by Belle Aurora
He stood quickly, and I fell to the floor in a heap.
“Motherfucker,” I seethed.
“I don’t know why I fucking bother with you,” he said as he walked away from me.
And suddenly, I felt ill at the loss of him.
Holy shit.
That was new. I don’t know whether I liked that.
Just before he reached the exit, I called out, “Wait.” And to my shock, he did, pausing at the door.
Yep. Thought about it. I did not like that at all.
Looking like he wanted to smack a bitch, I wondered why he wouldn’t just smack this bitch. He knew I was down for it. In fact, nothing would make me happier than if he just fucked my next breath out of me.
I couldn’t believe I was about to say what I did. “This is new to me, Az. You gotta give me a break when I push because I don’t know any better.” You pussy. I sighed, humiliated at the fact that I was putting myself in this position. “I don’t like upsetting you.”
Suddenly, he turned and glared. “I have a wife at home, Ling, and believe it or not, she fucking adores me. I don’t need this juvenile bullshit you like to play at, this jealousy crap. You drive me crazy.” When he shook his head and put his hands to his hips as if he were contemplating the weight of the world, my insides shriveled because I knew what was coming. “I don’t think we should do this again.”
And because I had no idea how to deal with the abrupt sorrow inside me, I glowered right back. “No issue here.” My voice was low. “It’s time for you to leave.”
After all, I got my mom’s attitude and my dad’s temper.
The beautiful Turk looked at war with himself a short moment before he looked me up and down, waving a hand in my direction, his lips thinning. “You know what? Fuck this. I’m out.”
The thought of Aslan Sadik leaving me to go home to the wife who adored him drove me wild enough for me to make a point. Rushing over to my purse, I pulled out my .22 caliber, put my finger to the trigger, and fired.
Bang.
The sound echoed in the penthouse apartment, and when his entire body jerked in shock, I reveled in it. He blinked at the hole in the wall beside his head and turned back to me, wide-eyed. “You crazy bitch.”
Yeah. And you better not forget it. “Don’t ever come back, Az. You’ve officially outworn your welcome.”
Those dark eyes of his watched me closely a long while before he turned and left me alone with my thoughts.
And it was not a pretty place to leave a crazy bitch.
***
Lexi
“And they were huge, both of them!” said A.J. excitedly as he told me about meeting the two friendly giants. No, not giants. Cousins. A.J. called them his cousins.
“They were, were they?” I looked over at Molly, blinking, with my brows up to my hairline.
Molly had the grace to look sheepish. “They were just some old friends.”
Old friends who just happened to be in the school’s vicinity at pick up time, the same day Molly just happened to suggest she pick up A.J. on her day off, and take her red muscle car to boot.
Mmhm. Sounded legit.
Pull the other leg, Molly. “Oh, okay.”
Molly’s lip twitched at my clear disbelief. “Would you believe they just came to say hi?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “No. No, I wouldn’t.”
She looked peeved. “Damn. I knew you were smarter than that.”
When it was time to put A.J. into the bath, I lightly smacked his bottom. “Bath time!” Then I leaned into a wide-eyed Molly. “We’re not done talking about this.”
And she sighed, loudly.
Once A.J. was in the bath, playing with his windup frog, I crooked my finger to Molly and she met me in the hallway where I could watch A.J. but still talk privately. The moment she approached, I kept my eyes on my son but spoke to her. “I trust you—really, I do—but this sounds like something I should know about, Molly. So, spill.”
Molly’s ridiculously full lips puckered and she folded her arms across her chest, peeking into the bathroom before pulling back and uttering quietly, “Don’t freak out.”
My eyes widened. “Don’t freak out?”
Shit. This was worse than I thought.
Well, how could I not now?
Molly shushed me. “He’ll hear you!”
When both of us peeked into the bathroom, A.J. was watching us curiously and we both smiled widely. A.J. smiled back, but it was cautious, which was fair enough, because Molly and I looked nuts, hanging out in the hall, whispering and such.
