AllFreeNovel
Share Us
This isn’t the first time he’s mentioned someone else. So far, me and my brothers have brushed it away as nothing, but now… Hearing the conviction in his voice, I can’t help but wonder if there’s more to it. Clearly, I’m not the only one thinking this. Mia becomes rigid as Neil keeps shouting about making us pay.
“You never answered my question, Neil.” She snarls. “Do. You. Regret. Killing. Mark?”
“Fuck, fine. No, I don’t regret killing the fucker. He was in our way, and you should let that be a lesson to all of you. Once I’m free, I’ll slowly kill all your boys in front of you.” Each word from Mr. Riley’s mouth is acidic.
Mia turns around in my arms, resting her head on my shoulder, and I feel each exhaled puff on my skin. I feel rather than see the smile as she says, “Thank you for being honest.”
“How are you doing today?” CJ asks as he pulls Mia into a hug.
She giggles and smiles at him, making me wonder if I’m the only one who notices that the smile doesn’t reach her eyes and the sound has a false undertone. “I’m better now that you’re here.” Resting her head against CJ’s shoulder, she lets him hold her, but the contemplating look from the basement remains in her eyes.
I decide not to point it out, at least not in front of her. “Alright, come on, you two. We should move this into the living room,” I say, not wanting to allow Mia to dodge the conversation I know she doesn’t want to have.
“Sure, lead the way,” CJ says, taking Mia’s hand.
Instead of sitting on the couch, I take a seat at our dining table and wave for Alec to join me. Maybe it isn’t relevant where we sit, but I want us to focus on the funeral arrangements. I know that if we’re all on the couch, Mia will sit on one of us, and then, hello, distraction.
“What’s going on?” CJ looks around with a confused look on his face, and Mia stares into space as if her mind is a million miles away.
Looking up from the water bottle he’s strangling in his hand, Alec says, “I’d like to know that as well.” Judging from his tense tone, our earlier talk didn’t help ease his mind. Great.
“Sweets, would you like to explain?”
My words must pull her from wherever her thoughts were because she pulls her legs up so she can rest her chin on them and looks at CJ. “Umm… So, we were talking about what to do for Mark’s funeral. He doesn’t have any other family, so it would probably only be us—and maybe people from the club.” Her breath saws out of her, and her shoulders slump. “But I’m going to ask my parents to attend on Sunday.”
“Really?” CJ says, surprise coating the one word.
Mia sets her gaze on CJ and says, “Hmm, yes, I think that would be nice. They’ve met Mark before, and I think my mom even kind of liked him. Maybe. Come to think of it, she probably didn’t. But he was always mindful and respectful of them, so it’s time for them to repay the favor.” Her voice grows more and more steely as she talks, and when she looks at me, I see the determination in her eyes.
“Why are you skating around what Kas was hinting at earlier?” Alec asks. “CJ’s lunch break is only so long, so it would be nice to get to the point.”
Nodding, Mia gives my grumpy brother a polite smile. “Sorry, it’s just hard for me to talk about. I mean, I don’t even know where to start… I haven’t exactly told many people about it.”
CJ reaches toward Mia and takes her hand in his. Alec takes the other hand and murmurs a lame apology for being so pushy, which I think is an enormous step.
“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to.”
Shaking her head, Mia says, “But I do, though. The only reason Kas knows is because he went with me to see them for my dad’s birthday. Please don’t think I was keeping it a secret from the two of you and only wanting him to know.” Sighing, she lets go of both of my brothers’ hands and wraps her arms around herself as if she needs to hold herself together physically.
Shit, this is harder on her than I thought it would be. The realization makes me feel like a giant turd for being the one to suggest this conversation. Surely, this means one more point for Mia on my mental scoreboard. Fuck that. The score is now Mia, one hundred and Kas two. I can’t even remember if those numbers are correct. Regardless, she deserves at least ninety for having this conversation and even getting out of bed after Mark was killed right in front of her.
“My mom doesn’t exactly approve of my profession, or rather, my former profession.” Self-consciously shaking her head, Mia averts her eyes.
Hmm, I guess that’s yet another thing we should get around to talking about. What do any of us want to do now? I know we need to move forward with the fundraising for Second Chances, but I also feel like we need to help her find something else to do—unless she wants to go back to stripping. I can’t claim I would be happy if that’s the case. I hide my hands underneath the table so no one can see my clenched fists. The mere thought of her ever rubbing against anyone else makes me angry. The choice isn’t ours, however, it’s Mia’s—and as much as I want to tell her that being a stripper is no longer an option, she needs something to occupy her mind more than I need to tell her what she can or can’t do.
But fuck… Hearing that she’d given anyone a pleasurable ending was—and still is—a hard pill to swallow. Even though I don’t feel that she cheated, the news did shatter something. I don’t want to say it broke my trust in her because CJ is right. In some places, that’s just part of the job. So this is probably something we should have talked about a long time ago, because I don’t want my girl to rub on anyone else but myself and my brothers.
I’m guessing that Mr. Riley will be her new hobby for some time, and there’s no doubt she deserves it. But I can’t let that be her only focus.
There’s also our current living situation. With Mr. Riley safely secured in our basement, Mia can go home if she wants to. Granted, I’d much prefer to keep her here. Though I only want her to stay here if she wants to, I want it to be her decision, and I’m not sure she’s realized she has options.
“Go on.”
“Just spit it out.”
CJ and Alec speak up simultaneously, and I have to swallow back a laugh at their predictability.
The devastating look on Mia’s face is too much, and I’m unable just to sit back any longer. “Come on, Alec, don’t be so dense. Why do you think Mia’s family hasn’t been here to visit her? Or that she didn’t see them when we met up in New York not too long ago? Or how about this, why do you think it’s never her mom when her phone rings? If you’re still not feeling warm, try this for size. Why the fuck do you think our girl never asked her family for help when Neil was using her?” Mia gasps when I mention her former boss, and I have to admit that might have been taking it too far.
