My hand lands on the jacket that I forgot I gave her when I saw her walking in the dark a few days ago. I should have given her a ride home, at least then I wouldn’t have been shocked when she walked into Pop’s birthday meal.
My chest tightens as she grabs the door handle, and before I can stop myself, I’m whipping my head around and blurting out, “You don’t need to go.” I like how I feel when she’s around me: I like the confidence that I have, I like how she’s easy to talk to, how I feel like me.
“I…” She bites her bottom lip, her eyes swinging from mine to Livvy’s house. “I really should get back.”
I stare into her eyes, trying to tell her everything that I feel like I can’t say right now. I know that I shouldn’t be feeling the way I do. I just ended things with my girlfriend of two years. But yet, I feel like a weight has been lifted at doing so. I shouldn’t be feeling like this if the relationship was what I thought it was.
How has it taken a girl like Lexi to crash into my life to make me realize that I was effectively a doormat for Geena?
My brain and mouth are on a different frequency because as I ask her to stay with me longer, I hear myself say, “Okay.”
“I’ll see you Friday?” she asks, pushing the door open, her face still turned toward mine.
“Friday?”
“Community center?” She smiles, her eyes flashing with laughter.
“Ah, yeah. You will.” I wink as she shuts the door and crosses the road to Livvy’s, her arms wrapped around her waist.
My eyes widen. Did I just wink?
“So, Gran tells us that you’re working for old man Roy.”
“I am,” I answer West as I sit down at the kitchen table with my toast.
“Is he still as crazy as he used to be?” He shovels his cereal in his mouth like a man who has never eaten, spilling milk over the side of the bowl. “Hey, Seb! You remember that time he chased us all with that drill!” He laughs and then snorts. “All because he thought we stole his hammer.”
Seb walks into the kitchen, his hair wet, water dropping off the ends onto his bare chest. I follow the path of the water as it makes its way down all of the grooves of his back muscles, finally gathering at the waistband of his gray sweatpants.
“We didn’t. You did,” he answers, his voice deep and rough like he’s only just woken up.
“What? I didn’t! It was you!” West gasps before he picks his bowl up and lifts it to his lips, slurping the milk. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows before he stands up, wearing the same thing that Seb is. The only difference is that West’s skin is covered in tattoos; I can’t see any uninked part of his skin.
My toast hangs mid-air as I stare at them. Being locked away with hundreds of girls and then women doesn’t exactly give you the opportunity to see men like this. And even though they don’t make me feel anything it still doesn’t hurt to stare.
“Do you ever wear clothes?” I blurt out, wincing as they both turn their gazes to me. “I mean…”
West lifts his arm, flexing his bicep and bringing it up to his lips. “Why wouldn’t I want to show off these guns?”
“Guns? You call those guns?” Seb lifts his arms and flexes, quirking his lip at the corner. “If those are guns, then these are drones, baby!”
I snort and shake my head at their antics as they start arguing over whose biceps are bigger.
“Lexi… come on, tell him I win!” West whines.
“Sorry, West.” I shrug. “But Seb’s are bigger.” I stand up and walk over to where they stand by the sink, dropping my plate in there and then walking out of the kitchen to the sounds of West’s groaning and Seb’s victory fist bump.
“I’m getting in the shower!” I shout behind me. The last time I didn’t announce that I was in the shower, one of them nearly walked in on me. To say I was embarrassed is an understatement, I couldn’t look them in the eye for days.
I head into the bathroom before jumping into the shower and washing my hair and body. I swipe my hand over the mirror once I’m out and brushing my teeth so that I can see my eyes. The brown is vibrant—alive—instead of the dead color that they used to be only a few months ago when I would look into the broken mirrors that were in the prison bathrooms.
I still find it strange being able to shower in one single room instead of a block; I can’t bring myself to lock the bathroom door, afraid to be in a confined space again.
