Alec

by L. A. Casey

  I looked down at Storm and rubbed his head. "Sticks and stone baby boy, sticks and stones."

  Aideen snickered and shook her head at me. I moved over to her and leaned in close to her so I could study her face. She had a bruise on her cheekbone, and her lower lip was bruised and swollen as well.

  I frowned. "I hope the bitch that did this gets the runs while wearing white."

  Aideen burst out laughing, and it made me grin.

  "Me too." She chuckled as she continued to cook our breakfast.

  I washed my hands in the sink, dried them and yawned as I moved over to the kitchen table. I rubbed my eyes and slightly shook my head at all the magazines that were spread out all over the table. Aideen had a thing about magazines; she couldn't just read one at a time, she had to have at least ten in front of her to choose from.

  "You do know that you can download magazines directly onto to the Kindle I bought you right?" I murmured.

  I scratched the back of my head as I looked over the magazine covers deciding on which one to read myself.

  "I know, but I like holdin' them in me hands when I read," Aideen replied as she switched off the cooker and dished up our food.

  I looked at her and glared at how fresh and alert she was.

  "It's a little bit weird that you don't get hangovers," I said as she placed my plate in front of me.

  Aideen sat down across from me and shrugged. "I'm just lucky, I guess."

  I nodded and reached for the ketchup that was currently placed on top of the magazine that Aideen was looking down at. I opened the bottle and poured a decent amount of sauce onto my plate then got up and went to the bread bin.

  "How is your diet goin'?" Aideen then asked with a grin before she popped a piece of pudding into her mouth.

  I glared at her as I sat back down. "This is my cheat meal, I only have one a week so leave me alone."

  Aideen held her hands up. "No judgment," she said around the food in her mouth.

  "You're a knacker!" I snapped.

  Aideen chuckled as she swallowed down her food. "Sorry."

  She wasn't sorry in the slightest.

  I grimaced in disgust. "You were raised by wild dogs."

  Aideen grinned. "It not my fault me ma died given' birth to me brother and left me with three older brothers, a little brother, and a father that are all cavemen."

  I snorted. "Don't play the me-ma-died-givin'-birth-me card, you won't get any sympathy from me. You had a brilliant upbringin', a lot better than mine and my ma is alive and well."

  "Unfortunately," Aideen murmured making me exhale a large breath.

  Aideen sighed then and said, "I'm sorry Kay, that was mean. I know she is your ma, but God, I want to smack her sometimes for the way she treats you."

  I shrugged my shoulders. "Don't think about her. Just do what I do and pretend that she and me crazy family don't exist."

  Aideen snorted as I popped some pudding into my mouth.

  "Not likely, your uncle is the reason why I masturbate."

  I began to choke on the pudding in my mouth so Aideen jumped up and rushed to my side. She whacked me on the back three times, and the force of her pounding caused my ribs to rattle. The food came up from my throat and landed on my plate in front of me.

  "I'm fine," I retched.

  I closed my eyes and forced myself not to have a coughing fit, the rest of the food that I had just eaten would be all over the floor in seconds if that happened.

  "Are you okay?" Aideen asked, her voice high pitched and panicked.

  I didn't reply to her. I focused and took breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth. After a few seconds I blinked my eyes open and nodded my head at Aideen. "I'm fine," I rasped then reached for the glass of juice Aideen filled for me to have with my breakfast.

  After another minute passed I got up from my chair, moved to the sink and filled up a fresh glass with water then downed it in one swallow.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to almost kill you," Aideen said from behind me.

  I coughed a little then turned to face her, I folded my arms across my chest and raised my eyebrows at her. "Tellin' me you masturbate over me uncle while I'm eatin' isn't goin' to cause anythin' other than death, Ado."

  Aideen had a ghost of a smile on her face as she scrubbed her face with her hands. "He is hot though, I can't help it."

  I shivered. "Brandon is me uncle, me blood... stop it."

  Aideen laughed. "It's a pity he is your uncle, I never get to see him. Can you imagine if he was your da and not Micah's?"

  I nodded my head and said, "Yeah, I can, I'd be a spoilt bitch who threatens everyone with daddy."

