Fractured (Whispering Falls #4)

Prologue

Dominik

“Are you fucking kidding me with this shit?” I asked, trying to keep a lock on my anger.

She shook her head, then threw her hands up in the air, “You never make time for me, Dom.”

I gaped at her for a full minute before I could even respond to her asinine statement.

“Right. Okay... who left who waiting at the restaurant on at least five such instances? Who didn’t return a single text or a call?” I asked.

She sighed, “This is pointless.”

And that was when I lost control, and I nodded, “Your goddamned right this is pointless. Why the fuck am I even trying to save our relationship when it hasn’t felt like one in a long fucking time?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she asked, planting her hands on her hips.

“What do I mean? Huh. Care to tell me why the fuck you aborted my baby without even talking to me about it?”

Her face went pale, “How... how... do you know about that?”

I laughed sardonically, then said, “You used my card to pay for it.”

If it were possible, her face got even paler.

I nodded.

Then I took a look around our apartment.

An apartment I fucking hated. One that was on the lower side of the upper class. But this had been the apartment that she had wanted. And I had busted my ass to make it happen.

Just then, my phone rang. Seeing my mother’s name, I answered, “Hey, Ma.”

Her voice was shaky, and my spine locked when she said, “Need you to come home. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

I nodded, “Okay, Ma.”

Then I said, “Jillian and I are done. Let me pack my shit, get her out, and sell it all, and I’ll be there.”

“Excuse me?” Jillian asked.

I ignored her.

Like she tended to do with me.

Then to my Ma, I said, “Is that okay? Or do you need me now?”

“That’s fine, sweetheart, I never liked her.” Then in the background I heard, “Talia dear, that’s fine.”

“Mrs. D., I told you I would be washing all these. And I meant it.” That was Talia’s voice.

My best friend’s little sister.

Despite my annoyance at Jillian, I had to smile.

“It’s a Saturday. Surely you have plans,” Ma asked her.

Then I heard Talia say, “Not today. Cleared my day.”

I wanted to laugh, because fuck me, Talia was a young girl trapped with an old soul.

Ma said, “Well, alright then. If you're sure.”

Then I guessed she nodded or something, then I heard her say, “Tell Bigfoot I said hello.”

I chuckled then, I couldn’t help it, “Tell Short Stack, hey back.”

Jillian was huffing, but I paid her no mind, as I talked to my Ma for a few minutes longer.

I pocketed my phone once we ended the call, then I said, “Right. You ended things earlier. I’m going to move them along. Papers will be sent to you, sign them, or don’t sign them, I don’t give a fuck.”

Should have clued me in that this relationship, or whatever the hell it was, wasn’t going to last. Because no one knew we were married.

Then, without another word, I left the apartment and headed down to the office.

On the way there, I pulled up my banking app and blocked the card she had on my account.

An hour later, I was walking back into our apartment with a bunch of boxes for my shit.

Jillian was sitting on the couch on the phone, no doubt bitching to her friends about me.

I tossed the papers in front of her, “Got someone to take over the rest of the lease. We have thirty days to be out. Get to fucking packing.”

Hurriedly, I heard her say, “I’ll call you back.”

Then, as I walked to our room, her heels clacking as she followed me, she asked, “What do you mean we have thirty days to be out?”

“They’ve got a long fucking wait list. Had to pay seven grand just to get us moved up the list because you wanted this place so bad. They got tenants ready to move in the moment a unit becomes available.”

Then I set the boxes on the floor and started packing my shit.

“But... thirty days? I don’t have anywhere to go,” she said.

I shrugged, “You're not my problem anymore. You ended things earlier.” Then I smirked, “Looks like this two-bit mechanic who’s kept you up is now a hell of a lot richer. Damn, but you can spend some cash.”

She screeched, then she nodded, “Fine.”

And something in my gut alerted me, and I had learned a long time ago to trust it, so I said, “I already blocked your card to my account. Guess you need to take this time and find yourself a job.”

She screeched again.

A week later, I had just put my things into the back of my SUV and handed my set of keys to the office manager.

She looked up when heels clacked along the floor, and I sighed.

I knew who that was.

“Hi, I’d really like to stay. How much is it?” Jillian asked in that saccharine sweet tone of hers that always grated on my nerves now that I thought about it.

Joni, the office manager, smiled, then said, “It’s thirty-one hundred dollars a month.”

Jillian’s face paled.

I smirked, “What was it you said... ‘Why would I want to be with some two-bit mechanic ?”

Then I tapped the counter and walked out.

Just then my phone vibrated with a text.

Bros Before Hoes Text Thread

Garrick – Just got the word.

Garrick – You’re really coming home?

Me – Fuck yeah.

Carter – Ain’t been the same without you.

Ethan – The band is getting back together.

Alec – Ditto.

Me – Be back in a couple of days.

Garrick – Be safe.

Alec – Don’t pick up any hookers at exits.

Carter – Avoid that Waffle House.

I snickered in reference to the one he was talking about.

The one where we all got food poisoning when we went to the beach for our graduation.

I had just started my SUV up when my phone vibrated again.

I checked the screen, expecting it to be the guys... it wasn’t.

Talia – Be careful.

Me – Will do.

Sure, it was probably weird for an eight-year-old to have a phone, but when you have a family of seven... You need to be able to contact each other.

Two days later, I was pulling my SUV into Ma’s driveway.

Garrick came out of the house, smiling.

Then he walked to me, gave me a one-armed hug, along with a back slap, “Good to have you home, brother. Fucking missed you.”

I nodded, then pulled back, “Missed you too.” Then I grinned, “D&G Auto?”

He smiled, “Fuckin’ A.”

Then Carter, Ethan, Alec, Misty, Frank, and my mother came out of the house.

I hugged all of them, damn, but I had missed them.

That was when I noticed that Talia wasn’t there.

I looked at Misty, “Where’s Talia?”

Everyone snickered.

But it was Ma who smiled and said, “She’s in the kitchen.”

I sighed then pinched the bridge of my nose.

Talia plus in a kitchen equaled disaster.

And five minutes later... I was right.

“Dang it. Mother humper.” She was saying as she eyed... something... black in a cake pan.

I leaned my shoulder against the doorway and sighed, then I said, “So, did the NHL contact you about making them new hockey pucks?”

She whirled around and then screeched, “You aren’t here. Get out. Now.”

I chuckled and didn’t move.

Then she got right in my space, stretched up on her tiptoes, and jabbed at my chest with one finger, “Get out. Now.”

When I didn’t move, she called out, “Mrs. D! Tell him to get out of the kitchen.”

I heard my Ma giggle, then she said, “Now, Talia dear.”

That was the very moment our bickering feud started.