Chapter Eleven
“I don’t wanna go home.”
Hours later, Jasper finished working for the day, and he was eager to get rid of Ten and go on a short road trip. It was his sister’s birthday, and he wanted to give her a gift while she was still on campus. Grace had started college this past fall, and she’d taken two summer classes to get a head start.
Besides, he needed to see a friendly, familiar face. Today had been a shit show. Things were terrible between him and Vixen. She hadn’t even told him an FBI agent had threatened her.
And he still couldn’t believe she was dating someone and hadn’t told him about it. Come to think of, why had she kissed him the other day? Or tell him then?
Hey, Jasper, I’m datin’ somebody. See? That ain’t hard.
Wait a second, he’d kissed her. Fuck it all. They needed to sit down and clear the air.
And Jasper had never met Justice, but he was itching to size the man up. Shortly after he fixed things with Vixen, he’d have a talk with the biker.
And then he remembered what Ten had just said.
“Yeah? Too damn bad. I got plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
“The private kind.” Jasper sped up, hurrying to Ten’s house.
Ten stared at him.
“Fine. My baby sister’s turnin’ nineteen and I’m gonna meet up with her. See? You’d find it borin’. No one’s gonna get killed.”
“I thought your family shunned you.” Jasper hadn’t shared the story with Ten, but the man had eavesdropped on his infrequent calls with Grace and gleaned the information anyway.
Jasper grunted. “We ain’t Amish. Ain’t like they burned my quilt and turned their backs on me.” Well, it came pretty damn close. “And I figure what they don’t know, won’t hurt ‘em.”
Jasper hated sneaking around behind their backs, but he couldn’t stay away from Grace either.
“Gotcha. So, take me with you. I wanna meet your sister.”
“Why?” Jasper didn’t want Ten taking an interest in any aspect of his life.
He shrugged. “Might be fun.”
“Fuck no.”
“Why not?”
“Because I said so.” Dammit, why’d everything have to be an argument? He didn’t have the time or the energy to duke it out.
“Well, I ain’t gettin’ out the car. You’ll have to make me.” He settled back in his seat, crossing his arms.
Aw, hell. Jasper could handle himself in a fight, but he didn’t want to “make” Ten do anything. There’s no telling what would happen. Jasper might end up buried in the back forty at Ten’s place.
“Fine, you can come with me.” Jasper pulled onto the highway and took off for the college. “But we gotta make a stop along the way.”
“Sure thing.”
A long silence followed, and Jasper enjoyed the peace and quiet. He couldn’t help but think about Grace and how fast she was growing up.
This was hardly the kind of birthday celebration he’d have planned in the past. They used to make a day of it. They’d go to the movies, get dinner, and make a great big cake. Maybe it was the big age gap between them, but he’d always felt protective of Grace. He’d never felt the need to compete with her the way Jasper and Thomas had done. They had a tight bond.
“Would you say we’re friends?” Ten asked.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because we ain’t.”
“We could be though. You and I work together. Isn’t that how most friendships start?”
“I guess.” And then Jasper felt like an ass. He didn’t want to hurt Ten’s feelings, assuming he had those, of course.
“Think about it, then.”
“Why the sudden interest in a social life?”
“I need to broaden my horizons.”
Jasper didn’t have a clue what he meant, nor did he feel like pursuing the subject. Lately, his friendships had gotten really freaking complicated.
“We gotta stop for noodles up ahead.” Jasper pulled off the highway a couple exits away from their destination.
“Why?”
“Because it’s tradition.” His family made rice noodles on everyone’s birthday.
They stopped at a nearby Chinese food place for some takeout, which should do the trick. It wasn’t authentic, per se, and it wouldn’t taste like the ones his grandmother made, but it’d do in a pinch.
“I don’t like noodles.” Ten held the takeout bag with a frown.
“Yeah, but you wanted to come along for this shindig, so you’ll eat them anyway. It’s for good luck.” They symbolized longevity.
Jasper texted Grace and met up with her outside of the student union. Ten was about to step out of the car when Jasper held up a hand.
He left a container of noodles with Ten and crossed to a nearby bench where Grace sat with a biology book on her lap. She was a petite, slender young woman with sleek dark hair and big brown eyes. She ran to him, leaping into his arms and Jasper scooped her up, holding her close.
“Hello, Xīngān, happy birthday.”
The endearment meant heart and liver, which sounded a bit gross, but grandmother taught them the word. She said it should only be used for someone you couldn’t live without. A person couldn’t exist without their heart and liver. Grace was a part of him and always would be.
“Missed you too, Jasper.” She squeezed him hard, and he laughed.
It’d been a few months since he’d seen her last. Due to her school schedule and is odd work commitments, and because they had to sneak around, they hadn’t had much opportunity.
“I brought you noodles.” He handed her a container, and they sat side by side, eating as they talked.
“Thanks.” Grace glanced around, as though checking for intruders. “If grandmother ever catches us, she’ll lose it.”
