by J. L. Drake
“Looks perfect.” I pulled her into my side and kissed her head.
We headed for the bridge that looked like it came from a Mary Poppins movie set. Once in the middle, she stopped and leaned over the rail, looking back at where her ceremony would be held.
“Our main pictures will be here.” She grinned and tucked her hair out of her eyes. “Look at those colors. Do you see colors like this where you live?”
I smiled at her. My family never asked much when it came to the location of the safe house. I knew they understood, but I also knew it was hard for them. Three was trying to gain some small measure of the way I lived. I knew the family all missed that I wasn’t around much anymore.
“I do.”
She nodded and let out a huge breath. “I wish you would come home more.”
“I’ll work on that.”
Her rosy hands tucked in her pockets, and she turned to face me.
“Look.” Her head dropped down. “I know I’m not like Two. We don’t talk about stuff like this, but…”
“Say it.” I encouraged her to be open with me.
“I know everyone is concerned about Lexi, and I want to tell you something.”
She motioned for me to sit on a bench.
“I was visiting Poppy’s grave a few months back. Nan likes me to take him his tulips since the car hurts her back now.” Her hands twitched in her jacket. “Anyway, as I was leaving, I saw Lexi standing at her parents’ graves with flowers. I felt so bad for her. You know, that’s so hard to see.” Her worried eyes looked at me. “I watched her, not wanting to interrupt something so personal. She laid flowers on each grave and seemed to have a moment with them. Then she looked off toward the road, and there was a car there. I was going to go over and see how she was, but she started walking quickly in the direction of the car.”
“Okay,” I said to let her know I was following.
“I followed her until I saw a man get out of the car. She was heading right for him. When they started talking, he took hold of her arm.”
“Who was he?”
She shrugged but looked concerned. “Some man in a long wool coat. I’ve never seen him before, which wouldn’t normally have worried me, but when he looked at me, he shot me a really nasty look that stopped me in my tracks. Lexi yanked her arm out of his hold, and that was what frightened me. She wasn’t comfortable with him, but she got in his car, and they stayed there for a while. I didn’t stick around for long. I backed off, and I couldn’t see anything anyway since the windows were tinted.” She rubbed the side of her head as she looked up at me. “She never saw me, but that guy gave me a really bad feeling, and whatever that feeling was hasn’t left me. I’m really worried about her, Keith.”
“I know,” I admitted. “So am I.”
“Will you pull some crazy Army strings and see if you can find out who he was?”
“Did you get the make and model of the car? Or a license plate?”
“No.” She shook her head. “All I know is he drove a black four door, dressed like a sleazy used car salesman, and had an earring.” She made a disgusted face. “You know how I feel about men and jewelry.”
I chuckled. “I do.”
“I guess I wasn’t made to be a spy.”
“That’s actually pretty good, Three. I’ll see what I can find out.”
Nodding, she leaned back with a long sigh. “You still love her, don’t you?”
“Yeah.” I gave her a squeeze. “I really do.”
“You think there’s any feelings left on her end?”
I kept my gaze forward, remembering how she didn’t say no about me touching her, and I went with my gut. “I do.” It would just take a lot to prove to her the feelings were still there.
Three made a funny noise, and I realized she was happy.
“That would be the best wedding present, you know.”
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pushed away the difficulties of figuring out how Lexi and I could be together with the Army keeping us apart. I had a lot to think about and a lot to consider.
For the rest of the day, Three and I mulled ideas around about her wedding, old friends, and family. I forgot how much I needed my sisters in my life. They made me feel almost whole again.
Later that evening I intended to prove to my sisters exactly how much they missed me.
***
“Bullshit!” One yelled at me from across the table, her hands in the air. “There’s no frigging way you have three twos!”
I wiggled my eyebrows at my sister. She hated that I had a great poker face. Every Sunday growing up, we’d have game night. We’d start with the board game Sequence, then move on to Bullshit. Dad was the champ at Sequence, then me, then Mom. The girls hated it because you had to have a strategy to win. Bullshit was all about lying about what cards you had.
“Show me,” she ordered.
Like always, I proved I was right by flipping over my three twos.
“I’m not sure why you question him, sweetheart. He doesn’t lie.” Dad gave me a wink.
“Only when I have to.” I felt the need to add that.
She huffed, settling back in her seat. “Must be hard to sit there with a halo shoved up your—”
A squeaking made us stop as Nan rolled into the living room looking well done as always.
“Mom!” my mother shouted in an exaggerated voice at Nan. “Look who is playing with us tonight!” Each word was slow and loud. It took everything inside of me not to smirk at Nan. I swore she looked like she might give up her angle at any moment. She made such an exasperated face.
“I bet you could use a drink.” I allowed myself to let out a grin. Her eyes lit up as she begged me to have one with her. “I bet I’m right.”
“He says he bets he’s right!” Mom repeated loudly after me, which only made me bite down harder on my tongue.
“Yes, I could, dear. Thank you.” She eyed the bottle of scotch on the bar. I hopped up and poured her a stiff one and handed it to her.
