Chapter 9: Tirone: Chapter 9

“Absolutely fucking not.” I leaned my hip against the kitchen counter, folding my arms across my chest, my eyes wide at Laius. He was irritably calm, smirking at me behind the smoke of his coffee. How could he be okay with this? Could he not see that was Tirone’s plan all along? To get me and him in forced proximity away from Laius so he could reclaim me? Of course, he couldn’t. He didn’t know anything, and it was all my fault.

“You’re being unreasonable, Miss Meneceo,” Tirone said in warning. He was resting his elbows on the other side of the counter, his intent—dark as always—stare digging a hole into me, eliciting his threats in their own way. Of course, this was his idea to get me to be alone with him. Of course, he had to lie through his teeth, feeding Laius whatever story to convince him to accept his genius solution to the problem.

“I’m not being unreasonable. I’m being violated.”

“Violated? What do you mean violated, Jo? Who the fuck violated you, my old lady, in my own place?” Laius asked, his temper evident in his voice.

“You exposed very private details of my life, my secrets, my traumas to all of your friends, whom I don’t even know yet, by the way, and to a former student of mine, whom overnight I’d learned he was my boyfriend’s son, with no consideration whatsoever to boundaries or consent.” I was sincerely upset about the first part. The Tirone’s part was an embellishment for emphasis. Or a cry for help. I wanted to tell Laius everything. I just didn’t know how.

“I don’t need consent to protect you, baby, and I don’t give a fuck about boundaries when it comes to your safety. You know I’d do anything in the world without limits to keep you safe, like kill anyone that threatens you in any way, not just tell my brothers how to work with me on that,” Laius said.

“Should you not have, at least, asked me if I was ready for this overshare yet? We talked about this. Not only did you decide the timing for me, but also you decided the course of my life here without even discussing it with me.”

“I am discussing it with you.”

“After you had this whole conversation with people that, regardless of whom they are to you, are practically strangers to me, while I was sleeping off the drugs you made them use to kidnap me.”

Doc—who was, other than Fort, the only member of the Night Skulls I’d officially met—had explained the dizziness, dry mouth, fatigue and the urge to sleep were all side effects from the drugs Hook and Texas used to bring me here.

He’d made a prospect—not a sweetbutt because he didn’t know where I stood with them after my incident at Rosewood, which was another thing everybody here knew about me when I knew nothing about them—bring me some food and water, waited with me until I scoffed them down and gave me some meds that would help me sleep the side effects off, and so I did all day yesterday.

“You shot me in the guts,” a man, who must be Hook, slurred from the leather couch across the far wall of the lounge, lifting a beer glass at me, his other hand on the gauze on his stomach for emphasis. He was wearing jeans only. His hair was dark and in a messy ponytail. His beard was light, lighter than Laius’s, his eyes big and dark blue, and he looked like he had one of those permanent scowls on his forehead.

“And almost broke my leg, y’all. Let’s not forget about that. Had to do something,” another one said, glancing at me over his shoulder from the opposite couch. Texas, I presumed. Dirty blond. Also had no shirt on. God knew if he had pants on or not. Thankfully, the kitchen was behind that couch, and I could only see his head.

“Well, if you’d just introduced yourself properly, we wouldn’t have been in this situation,” I said.

“We didn’t know you were alone. Prez said you had company,” Texas said.

Tirone ducked his head and moved a little so he’d block anything from my view but him. “Who was it you were supposed to be with in a motel in Utah, Miss Meneceo, if I may ask?”

“You may not, and stop staring at me like that.”

“I’m sorry,” he taunted. “It’s a little weird, after all this time, to see you have blue eyes. It’s like you’re a totally different person.”

I shifted on my feet and directed my gaze toward Texas. “Did you bring my phone by any chance?”

He shook his head. “What phone?”

“The one I was holding when you raided my room. Hook?”

“No, ma’am. I was busy being shot.”

“Oh for God’s sake,” I mumbled. “Look, I’m sorry I shot you, but would you not have done the same thing had you been in my shoes?”