  Aideen shrugged. "If your da was here and he was the boss man of a dangerous organisation you would probably boast about it as well."

  I snorted. "Not likely, I was told to never to pay any attention to anythin' I heard when I went to Micah's house and Micah was told the same thing. To this day I don't know what me uncle is involved with and I'd like to keep it that way. He is me favourite family member, knowin' he does bad stuff would mar that. I'm more than happy with bein' in the dark, besides it's probably nothin' like you think.."

  Aideen stretched and said, "Yeah, I get that but if Micah does threaten everyone with her da when she stumbles into trouble, he doesn't follow through with her threats. I remember Gavin tellin' me Micah battered Bronagh Murphy a few years ago outside school and when her fella, Nico, warned her off and knocked Jason around nothin' happened to him by Brandon's hand because he is still walkin' around."

  I felt my stomach lurch at the mention of his name.

  Jason Bane was a prick and his last name represented him completely because he was the bane of my existence. He was not only a disgusting human being but he was a scumbag who used his looks and charm to get what he wanted in life. For a time, I was something he wanted. I closed my eyes as the memory of our first encounter flooded my mind.

  "Is this seat taken?"

  I looked up at the lad who spoke to me and shook my head but didn't speak. He was a man is his early twenties, he was tall - taller than my five foot eight. His hair was jet black, his eyes were dark blue and his lips were plump and the colour of a rose. He wasn't even pale, he actually had a slight tan. I was quite possibly staring at the hottest person I have ever seen in my entire life.

  "What's your name, gorgeous?" the hot stranger asked me.

  I looked over my shoulder to see if there was some sort of model sitting behind me that he could be talking to. When I spotted no one around me I settled on the fact that he was in fact talking to me.

  I cleared my throat. "Um, Keela... Keela Daley."

  The stranger smiled. "Nice to meet you Keela Daley, I'm Jason Bane."

  I felt myself flush when he stuck his hand out in my direction. I lifted my hand and placed it in his. Before I could shake his hand he lifted mine to his mouth and placed a light kiss on my knuckles.

  Oh… My… God!

  "It's nice to me you too," I said, my voice hesitant.

  Jason smiled at me. "So tell me, what is a gorgeous girl like you is doin' sittin' all alone at a bar on a Friday night?"

  I could still feel the flush in my cheeks but I forced myself to smile and not appear as awkward and as nervous as I felt.

  "I'm waiting' on me friend, she is meetin' me here soon."

  Jason grinned at me. "In that case I'll just have to stick around and keep you company until she arrives."

  I felt my belly flutter with butterflies.

  I licked my lips and said, "Oh, that's okay. You don't have to sit here with me."

  "But I want too."

  I widened my eyes. "You do?"

  He did?

  "I do," Jason said and gave me a firm nod.

  Oh, wow.

  "Um, okay then." I smiled.

  He signaled for the bartender then. "A pint of Bud for me please, and for the lady..."

  Jason looked from the bartender to me and my heart jumped, he was buying
me a drink! No one has ever bought me a drink before.

  "Vodka and coke, please," I said a little breathless.

  Jason turned back to the bartender and asked, "You get that, man?"

  The bartender nodded then went about making our drinks.

  "Thanks for the drink." I smiled when Jason turned back to me.

  Jason waved me off. "Don't give it another thought."

  I did just that and said, "So, what brought you here tonight?"

  Jason jammed his thumb over his shoulder and I followed his thumb to a group of lads seated across the pub. "Me and the lads decided to come here for a few pints before we headed out to a club. I spotted you at the bar and had to come say hey in case I never got the chance again. It's not everyday someone as gorgeous as you crosses paths with someone like me after all."

  What?

  Seriously, what?

  "Are you jokin'?" I blurted.

  Jason raised his eyebrows. "No, why?"

  I shook my head. "Because you're gorgeous."

  I wanted to die when a huge smile almost spilt Jason's face in two. "I'm glad you said that because I think you're gorgeous, too."

  I was starting to sweat, that's how flushed I was.