“So good to have you back.” She repeated her usual comment, which meant so much more than just the booze. I was Nan’s favorite.
“Let’s go, big brother. Quit stall—”
My phone rang and stopped One’s comment. I grinned until I read the caller ID. With a finger in the air, I stepped away from my family.
“What’s going on, Antonio?”
“You should come by the clubhouse tonight. We’re going to have some fun.”
This can’t be good. I grabbed my keys and headed in that direction.
***
My thumb brushed over the rim of the beer as I sat at the bar across from Will, who I wanted to hurt so often that the feeling just came naturally now.
“So…” Antonio came to my side, obviously high on something. “After researching a little, I see why you can’t join me this evening. Military laws and shit, so I have a different idea for you.”
I took a long, deep gulp of my beer and waited for his genius plan.
“I have my main guys, but there’s a few I don’t fully trust, and I want you to keep an eye on them for me.” He nodded to where Elliot was stacking boxes awkwardly with his cast.
He wanted me to do what? Babysit? You have got to be kidding!
“What did Elliot do, anyway?” I felt I had a right to know, if I was going to be watching them.
Antonio studied me, then motioned for Will to give him a beer.
“He’s not loyal.”
This piqued my interest. “How so?”
He grinned around the bottle. “That’s something you should ask him. Be sure to drop his sister’s name in the conversation.” He hopped off the stool and went to leave, but slowly turned as if he forgot to tell me something. “If he runs, kill him. Really, his time is almost up anyway.” He placed a handgun on the bar top. “Just in case.”
Shit.
I let the gun sit there between us, not willing to lay my hand on one of their weapons.
“I won’t need that, Antonio, and I won’t kill for you, but I’ll keep an eye on the place if you want.”
Antonio looked at me, then shrugged and left with some of his guys, leaving the gun still lying there.
I still hadn’t seen Lexi, but I didn’t want it to look like I was curious, so I sat back in the corner of the clubhouse and hoped to God the Devil’s Reach didn’t decide to make their attack tonight.
A few times Gordon walked into the room. On the third pass through, he came over and handed me some dinner. I wasn’t hungry, and the food looked like shit, but I soon realized he wasn’t expecting me to eat it. He just needed a reason to come over.
“I’m here to watch you.” His voice was deep as he handed me a fork. This was the first time I really studied him. He was built, and I could see he’d spent sometime in the sun by the tan lines that peeked out from under the red bandana. His blue eyes had small wrinkles from squinting, and his hair was silver. My guess would be he was mid-fifties. He played the part of an Almas Perdidas, but in his wry smile I could see he had a kind soul. “Antonio needs to know if you are here for him or the girl.”
“Okay, thanks for that.” I nodded and pushed the food around the plate. I didn’t know Gordon, so I wasn’t about to spill my feelings to him. “What’s happening tonight?”
“It’s pick-up night. He’ll be back with about three hundred thousand worth of narcotics. That’s when the party will start up.” He made a face that led me to believe Lexi would be involved.
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Heads up; they’re planning to strike the Devil’s Reach clubhouse soon.”
Fuck. My skin heated at that thought. Suicide. Gordon tapped his nose before he disappeared in the back. I appreciated his warning.
Kicking my feet up, I had made a show of making the conversation with Gordon look normal. I watched Will tend the bar, the doorman checking people coming in and out for weapons, and Elliot kept his head down while he finished his job.
Around eleven, music was turned on and Tragically Hip’s “So Hard Done By” blasted while the lights dimmed and people poured in.
Beer wasn’t cutting it, so I changed over to rum and Coke. Just as I was about to finish my last sip, I caught Elliot’s obvious attempt at eye contact from across the room. He nodded down the hallway, then disappeared.
Curious, I moved to my feet and pushed through a wall of bodies and heavy smoke. I peeked my head around the corner and saw two shadows.
“Stop.” The harsh whisper prompted me to push open the door to the stock room.
There was Will with his hands all over Lexi. She was telling him to stop but wasn’t making any real attempt to push him away. Strange.
“Will, please, don’t.”
Without thinking, I grabbed him by the collar and hauled him backward. He stumbled to catch his footing but stumbled to the ground.
Lexi had a worried expression that didn’t match the situation.
“Are you okay?”
She ran a shaky hand over her shoulder. “I’m fine.”
“What the fuck is your problem, man?” Will rose to his feet and tilted his head to look up at me. The man was 5’6”, but stocky. “We share in this house. No one is exclusive. Ain’t that right, babe?”
“You know Antonio doesn’t share me,” she hissed, closing her eyes while her cheeks deepened to a hot pink.
I was relieved to hear that, but it was quickly replaced with pure, raw anger toward the shit in front of me.
“She likes it rough, Keith—”
“I don’t care if she likes to be bent in half,” I cut him off, feeling territorial. “If I hear you touched her again, I will kill you.”
“Keith,” Lexi whispered. “He didn’t hurt me.”
“Fucking right, I didn’t, bitch!”
With a twist of my arm, I had him in a headlock and bent him backward. Everything disappeared around me—sound, color, all just gone.
