20. Jesse

Chapter twenty

Jesse

S omeone upset our princess, and I had a sneaking suspicion that it was Anders. He had the tendency to be a raging asshole, so it was a good bet. I found her curled up on the couch in the living room, staring out the window and looking completely forlorn.

We had basically abducted her and uprooted her entire life, so I could see why she might be a little unhappy. I was determined to change this. Smiling, I waved to catch her attention, watching her tense up briefly before settling back on the couch, giving me a shy wave.

"What's wrong, beautiful?" I signed, and she cocked her head to the side. Right, fuck, this language barrier was frustrating. Grace smiled wanly, clearly frustrated as well.

I pulled out my phone and opened a notes app, typing out the question as I sat down beside her. I showed her my phone, letting her read the message. Her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink as she met my gaze, and I repeated the signs again, slower this time. She mimicked me, practicing a couple of times. I could see her mouthing the words as she signed, her nose wrinkled in concentration.

When she finally got it, I handed her the phone so she could answer me. I watched her type something, scowl, erase it, and then type something new. It was a minute or two before Grace settled on a message, handing me back the phone.

"I'm just a bit bored. I need something to keep busy."

I smirked, I could think of a few things that would keep her busy for a bit. First things first though, I showed her how to sign her response, pointing to the parts of the sentence in relation to the signs I used. It was a painfully slow method of communication, and I made a mental note to get her a laptop. There were a few great online courses I'd forced Anders and Levy to take so I could always be a part of the conversation.

Anders was actually really good at signing, he was just an asshole and forgot to use it when he was talking to the others, even when I was in the room. Levy… well I was sure he tried, but most of the time I couldn't see what he was saying anyway. We'd come up with a quick touch-based code that worked in a pinch.

Once Grace had gotten it down, I typed out a quick question, handing the phone back as I tried to repress a grin.

"Do you like getting wet?"

Twenty minutes later, we were both strapped into my Jeep, which Anders despised for its removable doors and roof that he deemed unsafe. For my needs though, it was perfect. I'd had it retrofitted with an Audio-Tactile Converter, so noises around us would turn into vibrations in the steering wheel. Grace looked nervous as I wove through traffic, heading toward my typical spot on the beach. Most of the surfers had cleared out already—they'd be back in the evening for the last waves of the day. I parked in one of the spots along the beach and jumped out, sliding across the hood of my Jeep so I could—well there were no doors, so I couldn't open it for her—but I could help her step down.

Thankfully, I'd been able to provide some input on her wardrobe and had thought ahead. Grace looked radiant in her little red bikini, the light catching the sequins on her shimmery crochet cover-up. Clasping her hand, I tugged her across the sidewalk and onto the soft sand, relaxing as the sea air ruffled my hair. I fucking loved the beach. I could live here happily, sleeping in my Jeep and scrounging meals from the hippies who owned the shops along the boardwalk. Surfing until 10 AM, then drinking beer until 6 PM before catching a few more waves. That would be the life.

Grace was starting to smile, her eyes wide behind the sunglasses I'd given her. She was a little pale still, but she already fit in perfectly with the crowd here. I waved to a few beachgoers, recognizing some of them. I refused to let Grace go, tugging her right up to where the waves were lapping the shore, soaking the sand before it disappeared back out to sea.

I kicked off my shoes, waiting for her to do the same. I'd left my shirt in the car, and I gestured for her to take off her cover-up. She raised her eyebrow at me before she finally pulled it over her head and tossed it on the sand beside our shoes. I grinned and pointed at the ocean, and she stepped tentatively to the edge of the waves, lifting up on her tiptoes when she reached the wet sand. I'd left my phone in the Jeep, so I couldn't ask her the million questions bubbling up as I watched her scurry away from the waves, laughing. I never bothered to ask if she'd ever been in the ocean before, but I had a feeling that I already knew the answer to that. And that was unacceptable.

Catching her as she dodged another wave, I flashed her a quick vision of her jumping into the water, and she laughed and shook her head vehemently. I smirked and lifted her around the waist, her mouth dropping open in shock as I walked us toward the ocean. Grace climbed me like a spider monkey, wrapping her legs around my hips as I stepped further into the water, her body shivering as the cool ocean spray tickled her thighs. I thought she would climb right up my torso as I plunged into the water up to my waist, finally getting her legs submerged. I was sure she was cursing at me right now, and it made it so much funnier as I waded deeper into the ocean. She inhaled sharply against me, her arms nearly choking the air out of me as the water reached our chests. I didn't go any deeper than that, I didn't actually want to scare her. We stood there for a few minutes, the foamy waves shifting around us as the tide washed in and out. I loved watching the sun glance off the surface, a shimmering mirage all the way to the horizon.

