The Redemption of Memphis Drake: A Second Chance Romance
Page 4
The engine quiets as I turn the key, removing it from the ignition and stare at my tattoo: Trust No One. After the way Mike screwed up, I shouldn’t trust him. But he’s all I have, and I need the money. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”
“Thank you. Alright, let me know as soon as you can.”
“And Mike, if it’s really that big, back off until I decide.”
“I’m not backing off. I promise I can handle it myself for now.”
“I’m telling you to lay low. Now, who’s the mark?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll fill you in later.”
“Mike, who’s the damn mark?” He goes quiet, and I can tell he’s holding something back. I pinch the bridge of my nose trying to ease the blinding headache forming behind my right eye. My patience with him has worn out. I’m not in the mood for games.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing.”
“Mike!”
“Nothing! I swear.”
He’s lying. I should’ve known. With Mike, nothing is ever straightforward. There’s always a caveat. But before I can question him any further, I spot my dad as he stands to his full height from the chair he was sitting in on the porch.
His eyes lock with mine and he hugs his arms around himself waiting for me to get out of the vehicle. The fact that he’s outside makes my stomach drop. Whatever he has to tell me he doesn’t want to say in front of Mason. I want to know what Mike’s keeping from me, but it’ll have to wait.
“Mike, I gotta go. I’ll call you in a bit and when I do, you better tell me what you’re hiding because you know I’ll find out. I always do.”
“Memphis, relax. You’re being paranoid. I swear I’m not hiding anything. Call me later and let me know when you can get your ass out here.”
We say our goodbyes and I take a deep breath pushing open the car door. As I trudge up the walkway, my dad grabs a glass containing whisky or scotch from a small table, outstretching it to me. My steps falter a little climbing the stairs.
“That bad, huh?” I ask, unlocking the small gate and taking the tumbler.
“It’s his heart.”
I pound the side of my fist against the porch column making my dad flinch. I need to calm myself the hell down before I send him into hysterics. “Can you tell me what they said? Do you remember? Where’s Cora?”
“She’s inside.”
“She left you out here alone? What the hell am I paying her for?” I snap.
“I’m not a complete imbecile, Memphis. Not yet anyway. I think she had to take a shit.”
“Now don’t go tellin’ everyone my business,” Cora scolds, opening the screen door. “I thought I told you to stay on the couch and watch your program. Come on Cal, let’s get you back inside so Memphis and I can talk.”
“I’m getting really tired of you two treating me like a child,” he says, begrudgingly letting her lead him into the house.
I swig my drink and fiddle with the lock on the gate making sure it’s secure. Cora returns a few minutes later, shaking her head. “He figured out the door lock again. Found him half-way down the street this morning in his boxer shorts shouting for your mom. We’re going to have to get a new one. Don’t need him wandering off like that.”
“I’ll see what I can find. Maybe something with a code.” I lean against the porch and grip the wooden railing. “You think it’s the disease or the medicine?”
“Hard to say. That’s the thing with experimental drugs; no one knows what the side effects will be. Sometimes he seems fine. Other times …”
She doesn’t have to finish. I know. I’ve witnessed it all—the memory lapses, saying inappropriate things, the confusion, fits of anger …
But right now, he’s not my top priority.
“What happened with Mason? I didn’t get your message about them changing the appointment until it was too late.”
“They got his test results and wanted him there immediately.”
“Yeah, Dad said it was his heart. What are we talking? Medicine? Surgery?”
“They’re running a few more tests, but they think he’ll need a transplant.”
“Fuck!” Part of my liver or bone marrow I can give him. But my heart? Hell, I’m not even sure I’ve got one. But if I do, and they’d let me, he could have it. Cora pats my forearm with her plump hand in a fruitless attempt to soothe me.
“I’m sorry Memphis. I wish it was better news. They’ll find him a donor.”
“And when are they gonna do that? Look at him Cora! He’s getting sicker every day. How much time can he possibly have?” I snap, pointing into the house.
Her eyes lower and I feel like an ass. It’s not her fault he’s sick. If anything, he’s probably been alive as long as he has because she’s taken such good care of him the last two years. She’s been a lifesaver. An expensive lifesaver for sure, but she’s worth every penny.
She’d been my mom’s nurse for years and remained a close friend of the family after Mom died. We kept in touch even after we moved. I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t agreed to come here to take care of Mason and my dad full-time after we got Dad’s diagnosis. It gives me some peace of mind knowing a registered nurse is with them while I’m out doing what I do. And here I am taking everything out on her.
“I’m sorry Cora. It’s just so unfair. The kid’s twenty years old. He’s never even had a chance to live his life. Fucking cancer!” Mason made it through the first round of treatment okay, but the chemo and radiation from the second bout of cancer destroyed his kidneys, and now the side effects are wreaking havoc on his heart.
“I know, honey. But you can’t give up hope. We just have to keep praying.”
“Yeah, that worked wonders for my mom.”
She wraps her big arms around me in a side hug and rests her ebony cheek on my arm. “I don’t claim to know or understand His plan. And sometimes He really pisses me off too. But we have to trust in whatever that plan is and that He knows best.”
