Sins of the Father

Chapter 5





I awoke to soft, trailing kisses on my neck and took a deep breath in, smiling contently before opening my eyes. I was wrapped in Jameson’s arms as he spooned my naked body with his from behind. He ran his nose up the length of my neck, inhaling deeply, and sighed as he reached my ear. “Good morning, a luaidh,” he said with a smile as he gently nuzzled my earlobe. “Did you sleep well?”

I briefly stretched and rolled over on top of him. “Never better,” I said and brushed my lips over his. His hands eagerly kneaded my backside and I sat up, straddling him, and smiled. “How did you sleep?”

He smiled and cocked his eyebrow, taking a deep breath in as he surveyed my body. “That’s the best night’s sleep I’ve had in decades.”

I laughed and bit my bottom lip. “Well, since we’re awake…” I started to say as I wiggled side to side briefly, playfully, on his hips and looked down into his eyes. He growled with need and flipped me over on my back. I squealed with laughter as he showered my body with deliciously light, playful, hungry kisses. It was another hour before we finally managed to get out of bed.

I sat on top of my kitchen counter, sipping my morning cup of tea, as Jameson stood next to me at the stove cooking me breakfast. I absolutely loved it when he cooked for me. The first time he did was about a week ago after we fell asleep on my couch while watching a movie. He surprised me the next morning with a deliciously hardy and elaborate spread.

Jameson was an extraordinarily good cook for someone who hadn’t consumed food in 267 years. He flipped the bacon and put on the French toast as we talked about our plans for the day. Jameson had a show tonight at Whiskey Mick’s and would not be working at The Mausoleum with me. We were making plans to meet up at my house afterward when the furious pounding on my door started.

Styvi Nix barked like crazy and Jameson flashed to the front door. He looked out the peephole, quickly unlocked it and threw it wide open.

“Thank God you’re both okay,” Nikki said quickly, sighing in relief. “Have either of you been outside yet today?” Nikki hurriedly asked Jameson.

I quickly hopped down from the counter and pulled my black silk robe tight around my body. “Nikki, are you okay?” I asked, hurrying over to her. “What’s wrong?”

I saw Jameson quickly flash outside in nothing but his blue boxer shorts and I looked back at Nikki. She was shaking her head, her eyes wide and apologetic. “It’s bad, cupcake. Someone completely trashed both of your cars.”

My jaw dropped and my brow furrowed in confusion. “What?” I whispered as I shook my head in denial.

“I just got home from Lyric’s and I freaked out when I pulled up,” she said pulling me toward the door. “You’ve got to see this.”

I let her lead me outside and, when my driveway came into view, my knees got weak. My feet stopped moving on their own accord as I saw Jameson standing in the driveway next to what was left of our cars.

I put my hands to my mouth and shook my head. My car! My sassy little beloved red two-seater was an absolute wreck. All of the windows had been smashed out, the tires slashed, and it looked as if someone had taken a baseball bat and a wicked set of keys to the body. “Oh God,” I whispered as I slowly gravitated toward what was left of my Pontiac Fiero.

“We should call the cops,” Nikki said as she pulled her cell phone out of her jeans.

Jameson quickly jogged to us, stopping us from walking any closer, and took the cell phone out of her hands. “I’ve got a better idea,” he said calmly. “Mind if I borrow this?”

Nikki’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Uh…okay…I guess. But, shouldn’t we call the police?” I turned to Jameson, my eyes asking him the same question.

Jameson looked me square in the eyes and shook his head. His eyes were filled with a careful warning that I didn’t quite understand. He turned back to Nikki. “No. I have quite a few outstanding speeding tickets and I’d rather not get them involved,” he lied easily. “Besides, I think I know who did it.”

My eyes got wide and I gasped as I instantly thought of the only person it could have possibly been. “Jesse…” I whispered.

He glanced back over at me, shook he head ‘No’ infinitesimally and poignantly warned me again with his eyes. “I’m going to go make a call. You two stay right here and stay away from the cars.”

We watched as Jameson jogged back inside. Nikki turned to me and furrowed her brow. “Why in the hell would Jesse trash your cars?” she asked confused. “He’s not that crazy, is he?”

