Keeping the Beat: An Adrenaline Novel (2 page)

              “I’m going to help you,” I decided after a moment. Gesturing for her to follow me over to the small desk we kept inside the stable, I grabbed a blank sheet of paper and tapped a pen to it. “The first thing we need to do is make a new price list because you’re getting robbed.” Kenzie watched me carefully still standing a few feet away from me. “I’ll do the face to face stuff for you. Believe me when I say no one is going to try to stiff you that way. You’ll get the money you’re owed and you can still save it to surprise Declan.”

              I could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she considered my offer. At last she gave me a hesitant smile and took the last few steps closing the distance between us. “I guess that means I can give you the friends and family discount.”

It occurred to me that Kenzie Kane didn't have much to smile about in her life. Knowing my family, I had a feeling that was going to change. Kenzie Kane was a girl who deserved to smile.

              “Sounds good to me, Little One,” I grinned and flicked a finger down her nose. “I’ve got your back.”

Chapter 1

Kenzie

             
“This is some kind of a joke right? You’re joking.” My brother Declan began to pace restlessly up and down the living room. His fiancé Reece sat next to me on the couch at the Cooper’s house as I tried to call on some patience. Stopping before me Declan placed a hand on his hip, his other pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. A clear sign he was growing agitated. “I don’t like it.”

              “You don’t have to like it, Declan,” I groaned and blew my unruly hair out of my face. “I’m going to be twenty three years old. I need to try living on my own.” After thinking it over endlessly and weighing all the pros and cons, I had come up with a plan to get me out of the rut my life had fallen into. Step one was moving off the Cooper’s ranch. “When the construction is finished on your house next week, I’ll be moving into Reece’s place in town.”

              Reece placed a comforting hand on my arm as my brother and I stared each other down. I felt an overwhelming surge of gratitude that Reece had come into our lives. My brother had found his perfect match and I had gotten a best friend. Reece was one of the few people who knew why I was so desperate to get off of the farm. Having her support was what gave me the courage to finally set my plan in motion.

              Declan sat down hard across from us on the coffee table. He laced his fingers together and he rested his elbows on his knees letting his hands dangle between them. The hurt expression on his face made my chest feel heavy with guilt.

“I don’t understand why you want to leave your family. This place is your home, Kenzie. What could possibly make you want to move away?” My brother narrowed his eyes on me making me want to shrink back into my seat. “Does Mrs. Cooper know about this?”

              “Yes. Actually it was her idea.”

              Initially I had been surprised when Mrs. Cooper had brought up the idea of me moving out. Once the idea had taken root, I had grabbed onto it with both hands. “This is something I need to do, Declan,” I spoke firmly willing him to understand.

              “I don’t believe you, Kenzie.” Expression going from concerned to thunderous in seconds, Declan glanced around as if to make sure we were the only ones in the room. Satisfied he focused his burning blue eyes back on me. “Why are you really doing this?”

              “I’m doing this for me,” I answered truthfully. While the ranch had been the only true home I had ever known, being there with everyone was too painful. I needed space though it killed me to think of leaving. I loved everything about this place and all the people who lived here.

              Which was why I needed to leave.

              “Declan,” Reece shifted next to me catching my brother’s attention. “Kenzie is a grown woman. She’s going to be fifteen minutes away. If it doesn't work out, she can always move back home.” Thankful for her intervention I held my breath and waited for my brother’s reaction.

              “What if something happens?” Declan complained, ignoring me as I slapped a palm to my forehead. My brother had been my protector my whole life. Sometimes I wondered if he would ever give himself a break from worrying about me when I was more than capable of worrying about myself. 

              “Jared lives right down the block. Lane and Jon are five minutes from there. Hell, Emma is even closer than that. We have family all over this town. Kenzie will be fine, Declan.” I could see my brother was relenting as Reece reached out to grasp his hand, her knuckles whitening as she gripped it hard. “This is happening and you need to support your sister.”

              Declan held his fiancé's gaze briefly before finally looking back at me. He nodded curtly before shoving to his feet and walking out the front door, letting it slam shut behind him. I flinched as the sound echoed through the house.