Bathrooms bring back too many memories which is why I get in and out as quickly as I can, my heart beating out of my chest the entire time.
Once my teeth are brushed, I pull the door open, fixing my towel tighter around myself as I step out into the hallway and straight into a hard chest.
“Shit!”
A current runs through me as hands grip my biceps to steady me. I look up, noting the clothes on this body and knowing that it isn’t West or Seb. I gulp, slowly bringing my gaze up to his face. “Evan?”
“I… I… erm…” He swallows as he stares down at me, his hands causing me to shiver. His grip lets up and his fingers trail down my arm and over the bird tattoos. “I like these.”
“Thanks,” I whisper, caught in the bubble that he seems to have created with his body and voice. Butterflies take flight in my stomach the longer he touches me and I almost want him to never stop.
I want to tell him the story about each and every tattoo, but I can’t bring myself to focus on anything but the pads of his fingers as they leave goose bumps in their wake.
His hand continues to wander, following the outline of the birds before it gets to my hand.
“Shit, sorry.” He jumps back, almost as if I’ve burned him and I frown. Did I do something wrong?
“Evan!” My head whips toward the end of the hallway where Seb stands, leaning against the wall and watching our exchange. I pull tighter on my towel, my feet still not able to move. “I see you know Lexi.”
“Yeah.” He swipes his hand through his brown hair and fidgets on the spot before he looks up at Seb. “We work at the community center together.”
“Ahhh, okay.” His eyes turn suspicious as they look from me to Evan.
“I hope you’re making her feel welcome.”
“Me?” Seb asks, pointing to his now covered chest, his mouth kicking up into a smirk. “Of course, I am.”
Evan turns back toward me, raising his brow and leaning closer, his breath skating across my shoulder and neck. “If you need any dirt on him, just let me know.”
I grin as I move my eyes toward Seb and watch as he lifts off the wall, a frown forming on his forehead. “Will do.”
I bring my eyes back to Evan, our gazes locking again, and I can’t help the way my breath catches, my grip loosening slightly on my towel.
I finally manage to get myself together and maneuver past Evan, holding my breath the whole way to my bedroom before closing the door behind me and leaning against it.
It’s not until I’m in my bedroom that I start to wonder why Evan was here. Does he know Seb and West? He must because he said he can give me dirt on Seb.
I swear I hear a light bulb go off in my head when I realize that they must have grown up together. Cal and Mal are Evan’s parents which means they lived across the road from each other.
I shake my head, laughing at myself. I should have known that everyone knows everyone in this little town. I don’t know why it’s taken so long for me to realize this.
I step forward, dropping my towel and grabbing my underwear and a tank top with my jean shorts and sandals. I have nothing to do until work later, but I think it’s time that I explored this town properly.
“So, you know the jailbird, huh?” West asks as I’m driving us to the compound.
When they called this morning and told me that they’ve been given a new car, I knew that it would have a tracking device on it, so I came to pick them up. I knew in the back of my mind that I would see Lexi, but I keep telling myself that that isn’t the reason I dropped everything and came ri
ght over.
It’s been a week since Pop’s birthday and I broke things off with Geena. I haven’t seen either of them since, and I’ve only seen Lexi once. I can’t go there with her, not only have I only just come out of a relationship with Geena, but I also don’t think it would look very good for me to be with an ex-con, no matter how much I try to spin it.
So why can’t I get her out of my head? Why can’t I stop hearing her soft, melodic voice? Does it really matter that she has a past? All be it a criminal past, but did she really deserve what she got? My gut tells me that she didn’t.
“Yeah, I do.” I drive past the precinct and turn the volume on my playlist up, not wanting to have small talk with either of them.
I need to sort my head out and concentrate on the job that we’re working on. No distractions.
The car that they have not only has a tracking device, but it also has cameras and recording devices inside. I could tell all that from one quick sweep: whoever designed it is shit because none of them are very well hidden, well, at least not the kind of well-hidden that I can do.
