Chapter Twelve
Lee
I’ve been lying on my couch for about three hours waiting to hear from Mac.
Jake’s gone to Kneipe to take care of some incident that happened.
He told me what it was, but I wasn’t paying attention.
Annie got stuck in bad traffic on the highway, so she turned around and is coming tomorrow.
I just want to be alone anyway. What am I even doing?
Waiting for Mac Byrne to text me? How is this my life?
When we were younger, Mac and I used to do everything together.
We were best friends, attached at the hip.
Little life buddies is what our moms called us.
People used to say boys and girls couldn’t be friends.
Of course not; when you’re between five and seven, the opposite sex has cooties.
We never cared about that, though. The little boy with the same birthday as me, who had too long hair and pretty eyes, was the one I wanted to do everything with.
That was until I was taken. I changed tenfold over the next five years.
How could I not when I lived a life that makes most people’s worst nightmares look like child’s play?
I was first assaulted the day I was taken.
I was stripped of everything, from my clothes to my dignity to my innocence, hell, even my name.
I was too hard to break, so not long after I was taken, they called on some help to make sure I was good and broken.
They made sure I had the most violent clients.
The ones who liked the mind games along with raping and beating me, and the ones who liked to inject me with shit that made me more agreeable.
Most of that time I’ve mentally blocked out.
My psychologist says it’s how my brain decided to protect me.
I disassociated and survived for most of my life.
It took two rats from my family’s organization, and I went from a mafia princess to a prisoner of a sex ring in a day.
Those men still work for Theo. It’s one of the main reasons I’ll never go back to him.
The fact that one of their accomplices came from Mac’s family is the reason I can never tell him who I really am, even if he already knows.
The accomplice no longer works for the Byrne men.
I don’t know what happened to him, though.
He was gone by the time my family took me in.
My parents didn’t know who I was at first. It wasn’t until I visited their home for the first time and had an entire meltdown because of how close it was to the school I used to go to that we put the pieces together.
My Papa has worked around Theo Rossi for a long time, so naturally he called him and told him his suspicions.
I’m not privy to the conversations that took place back then.
That’ll forever be between my Papa and Theo.
What I do know is that my adoption went through less than twenty-four hours later, and the paperwork was signed by Theo himself.
They have a deal in place. My parents keep me protected from that life, and he leaves me alone.
I know he gets updates about me occasionally from my Papa, and I assume that’s a part of their deal too.
My parents and siblings never blinked twice about me coming into their family.
It’s like I was meant to be here all along.
They were understanding when I would only talk to my Mama and Annie.
My Papa and older brothers were patient when it took me almost a year to get comfortable around them.
Jake and Dieter were eighteen and sixteen with the patience and kindness of a saint.
It’s why they’re so fiercely protective now.
They saw the broken girl heal and then flourish in her new family.
Then I got sick, and my family’s lives flipped upside down.
It took a while to figure out what I had; I guess that’s the downside of your brain protecting itself.
You forget important details, like being stuck with dirty needles on and off for five years.
By the time we figured out that I had Hepatitis C and treated it, I no longer just had Hep-C.
As it turns out, prolonged exposure to untreated Hepatitis C leads to a whole alphabet of diagnosis.
So that’s how I ended up with a dozen pills that I have to take twice a day and treatment three times a week. Hooray for me.
My phone rings, startling me out of my thoughts.
Mac’s name takes up my screen, or more accurately, his nickname.
He told me tonight that he likes when I call him Quill, which made my heart do a little flip.
I called him that when we were younger too.
Everyone else called him Mac, but his Ma never did.
That was her Quill. He used to say the only people allowed to call him that were his mom and his wife, and seeing as I would be his wife, I was allowed to.
That isn’t lost on me as I reflect back to him insisting I use it tonight.
Swiping to answer before it goes to voicemail, I immediately notice the noise of the city in the background. It’s late. What’s he still doing in the city?
“Hello?”
“Lee.” My name isn’t more than an exhale on his lips.
“What are you doing in the city still?”
“I went to Z13 after I dropped you off.” Z13 is a club in Irish territory. My first thought is, why would he go there? But then I remember it’s the weekend, and people who aren’t immunocompromised do things like that on the weekend. I took a big risk just going to Primetime tonight.
“Oh, fun. Did you have a good time?” I try to tamp down the irrational jealousy trying to rear its ugly head.
“No, I wished I was in bed with you the entire time.” I can hear the solemnity in his tone. A deep hurt that he typically masks so well. I’d usually never be this bold, but I’m sleepy, and honestly, him in my bed sounds like heaven.
“Why weren’t you?”
His breath catches just slightly. “Don’t say things you don’t mean, Beautiful.”
“I mean it, Quill. I want nothing more than you snuggling me in bed right now.”
“I’ll be there in ten, unlock the door, and kick your brother and sister out. You’re plenty protected tonight, Lelonie.” This isn’t a smart idea, but like I said, I’m too tired to care.
“No one’s here. I’ll see you in ten.”
He ends the call before I have a chance to back out, which I’m grateful for. Pulling up my sibling group chat, I send off a quick text.
