Sin, page 18
“Apologies are empty when the actions prior hold malice. One thing is making a mistake, Lola, but when a person hurts you because they can—to make you feel small—that’s not love. Never give someone the power over you to do so, baby.” Mom cups my face, her smile sad. “Don’t make my mistakes.”
“I promise I won’t.” Leaning forward, I place my forehead against the cool marble. Lower my voice so Alton can’t hear me outside. “Besides, Malcolm won’t allow it. You’d love him, Mom. How he is with me. How he defends me.”
The heaviness I’ve felt since last night lightens with each word I share. With how I gush like any woman my age would with her mom when she falls...
Christ. That train of thought stops me.
I can’t lie to myself. Can’t deny that I feel something special for him.
“I think he’s my one. The guy you told me would come into my life and change it all.” A shadow appears at the doorway but doesn’t enter. Just stands there. “There’s so much I want to share with you, and I will...soon. For now, please know that I’m happy—that I’ve found peace away from Dad and Alton. I love you so much, Mom. Always.”
A few stray tears fall from my eyes, and I wipe them away. It’s always hard to leave here, but today there’s also hope blooming in my heart because for the first time in a long time, I’m not alone.
Standing from the floor and with one last touch to her grave, I walk out to face Alton and Dad. The two are standing close, whispering and looking like utter crap. How did I miss this when Alton apologized?
Their clothes are wrinkled. Unkempt.
Their hair is greasy and skin a bit pale.
Once I’m near, they stop talking while my brother gives me that pathetic look once more. “Can we go home and talk? I’m late for my next dosage of pain medication.”
“No.” Lowering my sunglasses over my face, I shrug. “If you need to go, then go. We can have this chat another day.”
“Don’t be difficult, London. We just—”
“Dad, stop. Not this time.” My eyes shift toward Gina and notice her hand at her side, how her eyes are on the men of my family. Alton notices her, while Dad looks toward the other end of the street and I’m not the least bit surprised when I spot Javier there. He’s casually leaning against the side door of his car, a grin on his face. It also explains why they didn’t barge inside and forcefully remove Alton. “I’m not interested in going to the house, but I’ll give you the chance to speak with me if you want, and I’ll give you plenty of time to go and get your meds. Meet me at Rojo’s today around five. Google it if you don’t know where it is.”
“Why can’t—”
“That’s perfect. See you there.” Alton gives Dad a hard look and reluctantly, he nods. They walk away after a few minutes of my silence. I’m sure my attitude is throwing them off, and it surprises me too, but feeling safe does that to a person.
If only this didn’t feel like a mistake.
Or worse, how do I get Gina and Javi to agree?
They’re already here when I enter the Mexican restaurant at 4:45 p.m. on the dot. Sitting at a table near the back, they spot me, and the company I keep, the moment we enter.
It’s the compromise Javier gave me.
They’ll sit away from us, but within visibility. I have to be easily reachable.
That, or it’s a no-go, and I agree with him. Alton’s apology isn’t making much sense—it goes against everything he stands for. In his egotistical mind, he’s never wrong, so saying the words I’m sorry causes a danger sign to flare across my processors.
It’s fake, no doubt about that, but why?
I slip into a chair across from Alton and Dad, giving them a tight smile. “Have you been waiting for long?”
“Just a few minutes,” Dad answers, picking up his drink of what looks to be pop, and taking a sip. “We got drinks but were waiting on you to order.”
“Have you eaten here before?” Alton opens his menu, flipping through the few pages in the binder. “Anything you recommend?”
“No, but I’ve driven by it a few times and it caught my eye.”
The waiter appears then, in his hand a tray with fresh chips and a couple small dishes with salsas. He places them in the middle of the table. “Hi, I’m Miguel and I’ll be your server today. What can I get you to drink, Miss?”
“An horchata is fine.” He nods, and before he can ask me what I want to eat, I hold a hand up. “I’m not going to eat here; I’ll be placing my order to-go a few minutes before I leave. Thanks.”
