zach didn’t wait for my response. Instead, he buttoned up his jacket and started walking toward the lift.
“Zach,” I called out, stopping him mid-step. He turned to look at me.
“Ryker wasn’t responsible for what happened yesterday. Is there a chance you could please talk to Courtney? I don’t want him losing his job because of me” I held my breath.
This was my mistake, and I felt terrible about it, but I knew this was the only way to rectify my mistake.
“I have the urge to say no because I want to teach you a little lesson for disobeying me. But you are right; poor guy shouldn’t lose his job over this” Zach sighed.
“Keiran, takecare of it will you?” Zach ordered, continuing his strides towards the lift.
“Oh man, I have plans tonight. There’s a hot blonde at the Dive Bar begging me to rail her.” Keiran complained following Zach.
Jaxson stood next to me, chuckling as we watched the two men get into the lift, arguing about Zach’s request.
“What exactly is Keiran going to do?” I asked Jaxson.
“K will do what he does best. He calls it “*dick-tification*”. Using his dick to fix all the female problems Zach has,” Jaxson laughed.
I rolled my eyes and snickered. There must be something really magical about Keiran’s dick if Zach uses it as a weapon.
“So, what do you wanna do today?” Jaxson asked, strolling into the living and plopping down on a couch.
“I need to go to the supermarket and get some groceries. We could have some lunch while we’re out.” I replied, stacking the dishwasher with the dirty dishes.
“I’ll go grab a jacket” Jaxson got up immediately and headed up the stairs.
Jaxson’s action made me smile. The way these men were treating me made me feel very special. I had spent my entire life trying to win people’s affection and attention. I was trying to prove my value. For once, I was receiving it all without having to work for it. I knew Keiran and Jaxson’s intentions were amicable. They both knew Zach had deep-seated feelings for me, and they weren’t going to do anything that would ruin it. Their loyalty for Zach ran deeper than blood.
I finished cleaning up the kitchen and headed for my room to get my things. I picked up my phone to check the time and found a text from Derek.
#Need to see you. It’s urgent. Diner, 10 am?
Why did he want to see me so urgently? I dialed Derek’s number, and it went straight to voicemail. This guy needed to learn to answer his calls.
I stared at my phone and contemplated what to do. Derek wasn’t in my good graces at the moment, and I wasn’t sure if Zach would be happy about me going out to see Derek. His threat rang through my ears.
Taking a deep breath in, I grabbed my bag and headed for the lift. I knew I would regret this, but if Derek needed to see me urgently, something was definitely wrong.
I walked into the living room and found it empty. Jaxson must still be upstairs. I looked up at the top of the stairs and chewed on the inside of my cheeks. I couldn’t figure out whether I would sneak out or just tell Jaxson. What was the point of me hiding all this from Zach? If I wanted Zach’s help, I needed to show him he could trust me. Sneaking out wasn’t the best way to gain trust.
I stood in front of the lift, hesitating. My heart and brain were having another battle. My head was making a list of pros and cons while my heart was humming to the thought of Zach’s unspoken yet obvious feelings for me.
“It’s funny watching you deliberate your life decisions” Jaxson’s voice shattered my thoughts.
I turned to find him leaning against the wall next to the lift. I hadn’t noticed him come up behind me.
Jaxson’s eyes darkened when he saw the torment on my face.
“What’s wrong?! Did something happen?” He demanded, concern glistening in his eyes.
“Derek wants to see me. I was about to sneak out, but what’s the point? As much as I am meant to be hiding my identity, you boys already know about my past and my connection to Derek. Am I meant to be pretending you don’t know? Will Derek be mad that I’ve told you? What am I meant to be doing?” I rambled. My comfort level with Jaxson just went to a whole different level.
Jaxson’s face softened. “I thought Derek and you were friends? Would he really care that much that you’ve told Zach and us?”
“I really don’t know. These days Derek seems to be more of a puppet for the FBI than my friend. You know there was a time in my life when I trusted him more than life itself.Besides, the last time i saw him, I told him not ot contact me until my friend was back and genuinely wanted to help me.”

“Well, whether he likes it or not, we know, and if we want to keep you safe, I think it’s in our interest to work together,” Jaxson stated.
Jaxson was right; both parties did need to work together. I wanted them to work together.
Deep down, I was glad Zach knew about my past because right now, I didn’t know if I could trust Derek or the FBI with my safety. Zach had managed to make me feel much safer than the Witness Protection Program had.
“Since you are in charge of my safety, would you like to come with me to see Derek?” I smiled at Jaxson.
Jaxson’s lips curled into a cheeky smirk. “Lead the way, ma’am.”