by E. L. Todd
I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could take. This man was my uncle. I remembered all our good times together, all the ball games and trips to the beach. He used to look at me like I was a son to him. It was as if it never happened. How could he just stop caring about me like that? I thought he loved me, even despite the situation, but now I wasn’t so sure. It really hurt. “Then you’re going to cause yourself more grief. Trinity is close to you, looks at you as a friend, as well as a parent. I love the relationship she has with you, and I never want it to change. I’m doing everything I can to fix this so she can keep it and be happy. But if we continue to butt heads like this, the only one who’s going to suffer is her. With all due respect, sir, you’re being a fucking asshole.”
His entire body froze while he stared me down. Fire burned in his eyes, unquenched and violent. The look suggested he wanted to grip me by the throat and strangle me to death. Somehow, he found the strength not to. “You’re never going to get me to forgive you if you continue to speak to me like that.”
“Well, I’m not going to let you act like your behavior is okay. You’re being selfish, making Trinity’s happiness with me about you. Just let her do what she wants. Every time you treat me like shit in front of her, you’re just hurting her. It doesn’t make a damn difference to me.
“You’re still my uncle and I love you no matter what. I respect you just as much as I respect my own father. But right now, you’re pissing me off. I’m not going to lie down and play dead just to get what I want from you. I’m a man that can’t be bullied or beaten into submission.”
“A man?” He scoffed. “You’re a piece of shit, Slade. That’s all you are and that’s all you’ll ever be.”
I forced myself to keep my hands in my lap. I wanted to land a punch right on his jaw. “So, I’ve never been good enough for you? Or I was just fine, but the second I loved your daughter, I became trash?”
“You summed that up quite nicely.”
“So, you never loved me.” The words escaped my lips without thinking. I said it more to myself than to him. It hurt, stung. My heart bled from the realization. I always felt like I wasn’t good enough, but to hear it from someone I thought cared about me was brutal.
His eyes changed while he stared at me. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted before he could get anything out.
“Open the safe or I’ll blow your brains out!” A man dressed in all black and a hoodie pointed a pistol at the woman behind the counter.
She raised her hands and immediately started to panic. “I-I-I can’t open it…”
He pointed the gun closer, right into her cheek.
Fuck.
Another man came in and pointed it at a couple a few tables over, demanding their wallets and purses.
Mike stood up.
What the fuck is he doing?
The guy pointed the gun at him. “Don’t move.”
Mike didn’t listen to him and, instead, held his hands up then sat beside me, scooting all the way against the wall so I was completely blocked by his size.
The guy watched him for a second but didn’t shoot.
Mike kept his hands up. “Stay down,” he whispered.
My heart was beating so fast I couldn’t breathe.
The man with the gun moved down the rows and confiscated everything. “Call the police and everyone dies.”
Trinity’s face came into my mind. What if I never saw her again?
The man with the gun reached us and pointed the gun at Mike’s head, pressing the barrel into his skin.
Mike stared back, unafraid.
“You think you’re brave?” he snapped.
“Just don’t hurt my son. Take what you want.”
What?
“Put everything on the table. Now.” He pressed the gun in farther.
Mike reached into his pockets and tossed everything on the surface. He took off his Rolex and dropped it on the counter.
Then the man looked at me. “Now you.”
Mike moved in front of me farther, blocking me entirely. “Hurry up and just do it.”
I emptied my pockets and left everything on the surface.
The guy scooped it up, the gun still pointed at Mike.
As weak as it made me sound, I was scared.
The doors burst open and the police came. “Hands in the air!”
The man with the gun immediately turned, ready to open fire.
Fuck, I’m going to die.
Mike dragged me under table then turned it on its side, using it as a shield. Then he moved on top of me and covered my body with his, using his hands to protect my head.
The shots were so loud they hurt my ears. Debris flew into the sky as the exchange took place. People screamed as they feared for their lives. I kept my face down, hoping Mike and I would get out of here without a bullet in our brains.
Finally, it ended.
The police moved to the assaulters and confiscated the weapons.
Were they dead?
Mike didn’t get off me. He looked around but stayed still.
An officer came to him. “Mr. Preston, are you alright?”
How the hell did they know who he was?
“I’m fine. Is anyone hurt?” Mike moved off me.
“No, just the men who tried to rob the place,” the officer answered.
Mike grabbed my arm and turned me over. Concern radiated in his eyes and he immediately patted me down, making sure I hadn’t been hit and I was okay. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…” My head was still spinning. “Are you?”
He didn’t answer me. He checked me again, afraid he had missed something.
“I’m okay, Mike,” I said.
“The EMTs are here.” The officer walked away then handed Mike’s watch back to him. “If it weren’t for you, they would have gotten away with it.”
Mike immediately put the watch back on.
There must’ve been some sort of trigger on the watch. I didn’t know that until now.
Mike helped me stand up then put his arm around my shoulder. “You’ll be okay, kid.”
