Page 24 of Peaceful Chaos

Mt. Chaos

Sin

The van pulls upoutside the main door of the gym. We all gape in amazement at the repairs already completed. Ford seems to be the only one not surprised to find the gym in decent shape. The last time we were all here together the front door was blown off by the explosion Jesse Wilson set up to create a distraction in his attempt to abduct Raven. A new, heavier duty steel door hangs in place of the old one. A high tech scanner, Shane's work no doubt, replaces the old manual lock he had before.

"How?" I ask, gesturing to the updates.

Ford shrugs. "We were on lock down, but with electronic banking and phones, it's not hard to get a crew out here to do the work I needed to have done."

"What about the lock?"

"My grandpa came and installed it from my design," Shane joins the conversation.

Ford enters the code and slides the door open. The smell of fresh paint and the chemicals used to get rid of the smoke wafts from the main room.

Ford wrinkles his nose. "It appears more work needs to be done to air the place out, but otherwise I think it's as good as new."

Brett eyes the new security system wired to the doors and windows. "I'd say it's better than new. When do you expect to open?"

"Well, that depends on your friend, don't you think? When are we going to be released from house arrest?" Ford snaps.

Honestly, he's been fairly subdued considering everything he's at risk of losing. His spot on the football team is in danger, even though he's the starting quarterback. Hard to hold on to a position you can't show up to perform. As far as the gym goes, he's bleeding money every day he's forced to be away from the business.

It isn't the money that bothers him the most though, it's all the women he isn't able to help while it's closed. His dream of offering a safe place for victims of domestic violence is delayed every day we're forced to remain locked in the house.

"You aren't under any kind of arrest," Brett mutters.

"So we're free to leave the house then?" Shane jumps in.

Brett clasps his hands behind his head and stares at the ceiling. "I'm working on it. None of this is ideal, and I'm not going to bullshit you and tell you everything you're going through is necessary. Not after discovering the cameras inside the house. I'm here with you, aren't I?"

Ford nods. "Yeah, I guess that counts for something."

A knock on the door ends the tense conversation before an argument can break out. As usual, Lucien looks ready to throw logs into the fire. Nothing good will come from letting him get started. Especially considering the target of his anger, his uncle, is currently playing nice with Damien in a deluded plan to put him behind bars, leaving Brett to take the brunt of Lucien’s rage.

I go and pull open the heavy door, revealing a man who is undoubtedly my uncle. The resemblance is uncanny. He's about my height, maybe an inch shorter than my six-foot-three. He's muscular, clearly more active than someone with a desk job. Looking at him makes me feel like I'm seeing myself in twenty years, and for the first time I don't feel so disconnected from my family.

Going through life not knowing who you are or where you come from is like trying to put a puzzle together upside down. You can tell how the pieces fit together, but they don't really make a picture. Knowing who my parents are doesn’t make me a different person, but it's nice to be able to see the picture as it comes together.

Javier smirks at me, the same crooked up turn of his lips that I've seen from my own reflection. "Nice to see you again, kid. You've grown a bit since the last time I saw you."

"I feel like I remember you." My voice is quiet and unsure.

"You should, I was your favorite uncle."

"Do I have others?" I honestly haven't given my parents a chance to fill me in on the make up of either of their families. My family, I guess.

He laughs, and I'm finding it hard to believe he runs the largest private mercenary organization in the world. "I guess not, but you like me better than your aunts too. At least you used to." A frown comes over his face, and I wonder if he's thinking of the sister he lost.

Javier turns to Raven and holds out his hand. "You must be Jackson's beautiful wife. A Helen for modern times if ever I met one."

"Helen?" Lucien asks.

I roll my eyes. Somehow, despite the fact I didn't remember him, I understand his sense of humor immediately. "The face that launched a thousand ships."

Raven turns her face away. "I certainly don't want anyone to go to war over me."

Javier squeezes her hand once before releasing it. "Yet we will, but it will be worth it. I guess we should get down to business. Is there somewhere we can all sit for this chat?"

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