Jesse (Broken Hill Boys 5)

Jackson’s eyes come to mine and I nod. As much as I want Jackson to stay and look out for her, Jesse has a point. If he was to hang around, it wouldn’t end well. We need to leave before we make things worse. “Come on,” I tell him, grabbing hold of his arm. “We need to go.”

Jackson’s eyes search mine and for a moment, he’s the same brother I had before all this shit went down with Henley and I realize just how much I miss that guy. His head drops and a moment later, he puts the shot glass down on the table and lets Jesse walk us out.

Chapter 15

Kaylah

I lay on my couch, flicking through Netflix as Jackson walks through the door with an exhausted sigh. He drops down on the couch beside me and leans back into it. “What’s up with you?” I grumble, not bothering to tear my eyes away from the TV.

“Tired,” he grunts. “Just finished training when mom called.”

I chuckle to myself. There’s nothing worse than when mom calls for a family dinner. Don’t get me wrong, the four of us all sitting down and eating together is always great, but mom has a habit of calling family dinners at the worst times, and it’s usually Jackson who gets the bad end of it.

“Quit it,” he says, nudging me in the ribs. “It’s not funny.”

“Yeah,” I grin, looking up at him to see his hair slightly damp from his after-training shower. “It’s pretty fucking funny.”

Jackson rolls his eyes. “Don’t talk like that,” he reprimands. “You’re supposed to be a lady.”

“I’m dating Jesse Ryder. Trust me,” I say with a grin. “I’m certainly no lady.”

Jackson scrunches his face up in disgust. “I really didn’t want to hear that.”

I can’t help but laugh. There’s nothing on this earth better than teasing my brother…except those unladylike things Jesse does to me, of course. God, it’s so damn good, it should be illegal.

My phone rings and being the nosey brother that Jackson is, he leans over to get a look at my screen. “Rocko?” he grunts in confusion. “Why the fuck would Rocko have your number and why the hell do you have his saved in your phone?”

I shrug my shoulders. Do I really want to tell my big brother about that one time at the beginning of my junior year? Hell no. Though the big question is, why the hell is he calling me?

I hit accept on the call when Jackson barks out again. “Speakerphone.”

I roll my eyes and do as I’m told. “Hello,” I say hesitantly.

“Is this that girl who’s friends with my neighbor?”

I let out a sigh. I guess that one time at the beginning of my junior year wasn’t exactly memorable, but what am I supposed to tell him? He’s Henley’s neighbor but she’s not exactly classified as a friend at the moment, especially if you take the other night into consideration. “Umm…yeah,” I say, feeling on edge.

“What do you want?” Jackson spits, knowing exactly who Rocko is after spending way too much time with him on the football team at Haven Falls, and instantly deciding that having him calling his little sister is not something he’d ever want.

“That chick’s in trouble.”

“What? Henley?” Jackson asks as my brows dip down.

“Yeah, her,” Rocko grumbles with disinterest. “She just got fucked up. She needs help.”

My eyes widen as I look to Jackson with a gasp. Fucked up? What’s that supposed to mean? Is she on drugs? Got herself wasted and throwing up? “What do you mean ‘fucked up?” I rush out, demanding answers but the phone line goes dead.

“FUCK,” Jackson roars, flying to his feet.

One second we’re on the couch, the next, we’re out the fucking door.

We drop down into his Charger and soon enough, we’re flying through Haven Falls, both of us sitting in dead silence, wondering what the hell could be going on. What does he mean fucked up? That question won’t stop spinning through my mind and it’s starting to make me feel sick.

It takes us three minutes for Jackson to come to a stop outside her home. The first thing I notice is that her dad’s massive truck is gone, meaning he’s away again. He’s always away and most of the time, Henley has to fend for herself, but she can handle it. She’s strong.

We get out of the car and begin to walk up the path together when Jackson’s hand comes down over my chest, bringing me to a stop. “What?” I say, looking up at him in confusion. He stares at Henley’s house and I find myself following his gaze.

The front door is open and my brows furrow. Henley never leaves the door open like this, in fact, when her dad is gone, she’s even more particular about keeping it locked. It instantly puts me on edge.