CHAPTER 25
JIMMY
Over the next week, Mackenna and I spent every minute of our free time together.
She insisted on helping with the chores around Grandma’s, and we were a good team. She made everything more fun—yard work, laundry, even cleaning the toilets. My girl wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.
The rest of the time, we hung out at her house. Mackenna liked to knit with her legs draped over my lap while we watched movies. We talked, told each other bad jokes, and sometimes she’d sing to me.
I learned more of her quirks. Like the fact that she ate at least one ice cream sandwich a day, usually before dinner. And she was obsessed with Crockpot recipes, but rarely followed through with them. She’d tacked at least ten recipes to her fridge, but so far I’d only had the pleasure of eating the honey mustard chicken and beef stew. Both were off-the-charts awesome.
Then after dinner we’d make out until my balls were blue, but I wasn’t complaining.
I’d never been happier.
I was addicted to her smiles, the ones she seemed to save just for me. The sexy lift of her mouth when she smirked. The naughty tilt of her lips when she teased me. And the full-on laugh when that dimple on her left cheek appeared—that one was my favorite.
And she was starting to get comfortable around me.
How could I tell? Water bottles.
Little by little, she was letting her guard down. Letting those water bottles pile up. Caring more about my company and less about the way her house looked.
If I went downstairs, I knew I’d see three on the coffee table, a couple next to her chair, two on the mantel, and one on the front windowsill. There was no rhyme or reason to the oddly-placed ones, but when she was in writing-mode she got a little scatterbrained.
Sometimes Mackenna’s face would light up with an idea, and she’d sprint to her laptop or grab the nearest notebook to write it down. Other times she was so lost in her own thoughts that she’d drop everything she was doing, and vacantly stare into space while her lips moved to a song I couldn’t hear. Even if she didn’t have her guitar, her fingers would twitch and wiggle.
It was fucking adorable.
Last night, she Skyped with her manager and sent out a few new demos for the punk band. I loved the fact that she let me witness her writing process.
The mornings were my favorite time.
Every day I woke up with her wrapped around me. I loved the warmth of her body, the scent of her hair, and the fact that it seemed like she couldn’t get close enough. Mackenna didn’t know it, but sometimes I set my alarm a little early just so I could enjoy being with her for a while.
She was still sleeping when my phone pinged on the nightstand. I picked it up and when I saw the name on the screen, I gently untangled myself from the starfish and quietly left the bed.
Jay: Got some info you might want
Jay Langston was a local who was my age. We met years ago when I was visiting Grandma, and we used to get together during the times when I was in town.
Over the past couple years, he’d gotten into some sketchy stuff. I suspected it was drugs, but I didn’t know for sure. He didn’t have a job, and he didn’t come from a wealthy family, but always seemed to have money.
Last fall, Jay came to visit me at college and witnessed one of my street fights. He’d told me about an underground fighting ring in this area, and at the time I really hadn’t thought much of it.
Until recently, I’d purposely avoided him. I didn’t want to get tangled up in whatever illegal activity he was a part of, but he had a knack for finding things out. Personal information. And not just rumors—facts.
I had no idea what his methods were, but I thought he might be able to tell me something about Mackenna’s ex. More specifically, his whereabouts.
There hadn’t been any more mysterious letters, but I knew Mackenna was on edge.
After taking a seat on the couch, I dialed Jay’s number.
“Hey, man,” he answered, sounding way too awake for 6:00 in the morning. Never one to beat around the bush, he cut right to the chase. “Here’s what I got. Jaxon has been bumming around some trailer park in Brenton, but it seems like he’s been laying low. And you’re not gonna believe this, but he’s been trying to break into the fighting rings.”
“No shit?” I flexed my hands at the thought of pummeling that motherfucker’s face.
“Yeah. He’s got a good chance. I mean, everyone wants to bet on the beefed-up guy who just got out of the pen.”
“Can you set me up?”
“I can try.” He paused. “I thought you told me you were out of the fighting scene.”
“I was, but I’m willing to make an exception for this one.”
Jay let out a whistle. “Man, don’t let anyone hear you talk like that, or else they won’t let you fight. They don’t do grudge matches. You’re not even supposed to know each other.”
“Well, that’s good because I’ve never met him.”
“Do I even want to know what this is about?”
“No,” I told him honestly. “It’s probably best if you don’t.”
“Are you sure about this?” he asked. “Just say the word and I’ll see what I can do.”
Scratching at the two-day stubble on my jaw, I weighed the pros and cons.
