Chapter Thirteen
C ross pushed a cart as they walked through the department store, looking at clothes for her. It had been a long time since she had gone shopping, so fashion wasn’t on her radar at all. She was fine with jeans or sweats, but Cross seemed to have other ideas. In addition to the casual wear, he chose dresses, skirts, blouses, and cute t-shirts. Next were panties and socks, followed by shoes. Lorelei hated that he spent money on her, but every time she tried to put something back, he scowled at her and put it back into the cart. It made her feel better when he also grabbed some new clothes for himself.
Once they were done shopping, he led her back to the SUV Jeremiah gave them, and all the bags went into the trunk. Then he led her down the street into a pizza place for lunch. When she sat down in a booth, he scooted in next to her.
“I used to come here all the time,” he said, unfolding the menu resting behind the condiments on the table. He laid it down before her. “Great food, and they used to let me drink beer when I was underage.”
“Oh my God!” a woman practically shouted, making everyone turn as she barreled toward them. “Aera Cross! Where the hell have you been?”
“Everywhere except Vegas.”
The woman cackled. Silver-streaked hair was piled on her head in a bouffant. Glasses perched on her nose, with a chain on each arm of it. Athletic socks were pulled up to her knees where her dress uniform ended, and sneakers were on her feet. “And who is the lovely lady by your side?”
“This is Lorelei,” Cross said. “And this loudmouth is Doreen.”
Doreen winked at her. “You’re just about the prettiest girl to ever step foot in this joint.”
Lorelei smiled and waved.
“We’ll have my usual, if you can remember that.”
Cross smirked, so Doreen smacked him on the back of his head. “Don’t get smart, or I’ll have to tell Lorelei all about your eighteenth birthday.”
“Fuck,” Cross muttered. “You know how to hit a man right where it counts, you know that?”
Doreen winked at her. “One pepperoni with mushrooms coming right up.”
She sashayed her way to turn in their order, so Lorelei cocked her head and stared expectantly at him. Cross cursed under his breath.
“Fucking Doreen,” he said with a fond but exasperated sigh. “On my eighteenth birthday I was higher than a fucking kite, and someone slipped a laxative into my beer. I ended up practically shitting my intestines out in the bathroom while trying not to puke from the weed I smoked.”
Mirth filled Lorelei and she grinned.
Doreen came back with a beer for both of them, but Cross shook his head.
“No beer for her,” he said, handing the bottle back. “Lorelei will have soda.”
Doreen put a hand on her hip. “Can’t the lady speak for herself?”
“No, because she can’t speak.”
Her face softened and gave Lorelei a gentle smile. “I’ll bring your soda with the pizza.”
Doreen took the bottle and left, heading back into the kitchen. Lorelei had no problem with Cross taking over. It had been so long since she’d been out in the world that most things confused her. She hadn’t even known the world went through a pandemic until the doctor had told her last night.
The pizza arrived and Doreen sat a soda down in front of her before heading off to take care of more customers. Cross plated a slice and laid it in front of her.
“I like this, you know,” he said in a low voice.
She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.
“I like taking care of you,” he elaborated. “I like being your decision-maker, and it surprises me because I never thought I’d be into that. But it settles something in me. Like how you took away the noise in my head. I know you might want to explore the world since you were denied it for so long, and it’s probably wrong for me to want to keep you by my side. But I want to continue this. I want you to always be with me, Lorelei.”
For one moment, she thought about going her own way, but she felt safe with Cross. Something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. She picked up his hand and kissed the back of it, then nodded her agreement and laid her head on his shoulder. She also liked their dynamic, and couldn’t imagine leaving him for anything.
****
C ross stood at the passenger side, watching as Lorelei hugged Jeremiah and then Evren goodbye. They looked a little uneasy, and he completely understood. None of them had love or softness growing up. They weren’t hugged or tucked into bed at night. No one read stories to them, or drove them to school. He hadn’t even finished high school. All that was left for them was anger. The world had fucked them up, and it had taken an especially dark toll on him. Most of his life had been spent trying to outrun the beatings his father had given him. When he’d been a scrawny kid, he’d been helpless to defend himself. He’d had to keep all his rage bottled up until it had turned into noise, becoming the blueprint for adulthood.
Without the static blaring in his head, it was easy to bury the memories. Thinking about the abuse gave them life, and he refused to resurrect the dead. Now, this tiny slip of a woman had given him something he never realized he needed. She was his purpose. Someone to focus on, other than himself and his fucked-up past. Some people might not understand this desire to be her decision-maker, and it wasn’t about controlling her. He simply wanted to make damn sure she was safe and happy.
“Sax passed along his goodbye,” Jeremiah told him.
“Where is he?”
“Haven’t a clue,” he admitted. “He headed out this morning and said he’d be back later. You know how he is.”
“Yeah.”
Out of all of them, he and Saxon had a need to move. Perhaps they were trying to outrun the painful memories of their childhood. Only, Sax kept returning to the scene of the crime.
Lorelei joined him and he held the door open for her. When she sat down in the passenger seat, he leaned over to buckle her up. He closed the door and faced his brothers once more.
“Your bike should be there when you arrive,” Evren said.
When Jeremiah gave him the SUV, he was grateful because he didn’t want to subject Lorelei to the seven-hour drive from Vegas to Reno on the back of a motorcycle. Plus, all the new clothing they’d bought. Jeremiah had advanced him his first paycheck, and damn, this was the first time he was earning money the legal way.
Evren handed a small box to Lorelei. “It’s a phone with all the bells and whistles. You’re going to need to keep in touch with Aera through text.”
She smiled and nodded her thanks.
“Thank you,” Cross said, first to Evren and then to Jeremiah. “For everything. And you know I don’t say that shit easily. I’ll check in daily. Tell you how it’s going.”
“The manager, Torrance, knows you’re in charge of security.”
“Okay. See you whenever.”
He slid behind the wheel, gave a wave, and then they were off on their next journey.