AHRI
I got an odd job interview.
It’s at night. It’s at one of the owner’s houses. And the job didn’t start until next year, which, in my case was perfect. Jack, of course, did not like the first two reasons. He came with me as my bodyguard, aka, protective boyfriend.
I got a few details about the brewery company. The biggest shocker being that there wouldn’t even be a company to interview for if it weren’t for Jack. Yep, without Jack buying the last of Insert Name Here Brewery beer, I wouldn’t have this interview. On top of Jack being overprotective, he wanted to be praised like a king for making their dreams come true.
I talked with the Frenchman, Marcel, on the phone. Our conversation had been short and straightforward. He gave me a small description of the brewpub they wanted to build then told me where to go and what to bring with me. Marcel didn't talk much about the pay, but it’s not like I needed the money.
I wanted a job to fill my empty hours. I told myself I wouldn’t say, ‘yes’ to Jack until I did exactly that. As much as it killed me each time I said, ‘no’ I wanted my small dream to come true before all of Jack’s came true. Unlike Jack, I didn’t want the retired life, not yet at least. The jump from having only a few hours of sleep or no sleep at all to then having room for hobbies—plural—was drastic. I needed to ease into this life, and for now, I wanted my tap handles, the smell of booze that reminded me of Diablo’s, and somewhere to go part-time.
Because there were only so many hours I could run on the treadmill while Jack lifted his weights. Or so many hours I could put into finding good music or painting until I burned out. Or so many hours I could play with the Bayne twins when Jack brought them over. Turns out Jack’s glorified babysitter job was also part-time job after I had a nice one-on-one with Emilio. He liked me the second he saw me step into his hotel because I’d got a small Rocky vibe. Rocky being his wife.
As much as I loved all my new hours, I got lonely and bored. I loved my life, don’t get me wrong, I do. I loved the time I spent with Jack, but the problem was when he wasn't around. When he was off with Emilio or when he was out looking for Link.
I played with the volume button of my phone while we drove into the north side of Golden Ridge. The houses got more extensive and more secluded behind their large gates with each block we passed. I looked at the time, five minutes to spare, thanks to Jack speeding to get me there on time.
I slapped my phone on my resume in frustration. Hopefully, this interview wasn't going to be a waste of time. I had been to three interviews last week alone, and they all followed the same copy-and-paste bullshit questionnaire they must’ve gotten online. Rich bars tended to do it by the book while I got my job at Diablo’s purely because I was the only one who knew how to pour a pint of beer with no foam. Bonus, I was the only one who had tits. Small, sure, but mighty when getting tips.
The second I stepped into each interview, I got weird looks. I didn’t make the best first impression with my wardrobe or personality. I’m not going to lie and say I did. Jack calls me an acquired taste, I agree. Not to mention, the second they found out about my criminal record they became cold and disinterested, stopping the interview almost immediately.
You have arrived at your destination.
“Holy shit.” I gasped as we pulled into a driveway and stopped at the black metal gate. “Are you sure you don’t have another secret life, Jack? One where you own a mansion in Golden Ridge.” I giggled.
The massive yard of the enormous Victorian-styled mansion was covered in Halloween decorations. Fake tombstones, a skeleton horse pulling a carriage, witches stirring in a cauldron, ghosts hanging from the trees, and so much more.
“Not that I know of.” Jack’s jaw dropped open. “Seems like my kind of guy. Whose house is this?”
“Marcel’s? I think? Or maybe the other guy, Jay? Marcel didn’t really say. He just gave me the address.”
Jack nodded dumbly.
We got buzzed in a few seconds later and drove down the long ‘S’ shaped driveway until we parked in front of the mansion. As I walked up to the front door, Jack explored some of the Halloween decorations around us and began to document them with his camera.
Before I could ring the doorbell, a middle-aged woman swung the door open. “Valor residence, how may I help you?” The woman spoke in a thick English accent.
“Hi, I’m Ahri, Ahrianna Lore, and this is Jack. I’m here for the interview.”
