by Helen Scott
When I rise from sitting beside him on the bed, my knees are shaking, and I feel sick. Not just because of having to come face-to-face with how I hurt my brother, but because I’d thought of a way to help him. And if I didn’t act now, I might never.
I spot Alexis still standing quietly near the doorway. “Go to sleep,” I tell her softly as I pass.
She frowns, and I don’t wait to see if she obeys. Instead, I walk across the house to the other side of the living room. To the hall we never go down. This side of the house only has two things: Rumple’s room and his office.
My hand closes around the handle to his door, and I’m surprised when it turns without triggering a lock. Then, pushing it open, I take a deep breath and turn on the light.
The ground shifts under my feet. I’d known what to expect from the police report, but knowing it and seeing it were two completely different things. This was his room. The place I’d only entered a couple times in my childhood. Everything in the room was a display of wealth, all in pristine white.
All except the massive bloodstain in the center of the room, and the blood splattered in all directions around it.
I hear someone gasp behind me. I don’t need to turn to see who it is.
“What happened?” she asks, and there’s fear in her question.
I know my voice sounds numb as I say the words for the first time out loud, “Rumple was murdered here. Pretty violently, I heard. The police said they suspected several people had done it. Slowly. Based on how they found the… how they found the body parts.”
I clench my fists and squeeze my eyes shut.
“Crax,” she whispers my name and sets a hand on my shoulder.
“He was a bastard,” I say, the words breathless.
“I know.”
“He hurt Hyde.”
“I know.”
“He made our lives miserable.”
“I know.”
“But… but… he was still our father.”
“I know,” she says, and there are tears in the words.
I rub my eyes before the moisture can fall, then open them and move forward. Without looking at Alexis, I start to pull the pictures down from the walls, before placing them on the bed. I expect her to ask me what I’m doing. And I know that it’s impossible for me to explain that I need to clean this place of him. I need to destroy the ghosts so they can’t keep destroying all of us.
But before I can, she asks, “Knick knacks on the bed too?”
“Yes,” I say, trying not to sound surprised.
Even though it’s late, even though it’s been a long day, we work together. We clear the room of everything, and then I drag things down to the dumpster and throw them away. When there’s nothing but furniture, I go down to the vault of glowing bottles and select two.
Alexis watches me closely as I smash one onto the floor and speak the words. Instantly, all the furniture is gone. The bed he slept on. The big chairs by the windows. Even the little tables.
Before she can ask me what the other bottle is for, I take it to the bloodstain and smash it there before speaking the words. Instantly, all traces of the broken bottles, the spells, and the blood are gone.
And then, I’m standing in an empty room, breathing hard.
She’s beside me an instant later.
“Sometimes people sell spells. Usually, they don’t trade for anything too terrible,” I tell her.
She nods. “So what are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to take a shower. And tomorrow... tomorrow I’m going to spend my father’s money for the first time. I’m going to remove everything in this place that reminds us of him, and I’m going to make it a home.”
“Why?” she asks, but there’s no judgment in her voice.
And I finally admit it out loud. “Because when we’re done collecting debts, I want my brothers to stay. I want us to be a family again, a different, better family.”
It feels good to say it out loud. I only wish I could say more. That maybe if we aren’t so fucked up by my father’s memory, maybe Alexis will want to stay too when it’s all done.
An instant later, she hugs me, and I sink against her. Breathing in that sweet scent that’s all Alexis. The same scent she had years ago, a teasing perfume of sweet flowers.
I draw back from her, and our eyes lock. “I’m sorry about before. About trying to kidnap you.” And I don’t have to specify that I’m talking about the first time, because both of us know it.
Part of me expected her to laugh at my pathetic apology. Instead, something vulnerable washes over her face. “Our lunch together, that kiss, was it all part of the plan?”
It feels like I’ve been punched in the gut. Did she really think that all these years? “No, Alexis. None of that was part of the plan. That was… that was… the best fuck up of my life. I was trying to prove to Rumple that I could do this job without him, but when you made me feel... everything, I realized what I’d always ignored. I couldn’t do this job, with or without you.”
Her face is unreadable. “Did you let me go by accident or on purpose?”
I stare at her. “I was never really sure.”
We’d found her at that motel in the middle of nowhere. I’d joined her for dinner, and a simple plan to distract her had turned into hours of talking. By the time we’d walked outside, I’d decided to let her go. We’d walked around the side of the building, and she’d stopped. I’d wanted to tell her that she had to go. That she had to run. But somehow, we’d kissed instead. An earth shattering kiss that had made me feel like she was the one for me.
And then Hyde and Zard had come up behind her. She’d struggled, and they’d stuffed her into the back of the car. They’d gone to take her things out of her hotel room, pack her car, and make it look like she’d left, so there wouldn’t be questions. Hyde was going to drive her car home after he’d checked out.
I was supposed to be guarding Alexis. But I’d turned my back on her. I never knew how she got out of her cuffs, or what the hell she’d hit me on the back of the head with. But when my brothers had woken me, she and her car were gone.
We never saw her again.
