Thanksgiving at the barn is always the same. Those with family spend the first half of the day at home before coming over to enjoy a second meal.

For the Williams clan, we don't bother with a huge family dinner. It's one of the holidays that the Guardians get together so going all the way to Aunt Shannons doesn't work, and God knows she's not going to slum it for a day in West Freecaster. So she stays at home and we eat in the barn with the rest of the crew. Even Mom puts her issues aside and joins us.

"Jace!" Mom shouts from the kitchen as I step out of the shower.

I yank the towel off the rack and wrap it around my waist. Not wanting to trek water throughout the apartment, I peek my head out the door letting the steam bellow out while my nose catches a whiff of something delicious. "Yeah?"

"Call your aunt and cousin and wish them a happy Thanksgiving before you head out the door."

"Okay." I shut the door to dry off and get dressed.

Stepping out a few minutes later in a pair of ripped jeans and a black henley, I grab my phone and call the witch.

"Hey, Jacey," Aunt Shannon picks up after a few rings.

Cringing from the horrible nickname, I slide out onto the balcony. "Hey, Aunt Shay. Just wanted to call and wish you a happy Thanksgiving."

"Aww, that's so sweet," her voice comes through in a sickly-sweet tone. "It's such a shame you all can't come over for dinner. We got the biggest Turkey we could find and a bunch of Uncle Evan's business associates is coming over. I know one that has a cute daughter your age," she adds in a suggestive drawl.

My nose wrinkles at her words since she can't see. "Eh, I'm good. Got a girlfriend already. But thanks."

"Oh, sweetie. You are too young to be getting serious about one girl. You should play the field."

Aunt Shannon would know, word has it she got around a lot in her day. That's one of the reasons why she and Cassie have so many issues. Aunt Shannon was with several guys around the time she got pregnant and never figured out who Cassie's bio-dad was. Luckily, Uncle Evan treats Cass as his own, but I know it still bothers her. The last time she asked Aunt Shannon about it, she was told there are four possibilities.

Poor kid.

Though I know who my dad is and it's not like my relationship with him is any better. Haven't seen the guy since I was eight.

What the fuck are you doing, Jace? It's a holiday. Cheer the hell up.

Shaking my head, I ignore Aunt Shannon's shitty words of wisdom. "Is Cassie around?"

"Yeah. She's here somewhere. Let me go get her." A low thump sounds from the other end like she just set the phone down.

I wait, watching some of the Guardians start to show up, driving through the parking lot of the apartments and around the back to the gate.

After a couple minutes, Cassie's voice comes through loud and clear. "I hate you. You always leave me with her on Thanksgiving."

"Well, damn. Nice to talk to you too, cus." I laugh knowing she's not serious.

"Sorry." She takes a deep breath. "It's been a rough morning. She's already jumping my case about boys, and school, and how I dress."

"What's wrong with how you dress?"

Cass lets out a humorless chuckle. "Apparently I should wear more skirts and pastel colors so I can appear more feminine to the opposite sex."

I roll my eyes. "Tell her to suck a bag of dicks."

"No thanks. It would be just my luck that she'd decide to listen to me for once."

I snort at that one. She's probably right.

"I don't know why I can't come eat with you guys," Cass pouts.

Gritting my teeth, my voice comes out harsher than I intend. "Yes, you do. You're not coming around the Guardians and getting wrapped up in our shit. You got a bright future ahead of you, Cass. You're gonna go to some big Ivy-League College and get far away from here. Hanging with the Guardians will only jeopardize that."

"Thanks for the lecture, Dad." Cassie scoffs. "Who the hell said I wanna go to an ivy-league college anyway? Maybe I wanna go to Freecast Community. Ever thought of that?"

"Cassie," I growl back.

"I don't even have the grades for ivy-league. Fuck, Jace, I'll be lucky to not get kicked out of the academy before the end of the year!"

"And why's that?"

A beat of silence stretches before Cassie huffs into the phone. "Everyone there hates me. I'm not gonna make it much longer without losing my shit."