“Beverly.” She introduced herself, stepping to the side to let us in. “I was told there would only be one guest.”
“I’m Ahri’s boyfriend, escort, bodyguard, etcetera,” Jack mindlessly explained as he walked around the large foyer of the mansion, checking out the place.
The dark-colored hardwood stairs in front of us split in two, and it was decorated with spider webs, fake crows, and skulls. The inside of the mansion looked exactly like ours, possibly even more decked out. Whoever this house belonged to was just as hardcore in love with Halloween as Jack. Perhaps even more.
“Very well. Follow me,” she hummed, shuffling away. Jack and I kept our distance behind Beverly.
“You’re going to ask them if they know Link, aren't you?” I whispered.
“Is that even a question?” Jack smirked.
No.
We followed the woman into the living room where Jack and I took a seat on the ‘L’ shaped couch. There were two single chairs in front of us and a large coffee table in the middle with two different beers on the table. One pure black, Grim, the other a golden color. Seemed like my kind of beer, but I wasn't in the mood.
“Why don’t you make yourselves at home while I grab the boys.” Beverly spoke on her way out.
Jack took Beverly’s words to heart. He kicked off his boots, placed his camera on the table, and grabbed the Grim glass before he lounged on the couch with his feet up on the table. Jack pulled me close, and like always, my heart rushed while my body was engulfed by butterflies. The smell of his cologne and cigarettes filled me with bliss and peace. To me, that was the scent of salvation.
“Are you trying to get us kicked out before we even meet the guys?” My gaze was dry, but my eyes were full of devotion.
“Hey, if you tell Jack, ‘make yourself at home,’ he’s going to do exactly that.” He sipped the beer and moaned. “You know what you got yourself into, baby girl.” He shot me a cocky wink.
“Last time I checked, I didn't have a choice, right?” I smirked, cheeks all red.
Jack laughed, pulling me closer for a kiss. His arm hugged my neck as I clenched my resume tightly. I was a little nervous, my stomach turning and swirling around like a tide pool. We waited for what felt like an hour, but in reality, was only five minutes before two men entered the room.
Marcel was tall, no taller than Jack, but larger in build. His skin was porcelain, his hair and beard dark brown and fashionably styled, and his eyes were electric blue. Shockingly blue, as if someone had played with the saturation in photoshop.
Jay looked like the bartender at the club had described, ‘a mutt who got all the continents in his blood.’ He had thick, curly chocolate brown hair, rich mixed skin, and lime green eyes. Like Jack, he was the same lean build, but around the same height as Marcel.
While Jay dressed more laid back in black joggers, a white Nike shirt, and red Jordans, Marcel dressed casually in a dark grey henley shirt, fitted jeans, and a pair of brown leather sneakers.
Marcel was the nice one, shaking our hands while Jay didn’t. He took his eyes off his phone for just a second, eyed Jack and me down, and let out a single laugh that rubbed me the wrong way. “You guys took a detour in the 90’s and the punk movement?”
Well, fuck you too.
“Yeah, something like that.” My voice, callous and bitter, matching Jay’s.
I handed Marcel my resume, but he didn’t look at it. He watched Jack lounging on the couch, comfortable as ever with me by his side and a beer in his hand.
“So, you like it?” Marcel smiled, eyebrows up high with glee.
“Love it.” Jack took a long sip. He was trying to savor the taste this time but knew it was taking all his willpower not to inhale it. “Grim, right?”
“You’ve had it?” Marcel’s accent became thicker with excitement.
“A little over a month ago when I was at Gem. I got the last pint.” Jack smirked, ready to be praised.
Jay got off his phone, interested in the conversation, but said nothing.
“Woah, so you already know that we’re going forward with the brewing slash brewpub company because we sold out of the beer that night.” Marcel huffed in disbelief that it was Jack who had bought the last beer.
“I know, and you can thank me by giving my girl a job.” Jack let out a full grin, but his eyes were screaming: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GIVE THIS WOMAN THE FUCKING JOB!
