Darcy drove an old silver pick-up truck with soft music playing in the cab. She was right, she was the 'good' sister. Darcy preferred starting a family over the nightlife like Dalila had chosen, she fell in love and married young, following in the footsteps of her mother and father. She talked about her husband like she was the sun and he was the moon; in love, but never close enough to each other. They had been high school sweethearts before he joined the army, and before he shipped out, they married and conceived Emilia.
"So tell me honestly, because Dax hasn't given us a real answer," Darcy said as she parked and hopped out of the truck holding several burlap bags. "Why are the two of you here?" I followed suit, hopping out of the truck and following her down the sidewalk.
"I needed to get away, Dax has been helping me out," I sighed softly, running my fingers through a knot in my hair. "He's been a good friend."
"Friend?" Darcy eyed me suspiciously. "You don't have to give me a cover story, you know. I see the way you two look at each other."
"I'm serious, we're just friends. It's never been more than that for us." I shrugged, looking at my feet as we approached the vendors.
"I've got a gift for these types of things, Jane. My brother's path crosses with yours somewhere, the only question is: when." Darcy began to shop and I followed behind, watching her appraise vegetables and fruits of different array, paying for them before slipping each into her burlap bags. Our last stop was a butcher shop where different kinds of meat were refrigerated and hung for display. Darcy expertly explained the type of meat and cut she expected from the butcher, to which he delivered to her wrapped in a white paper. Slipping the last item into her bag, we began our stroll back to her truck when I passed a quaint shop that sold little souvenirs.
"Can we go in here quickly, I saw something I like." I pleaded with Darcy who nodded.
"Yes, but it needs to be fast, this meat is going to spoil in the heat." I nodded and made my way into the store with Darcy on my heel. I found the table that occupied the item I had seen through the window. I picked up the silver Victorian era comb replica that had been embellished with turquoise stones. "Oh wow, Jane. That's beautiful." Darcy remarked over my shoulder.
"It is." I agreed, biting my lip in deliberation of its purchase.
"I bet my brother would love to see you wear it."
Dax
I hated working in the field with my father. Between the heat and the hard labor, you were exposed to near heat stroke every day. How my father managed to do this work all of his life, I did not know. Because he had my help, we finished the farm work in just a few hours. We had come in for a rest and a drink, my mother pouring us both a glass of lemonade when I realized I had not seen Jane yet.
"Mamá, ¿dónde está Jane?" I questioned, looking between her and my father.
"Creo que se fue con Darcy." Mom shrugged and drank a glass of lemonade herself, relaxing after a day of housework. But I was anything but lax. I sprang out of my chair and ran to my bedroom to grab my cell phone. I dialed Darcy's number, only to be put through to voicemail. I called and called, and called. If anything bad happened to Jane, I would never forgive myself. An hour went by and I paced the hallway that lead to the front door. My parents had ceased asking what was wrong, because I gave no answer.
After another twenty minutes, the sound of tires on gravel filled my ears. I whipped the front door open and sprinted toward my sister's truck. Darcy was the first to exit the cab, pulling bags of produce with her. I sent her an angry look before darting to the passenger side and ripping the door open. Jane cowered within the cab, watching me in confusion.
"Where the fuck have you been?" I yelled, allowing her to exit the cab, slamming the door behind her. She frowned at me and looked to Darcy for help, but my sister had already run into the house for protection. "Jane." I ground her name out between my clenched teeth.
"Darcy asked me to go to the market with her, you were busy so I didn't see anything wrong with-"
"You didn't see anything wrong with going out?" I questioned, laughing cynically. "How about, Dorian Smith is on our ass trying to find you? What if something happened, Jane? I wouldn't be there to protect you!" My chest heaved with anger and worry, veins pulsing in my forehead and neck.
"Nothing happened!" She yelled back at me, her fists balled at her sides. I took in the sight of her. Her big, gorgeous amber eyes watching me angrily. How beautiful her hair was, flowing down her body in waves of chocolate; a silver comb displayed in contrast of her dark locks. It pissed me off to no end that she could be so stupid as to go off in a place she's never been when a murderer was on a hunt for her. I could feel my rage billowing off of me, but I didn't care if she knew I was angry with her.
"You know what, Jane?" I growled, backing her against the cab of the truck, placing my hands on either side of her to prevent escape.
"What?" She yelled back at me, obviously too angry at me to care about anything else.
"You know what?" I said again, feeling my anger shift to something else.
"What, Dax?" She hissed, looking up at me. Without hesitation, I smashed my lips to hers, one of my hands lifting to hold her jawline in place. To my surprise, Jane quickly melted into the kiss, throwing her hands in my hair and tugging gently. My thoughts went to the night at the club when we kissed, but this was so much different. She was sober and she wanted this. I pressed my body against hers, needing to feel her against me, never wanting her to be any farther from me than this. Her lips parted in a moan against mine and I took imitative to deepen the kiss. Her lips felt like silk against me, my hand drifted from her jaw to her cheek, knowing the kiss was about to end. I slid my thumb across her cheekbone gently and leaned my forehead against hers, both of us breathing harshly as we parted.
"Wow." She whispered as I pressed my forehead against her's.
"Wow."