All Grown Up (Eden High)

“He’s mine. You’re safe.”

“Mancini?”

“Yep!” I looked at the phone, which was now giving a busy signal, and just shook my head before tossing it on the passenger seat. How does this guy even know where the hell I am? At least that little exchange took my mind off of my anger for a second, and I spent the rest of the ride back to the Saunders estate thinking about my girl’s birthday.

By the time I pulled through the gates, my mind had switched gears once again, and I was trying to figure out just what the hell Jace and the others were up to. Jace tends to have this idea that he has to stand in front of the rest of us like some kind of human shield. It’s been that way since childhood, but now as adults, the shit is getting out of control.

That innate thing in him that needs to take the blows for the rest of us can’t go on much longer. He now has a wife and kids to look out for. Plus, the fact that he’s not yet out of the woods with the cops and the Mandy situation is giving me agita because his ass won’t sit still. Maybe it’s time I had another talk with the guys, without Jace there to listen in. I’m sure they can keep him out of shit for the two days I’ll be on the island alone with Cassie.

That idea made me feel a lot better, but I got waylaid by my sisters in law as soon as I walked through the door before I could go in search of the guys. “What? What is it?” I held my hands up in surrender and took a few steps back. It’s never a good thing when they all ban together like this. It’s either a case of one of their husbands pissing them off and as the only untangled guy, I get to be the sounding board. Or they want to do some shit they know will piss their husbands off and need to use me as a blind. Either way, it’s not good.

“We hear you and Cassie are going to the island alone for a few days before the rest of us join you.” When Sian lets Belle take the lead, I know this shit is going to get twisted fast. I tried looking at each to gauge where this was going, but they were wearing their masks, i.e., they weren’t giving away shit.

“Um… yeah?”

“What do you have planned while you’re there? Did you get all the things we told you to get her? You know she likes Beauty and the Beast, right? What about protection? Are you going to bring her home with us or leave her here?” They all started talking at once, and though the questions were reasonable, their approach was damn near frightening.

“One at a time, ladies, you first.” I pointed at Tammy, who’s usually the least sneaky of the bunch.

"Oh, we just wanted to know what all you have planned for her birthday.”

“Yeah, and why we’re not all going together. It’s not like we’d be on top of each other there; there’s more than enough space for all of us to spread out and enjoy.”

“Why don’t you ask your husbands that question?” I answered Valerie, who, between her and Sian, I wasn’t sure who was worst.

“We would, but they’re being tight-lipped about it. So, what gives? Why aren’t we all leaving at the same time?” They hadn’t moved, but somehow I got the impression that the walls were closing in on me.

A loud whistle pierced the air just as I was about to make a run for it. “Sian, call off your dogs and go find something to do.” Jace was standing in the entryway to the living room, hands on his hips looking exasperated. Sian glared at him but then gave in and walked away with a smile thrown my way. “No hard feelings.” Yeah, I believe that shit.

“What’s gotten into them?” I asked Jace, still watching their retreating backs.

“Hell if I know. Dad says, you have another tail, Mancini?”

“Yeah, you people are giving me whiplash with all that’s going on. Why did Mancini send someone to follow me?”

“Not just you, apparently we’re all being tailed while we’re here for our own protection.”

“Isn’t he going a bit overboard? I mean, no one knows anything about what we do.”

“I think it’s just par for the course, don’t sweat it. You ready for this evening? How did things go with Cassie’s mom and dad?” I’m not even going to ask how he knew about that. “Fine, I just saw her mom, not ready to deal with her dad again right now. I think if I see him again, I might punch him in the face.” He’d be lucky if that’s all I had planned for his ass.