Destructive Us: A Luxe Novel: 3

by H. Q. Frost

  "I think she'd loved you that much more. He ruined her, Borg. You're just not seeing the real Lily. When she's crying in her sleep and calling out for help." Ian stopped and looked down at his desk. "I'm sorry you lost it and stabbed him. I'm still thankful. I didn't tell you to stab him. I didn't even fuckin' tell you to do this. You decided to take it into your own hands. On your way out look into that girl's eyes and then tell me how upset you are."

  Justin walked to the door.

  "Borg." Ian stopped him. "Did you see what she's wearing today? How she dresses doesn't bother me. I met her like this but if she's not even comfortable enough to wear what used to make her feel good then you know they fucked with her pretty deep."

  Justin walked out and into Lilith's office where she was laughing with Tash. She looked happy, but she was dressed oddly. She had a loose cardigan on over a high neck button up shirt and black slacks with flats on. It didn't bother him, he wasn't less attracted to her, but it was obvious she was trying to hide under her attire.

  "El." He approached her desk. "I have to go—"

  "You came in to see me and spent all your time with Ian." The sadness on her face made him frown.

  "I'm sorry, beautiful. Dinner tonight? I'll take you out. Dress up. I'll pick you up at six from your place, k?"

  "I'll still be here at six."

  "Why? You're not doing a date, are you?" he quickly asked.

  "No. I do other things besides that, B." She smiled at him.

  He looked into her eyes like Ian said and they weren't the color he was used to. They were murky and didn't have a light behind them.

  "You're not doing dates anymore, right?"

  "No, B," she muttered, quickly glancing at Tash and back.

  "Okay. I'll pick you up from here, okay?"

  "Justin." Lilith turned her back to Tash. "I have plans with Ian."

  "Screw him! He got you yesterday."

  Lilith stared at him a minute and he saw her eyes

  getting darker than they already were.

  "Invite him. We'll both take you out," Justin blurted, almost regretting it but her eyes shifted that little bit he needed.

  "For real?" She smiled sweetly.

  "Of course, princess. Anything for you, you know that." He kissed her, wanting to get the hell out of there. He wanted to call the guys.

  "I can't wait for you to meet Herbert."

  "Please tell her we're not naming our cat Herbert." Justin flashed a smile

  at Tash and she laughed. "I love you. So much, El. You know that?"

  "Sure, B." She smiled warily at his behavior.

  "You should never question it. There's nothing to

  question."

  "Okay," she whispered. Her smile was gone, replaced by worry.

  He kissed her once more. "Bye, Tash." He waved on his way out the door.

  Tash looked at Lilith whose look of worry maimed her face.

  "Gotta use the bathroom." Tash smiled at her,

  walking out of the office.

  She ran down the hall and across the lobby to the elevator. Before the doors closed she stuck her arm out then stepped on.

  "What happened to her?" she quietly asked Justin who was alarmed by her barging into the elevator.

  "What?" He played dumb.

  "Listen." She narrowed her eyes and took a step closer. "I know something happened to her," she said through clenched teeth. "I don't really know what but I have my ideas. She hasn't been the same since Tuesday and I know the only time she's smiled since then has been when she's talked, texted, or seen you. Not even Ian has made her smile like you have so when you come in and freak her out like you just did it pisses me off a little. You could understand why, right?" She was acting a little crazy and Justin was afraid. "I care about her immensely. I love her like she's my sister and I want everything to be okay with her. I don't understand what's going on but she needs you. She needs him too but she needs to smile and right now you're her smile. Stop acting like a fucking weirdo and just make her smile."

  "How am I acting like a weirdo?" he blurted defensively.

  "You told her you were coming in to see her and you spent ten minutes in Ian's office. Then you started to tell her you love her like you're about to die and then you left! That's weird!"

  "I'm not dying. Nothing's going on."

  "Do you know she's worried about where you were last night? She started going online to see if Rayne Bronson was in town." With pursed lips she glared at him, arms crossed.

  "What?" He didn't even think that would cross Lilith's mind. "No. No way. That's not where I was."

