33. Vail

Never in my life had I seen something as amazing as Jordan on his knees in front of Hartley and me, giving himself over, wanting us to use him. I was getting hard again just thinking about it as we were driven outside of Dremest to where JJ, Greer, and Dexen lived.

Albert was behind the wheel of the Navigator while Raiden sat up front. In the SUV behind us was Reghan, Oleander, and Sheldon. Hartley's usual guard didn't come with us tonight. From what I'd overheard, Sheldon wanted to get out of the building so Hartley's guard, Rory, took the night off.

When we were all in Jordan's building, Oleander and Rory didn't need to be in our home with us. The building was so heavily protected, they could have a life outside of following us around. But when we left, they came with us.

We pulled into the driveway of the home as the sun was setting. I could easily make out the two-story white and gray stone building with the exterior lights on. There was an interesting mix of old and new between the stone from long ago and the addition which was painted white. Across from the home was a three-car garage where JJ worked on vehicles when he didn't want to drive to his shop in East Dremest. A natural wood arbor lined both buildings and went over the driveway at the edge of them to connect them into the shape of a U.

I'd been here before with Dana and others from Untouchable. Dexen's home had always felt comfortable to me. With Greer and JJ here, it was much more relaxed, which Dexen needed. All three of them worked so hard. Together, they got each other to unwind.

The front door opened as we exited the SUV, Albert holding the door for us. It was obvious how much he enjoyed working for Jordan and ruffling his feathers. On the ride over, we heard about the snakes native to Pennsylvania. Jordan ground his teeth and looked out the window while Hartley engaged with Albert and asked questions. I was content to listen to their interaction. The three of us were so damn different. Together, we made sense.

I was glad I had talked to Jordan and Hartley earlier, even if it did upset Jordan. I wanted to be honest. We were good though. Every relationship had challenges. It just so happened ours had a criminal in it, who liked to kill people and traffic guns and drugs.

JJ leaned against the doorway to the home as we approached. Raiden stood in front of us and motioned for JJ to move so he could go inside and sweep the home.

"Fuck you," JJ said without any heat. "If I wanted my old man dead, I could have done it years ago. There's nothing in here that will hurt him."

"Me," Greer said, coming up behind JJ. "I'll hurt him if given the chance."

"The feeling is mutual," Jordan replied. "It's fine, Raiden. I've been in much worse situations than dinner with my son and his… partners." That brought to mind images of what Jordan must have gone through for years. Being targeted, arrested, and more. I didn't like thinking about it. Knowing it could happen at any moment wasn't comforting.

JJ and Greer moved out of the way so we could step inside. Stairs leading to the second floor were just to the left with the dining room on the other side of them. On the right was a spacious living room. Hardwood floors ran throughout, adding to the warmth of the space. A fire was lit, and a sectional faced it. Dexen shook my and Hartley's hands and welcome us into their home. He nodded at Jordan.

"Have a seat," Dexen said. "Dinner's almost done. Greer insisted on grilling in the cold."

"I wanted steak." He shrugged. "It tastes good on the grill."

We took seats with Jordan in between Hartley and me. It was completely intentional on my part. If I could be a buffer to keep Jordan from doing something murderous when Greer said the wrong thing to him, I would.

JJ's eyes snapped to Sheldon as he finally entered the house. "Jesus, I told you to leave him at home."

Sheldon grinned, obviously knowing the effect he had on people. He was so calm it was eerie, but I liked it. I'd spent an evening getting to know him and some of the other guards. They ran a card game in the building once a week. Jordan never attended and Hartley wasn't interested, but I loved cards. Getting to know the guards was a perk.

Sheldon's hair was pulled back tonight on the sides, the rest hanging loose down the back. It wasn't much past his chin. His eyes crinkled at the corner as he smiled. "It's always a pleasure, JJ."

JJ visibly shivered. "I know you're deadly, but the way you talk, fuck, I want you to get angry or irritated."

"Where's the fun in that? I like watching you squirm."

"Sheldon," Jordan growled.

Sheldon nodded. "I'll go back outside and do another lap then take up post with Albert." He slipped out the door without much sound.

JJ shivered again.

I couldn't help but laugh. "His voice gets to you that much?"

"Yeah. He should get pissed sometimes. It would be normal, but he stays so damn calm. Who does that?" I wanted to reply, someone whose father who used to yell all the time and beat him, but I kept that to myself.