I yank my hand through my hair. This isn't good. Cass can really make something of herself graduating from Port Blair, but those rich fuckers have been giving her a hard time since day one. There's gotta be something I can do.

"Need me to come bash some heads in?" I offer, only partly joking.

Cass giggles. "Yeah, sure. Let's make those assholes hate me some more."

Leaning against the balcony railing, I wrack my brain for another idea but come up with nothing before I spot Wilder pulling into the parking lot.

"Look, Cass, we'll figure something out. Even if I gotta go up there and smooth talk some of those snobby bitches. But right now, I gotta get going. You gonna be okay today?"

"Yeah," she answers, her voice low. "Just another day in paradise. I'll talk to you later. Love you, cus."

"Love you too."

We hang up but my stomach feels like it's tied up in knots. With everything going on, I haven't been around much to help her. Even living in that big house, Cassie has had it just as rough as me and Kade. She needs us. And I'm failing her.

Get through today, then tackle the next problem.

"Yo, asshole!" Wild shouts up at me after taking off his helmet. "Get the fuck down here. Some funny shit is about to go down!"

"Like what?" I yell back, pocketing my phone.

Wilder's face stretches with a mischievous smile. "Travis is being tailed here."

What the fuck?

Darting back into the apartment, I slip on my boots before heading out the door and down the stairs. Just as I reach Wild outside, Travis's dark blue bike appears like a bat out of hell. He takes a sharp turn into the parking lot and pulls to a sudden stop just behind Wild.

"Aye, T what's going on?" I ask, stepping forward.

Travis jumps off his bike but doesn't say a word to us. Instead, he turns around and watches the road. Not even a second later, a white Kawasaki Ninja pulls in and stops a yard away from us.

"Oh, shit," I grumble, already putting two and two together.

Wilder flashes me a grin. "Told you this was gonna be good."

"Go home!" Travis growls at his tag-along as he crosses his arms.

Idling, the rider removes their helmet letting loose waves of dark blonde hair and revealing a familiar face. The chick holds her helmet on her hip and narrows dark greenish-hazel eyes at Travis, eyes that are so similar to his.

"No. I heard you on the phone last night. You guys are recruiting." She looks past Travis to give Wilder and I a look that begs for confirmation. "Right?"

Travis grinds his teeth and shakes his head. "Doesn't matter. You're not signing up."

"Travis..." She starts only to have him cut her off.

"I said no, Raegan. I'm not letting my little sister get involved in this shit. Now go home!"

Raegan narrows her eyes at Travis, shooting him a look that could melt skin from bone. It's not often I feel bad for the guy, but when it comes to this I can relate.

Raegan is the same age as Cassie and reminds me of her in some ways; young, naive, stubborn, and blonde. But that's where the similarities end. My cousin is a good innocent kid, whereas Raegan has gotten into some fucking trouble here and there. But that's a West Side kid, always doing something to physically or mentally escape the bullshit we call life. And Raegan is no different. But I get why Travis would be against her joining the ranks.

Instead of listening to Travis, Raegan climbs off her bike with a smirk. "I'm a better rider than you. If anyone deserves to be a Guardian it's me."

"Rae," Travis groans, yanking his hand through his gelled hair and fucking it all up. "There's more to it than just riding a bike. Shit, you wouldn't even have that one if it wasn't for me."

"I don't care. It's not fair you get to escape the clutches of father dearest while I'm left behind to deal with him. I want out. I need out, T."

Travis's shoulders tense, preparing to turn her away again when a dark purple bike pulls in on their way to the barn. Dolly.

Rae looks over her shoulder and her eyes go wide just before she's flagging down my boss.

"Oh, this just got so much better," Wilder whispers beside me, pulling out a small bag of chips and munching like he's watching a movie.

I backhand him in the shoulder. "Dude, that's not fucking cool."

He rolls his eyes. "Thanksgiving was made for family drama. Just relax and be happy it's not your family."