“Of course, you just let me know when you’re ready.” Turning his attention from me, he looks at them. “And for you two?”
“Why aren’t you eating with us? You chose this place.” Alton ignores the waiter, directing his attention to me. A flash of annoyance crosses his features, but he hides it quickly.
“Please choose something, London.” Dad isn’t happy either, he’s looking down at the menu, lips in a thin line as he makes his plea. A plea with a hidden edge of do as you’re told.
“No, thank you.” They hate my talking back. They hate anyone that challenges them.
Like Malcolm, who doesn’t take shit and won’t hesitate to let you know how beneath him you are.
“We don’t want to argue. That’s fine,” Alton says then, his expression back to that sad look he gave me at Mom’s grave. “I’ll have the chef’s taco tray; the six count is fine. Bring extra lime and another Modelo with them.”
“Of course, and for you, sir?” he asks, not looking at my father, busy jotting it all down.
“I’ll have a large chicken tortilla soup. That’s it.”
“Perfect. I’ll put this in now and be back with your drink, Miss.”
Once more the table goes quiet after the waiter leaves. It makes me wonder what’s the point to this. Why ask to talk and say nothing?
I take in a deep breath and let it out slow. “Why am I here?”
“We wanted to talk with you away from his influence. Try to make you see reason, Lola.” Dad shifts in his seat, grimacing when his arm hits the table’s edge. He pulls it toward his body, the sling digging into his shoulder—a shoulder where a small piece of bandage peeks out from the collar of his pullover. “He’s using you to get to us. It’s not love or whatever bullshit Asher said to turn you against us. Your family.”
“Really?” His words sting, but I keep my expression neutral. With them, I expect the attack. They want me to doubt myself. “Is that the best you can come up with?”
“London, he told us as much.” Alton grabs my hand atop the table, giving it a squeeze, and my body wants to recoil at his touch. I try to remove my hand from his grip, but he holds tight. “You have to believe us. You are nothing but a pawn in a sick game.”
“Let go of my hand.” I keep my voice strong. I’m a bit louder than usual so Javier and Gina can hear me. And they do. A chair scrapes against the flooring with the sound of footsteps following, getting closer to our table.
“London, a word please.” Gina leaves no room for argument as she reaches for my hand in Alton’s, and with a flick of the wrist, releases his hold.
I’m quick to stand, taking a few steps back while avoiding their gaze. “I need to visit the restroom anyway. Let’s go.” The bathrooms are across the restaurant, and we bypass an angry-looking Javier as we do. His phone is in his hand. Once inside, I turn to face her and let out the breath I’ve been holding since Alton touched me. “Thank you.”
“None needed.” Gina wets a wad of paper towels in her hand and places them on my forehead. “Next time your brother so much as breathes wrong, I’m shooting him. Anyone with a working neuron can see how uncomfortable you are with them.”
“I’m more upset by the crap they are trying to pull. The things they are saying about Malcolm.”
“Please tell me you don’t believe—”
“No, I don’t.” Giving her a soft smile, I turn around and open the faucet to splash some water on my face. The coolness feels amazing against my flesh and it calms me. Helps re-center me. After a few more minutes of quiet, I dry my face and neck. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
“You don’t have to. We can leave...just say the word.”
“I know.”
The restaurant is a bit fuller when we step out, with a large group blocking my way as I go back toward Alton and Dad. It forces me to walk around the group and staff helping them sit, putting me right behind their table where the two are oblivious to my presence.
“Fucking asshole has sunk his claws deep into her,” Alton spits out before taking a deep pull from the beer he was nursing. “She’s going to make this hard, and I’m taking it out on her ass the moment I get my hands on her. No more waiting.”
“Calm down, son.” Dad scratches his jaw, tilting his head toward an angry Javier watching them. “We can’t act now...they have her under tight surveillance.”
“Then when, old man? Because the longer we wait, the harder it will be.”