We pulled back, and Molly started with, “I noticed A.J. was leaving school as quickly as he could, so I went back at recess and lunch to see what was going on. It didn’t take long to find out this little scrag of a girl, Zoe, was teasing A.J.”
Oh, no. “About what?”
Molly’s jaw tightened. “About not having a father.”
Oh, God.
Suddenly, it all made sense. A.J.’s desperate need to see his father, even if only in his dreams, his sudden grief, the way he was suddenly attached to all things Twitch. I put a hand to my forehead and rubbed.
Why didn’t I think this might have been a school-related issue?
I was a fool to have missed it.
“Look, it’s all good. I took care of it.” I heard the anger in her tone. “Zoe, the little shit, isn’t going to bother A.J. anymore. That’s for sure.”
And then it hit me.
Lowering my hand, I blinked at her. “You threatened a five-year-old with gang members?” When her eyes darted around, I leaned in and hissed, “Are you crazy?”
Her eyes rounded. “They didn’t say a word, Lex. All they did was stand there and look tough while Zoe and I had a little chat about bullying. I swear. I didn’t do anything that would get you or A.J. into trouble. I would never do that to you.” Molly peeked into the bathroom, gazing at the little monster before pulling back, looking miserable. “She was taunting him, Lex.”
Yes, kids could be cruel. I knew that from personal experience. But that didn’t mean Molly needed to step in. “You should have talked to me.”
“I know,” she muttered glumly. She didn’t look at me when she let out a hushed, “Sorry.”
I understood Molly only had A.J.’s best interest at heart. No one ever accused Molly of not taking her job seriously. “Thank you for sticking up for him.”
Her lip lifted a little. Just a touch. “I love my little maggot.”
That was when A.J. called out, “Are you talking about me?”
Molly and I both chuckled and responded, “No.”
A.J. undid the plug, and I stepped into the bathroom, wrapping a towel around him, drying him off. “You know what? I want to hear more about your new cousins.”
“Oh, man, Mum!” A.J. turned wide-eyed. “Hemi is so big.” He made a round belly motion with his hands and the towel fell, leaving him naked. I couldn’t help but laugh, picking up the towel and covering him again. “And Tama was a little mean, but Molly told me he’s always mean.” When I looked back at Molly, I caught her making hand signals to A.J., and the second she saw me, she forced a robotic grin. “Tama’s got tattoos all over his face. His nose, his chin. All over.”
At Molly’s long, drawn out sigh and shake of the head, I quelled my laughter, and uttered, “Maybe Molly could invite your new cousins over so I can meet them.”
A.J. gasped. “Yes!”
Molly scoffed. “No way.”
“Why not?” I asked, feigning politeness. “They sound like absolute gentlemen.” Molly stared at me, not loving my teasing. “I can’t see why you would keep these guys to yourself. And besides—” I turned my smiling eyes to her. “—I want to meet this Tama of yours.”
“He’s not mine.” Molly’s face fell and she looked down at her feet. “Not anymore.”
She looked so sad that I quieted my voice. “And nothing can be done to fix that?”
Molly shook her head. �
��No. I messed up there.” She straightened suddenly. “I think I’m just going to go watch TV in my room.”
Before I could object, she was gone.
And I had to wonder what on earth that sweet girl had done to Tama that she felt she didn’t deserve forgiveness.
Turns out, I was better off not knowing.
Chapter Ten
Twitch
I could barely breathe. “If you’re fucking with me, Black....”
Ethan chuckled roughly. “Unfortunately for the Australian population, I am one hundred percent serious. I’m sending someone to you tomorrow with your documents. His name is Gabriel Blanco. Let him and, for the love of St. Peter, be nice.”
“Fuck me,” I breathed out, trying to calm the rapid beating of my heart.
Ethan’s laughter faded to nothing. When he spoke again, I felt that shit. I felt it hard.
