“You—” He pointed at Sergio. “—will not touch her.”
“Hmm…” Sergio winked in my direction. And the man officially had a death wish. “Shouldn’t that be up to her? Who am I to deny her if she asks?”
“She won’t,” Tex clipped. “Believe me.”
“But if she does?”
“She won’t.” Tex’s voice dripped with hatred, his hands shook at his sides. “Where do you get off coming into my house, touching my woman—?”
“Actually—” Sergio’s smile grew “It’s Nixon’s house, and last I heard, she wasn’t your woman… at least not legally. Funny, does the son of the dead Cappo suddenly think he belongs? After all these years?”
Tex’s face paled.
It was a liver shot.
A kidney shot.
A low blow.
Because I knew that deep down Tex never felt like he belonged, like he fit in.
“So maybe it’s your turn to listen.” Sergio pushed at Tex’s chest. “You have no one. Nobody. Your real family doesn’t know what to do with you, and your new family’s forced to claim you. And you’re pissed because I kissed a girl I happen to like? Damn, boy, you may as well have peed on her. Would have been more subtle. But here’s the thing, while your eyes drip with hatred, while you direct every single ounce of strength towards strangling the life from me, maybe you should pause and ask yourself. If she’s really yours, why the hell was she kissing me back?”
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands as shame washed over me.
Tex sucked in a large breath, like he’d just gotten sucker punched and wasn’t able to exhale.
“Good talk.” Sergio smirked. “Now, if Nixon isn’t busy, I should probably go help, you know, since we’re actually family.”
With that, Sergio pushed past Tex and stalked down the hall.
Leaving me in a tense silence with Tex.
“Tex, I—”
Tex held up his hand. “Save it.”
“But you don’t understand. I think if I explained—”
He let out a bark of laughter. “Explained what exactly? Hmm, Mo?” He moved towards me, his eyes full of hurt. “How bad it sucks that while I’m pissed as hell that you put me in this position—I still wish it was really my child you were carrying? How now that I’ve seen you and Sergio together, all I keep wondering is what type of bastard doesn’t take responsibility for his actions? Or how about this? I’ve been on my knees, bleeding out, apologizing, falling all over myself, willing to go to the depths of Hell and back for you, and you thank me by kissing that ass**le, only a few feet away from me? Right okay, sure, you have the floor. Please, Monroe, go ahead, try to explain.”
I opened my mouth. “ I—” Nothing but a garbled, cracking noise came out, making me sound more guilty than ever.
I had nothing. His assumptions worked because they were so far from the truth—when I agreed to do what I was doing, I hadn’t known the cost. All I could focus on was keeping Tex safe, keeping the family safe.
But I’d had no idea what it would cost me.
In a way Sergio had made it too easy for me to keep lying, to keep everyone in the dark.
“You’re right,” I whispered. “I’m sorry. You have to know how sorry I am.” I begged him with my eyes.
He looked away as if too disgusted to even make eye contact. “I’m going out, don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“Tex!” I gripped his arm. “It isn’t safe!”
“Safe?” he snarled then threw his head back and laughed. “Right, and you’re so worried about my safety?” His eyes narrowed in on my hand. “Let go, Mo. I’m serious.”
I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, but I was still terrified as I watched the muscles in his arm twist and expand; he was barely in control of himself.
“No.” My voice quivered.
He cursed and pried my hand away from his arm. “Do me a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Stop it.” His voice was hoarse. “Stop pretending to care, Mo. I can’t… I just…” He shook his head. “I can’t do this, whatever this—back and forth thing is. I can’t do it. Hell, if you want Sergio go to Sergio. Apparently we aren’t even legally married.”
“What?” Oh no, no, no, no, that was the deal!
He shrugged. “You’re free. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for punishment, so I’ll still do whatever it takes, but this, whatever this is between us—” He pressed his lips together. “It’s done.”
The jackhammer in my chest squeezed my lungs, making it impossible to breathe, as though he literally reached inside me, wrapped his hands around my heart and squeezed until every last drop of blood pulsed out of it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Drinking the memory of someone away? Doesn’t work.
Tex
THE DOOR SLAMMED behind me as I went to the garage and got into the Range Rover. The engine growled to life, and I peeled out of the driveway. What really sucked? I was making my getaway in Nixon’s SUV. Sure, I had my pick of any of the cars at his house. But the truth of the matter was this.
They were his cars.
His house.
Could I afford my own shit?
Hell, yeah, I could. But what was the point? What was the point of anything? I buy an expensive-ass car for what purpose?
I pushed down on the accelerator once I got onto the main road, the car increasing its speed until I was going around a hundred.
My phone rang.
“What?” I barked into it.
“Tex!” Nixon’s voice was sharp. “What the hell man? We have shit to do.”
“You have shit to do. I have shit to forget.” I pressed end and slammed the phone on the dash as I accelerated even more.
I passed car after car, the speed doing nothing to make me feel better about the sinking feeling in my stomach, or even about the ache in my heart.
Finished—I was finished with her. A man can only take so much and I’d just hit my limit. Visions of Sergio’s hands on her body, his mouth touching her lips, and the simple truth that she was given every opportunity to push him away.
Rather than hold him close.
With a curse, I pulled into the parking lot of Slim, one of the bars I frequented. It was a hole in the wall biker bar that had seen better days, but it was mine. Pathetic. The one thing I owned in this universe and it was a shitty bar.