I close in on her and wrap my arms around her and hug her.
I pull her body against mine.
My hands caress her back.
When she touches my back, her fingertips dig into my muscles.
There’s something real happening between us.
Jolie kisses my chest. “Don’t let this go to your head, Mac, but I like when you’re near me. I feel… I feel good. Different.”
“How so?”
I look down at her.
She looks up at me.
“I don’t know. I was just sitting there looking at all those files. And books. And I was feeling so overwhelmed. Second guessing myself. Then you show up and I feel good.”
“Well, sweetie, there’s a difference between reading a book and getting fucked.”
Her cheeks turn read. “And then you say that…”
“What? It’s true.”
“I kind of want to go back to the table,” she says. “To work a little…”
“Okay,” I say.
“Will you sit with me?”
“Are you going to be naked?” I ask.
“No,” Jolie says. “I really have to get stuff done.”
I inch my right hand to the front of her body, sliding it between us, moving down between her legs.
The second I touch her, she jumps to her toes and exhales.
Her nails then dig into my back again.
I make small circles with my fingers, adding pressure against her tender bud.
Her hips rock back and forth and she swallows hard.
I slide my fingers up and away.
“Mac…”
I put my lips to her ear. “You can have the rest when you figure out how to win your case.”
“If that holds true, then I’m going to be the best fucking lawyer in the world,” she says.
“That’s the point, sweetie.”
I kiss her and never want to stop kissing her.
Jolie puts her hands to my chest and pushes me away.
I stare at her perfect, curved body and I bring my fist to my mouth and bite down on it.
“Stop that,” she says as she blushes.
She reaches for the bed and grabs another blanket and wraps it around herself.
She walks out of the bedroom to go study.
To make tea. And study.
To work hard.
So she could fulfill her dream as a lawyer.
I look down to the gun on the nightstand.
My dream has always been to live fast and survive.
Now my dream is something else.
My dream is to keep Jolie safe and alive.
22
We don’t bother sitting down.
And they know I mean business when that happens.
I put my gun on the table.
I look at Ado.
He looks tired. Angry.
I know he hates me.
And that’s okay.
It’ll make him work harder.
“I have to go meet with Mama,” I say. “So I need you all to cover here. Make the normal rounds. Try to keep it non-violent. I know that’s not what we want, but I won’t be around for a bit.”
“What’s going on?” Les asks.
“Just personal shit.”
“Fuck that,” Taz says. “Personal shit? No.”
I look at Taz.
“We’ve got your back, bro,” Raf says. “Whatever it is.”
“We all owe you for one thing or another,” Aric adds.
“Okay,” I say. “That job…” I look at Les and Taz. They both nod. “I did a job for Mama. Turns out it was Jolie’s father who’s in debt.”
“Shit,” Aric says.
“I’m running protection on Jolie,” I say. “No matter what.”
“That’s why you want to talk to Mama?” Raf asks. “To ask permission?”
“She already gave me an answer,” I say. “I’m going to tell her what my plan is.”
“Against hers?” Taz asks. “Are you fucking crazy, bro?”
“I said I’m going alone,” I yell. “Okay? Don’t fucking say a word. Don’t fucking push back at me over this.”
The room is quiet.
“So here’s the deal,” Les says. “Taz and I will take the great hall and admin areas. Raf, you check out the art geeks. Aric, you handle the business area. Ado, make sure the jocks stay in line.”
“Got it?” Taz asks.
“Got it,” Raf and Aric say.
I look at Ado. “You good?”
“Good,” he says.
“Then let’s fucking move,” Les says.
“Wait a second,” Taz says. “We have Mac’s back, right?”
“Of course we do,” Raf says.
“All in,” Aric says.
“Thank you,” I say. “I don’t know how else to say it… but Jolie means something to me…”
“Then let’s keep her safe,” Les says.
“Quick question though,” Taz says. “If I get to run protection on her… does that include everything?”
I grab my gun and point it at Taz. “Do you want to ask that again?”
He laughs. “No, I’m good.”
“Then everyone get the fuck out of here,” I say. “Except Ado.”
They all exchange a glance.
But not Ado.
He keeps his eyes on me.
And I keep my hand on my gun.
The room clears out and I slowly walk toward him.
“Listen, Mac, what I said and did…”
I reach into my pocket and put some money on the table.
“That’s not enough,” I say. “But it’s better than nothing. I don’t care what you do with it. I don’t want you to pay it back either. Use it to get something for your mother and maybe that’ll help her make a different decision. You better have a good fucking argument for it. Be careful playing God, Ado.”
Ado swallows hard. “Mac…”
“Take the cash and get the fuck out of my face,” I say.
Ado nods.
He grabs the cash and leaves the room.
I blame Jolie.
I picture her wearing nothing but a blanket, sipping tea, flirting with me with her eyes.