“Unfortunately, that’s not up to Jay or me.” Marcel rubbed the nape of his neck.
Jack and I simultaneously tilted our heads to the side.
“Then who’s it up too?” I wondered. “Isn’t it just you guys?”
Jay said, “Nah. There’re three of us. Marcel, Lev, and myself. Lev determines who gets in the company or not. He owns majority of the shares, and he’s kind of a picky bastard when it comes to the people he allows in his life. Always has been. One of the biggest reasons Lev liked you, Ahri, was because he couldn't find shit on you online. Lev loves keeping his personal and private life where it belongs. Same goes for the both of us.”
“Smart.” Jack huffed a laugh, taking another sip.
“So…when am I going to meet Lev?” I narrowed my eyes at the two men who were making this interview seem more like a casual hangout, which honestly, I didn’t mind.
Jay checked his phone. “…five-ish minutes? Dumbass forgot what time you were coming, so he took a shower.”
“Professional.” Jack chuckled, and I smiled since that was precisely what I was thinking.
“Extremely.” Marcel snickered. “We had enough professionalism at our last jobs. We’re trying to go a new route.”
“What’d you do before?” I asked.
Jay put his phone away before he answered. “I was a hotshot architect at some cookie cutter million-dollar firm in the Loop. Marcel here, was a chemistry professor at the fancy schmancy university nearby. And Lev was once a pretty shitty lawyer until he decided it was time for a change before he went insane. So, here we are, three friends from high school making beer.”
“Whose house is this?” Jack spoke to the house as he took in the Halloween vibe. “Obsessed with Halloween, don’t you think?”
Marcel laughed. “Lev’s. He’s a little too in love with Halloween—”
“If it were legal, I’m pretty sure Lev would marry the shit out of the holiday.” Jay interrupted. “The house is mine too. I still live here.” There was a small pause followed by a devilish grin on Jay’s part. “We all used to live here until about a month ago when Marci decided to move in with his brother to try to dick his fiancée—”
Marcel growled, slapping Jay across the head with no mercy. It echoed through the room as did Jay’s laugh. Marcel muttered French curses under his thick breath, while Jay went back to his phone with a blissful expression.
“Don’t listen to him. The only thing that comes out of his mouth is shit,” Marcel growled, his French accent thicker with rage.
“Ain’t shit if it’s true, Marci,” Jay sang under his breath, licking his lips with pure satisfaction, staring at only his phone.
“Anyway, Lev will be here in a minute or so. Do you want some more Gory?” Marcel addressed Jack as he placed his empty glass on the table.
“Gory? Thought it was called Grim?”
“Yeah, we changed the name—” Marcel said before Jay interrupted him.
“No, no, no. We didn’t, but Lev did. We lost a bet to him, and so he dedicated the beer to his old foster brother who probably died away after he ran away.”
My body tensed up next to Jack's who turned to stone. Gravity took a hold of Jack’s face, his skin white as snow, his breaths non-existing. His whole being, paralyzed with shock and endless questions.
“Gory?” Jack sat up, stiff as a board. “Gory as in short for Igor? Gory Jack? Igor Baronski?”
Jay and Marcel looked at Jack as if they’d seen a ghost, and they might as well be.
“Wait, wait, hold-hold on a fucking second. Hold on.” Jack tried to slow down his brain. “Is Lev…is-is that some kind of nickname for Lincoln? A blond-haired kid with one blue eye and one brown eye?”
Jay and Marcel nodded in sync before Jay spoke, “You know, Link?”
Silence coated the room for a second until a man’s voice came around the corner. “Sorry, I’m late. I didn't realize what time it was.” He stepped into the world's most tense and quietest room.
It was Link.
The man dressed in tight black joggers and a black t-shirt was definitely Link. The man with ash blonde hair who had an undercut, a man-bun, and a full trimmed beard was definitely Link. The man who had split eyes, blue and brown, was definitely Link. And the man who had a wolf tattoo on his neck and a small tattoo on his bicep that read: Jacked Up.