              “He’ll be fine,” Reece tried to comfort me with a reassuring smile. “But I don't really think you’re fooling him as to why you want to move.”

              Rubbing my temples, I tried to take a deep breath to ward off the headache that was setting in. I hated being at odds with my brother since we so rarely were. He had given up so much for me, had taken care of me from the moment I was born. I hated to do anything to make him unhappy, but I had been telling the truth when I told him moving away was something I needed to do. For my own sanity I needed to get away.

              “Yeah, I don’t think so either,” I answered her, hearing dread seep into my voice. Wrapping her arm around my shoulders, Reece tugged me to her side and hugged me tight. I leaned into her embrace glad I had asked her to be there when I told Declan the news.

              “You’re doing the right thing, Kenzie. You’re looking out for yourself for once. Declan is going to come around.” She said the last part with a determination that made me think if my brother didn't come around soon, his fiancé was going to show him the way. The image of my brother getting railroaded by his hormonal pregnant fiancé lightened the tension that had crept into my gut.

              “When are you going to tell everyone else?” Reece asked after a moments silence.

              Thinking about telling the rest of the family made my skull start to throb. “I have no idea.” I let my heavy head fall back onto the couch and stared up at the ceiling like it would give me the answer. “Maybe at dinner tomorrow night if I don’t chicken out. I’m going to have to tell them soon, otherwise I’ll have to move all of my stuff by myself.”

              “I’m sure we can rustle up a few recruits,” Reece assured me with a small chuckle, her hand rubbing soothing circles along my back. “If not you, Jon, Lane, and I will just have to remember to lift with our legs and not our backs.”

              I gave her cheek a light pat making her amber eyes light up with laughter. “Have I mentioned how lucky my brother is to have snatched you up?”

              She shrugged twirling a piece of her dark hair around her finger. “Once or twice. I’m sure he could stand hearing it again.”

              I worried the inside of my cheek looking out the door again only to see that Declan had disappeared from view. “Do you think he’s going to be mad at me long?”

              Letting the smile fall from her face, Reece cupped my jaw in her hands. “Kenzie, he’s not mad at you. He’s worried. We both are. You’ve haven't been acting like yourself these past few weeks and he wants to keep you close. Just give him time. You’re doing the right thing.”

              Nodding I closed my eyes as my head fell back against the couch. “That’s what I keep telling myself.” If I didn’t I wasn't sure I was going to be able to go through with my plan.

              If I ever wanted to get over Jason Craw, I had to go through with the plan.

Jace

             
Waking up early was getting easier since I had stopped going out and drinking so much. Ever since Adrenaline had wrapped up our last tour, the guys and I had been taking it relatively easy as far as partying went. Hell, since Declan had met Reece he’d become so domesticated it was rare to see him without his girl somewhere near by. Not that I minded. Reece fit right in with our family.

              As I walked out onto my front porch I saw that Declan’s car was parked at the main house. He and Reece were probably inside visiting with Aunt Lorraine before they looked over the progress the builders were making on their house. Just as I started to walk over, I saw my friend storm out letting the door swing shut behind him. The sound of it carried across the lawn as Declan stomped towards the stables.

              Scratching my head, I wondered what had gotten into him when he spotted me from the corner of his eye. Although we were a few hundred feet away from one another, I could see his shoulders tense, could practically feel his blue eyes boring into me. He took a single step in my direction before seeming to think better of it. He turned on his heel and started back towards the stables.

              “Huh,” I heard Lucas say as he approached my porch. He climbed the steps to stand beside me sporting his usual frown. We both watched Declan yank the barn door open. When he disappeared inside I felt Lucas’ eyes on my face. “What did you do?”

              “I have no idea,” I answered, trying to think of something I might have done to offend the guy in the past few days. “Guess I better go find out.” I started down the stairs with Lucas at my heels. I saw him pull out his phone from the corner of my eye and cocked a brow in question.

My cousin glanced up at me and shrugged once before sliding his phone into his back pocket. “Wyatt and I have a deal that if there’s ever a chance of a fight, we’ll give each other a heads up.”

