Nine
1786 Words
Her eyes fluttered open to a knock on her bedroom door. Groaning, she rolled onto her stomach and buried her head in her pillow as she screamed into it. The door opened, and she heard her brother-in-law call her name quietly. She felt the bed dip beneath his weight as he rested a hand on her upper back.
“So, how was your date?” He asked calmly.
Lifting her head enough to glare at him, she groaned again. “I’m not a morning person, Declan.”
“I’m well aware,” he chuckled. “I heard you had a run-in with some trouble last night.”
Rolling onto her back, she stretched out on her bed as he held up a sealed envelope. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she huffed until he handed her a cold cloth. Her frown returned once her face was washed, “Yeah, I had some issues in the ranks, but I took care of them. What’s that?”
He shrugged, “I’m not entirely sure. See, the thing is, Thomas has always been hard on Memphis, but he’s been letting him off with more and more lately. I have a feeling the reason is in this envelope he dropped off this morning.”
The night before had not just been her first date. It was her first dance with a boy. Having Memphis hold her in his arms like that made her feel like she was something precious. While other guys would have focused on getting in her pants, he wanted nothing more than to give her a taste of normalcy. A taste of something she’d been itching for since she moved into Everett Towers.
She forced a smile, “Declan, we had a good time last night. Nothing happened past a few dances, a verbal confrontation with my Chapter.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. She noticed that he hadn’t yet put it up, making it painfully obvious that he had been worried about her all night. “That’s good. I know you think I’m making a big deal out of this, but respect and loyalty work both ways, Ken. I just don’t want to see you get hurt over a breakup if it comes down to that.”
Dark azure eyes met her light blues as he looked her over. He smiled, his eyes crinkling slightly. She let out the breath she’d been holding as a feeling of guilt filled her. “Declan, I…”
“Before you start dishing out apologies, let me say this,” he said quietly. “You and your sister were a package deal, sweetheart. There was never a doubt in my mind that if I wanted her, I’d have to accept you into my life as well. Kenni, just promise me that you won’t let your emotions lead you. I get that having a boyfriend is a bit of a big deal, but your sister and I are always here if you need us.”
“A few months ago, I would have laughed at you for saying that.” She finally told him. “A few months ago, I was hiding my love-interest from everyone, then Memphis suddenly turns the tables on me and tells me he’s in love with me. Like, he legit walked into my hospital room with that confession up his sleeve, and it threw me for a loop. I didn’t know if he was for real or not, but I felt the same way about him. I took a chance, just like my sister did with you. You know, she told me that it was because you made her feel safe that she finally gave in to your badgering.”
Declan’s eyes took in the relaxed way she was sitting as he nodded. She would have been far more tense if anything had gone wrong the night before. He watched her pick at the lint on her comforter as she shifted her weight.
“Is there anything else?” He asked.
Kennedy shook her head, “I would have killed him first, then called you to help dispose of the body. You know I don’t take anyone’s bullshit in any form, and that’s why I’m Nix’s Shield. I don’t half-ass my work, Dec. I never have, and I never will.”
“Yeah,” he laughed, “I knew I raised you right. This will always be your home, no matter what happens, Kenni. You will always have your family at your back.”
She smiled, “Yeah, I know. Is Tem up or have you not slept yet?”
“I slept. She’s still in bed resting, so I got up to make breakfast this morning.” He replied as he got to his feet.
Falling back onto her pillow, she sighed heavily. It was Saturday, which meant they had training with Thomas that morning, and with Declan in the afternoon. “What’s on the schedule today?”
“Drills, as usual,” he told her as he reached the door. Looking back over his shoulder, he grinned. “I’m actually thinking of pairing you with Memphis today for sparring. Don’t go easy on him.”
“Oh, trust me, I won’t,” she replied as she threw off the covers. “It’s going to be a cold day in hell when I let him one-up me in the ring.”
Laughing, he left her alone to get ready for the day.
Getting back to the kitchen, he grinned at Thomas.