  Jason chuckled at me and changed the subject to more mundane things and after a while a lad from his group of friends came over and nudged him. "We're headin' off, man. You comin'?"

  Jason kept his eyes locked with mine as he said, "Nah, man. I'm good here."

  His friend chuckled and winked at me. "Yeah, I thought you might say that. See you tomorrow. Bye, gorgeous."

  Two males called me gorgeous tonight!

  Two!

  "You don't have to stay here with me. I'm sure me friend will be along-"

  "I want to stay here with you and I'm kind of hopin' your friend doesn't show up. I want to keep you all to myself."

  Oh, my God.

  As if on cue my phone rang and because I didn't have an inkling of what to say back to Jason I quickly got my phone from my bag and answered it.

  "Where are you?" I asked Aideen when I answered.

  "I'm leavin' in five minutes. I got stuck with runnin' night detention at the school," Aideen replied in a huff.

  "Take your time, I've got company," I said making Jason grin as he drank the remainder of his pint.

  "Male or female?" Aideen questioned.

  "Male.”

  "Can he hear what you're sayin'?"

  "Yes," I replied then held up one finger to Jason indicating I would be only a minute longer on the phone, he nodded and smiled at me.

  "Is he hot?"

  I inwardly rolled my eyes at the question but said, "Like you wouldn't believe."

  Aideen screamed so loud that I pulled my phone away from my ear with a hiss. "I'm not comin', you stay with him and have fun. You hear me, Keela? Fun!"

  I was mortified, the entire bloody pub could hear her.

  "What do you mean you aren't comin'?"

  Jason smiled and he leaned forward and brushed his finger over my exposed knee. I tensed and locked eyes with him, my breath quickened and my pulse spiked.

  "Go have fun! Call me if you need me!" With that said Aideen hung up. I wanted to crawl through my phone and slap Aideen silly, Jason could be a murderer for all she knows!

  I looked away from Jason and to my phone with a frown. "Me friend isn't comin'"

  Jason grinned at me. "Don't worry, I'll look after you."

  I smiled at his flirting and said, "How do I know you're capable to look after me?"

  I gasped as the stool I was seated on was suddenly yanked towards Jason, his right hand moved to my waist and his face was a hair's breadth away from mine.

  "I'm more than qualified for the job," he said then flicked his tongue over my bottom lip. "Trust me."

  I did trust him and trusting that arsehole was the biggest mistake of my life. I frowned at my thoughts and Aideen noticed, she sighed and rubbed her bruised cheeked.

  "I'm sorry Kay, I shouldn't have mentioned Micah or him. I forgot."

  I shrugged. "Don't be sorry. I'm goin' to have to get used to hearin' his name, he is marryin' Micah after all."

  Aideen scoffed. "I can't believe he used you to get back at Micah when they broke up and now they are gettin' married. I hate the fuckin' pair of them."

  "I hate them too."

  Aideen shook off her anger and retook her seat at the table but she shot back up when she looked at her plate. I laughed when I realised what had just happened.

  "You bastard! You fat, greedy bastard!" Aideen bellowed as she searched the room for Storm.

  I glanced at the table and shook my head, both mine and Aideen's plates were cleared of food and Aideen was on a mission to wring Storm's neck. He knew that as well because he was hiding from her.

  "Where are you?" Aideen hollered making me burst out laughing.

  Storm was a big dog, a really big dog, so the fact that he could hide in my tiny apartment cracked me up. I laughed even harder when I heard my bedroom door close. Aideen legged it from the kitchen and ran down the hallway to my bedroom door. I walked to the room after her and continued to laugh.

  "I can't believe you ate our breakfast! You're a greedy fucker of a dog!" Aideen hollered to Storm who was now lying on my bed.

  He raised his ears at Aideen's shouting but other than that he did absolutely nothing, and it only served to make Aideen even more furious because of it.

  "I fuckin' hate him! He is literally like a man, a fat useless man."

  Storm farted in response and it had Aideen and myself fleeing my room - me still in a fit of laughter and Aideen bursting with anger.

  "Why do you baby him so much? He is a pathetic dog Keela, he is literally good for nothin'!"

