Page 14 of Kissing Chaos
After a moment’s hesitation, she takes it.
We walk in silence to a silver Ford pickup where Reece Taylor is waiting in the driver’s seat. I try—and fail—to contain my groan. Of course, Reece is her brother. That’s what Jace’s looks were about.
Reece Taylor hates me. I don’t know what I did to him. I do know I am an ass most of the time, but people usually deserve it. I’ve barely spoken to Reece in however many years he has been here, but the glare he’s shooting me right now tells a different story. I tuned out Jace’s warning glance when he’d mentioned Reece by name, but now it’s all too real.
“Jett, as in Jennette Taylor?”
She glances at me, confusion in her eyes. “The one and only disappointment of my mother’s loins. What of it?”
“Nothing, just trying to calculate how long I have before your brother tries to separate me from my favorite body parts.”
That lip twitch comes and goes so fast that I wonder if I imagine it. “He’s harmless, unless you’re me.”
“He hates me.” Even I can hear how pathetic I sound.
“What are you, twelve?” The lip twitch is more prominent this time. “And don’t worry. He strongly dislikes me most days, too.”
“Not twelve, just cautious. Your brother is not someone to mess with. I’ve seen the livestock he wrangles.”
“Good thing you’re not wasting your time with me then, huh?”
I shake my head. “You hang around here long enough, and I bet I can change your mind. I have a feeling you are more than worth my time.”
“Goodbye, Noah.”
When I slip back into the bar, Jace and Drew are in a heated whisper-yell match. By the time I am close enough, all I can hear is what sounds a lot like a threat from Jace.
“—telling Declan if you don’t. This ain’t somethin’ you can handle on your own, brother.”
The knuckles of Drew’s good hand are white with the grip he has on the bar top. I hesitate as Jace catches my eye. Drew’s are glued to the wall past Jace’s shoulder.
“Everything okay?” I ask, not at all sure what I just stepped in.
Drew stands, favoring his left side. The grimace makes even me hurt, and I sling around elevator equipment for a living. My joints are as bad as an eighty-year-old.
“Nothin’ to worry about,” Drew says as he walks stiffly to the door.
I watch him for a moment before looking back at Jace. There’s one giant, polka-dotted elephant in here, and the last thing I want to do is get into a deep conversation after the day I’ve had, but I still voice my concern. “He okay?”
Jace shakes his head but doesn’t make eye contact. “He says the pain’s still killin’ him. If he’s still poppin’ those pain pills, I’m not gonna be responsible for him dousing his innards with alcohol. Drinkin’s what got him in this mess to begin with.”
I shoot a sympathetic glance his way. “He’s always made his own choices, Jace. Alcohol just happens to be one of the less enjoyable ones.”
He levels a glare at me, although I know it isn’t actuallyatme. “This is where he got drunk before he stumbled to the barn, jumped on an unbroke colt, and ended up underneath it. My best friend nearly died. He’s not touching the alcohol in this place for a long damn time.”
I rub the back of my neck, debating if I should hold back on outing Drew but feeling the weight in Jace’s words. How it isclearly weighing on his conscience. Jace stands a little straighter, intimidating me without saying a word. I’ve retaken my seat, looking guilty.
Wincing, I point at the red soda can still on the bar. “When you were taking Jett’s drink order, he topped off his Coke with whiskey.”
Jace glances at the can then back at me as he lifts it to his nose, takes a whiff, and curses. “Damn him.”
I just nod, not sure what to do with the knowledge he’s dropped on me. Jace sighs, shaking his head before turning to assist another patron a few seats down. When he returns, I can tell he’s switched gears on me. It’s not uncommon. I think it comes with being a bar owner and always having to adjust and shift conversation depending on which patron he is speaking with.
“So, Jett, huh?”
Shaking my head, I say, “You couldn’t have warned me? Likereallywarned me she was Reece Taylor’s little sister?”
He chuckles. “Honestly, I can’t believe you didn’t know it was her. She comes into town a few times a month. Usually has a rough night somewhere in there and ends up here. Reece checks here first before sending out the hounds. Man, you’re screwed.”
