I toss my keys to Jolie.
She squeezes them in her hand.
We’re staring each other down.
I can’t control how people act around me or toward me. And I’m not going to start caring about it now. Some people are afraid. Some people say hey. Some people do fucking magic tricks. And some girls think they can put their hands all over me and see where it goes.
And, yeah, I have a reputation that says that shit is cool to do.
But there also comes a time in life when you have to stand up for yourself. When someone is doing something that pisses you off then you say something. Or you do something.
What’s Jolie going to do? Just let shit like that happen over and over?
She moves toward me and hands the keys back.
Then she walks toward the house.
I smile.
Tonight is going to be fucking wild.
Jolie pushes her way through the house back to the kitchen.
She looks around and walks up to Taz.
“Hey, I know you,” Taz says.
“Give me a fucking drink,” Jolie orders.
“You didn’t say please,” Taz says.
Jolie reaches for a bottle of vodka and drinks from it.
“Whoa,” Taz says. “You know, I can kick you out of here for that.”
“Fine,” Jolie says.
She throws the vodka bottle at Taz.
He catches it and gets sprayed with vodka.
Jolie opens her arms.
I want her to find that girl that was touching me and I want her to hit that girl.
Instead, Jolie is ready to fight Taz.
Taz is pissed.
He looks at me.
Jolie looks at me.
Then she looks back at Taz. “Don’t look at him. Look at me. Deal with me. What are you going to do about it?”
“Holy fuck, girlfriend,” Les says. “You need to relax…”
“I’ll come after you next,” Jolie says.
I step toward Jolie. “This is your big plan? To fight Taz and Les?”
Jolie looks at me. Her eyes are wide.
She opens her mouth.
Come on, sweetie, yell at me. Swing at me again. Go find that other girl…
“Help!”
The voice booms through the kitchen.
I lift my head and look around.
There’s a guy waving his arms.
“Help! Help! Help! She’s going to die!”
“What the fuck is this?” I ask.
I grab Jolie’s hand and make her follow me.
“What are you talking about?” I ask the guy.
He turns and runs.
So I have to run after him.
We go around the steps to one of the first-floor bathrooms.
There’s a girl on the floor between the shower and the toilet.
Curled up like she’s dead.
“Ah, fuck,” I say.
Jolie covers her mouth and gasps.
I look around.
Taz and Les come into the bathroom.
“Oh, shit,” Taz says.
“She’s dying, man,” the guy yells at me.
I look at him. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Teddy,” he says. “That’s, uh, that’s… that’s Molly.”
I look at Les.
He shakes his head at me.
He mouths no way to me.
I look down at the girl on the floor.
Her hands are moving.
She’s not dead.
But she’s a fucking mess.
“I’ll call the cops,” Jolie says.
“No, you won’t,” I say to Jolie. “No fucking way.”
“Mac!” she yells.
I drop to one knee and reach for Molly.
I sit her up and grab her face. “Molly, look at me. You have to fucking look at me right now.”
Her eyes flutter.
Her mouth moves like she’s chewing.
“When did you take shit?” I ask.
“Not long ago,” Teddy says. “We were just… oh, fuck…”
“I’ll hold her hair,” I say. “Taz, you ready for this?”
“I have to do it?” Taz asks.
“We don’t have fucking time!” I yell.
“Mac, what are you doing?” Jolie asks.
I look at Jolie. “If you can’t handle this, sweetie, then leave. I’m going to save her life right now.”
I move Molly to the toilet.
I hold her and keep her hair out of the way.
I nod to Taz.
“Sorry about this,” Taz says.
We have no choice.
Taz has to stick his finger in her throat to make her throw up.
She’s got to get the shit out of her stomach.
I have no idea how much she’s had or how much she’s had to drink.
But this is better than nothing.
Molly coughs and gags.
Taz groans and does it again.
That’s when her stomach lets go.
We all turn our heads as she empties out her stomach.
It smells like straight vodka.
She keeps coughing and gagging as I rub her back.
“That’s good, sweetie,” I say. “Now come back to life for us.”
Molly lifts her head and looks at Taz.
She screams and tries to push away from the toilet.
“Jolie, come here,” I say. “Help her.”
Jolie bends her knees and looks at Molly. “Hey. I’m Jolie. You’re… you’re okay…”
Jolie keeps moving her eyes from Molly to me.
Taz walks to Teddy and rubs his fingers on Teddy’s face.
Teddy yells. “What the fuck, man?”
“What did you give her?” Les asks.
Before I could stand, Les throws Teddy into the shower.
“Shit,” I say. “Not here. Not here…”
I look down at Jolie.
She’s rubbing Molly’s back as Molly starts to cry.
She’s gagging.
“Stay here with her,” I tell Jolie.
I’m over the line of asking questions..
Now I have to tell her what I need from her in this situation.
I nod to Taz and he reaches into the shower and grabs Teddy.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Teddy says.
“Yeah, you know what’s happening next,” Les says.