“You’ve waited a long time, Twitch, and your patience has paid off.” He lowered his voice. “I’m proud of you, son.”
I didn’t do compliments well. Especially not from other men. “Yo, Ethan. You got wood for me, bro?” At his sudden flurry of curses, I let out a low chuckle. “I’m kidding, man. Chill. I’m...” This was hard for me to admit. It took me a while to get it out. “I’m grateful. For everything.”
He grunted. “Why do I feel like I’ve just released a lion into the unsuspecting community?”
At that, I grinned hard. “‘Cause you know me.”
As he let out another string of expletives, I laughed low, and for the first time in five years, I could breathe again.
I answered the door and looked down at the man in the suit cautiously. “Name?”
“Gabe Blanco,” the middle-aged man said in his Australian accent. “Ethan Black sent me.”
When I made no move to let him in, Gabe shrugged. “I can take this shit back if you don’t want it.”
And my cheek ticked. Without a word, I opened the door and stepped back, allowing him entrance, but I watched him carefully.
I had trust issues. So sue me. If you’d been shot at the amount of times I had, you’d have ‘em too.
Gabe Blanco walked inside, over to the counter, reaching into the big yellow envelope. He spoke as he pulled things out. “Here’s your I.D.” He tossed a small plastic card onto the bench. “Your passport.” He laid the little blue booklet down carefully. “Social security and tax file numbers.” A small, white piece of paper was placed down next to the passport. “Here’s your bank card, account details, and Medicare card.” The cards were in a plastic envelope of their own. “And finally, your Australian citizenship.” The fancy-looking certificate was off-white and had an emu and kangaroo holding a coat of arms. “That one’s false, by the way. Just for looks.”
I couldn’t help the way my lip twitched.
Thank you, Ethan Black.
I could have kissed him then.
“Is that all?” I asked the guy.
Gabe didn’t hesitate. “Not really. I’ve been asked to pass on a message.”
Why didn’t that sound good? “What message?”
“Watch yourself because we’ll be watching you,” uttered Gabe clinically. When my face darkened a notch, he held up his hands in a mollifying way. “Don’t shoot the messenger. Just passing that on.”
I didn’t like that. “From who?”
“Some head honchos at the A.F.P.”
Shit. The last thing I needed was to be watched constantly by the Australian Federal Police.
Great. Just great. “Noted. Now, if that’s all.”
“That’s it.” Gabe grinned. “Welcome back to the land of the living, Antonio Falco.”
When he held out his hand to me, I reluctantly took it, pumping it once before dropping it. I showed Gabe Blanco out and tucked all my documents back into the yellow envelope, and I did it with a slight smile.
Yeah.
I was back, bitches.
For where I was, I felt my anxiety should have been spiking, but it wasn’t.
I was tranquil, serene, and I waited patiently for her to find me.
***
Lexi
I laughed at the look of discomfort on Ana’s face. “I know it sounds awful, but really, they’re so comfortable and they look so cute. I bought three of them online from La Perla. Here.” I walked away from the table of women as the men sat outside on the porch, smoking cigars and drinking whiskey. “I’ll get them so you can see for yourself.”
Walking into my room without switching the light on, I went to the dresser opposite my bed and pulled out the three harness bras, lightly shutting the drawers before glancing into the mirror.
My stomach dipped.
I dropped the bras with a start as I saw the lone figure on my bed, leaning against the headboard.
My heart began to race. Closing my eyes, I focused on my breathing.
Oh, shit.
It had finally happened.
I’d snapped. And it was no wonder with the emotional beating I’d taken from my son over the past few weeks. The constant reminder of his father had done something to me, obviously. My mind was fragile and could only take so much. Perhaps all the talk about A.J. seeing Twitch had inspired some kind of jealousy within me.
Breathing hard, I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
“Stop it,” I whispered to myself before opening my eyes, and I watched the moonlight beam across the lower half of the hooded figure.
Jesus Christ.