He hadn’t called me that in months.
He gave me a hard look. “Don’t mention this to anyone.”
I knew he didn’t want to scare his family—especially Trinity. “Okay.”
He dropped his hand. “This doesn’t change anything between us.”
But it did. Mike just risked his neck to save mine—twice. He did love me, even if he acted like he didn’t.
And that gave me hope.
The second I got home, I went to Trinity and held her tightly. The afternoon kept playing in my mind, the sounds of the guns and the sounds of cries still echoing. Smelling her scent, feeling her skin, made me feel alive. And somehow, safe.
“Is everything okay, Slade?” Her fingers moved through my hair.
“I just missed you, baby.” I pulled my face away from her neck and looked her in the eye. “I love you.” I didn’t say those words very often, choosing to save them for the right moment.
Her eyes softened. “I love you too.”
“You’re the best damn thing that ever happened to me.” I gripped her again, feeling her slender neck and her warmth.
She rested her head against mine. “Me too…”
I couldn’t tell her what I was thinking or what I was going through. I told her father I would keep his secret, and so I would. But I wished I could tell her the truth. She was the only person I could confess every secret to. Never would I admit I was scared of anything, but with her, I wouldn’t hesitate to reveal it. Only her.
“I feel like something is bothering you…”
The telepathic connection we had was annoying sometimes. “I’m just stressed about my dad…” I couldn’t think of anything else.
“What happened?”
“I…I’d rather not talk about it.” She still thought I was doing stuff with my dad and the shop. I felt bad for lying to her, but I didn’t have mu
ch of a choice. When I worked everything out with her father, I would come clean.
“Okay.” She kissed my forehead then dropped the conversation.
“How was your day?”
“Boring…like always.”
“Physical therapy go well?” I asked.
“It’s hard…I’m so weak.”
I fisted her hair. “It’ll get better. I promise. You’ll be running around in no time.”
“Running? Uh, no. I want to get laid.”
A laugh escaped my lips. “You really are my other half.”
“You just realized that?” she asked with a sweet smile.
“No,” I said honestly. “But you constantly remind me.”
She brushed her finger across my knuckles. “Can you give me a bath?”
“Sure.” I liked lying with her in the tub. It was an activity she could actually do. As long as I wrapped her leg in a plastic bag and kept it dry, she could lie on my chest. “I’ll go get it ready.”
“Okay.” Excitement flashed in her eyes.
I caught it. “What’s up, baby?”
She sat up then grabbed an envelope from the table. Then she handed it to me. “I want you to have this…”
I took it in my hands and studied it. “What is it?”
“Open it and you’ll find out, dork.”
“Dork?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “Are we five?”
She swatted me playfully. “Just open it.”
I tore the sleeve then pulled out the card. It wasn’t a Hallmark card that already had a message inside. Words of different sizes were cut out and pasted inside, making a message.
Like lights glowing in the harbor, your presence guides me to shore.
Like the touch that catches you before you fall, your strength keeps me in place.
Trust makes me feel safe, your words made me feel loved, and your midnight touch makes me feel beautiful.
When others said the sun would burn out and make my world cold, you proved them wrong. When they said the stars would fall out of the sky, you kept them in their place. When my place in the world almost vanished, you prayed I wouldn’t go.
Whispers of love I’ve never known. Promises of forever unheard of. Kisses that mean more than just physical pleasures. Nights that lead to mornings no longer empty, you give me what my heart had been denied.
Joy.
My breaths came out labored, my chest expanding so much it hurt. My heart skipped a beat, making the rest of my body tense in emotion. I felt her stare at me, watching me as I stared at the paper.
“I cut out the words from all your favorite books…I thought you would like it.” Her voice showed her insecurity. “You’ve been taking care of me every single day and you’ve been doing such a good job…never complaining. I just—”
I gripped her face and kissed her, pressing my mouth hard against hers. It was a closed-mouth kiss, but I still tasted my own tears as they dripped down my cheeks. I pulled away then looked her in the eye, feeling the emotion swell inside me, making me feel so big and so small at the same time. “I love it.”
Her eyes watered while she stared at me.
“I’ll keep this for as long as I live.” I closed it and held it in my hands.
She pressed her face to mine and closed her eyes.
I closed mine in turn, letting the moment stretch between us.
Last time I spoke to Conrad it hadn’t gone over well. But I needed to make this right. My progress with her father was nonexistent but her brother should be easier.
But I had no idea why he was so pissed off.
He looked at me like he hated me, loathed me. He never cared what Trinity did in her personal life. He wasn’t a protective older brother. That wasn’t him. So why did he care? Was it because she almost died and he finally realized how much he loved her? What was it?
I showed up at his door with Cayson.
“I feel uncomfortable doing this,” Cayson whispered.
“Shut up,” I snapped. “Are you my best friend or not?”
He sighed. “But this is deceitful to Conrad.”
