Chapter 14
Marco
I don’t know what the hell is going on. The guys and me were released, but some rich fuck told me I needed to ride with him. I don’t know who the fuck he is or what the hell he has to do with anything, but I got in the damn car anyway.
We pull into an apartment complex, and I’m even more confused, but I go with it. The man climbs out and opens my door so I can get out as well.
“Tenth floor. Apartment two nineteen.”
“Who the fuck lives there?”
“My boss,” he replies.
“And who the fuck is your boss?”
“The man who sent me to bail you guys out. That’s all I’m allowed to say,” he says before getting back in the car.
I watch him pull away before I head into the elevator.
I don’t like not having my gun on me for this kind of shit.
It makes me nervous because I don’t know what the hell I’m walking into.
I ride the elevator up and then step out, knocking on the fucking door. My hands are clenched at my sides, ready for a fight if there needs to be one. I don’t expect him to answer the fucking door.
“Hey, Marco.”
“Is this some kind of sick joke? What the fuck?” I snap at him.
I haven’t seen him in years. We took two different paths back then.
I chose the crew who always had my back, while he chose the good life.
The motherfucker never looked back when shit went down with my mom and brother.
He didn’t come and check on me. He didn’t come and see if I was good.
No. He paid for the fucking funerals and kept to himself. So why now?
My eyes move around him when I see her sweatshirt.
“What the fuck?”
“Listen, something happened tonight. I have no idea what.”
“Is she here? Is Luna here? How the fuck do you know her?” I growl this time.
I’m ready to swing when he moves to let me in.
I storm through the door and start searching the place until he says she’s in the bedroom.
Anger slithers its way into my veins as I throw open door after door until I find her.
She’s lying there, curled into a ball, but still fully clothed, thank fuck.
I walk over slowly and reach out, touching her arm.
She screams and leaps up before she sees it’s me.
Then she’s throwing herself into my arms and clinging to me like she may never see me again.
And the cries? Fuck me. A woman crying has never affected me like this, but damn it, it’s my Chula.
It’s my girl, and I don’t know how to help her.
“You’re here,” she cries into my neck as I keep her wrapped in my arms. I’ve never felt this.
This emotion, this need. There are so many questions I need to ask, but right now, I know that she needs me.
And fuck. I need her. She’s become something that grounds me in the months I’ve known her.
She’s become someone I want around, and I need her to breathe.
“Chula, we need to talk.” I try to keep my tone as calm as possible, but standing in his house, I don’t know how to do that. Why is she here? How does she know him?
“I just need you to hold me, Marco. Please.”
“I got you. I’ll always have you,” I tell her, causing her to cry more. I carry her out of his room because frankly, I can’t stand the thought of her being in here. I walk out to the living room, where I drop onto the couch with her still clinging to me.
Damion clears his throat, and I raise an eyebrow. I’m not about to let her go. Not now. Not when she needs me the most.
“I suppose we need to sort this out,” Damion says.
“Yeah, starting with why the fuck she’s here,” I growl.
“She came to me, Marco. She needed help getting you out,” he answers.
“How the hell did she know about you?” Luna’s breathing has evened out, and I know she’s fallen asleep. It makes me wonder how long she’s been here and crying to wear her out this much. Nevertheless, I cradle her against me and keep her body as close to mine as I can get it.
“She doesn’t. We met once in the grocery store. She works for me,” he says.
“She works for you? You’re the asshole who gave her a job in the city?” He nods his head, running his hand through his hair.
“She needed work, and I offered her a job.”
“She doesn’t know you’re my brother?”
“No.”
“Fuck, Damion. Why the hell did you bail me out?” I ask now.
“For her.”
“What the fuck do you mean, for her?” I don’t like the sounds of this. And judging by the look on his face, I’m not going to like what he has to say either. I look down at Luna and pray to God that he doesn’t say what I think he’s going to say.
“It was only one time.”
“Only one time? It was only one time!” I roar loudly, but she doesn’t move.
