Chapter 24
Max
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
The obnoxious vibrating of a phone woke me out of a deep sleep. Groaning, I tightened my grasp around the body beside me. I pressed my face into her neck, inhaling the sweet floral scent of her perfume. It smelled like the one Audrey used to wear all the time.
Wait…
“Audrey?” I murmured, her name slipping from my lips as my eyes popped open.
I picked my head up and looked down at the women beside me to make sure it was the one I was thinking of.
I remember coming to her house after my fight.
Her soft hands on my skin as she patched me up.
The look on her face when I came clean about the shit I’ve gotten myself into.
Everything after was a bit of a blur. By then, my body was too tired and sore to stay alert. Usually, it starts running on auto-pilot, and I’m back in my own bed by the time I’m running it manually again.
I had no idea I’d still be in her bed, holding her.
Sleeping peacefully in my arms, she blew out tiny snores. The sunlight creeping in through the window brushed over her cheeks, casting a golden glow over her brown skin. The tiny freckles splattered across her nose and upper cheek glimmered underneath it.
Sighing, I lay my head back down, pressed my nose in the crook between her neck and shoulder, and squeezed her tight. I wasn’t sure if she’d ever let me hold her like this again, so I needed to make the most of it.
My phone blared again on the nightstand near the opposite side of the bed, cutting the moment short.
Reluctantly, I turned onto my side to grab it. I was going to turn it off until I saw my father’s name across the screen. “What?” I murmured as I answered, keeping my voice as low as possible to not wake Audrey.
“Meet me at my spot,” my father barked. “Now.” He hung up before I could reply.
Bastard, I thought as my arm flopped back down against the bed. He would be the one to ruin the moment I was trying to have.
I looked at Audrey’s back and debated staying for a few minutes longer. But, my dad sounded like he already had an attitude, and I wasn’t in the mood to hear his mouth if being late made it worse.
I slid out of the bed and grabbed my clothes off the floor. Quietly, I pulled on my shirt and pants. As I stepped into my shoes, I heard the soft rustle of the covers. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Audrey rolling over in her bed.
Only a sliver of her amber irises were visible in her narrowed gaze. “Max?” She whispered groggily. “Where are you going?”
“I have some errands to run.”
“But, you need to rest. Your body-”
“I’ll lay down later.”
The covers rustled again. Then, her arms were slithering around my waist.
I froze as she pressed her forehead against my back.
“Please stay,” she murmured. “For me.”
Sighing, I turned around to face her.
In our new position, she leaned her chin against my chest and stared up at me.
Golden light poured over her face, illuminating her amber eyes and plump lips.
Her lips pulled into a small pout, and she silently extended the invitation again.
There was nothing I wanted more than to accept it, but I really couldn’t.
I’d have to make it up to her another time.
I lay my hand on her cheek and caressed her skin with my thumb. “I’ll text you later,” I promised.
Her eyes fell, failing to hide their disappointment. She rose up from the bed and followed me to the window. “You can go through the front door,” she told me. “My fathers might not be up yet.”
“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”
A smile finally graced her lips as she watched me slip out of the window and onto the ladder. She continued to stare as I climbed down. “Please be careful - and ice your eye when you get home!”
I nodded, but truthfully, I was thinking about coming right back here so she could do it for me.
Audrey was still waiting by the window when my feet finally touched the ground. Her smile was slowly dimming, transforming from content to worry. She tried to hide the latter as she waved goodbye.
I waved back before hurrying out of the yard.
The ride to my father’s casino wasn’t long enough. After the morning I had, dealing with his bullshit was the last thing I wanted to do.
The loud roaring of vacuums greeted me as I walked past the security at the front door and onto the main floor.
Cleaners shuffled around the room, vacuuming the floor, wiping down the slot machines, and resetting the cards and chips on the game tables.
None of them spared a glance at me as I walked through the room.
Most of the workers were unaware of the true business my father conducted here, but the few who did made sure to keep the others in the dark.
I’m not sure what was said to keep them in line, but it was enough to keep them from looking at or speaking to anyone who walks through.
I headed up to my father’s office first, but it was empty. If he wasn’t in there, then he was in the basement.
Reluctantly, I trotted back down the steps and headed down to the underground level. Again, I was met with more security guards. Wordlessly, they moved aside and let me through to the hallway.
I passed by the rooms with the whirrs of the money counters and quiet chatter. Usually, my father occupied the one with the screams.
The farther I walked down the hall, the more I could hear the harsh thuds of pounded flesh and moans of pain. It was coming from the room all the way at the end. At least one guard stood in front of all the rooms. This one had two.
Neither one of them spoke as I reached for the doorknob and let myself in.
The copper scent of blood filled my nose the second I stepped through the doorway. Over time, I’ve become used to the smell. The urge to scrunch my nose is long gone now.
Strapped to the chair in the middle of the room was a man not much older than me with long locs and a tattoo under his swollen eye. He let out an inhuman scream as a sledgehammer came crashing down on his hand.
My father stood on the other side of the weapon, clutching the wooden handle tight with his gloved hands. Ignoring the man’s screams, his eyes darted to me. Burning with blue fire, they raked over my bandaged face and hands. “So the rumors are true,” he muttered. “You have been up to no good.”
My hands instinctively balled into fists. Keep a cool head, I told myself. Don’t take that hammer and ram it into his skull.
He picked the sledgehammer off the man’s hands. “What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself in now, mijo?” He whipped the hammer down again. This time, the sound of crushing bone accompanied the man’s screams.
“It’s not trouble,” I insisted. “The fight last night was about me protecting my girl.”
He dropped the sledgehammer and walked towards me. “Hm, so that’s all it takes to rile you up? Some pussy?”
“She is not just ‘some pussy’,” I growled, closing some of the distance between my father and me. “She’s my girl.”
My father raised a brow. “Oh yeah? Because last time I checked, she didn’t have a ring on her finger.”
“She doesn’t need one to have my dedication. Just because you didn’t respect your woman doesn’t mean I don’t respect mine.”
As soon as the words left my lips, his hands were around my neck. He pushed me back against the wall and gave my throat a tight squeeze. “You listen here, you little shit,” he growled, his eyes livid. “Just because you’re my blood doesn’t mean you’re not disposable.”
“Clearly,” I muttered despite the lack of air. “You threw away the other one with no regrets.”
“He was a mistake. You are my legacy.” Giving me a harsh shove against the wall, he added, “Don’t ever get that shit twisted.”
I refrained from coughing as he finally released my neck and allowed fresh air into my lungs. Scowling, I rubbed my sore muscles.
“Now,” my father said, strolling towards the inventory of weapons hanging on the opposite side of the wall. He glanced over his options before picking up a sharp blade. “Let me show you how to really take care of your enemies.”
“No, no, please,” the man whimpered as my father stalked up behind him. “Just let me go. Please. I promise it won’t happen again. Please!”
Ignoring his pleas, my father placed his hand over his forehead and tilted his head back.
I grimaced as he shoved the tip of the knife against the opposite side of his neck and dragged the blade straight across.