Page 45 of Protective Phlox

I pointed to the house we were going to, and all of the SUVs parked in a long line, blocking off the driveway and half the street. Goran and the guards seemed to have things down to a fine science and proved that their synchronicity was not a fluke.

“Do you want me to kill your tenants?”

I looked up at him and shook my head. “No, what the heck do you do for Nathan?”

Goran’s lip turned up in a devilish grin. “You don’t want to know.”

“No, they have already moved out,” I said.

“Then whose car is in the driveway?” That was an excellent question.

“I don’t know.” I took a step forward and was blocked by his large arm.

“If you don’t know, then you stay behind us.” My lips pursed together, getting ready to argue the point. “Nathaniel’s orders, you can take it up with him.” Another truckload of the guys surrounded us, and soon, I couldn’t see anything other than black suit jackets.

There was simply no point in arguing. They took orders from Nathan, and I’d promised to do things his way if I came here, but this felt suffocating. We marched up the steps, and Goran didn’t so much as knock but pounded on the door like we were SWAT.

Music was playing inside, and I could hear laughing, but footsteps were coming closer to the door. It swung open, and I was immediately assaulted by the smell of weed.

“Yo man, what’s up?”

I stepped around Goran and glared at the guy holding the door. “Where are Lindsay and Josh?”

“Oh, they moved out. But they said I could crash here for a few days. Apparently, the bitch who owns this place is really mean but never around.”

“Is that so?”

He nodded, movements slow. “We just needed a crash pad and party spot. Did you want to join? I have enough weed for everyone.” He smiled, and my frustration boiled over.

“How unlucky for you that I’m the bitch who owns this place, and you’re all in here illegally,” I said, stepping into my house. I might not have loved it, but I’d always taken great care of it, and right now, it was hard to recognize with all the dirt.

“Oh shit, sorry,” the guy said. “But we don’t have another party spot.”

“Get out, all of you. Get out right now, or I’ll let my guards throw you out,” I yelled. Goran, Vlad, and Guy stepped up beside me, cracking their knuckles.

The small group of five scrambled to grab their things and hightailed it as fast as they could on weed and whatever else they were doing. I wasn’t amused as one of them ran for the door and crashed straight into the wall, denting the drywall. There was not a chance in hell any of them were in a state to drive.

“Vlad?”

“Yes, Mrs. Mikhailov?”

“Take them to a local motel and have someone follow with their car. Pay for them to stay the night so they don’t try to drive anywhere.” He nodded and disappeared outside as I stepped further into my home, which looked like it had been used to house animals. There were stains on the walls, floors, and even the ceiling. Pieces of tile were ripped up, and a burn mark the size of a basketball was in the middle of the living room carpet. The stench of weed was so strong that it was choking me, and I shook my head. This was going to be more than a day or two of clean-up.

“Want me to call someone to help clean,” Goran asked as I slipped my jacket off.

“No, this is the perfect distraction. Besides, I’m not used to being waited on all the time. It kinda feels appropriate to get my hands dirty. If you wouldn’t mind finding and bringing me every cleaning supply you can, I’d appreciate it.”

“Sure, and if there aren’t any, I’ll send one of the new guys shopping.” He chuckled as he walked away, and I knew he was going to have way too much fun sending someone for way more than I would need. Then again, I might need an entire store’s worth.

Rolling up my sleeves, I got to work.

NATHANIEL

“This is fucking strange,” Aaron said, and I looked at my cousin, who was sitting on the bench beside me.

“What is?”

Aaron looked around the park at the laughing kids on the playground and the beach beyond. “Dude, we are sitting at the beach in suits like two old weirdos staring at a group of kids. If it weren’t for the guards standing around, someone would have called the cops.”