“Let me worry about her. Besides, our days of covert get-togethers might be in the past.”
“What are you up to?” Her brow creased.
“Nothin’.”
She sighed. “You know there’s no changin’ her mind.”
“Aww, I don’t believe it for a second.” Grandmother Nuwa was a reasonable person. If Jasper proved to her that the Lone Star Mafia hadn’t changed him, he might be able to worm his way back into her good graces.
“Um, who’s that?” She nodded to Ten who unabashedly watched them both.
“Never mind.” Jasper scowled at his colleague who didn’t appear to give a damn. “Here, I got you a gift.” He handed her a red package. Red was a blessed color in Chinese culture. It was often seen at weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions.
“What is it?” She rattled the box, the way she’d done as a child. On Christmas mornings, she’d gotten up at the crack of dawn and inspected every single present.
“Open it.”
She ripped the box open. Inside, was a brand-new rose gold iPhone.
“This is too much.” Grace squeezed it to her chest, and Jasper knew he’d done good.
“Naw, it ain’t. Tell the family you traded in your old phone for a new model.” Jasper hated all the lies, but they had no choice.
“I love you.” She hugged him again. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. Love you, too, Xīngān.”
Grace sighed. “I keep waitin’ for this thing to blow over.”
“Me, too.” Which is why he had to take matters into his own hands.
Jasper had never wanted their way of life though. Their father hardly had any time off when Jasper was growing up. He worked seven days a week, mostly twelve-hour days and he was always on call. Working at a hotel was a 365, 24/7 type of job.
“How are you doin’ in school?” Jasper asked.
“Excellent. I got all A’s last semester, and I’m on track to do it again this summer.” She pointed to the biology textbook. “I love bio, and I’m taking oceanography this semester, too. It’s amazing.” And then she launched into some factoids about the coral reefs.
They used to watch the Discovery Channel together, especially Shark Week. She’d been mesmerized by all those shows.
“Congratulations. I’m proud of you.” Sometimes he wondered if his path would be any different if he’d gone to school. But then again, Vixen had a degree, and she’d wound up working for the mafia anyway. “Still want to be a marine biologist?”
She bit her lip. “Well, yeah, but you know how it is.”
“They want you to study hospitality instead.”
Grace nodded. “But everyone has to take general coursework, so I’m fittin’ in as much science as I can.”
Dammit. Grace should be able to pursue whatever degree she wanted.
“Don’t worry about it, Jasper.”
“I will, anyway. You deserve to choose your own future.”
She checked her watch. “I gotta get home. They’re throwin’ a party for me.”
“Then you should be on your way.” Jasper gave Grace another hug and kissed on the top of her head.
“It won’t be the same without you though.”
His chest ached. He should be going home with her, spending time at the dining room table, listening to stories and laughing.
“I know. Have a piece of cake for me. We’ll squeeze in another visit soon.”
Grace hurried off, and Jasper lingered for a moment, trying to pull himself together.
He couldn’t stand to be alone tonight. Seeing his sister made him feel raw, bruised. Asking Ten to come back home with him, was out of the question. Vixen was pissed at him. Besides, she might have a date with Justice.
So, Jasper texted Mary, asking if she wanted to come over later and Mary texted right back, saying she’d be over soon.
Jasper hopped in the car and started it up.
Ten cleared his throat.
“What?”
“I’m curious.”
“About?” What now?
“Your motivations. Why are you clingin’ to the past?”
“I’m clingin’ to my family.”
“I appreciate your… emotions.” He said the word, as though it were foreign. “But this is pointless, anyone can see it. You no longer have anythin’ in common with them, so why torture yourself?”
If he didn’t know better, Jasper would say Ten was trying to help him out.
How peculiar.
“Seriously, you’re lecturin’ me on feelings? You ain’t got any to speak of.”
“Sure, I do.”
“Like what?”
Ten deliberated a moment. “Pleasure.”
He gulped. “Like when you kill someone?” A slow nod. “And when I eat cake.”
Jasper didn’t even know what to do with the information. And how in the world did those two things prompt the same emotional reaction?
“Want my advice?”
“No.” Jasper pulled out of the parking space and took off for Ten’s place once more.
“Well, you’re gettin’ it anyway. Jasper Tan isn’t who you are anymore. Bury him and move on. It’s hard at first, but you’ll adjust.”
Was Ten speaking from experience?
They knew next to nothing about the man. Even Vick, mistress of the internet, hadn’t been able to dig up much of anything.
So, either Ten excelled at hiding the bodies, both literally and figuratively, or there’d been nothing to cover up in the first place. Frankly, Jasper bet it was option number one.
He and Vick liked to play a twisted game about Ten, suggesting wild theories about his past and where he’d come from. Vick thought he might be a cyborg, like the Terminator. While Jasper theorized he was a Jason Bourne type.
“Ten, were you someone else before… this?”
He tilted his head to the side. “Perhaps.”
“Who?”
A dark smile was his only reply.