Taz drags Teddy outside the house and throws him off the porch.
But that’s not good enough.
We charge down the steps, knowing there’s an audience growing.
“Where did you get your shit?” I ask.
“I know I didn’t fucking give you anything,” Les says.
“I had some stuff,” Teddy says. “I brought something. It was crazy shit. I warned her. She’s never tried anything before. Fuck… I didn’t…”
I swing my foot and kick Teddy in the mouth.
He curls right up, covering his face.
“Uncover his face,” I say.
Les and Taz go to work, prying Teddy’s arms from his face and then they stand him up.
I look at him and curl my lip. “You brought outside shit to my house. Are you that fucking stupid?”
“No,” Teddy said. “Okay. Yeah. I am. I’m fucking stupid. Okay? I’m sorry. At least she’s not dead.”
“Because of us,” Taz growls.
“What do we do now, bro?” Les asks.
I feel like killing Teddy.
I feel like calling Mama Dae and telling her what happened. Let her make another call and then Teddy will be gone for good. He’ll end up on some junk mail flyer as a missing persons ad.
Instead, I curl my right fist tight and just hit him in the face.
That’s all I’ve got for him at the moment.
“You two do what you want,” I say to Taz and Les. “Just don’t kill him. And it’s pretty obvious he’s never coming back here again.”
I walk away a
nd everyone on the porch makes a path for me.
When I get back to the bathroom, Jolie has Molly sitting up as she wipes her face and mouth with a washcloth.
Jolie looks back at me.
Her face is pale.
There’s probably a fucking million things I could or should say to her.
And she probably knows the smartest thing right now is to leave and leave for good.
Jolie strokes Molly’s face and Molly grabs her arms.
Jolie and I are just staring at each other.
Then she finally talks.
“What happens next?”
13
The party is already shutdown by the time I get both Jolie and Molly settled upstairs. I put Molly in my bathroom just in case she ends up getting sick again. I tell Jolie not to worry. Trust me, I’ve been through this plenty of times. And the fact that Molly got so much out of her stomach, it’s a good thing. Yeah, it’s gross, but it is what it is.
When I come downstairs, Taz is at the front door, making sure everyone is leaving.
I walk to the kitchen and find Les taking care of a little business.
Not exactly the way I like to handle business, but again… it is what it is.
People need their enjoyment. I have their supply. They have cash.
What am I supposed to do?
There’s zero chance of me going to see Mama Dae to tell her I shut down business over some girl who thought she was tougher than she was.
Not going to happen.
Sorry.
I stand in the doorway to the kitchen and watch.
Every time someone turns and looks at me, they get scared.
They should get scared.
It’s a well-known fucking rule that nobody touches outside stuff. And of all things, you don’t bring outside stuff to one of my parties. I just don’t get how stupid people could be in life. I have everything under complete control at BC. And if you need proof, then pop over to the other side and see what’s happening there. I did my best to hand it all over but it’s a mess now. Cops busting up nest nights like crazy. Those in trouble are in even more trouble. Fuck, I’m shocked I haven’t been asked to go back over there and clean things up.
That makes me laugh in my mind.
That I’m the safe kind of trouble. The calculated kind of trouble.
But I know what I’m doing.
When the kitchen clears out, I walk to the counter.
“Fucked up night, bro,” Les says.
“Yeah,” I say.
“Are the girls okay up there?” he asks.
“They’re fine,” I say.
“Mac. Are they?”
I curl my lip. “Molly is going to wake up in the morning and feel like hell. I’ll have Ado or Raf give her a ride home or walk her to wherever she fucking lives.”
“Maybe I’m not talking about Molly,” Les says. “You think I really care about someone throwing shit in their body like that?”
I laugh. My right hand tightens up into a fist.
I calculate how this will go if I throw that first punch at Les.
Chances are he knows it’s coming. He’s pushing at me. Testing me. He’s one of the few in the world that can do that and get away with it.
I open my fist and point to the cash.
“It’ll be put away,” Les says. “No worries, bro.”
“Good.” I reach into my pocket and put money on the counter. “Treat yourself, Les.”
“What?”
“Whatever’s left. I’ll buy. Put the cash away and go waste away.”
“You sure?” Les asks.
“I’m sure,” I say. “The night’s over, bro. It’s all good.”
“I was in the mood to party,” Les says.
“I’m sure you have enough numbers to text to get a little fun too,” I say.
“Me? I don’t do that.”
I laugh.
I turn from the counter and stop a few steps in.
I look back at Les.
“Go ahead,” he says. “I deserve it.”
“You’re trying to protect me and what we do,” I say. “I can’t fault you for that. But if you show any disrespect to Jolie, I’ll break your jaw.”
Les nods. “Have a good night, Mac.”
That’s our version of a hug. Or something like it.
I go upstairs and when I open my bedroom door, I find Jolie and Molly in my bed.
Jolie is sitting up, her back against the wall.