I spent all night asking myself one question.
Is Jolie worth losing everything for?
And it was the same answer all night as I watched her sleep.
Yes.
Mama Dae opens the door.
She’s holding a big knife in her hand. The blade has little chunks of meat on it.
Her eyes tell the story before I can step into the house.
“I can stay out here,” I say.
“No, Mac,” she says. “Come inside. I’m just cutting up some stuff. You know me, always prepared for what’s to come.”
I nod and step into the house.
Mama walks to the counter and slams the knife into a chunk of meat.
She washes her hands and moves to the counter and pours herself a drink.
She’s got an expensive tongue for top shelf scotch.
She sips the scotch and offers me a glass.
“No thanks,” I say. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“I bet I can guess.”
“I want to know more. Who is he? How bad is it? Because this isn’t adding up.”
“Your eyes are blurry, Mac.”
“I know.”
“Your eyes are never blurry,” Mama says. “This isn’t you.”
“Which proves how much she means to me.”
Mama takes a deep breath. “I don’t think any of this is your fucking business. You’re stepping over a line here.”
“I’m aware of the risk,” I say.
“And it’s worth that risk?”
“Yeah, it is,” I say.
Mama sips more scotch. “It’s enough to get my attention. And there’s not as much as that big house shows. Okay? You ever hear the term paper rich?”
“Sure.”
/> “Meaning on paper you look rich,” Mama says. “Your assets. Right? But then you unfold the paper and look at the liabilities. Or better yet, you look at the cash. Mac, I went to college for accounting. Did you know that?”
“No.”
“It was almost unheard of at that time,” Mama says. “Someone like me going to college. I was supposed to be home making dinner and pushing babies out from between my legs. But I did my own thing.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
Mama nods. “But as I studied, I realized it was all a lie. Everything was made to lie. You needed one thing to look good for one person. Then you needed it to look bad for a different person. It was all bullshit. So I keep it simple. It’s about money. Money, Mac. That’s something you can touch. Hold. Use. No matter what happens. Got it?”
“Of course,” I say. “You taught me that a long time ago.”
“Yeah, I did. But I forgot a lesson.”
“Which is?”
“Money and love,” Mama says with a laugh. “Money and love. It ruins everything. It fucks you up. It confuses you.”
“This isn’t that, Mama,” I say. “She has nothing to do with it. She has nothing to do with her parents.”
“You know that?”
I can’t lie to Mama.
So I don’t answer.
“There it is,” she says. “You’re making it up as you go.”
“So what if I am? I’ll deal with it if it goes wrong. It’ll be up to me to fix. Plus, that guy had a lot of cash hidden. Why not just take it? Send the message that way? Expose him…”
“Because he’s a degenerate, Mac,” Mama says. “He’s going to panic. He’s going to take that cash and convince himself he can escape. But he’s not going to escape. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a voice in his head telling him he can fix it,” Mama says. “He loves his family. That’s the part you’re missing out on here. He loves his family. Want me to say it again?”
“No.”
“And what do I do here?” Mama asks.
“Nothing,” I say. “I’m just telling you my intentions.”
“And what are your intentions, Mac?”
I step toward Mama.
I reach for her hand.
“I have it under control,” I say.
Mama looks at me. “You really love her?”
“I really love her,” I say. “She’s the opposite of me, Mama. She tames me. And I make her wild. You’re going to love her too.”
“I need to meet her,” Mama says. “I need to cook her a meal. I need to have a drink with her. And I need to look into her eyes and know that her father is a piece of shit.”
“I know,” I say.
“And when the day comes and there’s an ending…”
“She’ll know it all,” I say. “She’s not going to be kept in the dark.”
“You realize what that means for her, right?”
I nod. “I know.”
“She’s not going to understand it.”
“Yes, she will,” I say. “She’s smart. The smartest person I ever met, Mama. I’m telling you. You’re going to fall in love with her. You’re going to be begging me to marry her. You’re going to be joking with us to have babies and all of that shit. I know it.”
“What do I say to that, Mac? There’s nothing I can say to that. If I tell you no, you’re too stubborn to listen. Then I’m chasing you all over the place while you’re trying to be with her. I could kill you for putting me into this position.”
I move away from Mama and walk to the slab of meat on the counter.
I wrestle the knife from it and place it on the counter in front of her.
And then to make the message even more clear, I take my gun out and put that on the counter too.
I step back and open my arms.
Mama starts to laugh. “You think you’re such a badass, don’t you?”
I step closer to Mama again and grab her glass of scotch and drink what’s left of it.
“I know I am,” I say. “And I know what I believe in. And I know when I’m right.”
I put the glass down on the counter.
Before I can reach for my gun, Mama grabs it and shuffles back a few steps.
She points the gun and pulls the trigger.