Was.
Definitely.
Link.
Link looked at Jack’s ghost and froze in the doorway. Jack, however, was able to move. He rose slowly from the couch, his body heavy and drained until he exploded with joy.
“BANANA SPLIT!!!” Jack yelled at the top of his lungs, hurdling over me, the coffee table, and the couch, so fast a gust of wind hit my face. He tackled Link to the ground with all his strength, filling the room with a loud thump and excitement.
“WHAT THE FUCK!!!” Link yelled. “HOLY SHIT!! GORY!”
They stood up fast on their feet. Both of their brains absolutely fried from shock as their mouths tried to compose words which didn’t involve: ‘Holy shit,’ ‘What the fuck,’ and ‘Oh my God.’
Both their faces were identical from their huge smiles and glossy eyes that held unshed tears. Their embrace was brotherly and well overdue, both trying to fight back their emotions (aka, both hiding the need to bawl their eyes out from pure euphoria).
“You were dead. You fucking runaway The Baker’s. They said you most likely died since you still had that dog bite infection. You fucking idiot,” Link yelled, pushing Jack away in frustration.
Jack waddled back to Link, forcing a hug from his baby brother. But not really that baby. Link was massive and could be classified as a Viking from his height and build. Taller than Jack’s six-foot-four height and easily fifty pounds of pure muscle above him as well. Built like an NFL quarterback.
“You fucking dipshit.” Link scolded Jack. “I went back to the Baker’s a month after I left to see you. You weren’t there. You were supposed to be there. They said you most likely died.” Link’s voice cracked.
Jack held Link tighter and softly chuckled. “Come on. I can’t die.”
After their embrace, they both cleared their throats and subtly wiped away their watery eyes to look more macho.
“Shit, you haven't changed at all…but you got more tattoos. A LOT more.” Link checked out Jack.
“You piece of shit. You got a wolf tattoo.” Jack laughed, playfully slapping Link’s neck.
They hugged again and ignored the whole world while Jay, Marcel and I, watched them.
“So, what? You go by Lev now?”
“Only when I don’t know the people. It’s an acronym for my full name.”
Jack and Link had their long brotherly moment until Jay broke the silence. “There's a vacant room down the hall if you guys need more time to jerk each other off.”
Jay earn a well-deserved slap from Marcel again before they got into a heated argument. When the brothers finally realized they weren’t alone, Jack introduced me to Link who gave me the job on the spot. But he still looked through my resume.
“You went to jail for theft?” Link asked.
“Mmmm-I did. I was young, but I don’t steal anymore.” I reassured Link.
“Eh, don’t sweat it. I spent a few nights in jail myself when I was in college for taking my professor’s car for a joy ride or getting a little too drunk or high. Marcel over here, turned into a hardcore nudist when he gets plastered.”
Marcel shrugged and gestured to his body, “Can you blame me? Over twenty-five years of gymnastics right here.”
Linked rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Well, Marcel’s little show-and-tell got him arrested in two cities: New York City and Paris. As for Jay, well, he doesn’t have a record, but in high school, he was the sole distributor for grade-A weed at Van Gage High for four years. Growing and selling..”
Jay defended himself. “Tuition costed an arm and a leg. Not all of us are stupidly rich.”
“How about you, Gory?” Link punched Jack’s arm.
“Jack. Haven't been called Gory since I was fifteen. Even got it legally changed.” Jack smiled showing off his crooked fang.
Link laughed and rolled his eyes. “I should’ve guessed. Okay, then how about you, Jack?”
“Mmmm-I got breaking and entering, joyriding, pickpocketing, urinating in public, smoking weed, pissing on a cop car, stealing a taco truck.” Jack listed his vanilla crimes. “Then finally murder. Just got out of prison about a month and a half ago, which was the same time I met my ex-cellmates sister, Ahri,” Jack said nonchalantly, pulling me close.