  I shrugged. "He doesn't have to have a purpose in order for me to have him, Ado."

  Aideen threw her hands up in the air. "You got him as a guard dog."

  I smiled. "He guards his food, that's worth somethin'... right?"

  Aideen stomped into the sitting room and angrily sat on the settee. "You're unbelievable!"

  I chuckled as I fell onto the chair next to her. "You still love me though... right?"

  Aideen shrugged. "I'm fifty-fifty right now."

  I nudged her and said, "Bitch."

  Aideen snorted and relaxed into the chair. "So... last night was crazy, huh?"

  Alec Slater's smug face flashed in my mind and I tensed.

  "Yeah, crazy."

  Aideen cleared her throat and said, "I can't believe you physically assaulted someone."

  I turned my head and gaped at her. "What?"

  Aideen shrugged. "You pushed Alec to the ground. He is like six foot somethin'. He’s really tall, even compared to you, which is sayin' somethin' so I don't know how you managed to get him on the ground."

  I held up a finger and said, "First of all, I pushed him, I didn't pound on him which doesn't count as physical assault." I popped up a second finger. "Secondly, I caught him by surprise which is why he fell so easily, he wasn't expectin' it." I stuck up a third finger. "And lastly, I did it to defend you. His misses did that to your face!"

  Aideen reached up and touched her face, hissing a little before she lowered her hand. "She was an old shag of his, not his misses."

  I huffed. "Same difference, she was still linked to him."

  Aideen sighed. "They did help me though, Kay... Kane especially."

  I groaned. "Stop it. Don't be thinkin' he is some kind of hero, the lad looks like trouble."

  Aideen frowned at me. "That's very judgemental, Keela, just because he has scars means he is trouble?"

  I opened my mouth but closed it.

  Aideen smiled at me so I glared at her making her laugh. "I know you're just angry because I got hurt. I love you for it but there is no need to be angry at the Slater brothers for it."

  I grunted. "Okay, fine, I won't be angry at them for that but I will be angry at Alec for the things he said to me."

 
Aideen nodded her head. "I don't blame you, he was crude and a complete dickhead."

  I raised my hands. "Thank you!"

  Aideen laughed then. "I can't believe how rowdy you got. I have never seen you act like that before, you're usually a little pushover."

  I frowned and slumped my shoulders a little. "I am with me family because it's easier to just be quiet around them, but you got hurt and I got mad... I couldn't help it. Besides, it's not like I murdered anyone."

  Aideen grinned. "You threatened it enough."

  I glared at her. "Shut it."

  She cackled a little making me grin. I yawned and then stretched before looking at the kitchen table. I stood up and moved into the kitchen. Aideen cleared off the table and put the dealf in the sink, she washed them then left them on the draining board to dry.

  I focused to the kitchen table and began to stack up the magazines. When they were in a pile I looked at the table and stopped for a second. I picked up the envelope that Mr. Pervert dropped off last night and sighed as I turned it over and ripped it open, not caring about the contents inside.

  I turned the card in my hand over when I pulled it from the envelope. I opened the pretty cover and read the first line. I dropped the card on the table and stepped back.

  "Oh my God!" I said, starring down at the table.

  "What?" Aideen asked as she came into the kitchen, I pointed at the card without looking away from it.

  She moved around the table, picked up the card and read it. "No fuckin' way!"

  I nodded my head.

  "They invited you to their weddin'? The evil fuckin' bastards!" Aideen growled.

  I felt a little dizzy so I pulled out a chair from my kitchen table and sat down before I leaned my head forward and placed it on the table and let the tears come. "Why would they do this to me?"

  "Because they are evil, pure fuckin' evil!"

  I cried hard when Aideen began to read out loud the wedding invitation to Micah's and Jason's wedding. She stopped midway, ripped the invite up, got her lighter from her purse and lit it on fire. I sat up straight and stared at her when she walked to the sink, dropped the burning innovation into the sink then poured water on it. The fire alarm went off from the smoke so Aideen stood up on a chair, pulled the battery out of the alarm on the ceiling then got down and opened the windows in the apartment to air it out.