She could have asked him about it. She probably should have asked him about it.
Of course, she hadn’t asked him about it.
Nope, instead, she’d lain beside him all night, wide awake, and wondered what was in that damn file. Her mind had manufactured some pretty interesting scenarios - everything from a background check to a contract for a hit had been deliberated by her overactive imagination.
She also knew that Jake had been confused by her mood this morning. Quiet and withdrawn, she’d tried to put on a happy face and failed miserably. She’d blamed it on the change in weather – it had grown much colder overnight – but, she knew he wasn’t buying it. Luckily, he had let it go. She figured he was trying to offer her the time she needed to come to grips with the shift their relationship had taken. It’s what a good man would do.
And she really hoped Jake was as good a man as she thought he was.
He’d reminded her that he had business this morning when he’d taken her home and that he’d see her later in the day so that they could have their talk. She’d waited a whole forty-five minutes before she’d driven back to his house and called Faith, thus putting the sisters on alert.
Now, she was waiting for back-up.
Because she was about to be bad. Very bad.
She was about to break into her boyfriend’s house and find out what was in that fucking file. Worse yet, Harmony fully intended to take her sisters along for her first foray into the murky world of illegal activity. It was only a mild comfort to remember her Daddy’s demand that his girls always stick together. She could still hear him saying, “Wrong or right, thick or thin, Harmony, girl, rely on each other. At the end of the day, all else might fall during a fight, but family will hold.”
Man, she hoped he was right about that.
Hearing a car motor approaching, Harmony turned her head and watched as Patience’s bright yellow convertible zipped up the driveway. Honest to God, she loved her sister’s flamboyant sense of style, but it was damn hard to fly under the radar in that kind of car. Wincing as the vehicle screeched to a stop just a few inches shy of her sedan, she sighed and reminded herself that lecturing her sister on her driving skills would only end in tears. Hers! Her sister couldn’t help herself. It was Patience’s way. The woman went full throttle in everything she did; it didn’t matter if it was living her life or driving her car. Full speed ahead was her sworn motto. She wished she’d gotten just a little of her wacky sister’s fearlessness.
Slamming the door as she climbed out of the Mustang, Patience eyed her sister warily as she walked toward the steps. “Okay, I got the callout about half an hour ago. This better be good, sis! Your kid was up until after two this morning!” she threatened, tucking a lilac wisp of hair behind her ear.
“Two?” Harmony balked. “Her bedtime is nine, Patience!”
“Yeah, well, we got creative. We both took a nap after we got home from the cookout yesterday and might have decided that a pan of brownies made a better choice for supper than the lasagna Honor sent home with me. The sugar rush hit us around midnight and we had a Wiggles dance marathon. Sue me.” She shrugged carelessly. “I’m the fun aunt. You knew this when you enlisted my services.”
This was true. Patience wasn’t much on discipline. Or diapers. She had steadfastly refused to hold Heaven for any length of time when she was a baby. She’d had strict potty control parameters. But once her daughter had gotten older and was able to maintain control of her bladder, her sister had kicked her auntly ass into high gear, regularly stealing Heaven away for many a sugar-filled slumber party. It was a hard fact; Patience definitely loved her niece and wasn’t shy about spoiling her now.
Ignoring the thunderous look on Harmony’s face, Patience forged ahead with her typical bluntness. “Why the hell did you drag my flawless ass out of bed, Harm? What’s goin’ on? Where’s Jake?” she asked, looking around and seeing his Harley missing. “Is he even here?”
Taking a deep breath, Harmony replied, “Jake’s at some kind of business meeting. He shouldn’t be back for hours. As for why I called, I’d rather explain that just once. Let’s wait for Honor and Faith. They were gonna leave that new waitress they hired last week in charge, but Honor wanted to make sure that Aunt Orla could stay with her in case she had any problems. They should be here anytime.”
Tilting her head to the side, Patience narrowed her eyes. “Uh huh,” she grunted. “Oh-kay. I’ll let the reason behind this impromptu mission go for now. On the condition you spill about last night,” she continued with a wink. “I want details. How was your sleepover with Mr. Badass Biker Babe? Does he look as delicious in bed as he does out of it? And do those tats of his go anywhere interesting?”