JAY (Texas Country Criminals Book 3) Read online

  Jay

  Texas Country Criminals Book #3

  Bry Ann

  Contents

  Jay

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  If You Loved This Story…

  Do You Want More?

  Coming Soon…

  Books By Bry Ann:

  Recommended Reading Order:

  Let’s Chat!

  Jay

  Texas Country Criminals Book #3

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  To women who have a few tricks up their sleeve. 😉✨

  Prologue

  Jay

  I thought loving someone would be a dream. Easy, passionate, beautiful… my family sure makes it look that way; Ma and Pa, Kingston and Blythe, Derek and Iris, and now Hunter and Taylor. My brother Hunter, the least likely person to fall in love.

  So, with my arm wrapped around this tiny, vulnerable woman, I wonder why it’s not like that for me. It’s terrifying, controlling, and delicate. It’s not her fault—it’s mine. It’s my fault I'm this way. It’s my fault I have my arm around her waist, acting like I need to protect her from my own family. A family I love with all my heart.

  Everything is going well. It’s going better than I could have hoped, for how awkward I'm makin’ this.

  “Hey, Jay,” Taylor, Hunter’s girlfriend, greets me before glancing down at the unexpected woman in my arms. “It’s so good to see you here. How are you?” Taylor asks Kailee directly.

  Kailee trembles a bit in my arms but offers Taylor a tiny smile.

  “Good, thank you,” she squeaks.

  “That’s good to hear,” Taylor replies. “I—”

  BANG!

  Taylor’s interrupted by a sound that instantly makes my whole body coil with tension. Growing up in a family where my father, two brothers, and myself are loan sharks, I’ve heard the sound of a gun before. But never has it scared me this much. Taylor immediately drops to the ground and covers her head. Kailee’s entire body goes stiff in my arms.

  And oddly enough, this is the moment I know without a doubt that I'm in love.

  Because for the first time in my life, I don’t put my family first. I put her first.

  I carry her to safety before going to my father and brothers, who I know will be on the front lines, assessing the threat to keep everyone safe. I go to them to protect them from the threat. To have their backs.

  “Hunter,” I hear Kingston whisper when I enter the room. His voice is full of concern, something our older brother doesn’t let slip lightly.

  “No one appears to still be here,” Hunter mutters.

  I glance over to the corner of the room to see a bullet through a picture of me, my brothers, and Pa. That photo was taken the day I joined the family business.

  “Jay, Hunt,” Kingston calls for our attention again. There’s something in his voice that has dread settling in my stomach.

  Kingston holds out a note for Hunter. Hunter takes it and holds it out so I can read it, too. From the very first sentence, my heart stops.

  Well hello, Shelby boys-

  Guess you’re wondering where your father is, eh?

  Funny, I’ve wondered where my money went many times.

  I’ve wondered where my girl Kailee is too, more recently.

  Guess I figured I finally got something back from the man who ruined my fucking life by taking my money and birthing you shits.

  You wanna save him?

  Fine.

  Hand over the girl.

  We can call it even.

  Bring her to your favorite spot Hunter.

  See you soon boys-

  Xav

  “Over my dead body,” I growl immediately.

  Kingston schools his features, but I know he’s panicking. He’s gonna carry the burden of finding our father and keeping our family safe even if that burden is not all his to carry.

  “I know,” Kingston murmurs. “Pop wouldn’t want that. He always knew the risk of the business. Someone’s fucking with our family. We handle that ourselves. Jay, can you protect her?”

  Her being Kailee. Damn right, I can… I give a sharp nod.

  “We still need you, Jay,” Hunter says. No, pleads. “We need you. Pop’s missing.”

  Hunter has always been the jokester of the family, but in moments of crisis, of pain, he’s the most vulnerable. Honestly, I’d say more so than Iris, our little sister, even.

  “If you think for one second I won’t have your backs, you’re wrong,” I tell them, shaking my head. “We’ll find Pop, alive.”

  “Alive,” Hunter murmurs.

  “Who’s gonna tell Mom?” I whisper, knowing this will shatter her. Ma and Pop have one of those classic love stories people only dream about.

  “Fuck,” Hunter hisses.

  Kingston nods, ever the strong one. “I will. I made a promise to Pop to protect his girls. To protect this family. I won’t fail him. Now, let’s get our families home safe. We’ll meet back here in thirty minutes. And… pray,” King whispers. “Pa will need it.”

  I turn back to the living room, thinking of the woman I have locked up safe in Ma and Pop’s shelter. A woman I made promises to. Promises I intend to keep.

  I can keep them all safe.

  Kailee. Kingston and Blythe. Hunter and Taylor. Ma. Derek and Iris. Iris’s two kids—Aria and Carson. Kingston and Blythe’s kid—Conner. Hunter and Taylor’s adopted daughter—Willow. Pa.

  That’s the lie I tell myself.

