Kelsey’s Point of View:
“Alright,” Bruce walked back into the living room after getting off the phone, “They agreed to meet with us tonight.”
A sigh of relief went way through my parted lips as I finally sulked in my own embrace, letting the news sink in.
Justin was in no way capable of handling whatever nonsense the Snipers had cooked up and I was determined to keep him away from all sorts of drama that could potentially hurt him more than he already was.
I eyed Bruce warily, a sudden thought coming to mind about something we had discussed earlier today, “And…?” I trailed off, hoping he’d get the message on what I meant.
“Justin will be left out of it.” Bruce confirmed, “John, Marcus, Marco and I will take the bait and go see them. I’ll handle it all, just like I promised.” Giving me a small squeeze on the elbow, he rested his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. “You won’t have anything to worry about, okay?”
Nodding my head in agreement, I wrapped my arms around myself, taking a comforting step back. “Okay,” I forced a small smile, “I trust that you’ll make this work.”
“You have nothing to worry about, Kelsey. Justin is safe in my hands; he always was and will be. My position here is to make sure each of my boys are well kept together and out of harm’s way—though I can’t guarantee neither of them to get hurt, I try my best to keep them from it.”
“I know,” I swallowed, “And I’m thankful for that.”
Leaning down, Bruce pulled me into a friendly embrace, squeezing me both comfortingly and protectively in his arms. “It’s also my job to make sure you’re okay too. You know I’ll do anything for you, right? You’re basically family to me.” He murmured into my ear as he pulled away, a twinkle of contented sadness in his eyes.
“Same with you Bruce, for everything you’ve done for me in the past three years and all you continue to do… thank you.” Rolling onto the tips of my toes, I gave him a light peck on the cheek, “I appreciate it.”
Grabbing my hand, Bruce hovered over with his own, giving it a light tap before letting it fall freely beside me. “Make sure Justin stays in bed and doesn’t get up.” And in seconds Bruce had dropped the caring façade and went back to his usual self. “The last thing we need if for him to find out we left.”
“I don’t think Justin will wake up anytime soon but if he does, I’ll be sure to keep him from leaving the room.” Reassuring him with a smile, I watched as he ordered for Marcus and Marco to come down while taking out his gun and making sure there were enough bullets inside before slamming it shut and sticking it behind the waistband of his pants.
“It might take us a while so just hang in there. We’ll be back as soon as we can to make sure Justin’s alright. Meanwhile, if you want, you can hang around down here and do whatever it is you girls like to do on your spare time before heading up to Justin.”
Watching as Marcus and Marco gathered around Bruce in the living room, I caught sight of John slipping on his leather jacket, fixing the collar before making his way over to me.
“He’s going to be okay, just give it time. I know you’re worried, we all are. Don’t psych yourself out too much.” Flashing his all too familiar warming smile, I returned it.
“Thanks John, if it wasn’t for you or the guys, I don’t know what I’d do.” Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I fumbled with my fingers in front of me. “Just be careful,” I gave him a knowing look, “all of you.” I turned so that I faced everybody all at once.
