Ultraviolet

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Free Fire

"You what?" The screech woke me up the next morning. I went from peaceful sleep to a sudden state of fear and panic. Jessica was so loud that I had thought she was in my room, but as she continued I realised the sound was travelling in from the kitchen. "And my sister no less. How fucking dare you?"

Now I was up. My feet crept silently to my door. I prayed the hinges would stay quiet as I pulled the door back and stood between the frame, poking my head out for a glimpse of whoever she was screaming at.

"What was I supposed to do, Jess?" Hadeon sighed.

I could see a sliver of the sleeve of Hadeon's jumper and some tufts of his dark messy hair peeking out from behind the door between the kitchen and the hallway. He cracked his neck then disappeared from my line of sight.

"You come to me, Hadeon." Jess hissed. "You come to me and I sort this out."

"She didn't want to involve you!"

"If she knew anything about Adrianna, she wouldn't want to involve her either."

I wasn't as clueless as Jess thought I was. I knew the type of business Jess and her husband were in didn't end at the bar. I knew there was something shadier going on and it only took one look at Adrianna to realise she played a big part in that shadiness.

But did I know enough to trust her?

I stepped, louder than I usually did, out into the kitchen rubbing my eyes and the sunlight through the window burnt them.

"Can I be a part of this conversation?" I asked. "Or should I go out and make myself busy?"

"What did Adrianna say to you?" Jess pressured, her hands gripping the countertop behind her so tightly that her hands turned snow white.

"She said she'd help me." I swallowed. Telling people the truth of my life back in Sunshine wasn't on my to-do list. I told Adrianna because I had to, there was no reason to tell Hadeon or Jess absolutely everything.

"How?"

"She didn't specify. Just that she'd "handle it"."

"And that was all?" Jess pressed.

My mind jumped back to that night, her exact words repeating. You will owe me. Thats what Jess was asking about. She wanted to know if I was indebted to Adrianna and whatever "business" she conducts. I wouldn't worry her.

"That was all."

Jess warned me not to talk to Adrianna again without her present, then left to start setting up downstairs.

"A little early for her to start working, right?" I asked Hadeon, who had been leaning against the kitchen cabinets silently.

"Its 6 o'clock."

"What?!" I screeched, grabbing Hadeon's watch clasped on his wrist. The clock confirmed it was that late. "Why didn't anyone wake me?"

I hurried into my room and pulled on jeans before setting out to find a shirt. Grabbing and sniffing my small collection of tops, all worse than the one before. I really needed to do some laundry. I ran into Jess and Jack's room and ripped open Jess's side of the closet. Her style was little more provocative and revealing than mine. I barely had the confidence to wear the most tame of the items, but yanked the shirt over my head anyways.

My eyes roamed over the shirt and the way it clung to my body in the mirror. The shirt was a black crop top that exposed my stomach and had a sweetheart neckline that very clearly pulled anyones attention to my cleavage. I adjusted, pulling the fabric over more of my chest, unsuccessfully.

"Hadeon!" I called as I walked into the living room. He had changed into his usual bodyguard outfit, a black button up and dark jeans. Even though he had only changed his shirt, he looked infinitely more commanding. "I need your brutal, unbridled honesty here."

"Happy to oblige." He grumbled, not looking up at me.

My arms that had been hugging my pyjama shirt over my torso pulled the shirt down, feeling exposed. I did not show skin, ever. "Does this look bad?"

Hadeon's dark eyes raked over my body, the ways his gaze caught on my chest not going unnoticed. My body conflicted as warmth settled in my belly and goosebumps appeared on my arms.

He swallowed, clearing his throat as his eyes met mine. They softened, making him look almost... nervous. I brushed it off; Hadeon was never nervous. "You don't have anything else you can wear?"

"Jess had another shirt I could wear, but it was like mesh and you could see right through-"

"No, don't-" He stuttered, refusing to meet my eyes. "What you've got on is fine."

"Careful," I warned jokingly. "You're dangerously close to giving me a compliment."

Hadeon followed as I left the apartment and entered the bar. Inside, the place had been set up and I took my place behind the bar beside Jess.

"I borrowed your shirt." I announced, rather redundantly. "I mean, you can see. I didn't have any clean tops so I-"

"Its fine, Vi. It looks good on you, you can keep it."

"Thanks." I smiled down at the shirt.

Any thoughts of possibly re-wearing this shirt dissipated after my first few male customers spent their entire time ordering, waiting for, and drinking, with their eyes glued to my chest.

After each customer left, I found my eyes searching for Hadeon. I half expected him to show up in the middle of the goggling and scare them off, but he seemed distracted. His eyes darted around the room, unapologetically scanning the faces of all our patrons. He must have stared a little too long at a girl in a tight red dress, because her boyfriend stormed up to Hadeon and yelled something. Hadeon, who towered over this guy, just laughed and mouthed something that resembled "fuck off". The guy, clearly coming to his senses and realising that Hadeon could absolutely destroy him, just grabbed his girlfriends arm and dragged her out of the club.

"Hello?" A soft voice called to my left, ripping me from my thoughts. "Can I have a Long Island ice tea?"

I made the drink, glancing back at Hadeon every few seconds. Something felt off.

"Honeymoon period's over!" Jess announced as she walked up to me with a bucket and mop, as well as a yellow door knob sign that said "out of order".

"What does that mean?"

Jess smiled wickedly. "Womens bathroom, someone vomited."

I hung the sign on the doorknob and held my breath as I entered the scene of the crime, hoping this would be a small job.