He wasn’t there. He wasn’t really there. It was all in my head. But that didn’t make it any less distressing, and the way my heart thumped made me feel suddenly lightheaded.
My hands shook and I balled them into fists, my nails biting into my palms. “Lexi,” I warned myself. “Stop.”
The brain was a funny thing. Almost like a hard drive. It could conjure up memories in a flash, no matter how hurtful. And right now, I was hurting myself.
Why did I continue to hurt myself?
When I opened my eyes and he was still there, I started to get genuinely distressed. Breathing shakily, I put a hand to my forehead and begged myself as quietly as possible, “Stop. Please.”
My stomach dropped when I heard rustling from across the room.
Wait.
Did he just move?
No. He couldn’t have.
But he did.
He was.
Silently, he sat forward and did something I’d been wanting for forever.
He lowered the hood. And the moment I saw those soft brown, hooded eyes, my entire body turned cold.
This wasn’t the Twitch of my haunting dreams. This was somebody else.
I couldn’t breathe.
This was a dream. Wasn’t it?
It had to be.
“Angel.” That smooth, husky voice was barely audible.
I felt the blood drain out of my face. Quickly stepping back into the dresser, I gasped when I hit the edge and lost my balance. A bottle of perfume fell to the floor, and the shrill sound of glass breaking followed. My heart thumped in my chest. Wide-eyed and perplexed, I lifted my hands to my quivering mouth.
And that was when all hell broke loose.
***
Twitch
“Angel.”
What more could I say? She looked beautiful dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a white sweater rolled up at the arms.
Lexi’s big blue eyes watered as she stepped back into the dresser, and when she lost her footing, I stepped forward, my hand out to her. Her entire body shook, and when she covered her mouth, panting rapidly, a frown pulled at my mouth.
Shit.
Maybe I should have done this differently.
My baby looked like she was about ready to pass out.
In the doorway, a shadow appeared, and the little dude made an appearance. “Can I have some ice cream?” He switched on the light and looked at his mother’s stance in confusion a second before he noticed me. My boy. He couldn’t contain his excitement. “Daddy!�
��
He flew at me, and I caught him midair, hugging him as tightly as I could without hurting him.
My heart beat faster. This was it.
No more hiding.
My eyes observed her reaction. I continued to hold him, watching Lexi closely as realization dawned that this, what was happening, was not in her head. A mixture of emotions showed themselves.
First, shock. Then confusion. Lastly, hurt.
Her face fell, she shook her head slowly in denial, and she collapsed back against the wall with a thud, her body shaking violently as she started to cry. Her mouth opened and she tried to speak, but my baby couldn’t through the tears wracking her body.
A.J. pulled back to look at his mother. “See? Told you.”
Lexi pushed herself back against the wall, sobbing silently, unblinking, a haunted expression shadowing her pretty eyes. The look of sheer pain and betrayal was more than I could bear. I wanted to go to her, and I planned to, but the little Goth stepped into the room, her .22 pointed at me. She moved to stand in front of Lexi protectively before staring at me, unblinking. “Who the fuck are you?”
I was about to respond, when Happy walked in. “The fuck’s going on here?” When his eyes settled on me, his face turned fatigued, his body slumped, and he muttered, “You asshole.” He closed his eyes before swallowing hard. “You fucking asshole.”
Yeah, I was.
He moved closer to me, reaching for A.J., and I stepped back, throwing him a black look.
Yeah, try it.
He could pry my son out of my cold, dead fingers.
“Twitch, we got a full house here. Don’t do this. Give me your son.”
At that moment, Lexi glanced between my brother and me a long while until it finally dawned on her. When she spoke, her breath hitched. She sounded injured. Wounded. “You knew?” We both turned to the desolate question. Her tear-streaked face had landed on Happy. Again, at a higher pitch, more desperate this time. “You knew?” The panting increased and she whimpered before screeching at the top of her lungs, “You knew?”