Grace's grip on me never loosened, even when she got bolder and started to look around us. Her nipples were hard, I could feel them rubbing against my bare chest through her bikini, giving me some very dirty thoughts. I let my hands drift up and down her back, soothing her gently until she started to finally relax in my arms, her legs slowly unclenching from around my waist. I stepped back a bit, so she could stand without getting completely submerged. I held onto her arms as she lowered herself, her mouth open as she took shallow breaths, but the corners of her lips were turned up in a smile.

It took another ten minutes before she was willing to put her head under the water, but after that, she was like a fish reborn. We swam out to a sandbar, watching the boats further out that were coming from the pier nearby. The conversation was… limited at best, but we made do just fine with her basic signs and my poor attempts at lip reading.

We stayed in the ocean until the first of the evening surfers swam out, waving to me as they passed. I gestured for Grace to follow me, and we swam to shore, heading back to where we'd left our things. The air was still warm enough that we were nearly dry by the time we reached the Jeep, and I showed Grace where she could wash the sand off of her feet. I knew we should head home soon, I was sure Erik was probably losing his shit that I'd disappeared with his pretty new toy.

Fuck Erik, he could stew for a bit. I grabbed my phone out of the Jeep and took Grace's hand, tugging her toward the boardwalk. It was already bustling with people, but I forged my own path, Grace close at my heels. I stopped in front of my favorite food truck, which was currently being overrun by a line-up of beachgoers. I waved until I caught the eye of one of the guys inside, who grinned and waved back, holding up a finger. Shaking my head, I held up two, and he craned his neck to see Grace beside me before nodding and gesturing to the side door.

Grace was following the whole encounter, absolutely perplexed, and I grinned and pulled her past the crowd and over to the side of the truck. Trevor, the owner, stuck his head out the door and winked at me before quickly giving Grace a once-over. She blushed and greeted him, her mouth moving at the same time as she signed, "Hi, I'm Grace," slowly, but correctly. I beamed at her, kissing the top of her head in praise. Trevor didn't sign a word, but I didn't hold it against him—they made the best tacos on the boardwalk after all, so they got a pass.

Someone came to the door and handed him a bag, giving me a wave before disappearing once again. Trevor held out the bag to me, and I could see Grace ask him a question, but she didn't sign it, instead giving me a quick "Sorry". Trevor shook his head and laughed, waving her away as he answered, shooting me another wink. I smiled politely and signed a quick thanks, grabbing Grace's hand once more to pull her back onto the busy sidewalk. I led her to the public seating area and snagged us an empty table, gesturing for her to sit as I set down our food. Pulling out my phone, I typed out a quick message, ignoring the hundred or so texts I had from Erik.

"What did you ask him?" I asked, handing her the phone. She typed out her response as I divvied up the food, smirking when I saw that he'd added two beers to the bag. Trevor was fucking aces in my book. I traded a beer for my phone as I sat down, quickly reading over her message.

"I asked how much we owed him for the food. He said ‘the King's men don't pay here'?" She was watching me closely, and I handed over her food, debating how to answer. First, we went over the signs, so next time she could include me in the conversation. Once that was sorted, I typed out my response, handing the phone back and sipping my beer as she read.

"We helped Trev open this place a couple of years back. We make sure he doesn't get hassled by anyone else, and he gives us free food." She raised her eyebrows, and I gestured for her to eat, setting one of the boxes in front and signing "Tacos", which she repeated back to me. We ate in silence—well, I ate in silence, she got to listen to the sounds of the boardwalk—but I didn't bug her to sign with me until after she was done eating. Finally, Grace was beginning to show signs of an appetite, I was sure Anders would be thrilled.

Grace scrunched up her nose as she set her empty box aside, wiping her hands on a napkin. "I have…" she waved her hands, then shrugged exaggeratedly. I smiled, sending her a flash of a question mark, and she nodded, grinning. We practiced until she could ask it fully, and then she typed it on my phone.

"How do you all know each other?" she asked, and I assumed she meant Erik and the others. I explained, through text and sign, that I'd grown up with Erik after my mom died, and we'd met Anders in school. When she asked about Levy, I hesitated, not sure how much of his story could be told. It wasn't a nice story, far from it, and he never talked about it—not that I could blame him. I explained that we'd met when I'd been with Erik for a few years, we'd been fifteen or sixteen at the time. He'd come to live with us after that since King Sr. fancied himself a collector of freaks.

Grace nodded along absently, watching my hands move and mimicking them back. Her gaze kept flicking up over my shoulder, and a look of annoyance creased her face. "What's wrong?" I asked, and she shook her head quickly, finishing her beer.

"We… go?" she asked, and I corrected it for her quickly.

"Sure we can," I replied, smiling. I stood up to grab our garbage when something hit me in the shoulder, forcing me to catch myself on the table. I could see Grace losing her shit at someone and quickly turned around, zeroing in on the scene behind me. Three assholes were sauntering over, and I noticed a football at my feet, which must've been what hit me. All three of them were talking, but not to me. They were focused on Grace, which immediately pissed me off.

