Blair

“What the hell do you mean Jake is here?” Whitney is fuming with anger, and I can practically see flames shooting off her.

“I mean he’s here, in Ankeny.”

She paces the floor in front of the couch, her hands flailing around as she opens her mouth only to shut it again quickly. Her cheeks are flushed, a sure sign her blood pressure is on the rise and I try not to laugh. Because honestly, nothing about this is funny, but oh my hell she looks ridiculous.

I’ve already given her a rundown of my interaction with Jake, both inside and outside the store. Apparently one of Marcy’s friends had a front row seat to the entire show and by the time I got back to my place, Will and Warren were both already waiting in the driveway for me. Shortly after that Whitney squealed to a stop along the curb and practically climbed out of the car before it was even in park.

Now here they all sit, watching and waiting for me to react. Both of the guys look less than pleased, on guard even. The big brother act is written all over their faces.

“So which one of you is gonna tell us who the hell this guy really is?”

“He’s Isabelle’s father.” Whitney throws her hands up in the air spinning around to face her brother. “He’s a liar and his family is insane. I’m talking the worst possible kind of people and the last thing we need is for any of them to be a part of Izzy’s life.”

“He said they’re in prison.” Whitney again spins completely around to face me once more. Now all three of them stare at me silently. “He told me that on that last day we saw him outside my old apartment, things changed. That day we moved all my things.” Whitney nods indicating she remembers. “He said that he left and went straight to the police. He asked them to help him ensure they all paid for everything they’d done.”

“And you believe him?” Whitney is frantic, but she has gone through all this right along my side and knows the extent of everything. She held me on the nights I cried myself to sleep, and she heard word for word on more than one occasion a recap of what Gabe had done and said to me that night outside the bar.

“I don’t know.” She seems disappointed in the idea that I just might. “But I guess it’s a good thing I have someone that can dig into that for me. Someone that can find out if he’s telling the truth.” I look at Warren and he narrows his eyes at me. “Before you automatically assume he’s here to hurt me, can you please do this one thing?”

“I don’t like anything about this, Blair.” Warren is and always has been the quieter of the two brothers. But when he is unhappy about something, he makes sure you know. Sometimes his silence leaves me unsettled because I know in his mind he’s planning shit out. “So what if he had a hand in placing his family behind bars? So what if he’s here now, telling you all the things he thinks you need to hear? He still fucking hurt you. He still allowed those animals to hurt you in some way even though you won’t tell us exactly how. Nothing about this is sitting well with me. I want him gone.”

“Me too,” Will chimes in before I have the chance to agree or disagree. “And I don’t want you and Izzy here alone. I think you need to pack some things and come home with me or stay at Mom and Dad’s until Warren can check this all out.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“No,” Warren stands in a hurry, “we’re being cautious.”

“And I’m an adult and can make my own choices.” Both of the guys narrow their eyes as if they think they can intimidate me into agreeing to their demands. “We’re fine.”

“Then I’ll sleep on your damn couch.” Will flops down and stretches out his arms over the back of the couch like he is settling in and I laugh.

“No, you won’t.”

Silence passes over us all. Whitney looks back and forth between her two brothers, lost in the testosterone that flows heavy in the room. Will and Warren continue to share some quiet conversation by using only facial expressions instead of words. Anyone on the outside looking in would have likely found the entire exchange comical, but I know they are planning something I’ll hate in the end.

“What’s his full name?” Warren finally asks, crossing his arms over his chest. “And his family, too.”

“Gunther is the last name.” I relax but only a fraction, knowing that Warren is going to do what I asked. “Zeke, Gabe, and Jake.” I pause for a second as a flashback of Gabe from that night hits me. “Cyrus.” The name alone feels like a shot of acid. That name alone reminds me of the side of Jake I never want to know. “His first name is Cyrus, but he goes by Jake.”

Again Warren looks at Will before he grabs his keys and storms off toward the door. He slams it a little harder than he needs to as he exits.

“You better stock the refrigerator with my favorite beer,” Will states with conviction as he grabs for the television controller. “Oh, and be ready to confirm to Marcy why I won’t be home until late tonight.”

“You are not sleeping all night on our couch.” It’s my turn to place my hands on my hips.

“No.” I feel a sudden sense of relief wash over me. That is, until he continues. “I’m staying until Warren gets back, then he’s sleeping on the couch so I can go home to my wife. His wife happens to be on shift tonight at the hospital so he’s got a free night.”

“You are both being so…” I growl as I stomp my foot in frustration like a two-year-old. “My god, you both just need to stop it.”

“Not gonna happen.” He wouldn’t budge and I should’ve already expected that. The Flannigan brothers are hard-headed. So instead I walk off toward my room like a scorned teenager and close my door behind me.

Damn men. All of them.

I wake up to the sound of Isabelle’s squeal. I look over at my alarm clock on the nightstand and panic runs through me when I realize it is close to eight at night.

Pushing back the covers, I grow frustrated when they manage to get tangled around my legs and I practically fall out of bed in the process. I can hear the sound of men talking as I round the corner and find not only Will, but Warren and Trevor too. On the floor near the couch is Whitney who sits before Isabelle as she bounces away in her soothing bouncer chair.

“What’s going on?” They all turn to face me when they realize I’m no longer hidden behind the door of my bedroom. “Why are you all staring at me like that?”

“I, um…” Warren stumbles over his words and my stomach feels like it suddenly drops. This can’t be good. “He wasn’t lying about his family, Blair. Or about his involvement in having them arrested.” Suddenly my airways feel just a little tighter. “This guy’s a cop.” What? “He’s new to the force, a rookie. I’m talking only weeks on the job, but currently on leave from Chicago PD. It would appear he has some friends in high places, and after some digging around I found that he’s applying to Polk County as well as the city police department for a transfer.”

“What?” I feel as though I’ve been warped into some kind of fantasy land.

“Looks like he didn’t just work with the force to bring down his family and the entire ring. He ended up joining them too. He goes by Jake legally, there is no Cyrus Gunther. He had it changed.”

I lean against the wall at my side to keep myself from stumbling as I let the information sink in. He’s a cop?

“He’s staying over at the Holiday Inn, looks like he’s paid two weeks in advance.” I don’t look up at Warren as he continues. My head spins with the information he’s giving me. None of this seems real. How can someone go from one side of crime to another?

“I want to tell you to stay away from him,” Will says as he steps up in front of me and kneels down to look me in the eye. “But I know I can’t. Something tells me he’s not gonna stay away and I guess if the tables were turned, if it was me and there was someone telling me I had to stay away from Marcy and Matthew, I’d wouldn’t either. Because there isn’t anything or anyone that could keep me from them. Part of me wants to be sympathetic to this guy, but I won’t lie to you, Blair, I’m cautious.”

“Me too.” He seems pleased with my confession as he reaches out and pulls me in for a hug. “No matter what happens, you need to remember that I’m here. We all are.”

“There’s one more thing you need to know, Blair.” Warren places his hand on my shoulder, gaining my full attention as Will leans back. “He’s not staying in the hotel alone.” My stomach plummets. “He has a woman with him.”

I don’t have the right to care, I know this. Jake isn’t mine, and I don’t really think he ever was. But knowing that if he is a part of Isabelle’s life, the woman he has with him will be too is what bothers me the most. It’ll be hard enough to share her with Jake; I’m not sure I can share her with his girlfriend too. Or whatever she is.