I look in my rearview mirror at West and then turn my attention to Seb in the passenger seat as I pull up at a stoplight at the edge of town.
I don’t want to tell them what I’ve found yet, I want to wait until we’re on the safety of the compound and once I’ve checked them over.
I may have grown up with them but I haven’t seen them for quite a few years, and even though they say that they’re working for the good guys and trying to bring Darrell down, you can never be too careful.
I take a left, driving up the gravel path that is lined with trees, the compound gates up ahead. Clicking the button on the side of my steering wheel has the gates opening and then closing automatically behind me. I pull up outside the big warehouse that is our command center and turn the engine off before pushing out of the car, both of them following me into the warehouse.
I hold the heavy metal door open for them and as soon as we’re inside, I grab a notepad off the meeting table where Ty and the guys are sitting waiting for us.
I scrawl, “I need to check you for bugs.”
“What—” West starts to say but I shake my head and tell him with my eyes to shut up.
They follow me over to my work station and I grab a device that I’ve made that can detect bugs in or on a person. I do a good swipe over them and they both come back clean.
“A tracking device isn’t the only addition your new car has. It also has cameras and audio recording equipment inside so I couldn't be too careful that he hasn’t planted them on you too.”
I walk over to the meeting table and tilt my head at Ty.
“So, he doesn’t trust us now?” Seb asks.
“I’d say he’s keeping tabs on you,” Dean says. “He’s being extra careful. You need to act normal.”
“What Dean said,” Ty interrupts. “Make sure you act as normal as you can, anything out of the ordinary will cause him to be suspicious. If he asks about today, say that you were talking to Evan about the job and that he doesn’t trust anyone’s vehicles but his own. That way you’ll get Evan’s car in the mix too.”
“That’s a good idea!” West shouts, a grin on his face. And I thought I was an excitable puppy. “So, what now?”
“Evan will check out your place and make sure it’s not bugged, and you need to make contact with Darrell and tell him you’ve met with Evan. Set up a meeting.”
Seb and West look at each other, their eyes wide as Seb says, “That may be difficult.”
“What’s difficult about arranging a meeting with your boss?”
West smirks as Seb says, “Nah, that’s the easy part. What’ll be hard is trying to get around Gran. She’ll want to know what we’re doing and be all up in our business.”
I bite my lip as I think about a way to get Livvy out of the house. Lexi isn’t a problem because I know her work schedule. Maybe I can get Dad to take her out?
“I’ll handle Livvy and I’ll check the house over tomorrow. In the meantime, just act normal and don’t talk about anything personal,” I tell them.
“If he’s watching us that means he knows about Gran and—”
I cut him off before he says her name. “She’ll be fine, he’s not the kind to go after family.”
Seb’s eyes hold mine for a beat before he nods in acknowledgement. Everyone stands up and scatters from the table, each going their separate ways to work on their own jobs.
“Evan? Can I have a word?” Luke asks.
“Sure.”
“Later? Maybe over a pizza and beer?”
I narrow my eyes at him and the worried look on his face and in his eyes.
“Of course. I’ll come around about eight?”
He swipes his hand through his blond hair. “Thanks, man.”
I continue to watch him as he stands next to me, staring straight ahead of him but not looking at anything in particular. I know that this time of year is hard for him, not that he’ll tell us why, or what happened, but we all know that it has something to do with his mom and his childhood. I’ve known Luke for years, and we’ve become family, but he still won’t tell us all of the details. Not that I blame him, I can’t bring myself to tell them about my past either.
“Ready?” Dean asks, coming to stand beside Luke and making him jump. Luke never jumps.
“What?” he grinds out.
“To go and watch Darrell?” Dean asks, his brows drawn down into a frown.
“Why the fuck do I have to be your fucking babysitter?” He runs his hands through his hair, huffing and narrowing his eyes at Dean before huffing out a breath. “Let’s go.”
