Chapter 13: First threat
846 Words
Jane’s POV
Rule #9: 'Wilson girls don’t walk alone. Ever'
I learned that meant ever.
Bathroom? Zack waited outside. Hallway to the kitchen? Jake walked with me. Elevator? Alexander was there, phone in hand, eyes on the doors like someone might jump out.
It was annoying.
It was also… nice.
I’d never had brothers before. Real ones. Not counting Mark. Now I had three shadows who argued over who got to carry my backpack.
“Stop,” I said on day three, as we left my room. “I can walk to the gym by myself. It’s literally one floor down.”
“No,” Zack said. He was behind me. Always behind me. “You can’t.”
“I’m not a baby,” I said.
“I know,” Zack said. “Babies don’t get shot at. You do.”
I stopped walking. “What?”
Jake winced. “Dude. Too soon.”
“Too honest,” Alexander corrected. He was in front, checking the stairwell before we went down. “But he’s right. Dad got intel last night. Someone knows you’re back.”
The air left my lungs. “Who?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Alexander said. “They won’t get close.”
“Because of us,” Jake added. He bumped my shoulder with his. Gentle. “Three-to-one odds. We like those.”
I didn’t. My hands were cold. I shoved them in Zack’s hoodie pockets. I was still wearing it. Sue me. It was soft and it smelled like safety.
Zack noticed. He always noticed. “You okay?”
“No,” I said. Honest. “But I will be?”
“Yeah,” he said. Fast. Like it was a fact. “You will be. Because we’re not gonna let anything happen.”
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It's 3pm.
We were in the compound’s “garden.” Which was just a rooftop with fake grass and real guards and a lot of glass walls. Marta said Dad thought I needed “sunlight” and “normalcy.”
Normalcy was Jake trying to teach me to skip rocks in the pool. There were no rocks. He was using coins.
“Like this,” he said, flicking a peso. It plopped. “Okay, bad example.”
“You’re bad at everything,” I said.
“You’re bad at pushups,” he shot back.
“Children,” Alexander said from his chair. He was on his laptop. Always working. “Stop flirting.”
“We’re not—” I started.
“We’re not,” Jake finished at the same time. We both went red.
Zack was by the glass wall. He wasn’t sitting. He never sat when we were outside. He was standing, arms crossed, eyes scanning the buildings across from us. Like he expected a sniper.
Which, apparently, was possible.
“Company,” Zack said.
Everyone moved.
Alexander’s laptop shut. Jake stepped in front of me. Zack was already between me and the glass.
The elevator dinged.
A man stepped out. Mid-30s. Suit. Smile. Hands empty. But his eyes weren’t empty. They were sharp.
“Mr. Alexander,” the man said. “Mr. Jake. Mr. Zachary. And this must be Miss Jane.”
He knew my name.
“Who are you?” Alexander said. He didn’t stand. He didn’t have to. He just existed, and the air got colder.
“Rafael Cruz,” the man said. “Old friend of your father’s. I was in the area. Heard the Wilsons had a new daughter. Wanted to pay respects.”
Respects. The way he said it made my skin crawl.
“Dad’s not seeing visitors,” Zack said. His voice was flat. The scary flat. “You leave now.”
Rafael’s smile didn’t move. “I’m not here for Sandro. I’m here for her.” He looked at me. Over Jake’s shoulder. “You look just like Elena.”
My blood went ice.
Jake went stiff. “Don’t say her name.”
“Why not?” Rafael said. “She was beautiful. Like this one. Same eyes. Same—”
“Stop talking,” Zack said.
He’d moved. I didn’t see him move. One second he was three feet away. Next second he was between me and Jake, blocking me completely.
I couldn’t see Rafael anymore. I could only see Zack’s back. Broad. Tense.
“Easy, boy,” Rafael said. “I’m just talking. No weapons. No threat. Just… admiration. A girl in the Wilson house. After so long. It’s news.”
“It’s not news,” Alexander said. He was standing now too. “It’s family. And family isn’t your business.”
“Everything’s my business,” Rafael said. “Especially when Sandro Wilson suddenly has a weakness again.”
Weakness. He meant me.
I grabbed the back of Zack’s hoodie. I didn’t mean to. It was just… my hand moved.
Zack went rigid. Then, slow, he reached back and covered my hand with his. Just for a second. I’m here. Then he let go.
“Last warning,” Zack said to Rafael. “Leave.”
- Writer
