PHOENIX

8| I NEED A PLAN

“We are not doing this s**t again, Sue. I told you; I have to keep you both safe and I can’t do that if you keep going around trying to fish for information. Roy and his family aren’t amateur thugs.”

“And I told you that I’m no longer a baby, Jackson. I know what I’m doing and if you keep trying to force me to stand down, I’ll be forced to cut ties with you. That family needs to be punished for what they did.”

“And I told you that I was going to be the one to do it, you stupid stubborn woman. Why can’t you just listen to me?”

“Why should I listen to you when you don’t want to listen to what I’m saying?”

How am I supposed to make her understand?

“Sue, I am your brother, and I want you safe. I know you think you have everything figured out, but Roy is very dangerous. You can’t get involved with his family and expect to leave unscathed.”

Sue’s eyes blazed with defiance. “And what about Ethan? You think he’s going to be safe if you go head-to-head with the Roys? They won’t just sit back and let you destroy them. They’ll come after everyone you care about. Including him.”

Jackson had gone to the bar like he had planned, and instead of getting the beer he wanted and maybe some woman who was willing to invite him to her bed, he found his sister. He couldn't even find out if Emily was willing to come with him because of his stubborn sister.

Sue was talking to some guy and since Jackson had been here for a while looking for information about Roy, he knew who that guy was and how dangerous he could be. His heart nearly stopped when she kissed him and apparently, the kiss was p*****t for what she wanted to know from the guy.

He'd been pissed, but he forgot that the guy didn’t know they were siblings and wasn’t supposed to know. He was somehow lucky that his sister was smart enough to call him a jealous boyfriend.

He knew his sister wanted to avenge their parents and everyone who was affected because of that fire, but it still didn’t mean he was going to allow her to risk her life and Ethan’s.

“I know what I’m getting myself into, Jackson, and you can’t convince me to change my mind.” Jackson sighed and sat on the couch because he was tired. He had been fighting his sister about this for the last two hours since he dragged her out of Dirty Tom’s Bar. She had been busy screaming at him all the way from the bar to her car, along the way as he drove her to her apartment, and even as they got there. She wouldn’t stop shouting until he reminded her that Ethan was asleep.

Sue crossed her arms and glared at him, her eyes still blazing with anger. “You don’t get to control me, Jackson. I’m an adult. I have my own mind.”

“I know that,” Jackson said, his voice weary but firm. “But you don’t understand how dangerous this is. You think you do, but you don’t. This isn’t some game, Sue. These people will kill you without a second thought.”

“And what do you think I’ve been doing all these years? Sitting around, waiting for you to come back and save the day? I’ve been preparing too, Jackson. I’ve trained. I’ve learned. I know what I’m doing.”

Jackson rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. “It’s not about whether you’re prepared or not. It’s about the risks. If something happens to you, I won’t be able to live with myself. And Ethan…he’s just a kid. He needs his sister alive.”

Sue’s expression softened for a moment at the mention of Ethan, but her resolve quickly returned. “Ethan will be fine. I’ll make sure of it. But I can’t just sit back and do nothing. The Roys need to pay for what they did. To Mom and Dad. To all of us.”

“I’m not saying they don’t deserve it,” Jackson said quietly. “But there’s a way to do this without putting you and Ethan in the line of fire. Let me handle it, Sue. Please.”

Sue sat down across from him, her eyes locking onto his. “And what if you get yourself killed? What then, Jackson? Do you think that will make things better? Do you think that will keep us safe?”

Jackson didn’t have an answer for that. The thought of leaving Sue and Ethan alone in this world, vulnerable to the Roys’ wrath, was almost unbearable. But he couldn’t let his sister throw herself into the same fire that had consumed their parents.

“We need a plan,” Sue said after a long silence. “A real plan. Not just you running off and trying to take them down by yourself. We need to be smart about this.”

"I need a plan. Not 'we'. I told you, Sue, I will not put your life at risk."

He didn’t know what to do or say to make it clear to his sister that he wasn’t going to allow her to work with him. Convincing her that she shouldn’t underestimate Roy and his family was another battle entirely. It was painfully obvious that his sister didn’t understand the gravity of the situation.

Countless times, he had tried to explain the dangers, laying out every detail in vivid terms, hoping to scare some sense into her. But no matter what he said, she didn’t listen. And when she did, she chose to ignore his pleas. Her stubbornness was ironclad. Even when he tried to blackmail her using Ethan, it backfired. She turned the tables, using the same Ethan to blackmail him right back, proving that she could be just as devious.

