Page 51 of Until Ace

I also didn’t ask, since I didn’t think I had a right to pry.

But now, I want to know. Because I want to know everything about Ace. But also, it’s obvious it’s hurting him, and I want to heal that pain.

“That’s a tale for another time.” Something passes over his face, but it’s too fast for me to decipher it. “Now, we need to talk about your shit. You need to tell me everything, so I can fix it.”

“Ace, I can’t let you do that,” I say softly, a total hypocrite, since I was just thinking the same thing about fixing things for him.

“Why not?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, why not?”

“Because it’s a mess my brother made. Which means it’s my mess.”

“It’s not your mess.”

“It is.”

“Babe.”

“Ace.”

He shuts up and watches me, then out of the blue, he changes the topic.

“You need to call Ken and tell him what happened,” he says casually.

I tilt my head, looking at him and wondering where that came from, trying to detect if he knows anything and is keeping it from me. But there's no frown on his face, no tension in his body. In fact, it's the most relaxed I've ever seen him. His left arm starts drawing patterns on my back, making me relax in his hold, his right hand resting on my waist. The only thing that mars the picture is his eyes squinting every so often, as if he’s focusing on something. Then again, he’s been doing this since my mother and sister left, probably gauging my reactions or if I’m going to dissolve into tears in the next five minutes. It’s what a normal person would do.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because your apartment got broken into, all your things are destroyed, and last night, you told me it was because of your brother.”

“But that’s precisely why I have to go to work. I need the money.” I’ve decided to keep away from all my brother’s mess, but there is still fear of what will happen once the bad guys figure out, if they haven’t already, that they’re never getting their money. Or my body to pay off the debt. I need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. It will come. There’s no way Jim is going to pay up.

It’s going to fall on my shoulders.

Like always.

“Do you know who he owes the money to?”

“Not really, no. All he told me was that he owes money to some Russians and that they’ll get in touch with me.” After that, I was too scared to press for details. Who wouldn’t be?

Ace sends a quick glance my way. There’s something in his eyes I can’t decipher. Something unsettling. Something calculating. “And did they? Get in touch with you?”

“They sent me messages, but eventually they stopped. I thought—”

“You thought you were off the hook,” he finishes for me.

“Yeah, and then my brother started up with his texts and calls, and then all this happened.” I wave my hands around limply. All this, being my life blowing to smithereens. No big deal.

“Please tell me, for the love of God, you’re not still thinking about settling that debt?”

When I don’t say anything, Ace’s hands go around me, and he squeezes me to him. His face turns dark, his whole body going taut.

If I didn’t know how gentle he can be, how caring, if I hadn’t meet the Ace I did a few days ago, I would be terrified of him right now. Standing in front of me is a totally different man. One who any sane person would run screaming away from.

“Mandy, tell me you’re not thinking about doing it.”