The glass explodes.
My ears ring from the booming sound.
She then hands the gun back to me.
She reaches up and grabs my face with her other hand.
I lean down and she kisses my cheek.
She goes back to the slab of meat to keep cutting it up.
That went a lot better than I thought it would.
Love you too, Mama.
I park my car where I always do and I can see Jolie sitting on the railing at the skatepark.
Waiting for me.
Looking so pretty and innocent.
Even the colors she wears… the blues… purples… the whites…
She just radiates innocence.
Hanky is near her.
Looking like a skinny little drugged-up piece of trash.
I curl my lip.
Peg Leg Mikey steps into the frame.
He grabs Hanky by the shoulder and rips him away.
Words are exchanged and Hanky looks at Jolie.
He puts his hands together and bows to her.
He’s apologizing to Jolie. For talking to her.
I nod, knowing it’s good to have Peg Leg Mikey on our side.
Running the skatepark.
It’s good for business.
It’s good for everyone.
I walk toward the skatepark and when Jolie sees me, she waves.
I nod with a grin on my face.
There’s just something about her…
The way her feet are against the bottom railing. Her hands on the top railing. She’s sticking her chest out and probably doesn’t realize she’s doing it. She tries to have her hair pulled back but there’s pieces that just run free, dancing with the breeze.
She makes my heart squeeze.
Peg Leg Mikey looks at me and gives a nod.
I reach into my pocket and hide something in the palm of my hand.
I offer my hand and he takes it.
He blocks Jolie’s view as he takes the something from me.
“I have cash in my back pocket,” he whispers to me.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “I saw what you did for Jolie.”
“No need, Mac,” he says. “I want her to feel safe here.”
“We’re good,” I say. “Just keep Hanky away right now. If I get my hands on him, I’m going to kill him.”
“Consider it done,” Peg Leg Mikey says.
I have about two minutes of alone time with Jolie before the rest of the guys show up.
So I make good use of that time and kiss Jolie.
She’s the sense of calm I need.
There’s plenty for us to talk about but we’ll get there eventually.
Her lips and tongue keep me alive and make me insane.
And that sense of both calmness and insanity mixing together inside of me creates a feeling I never had before.
I pull from the railing and touch her face.
I break our kiss.
“You alone here?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she says. “Violet didn’t want to come. I’m supposed to be somewhere else too.”
“You’re not fucking up law school for me, are you?”
“Maybe a little,” she says. “But I’ll make it up. I’m good for it. I never get into trouble, remember?”
I smile. “The truth is, sweetie, you’re nothing but trouble. And you don’t even realize it.”
“Oh yeah? How so?”
I brush my lips to hers again. “We have to talk about some shit. I have to ask you some questions and I have to introduce you to someone.”
“Is this where you tell me you’re married or something?”
“Hey, Mac, my man, I just want you to know I didn’t mean anything…”
I turn my head and Hanky is coming toward me.
Peg Leg Mikey is behind him, shaking his head.
“I tried,” Peg Leg Mikey yells.
“Motherfucker,” I whisper.
I turn completely around and I know that Jolie isn’t used to violence.
At all.
But I can’t stop myself.
“I was just tal-”
I throw a right hook and slam my fist against Hanky’s jaw.
The sound is like a pop and a crunch at the same time.
Jolie gasps.
“Mac!” she yells.
I’m not done yet.
I hit Hanky over and over, taking him to the ground.
I grab the front of his shirt and can’t stop myself.
After a few more punches, someone touches me.
I look up and see Peg Leg Mikey.
He nods.
I look back and Jolie looks terrified.
Shit.
I pull Hanky toward me.
“You ever talk to her again and I’ll kill you,” I whisper to him. “And when Peg Leg Mikey tells you to go away, you go away. This is his skatepark now. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Hanky says. “I’m sorry.”
I let him go and I stand up.
I turn and reach for Jolie.
My right hand has blood on it.
She curls up into herself at the sight of the blood.
Then she crawls through the railing.
“Jolie,” I say.
“Just give me a second, Mac,” she says. “I’m…”
She looks at Hanky.
He’s holding his face to try and control the bleeding.
He’s dazed.
But he’ll be fine.
Nothing some ice, a few pills, and a drink can’t help to fix.
And every cut, bruise, and scar is a reminder of what happens when you get out of line with me.
Jolie doesn’t understand that part of this yet.
Fuck.
I move to the railing and she steps back.
“I need to take a walk,” she says.
She looks around.
“I left my cigarettes in my car,” I say. “Why don’t you go get them for me, sweetie? Okay? Then we can talk. This is all just…”
“I know, Mac,” she yells. “It’s part of what you do. I know that. I see it. I’m just not… used to it.”
Jolie walks away.
Mess You Up (Brooks Crest Book 1) Page 20