  Unfortunately, life doesn’t always play out how we pray it will, does it?

  Chapter One

  Jay

  Past

  “Okay, Nemo, hit me.”

  Iris smiles and slams a card down on the table. I’ve called Iris “Nemo” since she was a kid. She was born with a stutter that she’s been judged for her whole life, like Nemo’s bad fin.

  “B-Bust!” she yells, smiling.

  “Damn.” I stare down at my cards that now equal 23. I’ve lost another round of black jack. I suck at this game.

  “Damn,” Aria, my beautiful niece, giggles in my lap as she tugs on my long hair. I should have put it up in a bun before placing her in my lap. I know how Aria loves my hair. I glance at Iris, who is giving me a disapproving, flat look.

  “Aria, that is a naughty word.”

  Aria, the princess she is, gives Iris a toothy grin. Derek is in the other room with their baby son, Carson, so Iris stands up and crouches in front of me. She places her hands on Aria’s little thighs.

  “Aria, what did Mommy say?”

  Still smiling, Aria says, “Bad, bad word.” Then, without any warning, Aria turns around and hits me square across the face. I mean, it doesn’t hurt but the action is so shocking. “Bad, bad,” she scolds me.

  “Aria!” Iris gasps, picking her right up off my lap.

&nbs
p; “You cannot hit people!”

  Aria just smiles. Oh boy, is she gonna be trouble with a capital T one day.

  “I'm so s-sorry, Jay. I need to talk to Derek.”

  “No problem, sis. I should be heading home anyway.” I walk over and kiss her head. “Love you.”

  Her eyes soften. “I l-love you so much, Jay.”

  “I’ll see ya around, Nemo.”

  “Thanks for visiting.”

  I head out of the house, silently sending her some good vibes. Iris is definitely a ray of positivity, but I know since Carson was born, she’s felt a bit in over her head. Her husband, Derek, is extremely supportive, as well as our parents, but still, two young children are a lot to handle. She’s handling it like a champ, though. I'm so proud of her. I wasn’t sure what her future would look like and I couldn’t be happier with how life panned out for her—a great husband, two precious children, the best friend a girl could ask for, supportive parents, and three brothers who would go to the ends of the earth to protect her.

  Yep, she’s blessed. And that warms my heart because I can’t imagine anything less for my secretly favorite sibling.

  “Where are your boots?” the kid in front of me sneers.

  Lifting my chin, I stare down at him and try to act brave. I'm bigger than him; does that make me stronger, too?

  “I don’t like boots. I can run faster in my shoes. They’re Nike!”

  Two hands shove at my chest, knocking me back in the dirt. “Weirdo! This is Texas, dude. I bet even your brothers think you’re a whack job,” another kid laughs.

  “Oh yeah, wanna test that?” comes my older brother Kingston’s voice from behind him. While I'm in junior high, Kingston’s in high school. His fist comes down on two of the kids’ faces and the other gets a boot to the dick. While all the kids are hunched over in pain, Kingston reaches his hand out to me. I take it and let him pull me up to my feet.

  “Don’t listen to them. What do they know?”

  “I hate it here,” I mumble.

  Kingston cocks his head. “This is home.”

  “I’ll leave here one day.”

  Kingston pats my back. “You’re upset. It’ll be okay. We all love you, Jay.”

  He starts to walk me over to where the rest of the kids are. I never state those words again. I put on boots and pretend to fit in. Stating you hate Texas, especially when your whole family lives there, is like a sin. A sin I secretly bury in my heart and try to understand. I love my family so much. I’d never want to leave them, but why does this not feel like home?

  Shaking my head, I look over at my brother, Hunter, across the booth from me. We haven’t seen each other in a bit and decided to try out this small cafe we haven’t been to before, which is a rare occurrence in our small hometown of Burrows, Texas.

  “Hi, I'm Kailee, welcome to Piper’s Cafe. What can I get you?”

  The waitress's voice is so quiet I barely hear her, but I lean my ear her way a bit and turn to face her. The air literally leaves my lungs when I see the woman in front of me. She has dark, creamy skin that looks smooth as hell. Her hair is long, probably right above her waist, and it’s braided in small sections, a look I haven’t seen around here before. She has a sweet face, delicate looking. She’s nervous as all, barely making eye contact with me and my brother. All I want to do is make her feel more comfortable. I’ve never met a woman… so unique. She’s stunning.

  I hear my brother tell her he’ll take a coffee and some water. I see her glance at the table with wide eyes. “I-I’m sorry,” she stammers. “I thought I brought them. I’ll get them right away.”

  “It’s alright, doll. No worries,” Hunter says easily.

  Kailee doesn’t seem to hear him or register what he said, because she’s still shaking her head at herself like she can’t believe she forgot something so small.

  “And you?” she practically whispers to me. I'm disappointed when she’s unable to make eye contact with me.

  “Just the water. No rush, Kailee. You’re fine,” I soothe her.