I debate shoving her off my fucking lap and onto the goddamn floor, but there’s something there, something more that’s tugging at my goddamn chest, and I can’t do it.
Any other girl. If she were any other girl, I could walk away, but not her. Fuck! What kind of mess am I in now?
“Calm down before you wake her.”
“Fuck you, Damion. Always have to have everything right? Everything was always about you.”
“That’s not what this is, Marco.”
“Then what is it? Huh? It wasn’t enough you left my ass high and dry when mom died?”
“You wanted that life! You wanted to live that way, and I didn’t. Not anymore. I’d had enough. I saw enough, Marco! The night she killed our brother and then herself, that fucking ruined me. That night has taken so much from me.”
“And now you want her too,” I say, nodding toward Luna. Damion runs his hand over his face as he looks at her, which further pisses me off.
“I think it’s clear where her heart is, Marco.”
Now I look down at her, curled into my arms, clinging to my shirt even in her sleep.
“Where’d the money come from?” I ask him without looking away from her.
“She had it. I don’t know where she got it, but she had it.”
“I know where she got it,” I say without looking away from her. I’m pissed. She did it. She fucking ruined her goddamn life for me, and I hate her for it.
“Where?”
“There was a job Pete was setting up. I don’t know how she got him to let her do it without being crew.” Damion shakes his head and blows out a breath.
“She was hysterical when she got here. Screaming about having to get you out.”
“Fuck, Damion! This is what I do, right? I fucking ruin people. I ruined her,” I say, nodding toward the girl in my arms.
“You didn’t do it. She did.”
“Because of me. She did it because of me,” I remind him. I stand to my feet and walk back to his room, laying her on the bed and pulling the blanket over her. I look down at her for a long minute before walking back to the living room.
“She had this,” he says, holding up the bag. Yeah, that’s Pete’s shit.
“I fucked up.”
“We all fuck up, Marco.”
“But do we make the girls we love become killers? No. We don’t fucking do that, Damion!”
“You love her?”
“You know what? You’re better for her. Whatever you have to offer her, she deserves it. And so much more. Just don’t forget about her brother,” I say before I sigh. “He’s a lot like Manny was.”
“What are you doing, Marco? Don’t you walk away from her. Not after what she did for you.”
“How can I stay? How can I look at her and know what the fuck she did for me? I can’t repay that. I can’t make the nightmares go away, Damion.”
“You don’t have to. You have to be there when she needs you. You have to love her, hold her, remind her that everything is going to be okay.”
“Is it? She fucked my goddamn brother; she killed for me. For me, of all fucking people!” I roar louder this time. I can’t do this. I can’t handle it. I’m going to lose control, and it’s going to be Damion who gets hurt.
I turn and start for the door when I hear her.
“You’re leaving me?” I lower my head, looking down at my feet for a long second.
“What you did was stupid, Chula. So fucking stupid.”
“I needed you back,” she says softly. I take a deep breath and turn to face her.
“I can’t thank you. I don’t know how. What you did … it’s only going to haunt you now. It’s going to rip you apart inside and ruin your life, Chula.” She takes a step toward me, but I throw my hand up to stop her. “You deserve more.”
“I want you.”
“No. You don’t know what you want,” I tell her, my eyes moving to Damion and back.
“It was once, and I’m so sorry, Marco. We weren’t even together together. It shouldn’t have happened!” she yells, but it did happen. And she broke me by doing it.
“I’m sorry, Chula. For … everything. For getting you mixed up in this shit.
For … for everything.” Before I can stop her, she lunges and throws herself into my arms, crying.
My heart is breaking. I’ve never felt anything like this before.
I’ve never wanted anything like her before, and now that’s all ruined.
“Please, Marco. I’m sorry,” she cries harder now. I look at Damion and give a little nod. At first, he doesn’t come, but eventually he does. He pulls her out of my arms, and she fights him. God, does she fight him. I turn on my heel and start for the door when she yells once more.
“I did it for you! I’d fucking do it all again for you, Marco! I love you!” Her screams turn to cries as I walk out the door and step into the elevator.