Filthy Crown by Eleanor Aldrick
Damn. I knew this was going to happen.
You can’t walk away from seeing a decapitated body and come out unscathed. It’s too much for a little mind to bear.
I’m flying, taking two steps at a time before coming to a complete halt outside Amanda’s door. There, sitting up on her bed, is my little sister. Her gold locks clinging to her sweat slicked face and neck as she pushes away from Georgina.
“Get the fuck away from her!” I growl, flinging myself toward my sister and pulling her into a protective embrace.
“I–I–I was just trying to help.” She gets up from the bed, wringing her hands on her too skimpy nightgown. What the hell? She’s dressed like she’s ready to walk down the Victoria Secret runway. “I heard her scream, so I rushed inside to see what happened. She was hysterical when I found her, but she wouldn’t let me calm her.”
I stare at her incredulously. Of course she wouldn’t let her calm her. She doesn’t even know her. Flicking my gaze toward Jack, I see he’s just standing there as if on mute. If he won’t say something, I sure will.
“Keep your hands to your damn self, Georgina. It’d be clear to a blind man that you’re only making things worse.” I stroke the palm of my hand down Amanda’s back, trying to stop her from sobbing. “Shh. I’ve got you, pumpkin. You’re safe here.”
Georgina rushes to Jack’s side, her hands lifting to his chest. “I was just trying to help, Jack. I want you to know that I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you and the kids.”
I look away, unable to withstand one second longer of this woman flinging herself at Jack like some desperate floozy.
Amanda whimpers, “Pen. Don’t leave me.”
God. My heart.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jack clench and unclench his fists. “Georgina, why don’t you go put some clothes on. We’ve got this covered.” The hulking man approaches us slowly before crouching down next to the bed. “Amanda, I promise you’re safe here. Nothing and nobody can hurt you. Uncle Jack’s got you.”
She gives him a weary glance. Justifiably so. With no recollection of him aside from yesterday’s interaction, I’m surprised she’s let him come this close.
“What happened, sweetie? Was it a bad dream?” I pull back, trying to see her face clearly.
Not liking the distance, she reaches for me, pressing her little sweat covered face into my shirt. “The men. They came back for you. They took you, too.”
Jesus. I cling to her, desperately trying to give her comfort. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Promise.”
My sister sobs, her tears soaking the fabric between us. “You can’t promise, Pen. Mom promised, and she left.”
Jack sucks in a sharp breath, his tortured eyes meeting mine in a helpless clash. “Well, Pen has me and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure this promise is kept.” He raises a hand, tightly rubbing at the back of his neck. “I know it’s going to take time to see that I’m telling the truth, but in the meantime, is there something that would help you feel better?”
Amanda looks at me then back at Jack, her glassy eyes lighting up a little. “Chocolate chip pancakes?”
Jack and I let out a chuckle at the unexpected request. I bop her nose, and smile. “Pancakes sound perfect. I think I saw what we needed when I was down in the kitchen earlier.” Looking toward our guardian, I give him a lopsided smile. “How about it, Uncle Jack? You up for flipping duty?”
“Sure am. Come on, peanut. I’ll sneak you some chocolate chips before we dump them in the batter.” He extends a hand out to Amanda, and to my surprise, she takes it.
Maybe the stay here won’t be too bad.
I’m mixing the batter when the rest of the crown brothers, sans Hunter, walk in.
“Something smells good in here.” Matt rubs his belly and looks toward the bacon sizzling on the skillet.
“Uncle Jack is making me pancakes.” Amanda claps her little hands excitedly.
I bring a hand to my chest and give an exaggerated gasp. “So, what am I? Chopped liver?”
In all honesty, I’m happy she’s taking a liking to Jack. I worried she wouldn’t be able to recover from her trauma, but seeing that she’s willing to accept a male figure in her life is promising.
“I wouldn’t say chopped liver. More like prickly cactus fruit.” Alex walks into the kitchen rubbing his eyes, the entire room erupting into laughter at his comment. Well, everyone except for me.