Luke holds his hand out for the keys and when they’re in the palm of his hand, he pulls the metal door open and they both disappear with Luke bitching about Dean.
I stare at the door for a few seconds before standing up and shouting, “Come on then!” to Seb and West where they’re standing on the mats talking to Ty. “Got places to go and devices to make, can’t be hanging around gossiping all day.”
I chuckle at myself and make my way out of the warehouse and to my car, waiting for them to come and hoping that I get a glimpse of Lexi when I drop them back off.
I spent the whole day yesterday exploring the little town that has been my home for the last month and a half; all the while trying to get the feel of Evan’s hands off my skin and out of my mind.
It’s fair to say that I failed. Evan’s touch seemed to ignite a fire inside me that couldn’t be doused no matter what I did or what I tried to distract myself with.
I have no idea what this feeling is. Before I went to prison, I had a couple of boyfriends, but neither of them made me feel like this when we were together. Not like my skin was on fire but humming at the same time. Like my soul was open for the taking and that he would hold it and cherish it like it was the most fragile thing in the world.
Okay, so I have a feeling I’m overthinking this whole situation. He has a girlfriend, he has a family here and I’m sure he doesn’t want to be involved in any way with an ex-con.
I shake my head and push my shoulders back as I walk into the community center, knowing that I need to put him to the back of my mind. It’s a crush, a silly crush that will soon disappear.
“Lexi,” Roy calls as I walk into the office. I spin around to see him walking along the hallway to the main desk so I step forward and meet him on the other side.
“Hey,” I say, a small smile on my face as I push my hair behind my ear. “How was your weekend?”
I’ve never been good at small talk but I keep trying and the more I try, the more natural it feels, even though I cringe at myself each time I do.
“Good,” he answers, running his hand down his cheek and his jaw, the sound of the couple of days scruff making a scratching noise. “I wanted to talk to you about the fun day that’s coming up.”
“Oh! Okay.” I follow him as he walks to the kitchen and sits down.
�
��It’s meant to be in three weeks. Normally, I would organize everything, but my sister is still sick.” I open my mouth but he cuts me off. “I’ll be coming and going more the next few weeks and was wondering if you could pick up the slack?”
“Of course, I can.”
“Whew, okay. I’m leaving tomorrow, but I’ve made a list of your new duties. Anything you can’t do, contact Evan. He’ll be helping out more too.”
“Evan?” I ask, my eyes wide and my fingers tingling.
Roy tilts his head to the side. “Yeah. Is that okay?”
My eyes wander over his head, staring at a small stain that is on the wall. I don’t think I can be around him any more than I already am. I’m sure to do something stupid or embarrassing, I know what I’m like. I know how awkward I am.
Dammit! I have no choice but to put a front on and push through—just like I have for the last five years.
Sometimes life on the outside seems so much harder than being inside. At least while I was inside all I had to worry about was my safety and sticking to the schedule that was implemented. I didn’t have to worry about all of these feelings that seem to be taking over my mind.
“Lexi?”
My gaze snaps back to Roy. “Oh! Yeah, yeah. It’s fine.” I swallow. “So, I’ll be working more hours?”
He stands and pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and hands it to me. Slowly I unfold it and look at what is written. His scrawl is nearly illegible but I manage to work out that I’ll be working from two in the afternoon until close.
It doesn’t say when Evan will be here, but I have a feeling that we’ll be crossing paths a lot more. Especially as he knows Seb and West too.
I live on the same street that he grew up in for God's sake! I need a plan—a plan where I’m not going to become goo every time I’m in his presence.
“Well, I’ll be getting off. I’ve written all the contact details on the back of the paper.”
“Okay.” I bite my lip. “I hope your sister gets better.”
“Me too.” He chuckles and turns as he gets to the door. “She’s a moaning old bag, but she’s still my sister.”
ReBoot (MAC Security Series Book 4) Page 13