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TWENTY-FOUR
‘ENDLESS CRIME’ XHOANA X
Luce
Iget my mother settled in my apartment, stationing two guys at her door and a few guys outside the apartment building. Until we have whoever the fuck Pink was working with in our hands, I’m not taking any chances. I did try to get her to stay in Gio’s apartment with us, but my mother is a very private person and she loves her space, so my apartment will have to do. Thankfully it’s in the same building as Gio’s so I’ll be able to get to and from both units quickly.
“You can take up the guest bedroom, Ma. I’ll have the house fixed by the end of next week, I promise.” I tell her as I place her bags on the dresser beside the door.
I try to speak lightly, hoping she doesn’t see the burning rage beneath my surface, but she’s no fool, and her eyes catch everything.
“Luce,” she stops me from leaving the room, “come sit with me for a minute.”
I really don’t want to, but when Lucinda asks you to do something, you damn well do it. I sit beside her on the mattress and rub at my eyes. This fucking day, which started out pretty damn good, has turned into a shitstorm that will go down in history. I just want to go back to the cell and cut pieces out of Alan until he tells me who the fuck he and Pink were working with.
“That young woman, Lexi,” she starts taking my hand, “she means something to you, yeah?”
Boy, is that an understatement, but right now, all I can see is the trouble she’s brought. It doesn’t make me want her any less, it only makes me wary of what will happen next, or who I will lose next. It’s not her fault in the least, but anyone with a modicum of intelligence would see that Lexi doesn’t carry baggage, she carries a whole fucking trailer of trouble, and it’s touching my home. I’ve already lost my sister, and now I’ve almost lost my mother.
“Yeah, she does, but you raised me to go slowly, to stop and weigh my feelings versus the outcome. I’m doing that now, and I’m not sure if I should move forward with her, or cut it off now.”
My mother pats my hand, “I also raised you not to run away from problems.”
I toss my head back and stand from the bed, “Run away? I almost lost you today, Ma. You could have been killed because of my connection to Lexi, who by the way, already has love with Gio. She’d lose nothing if I walked away. If I stay, I could lose you too.”
“But you didn’t lose me, son,” she stands to her full height that still only reaches my chin and cups my face, “because your woman saved me. She covered my body with hers and hid me in the closet. But she didn’t hide with me, no, no, she went into the fray and killed the man who would have so easily killed me.”
My mind reels at that, not that it’s a surprise Lexi would be so selfless, but that she fought to protect my mother by taking the life of someone. Granted, I’ve seen her do it once before, but that was against a man who was already down and basically harmless to her. There’s a giant difference between that and jumping into a firefight, facing an enemy who is on even ground with you.
I knew Lexi had changed since being kidnapped, but I hadn’t realized she’s become someone similar to me. The things I went through with my own father, sick and twisted things I’ve fought hard to forget, changed me and made me someone who cares very little -if at all- for human life. The only people I care for are my family and friends. Lexi is now damaged like me, her soul black and cold, but her heart continues to beat for us.
Still, that doesn’t erase the fact that until this is all over, my mother is in danger alongside me.
She must see the doubt in my eyes because she smacks my cheek quickly, the small sting surprising the shit out of me.
“What the hell was that for?” I ask her, rubbing my cheek as she puts her hands on her hips.
“You’re being a damn fool, that’s what. You knew exactly what trouble chased that girl, and you still coveted her, did you not?” I open my mouth to answer her, but she cuts me off, “I am not done speaking! The answer is yes, you sure as hell did, but now that things get tough, you want to run away. You’ve led that girl into a place where you mean something incredible to her, and you’re going to just rip it right out and prove to her that men are nothing but a means to an end.”
She huffs and points her finger in my face like I’m a bad dog or some shit.
“Do you know what it feels like to have your heart raped?”
My eyes widen at her words, “What the fuck, Ma?!”
She shakes her head, “No? Funny, because you’re doing it so well.”
She flips her hand dismissively, turning toward her bags and ignoring my presence while I stand there completely dumbfounded. Does Lexi really care that much for me that even my own mother, who has only spoken to her a couple of times, sees how much I mean to her? How the fuck did I miss it?
I lean down and kiss my mother’s cheek, dodging her irritated hand with a grin before leaving her to unpack. I’ve been known to piss my mom off, but she can never stay mad at me for long, not her little boy. Still, I guess she has a right to be frustrated with me, but fuck me, it’s not like I’m well versed in relationships. Growing up, my father and mother fought all the time, and the only question I ever had was,how the hell did they end up together?
“I’ll be at Gio’s place, no one goes in without my explicit permission. My cousin, Kicks, will be here in an hour, I want to be alerted the moment he arrives. Got it?” I tell the two guards outside my door before turning and leaving. I get to Gio’s apartment and use my key to get inside.
After everything my mother told me, I just want to be surrounded by Lexi’s scent. Hell, LexiandGio’s scent. I can’t let my fears of tomorrow ruin what I have today. It’ll be a struggle because the worry and fucking anxiety is more real than anything I’ve ever felt before, having never lost anyone I cared for like Maxine, but I’ll do my best to work through that. My mom was right, I can’t lead Lexi on and then drop her when shit gets real, that’s a coward’s way, and I’m a lot of things, but that certainly isn’t one of them.
I pick up the mail that was slid under the door this afternoon and toss it on the table before walking my ass straight to the bedroom and flopping on the bed. After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, I take out my phone and call Gio.
We need to move this shit forward so we can spend the rest of our days comfortably with Lexi.