  She looks up at me through her lashes, making something in my heart pound faster. “Coming now,” she states, nodding a little before she runs off.

  “Well if she ain’t the most anxious little thing,” I hear Hunter say, but I can’t stop staring in the direction where Kailee just ran off. I can’t stop wondering how I’ll see her again after today. Can’t stop wondering what brought her to town. I’ve never seen her here before. Somehow, I manage to shake the thoughts long enough to turn back to my brother.

  “Yeah, she seems nervous. She must be new to town.”

  The conversation then revolves around my brother and his recent “friendship” with a new girl in town, Taylor Mahelona. He insists they’re just friends and, to some degree, I'm inclined to believe him. I mean, Hunter doesn’t do relationships. He sleeps around, avoids commitment. However, there’s something in the way that he talks about her that gives him away. He cares about this girl. I don’t know if he’ll have the courage to act on it, but they’re definitely not just friends.

  Kailee comes by as that conversation comes to an end. I'm mid-laugh when she drops the waters off. I feel her gaze fly to me but it drops as fast as it came. I mean, she practically runs away from us. When she’s gone, Hunter leans forward on the table.

  “So, why are we here? What did you want to discuss?”

  Right. I am the one who invited him here.

  “I just wanted to catch up.”

  Hunter leans forward further and meets my eyes dead on. “Bullshit.”

  “Ugh, shit,” I groan. I mean, I came here to bear my heart to him. To confess things I’ve kept in my heart for so long, hoping maybe he can relate. “I—”

  Right as I'm about to open my mouth, I hear her approach.

  “Sorry,” Kailee squeaks, leaning forward and placing Hunter’s coffee down between us. Her thin arms reach across the table. I notice a little star tattoo on the side of her wrist. It’s cute, just like her. “Let me know when you’re ready to order.”

  “What do you recommend?” I ask her, watching her brown eyes dart around the table, taking us in.

  “Um, a lot of people like the bacon burger and the chicken wings.”

  “What about you?” I ask softly. I feel my heart soften when her shoulders relax at my gentle tone. I don’t know her story, though I want to. What I do know is, at minimum, this woman has heard a lot of loud, aggressive voices in her time.

  “Well, I'm a vegetarian.” Interesting. “Sorry if that sounds annoying. I don’t mean it to.”

  “It’s not,” Hunter says to help relax her. I give him a head nod in appreciation. “Pretty awesome, doll.”

  “Thanks.” She gives him a tiny smile before turning to look back at me. “So, I love the veggie quesadilla and the hummus platter. They are both amazing.”

  “Then we’ll have both of those. Hunt, want anything else?” I ask. I mean, I had to order both. Her eyes lit right on up when she mentioned those platters and from what I'm seeing, that’s hard to do. At least in public.

  “No, I'm good,” he says.

  “Okay, quesadilla and hummus platter comin’ right up,” Kailee says.

  With that, she spins on her heel and jogs off.

  “So, I'm waitin’, bro,” Hunter states, not missing a beat.

  “Geez,” I sigh with my heart pounding in my chest. “It’s just—do you ever feel like maybe there’s more to life than Burrows?”

  As soon as the words leave my mouth, I know I should have never come to Hunter with this. His face goes blank and his eyes are completely vacant. We all lost our younger brother, Carson, years ago. We all took it extremely hard, but Hunter may have been one of the people who took it the hardest. Although he’d never say it, Hunter has always been scared of losing another family member. He would see me moving as me leaving him. As him losing me.

  “Hunter? Hunt?” I call several times as he stares blankly out in space.

  Shaking
his head, Hunters brows furrow tightly. “Are you unhappy here?”

  Yes.

  “Unhappy is the wrong word,” I go with instead.

  “Well, what’s the right one?”

  “Unfulfilled, maybe. I don’t know, Hunt. I’ve lived here my whole life. Never left. Never gone anywhere. I’ve worked for Pa since I turned eighteen. I'm curious what the world holds, I guess.”

  “What about us isn’t enough for you?”

  I knew he would go here, shit!

  “Hunter, I could never leave and be completely happy because I have my family. I don’t want to leave you all. I'm just curious. None of this is a big deal.”

  Lies.

  “Do you have plans to move?” His voice is quiet, vulnerable, shy even.

  I lean back and shake my head. I try to sit straight and seem fine with the turn this conversation has taken but I can feel my shoulders hunch forward slightly, no matter how hard I try to fight it.

  “No, I'm not leaving y’all. This was just a question. I got my answer.” Sure did.

  “You sure?”

  “Positive.”

  Kailee comes at just the right time and sets the hummus down between us. Sensing the tension between us, she leaves without a word. I can’t take my eyes off her as she walks away. I feel a sadness inside at how this conversation has gone, but something about her energy captures me. Even now. Once she’s back in the kitchen, I turn back to Hunter.

  “Let’s eat.”