"Come on, let's go," I signed to her, and she nodded, glaring at the men. I saw one of them mimic me, and they all laughed. Oh yeah, deafness, it was hilarious . I rolled my eyes and shot them the universal sign for "fuck off". That one, they seemed to understand. I could see them mouthing off out of the corner of my eye, and Grace was getting nervous, shaking despite her hands being curled into fists. I wasn't going to let some ableist assholes ruin our nice day. I caught her hip with my hand, pulling her behind me a little, still watching the movement in my periphery. One of them, the funny one, chose that moment to take a swing at me.

I considered myself to be… less evil, in the grand scheme of things. Sure, we were bad guys. We dealt in guns, violence, and all kinds of illegal ventures. When it came to violence, Anders had the highest body count for sure, and Erik, well he had to do some bad shit for work. Me, though, I tried not to start fights, even with pricks who liked to sucker punch deaf people in the head. I would, however, happily finish those fights, and I've been training for years to be extremely effective at it.

Ducking to avoid the blow, I turned and caught him with a left hook to the diaphragm, dropping him to his knees. His buddy needed to defend his honor, clearly, and he tried to rush me. I crouched just as he lunged and used his own momentum to throw him over the table, narrowly missing Grace, who's eyes went wide. She ran forward, and I turned to find the third guy way too close for comfort. Just before he reached me, he slowed to a stop, his face going slack. Grace was holding out her hand, saying something to the guy, who dropped to his knees, the knife in his hand clattering on the ground. He looked like he'd been hit in the head with a rock.

Grace was shaking, her face tense with concentration as she grabbed for my arm, tugging me away from the idiot threesome on the ground. I laughed as I let her pull me toward the Jeep, brushing the hair out of my face. "How did you do that?" I signed when we got to the car. She kept looking over her shoulder like she was expecting them to chase after us. I had to get her attention and asked again, and she just shrugged, looking as confused as I felt. I helped her into the Jeep, and we took off just as a police car arrived. Grace slid down in her seat to hide as I laughed and sped off down the road. None of the cops around here would arrest me anyway, not once they recognized me, at least.

I half-expected Erik to be waiting for us when I pulled up to the garage, ready to scold me like a kid out past curfew. I parked in my normal spot on the driveway and stared at Grace as she relaxed into her seat. She looked happier than when we'd left, so I'd officially call this day a win. Her hair was messy from the ocean, all wild waves as it tumbled down her back. I firmly believed that the ocean could heal most wounds, especially those that were hidden deeper inside. Every time I went for a swim, I felt cleansed afterward, as if none of the bad things I did stayed with me.

"What are you looking at?" Grace signed, catching me staring. I smirked, and she blushed a pretty pink. I wanted to rip that tiny bikini off her and take her right here, but I was trying to be a gentleman today, so I pushed my hair out of my face and hopped out of the car. I cursed myself as I helped her down from the Jeep, her body pressing against mine briefly before I pulled away and let her head into the house.

I caught Anders lurking in the living room, and he cocked an eyebrow when we walked in, scanning Grace in his robotic way before catching my eye. "You're in deep shit," he told me, and I just shrugged.

Sure enough, Erik caught us before we could sneak upstairs, his dark eyes smoldering. I wondered for half a second if he'd actually take a swing at me, but instead, he marched past Grace so roughly she flinched into the wall, souring my mood immediately. Now I wanted him to swing at me, then I had a legit reason to kick his ass.

"Where's your phone? Oh look, it is fucking working." He grabbed it out of my pocket, seeing all his texts appear as soon as he opened it. "Are you fucking insane?" It was a silent argument, leaving Grace and Anders to watch as we snapped back and forth with our hands.

"She was sad, I wanted to cheer her up. I didn't realize I needed to check in with you first, Daddy ," I snarked, and he glared up at me.

"You two disappear for an entire day, and I'm left thinking Douglas or my father have run you idiots off the road!" he signed furiously, and I rolled my eyes.

"Right, you're mad I was potentially in danger. Not that you were left out." I waved him off, and he swore out loud this time. Grace backed up a step, her shoulders dropping. I glared at Erik and shoved him hard in the shoulder. "You're scaring her, asshole! She thinks you're pissed at her. Get your head out of your ass! Remember Levy?" It was an underhanded move, sending him a vision from the early days of Levy's stay with us.

Erik visibly paled, his bronzed skin turning a sickly gray as the bluster left him all at once. He turned slowly, his hands raised carefully to not spook her. "Grace, I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you, alright? I was worried about you guys, that's it," he signed as he spoke, and she relaxed a bit, pulling herself away from the wall.

"Erik gets pouty when he's left out," I signed, and his lips twisted in irritation. "Next time you can come, okay?" I told them both, and he nodded.

Grace slipped past Erik tentatively, approaching me and standing up on her tiptoes so she could kiss me on the cheek. "Thank you." She smiled at me, and I felt triumphant for a moment, until she turned and headed for the basement stairs. I couldn't have cheered her up that much if she'd prefer to sleep in a cell than upstairs with us.

Fuck, I had my work cut out for me here.