When they first met, the man looked like a powerhouse of strength and wisdom to Declan. Yet, between Thomas, Callum, Trace, and David, there were no better friends to have at his back in a fight.
He poured another coffee before dishing up the kids’ food and bringing them their plates. Returning, he said, “She’s got it bad, man. I didn’t realize how into him she was, but wow.”
“That’s what I said about Memphis this morning. For the first time in his life, I didn’t have to b***h at him to clean his room. She told him off about it the day she came for the assignment back in December, and he’s been keeping it cleaned ever since.” Thomas replied.
Declan laughed, “Yeah, well, how the heck do you think Temperance and I deal with our kids. They get out of hand, and Aunt Kenni comes to the rescue.”
“I was just worried about how they would click together. It’s not going to be easy for them to overcome some of the racist bull that still happens this day and age, either.”
Someone cleared their throat, and the two men looked toward the door where Kennedy was standing. “Good morning, Thomas. Is Memphis on his A-game because it’s a training day, and I’m not going easy on him.”
“Is that right?” He asked, hiding his smirk behind his hand. His dark eyes regarded her silently, waiting for her to back down. Something he knew deep down she would never do.
“I’m dead serious,” She replied hotly.
Grinning at the girl his son was dating, Thomas shook his head. “That’s good to hear. I don’t want him slacking off, so try to keep him as motivated as possible.”
Grabbing an apple from the table, she frowned out the kitchen window. Facing her boyfriend’s father this early in the morning wasn’t as bad as she assumed it would be. Turning to Declan, she tilted her head to the side. “Hey, is my Ducati fixed?”
“They just finished it last evening,” he replied. “Why? Are you planning something?”
She took a breath, “Thomas, would you mind if Memphis and I went out for breakfast?”
His dark brown brows shot up into his neatly-trimmed hairline. A look of complete shock crossed his dark features as he slowly shook his head. “You want to go out for breakfast? With my son?”
“We’ll make it back in time for training,” she answered.
Waving a hand into the air, he shook his head. “Still not sure what’s going on between you, but yea, go ahead. You need money?”
“Nope, I've got my own. Thanks for the offer, though.” She answered as she bolted for the door.
As she got to the elevator, the doors slid open to reveal Memphis. The guilty look on his face told her that she wasn’t going to like what he had to say to her. Only last night, they had made progress in their relationship.
“What happened?” She asked.
He blinked at her, the guilty look getting stronger. He sniffled slightly, “Um, one of the new trainees was hitting on me a few minutes ago. I was, uh, just mentally trying to figure out how the hell that was going to look on me if I didn’t get to you first. We promised no secrets or lies, and if I didn’t tell you myself, then someone else would. I didn’t want you to think that I was lying by omission.”
A stunned silence permeated the air around them. She pursed her lips, taking a deep breath. “So, what happened? That look on your face tells me you feel guilty, so spill.”
Lowering his head, he winced. “I didn’t flirt back, Ken. I told her I had a girlfriend, and, well, she got pushy.”
“Stop dancing around the issue, and tell me what happened, Memphis,” she said again.
“There should be no reason for that,” Thomas said darkly.
Knowing he was cornered, Memphis groaned as he wrestled with the truth. “She, uh, she kissed me.”
Kennedy’s jaw dropped, her mind grinding to a screeching halt. “She what?”
Thomas groaned, knowing that his son had probably just ended everything in a single moment. “Tell me you pushed her off?”
“Well, duh, Dad. You think I'm going to let some knock-off get to me? I don’t need no half-baked hussy when I've got a literal genius for a woman.” The younger man snorted a laugh. “You can go ahead and ask Jaxon and Lukas. We were talking about upgrading my assistant tech when she came up to me.”
Nodding, Kennedy pushed past him.
“Wait, where are you going?” Memphis asked, nervous at the sight of the smile gracing her features.
“I need to go smack a b***h,” she answered happily before the silver doors separated them.
- Writer