“Yeah, well you’ll forgive me if I don’t sit around waiting for Him to come up with a solution. I’ve got some plans of my own. You up for moving again?” I break her hold and lean against the column knowing what I have to do. I’ll find Mason a heart by any means necessary. I’ll blackmail or bribe whoever I can to get him to the top of the list. Hell, I’m not above looking on the black market. But I know one thing for certain—it’s going to take money.
“You know I go where you go. I made a promise to your mom a long time ago that I’d always watch out for you and your family, and I intend to keep it. But Memphis, it’s not a good idea to keep moving your father. He needs routine. Structure. The more you move him, the more disoriented he’ll get.”
“I know, but unfortunately, there’s no other choice.”
I’m not sure if Tony knows where I moved my family when I uprooted them from Jersey, but I’m not taking any chances. I also don’t want to freak Cora out by telling her a hitman with a chip on his shoulder could show up at any time. “I just don’t like the idea of being too far away from you guys right now.”
“I know, honey. And we’ll do whatever you need us to. We’ll make it work. I’ll take care of things here while you take care of your business.” Cora’s never asked me what I do for a living, but I think she suspects it’s not all legit. I’m thankful she never put me in the position of having to lie to her like I’ve had to do with my dad and Mason.
The hinges on the screen door creak as she opens it, stepping inside. “Finish your drink. I’m going to check on dinner. I’d like to go to church after we eat. Will you be alright with them for a few hours or do you need some time alone to let all this sink in?”
“No. Go to church. I’ll be fine. I’d like to spend some time with them anyway before I have to leave again. Who knows what could happen while …” My voice cracks and I can’t finish. I don’t even want to think what I’m thinking. And I sure as hell don’t want to jinx myself by saying it o
ut loud.
“Memphis, I’m sorry all this falls on you. It’s not right. It’d be nice if your good-for-nothing stepbrother would help out every once in a while. But I guess that apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. His mother was useless too, leavin’ you like she did.”
“We were better off without her. Besides, we have you now. I think we got the better end of the deal.” I wink.
She waves me off in embarrassment, disappearing into the house. I take a sip of whiskey not even tasting it, and stare into the horizon thinking back to the day after my eighteenth birthday—the day Sheila left. I came home after a night of celebrating to find her loading the last of her things into our Jeep Cherokee.
“What’s going on? What are you doing?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
She froze for a moment before continuing to stuff a suitcase and blanket into the backseat. It was obvious she planned on getting out without facing anyone and she wasn’t happy I was thwarting that.
“I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago. I’m leaving, Memphis,” she replied, opening the driver side door.
“Leaving? Where are you going?”
“As far away from here as I can get.”
“Why?”
“I’m not cut out for this life. I never was. I’ve stayed too long as it is.”
“You can’t go. Mason’s sick. We need you.”
“That’s the problem. I can’t deal with a sick kid. This isn’t what I signed up for.”
“It’s not what any of us signed up for, but it’s what happened. And we have to deal with it. That’s what you do.”
“No. You have to deal with it. I have to get the hell outta here.”
“You can’t just leave.”
“Yeah, I can. I should’ve left years ago. I almost did. But your mother told me she was sick and begged me to stay to help out with you kids. She was my best friend, so I did. You know, I’d always envied her. Thought she had it all. When she died, I thought it was my chance to have her life. I married your dad and managed to kid myself into thinking this was the life I wanted, but it’s not.”
“Well, that’s just great. What about my dad? He hasn’t been able to find a full-time job since you dragged us here. Or is that why you’re really leaving?”
She smirked. “You always were the smart one.”
Unbelievable. So much for the whole for better or worse / stand by your man concept. “Fine, forget my dad. What about Mike?”
She stared at her feet, fiddling with the heart-shaped locket on her necklace. It was a gift from my mom, and the one thing I knew meant something to her. I wanted to rip it off her thin, little neck. I’d thought about stealing it a million times just to hurt her but could never bring myself to do it. Besides, it was the one tell she had. She touched it every time she was nervous or upset.
“I’m not a mom, Memphis. I was never any good at it. You know that as well as anyone. Mike’s better off here with you and your family than he is with me.” Her brow furrowed and I knew she may have just said the first honest thing she’d ever said in her life. In contrast to her words, she touched my cheek in a motherly fashion. “I don’t have anything left to give you. I taught you everything I know. Enough that you’ll be able to take care of them.”
I jerked my head from her hand. “I’m eighteen years old.”
“Yeah, you’re eighteen and already one of the best con men I’ve ever seen.”
“And you think that’s something I should be proud of?”
“Absolutely. You’d be the best if you stopped focusing on who you’re stealing from and started focusing on what you’re stealing and how it can benefit you.”
“Yeah, well I don’t run cons anymore, so it doesn’t matter.”
She rolled her eyes. “Conning is in your blood. You need to let that other shit go and see Callie for what she was–a valuable lesson.”
“Yeah, well I guess we weren’t all born heartless bitches like you.”