Lee: I’m good for the night, don’t come over. You’ve been warned.
Immediately responses start coming in.
Dieter: Is that code for you’re having a one night stand tonight. Because if so I’m equal parts grossed out and proud.
Annie: Okay, Lee. I see you with your dick appointment.
They’re ridiculous.
Lee: You guys are disgusting. Normal siblings don’t talk like this to each other.
Dieter: *gif of Steve Harvey looking shocked* Yes they do, and even if they don’t we’re cooler than them so I don’t care.
Annie: *laughing emojis* Okay, but seriously. Who’s the dude?
Dieter: And why is it Mac Byrne? *laughing emojis*
Lee: You guys suck. Mac won’t let anything happen to me and you know it. I’m not talking about any of this anymore. I love you guys and I’ll talk to you in the morning.
Annie: Have him out before 10 when I get there. 11 at the latest because Tory comes tomorrow, unless you’re ready to have that conversation.
Lee: And I’m not. Thanks for the reminder. I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow. Ich liebe dich.
Annie: Ich liebe dich
Dieter: Ich liebe dich
Jakob: Oh, hell no. Mac isn’t coming over tonight.
Jakob: … Lelonie Dorthea I’m talking to you.
Jakob: Don’t make me tell Papa.
Dieter: I have a feeling the phone is the last thing on her mind right now, Jake. Let it go, he won’t hurt her. Let her have a normal night.
Jakob: Fine, but I don’t like it.
Dieter: That’s just because he’s a Byrne, and you’re still all sad and shit because your lover isn’t talking to you anymore.
Jakob: Fuck off. I hate Declan, I’m glad we don’t talk. Spineless fucker.
Dieter: You know what they say about that line between love and hate.
Jakob: *middle finger emoji* I hope you sleep like shit. Bad night, Dieter.
Dieter: Ich liebe dich, Big Brother. Ich liebe dich.
* * *
Ten minutes later the door swings open, and there stands Mac taking up the entire doorway.
He looks sexily disheveled, his grin is downright toxic to my health, and his smirk has me melting into a puddle.
He shuts the door, and like a lion stalking his prey, makes his way to me, slowly, deliberately.
As soon as I’m within arm’s length, his hands are holding my hips and he’s pulling me into his hard chest.
Usually I’m self conscious about my weight, especially when you add on the fluid I retain from my health problems. However, when Mac has me in his grasp, it’s the furthest thing from my mind.
My face tilts up to his just as his lips crash onto mine.
It’s rough, demanding, and so far from the sweet kisses we parted with earlier.
He tastes the same way he did earlier tonight, only the alcohol on his breath is more prominent, which makes sense seeing as he just came from Z13.
He nips at my bottom lip before pulling away just far enough to stare into my eyes.
This close I can’t help but notice the bags under his. My thumb comes up and brushes under his tired, bloodshot eyes. “Hi.”
His boyish smile tugs at my heart as I get a glimpse of the little boy who was my best friend all those years ago. “Hi. You look exhausted.” His thumb mimics mine, running under my eyes that I know are almost black.
“So do you.” I grin back at him.
“Come on, Beautiful, let’s go to bed. I just want to hold you.
” As if I couldn’t melt for him any more.
I’ve never just been held by a man, especially one who means as much to me as Mac.
Even ex-boyfriends, I’m used to hooking up then kicking them out.
It’s a shitty thing to do, but I typically don’t like to be touched by people I don’t fully trust, and when you grow up like I did, you rarely trust at all, let alone fully.
I lead him into my bedroom, where I strip out of my sweatpants, leaving me in just a way-too-big hoodie and a pair of boy short panties.
Mac follows suit and strips down to his boxers.
Holy shit. I knew this man was irresistible, but the desire to get on my knees for him right now is almost too much to deny.
By the time I’m done checking him out, I find him smirking at me, his long hair hanging almost in his eyes.
The ink that starts at his wrists curls up his arms and over his shoulders.
His chest and stomach are bare of any ink, except for an intricate tattoo over his left pec.
It’s too dark in here to make out what it is, but I can tell it takes up most of the space.
“You don’t look like you want to sleep when you’re looking at me like that, Lee. Come on before my gentleman tether snaps.” The teasing in his eyes makes my heart jump, but he’s right. I am exhausted, and he looks seconds from falling on his face.
Climbing into my king sized bed, I make sure to scoot in enough so that he can slide in behind me.
Peeking over my shoulder, I watch him walk to the bedroom door and lock it before checking the locks on the windows.
After he seems satisfied that everything is locked, he takes his pistol and places it under his pillow before finally getting in bed.
He makes sure he’s closest to the door and wraps himself around me tight, making sure there isn’t an inch of space between his front and my back.
“Hey, Lee?”
“Yeah?” I yawn, about to let sleep take me under.
“Thank you for giving me a chance. I promise I won’t fuck it up.”
“You won’t, as long as we keep our rule.” I smirk, my eyes fluttering closed.
“We will. The truth, always.” He kisses behind my ear before burying his nose into my hair.
It isn’t long until sleep takes us both, and dreams of Mac flood my brain.