I sighed and thought about it. Jameson had shaken his head ‘No’ when I said Jesse’s name, so maybe he thought it wasn’t him. I couldn’t think of anyone else who would possibly have had a reason to do this. “I don’t know anymore,” I shook my head tiredly, answering Nikki’s question.

I wrapped my arms around my waist as my eyes slid unwillingly to Jameson’s formerly pristine black BMW z4 sDrive35i roadster. His once beautiful car had suffered the exact same fate as mine. His windows were all broken, his tires slashed, and the body was horribly pocked with dents and numerous deep scratches.

I took a helpless deep breath and shook my head, confused as to why someone would want to do this to us.

I turned to my car and slowly walked up to the driver’s side door. It was slightly ajar, hanging at a weird angle, and moved to close it. I suddenly stopped, my hand hovering a mere inch from the window frame, and my brain immediately went into overload. I started to shake violently as I stared uncomprehendingly down at my front seat.

“Cupcake?” Nikki called to me suddenly, uncertainty in her voice, and I tore my gaze away from the front seat to look at her with wide, terrified eyes. She quickly rushed over to me, grabbed my hand and dragged me inside.

My feet felt like they were encased in cement and weren’t cooperating very well. Nikki dragged me to the couch, sat me down and yelled out to Jameson. “Jameson, get down here! Something is wrong with her. I think she’s going into shock or something.”

Jameson ran down the stairs, cell phone to his ear, and kneeled down to look me in the eyes. “Oh, love,” he groaned regretfully as he absorbed the shocked state I was in. He wrapped one arm around my neck and pulled me to his chest. “I told you to stay away from the cars,” he said gently. He leaned his head back momentarily and spoke hurriedly into the cell phone again before closing it and setting it down on the floor.

Jameson turned to Nikki as he hugged me tightly. “Can you take Styvi Nix into the backyard and keep her occupied for a little while?”

“But,” Nikki started to argue. She sounded like she didn’t want to leave my side.

“Nikki, please,” Jameson said pleading with her. “I have some people who are coming to help and I’m afraid Styvi’s not going to deal well with them being in her house.”

Nikki reluctantly agreed and scooped up a still barking Styvi Nix into her arms and carried her out the back door and into the backyard.

I shook my head as I fought what my mind was trying to show me. No, I thought silently. No. My mind flashed to what I had just seen in the front seat of my car and what I had seen on the PVIP table at The Mausoleum two nights ago and I unknowingly opened my mouth to release a bloodcurdling scream.

Jameson quickly, but gently covered my mouth with his hand, effectively stifling the sound before it could be heard, and leaned forward to touch his forehead to mine. “Shh, baby, shh,” he gently shushed me as he slowly took his hand away from my mouth. I stared at him, wide-eyed, mouth open, and struggled to speak. Nothing would come out and I started hyperventilating with the panic I felt finally settle in.

“Jesus,” Jameson swore helplessly as he picked me up, flashed to the kitchen, and set me down on the kitchen counter. He quickly rummaged through my cabinets and found a bottle of Johnny Walker Black as he grabbed a glass and brought it over, pouring two healthy shots into it and held it to my lips. “Drink, love…you have to drink this. It’ll help, I promise.”

I managed to hold my breath long enough to chug the glass. The liquid burned hot down the entire length of my esophagus and settled heavily in my stomach. Jameson poured another generous shot and made me drink that one too. He managed to coax three glasses in me before I couldn’t take another sip. We sat there for a few minutes as Jameson rubbed circles on my back and I worked at slowing my breathing.

“I’m so sorry,” Jameson finally said softly.

I turned to him and he wiped the silent tears from my cheeks. “Why is this happening?”

We heard the roar of a sports car come blasting down my street and screech to a stop in the cul-de-sac outside my house. “Archer and Quinn are here,” Jameson said as he quickly kissed my forehead. “I’ll be right back. Stay here, okay?”

“Please don’t leave me,” I begged him as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Please, Jameson.”

He growled with frustrated indecision and ran his fingers through his hair before picking me up off the counter and flashing outside with me. Jameson quickly set me down on the entry sidewalk and pulled my face to his chest as he wrapped his arms protectively around me. “Don’t look, okay love?”