Will’s nails dug in as he tried to release my hold. His eyes bulged.
“You touch her or speak to her like that again, I’ll rip your balls off and shove them in your fucking little mouth.” I slowed my words. “Do you hear me?”
His tongue ran along his teeth, but he nodded. I stepped back and let my surroundings flood back in. Lexi had a hand over her mouth, and Will was straightening his shirt with a cough.
“Looks like the boss’s girl has a bodyguard.”
Stupid man.
“Too bad he won’t be sticking around.” He unconsciously touched his crotch as he backed away. “See you later, Lexi.”
I slowly turned back to face him and he walked a little faster.
Lexi sank onto a box and let her hair fall all around her. She slumped her shoulders, looking exhausted.
Carefully, I bent down and rested my weight on my heels. I still couldn’t believe I could reach out and touch the one woman who stole my heart so long ago.
My hand hovered over her knee. I didn’t want to push, but I really wanted to feel her. There was something so right when we were together.
Her head snapped up when she felt me touch her. Her beautiful eyes were rimmed with tears.
“Go away, Keith. You shouldn’t be here.”
“If I wasn’t, you’d be under Will right now.”
Her neck flexed, and I saw her walls shoot up. Classic Lexi. She always channeled her emotions into anger. Thankfully, it was one of the many things I loved about this woman.
“Hey.” My hand ran up her thigh. I wasn’t actually trying to be sexual; I just wanted to see if my touch still grounded her like she did me. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but this isn’t the right place for you. You don’t deserve this, Lexi. You’re not someone’s blow-up doll or one-night stand. You’re a beautiful woman who deserves to be loved in the right way.”
She jumped to her feet and whirled around, and I straightened up.
“You don’t get to come in here after how many years and try to tell me how I should be living my life. A lot has happened since you left me for the second time four years ago.”
“You wanna fight, don’t you?”
She does.
“What I want is for you to leave!” She held my gaze as the words came out.
Liar.
I folded my arms. “Fine, let’s hash this out.”
She shook her head and let out a long, shaky breath. “Not here. Antonio doesn’t know how deep our history runs.”
“Screw him. Besides, he’s not even here.” I stepped closer and took her hand in mine. “No one can touch our history. That’s ours. What we choose to do with our future is what can be affected.”
Her face broke into a sarcastic smile…I’d hit a nerve.
“Future?” Her chin tilted upward. “What future?”
“You don’t have to be here.”
Her laugh had a hard edge to it. “That’s cute, Keith.”
She tried to leave, but I grabbed her arm and leaned down so she could see directly into my eyes.
“Toss any shit you have at me, and I’ll keep coming back for more because that’s what people do when they’re in love with someone.”
She blinked a few times before I felt her arm relax in my grip.
“You don’t love me, Keith. You love Lexi from ten years ago. There’s a huge difference.”
Not caring, I pulled her closer so my body hovered almost completely around hers. Her gaze dropped to my mouth. We were so close…
“You don’t get to come walking back into my life like you own me,” she hissed. “Things are different now. I’m with Antonio.”
I couldn’t contain my frustration as I let out a deep laugh. “Right, because that’s what you need in your life. Someone to beat on you and your brother.”
“You wouldn’t understand.” She tried to move, but I held her in place by her hips.
“Try me.” I backed her up to the wall. She wiggled and bucked, but she couldn’t get out o
f my grip.
“You’re going to screw everything up.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you shouldn’t be here. There’s more to this fucked up story than you know!” Her head fell. She really did look tired.
Everything inside weakened as I relaxed, my body molding to hers. I rested my forehead on top of her head, but before I got too comfortable, she pushed me away.
“So much has happened since you left the first time.” She sniffed, turning her back to me. “You were the other half to my soul, Keith, and you left me, and then when I needed you most…” She brushed away a tear. “I was running on empty until Juan came into my life and showed me I was still worthy to be loved, maybe in a different way, but still loved.”
I hated that comment.
“I never meant to hurt you, Lex.”
She turned to look up at me, her eyes raw with pain. “Way too much is going on to pick up where we left off, Keith. It’s not only about me anymore. Just go back to wherever and leave me alone.”
The way her mouth moved captivated my attention. I pushed her flat against the wall and tilted her chin. Before she could protest, I pressed my lips to hers and felt like I was seventeen again.
My thumb ran along her jaw and pulled her mouth open so my tongue could move in. She let me, and I stepped in closer so she could feel how aroused I was.
Suddenly, her hands moved to my hair and tugged roughly at the roots. I could barely contain myself. It began to seep in that her kiss was off. It reminded me of something, but I couldn’t place it.
One hand moved under her shirt and up to her plump breast. I cupped and twisted just the way she loved.
She squeaked and deepened the kiss. We were wild for one another, clawing and tugging at whatever we could get our hands on.
Moving my hand from her shirt, I ran it down her thigh, and then up her leather skirt where I found her slick.
“Keith,” she mumbled into my lips, wiggling to find some kind of friction.
Fuck it. My fingers dove deep inside her soft walls. Her eyes rolled back and closed as her head thumped against the wall with relief.