              Stopping in my tracks I turned to face him. “Why do you think there’s going to be a fight?”

              Lucas kept walking towards the barn never slowing his pace as Wyatt came bounding into view, still pulling on the shirt he had grabbed on his way out the front door.

“What have we got this morning?” Lucas’ twin asked tugging on his shirt. The bastard looked almost giddy as he waited for his brother’s report.

              “Declan just stomped out of the house looking like he could murder someone. Our cousin was on the receiving end of that look,” Lucas informed him as we all continued to head towards to stables.

              “What the fuck did you do?” Wyatt asked staring at me the same way his brother had moments before.

              “Who says I did anything?” I bit out giving him an annoyed look.

              “Well we’re about to find out,” Lucas remarked calmly as we walked into the barn.

              Leaning against the wall, Wyatt crossed his feet at his ankles. With a mischievous grin he waited to see what was going to happen next. When a moment passed without anyone speaking Wyatt cleared his throat. “Good morning, sunshine,” he chimed cheerfully.

              Declan wiped a hand over his brow glancing in Wyatt’s direction before going back to his task. His jaw was clenched so tight I was surprised he hadn't chipped a tooth.

              Lucas hit his twin's shoulder hard enough to make him wince. While Wyatt seemed incapable of taking anything seriously, Lucas was the polar opposite. He was always the one we could count on. Lucas had a tendency to take on the responsible role in the group. I suspected he felt like it was his job to look out for everyone.

              “What’s going on, Declan?” Lucas asked in a soothing voice. It was the one he used with skittish animals or his son Simon when there was a particularly bad storm. “Everything alright with Reece?”

              “Reece is good,” Declan grunted as he tossed the shovel aside. “She’s inside with Little One now.” When he said his sister’s nickname Declan’s eyes zeroed in on me. His face took on a hostile quality that almost made me flinch.

I had been best friends with Declan for over a decade and in all that time we had never fought. This past year had changed all that. There had been a noticeable rift between us. A rift between me and the whole family if I was being honest.

              “Is it your mom?” Lucas hedged hesitantly. Declan and Kenzie’s mom had always been a sore subject, even more so after she had faked a terminal illness in order to get money from Declan. The Kane siblings hadn't really seemed bothered by the incident lately. Ever since Kenzie had confronted their mother, giving her a much deserved fist to the face, they seemed to be at peace where Mara Kane was concerned.

              “Nope,” Declan spat out. His answer made my heart leap to my throat. If there was nothing wrong with Reece or his mother, there was only one other person who was capable of getting Declan this worked up.

              “Well then what?” Wyatt groaned impatiently. “The suspense is killing us.”

              “It’s Kenzie, isn't it?” My voice came out gruffer than I had intended and all eyes turned to me.

              “What about Little One?” Wyatt’s voice lost all trace of humor as he took a step towards Declan. “She’s okay, right?”

              “She’s fine,” Declan spat out glaring at me.

              I wondered if Kenzie had finally broken down and told her brother about what had happened between the two of us on her birthday last year, but some part of me deep down knew she would never do that. She loved her brother too much to make him hate his friend and bandmate for acting like an absolute dick.

              “When Reece and I move onto the property next week, Kenzie will be moving into Reece’s house in town.”

              “Since when?” Lucas demanded shooting me the same heated look that Declan was. I turned to see that Wyatt had the same angry expression on his face. “Why would she move into town when we’re all here?”

              “She said she needs space,” Declan barked out a bitter laugh. “Remember the first day we came here? I couldn't get her unglued from my side. She’s always been with us and now she wants to move away. What’s worse is she is lying to me about why.”

              “Why do you think she’s lying to you?” Wyatt wondered. He glanced towards the house as if he could see Kenzie through the walls.

              “I don’t think, I know,” Declan corrected as he began to pace. “I’ve always known when she’s lying to me.” He looked at me again making my gut clench as regret flooded through me. Kenzie had been lying to her brother to protect me for quite some time now and I was too big of a coward to do anything about it.