I gladly buried my face so I didn’t have to look at my car or what was sitting inside of it again.

“Jameson,” I heard Archer roughly growl in greeting. His voice was frightening. There were so many emotions laced in that one word. Mostly, he sounded wrathful.

“Athair,” Jameson respectfully rumbled back. “Quinn.”

“Where’s the girl?” Archer growled lowly.

“She’s in the back yard,” Jameson answered. My head snapped up at the mention of Nikki and I looked up at Archer and involuntarily flinched.

Archer was already staring at me. Hard. His brow was furrowed, his eyes were mostly drained of their beautiful ice blue color, and his nostrils flared angrily. Archer deliberately slid his cloudy eyes irately over my body, head to toe and back. I blushed in disconcerted embarrassment and was surprised to find that it was tinged with a smidge of shame. I realized that I was standing outside in nothing more than my tiny, filmy black robe. My nude body was only a mere slip of the sash or a gust of wind away from his penetrating, furious eyes. I quickly looked up at Jameson and saw that he was closely watching Archer, his eyes equally as worried as mine. I looked down and saw that his only article of clothing was still just a meager pair of blue boxer shorts. It was clear why Archer was angry with me. Jameson and I were obviously a couple now. I didn’t care what Archer thought, though. He was married and I had moved on. I don’t have time for cheaters or liars.

I gathered up my courage and asked about Nikki. “What do you want with her?” I asked cautiously.

“Quinn is here to alter her memory,” Jameson explained gently, “…and those of your nearest neighbors. It’s just a precaution, love.”

I looked over at Quinn uncertainly. “You won’t hurt them?”

He somberly, silently shook his head and turned and walked to the gate on the side of the house before disappearing behind it.

I looked back at Archer and immediately recognized the anger and hurt that burned so intently in his eyes. It was the same look that I had had in my very own just two days before when I saw him and Aoife kissing up in his office. He had no right to look at me that way, not now; not after lying to me about Aoife. Don’t, I silently told him as I felt tears sting my eyes again. The alcohol that I consumed was helping to dull my feelings, but it wasn’t helping as much as I needed it to. I didn’t want to cry over Archer Rhys ever again.

A white van pulled up horizontally to the end of my driveway, drawing my attention away from Archer. Two tall, muscular men in black t-shirts and slacks got out and silently walked up to my car. I recognized one of the men immediately. It was the emerald-eyed man that I saw sitting at the PVIP table with Archer last night. He was carrying a black duffle bag and called out to Archer.

Archer poignantly looked back and forth between Jameson and me a few more times before he wordlessly turned around and joined the two men.

“He’s really mad at us,” I said under my breath after a minute.

Jameson reached for my hand and held it tight. “Aye. We knew he would be, though,” he whispered as he reached with his free hand to cup my cheek. “Do you regret your decision, Skye?”

I turned my head into his touch and kissed his palm tenderly. I looked deeply into his light green eyes and put everything I felt for Jameson behind mine. I wanted him to see and feel just how much last night meant to me; how much HE meant to me. “Never,” I said softly against his hand.

A rough, metal screaking sounded and Jameson and I turned to my car. Archer had yanked my driver’s side door open and ‘Emerald Eyes’ was bent over, reaching into my car. My blood immediately ran cold and I started to tremble again. I wanted to hide, to seek solace in Jameson’s strong arms, but I couldn’t seem to tear my gaze away.

He stood up and in each hand was a fistful of hair that was attached to a severed head. My stomach churned but I couldn’t look away. In E.E.’s right hand was the head of a man who looked to be about twenty-five years old. He had short black hair and an awful death grimace. My face suddenly started to tingle and an icy chill swept down my entire body. I got incredibly light headed as I clutched my stomach and fought hard to keep the scotch down.

I looked over at the severed head in the man’s left hand and that was the one that upset me the most. I started trembling harder and took a step backwards as the light-headed feeling intensified and black spots danced in my vision. The head in his left hand belonged to my ex-boyfriend Jesse Prescott. His long, dirty blond hair was horribly matted with dried blood and his eyes and mouth were open. Jesse! The tingling in my face increased to pin pricks and I had the sudden, overwhelming sensation of falling as everything went dark.