Page 19 of Abe (Marked Skulls MC 3)
“Alexis…” I said her name and she shook her head.
“No, please, Abe, let me just say it,” she interrupted me and I clenched my jaws with frustration. I didn’t want to hear the words.
“The simple thing is, that I trust you. You’ve won. I trust you with Oz and I…I trust you with me,” she began and I followed her every movement with my eyes. I wished she hadn’t said that, because now it would make it even harder for me to turn her away. I had nothing to give her other than misery.
“And…regarding you and me. It’s crazy for me to even admit it, but I don’t want to pretend like nothing is happening between us,” she continued and I took a few solid steps towards her. She stopped talking and looked up at me with her large nervous eyes. I could see that it was draining her of her resources; to say all this to me.
“Alexis, just stop talking!” I grunted and she gulped.
I ran a hand through my hair and sighed deeply.
“You shouldn’t have said anything before you heard what I had to say, because I’ve been thinking too,” I told her and her lips parted gently. I had an idea of what she was expecting to hear, but she was going to be disappointed.
“I’ve decided that this needs to stop,” I stated.
Alexis clamped her mouth shut again and raised her chin up to glare at me. There was no anger behind those eyes this time, she just looked like someone who had been trampled over.
“Well, if you’ve decided already, then I have nothing more to say,” she said and I pushed my hands into the pockets of grease-stained jeans.
“I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you, that was never my intention but I think we should stop…doing what we’re doing,” I said and she flared her nostrils at me, looking proud.
“Stop fucking, you mean?” she snapped.
“I just don’t want you to think that this could turn into something else, and the right thing to do would be to end it between us before I hurt you more,” I said and Alexis nodded her head and looked away from me.
I could see it in her eyes that I was already hurting her, that I was insulting her, but she was trying to keep her pride.
“Good, because that was what I came here to tell you anyway,” she said. I stared at her, hopeful that she was telling the truth. If she wanted to end things between us anyway, then me doing it first wouldn’t have made much of a difference…but she looked like she was hurting.
“Alexis…” I said and stepped towards her. That feeling of needing to hold her washed over me again, but she backed away from me.
“You don’t need to apologize to me, Abe. You’ve done me a favor,” she said, and with that, she turned from me. I watched her walking out of the garage, and I listened for the sound of her car backing up and then driving away.
What I should have felt, was relief. That it was over. That I wouldn’t be responsible for messing up her life anymore; but what I felt was an emptiness. It was like I was addicted to her, and now I was going cold turkey. My craving for Alexis was already filling my veins and lungs.
I paced around the garage, trying to keep my hands busy so that I didn’t smash something. She said this was what she wanted! And I had no other choice but to believe her.
I looked around for my phone and when I found it, I dialed Vanity’s number. She answered on the third ring. She sounded like she had been sleeping.
“Finally! I’ve been waiting for your call,” Vanity said groggily. The moment I heard her voice, I wished it was Alexis instead.
“Yeah, I’ve been busy,” I told her, rubbing a hand exhaustedly over my face.
“You’re always busy. Are you at the house? I’ll come over if you want, or you can come over to mine. Don’t worry, I don’t have anyone here with me. I’m all yours now,” she said with a giggle.
“Vanity, listen. It’s over,” I said, a growl was rising up in my throat.
“What are you fucking talking about?” her sugary sweet voice had taken on a different tone pretty quickly.
“I’m talking about us, us fucking, you turning up at my place. Everything. It’s over. I don’t give a shit who you invite to your apartment,” I barked into the phone.
“It’s her, isn’t it? It’s that fucking bitch! I knew you were fucking her and now she has her claws in you. You think you’re suddenly going to turn into some good little loyal boyfriend?” Vanity was screeching and I cut the call.
I didn’t want to hear her voice ever again.
Chapter 20
Alexis
When I returned to the apartment, I found Oz in the kitchen.
“I was just about to make some coffee, do you want one?” he asked. I smiled weakly at him and nodded.
I sat down at the kitchen table and watched him making two mugs of coffee and then empty a box of cookies on a plate. I could sense that he wanted to talk, which was high time because we hadn’t ever gone so long without talking.
Oz sat down across from me, cradling his mug of coffee.
“You’ve been waking up early these days,” I said, arching an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes.
“Please, sis, don’t start…” he exclaimed and I smiled.
“I’m just saying that’s a good thing,” I told him and he picked up a cookie and munched, strewing crumbs all over the front of his t-shirt.
“I thought we could talk, like, about everything that’s been going on between us. I need you to look at things from my perspective because you’re my sister and I care about your opinion,” he began.
I nodded my head and took a sip of the coffee, to which Oz had added too much sugar.
“I’m all ears,?
? I told him with a smile on my face and he looked surprised. He was expecting a fight, but it wasn’t coming.
“Look, sis, I want to join the Marked Skulls MC. Abe is a great mentor, he’s taking me under his wing and showing me the ropes. I think if I can learn from him, then I’ll be very good at it,” he said and I nodded my head some more.
“Very good at what?” I asked and Oz looked about the kitchen nervously.
“You know, at the business,” he replied. I smiled at him again.
“You can relax, Oz, I’m not trying to fight you on this. I get it. You’ll be good at whatever it is that the MC does. Dealing drugs and illegal things and offering businesses protection and other such things,” I said and Oz ran a hand through his ginger hair. He had no idea how much he looked like dad. He didn’t remember him.
“Yeah, exactly, that sort of stuff,” he said. I took another sip of my coffee while he stared at me, expecting me to say something more.
“And it’s not just that sis, I think the Marked Skulls are headed towards greatness. They’re trying to get into some big scale business and we’re all going to end up making a lot of dough,” he continued and I looked at him with my lips pursed. How did he not know yet, that I had never cared about the money? I cared about his safety.
“Once I make some money, we can move out of this shit-hole, move into a big ass house, like the kind you want. Maybe we can move to a better neighborhood, so you can stay out of it. I don’t want you to get involved in anything that you don’t want,” Oz said and I looked at him sharply.
“As long as my brother is involved in it, I will be too…that’s the way these things work. I remember from when we were kids and dad was trying to get into the same thing,” I said and Oz glared at me from under his heavy brows.
“I’m not dad. I have Abe and the backing of an entire MC. I’m never going to be alone in this like dad was,” he retorted and I nodded my head.
I reached for Oz’ hand and squeezed it warmly.