  "Where were you?" Her eyes were narrowed again.

  "A bar, with a friend."

  "So your girlfriend, who's obviously suffered some sort of trauma, is at home worried about you while you're at a bar with a friend?"

  "Tash," he huffed looking around. "I wasn't with a woman."

  "Why weren't you with her?"

  "She was with Ian!"

  "You two get along just fine. You could have spent some time with her and him together."

  Justin looked at the elevator numbers; they'd ridden up to the top floor. "I was in a meeting," he mumbled.

  "I don't fucking believe you." She pushed the floor to Luxe. "I think you're a snake, Justin Borg—"

  "What!" he scoffed not wanting that reputation with Lilith's friends. "Fuck, you're just doing this so I tell you what happened, aren't you?"

  "No, I'm just doing it because I think you're not being honest with Lily. You're hiding something."

  Justin pushed his hand into his hair growing

  frustrated. "I am!" he finally blurted. "I am keeping something from her but she can't know, Tash. You need to help me. Help me ease her mind. I don't want her thinking I was with Rayne Bronson."

  "What are you hiding, Justin?" While he intensely stared at her, she glared appalled. "You're an asshole. Leave her the hell alone." The doors opened on Luxe's floor and she went to step out but Justin grabbed her arm pulling her back in and he hit the DOOR CLOSE button. "Stop!" she screamed, trying to pull her arm free.

  "I'll tell you! I'll fucking tell you," he pleaded as she frantically pushed the door open button.

  Tash looked at him.

  "Tash?" Veronica warily said as she approached the elevator.

  "I'll be right back," Tash said after stepping out briefly.

  "I'm okay, I got my heel caught." She chuckled and stepped back onto the elevator. "Talk. Now."

  "I went to this bar that this guy Trent hangs out at. Me and a couple buddies were there to jump him and that's what we did."

  "Jump him?" She was confused.

  "Jump him." He nodded, not sure what she didn't understand. "Kick his ass, beat the shit out of him."

  "Oh god!" She put her hand to her mouth. "Why? Did you hurt him?"

  "Yes we fuckin' hurt him!" Justin said like she were ignorant. "That's what you do when you jump someone," he scoffed.

  "Why?" Her immediate thought was she didn't want Lilith to be around him because he was violent.

  The doors to the elevator opened and he took her hand, walking around the corner down a narrow hall that held a few chairs and tables. He pulled a chair out for her then sat down.

  "What do you know?"

  "About what? You? Nothing." She was worried he was threatening her.

  "Not me, Tash! Damn," he snickered. "About El. What do you know

  about Tuesday?"

  "Nothing. I don't know anything," she stressed. "I mean I know she was at work and didn't come back. She was supposed to come back after her date with Aaron Teppert."

  "Right." He nodded like she should be picking up on what happened.

  "Okay? So!" she huffed getting frustrated.

  "Tash," he groaned. "I can't fucking tell you if she hasn't."

  "Justin, she's one of my dearest friends and I don't want to know for gossip. I want to know for her well-being. I won't tell her you told me. She won't even know I know." />
  "What do you think happened?" His intense stare was back and he was hoping she could put it together on her own.

  "I was kind of thinking her and Ian were going through some heavy stuff. Kind of thinking maybe divorce stuff?" She shrugged.

  "No you weren't." He rolled his eyes sitting back.

  "Okay. That was just one speculation. Uh, I also thought maybe she did something to you guys? Like maybe cheated?" Tash knew they didn't know about the dates Lilith continued because she personally went into the system to adjust Lilith's schedule so Ian wouldn't find out.

  "Why? Does she do that? She say she want to?" he questioned worriedly.

  "No! Crap, Justin, just tell me!"

  He couldn't bring himself to say it.

  "Okay, so you're just some sort of psycho who beats people up." She stood. "I still want you to stay away from her and if you don't leave her alone, I'll tell Ian."

  "Sit down," he snickered. "Trent, the guy we jumped at the bar last night is a very close friend of Aaron Teppert." He stared, waiting for her to pick up on it but she wasn't.

  "Okay?" she finally muttered.