I scoff. “Fine. Don’t expect to get any pancakes then.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll give you some of mine,” Amanda whispers conspiratorially.
“I see how it is.” Smirking, I plop the batter down next to Jack, who’s flipping the bacon.
His towering frame leans toward me, his lips a mere breath away from my ear. “Hey, why don’t you go change? Your shorts are awfully short.”
My face grows hot and my chest tightens. Slowly, oh so slowly, I turn to look him in the eye. “Excuse me?”
I must have heard him wrong, because he did not tell me my shorts are too short when Little Miss Sunshine was just prancing around like some goddamn lingerie model not thirty minutes ago. Besides, we’re all family here, right?
“Everything okay over there?” Matt raises a brow in our direction while Jace pours himself a cup of coffee.
Jack’s jaw clenches, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits, his gaze never leaving mine. “Fine. I was just telling Pen that she needs to go change into something more appropriate for company.”
Oh. My. God. How freaking embarrassing!
Jace spits out the coffee he’d just sipped and Matt’s brows practically hit his hairline. Meanwhile, I’m pretty sure I resemble a damn tomato.
“Brother, nobody is looking at Pen in any way, shape or form, that would warrant that kind of worry.” Matt’s brows furrow as his gaze flicks between me and Jack.
Something flashes in Jack’s eyes, but he quickly schools his face into one of indifference before turning back toward his brother. “We have the therapist coming today and she needs to get checked out by the doctor.”
My head whips toward him. “You didn’t tell me the therapist was coming today?”
Amanda quickly scurries over to me, her arms wrapping around my legs. I look down, wondering if they’ll be able to help with her nightmares.
“I don’t want a therapist.” Alex cuts into my thoughts as he calls from behind a cup of orange juice.
I let out a slow breath. This isn’t going to be easy. “I know you’re really strong, Alex. But can you do it as a favor for me? I’m sure it’ll help your sister feel more comfortable with the idea.”
He looks down at his little sister and nods. “Fine. For Amanda.”
Thank God.He really is strong, but I know he’s just as messed up about this as Amanda and me. It simply isn’t natural. You can’t see the kind of carnage we did and be okay.
Hell, I know I’m not, and I’m almost eight years older than him.
Jace walks toward me, handing me a cup of coffee. “Here. Looks like you’ve earned it.” His soft smile melts my heart, bringing me back to the here and now.
“Thank you.” I place the mug on the counter before depositing Amanda on one of the stools. They’re shaped like saddles and she squeals at the realization.
“This is fun! Do you have real horsies?” She beams up toward Jack expectantly.
“We sure do. Maybe we can go for a ride after your therapy session.” Jack is talking to Amanda, but his eyes are narrowed on me as I place the mug Jace gave me into the fridge. “You’re putting your coffee… into the fridge.”
“Yes, Captain Obvious. I don’t like hot drinks, so I take my caffeine ice cold.”
“Like your heart,” Alex snickers, my eyes cutting to him and narrowing before they flit back to Jack, who’s making a face of disgust.
“That’s just wrong. It’s sacrilege.”
“Well, good thing it’s not you who’s drinking it, but me.” I purse my lips and head back toward the stools, taking the one next to Amanda.
“Shouldn’t you be going upstairs to change instead of desecrating coffee?”
My head rears back, my tongue poised to say something when Jace smacks Jack on the back. “Careful, brother. The way you two bicker, it might give someone the wrong impression.”
For the second time, my face heats while Jack scoffs. “Like what? I’m just worried about what she’s putting in that mouth.”
It’s Matt’s turn to choke on his coffee as my eyes go wide. “Right. Well, on that note… I’m taking Amanda and Alex upstairs so we can all change for the day. We’ll be right back.”
I get up from my stool as Jace shoos us away. “Yes. Go before this one puts his whole leg in his mouth.”
“Coffee. I was talking about her cold coffee.” I hear Jack mutter as I step into the hall.
God. It’s barely day two and things are not going well with Jack. Nothing I do seems to be good enough in his eyes. How in the world am I going to convince him I can manage things on my own?
