by Belle Aurora
“Okay,” I uttered, taking it with me to the bathroom.
I showered quickly, and as I opened the bathroom door to let out steam, I listened to the conversation my son was having with his father.
“Why do you call Mummy baby? She’s not a baby. She’s a lady.”
“Well, yeah,” Twitch explained. “It’s a term of endearment.”
A.J. didn’t understand. “What’s a terma deermat?”
Twitch snuffled out a laugh. “Something you call someone you care about very much. And I call your mom that because I love her and want to keep her safe, and I’d do anything to protect her.” He paused. “You get it, bud?”
“Yeah,” uttered A.J. “I get it.”
I smiled to myself, stepping out of the bathroom and checking the time. With an anxious squawk, I rushed into my room and came out hopping on one foot, trying to put my shoes on without falling. “Oh, shoot. I’m going to be late.” Snatching my bag up, I called out, “Okay, I have to go. I love you, honey.” I paused at the door, smiling at my little man. “See you after school.”
That was when A.J. called back, “I love you too, baby.”
And the silence that followed was absolutely horrendous.
Unable to stop myself, I started to laugh at the sheer horror on Twitch’s face. “Oh my stars, Daddy.” I laughed silently, and when he looked at me with an expression that yelled Help! I shook my head, my entire body quaking with suppressed mirth. “I am not touching this one with a ten-foot pole. This is all on you.” I opened the door and stepped out of it, choking on the hilarity. “You have fun with that!”
I laughed the entire way to work.
***
Ling
I was feeling so low that it only made sense to get high.
A storm was brewing. A raging storm that was bound to cost lives. And its billowing winds had knocked the sense right out of me.
It had been three days since the phone call.
The phone call that wrecked me.
Having not slept in three fucking days, I drove in silence, and it never even occurred to me to wonder how the hell I was still functioning after being awake for a solid seventy-two hours. The blow I snorted earlier was probably the reason my heart was racing the way it was, but in my mind, my heart was malfunctioning, crashing from the news that I was no longer wanted.
I didn’t cry. No. I wouldn’t cry.
No man was worth my precious tears. In all my years, I never believed myself stupid enough to fall for this kind of bullshit.
Yet, here I was, broken.
The baddest bitch on this side of the hemisphere, I considered myself immune to the ministrations of men like him. How could I be so stupid?
My lip curled as I pushed down on the accelerator, gripping the steering wheel tightly, overtaking cars recklessly as I flew down the highway.
Aslan Sadik left his mark on me.
Oh, he gonna learn today.
And now, I would leave my own mark.
The beautiful Turk would learn that you couldn’t just play with people’s feelings like he had. You couldn’t just tell somebody you loved them then discard them. It was a dick move to make somebody believed you cared for them then just... leave. He showed me tenderness I’d never known, and I would never be the same.
I begged.
Can you fucking believe that shit?
My insides shriveled with shame.
I begged him to stay with me.
Who is this weak-ass bitch?
My heart rate increased as I let out a humorless laugh, my hair whipping around me as the wind assaulted my stinging eyes.
Yes, that’s why I was tearing up. It was from the wind. Not from the hurt.
Yeah. You tell yourself whatever you need to tell yourself, boo.
Stupid men.
I hated them. All of them.
I was officially going full-metal lez. No more cock for me. I clearly wasn’t responsible enough to trust myself around dick anymore.
What a fucking shame.
I loved cock.
When I started driving, I didn’t know where I was going, but now that I was pulling up to the curb, I realized I’d known all along. My hold on the steering wheel was so tight my knuckles turned white. I took in a deep breath and glanced across the street a moment before what was left of my heart built a wall around itself, protecting itself from me and the decisions I had made to allow this to happen.
I didn’t even blame Az. Not really. I trusted him and I knew better, and that was on me.
Maybe that’s why this stung so much. The only man I had let break me before was a man who preferred to die than be with me.
I tipped my head back and laughed openly a long while before my heart jerked in such a way that caused me to put a shaking hand to my chest, panting through the pain.
Why didn’t anyone want me?
“What’s wrong with me?” I spoke into the stillness of the car’s interior before gritting my teeth, looking at myself in the rearview mirror. Lifting a hand, I reared back and threw it across my cheek, the impact making a solid whack.
I gasped then panted, my eyes rolling into the back of my head as my core clenched. The area throbbed, and I closed my eyes in bliss as a tear fell from my lashes.
Again.
I lifted my opposite hand, shaking from anticipation. I needed more, more pain to dull the grief. When the second blow landed, I let out a low whine, biting my lip, treasuring the blazing heat throbbing in my panties.
Some things never changed.
It was careless of me to think I could.
I was born this way. I couldn’t alter, no matter how much I wanted to at the weakest of times. But this crazy bitch owned her insanity, wore it like a second skin, and today, I was not just crazy. I was deranged, demented.
Psycho with a side of schizo.
A lunatic with loose screws.
And as I stared into my reflection, running my hands over the heated flesh at my cheeks, I barely recognized myself.
What have they done to you, little bird?