He's got a point. Though if this was my family drama, it'd be more along the line how trying to keep Mom from beating that shit out of Aunt Shannon over homemade or boxed potatoes. At least, that's what happened at our last holiday family dinner.

"Whatever," I shrug and turn back towards the building entrance. "I gotta help Mom take a few trays of food over to the barn."

"Need help?" Wild asks, still watching Rae and Travis arguing while dragging Dolly into the conversation.

I shake my head, casting one last glance at the drama. "Nah, you probably should stay here. Make sure Travis doesn't get his ass kicked by his little sister."

Wild throws his head back and laughs with a mouth full of chips as I walk away, chuckling under my breath at the nutcase. But I barely make it halfway up the stairs before my phone is vibrating in my pocket with a text.

Mom: Can you go to the store? I ran out of butter.

Jace: Sure thing. Be back in 10.

And back down the stairs, I go.

The one thing I hate about Thanksgiving is that most of the Mom-and-Pop shops on the West Side close down for the day. If you forgot some shit or run out of anything, you have to go to the big box stores and the closest one to us is near Freecaster High.

The upside at least is that most people are home with their families instead of suffering in the store aisles. So when I walk through the doors, I'm fucking happy to find the place nearly deserted.

Ignoring the rows of grocery carts at the front, I head straight for the butter. It's an easy find but on the way to the registers, I take a detour to find something to snack on. With the way today is looking, the Guardians won't be eating till late afternoon and I'm fucking starving. So I wander around until I find the aisle filled with chips and cookies. I grab some spicy Doritos for me and since my gut is telling me I'll find Wilder back at my place, I pick up a pack of Oreos for his hungry ass. At the end of the aisle, I start eyeing up an extra bag of chips just in case Wild tries to take mine when a familiar voice catches my attention from the next aisle over.

"I still think this a bad idea. We shouldn't even be talking in public right now."

What the fuck? Is that Caleb?

Being careful, I shift around the corner and take a peak while just barely poking my head out. Sure enough, standing several feet away is Caleb and...Derek?

I'd be surprised to see either of them right now just 'cause, what are the fucking chances? But the two of them together isn't something I'd ever imagine in a million years.

"Relax," Derek hisses at Caleb. "No one's here, and even if they were, what the hell is the problem? We're just two friends doing a little holiday shopping."

Derek's back is facing me but I got a good look at the side of Caleb's face and the irritated scowl he's directing at Derek.

"We're not friends," Caleb growls back.

Derek shrugs. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Therefore, we're friends."

The hair on the back of my neck stands up with that statement. I don't like it. He sounds shady as fuck. I mean I never liked the guy but this is something else. Something more.

"I just think we should rethink this plan." Caleb's voice lowers to just above a whisper. "It's too risky."

"It was your plan," Derek shoots back.

Caleb's eyes narrow. "Exactly. It was my plan and now I'm saying it's a bad one. So we should just throw in the towel now before we've gone too far."

"No!" Derek turns to face Caleb, giving me a glimpse of the deep scowl on his face as he pokes his finger into Caleb's chest. "I'm done with being patient. If no one's gonna do anything about this, then I will. With or without you."

Caleb grinds his teeth and shoves his hands in his jacket pockets but doesn't say anything else.

Derek nods and gives him a sly smile. "That's what I thought. Now let me get this shit for my mom. I'll meet up with you tomorrow."

"Whatever," Caleb grumbles and turns in my direction to leave.

Acting quickly, I duck back around before he can see me and slip down the other aisle. After stalling for several minutes in the back of the store, I finally go to check out. If those two are up to something, there's no way in hell I want them to know I was here. Even if avoiding assholes like them goes against all my instincts.

But now I can't help wondering if I should bring this up to Lex. I don't wanna ruin Thanksgiving, but this sounds big.

Damnit.

Mom, Carl, Ava, and I enjoy a nice meal around lunchtime. We worked all night and morning to prepare special dishes, wanting to have this ready for an early dinner. Though I feel slightly bad about it, knowing I was working so hard to eat early and head over to Jace's. But Mom seems to understand. She and Carl look more than happy to have some alone time as Ava and I walk out the door.