“Eyes on the prize. Remember that.” Marcus reaches over and grabs my drink, taking a few sips without shame. When the contents are halfway gone, he places the cup down, and turns to look over at the family with two screaming kids. “With the older cunt gone, the younger one won’t be a problem. Stick to the plan, Alton. We sell her virgin holes, take her inheritance, and keep the pathetic bitch as a personal slave to bring in money.”
“She’s mine.” Alton nods while it feels as though the floor beneath my feet has been taken from me. How can they be so cruel? How could I be so stupid to come here?
“Word.” It slips past my lips in a low whisper, almost drowned by the busy restaurant, but Gina hears. Without asking any questions, she walks with me to the table and helps me grab my purse from its place on the chair beside mine. She guides me out of the place, ignoring their protests and the call of my name.
Nothing registers as we make it outside and continue toward parking.
Not when we pass our car. Not when another door nearby opens.
Nothing, until a pair of arms I know pull me inside the backseat of a large SUV and settles me on his lap. His touch awakens me then. Breaks down every fucking wall that once stood around my heart, protecting me.
The moment he whispers in my ear I’ve got you, I break down.
26
SHE’S SHAKING. SOBBING.
Pouring out years of pain and anger caused by two assholes I’m going to kill. A slow death. Agonizing as I repay them with the same kindness they’ve given her.
The anger flowing through my veins is blinding. Consuming me while my limbs feel tight. Muscles tense—clenching as my desire for violence grows. It’s been building since I landed, and Javier told me where they were. Why they were here.
I tried being civil for her sake. They should be thankful to still be alive.
Yet, the moment I step out of town, the lowlifes came out to play. Whatever they said, hurt her. Broke down that final reinforced-steel-wall she hid behind to escape this pain.
And on the anniversary of her mother’s death.
“I’m sorry, Twirl. So sorry I didn’t make it back to you earlier,” I whisper into the crown of her head while wrapping my arms tight around her small frame. She’s against my chest, burrowing her face into my neck as the tears soak my collar. Her small, nimble fingers cling—hold on to the fabric of my shirt in a death grip as more teardrops flow. “Please don’t cry. Seeing you this upset is killing me.”
“No one dies from tears,” she mutters low, then hiccups. The sound is cute. “And I can’t stop them. Just so much—”
“I know.” The car slips into traffic easily, taking the route toward my home. There’s a minute nod against my skin and then a long, shuddering sigh. We don’t speak as my driver maneuvers around cars or when the occasional horn is honked.
We just stay as we are while I run my fingers up and down her spine in a gentle motion. It takes a while for her sobs to calm and for her breathing to even out, letting me know she fell asleep.
London is clinging to me while I offer her support. I inhale her soft scent, pulling the floral smell deep into my being as I try and keep my composure. The more she relaxes, the more my ire burns bright.
Knowing she’s resting gives me a chance to speak with Javier. He’s sitting in the front passenger seat and fuming. He cracks his neck then knuckles, body shaking a bit.
“What the fuck happened?” I hiss out from between clenching teeth, my jaw ticking as I fight to keep my voice low. The last thing I want is to wake her up.
“Alton grabbed her hand and wouldn’t let go...” he pauses, looking back at her with regret when she whimpers “...when we saw that, I got up and Gina took her to the bathroom. My eyes stayed on them the entire time after I sent the message, but they wouldn’t look at me. By the time they came back, London heard something, and Gina took her out. When the Fosters stood to follow, I threatened to shoot, and they sat back down. My focus was on removing her at all cost.”
“Okay.” Shifting her a bit so she’s more comfortable, I lay a kiss on her forehead. Then add another to her cheek that’s still wet with tears. “In forty-eight hours, I want everything back in her name. Enough with the childish games.”
“Consider it done.”
I give him a nod and then look back down at the gorgeous girl in my arms. Skin blotchy and a slight mess, she still takes my breath away. Stirs in me a protective side no one, not even my mother, has ever seen.
“I’m going to make this right,” I whisper against her temple. They’re going to pay for this in blood, and it’s time I start collecting.