My gaze settled, calmed, and when I took in my next breath, my raging heart steadied, and with a coolness I had perfected over the years, I stepped out of the car.
This was the beginning of the end. Homecoming. And I hoped Az was ready for it, because I had plans for him and the wife who adored him.
My Louboutin-clad feet carried me to the trunk, and when I hit the button on my keys, it lifted. I examined my choices.
Crow bar?
Baseball bat?
I made a thoughtful sound low in my throat before I reached in and took one in each hand, weighing up my options. After a second, I peered straight ahead, brow bunched in consideration.
The answer was obvious, of course.
“Both.” I grinned as I turned and stalked towards the black Tesla Model S 75D coupe.
Cars beeped me as I crossed the street without looking, but little did they know that I was the wolf amongst sheep and I would eat them whole with little to no warning at all, for no fucking reason at all. So when a truck honked at me a second too long, I stilled in the middle of the street, turning to face the man inside the cab.
He made an obscene gesture.
I hissed like a cat.
He rolled down his window, and called out, “Get out of the road!”
“Make me,” was my sweet, slow response.
The man shook his head. “Fuckin’ crazy bitch.”
Crazy like a fox.
I tipped my head back and laughed before licking my lips and winking at him. “You know it, baby.” I continued on my merry way, a spring in my step, and when I walked inside the building I should not have been in, the security guard stood immediately, recognizing me. The burly man stilled when I smiled at him and uttered politely, “I think you should call your boss down, handsome.” Turning, I walked over to the business insignia on the marble floor and slowly hiked up my skirt. “He’s going to want to see this.”
&n
bsp; The high-class real estate firm was quiet as I squatted, waiting, and the moment the elevator doors opened, I held his dark eyes as I relieved myself over the fucking marble floor he had imported from Italy, over the insignia his beloved father designed, over every goddamn thing we had together that he took from me.
Yeah.
I pissed all over it.
They said actions spoke louder than words, and right now, I know Aslan Sadik got what I was saying.
You and yours can suck on this, you piece of shit.
When the security guard looked down at me with disgust, I blew him a kiss, and when I was done, I stood, carefully slid my skirt down, and held the thundery eyes of a beautiful Turk. The security guard picked up the phone, but when Az put up a hand, the burly man put the phone down.
He looked at me a long moment before he took the couple steps over, and when he peered down at me as he did now, with a gaze full of worry and pity, I wanted to kill him then. When he spoke, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I did just that.
“Okay. You did what you had to do.” He looked around at the few men surrounding us then spoke low. “You’re hurt. You’re mad. I get it. I do.” He leant in, muttering, “But you’re embarrassing yourself, Ling. You need to leave.” His eyes narrowed heatedly. “Or I’ll make you.”
What did he just say?
The vein at the side of my neck throbbed in time with my increasing heartbeat, and reaching down, I picked up my weapons and nodded, feigning shame. “You’re right.”
His handsome face turned soft, and I knew I had him where I wanted him.
So beautiful.
I wanted to shatter those high cheekbones, slam my bat across his face to make sure his million-dollar smile never shone again, take my crowbar and level it down over his head, spilling out his brains for my pleasure alone.
Instead, I dropped the act, my face sobering, and when my slow smirk appeared, his trepidation returned tenfold.
I’m back, bitches.
“See, Az,” I explained on a sigh, “I wanted this to work out.” Reaching out, I smoothed down his lapel. “I really did.” My eyes met his. “But you fucked up, and now,” I enlightened, “you have to pay.”
More of his men arrived, watching the altercation. Amongst them was Aslan’s younger brother Enver, and the moment Aslan spotted him, his disquiet began to grow. I could’ve ousted us both then. I could have spilled the tea and let all his men know their king had declared his love to The Dragon Queen, but I didn’t.
No.
Aslan Sadik’s suffering would come nice and slow, and I would pluck the things he cared about most from him, one by one, so he could feel the pain of every loss before I struck again.
This boy was going to learn today that Ling Nguyen was not a love swept teen.
Ling Nguyen was a motherfucking queen, and if he didn’t let me use his face as a throne, I would impale myself on his broken, bloody spine until the raw pleasure made my body shake.
His lips thinned, and when he placed his hands on his hips, lowering his face, I heard the unease in his voice. “What do you want?”
Oh, baby. You have no idea.
The silence around us tense, I leant in, and hissed, “Everything.”
He straightened as I spun around and walked back outside, standing in front of the gorgeously sleek car Az treasured. Lifting the bat, I saw Aslan stand in the open doorway watching me, and I held it out in his direction a moment before I spoke.
“Batter up.”
As I brought the bat up, I grinned at the beautiful man, then winked before I threw it down, smashing one of the headlights. The glass shattered, showering out onto the street, and I moved to the other side, held the bat high, and brought it down, taking out the other headlight. Groaning in pleasure at the destruction I was causing, I bit my lip and my eyes flashed at the very same moment my breathing got heavy.
It was such an intense, heady feeling that I thought I might come, out here, on the street.
