Page 56 of Pirate

“That I know of, but…” she hesitated.

“What?” Jazz asked her.

Well, she supposed it didn’t matter now. “Pirate and I have been meeting to have sex at the clubhouse. We stayed later on Sunday night than we usually do and I was dead on my feet when I got back. I’m not sure I would have noticed something was out of place.”

Jumper didn’t bat an eye at her candor or the information about his brother’s sex life. He turned back to the phone. “Check Sunday night too.”

After agreeing to something Keys said, Jumper hung up the phone. But then he dialed someone else. “Bulldog,” he said. “Someone was inside Sophia’s house last night.”

Sophia turned to Jazz. “I didn’t mean to make a big deal. There’s a good chance they’ll find nothing.”

Jumper spoke before Jasmine could. “We failed you once while under our protection. There won’t be a second time. You’re living here until I say otherwise.”

Sophia scowled at him. “You can’t order me around. What about my mom? She’s at the house alone right now while my dad’s out of town.”

“We’ll take care of your mom too. Let’s figure out what’s going on before we uproot her, since you said she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.”

Jazz squeezed her hand. “This is what they do when one of their women is threatened. Let them handle things.”

“I’m not one of their women,” she answered on impulse. Jasmine raised a skeptical eyebrow while something resembling a snort came from Jumper behind her. Still, Sophia pushed. “We haven’t said anything. Not official, at least. Pirate said he wanted to talk to me tonight but we never got around to actually talking about, you know,us.”

“I have no doubt you will,” Jasmine told her reassuringly. “I have a good feeling about you two.”

Sophia loved her bestie’s confidence. She only wished she had some certainty to the outcome of her and Pirate’s future. It wasn’t like her to be so unsure and nervous. But this wasPirate. In a way, she wished Jasmine hadn’t made her realize she had feelings for Pirate. It would kill her if he walked away from what she knew they could have.

She both wanted tomorrow to come faster and to freeze time so it would never come. Her entire future felt like it was teetering on an old apothecary scale.

It was scary beyond belief. But if this was the last night she had with Pirate, she was going to take advantage of it. Saying good night to Jazz and Jumper, Sophia headed into Pirate’s bedroom.

CHAPTER 10

Pirate woke up to two surprises. The first being the sun was already up and shining in through his bedroom window and the second being Sophia asleep in his bed next to him. She was burrowed so completely in the covers, he couldn’t see what she was wearing but her light snores told him she was definitely still asleep.

Reaching over, he grabbed his phone and was shocked to see it was after ten in the morning.

Shit! He was late for work!

He unlocked his phone to call Principal Rockland and apologize, only to find a message from his boss awaiting him in his text messages.

Rockland: I’m sorry to hear your leg is causing you pain. Please let me know when you’re ready to return to work. We will discuss your schedule then.

That sounded…ominous.

But who could have called the principal on his behalf? Principal Rockland was a fair man, but Pirate had already hadone unexcused extended absence this school year. There was a chance he wouldn’t have a job upon returning.

His right leg certainly felt better than it had the day before, but it was still inflamed. Damnit. Grabbing his forearm crutch, Pirate slid out of bed so he didn’t disturb Sophia. He recalled her saying she hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep Monday night. Besides, he needed to use the bathroom and see what was going on with the dogs.

He found Jumper at their kitchen table when he walked out. Well, hopped out was more accurate. His single forearm crutch was easier to use than underarm crutches, but not as smooth of a gait.

“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty,” his brother quipped.

Pirate held up his middle finger. “Tell me there’s coffee.”

Jumper pointed to the kitchen with his thumb over his shoulder. “Just made a fresh pot. Jazz made cinnamon buns this morning. She put them back in the oven to keep them warm for you.”

As good as that sounded, Pirate could only carry one thing at a time while using his forearm crutch and coffee was his priority. After pouring himself a cup, he carefully made his way over to the table.

“Want to catch me up on what happened last night?”

---