To be honest, she was starting to get on his nerves. It took a lot for that to happen. Even before the fire, he wasn’t someone who got angry easily. He was known for his calm demeanor, and his ability to think through problems without letting his emotions get the best of him. After the fire, he had learned to keep his anger in check even more rigidly. Anger was a luxury he couldn't afford. It clouded judgment, made mistakes more likely, and in this world he was forced into, mistakes could be fatal.

“You’re not going to talk me out of this, Jackson. I can tell you that I won’t listen to you, and you can’t do anything about it,” Sue declared, her voice resolute and unyielding.

Jackson felt a surge of frustration rise within him, and before he could stop himself, he let out a frustrated scream. It was a raw, primal sound that he was sure could wake Ethan. The thought of waking him up filled Jackson with instant regret. He hadn’t meant for things to escalate to this point, but his sister had an uncanny ability to push all his buttons.

Even though he was overjoyed to have found her after so many years, a part of him regretted talking to her when she first spotted him. Sue hadn’t known it was him at first; she had her suspicions, but she wouldn’t have known for sure if he hadn’t run his mouth.

“Listen to me, Sue, and listen good because I’m not going to say this again,” Jackson said, his voice now a controlled whisper, laced with desperation. “I will not be doing s**t with you, no matter how much you think we should. This thing is very dangerous, and I’ve told you that countless times.”

Sue’s eyes flashed with defiance, but she stayed silent, allowing him to continue.

“You may think you know what you’re doing, but you’re dead wrong. This thing you want to get yourself involved in will f**k your life up, and you won’t be able to recover from it. I don’t want to say I told you so, so what I’m going to do is stop you right now.”

For a moment, the room was silent. Sue stared at him, her face unreadable. Then, she finally spoke, her voice surprisingly calm. “I heard you loud and clear. I’ll think about what you just said. Now, can I get some sleep?”

He wanted to shake her until she woke up from whatever fantasy she was living in. He genuinely believed she thought she was in some kind of movie, playing the heroine who rose from the ashes and became an avenging angel.

“Sue, I hope you listen to me because you don’t want to face the consequences,” he said, heading toward the door. His sister’s voice followed him, shouting questions about what consequences he was talking about, but he wasn’t in the mood to explain. He ignored her, stepping out and closing the door firmly behind him.

He had enough things to worry about, and his sister throwing a tantrum wasn’t one of them. He knew she was stubborn, but he trusted her not to do anything reckless. He just hoped he hadn’t misplaced his trust.

Getting into his car, he drove back to the hotel. The thought of returning to that impersonal room felt like a lead weight in his stomach. He needed to buy that apartment soon. He couldn’t stand the sterile environment of the hotel, but right now, he didn’t have a choice. Going back to his sister wasn’t an option—not because he was still angry, but because he couldn’t risk exposing their relationship to the world.

Sue might not be his blood relative, but she was his family. She had become his family since the day she smiled at him when he first arrived at that foster home. That smile was a beacon of light in an otherwise dark and hostile environment. From what he could remember, that girl had been his source of comfort when everyone else seemed out to get him. She had made his life bearable.

As he drove, memories of their time together flooded his mind. He remembered how she would sneak extra food to him when the foster parents were being particularly cruel. How she would sit with him late at night, whispering stories and dreams of a better future. They had been inseparable, finding solace and strength in each other.

The road ahead blurred as his mind drifted. He knew he needed to focus, to think of a plan to keep her safe. The thought of her getting involved with Roy and his dangerous family terrified him. He had seen firsthand what they were capable of, and he couldn’t bear the thought of Sue getting caught in their web.

Pulling into the hotel parking lot, Jackson sighed deeply. He parked the car and sat there for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. The conversation with Sue had shaken him more than he cared to admit. Her determination and stubbornness were traits he admired but also feared. She was headstrong, just like him, and that made her both formidable and vulnerable.

He might be angry with her for refusing to listen, but that didn’t mean his love for her diminished with his rising temper. If anything, his love for her only intensified his frustration. He knew he would do his best to keep his sister out of trouble, no matter what it took.

He made his way to his room, the sterile hallways of the hotel feeling more suffocating than ever. Once inside, he collapsed onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He needed a plan. A way to protect Sue without alienating her. He couldn’t force her to stay away from the danger, but maybe he could control the situation enough to keep her safe.

Eventually, he was so exhausted that he fell into a restless sleep while he lay there. His fears of losing the only family he had left were constant, and his nightmares were replete with pictures of Sue and danger lurking around every turn. He would do anything to keep her safe, even if it meant jeopardising everything.