  "Aaron Teppert and Trent raped and beat the shit out of her. Fuck, Tash!" he groaned.

  Her gasp almost echoed and she covered her mouth. "Those marks on her neck? That's not from one of you two?"

  He scowled like she were insane. "I would never hurt her like that. The fuck's wrong with you?"

  "I don't know. I just thought… I didn't think she was raped!" she whispered. "By Aaron Teppert." Her hand went to her mouth again.

  "Look at me." He pointed at her. "Tash, look at me," he said sternly and a woman passing looked down at him; he smiled until she passed. "No one but me and Ian know. Fucking no one. No police. The police will not fucking know. Do you understand me?"

  "Yes," she whispered.

  "Do you!" he snapped loudly.

  "Yes. I said yes!" Tears filled her eyes.

  "They can put Luxe out of business and all of you in prison."

  "How?" she whispered, fighting the lump in her throat.

  "All because who their fathers are. So we beat the hell

  out of Trent. Aaron Teppert is next," he whispered. "Can I

  trust you?"

  "Yes." She sniffled wiping under her tearful eyes with shaky hands.

  "Please don't let this out and please don't tell her I told you. I'm not cheating and I'm not psycho—"

  "Ian knows, right?"

  "Of course," Justin condescendingly scoffed.

  "I was just wondering!" she snapped and a few more tears rolled.

  "I'm sorry. We know, and he knows what I did last night. You might see it on the news and— Look at me." He waited for her eyes to meet his. "You may not like what I did but think about El before you take action. I did it for her."

  "I know." She nodded wiping her eyes again. "Fuck that guy."

  "Exactly." He stood putting his hand out for her to take and he pulled her up.

  "So they both..?" Tash whispered.

  "I don't know the details. I don't want the details, but as far as I'm concerned, yes, they both hurt her and from what she's said the Trent guy was the one that beat the shit out of her. She has a knot on the side of her head and there's a bruise under her makeup. Those bite marks go all the way down both shoulders. She has a huge bruise across her stomach." He stopped and she saw the look on his face. "He bit her." He looked at Tash. "And made her bleed. Between her legs." When his stomach rolled he looked away.

  Tash sucked her lips between her teeth trying to

  stop the flood of tears. "What about Aaron? Are you going to take care of him?"

  "Yeah." He looked at her again. "Whatever may happen between you and El, like if you guys aren't friends one day for some reason—"

  She gasped. "Why would that happen?"

  "Hypothetical, Tash, okay? Just if some shit happens between you two and you think you want to run to the cops just know nothing will happen to those two. But me, I'll go to prison and those two pigs will still be on the streets doing this to other girls."

  "I won't ever tell, Justin," she whispered and hugged him. "Thank you for telling me."

  "Don't let El know. She's already upset with me or something."

  "Yeah." She wiped at the tears. "I'll work on something for that too but you really need to be there for her, Justin. I mean, I know you have a job and a life and obviously last night you were busy but—"

  "El is my life. I don't have a life outside of her, okay? She needs to understand that. All you guys do. She's my everything and I can't lose her."

  "You won't. Just stop making her worry."

  "Work on it for me, okay?"

  "Yeah. Hey." She stopped him before he walked away. "Not that it matters but I think what you did needed to be done. I mean, he'll still be out there but at least he's suffering a little."

  "If I didn't kill him," he added before walking away.

  When Justin called Abner he insisted he was fine. The

  The cut was minuscule and the adrenaline from the fight helped him not feel a thing.

  "Yeah well, you know I appreciate you. I owe you big."

  "I'm sure I'll be taking you up on that. Dude, you didn't say it but I know it was El."

  Justin uncomfortably cleared his throat.

  "She okay?"

  "Yeah," he quietly said. "It fucked her up but I'm gonna make sure she's okay."

  "Hey, not that I didn't enjoy that last night but why not throw the fuck in jail?"

  "He'd never get convicted. He's got family in high places and then El's life would be in jeopardy because these fucks are sick."

  "These? There's more than one?"

  "'Ey, man, I don't want to give you more info than you need or more info that'll get you in deeper shit."