“Welcome back to the land of the living, sleepyhead,” I say, startling her just inside the kitchen entrance, causing her to squeak. It’s a high-pitched sound that I find...cute. Makes me want to bite her just a little bit. “Are you hungry?”
I’ve been awake for hours thinking now, weighing my options. However, after speaking with Gina and knowing what she heard, it’s time we talk. No more waiting.
London needs to make a few tough decisions today. The first comes in signing her name on the dotted line of a few sheets of paperwork to regain the power over her future. I’ll always support her, but as my equal and not someone who lets fear dictate her life.
However, I know that will come with time. With my patience and helping her see that what they did—how they treated her—isn’t normal.
London narrows her eyes at me and huffs with a hand on her chest. “What are you doing hiding in corners?”
“It’s hardly hiding when I’m sitting here finishing my breakfast out in the open.” Pushing out a chair with my foot, I point to it with my fork. “Join me.”
Her fake annoyance melts and the pain resurfaces. “I’m just not hungry.”
Dropping my fork, I push my chair back and open my arms. “Come here.” Her bottom lip trembles, and she comes to me with no other prompting. With her in my lap, I take her chin with two fingers and turn her to look at me. Let her see the honesty in my words. “Please, let me take care of everything. Let me help you fix the mess they’ve made for you.”
“You spoke to Gina?” I nod, and she wipes away the two tears that have fallen. “How much worse is it than what I heard? How much do I need to prepare myself to hear?”
“I’m sorry, Twirl. I really wish it wasn’t this way.”
“Not your fault.” London leans into me, forehead on mine. Her exhale is sweet and minty on my lips. “To be honest, Malcolm, you’ve done more for me than I can ever repay and—”
“I take care of what’s mine. End of.” Taking her bottom lip between my own, I suck on the tender flesh before releasing. “Your happiness is what I’m after. It’s what gains me entry into my heaven...it gives me you.”
“I’ve been so lost...scared.” My girl takes a deep breath then and lets it out slow. The heavy sigh makes my own chest ache for her. For the weight those two assfucks are placing on her head. “Deep down I’ve always known something was off. With the way Marcus treated Mom. With Alton’s sick fascination with me. That’s not love. That’s a mixture of hate and gaslighting—machismo at its finest. They just wanted us to be subservient and docile so they could do as they pleased.”
“You’re brilliant, sweetheart. I have no doubt that you’d be long gone by now.”
Her small fingers play with the bottom of my shirt, absentmindedly swiping her pinky across my lower abdomen. My reaction is automatic, muscles clenching beneath her touch. “Do you think we would’ve met otherwise?”
“Of that I have no doubt.”
“Yeah?” Her watery eyes lighten a bit, and a small grin curls at her lips.
“Yeah.” Lowering my hand to her ass, I pat the luscious flesh so she stands. “Now, let’s get you fed and caffeinated before we continue with this talk. And before you say you’re not hungry...humor me.”
“Do I have a choice?” I’m happy to see that even with the world she knew crumbling around her, my Twirl still has her sass. That she’s not pushing me away.
She’s hurting, and before the day is over, it’ll only get worse. Today I’m staying home to show her what they’ve done—stolen from her. She’ll learn that her father isn’t Marcus and that Alton is a depraved son of a bitch.
They both are.
To free her, I have no choice but to break her heart.
I don’t answer her. Instead, I pick her up by the waist and I stand us up, only to place her in my seat. There’s a small huff, maybe even a slap to my shoulder, but she doesn’t fight me when I prepare her coffee or when I place a plate of cheesy eggs and toast in front of her.
“Eat, and come to my office when you’re done. I got a few emails to look at.”
“Eye, captain.” Twirl even gives me a mock salute.
“So bratty.”
“You like it.”
“I love it.” The words slip, but I don’t take them back. I do love her mouthiness and playful nature. Her positive outlook and hunger to experience everything life has to offer. “Now, eat up. You have thirty minutes before I come looking for you.”