Staring at me because she had been staring at the door.
Molly has her head on Jolie’s lap and she’s out cold.
Jolie gently strokes Molly’s hair and every few seconds she whispers shhh.
It’s calm and soothing.
Jolie knows exactly what to do and how to do it.
“How is she?” I ask.
“Sleeping,” Jolie says. “She got uncomfortable in the bathroom. Started to cry. So I told her to come in here and just sleep it off. She’s scared and confused. Whoever she was with, he didn’t tell her what she was taking.”
I nod. “So she just took some shit… fuck.”
Jolie keeps stroking Molly’s hair.
“I want to know what happened,” Jolie says.
“You were there, sweetie.”
“No. Mac. Not Molly. Everything surrounding it. I’m not stupid. I can see… something.”
“And what do you think you see?”
“The way you act. The way people treat you. The gun. The car. I mean, the fucking warehouse full of cars and motorcycles and stuff. Who are you?”
“I’m a rich bastard,” I say. “I was tossed into Brooks Crest so I wouldn’t be in the way anymore. I decided to enjoy myself. I knew I was never getting out and going back home. And now here I am. I went from one building to the next. Is that a problem for you?”
“This is the life you want?” Jolie asks.
“That’s what you want to talk about right now?”
Jolie puts her hand on Molly’s shoulder. “She was going to die tonight, Mac. Right in front of everyone. And when I said to call for help, you yelled at me. And then you knew what to do. To make her throw up.”
“That’s common sense, Jolie,” I say.
“Not for me. I wouldn’t have thought of that.”
I grin. “We live different lives. Your instinct is to call for help. Mine is to be the help.”
She shakes her head. “You didn’t want the cops to show up so you didn’t get into trouble.”
“Again, is that a problem? The last I checked, Molly is still breathing. Sleeping. And she’ll hate herself a little in the morning. But so what?”
Jolie touches Molly’s hair again. She swallows hard. “I don’t know what else to say then. You want me to hang around here yet you won’t tell me anything.”
“Anything I tell you, sweetie, puts you in the middle of everything I do,” I say. “You’re not stupid. You just said it yourself. So what do you need from me? A confirmation? You’re smart. You’re in law school. You can dissect and digest.”
I walk to one of two closets in the massive bedroom and grab some pillows and blankets.
I’m not sharing my fucking bed with both Jolie and Molly.
At least not with both of them fully dressed and Molly sleeping off a rough night.
Now, if they were both awake, alert, and ready to have some fun, then we’d be talking a different story.
Also, I’m not giving up my bed for anyone either.
This shit is on Molly.
I hope she learns her lesson and I hope she finds Teddy and rips his balls off.
I make Molly a nice bed on the floor.
I walk back to my bed and stand there, looking at Jolie.
“I’m going to move her,” I say. “You can crash with her if you want.”
Jolie lifts her hands. She nods.
I carefully slide my hands under Molly’s body.
I cradle her head and neck and pick her up.
Str
ange enough, this isn’t the first time I’m carrying a passed-out girl in my bedroom.
Again, those are other stories for another time.
I put Molly down on the floor and cover her up. I roll up an extra blanket and put it behind her so she stays on her left side. Just in case she gets sick or something.
She’s out cold though.
Breathing just fine.
I touch her neck and her pulse is fine too.
She got lucky in a way.
Teddy’s pussy attitude and freak out saved her ass.
I touch her cheek and shake my head.
I stand and turn and Jolie is out of my bed.
I approach her as our eyes devour one another.
She’s going to keep battling her feelings no matter what I do or say.
And it’s her fight.
Not mine.
I know who I am.
I get my keys out of my pocket and reach beyond her and put them on the nightstand.
“Offer still stands for you to leave,” I say to her.
“Or I can just spend the night,” she says back.
“That’s up to you, sweetie,” I say. I touch her cheek. “Have you figured out why you’re with me yet?”
“Getting there,” Jolie says.
I slowly sit down on the edge of my bed and kick my boots off.
I look up to Jolie and I wait.
She bites her lip.
She looks back at the door.
Then she moves toward the bed to join me.
I know she’s not sleeping.
And believe me, it’s not my greatest night, being in bed next to someone as beautiful as Jolie and we’re still wearing all of our clothes. With a few inches between us.
She’s on her right side.
I’m on my back.
I’m staring at the ceiling, thinking about fucking stars. All because she talked about stars earlier in the night.
“Mac?” she whispers.
“Jolie,” I say.
“You’re not asleep.”
“Neither are you.”
“Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Waiting for you to fall asleep first.”
“Why? So you can try and touch me?”
I laugh. “If I wanted to touch you, sweetie, I would.”
“So you don’t want to touch me then?”
I roll to my right side and put my hand to her shoulder.
She gets tense.
“Be careful,” I whisper.
“Of what?”
“I’m bad, Jolie,” I say. “But you know that already.”
Mess You Up (Brooks Crest Book 1) Page 11