“He’ll get over it. Now knock.” I stood to the left of the door where I couldn’t be seen through the peephole.
He scratched the back of his neck. “You owe me a beer.”
“Let’s not play that game. Because if we did, you would know I owed you a lot more than just a beer.”
“You got that right.” He knocked on the door and waited.
Conrad opened it. “What’s up, man?” He wasn’t as warm as he usually was, but he didn’t have a problem with Cayson either.
“I just—”
I pushed Conrad inside then shut the door in Cayson’s face.
“What the fuck?” Conrad stumbled backward, blindsided by my advance.
“I knew you wouldn’t talk to me so I had to barge in here so you wouldn’t shut the door and lock it.”
He glared at me with hatred. “Which is my damn right.”
“We’re going to talk and move on from this.”
“I don’t want to move on. I. Hate. You.”
Where was this hostility coming from? “You really hate me being with Trinity that bad? I know I’m not perfect, but geez, cut me some slack. If you gave me a chance you would see I adore her.”
He grabbed a bat from the hallway then returned, spinning it around his wrist.
This just got real.
I held up my hand. “If you want to hit me, fine. I’ll let it go because you’re upset. But if you come at me with a weapon, I will be forced to give my all and rip you apart. Think clearly, man.”
“I am.” Malice shone in his eyes.
“Just tell me why you despise me being with your sister so much,” I snapped. “Because I don’t have a damn clue.”
“Why I despise you?” he asked incredulously. “A month before the accident we went to a strip club where you hooked up with some girl covered in tattoos. Then you have the nerve to claim you love my sister? You either cheated on her, or you’re lying about how you feel. Actually, both.” He spun the bat around. “And I’m going to fucking kill you.”
Now it all made sense. I hit my forehead. “Shit, I forgot about that.”
He swung at me.
Quick on my feet, I ducked. “Hold on! Let me explain myself.”
He swung at me again and knocked over a lamp. “You can when you’re dead.” He ran at me, ready to beat me down.
I wanted to avoid hurting him at all costs. It wouldn’t bring me closer to Trinity. After the night we had, the poem she wrote for me, I had to fight for her until I physically couldn’t do it anymore.
I hit the wall then ducked again before the bat hit my sternum. When he pulled the bat back to swing again, I grabbed it and tried to yank it away.
Conrad kicked me in the stomach.
I cringed but ignored the pain. I twisted it in his grip then yanked it away.
When Conrad realized I had the weapon, he immediately stumbled back, looking for something else to use in defense.
“We’re done with this.” I slammed the bat down onto my thigh and broke it in half. Then I threw the pieces onto the floor. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Conrad eyed me warily, not believing me. And he seemed like he still wanted to kill me. The look was in his eyes.
“I didn’t cheat on Trinity.”
“But I saw—”
“Shut up and let me finish!”
He closed his mouth and clenched his jaw.
“I did hook up with a woman at the strip club. Yes, she had tattoos and a black bob. I won’t deny that happened.”
“Fucking piece of…”
“But that woman was Trinity—in a disguise.”
A blank expression came over his face. “What?”
“I only went with you guys so you wouldn’t catch on to me and Trinity. But I didn’t want to hook up with someone, so she met me there and played the part.”
Confusion was still on his face.
“This girl had tattoos.”
“It was the cheap ones you get from a quarter machine.” How did he not notice that?
He narrowed his eyes. “How do I know you aren’t lying?”
“Ask Trinity! She’ll tell you.”
“Every time I tried to tell her you were a cheat, she threw me out without letting me get a word in.”
My heart melted at her faith in me. “Well, let’s go over there and talk to her. You can see for yourself.”
He didn’t move. “The Russian model. What about her?”
“I didn’t sleep with her.”
“That’s not what she told my girl.”
I hated having to explain myself. “I asked her to lie for me. I took her home and that was it. End of story.”
Conrad stared at me suspiciously. “I want to talk to Trinity.”
“Fine. Let’s get this cleared up so you don’t attack me with a bat again.” I was the one who should be pissed off.
“If she says you’re lying, I will kill you.” He stood in front of me, his chest almost touching mine. “My dad will help too.”
The mention of his father made me flinch. “Wait…did you tell your dad this stupid theory?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” He headed out the front door.
Now everything made sense.
Conrad and I walked inside.
Trinity was sitting on the couch reading a book while Cayson and Skye worked on homework. They faced the TV, watching a rerun. Trinity turned to me, the love and adoration clear on her face. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I leaned down to kiss her but was pushed away.
“Don’t touch her.” Conrad shoved me against the wall.
If Trinity could walk, she would have chased him down then slapped him a hundred times. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
I stood up and then swallowed my annoyance.
“When Roland and I went to a strip club, Slade came. And he hooked up with some girl.” He stared at her, watching her reaction.
“That girl was me, idiot.” She reached behind the couch and swatted his arm.
“It was you?” he asked incredulously. “What was she wearing?”