When Aslan’s younger brother rushed out the door, charging at me, I giggled like a schoolgirl and made a show of cupping my pussy, letting out a breathy moan. Az took chase, grabbing his brother, holding him back, and he let out a flurry of quick-shot Turkish in his ear. Enver struggled in his brother’s hold, and I smirked at his deadly scowl.
The car was a gift from brother to brother. It was part of the reason Aslan cherished it. Sure, the car was worth a cool hundred and fifty grand, and to these men, that was pocket change. But the real reason Aslan loved this car was because his brother had bought it for him, and he loved his brother.
Too bad Enver didn’t know we sullied the gift by screwing in it every chance we got.
When I took out the taillights, I sighed happily, and as I put the bat through the rear windshield, I gritted my teeth, the force of the blow reverberating through my arms.
Twisting back, I peered at Az over my shoulder and grinned. “Halftime.”
As I picked up the crowbar I’d left on the hood, Enver struggled in his brother’s hold, and then bellowed, “You’re dead, bitch!”
I thought about what he said, tilting my head to the side, my brow knitting. “You know what, little Az?” I blinked at the younger version of the beautiful man. “You’re so right.” My face turned dark. “I am dead.”
Dead.
Dead inside. Dead of mind. Withering soul. Failing heart. Fucking dead.
And I was okay with that.
It was better to face the harsh truth then believe in pretty lies.
My lip curled as I brought the crowbar down onto the car, over and over again, grunting through every blow, my palms burning hot and my face screwed up. And after my rage had mildly subsided, I threw the crowbar onto the dented hood of the car and turned back to the men, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.
But what Az did to me next secured his fate.
His body jerked, then shook, and when he opened his mouth and laughed out loud, my blood boiled.
The men surrounding him joined in, the loyal cronies they were, and my veins pulsed pure molten lava.
Their laughter mocked me. Mocked The Dragons. It mocked my capabilities as a woman and a leader. And I was not having it.
Reaching under my skirt, I pulled the pistol out of my garter, lifted it, and fired. The men jerked back in shock, and when I continued to empty the entire clip into the hood of the car, watching as the engine smoked, I took a step back, laying my hardened glare on the man himself. Shrugging lightly, I pursed my cherry-red lips, and uttered, “Oops.”
The blazing amber under the hood grew and I knew it was time to go.
I wasn’t sure what would happen next because I didn’t have a plan, but what I did know was this.
If Az wasn’t with me, he was against me.
And that meant war.
Chapter Thirty
Lexi
As the tall, handsome man walked the smaller version of himself across the street, I smiled outwardly while at the very same time my heart ached.
Watching him walk away was becoming harder to bear, and every time he did, he took a piece of me with him.
Luck had brought us together. It was neither good nor bad, just... luck. First as children, then as adults, and now, once again, as two people with nothing left to lose but each other. The stakes were high as I imagined this was our last chance to get it right.
They reached the door, and as my son turned to me, waving like a loon, I smiled for real then, waving back. Because he was precious. A gift. And Twitch had given him to me.
And when the man himself lifted a hand to me in acknowledgement, I found it hard to wave back, the main reason being I wanted him here, at home, where he belonged.
But he let me down so often before that it was hard to swallow my pride and invite him into my life again as a permanent fixture. Because I was still hurt. Because no matter that he was back, I couldn’t erase the last six years of emotional torment that he willingly put me through. Because, regar
dless of the fact that I loved him, I was still a woman scorned.
I was a fragile china doll, and Twitch didn’t just watch me fall. He threw me off of the safety of my mantle, knowing I would shatter. And now, the pieces left of me?
They were sharp.
A moment too late, I lifted my hand, returning his wave and pasting on a false smile that didn’t fit my face.
He, of course, noticed.
Pausing, I watched his smile wane as he contemplated what had happened between my front door and his to have caused me such distress, and without looking back, I walked into the house, closing the door behind me as gently as possible so as not to disturb the silence that greeted me as a friend.
A second later, my phone chimed.
Tony: I can bring him back.
My heart squeezed as I typed my short reply.
Me: Have fun x
I loved Twitch as much as a person was permitted to love another. Perhaps even more than was acceptable. Definitely more than was sensible.
My cell vibrated in my hand, and as though he’d heard my inner turmoil, I read his response with a tender heart.
Tony: I love you.
At that very moment, I felt silly about my hesitation.
Me: I love you too, honey.
I looked down at my response, and my fingers kept typing without permission. Stone-faced, I peered at the screen a long moment before hitting Send.
Me: But if you even contemplate leaving again, I will fucking kill you myself.
My heart thumped in my chest and I drew in a deep inhale, making a poor attempt to steady my heavy breathing. When my phone pinged a third time, I let out a shaky exhale as I read in silence.
Tony: Never, baby.
With those two words, I went from raging seas to tranquil waters, my unrest leaving me in a single shuddering breath.
Who was this man to have such power over me?
When my phone chimed again, I frowned down at the screen, and when I read the message, a shocked laugh left me.
Tony: Send me a tit pic.
I continued to laugh through my answer.
Me: No!
A second later,
Tony: That’s funny. You make it sound like it was up for negotiation.