"I'm still having a hard time processing everything you told me," Ava says on the way to the car.

I shrug, feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket. "It's easier to understand once you see it."

She nods while I take a look at the several messages on my phone.

Marcel: Happy Thanksgiving, sis!

Jace: Hey beautiful. When you coming over?

Mila: Happy Thanksgiving, Lex.

I shoot Marcel a similar message back and let Jace know I'm on my way. But fingers freeze over the keypad as I text Mila.

I know it's not a big deal, Mila messages me every holiday since our parents started dating but she and Kwan don't know about the engagement yet. Mom and Carl said they want to wait until next month when the twins come down for Christmas, and I get it. This kind of news is better shared in person. Yet knowing that doesn't make me feel any less guilty that I know and they don't. We're going to be family soon. They deserve to know.

Blowing out a deep breath, I send her a simple reply.

Alexis: Happy Thanksgiving, to you and Kwan too.

It's not my place to tell them the news. Even if it is eating me up inside.

We climb into the car and my phone goes off once more.

Jace: Drive straight on back. We're already at the barn.

Great. This should be fun.

"Oh. My. God," Ava exclaims when we pull up to the barn behind Jace's apartment.

Her big brown eyes grow impossibly wider as she takes in the scene. The large sliding door on the side of the building is wide open, allowing people to freely come and go. Most of which are dressed in enormous amounts of leather. Even some of the women I met my last time here who are dating or married to a Guardian.

"And you thought I was crazy when I said he was in a gang," Ava whispers before we get out of the car.

She has a point though. Ava clearly saw what I couldn't back then. Though I'm starting to wonder if it was just a case of not wanting to see it. In fact, I think there were a lot of things I didn't want to see, things I subconsciously ignored because it was easier than facing things head-on.

Like Caleb.

I brush off that last though. Today is not the day to dwell on unresolved issues. I'll save that one for when we go back to school on Monday. It'll be the first time walking through the doors of FHS as Jace's official girlfriend, and Caleb deserves to hear it from me rather than the rumor mill.

Walking inside the barn, Ava stays close to my side. Her eyes watch everyone warily but for the most part, all she gets in return are welcoming smiles and friendly faces.

"Chill," I whisper to her as I catch sight of Jace and the guys sitting around a small coffee table near the back. Except, they aren't alone.

The same girl I saw all over Jace on Halloween is standing behind him, leaning over his back with her arms wrapped possessively around his shoulders. It's obvious he's not happy about it, his lip curling back as he says something I can't make out from here. But that's beside the point. My rational mind has flown the coop and is replaced with a green monster that can only focus on this chick's hands as she runs her fingernails down Jace's chest.

Ava follows my line of sight and sucks in a sharp breath. "Oh, shit."

Oh, shit is right. This bitch just fucked up.

All the faces around me blur together as I make my way across the room, barely paying attention to Ava trying to keep up with my furious strides. The only two people I can make out is the chick and Jace, one of which noticing my approach as I get within hearing range.

"Fuck," Jace curses under his breath.

The girl smiles coyly behind him. "Come on, Jace. Stop denying this."

Stopping at the other end of the coffee table, I cross my arms and clear my throat.

Wilder chuckles from the couch to the side. "Oh, Sophie, you're in trouble."

The oblivious chick, Sophie, doesn't pay Wild any attention and doesn't seem to notice my arrival either.

Five seconds. That's all she's getting before I rip her hands off of him.

But Jace is already beating me to it. Prying her claws from his shirt, his eyes lock with mine. "It's not what it looks like."

"It's really not," Wilder agrees. "Sophie just can't take a hint."

"Than maybe she needs more than a hint," I reply, my voice sounding cold enough to freeze hell as I hold Jace's stare.

Shrugging her the rest of the way off, Jace stands up from his chair. "Come on, Baby. Don't be mad. I told her to get lost. Nothing was going on."