I’d wanted the words to sting, but they didn’t faze her in the least. She got in the car and lowered the window as the engine roared to life. “You seem to think that bleeding heart of yours is an asset when really it’s nothing more than a liability. The best thing you could do is get the hell outta here. All these people are going to do is hold you back. That guilt. Those emotions. Turn ’em off. Learn to do whatever you have to do and don’t feel bad for it or you’ll find yourself trapped in a life you hate just like I was.”
I followed the car as it reversed down the driveway into the street. Sheila paused and, for a second, I wondered if she was reconsidering. “I know you don’t understand this now, but one day you will. You’ll realize people like us can’t be tied down with families. We need to be on our own.”
“People like us? Don’t lump me in with you. I’m nothing like you.”
She snorted, meeting my eyes. “Keep telling yourself that, kid. But deep down, you know you need the rush just as much as I do. You love it. You live for it. And some day you’ll find yourself in a position where you have to choose whether or not to give it up and that’s when you’ll finally understand and realize I’m right.”
I gnashed my teeth together because as much as I hated to admit it, I knew what she said was true. A part of me loved the rush and it scared the hell out of me. And it pissed me off because she was the one that made me that way. My temper flared. “Well go on then! Git! We don’t need you!”
A smug smile split her face knowing her words hit their mark. “You know you could come with me. I just came into some money. We could head to Vegas. With that crazy brain of yours, counting cards would be a cinch. We could make a fortune.”
“I’m not walking out on my family.”
With a shake of her head, she pressed the button making the window rise. “Good-bye, Memphis.”
I grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it after the car. “You’re right! Mike will be better off without you! We all will! I’ll take care of them! We don’t need you!”
Cursing, I started up the driveway and found Mike standing on the porch in his cut-off sweats, still bleary-eyed from sleep. He flew down the steps in time to watch the last of Sheila’s taillights disappear in the distance.
“Where’s she going?”
“She’s gone, Mike. She left us and she’s not coming back,” I’d hissed, my words harsher than they should’ve been to a kid whose mom just walked out on him.
He shoved me in the chest, knocking me back a step. “What’d you do?” He did it again and I let him. “You said something to her! She wouldn’t just leave. She wouldn’t leave me.”
“She would, and she did. She’s a piece of shit, Mike. She always has been. We’re better off without her.”
“You take that back!” he growled, tackling me to the ground. “She wouldn’t have left me! Maybe she’d leave you and your stupid family, but she wouldn’t leave me! She wouldn’t!”
We scuffled on the lawn. I used my height and strength to my advantage, locking my arms and legs around his as he writhed against me. “I’m sorry, Mike.”
“She wouldn’t,” he sobbed, his fight weakening.
I stroked his hair, continuing to repeat how sorry I was. “Listen to me. It’s gonna be okay. I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of all of us.”
He sat up wiping away tears with his forearm. “And how the hell are you going to do that?”
“By doing whatever I have to do.”
“Memphis, dinner’s ready,” Cora informs me peeking out the door, chasing away the memory. “You coming? Mason’s asking for you.”
I swirl the alcohol in my glass and finish it off. “Yeah, I’ll be right there.”
Shuffling into the kitchen, I catch Mason in a headlock and give him a noogie. “What’s up, cue ball?”
He bats me away. “I don’t think you can call me that anymore since my hair’s grown back. You’re just jealous because with or without hair, I’m still better looking than you.”
Dad screws up his face. “What happened to your shirt?”
“Memphis, what happened to your shirt?” Cora repeats, standing above me with a pan of mashed potatoes in her hand. “There’s blood on it. How did I not notice that before?”
“Because you’re a shitty nurse,” I tease, earning me a dirty look. She plops a scoop of mashed potatoes on my plate then slaps me in the back of the head.
Mason pushes around his potatoes. “Naw, she just doesn’t care about you. We all know I’m her favorite. Then Dad. You’re a distant third.”
“Please. We all know I’m her favorite. Tell him, Cora.”
“I’ll tell him he’s not wrong,” she mutters with a throaty laugh, taking her seat. “So, are you gonna tell us what happened or not?”
“Nothing. It was just a little accident.”
Mason points his fork at me. “I’ll tell you what happened. He pissed off another woman.”
“I think you’re right,” my dad agrees, fighting a smile.
I hold up my hands in innocence. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Mmmm hmmm.” Cora shakes her head. “You know, for someone with a face as pretty as yours, you sure are terrible with women.”
I gasp in mock offense. “Well maybe I’m so awful with ’em because my heart belongs to a certain nurse that likes to play hard to get. You know you’re not foolin’ anyone, Cora. We all know you want me. Third favorite my ass.”
Cora rolls her eyes, pursing her lips. “The only thing I want is for you to clean up this kitchen when we’re done so I can go to church. Someone’s gotta pray for that soul of yours.”
Everybody laughs. It feels good having this light-hearted moment given the gravity of everything, but Mason’s laugh turns into a deep, hacking cough reminding us just how sick he is. Everyone continues eating, barely giving him a glance. Being here every day, they’re used to it. I’m not.
I’m on my feet and by his side in a flash. “You okay? You want a drink? Do you need medicine? Cora where’s his cough syrup?”