Page 3 of Peaceful Chaos

Heart to Heart

Raven

Our nice,spacious house feels more like a closet with everyone trapped inside waiting on Grant to arrive and tell us what comes next. Jen busies herself by making breakfast. Bacon sizzles on the stove, and the smell fills the house. I watch her, trying to learn what I can since I can’t cook to save my life.

Lucien squeezes past us on his way to the coffee maker, and I make room for him while trying to fix my own cup of coffee.This kitchen wasn’t built for three people to work side by side.

Luce pours a cup and sets it on the counter for Teddy. "Are they still parked out there?" he asks him.

Teddy takes a sip. "Just like they have been all night."

"This is ridiculous," I grumble and abandon my mug next to the pot. Slipping into a pair of sandals that I discarded by the door, I head for the SUV.

Brett jumps when I tap on the window, then rolls it down. "You know you can come in."

"I'm just waiting for your uncle to show up," he replies.

"Well, I'm here now. Let's go in and chat," Grant calls out, strolling down the sidewalk. With our vehicles, plus the one Brett is in, Grant had to park across the street.

The three of us enter the house, and Lucien groans when he sees the two large men following behind me. "Is this a house or a fucking clown car? Do you have any more people out there you'd like to shove in here? I bet there's a window sill someone can sit on."

"Lucien, quit your bitching and sit down," Grant snaps.

"Fuck, just because you turned out to be my uncle, doesn't mean I'm going to jump when you tell me to do something," Lucien gripes, but takes a seat nonetheless.

Sin walks into the room. He tossed and turned all night, plagued by nightmares. Every time he woke, he'd seek me out and slip his hand under the hem of my shirt. The moment his skin touched mine he'd sigh, and slip back into sleep.

The events of yesterday, combined with Grant's parting words cut deep into the place Sin tries to keep buried. Slowly, he's starting to come out of the hardened shell life has forced him into, and I'll be damned if I let anyone shove him back into the darkness.

Grant's face hardens at Sin's arrival, and it's clear shit is about to hit the fan. "Last night was a shit show. I let my sympathy for the three of you cause me to overlook certain things. Mainly, that your first instinct is to kill. Bodies are racking up behind you and I can't keep ignoring that."

He levels a gaze at Sin. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you taunted Damien that Jesse would talk."

Sin's arms lace across his chest and he glares at Grant. On the outside he projects anger, but I can see the storm building behind his dark eyes. He doesn't speak because he's internalizing every word thrown at him. They strike their target like my knives, except their cuts leave him bleeding in his soul.

Lucien's body tenses and he leans forward, but he's also taking in what Grant levels at them. And, yeah, he's tossing the blame of some of the dead at my feet. I'm not letting his words inside to bash around and tear me down. Rolling my shoulders back, I let my anger wash over me. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but I press forward.

"Legally, I can't lay the blame of those deaths on you, but you don't get a free pass from here forward," Grant says.

Sin laughs. "Free pass? " He holds his arms out from his sides. "We're on top of each other here. There isn't even any free space. You say bodies are piling up behind me like any of this is my choice. We came to you for help. Time and time again Damien and Arthur came at us, and you allowed your hands to be tied by the law. Raven begged you to put Jesse away, and where were you when he came back at her? Working another angle, out of touch, and totally useless. We fucking called you over and over!"

My newly discovered uncle scrubs his hand down his face and releases a grumble of frustration. "I watched three young men get shot down last night. My sister would have been one of the bodies if I hadn't thought ahead and gone undercover with Damien. The last thing I need is you kids running around like a bunch of cowboys. This isn't the wild fucking west."

I'm expecting Sin or Lucien to react to Grant's statement. What I'm not expecting is Shane to be the one to lash out. "Jesse Wilson raped a girl at a party and he got away with barely a slap on the wrist. He came after Raven at another party, and even a knife to the shoulder didn't stop him from coming back. When you didn't stop him that time, he was emboldened to try again, except this time he brought Damien with him."

Shane takes a deep breath and shakes his head. "He sought out criminals to sell Raven to so she could be used in ways I don't even want to imagine. Who was going to stop him? The law? The authorities have had two chances to lock him up already, and nothing has happened. You stood in front of us in that basement and promised Raven would be safe. Obviously, you failed to keep that promise. Now you want to chastise us for doing what you couldn't? Take your guilt trip and jam it up your ass."

Sin turns his back on the room, something he wouldn't have done a few months ago. His shoulders rise and fall as if he's struggling to control his breathing. I know better than to approach him from behind, so I walk around him slowly. Tentatively I slip my hands up his arms. The corded muscles underneath are tense and ready to react.

"You kept me safe. You. Do not let his words sink in and add to the guilt you carry around."

He shudders and drops his arms. Fear rises up in me because this is usually when he pulls away. This time he stands impassive. I wrap my arms around his middle and pull him to me. He's normally the one trying to protect me, but this time I need to stand up for my husband. No one sees the cracks in his armor the way I do, and I'll take down anyone who tries to widen them.

After a long and painful moment, he wraps his arms around me and holds me tight to his chest. His chin drops to my head, his body shaking in my arms. My man is breaking, and I feel powerless to help him. I'm not, though. I'm the only person who can, just as he's the only person who can help me.

Seeing Sin coming apart affects everyone. He's the rock in our group, the one who keeps his head in the chaos we find ourselves trapped in. Seeing this hurts me, wrecks me even, but even I’m not more effected than Lucien. He's relied on Sin for almost his entire life for his own survival.

He stands up and moves to stand in front of Grant. "I don't give a shit if you are my uncle. I'm glad you saved Natalie, but you did that for you. Shane's right, we came to you for help, and so far you've done jack shit. We're alive right now because we've taken action. Without Sin, Raven would still be looking over her shoulder for the next time that sick fuck decided to come after her."

---