"Baby?" Sophie sneers, her nose wrinkling at me as she finally notices my presence. "You're that bitch from the Halloween party."

"Yeah, I'm that bitch." I smile at her though it feels more like I'm barring my teeth.

Without thinking, I step forward, hands balled up at my sides. I've never been a violent person, not in any manner besides joking around and play fighting with Marcel or Caleb. But seeing this chick touching what's mine has me seeing red.

Sophie grabs Jace's shoulder, attempting to turn him to face her. "I don't get it. You're seeing her?"

"Don't act fucking stupid. I told you I'm with someone," Jace answers, barely gracing her with a glance over his shoulder. "Now, I tried being nice, but you're causing trouble. Get lost or get removed, Sophie." He walks over and places a hand around my waist as he dips his head by ear. "I swear, Alexis. Nothing is going on. Relax."

I hate that even while I'm filled with anger, he can still send chills down my spine. It shouldn't be so easy. Not while I'm radiating with the urge to snatch this chick by her hair and tell him to fuck off for not sending her away sooner.

Cocking an eyebrow at me, Sophie crosses her arms. "Don't feel special. He'll get tired of you and drop you like a sack of shit when he's done. He's done it to plenty of other girls around here."

A growl rumbles in the back of my throat but it's overshadowed by the one ripping through Jace's chest.

"I said get fucking lost!" He shouts at her, whipping around in the blink of an eye.

Sophie stumbles back, eyes wide, and bumps into Jace's uncle who seems to have appeared out of thin air. Looking up at him, she cringes.

"Hey, Rob." She tries to smile.

With a hard expressionless stare, Rob looks down at her like he's looking at a speck of dirt on his boots. "You know the rules, Sophie."

"B-But I didn't do anything." She shoots me an evil glare. "It's that bitch. She came in here and started shit. She should go."

"Lexi is a Guarded Lady. She has every right to be here. More so than you. She also has every right to demand you be thrown out for touching Jace. So, if I were you, I'd save face and leave on my own," Mr. Rob informs her before leaning down so he's eye level with her. "But if you decide not to leave, I'll have some of the new prospects show you out."

Sophie's mouth opens and shuts repeatedly like she's trying to find the words but only manages to makes herself look like a fish gasping for air. Her face turns a bright shade of red as she stomps her foot. "This is bullshit!"

Mr. Rob doesn't say another word. Raising his hand in the air he beckons a group of guys over.

"Fine! I'm leaving!" Sophie shouts and turns on her heel to leave. But not before giving me one last look of pure fury. "This isn't over, bitch!"

I hold up a middle finger and blow her a kiss. She turns a darker shade of red and huffs as storms out of the barn.

"Well, that was some entertaining shit." Wilder laughs, relaxing against the couch.

Ava plops down next to him. "Right! I haven't seen drama that juicy since..." Her face pales for a second, making me think back to the birthday party. "A while back."

Wild smiles wide. "Stick around. You ain't seen nothing yet."

"Lex," Jace whispers in my ear, drawing my attention back to him.

Like a switch has been flicked, I'm suddenly over aware of his arm around my waist. His hand is tucked under my shirt, tracing soothing circles on my back and effectively igniting a fire across my skin.

"You good?" He asks nervously.

Despite the shudder that wracks through my body, I shrug him off and step back. "I need a minute."

I turn to walk away but Jace catches my arm before I can take a step and crowds my back. "Thought you weren't running anymore?"

I flick him an icy glare over my shoulder. "I'm not. I'm just going outside for a breather."

Yanking my arm from his grip, I walk through the barn and out the side door. The sun has started to set, casting a pretty pink and purple haze across the sky. It's the kind of scene that should make me feel at peace, but there are still a few remaining remnants of anger deep in my bones.

Maybe I shouldn't be upset with Jace. It seemed like he was trying to brush off Sophie's advances. Even Wilder said so. But I can't help thinking that if that was me, Jace would've snapped. Whoever dare make a move on me now would be shown no mercy. Jace isn't the kind of person to just let that sort of thing go. He'd make them hurt. No doubts about it.