Sure, we chased her. We came close, especially when Hyde took the brunt of her gold magic one night, but we hadn’t succeeded. It became like a game to Hyde. Zard had begun to admire her. Not just because of her beauty, but because of her cleverness.
And then we’d gone back home.
And I’d never forgotten her.
Alexis strokes my face, bringing me back to the present. “I’m going to be free of you guys.”
“I know,” I tell her, and it hurts to say.
“But tonight, I want a shower.”
I nod, but before I can answer, she adds, “With you.”
With me? The words echo through my mind.
We turn off the light and close the door on the room that’s no longer Rumple’s. We pause outside Hyde’s room and make sure he’s still sleeping, and then she pushes open my door.
Maybe I should tell her no. Maybe I should remind her that things are still a mess between us.
But something must be wrong with me because I don’t do any of those things. I just let her lead me to something I couldn’t possibly deserve.
19
Alexis
My heart races as I turn on the shower and look back at Crax. He’s watching me, but I can’t tell for the life of me what he’s thinking. But one thing I do know is that I’ve never seen Crax like this before. Hell, I never even pictured him like this before.
The man I’d met in that diner had been sweet and smiled easily, even though there was uncertainty behind his eyes. The man he’d grown into made sense to me. A man in a suit with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
But this man? The one who worked in nothing but his boxers, scrubbing a room clean of his father to ease the pain for his brothers, he was someone else. Someone as broken and vulnerable as I was. Someone with shitty parents. Someone who tri
ed to be better than they made him.
I needed this man.
Moving closer to him, I place my hands on his cheeks and stroke the slight stubble that’s begun to grow. His expression changes, and for the first time since he saw Hyde, I swear I feel his walls crashing down. He looks at me like the world wouldn’t turn without me. Like he wants to hold onto me as much as I want to hold onto him.
He leans closer, and then we’re kissing. Our kiss is soft at first, but it slowly grows more desperate as the room fills with steam. His hands stroke up and down my arms before finally coming to rest at my hips. When he pulls me against him, I gasp. He’s hard and ready, all for me, and the knowledge turns me on.
I break from our kiss, breathing hard and clinging to him. For a minute we just stand together, trying to catch our breath. I sense in him that he’s waiting, waiting for any sign that I might stop this. That he’ll have to pull away.
“This is happening,” I say, a shudder rolling down my spine.
“Alexis,” he murmurs my name, then lightly kisses his way down my neck as goosebumps rise on my flesh.
His hand slides up and tugs at my shirt, but he doesn’t remove it. And hell, I should’ve known he was the kind of man to wait for permission, even if he drives me crazy. I grab the bottom of my shirt and lift it off, forcing us to break apart for a moment.
He groans when my shirt hits the floor, and then his hands are on my breasts. I breathe him in as he cups me, his touch tender but firm. His thumbs find my nipples and stroke them slowly, making them hard and achy.
Without thinking, I draw off his boxers, and gasping for air, I let my gaze roam his naked body. And holy hell, I’m not disappointed. Crax, Mr. Suit, is packing a delicious cock, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. I reach for him like a favorite treat and wrap one of my hands around his length, drawing a groan from his lips.
As he continues to touch my breasts, we begin to kiss again. Harder and more desperate than before, our tongues tangling, and my hand stroking him in rhythm with our feverish kisses. Slowly, Crax begins to thrust into my hand, and a silent thrill rolls through my body when I feel his length wet with his precum.
He makes a strangled sound and breaks our kiss. “Shower or against the wall. Decide fast.”
I can’t even laugh, I’m too damned turned on. Instead, I slip off my shorts and move back until I’m in the big walk-in shower. He comes in after me like a man in a spell. The hot spray against my skin shocks me for a minute before he spins me around, pressing my back against the wall.
He grabs my upper thighs and pulls me up. Instinctually, I wrap my legs around his back. But instead of sliding into me, he slips a hand between us, and we start to kiss again.
My head spins when he parts me and slips a finger into my center, stroking the folds with a teasing motion that makes the world go black. I toss my head back, breaking our kiss, and ride him as he slides two fingers inside of me.
I’m losing my mind when he begins to suck my nipples, and I don’t know if it’s the heat of the water, the coolness of the air, or the magic of this man, but I feel like my body is alive for the first time. It buzzes with desire. Every nerve a live wire whispering of danger.
His hand finally pulls away.
“Please, Crax,” I whisper.
I don’t need to say more. His massive cock presses between my lower lips, and he slowly eases into me. My nails dig into his shoulders, and I’m sure I’m screaming his name. But he doesn’t stop until he comes to his hilt.
Then he gives me one minute to suck in breaths before he pulls out and plunges right back in.
“Fuck!” I scream.
But he doesn’t stop. Sweet Crax is gone. The man left behind thrusts in and out of me as I ride him. He moves from one nipple to the other like he owns them, until I can’t take it anymore. My orgasm hits me like a wave, and then I lose my mind. I ride him like I’m desperate for this release, and his mouth leaves my breasts. He breathes my name, then fucks me harder until I feel a shudder roll through his body, and he comes too.