I wanted the chance to give that son of a bitch the beating he deserved, but I also needed to be smart about it. Setting up a fight would guarantee a meeting on neutral ground where that could happen.
But the last thing I needed was to get into trouble. Plus, I had a feeling Mackenna wouldn’t want me getting involved this way.
“Give me some time to think about it,” I said. “I’ll let you know.”
After we hung up, I decided to go to Grandma’s for a shower before I got ready for work.
I didn’t get very far.
As soon as I walked out the front door, I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight in front of me.
I experienced a mix of emotions as I took in the garbage scattered over Mackenna’s driveway. The metal trashcan was on its side next to her car. The windshield had been shattered.
I approached the vehicle, doing my best to keep my temper in check. However, it was the word that had been keyed into the dark blue paint on the hood that pushed me over the edge of anger.
Blowing out a breath, I ran my hands through my hair as I paced the yard a few times.
Mackenna was going to be pissed. Devastated. Terrified.
I hadn’t even delivered the news yet and the remorse I felt over the fact that I had to be the messenger was killing me. I gave myself about five minutes to calm down, then I went back into her house, toed off my shoes by the door, and quietly made my way up the stairs.
Sitting down next to Mackenna on the bed, I studied her peaceful expression for a minute before her day was ruined.
I wished I could shield her from this. Wished I could lie to her and somehow hide the evidence and magically fix her car before she found out. More than anything, I wished it was possible to turn back time so I could catch that fucker in the act.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out who did it. Jaxon had vandalized her property right under our noses while we were asleep.
“Mack.” I gently rubbed her arm. “Wake up, baby.”
“Hmm?” She rolled onto her back but didn’t open her eyes.
“I’m sorry, but you need to come see something.” Taking her hand in mine, I rubbed her palm with my thumb.
“What is it?” she mumbled sleepily.
“Your trashcan… Um, the driveway is a mess… Your car…” I tried to explain, and failed miserably.
A half-smile appeared on her face and she pulled the covers up to her chin. “It’s just the squirrels. Don’t worry about it.”
“Baby, this wasn’t squirrels,” I said regretfully.
Something in my voice must’ve conveyed that this was serious because her eyes shot open and she sat up.
She pawed at her hair, trying to tame the messy strands with her fingers. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll show you.” Linking our fingers, I helped her out of bed, then pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Still a bit disoriented, she followed me down the stairs.
When we got outside, she ran to the driveway. She stood there, completely still, for a good minute while she looked at the damage. I wanted to ask her if she was okay, but I knew that was a stupid question.
She finally lost it when she traced the letters carved into the hood.
CUNT
Wrapping her arms around herself, she let out a sob, and I couldn’t stand back anymore. Coming up behind her, I rubbed my hands up and down her arms, then hugged her to me while she cried.
Just like her laughter made its way straight to my heart, so did her tears.
In that moment, her pain was mine. And as much as that pain wanted to turn into anger, I needed to be strong for her. I pushed down my temper as I buried my nose in her hair.
Mackenna’s sobs subsided and hiccups took over.
“Mack,” I said quietly. “Go inside while I clean this up.”
“That son of a bitch ruined my car!” she growled angrily, radiating a level of rage I’d never seen from her before. It would’ve been cute if it wasn’t so fucking scary. She turned toward me. “Why does he have to be so fucking ominous about it?” she asked, slashing her hand through the air. “Why doesn’t he just show up at my damn door? Oh yeah, because I’d shoot his ass!”
Yep, my girl had claws. She was ferocious if she had to be, and I was glad for that.
“Hey, I’m gonna fix it.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “Good thing your boyfriend works at an auto shop.”
“Boyfriend,” she repeated, like testing out that word was weird for her. Although I’d called her my girlfriend several times already, it was the first time I’d heard her say the term when she was referring to me.
I liked it.
“Yeah. We’re dating, so I’m your boyfriend,” I told her with another megawatt smile. “Hey, what did one race car say to the other race car?”
She sniffled, but her lips tilted up. “I don’t know. What?”
“I’m Audi here.”
A hiccup mingled with a laugh. “That’s a good one.”
“Ten minutes,” I said while guiding her up to the house. “Go do something that makes you happy for ten minutes and I’ll take care of this. Play some music. Eat an ice cream sandwich or five.”
“Okay.” She tossed another pained look at her vehicle, then with one more hiccup she went inside.
The smile I’d been trying so hard to keep on my face dropped as I pulled out my phone. Jaxon didn’t realize it, but he’d just made my decision very easy. One text to Jay sealed his fate.
Me: Set it up