So, shouldn't he have done more to get his point across to Sophie? Physically removed either her or himself from the situation?

Maybe I'm just being irrational. Jealous even. And what Sophie said doesn't help things.

"He'll get tired of you...He's done it to plenty of other girls around here."

How much is plenty? Are we talking three? Five? Double digits?

Groaning, I run my hands over my face while I mindlessly walk around.

What Jace did before me...or after me in this case, shouldn't matter. We weren't together, and it's not like I was just waiting around for him. I had others...well, one other. Not that it meant anything.

Did these other girls mean anything to Jace?

I hate that I'm doing this to myself. I shouldn't be worried about any of that stuff now but saying that and doing it are two very different things.

Trying to clear my mind, I walk further along the side of the barn until I find myself behind it. Several trailers sit in a line back here like a mini mobile home park. I feel like I should be surprised by this sight, but I'm not. It almost makes sense that they would need the extra space.

What does surprise me though is the sound of some chick moaning her head off from the first trailer.

Guess they come in handy for that reason too.

I chuckle as I pass the love shack, feeling some of the stress finally leaving my body.

"Lex!"

Of course.

I almost laugh to myself. I should've known it was only a matter of time before Jace came looking for me.

How long have I been out here anyway?

Looking up, I realize the sky is much darker than when I first walked out of the barn. There are even a few floodlights on the back of the barn that is now lighting up the area back here, bathing the trailers is a fluorescent glow. Guess it's been a little while.

Stopping in my tracks, I turn around to watch Jace clear the distance between us. His face is strained with apprehension, but the way he moves calls to something deep inside me. There's just something so confident and sexy about the way he walks. Like he owns the ground beneath him and demands the attention of anyone around. It's a swagger that's purely him and has my pulse picking up with excitement.

When he reaches me, I'm already feigning for his touch.

His dark sapphire eyes take me in from head to toe. "You all good now? You've been out here a while."

"I think I'm okay." I shrug, stepping closer to him.

"Good but I still wanna talk about what happened."

I shake my head. "Let's not. I don't want this to ruin our day."

"It won't. But I also don't want to fuck this up. So we should talk when shit like this happens." His eyes flick over to the trailer beside us before grabbing my hand and tugging me towards it, sending goosebumps up my arm. "Come on. In here."

"Why?" I ask, fighting back a laugh.

"To talk."

"We can't do that out here?"

Jace grabs the doorknob to the trailer and gives it a test turn to see if it's unlocked. The handle spins easily and the door cracks open.

Looking back at me, Jace gives me a smirk that makes my insides tighten. "We could, but there's not enough privacy out here for what I wanna do after we talk."

Oh...damn. Okay!

💋____________________________________💋

Woo, chapter 40!! Hey lovelies, hope this crazy world is being kind to you and that maybe this new chapter has brightened your day a little. 

Speaking of which, what did you think? Did you like the introduction, however small, to Travis's sister Raegen? (Yes, she will be a big deal eventually. 😉😘) Do you think we could use some more female Guardians? What about that weird conversation between Derek and Caleb? What do you think they're up to? Are you interested in meeting Carl's kids at Christmas? (Probably won't be till book 2 but I'm so excited to introduce the twins!😁😊)Were you surprised to see Sophie making moves on Jace? Do you think he handled it right? Did Lexi handle it right? 

ALSO!!!! I posted this on my Instagram but figured I'd post it here for those of you who might've missed it. As I've mentioned before(at least I think I have) I'm considering self-publishing this series down the road. So, with doing that I'd need a new cover for KME. This is the one I've come up with so far. I polled my Insta followers and 83% said "Omg! Yas!" to this cover. But what do y'all think?

Let me know what you think in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button!

As usual, the teaser for chapter 41 will be posted on my Instagram and Twitter in a day or two. Keep an eye out for it!