  "Justin, there were two of them? Who's the other one? We're gonna take care of him too, right?"

  "He's not as easy." Justin rubbed his eyebrow.

  "No, fuck that. I can get to anyone. Listen, that girl's gonna be your wife so that automatically makes her my family too—"

  "My wife?" Justin chuckled.

  "I know you'd do everything in your power to make that woman your wife, dude. I know you love her."

  Justin grinned rubbing the stubble on his chin. "You didn't feel that way about Layna."

  "She was a psycho. El's a good girl and doesn't deserve this shit. Layna, she may have deserved it."

  "She would have orchestrated it to happen to her. Sick fuck," Justin muttered. "Anyway, dude, thanks."

  "Hey, I'm down for the next one too, Justin."

  "I know you are, man. I love you guys. Without you assholes I'd have been in deep shit by now." He pushed his palm into his eye because it was the truth and the realization of that was brutal.

  The thought that he wasn't as well rounded as he

  portrayed… He wasn't as collected, clean cut, organized, or on track like the world expected from Justin Lorenzo Borg, Esq. was a hard realization to swallow.

  "We love you too, brother, and we love your girl now that she's tamed your ass. Take care of her."

  "Always."

  "Later."

  The conversation with Kyle wasn't as serious. Kyle cracked a few jokes, made the whole situation seem like a day at the amusement park and that helped Justin feel more relaxed about it. He knew he couldn't call Big D. Big D never discussed things after they were said and done. It was water under the bridge to him.

  JUSTIN: I miss you beautiful

  He stared at his phone after sending the text hoping Tash helped ease her mind somehow. With a huff he text Ian.

  BORG: Don't be a bitch about tonight. It'll make her happy

  JACKS: Got some good news Borg. Really fucking good news. Lily's going to see her mom with her cousin at 4. Call then

  BORG: She's going to see her mom?

  JACKS: Her mom's in town. We're still good for our romantic dinner. Did you want me to wear panties?

  BOR
G: Terrible visual Jacks

  JACKS: You're visualizing it?

  BORG: Yes, you're the highlight of my fantasies but on a serious note how's El today? She good?

  JACKS: Why you askin me this shit? She's always good when she's with me, with you?? That's your problem.

  BORG: Don't be a dick, I'm worried about her not me

  JACKS: Don't worry about her when she's with me, worry about you. Call at 4

  Justin huffed pushing his hair back, upset Lilith hadn't replied to his text.

  When it was going on four he was getting more aggravate she still hadn't text.

  "Hey." Pam stood in the doorway of his office.

  "What's up?" He looked at her from his phone.

  "Everything okay with El?" she carefully asked.

  "She's good." He nodded glancing at his phone

  again.

  "You sure? Anything I can do?"

  "Good, Pamela, thanks."

  "I saw you on the news last night." She crossed her arms. "You're a hero." Pam knew better; she was way too smart and too familiar with Justin to believe that.

  "How'd you figure out it was me? I was in my mask and cape! Drat! My secret identity has been revealed. Pamela! No one can know about this. You must keep my identity a secret. It's for the good of humanity, think about the people, Pamela, think about the people!" His dramatics made her laugh, shake her head and walk away. She didn't even want to know.

  When Pam buzzed into his office he sighed before she even spoke. "Justin, Rayne Bronson is on the phone."

  "Speak of the devil herself," he mumbled. "I'm busy."

  "She claims it's important."

  If it were important, why wouldn't she call his cellphone? His eyes narrowed and he reached for his cell, noticing he did miss a call from her an hour prior.

  "Put her through," he huffed. Just as he answered the call, Lilith text him back. "Hello, beautiful," he mumbled with a grin as he went to open the text.

  "Well, hello." Rayne giggled.

  Justin's heart skipped and he realized he picked up the receiver as he said that. "Oh, Rayne, I didn't mean that for you. Shit. Sorry." He pushed his hair from his eyes.

  "Too bad." She chuckled. "I got excited for a minute."

  "Don't jump the gun. What can I do for you?" He wanted to change the subject.

  "I'm in town for a friend's birthday. I need a date."