Time stops as we hold each other, the steam rising all around us. A perfect moment of pure pleasure. Of closeness.
I didn’t have any expectations that night. But when Crax takes me to his bed and fucks me three more times, it’s more than I could have wanted. It’s more than I could’ve ever hoped.
And when we fall asleep tangled together, I don’t feel an ounce of guilt. I’ve had a thousand moments of loneliness and pain, and so has Crax. We deserve this.
Even if tomorrow, nothing has really changed.
20
Zard
Last night had been unexpected in many ways. The first was Hyde actually taking my advice and working on letting go of his anger, or at least not aiming it at Crax. The second was Crax and Alexis fucking like wild animals for most of the night.
I hadn't thought he would be the one she chose, and as much as I hate to admit it, it hurt. The fact that I’ve come to feel so much for Alexis in such a short period of time is a testament to the amazing woman that she was and has become. She’s allowed to be with whoever she wants, of course, I just wish it’d been me.
The noises that came out of Crax's room were enough to have me hard as a rock all night, even for hours after they'd finally stopped. A weird part of me was proud of my uptight brother for going with it, because knowing him, his head would have been a battle ground making that decision, and for his staying power, because I wasn't sure if I would have been able to last as long with that sweet ass in my hands.
As it was, I had to take a cold shower at three in the morning. Even with the icy water aimed directly at my cock, I couldn't get the echoes of Alexis's pleasure out of my head. I'd finally given in and gotten myself off in the shower, picturing her on her hands and knees in front of me, that ass in the air calling to me like a siren's song, but that wasn't enough; I was hard again only a few minutes later. It was only after my fourth lonely orgasm that my cock finally accepted that it wasn't going to be inside a pussy anytime soon. Or at least not the pussy I want.
I came down to make breakfast early since I hadn't been able to sleep much. Well, I never really slept much anyway, but last night had been particularly bad. I'm done with the bacon and eggs and am moving on to pancakes when Alexis pads into the kitchen wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt. One that had to be Crax's, though I don't remember ever seeing it before. The front is splashed with neon colors and reads 'Run for Justice 5k'. Definitely Crax's. None of the rest of us would run unless forced. Donate money? Sure. Happy to. But running? If I'm doing that then someone's chasing me.
Her golden hair is mussed up, the long weight of it tangling around her shoulders and curling around the edge of her breasts in a way that makes my dick hard once more. I have to suppress a groan. It almost feels like I'd been permanently at least at half mast since our kiss took place a foot away from where I am standing now.
"Good night?" I say before I can stop myself.
Red flares on her cheeks and I feel like an asshole. "You heard me, huh?" she asks, letting a chunk of her blonde hair slip free from where it had been tucked behind her ear so it acts as a wall between us while she makes coffee.
"Maybe a little," I say, trying not to make her feel bad even though I’m fairly sure I already had, which hadn't been my intention.
"Sorry, not sorry. Your brother’s got skills," she says as she adds an ice cube to her coffee mug, grinning down at it like a fool.
"Don't be. Your moans will keep my imagination fueled for years," I reply, pausing for a moment before adding, "That sounded creepier than I meant it to."
"Anything I can do to help." She turns to me and winks as she sips on her coffee.
I'm dead. This woman is going to be the death of me. "Are you and Crax going to work on the store some more today?" I ask, trying to change the subject so neither of us feels that awkward anymore.
"I don't know." She pauses and frowns, worrying at her bottom lip as thoug
h debating something. When the ocean-blue pools of her eyes look up at me again I know she's made a decision. "I tried to break into the vault last night. I wanted to see what Smith's deal had been. He caught me and ended up helping me, but Hyde showed up plastered and vomited into the trash can. We helped him to bed but then Crax got... a little weird. I honestly don't know if I should tell you this, but I'd want to know if it was me." She pauses again and I want to shake her to get the rest out, but I don't. I wait. Patiently. For the most part. "He threw out all of Rumple's stuff. It's in the dumpster out back. His room or office or whatever it was is now completely empty and, uh, clean." She watches me when she finishes speaking and I know that she's expecting some big reaction from me, but she won't get it.
"Cool," I say as I pour the first batch of pancake batter into the pan, listening to it sizzle against the heat.
"I thought you might want something to remember him by. I didn't want you to miss your chance to get something before the garbage men came and picked it up," she adds, like I don't understand why she's telling me.
I flip the pancake and turn to look at her after judging how done the first side is. "The only thing I want to remember my father by is my brothers. Everything else is just crap. Crap he loved to collect, but still crap. If I had my way, we'd sell all the shit downstairs that we could and start something else, break from all of this deal-making bullshit. In fact, if this place wasn't paid in full, I'd say fuck it and tell them we should sell and start up somewhere else, somewhere fresh, without memories of beatings and broken hearts." I start out calm, but by the time I finish I sound bitter and angry.
Alexis walks over to me and places a hand on my cheek, before staring me dead in the eyes and asking, "Do your brothers know how much pain is inside you?"