After the card game was over with the guards, I sat with Sheldon for a bit. He had a rough childhood. His father was an alcoholic who raged at him and his mother. Oleander grew up down the road from him. Once Sheldon's father would go to sleep, Sheldon would sneak out and go to Oleander's house and stay there until the sun came up. Sheldon told me as he got older, he stopped doing that, wanting to stand and take what his father dished out night and day, so it didn't fall on his mother.

When Sheldon was old enough, he couldn't take it anymore and left. He begged his mother to go with him, but she refused. She passed away a year later. His father had beaten her badly. She suffered a massive heart attack and died. His father was still rotting in jail, on borrowed time, with a failing body from years of drinking and not taking care of himself.

Sheldon had visited him once, just so he could see him behind those walls and know he was serving time. It didn't erase the guilt Sheldon had at leaving his mother behind. I told him it wasn't his fault, though he didn't hear me. Being in an abusive relationship, no matter the type, was a horrible place to be.

Dexen took a seat on the couch beside JJ while Greer went outside to check on the steak.

"I'm surprised you're taking a night off," I said.

"JJ and Greer can be very convincing."

"Yeah, we can." JJ grinned then turned to us. "So, the old man hasn't chased you two away yet?"

"Nope," Hartley said. "Quite the opposite. We're in it for the long haul." Others wouldn't have noticed, but I felt Jordan relax against me.

I nodded. "We are. As much as you can't understand it, we're happy with him."

"It's not that I don't understand. I know what it's like to fall in love. It's just… He's…" He motioned to his father. "Him. He's done a lot of awful shit. I could have seen him with Malik. The man was an asshole, but you two are the complete opposite."

Jordan placed his hand on my thigh as I was about to respond. "They are," he said. "Maybe that's why it works. I need them to balance and ground me."

"It makes sense," Dexen muttered. "If we were the same as those we're in a relationship with, it would get boring as hell."

"He's right," JJ added. "I'm nothing like Dex or Greer. Sure, I go to an office every day but it's not where I feel at home. I want to be under a car, getting dirty, and fixing shit."

"You don't have to stay working at PJS," Jordan said. "I wanted the world for you, Jordan. That meant getting into a career path where you could keep excelling."

"I was a reflection of you, right? Me driving around in my beat-up truck or on my Hartley, that wasn't the ideal look for your son."

Jordan sighed. "Yes, that was part of it back then, but it wasn't the truth. You deserved more. Being with PJS meant you had security, not just in your career but in your life. It put distance between us, as much as I hated it. You haven't been targeted in a while now."

"Neither have you."

"There are reasons for that."

"I'm sure there are. Why can't you just come out and say you give a fuck? I know you do. You've done everything you could to keep me safe. Why keep finding reasons to justify your actions?"

"It's easier that way."

"He cares," I interjected, even though it wasn't my place to be part of this conversation. It was between Jordan and JJ, but I couldn't keep quiet. "He loves you, JJ. It might not be in the traditional sense with affection or words. Your father doesn't do things that way. But he does care." I took Jordan's hand in mine where it still rested on my thigh.

Dexen's fingers wove into JJ's hair, calming the man instantly. "He cares, Jordan," Dexen murmured to him.

The back sliding door opened a moment later, Greer calling out that dinner was done. We stood, but JJ hung back, taking his father's arm to bring him to a stop. I paused, waiting to see what JJ would do. I didn't expect him to pull his father into an embrace like he did. They hugged, as brief as it was.

JJ clapped me on the shoulder as he walked past. "Thank you, Vail."

Hartley and I stayed in the living room a minute longer as we waited for Jordan. His eyes met ours and we both went to him, to hug him in a different way. Jordan accepted our embrace, putting his arms around us and holding us tight.

"You two… Thank you," he whispered.

"We care too," I said, more than I was willing to admit out loud.

Jordan wasn't the only one having trouble with words. What I felt for them was so damn big, yet giving it a voice felt like a Herculean task. I wasn't ready yet. One day I would be, there was no doubt.

Dexen nodded to us when we finally entered the dining room. Surprisingly enough, Greer smiled at Jordan. It didn't last long, but it was a start.

Jordan and JJ weren't the only ones trying to improve their relationships. Jordan tried to do the same with Hartley and me, learning how to be more vocal, and showing us he could be vulnerable around us and his family too.

It didn't matter that Jordan was someone different when he wasn't with Hartley and me. What mattered was how he was with us and the people he cared about. None of us were saints. Jordan just was closer to the fires of Hell than we were.