The room went silent, but Link didn't look distressed. A small smirk found a place on his face before he questioned. “Murder?”
We spent the whole night talking about our petty crimes, and when it came to Jack’s case. We googled it. I saw Jack’s mug shot for the first time. All teeth and amber stone eyes, looking handsome as fuck.
I shouldn't think that, right?
That night, I heard the fake version of Wallace’s/Jack’s made-up story. It wasn't as good as the original. It made Jack seem like he was deeply in love with the ho Wallace was about to marry, causing him to murder the pool boy. But I listened to Jack’s lie with a smile, knowing that the truth was meant for only me.
The guys weren’t fazed by Jack and his crimes, especially not Link (they had the same dark humor). Link still saw big brother Jack. An overprotective brother who killed for love, which was true, but on a different timeline.
Around three in the morning, we parted ways. I got my job, Jack found his long-lost brother, and we got a case of Gory Jack for the road. We left Jack’s car at Link’s and ordered an Uber since Jack was too tipsy to drive.
“So, let’s see, Ahrianna. You’ve got the dream job with your own music selection in a year, your dream place, and your dream man. Does that finally mean you’ll say, ‘yes’ to me if I ask again? Say, maybe tomorrow night after I slave over a hot stove and clean and make everything perfect?” Jack pulled on a crooked grin.
I blushed showing my true colors as I moved closer to Jack in the back of the Uber.
“No.” I lied.
“You don't strike me as a liar, Ahrianna Lore, so, watch that pretty little mouth of yours,” Jack growled, giving me a heavy kiss and lip bite. The best combo.
We got out of the car, but when it was this late in the night, we had a little tradition. We lingered at the planter near the street, where Jack told me about his secret life. Jack lit up a cigarette and took a deep drag.
“Let’s see, Jack.” My voice strained as I looked at our home. “You have the penthouse, the clothes, the car, the almost retired life, your long-lost brother, and the dream girl. What’s missing in your picture?”
“Calling my dream girl my wife and having two kids.” Jack’s voice muffled through a cloud of smoke.
I turned around, plucked the cigarette out of his mouth before I dropped it on the ground and stomped it out.
“What’d you do that for?” Jack chuckled through his sentence.
“‘Cause it's not healthy for the babies.” I cocked an eyebrow.
Jack laughed. “I fucked you so good you feel pregnant?”
“No, I am.” I confessed.
Jack responded with a scrunched face.
“Eight weeks.”
Jack’s face got smaller and tighter, “That’s not fucking funny, Ahrianna.”
“I’m not joking. Apparently, you fucked me so good the night you got out of prison that you knocked me up on the first try.” I smiled and shrugged, shattering all of Jack’s cool demeanor in an instant.
I’d found out a few days ago when I went to the doctor and asked about my unusual periods and nausea from heights. Turns out I was just pregnant, and it’s normal to have spotting, especially when you’re expecting twins. So, the babies and I were perfectly healthy.
“Surprise,” I said in a dry voice.
“And-and you let me smoke in front of you?” Jack exclaimed. “You should’ve beaten me with a metal pipe! Oh, my God! Holy shit—God! That’s not the fucking point. I’m going to be a fucking Daddy! A real Daddy! I’ve going to have babies with my baby girl. Holy shit! Baby Jacks! Little spawns!” Jack hugged me tight and spun me around.
“Yeah, your little Jacks were more persistent than you.”
“Oh, my God!” Jack let out a muffled scream in my hair. “I fucking love you so much Ahrianna. Fuck, I adore you. You’re going to give me everything I’ve ever wanted and so much more!” Jack lowered me to the ground and cupped my cheeked, embracing me with a passionate kiss. “I fucking love you so much.” He sniffed. “I’ve never been so happy.”
I wiped a single tear on Jack’s cheek, streaming down his face. This was the first time I had ever seen him cry. My heart throbbed with how much I loved this fucking man and how happy he made me.
I pulled Jack by his collar and stole a kiss. “I love you so much, Jack. Now, you can have your wife.”