“Sure thing. I ain’t blaming ya. I admire your courage.”

I blinked in confusion. He didn’t show enough—any—emotion to know if he truly meant it or was mocking me. Honestly, other than his hand on the gauze and the slur in his voice, I wouldn’t know he was shot or was in any pain either.

“I grabbed your purse on the way out, if that’s any good,” Texas added. “We sent a prospect for your car and luggage, too. It’s right outside.”

“Thank you. That’s definitely helpful. Can you ask him if he’s found my phone?”

“The fuck is the matter with you and that fucking phone?” Laius suddenly asked, his tone taking an edge. “I told you I’d get you a new one.”

“It’s not about that. I need—” I wished I could have explained, but Michele made me promise. “It has important number-s.”

A muscle popping in his jaw, Laius pointed at my own steamy cup of coffee he’d made me himself. “Baby, why don’t you drink your coffee? Get your head clear so we can talk about school over breakfast? I’m on a two-week ultimatum to save your ass. I don’t have time to waste.”

“Starting a new job as a front, while your dropout son acts as my student when he’s in fact going to be my bodyguard, isn’t going to save my ass. I’m not applying to any jobs until everything is sorted out,” I pushed the mug, “and I don’t drink black coffee.”

Tirone rounded the counter and went to where they kept the pots. “I know how you drink your coffee. I’ll make you another cup. Two sugar, one cream, right?” He subtly winked at me. “I’m not a dropout anymore, by the way. I’m going back to school for real.” He glanced at me, his eyes sad and genuine. “I only dropped out for you, not because I wanted to.”

“You didn’t.” I refused to believe that story because if it’d been true, I had no idea how I was supposed to deal with it. “I don’t care what lies you told everyone to convince them to give you that cut you’re wearing now, but you didn’t drop out for me.”

“It’s true,” Laius said. “I checked.”

I froze for a second, a lump forming at the back of my throat. “How did you check?”

“I called Delilah last night. She confirmed the whole thing. Armando Lanza went to their place and sat with Rex to make him rat you out. Rex refused, but McNamara was too much of a pussy. He tried to make my boy do it. That’s when they had that fight. That’s why he dropped out.”

My lips parted with a breath that was stuck in my throat as my stare yawed between Tirone and Laius. Tirone who all this time had been telling the truth about why he left. Tirone whom I thought had dumped me when he’d been nothing but genuine about protecting me. Tirone who had gotten into a fight with his stepdad because of me. And Laius who went to prison because of it. Because of me. Laius who thought I was worth saving that he was ready to put his life and the lives of his people at risk to keep me alive. Laius whom I fell in love with hard and deep as a result of a misunderstanding between me and my ex, his only son.

“You called your ex, again while I was sleeping?” I was being a bitch, but I needed to change the subject because I was about to cry, and my mind was unable to think of a good excuse for that without causing suspicion. Because it was swelling and pulsing with literal pain from what he’d just revealed.

“You fucking shitting me right now? I called to check Rex’s story. Besides, she’s the mother of my son. I’m allowed to call her without supervision.”

“Oh, because you co-parent much?” My voice shivered. I lowered my head as I walked past him, tears on the verge of spilling. “I… I have to get out of here.”

“Let me come with you,” Ty yelled after me as I walked to the front door.

“No. I want to be alone.” I ran down the couple of steps of the porch. The sun blared in my face, and I realized I didn’t have my sunglasses on. It didn’t matter. I had a spare in the car.

“The fuck you are. Jo, get inside,” Laius shouted.

“No. I’m going…shopping. Yes. Shopping by myself. I haven’t changed my clothes in two days because I don’t have any.”

“Your bags are in your car. I’ll get them for you and take you shopping later. Now, get back inside.”

“Fuck you. I’m not a baby in need of a babysitter. I’m not your prisoner either. I’ll go out whenever I want.” I stalked across the open yard. I didn’t know how the compound looked like until now. It was basically a plantation house in the back, an open yard with cars and motorcycles lined up everywhere, and a garage out front, all enclosed in gated walls.

When I found my car, I opened the door. Luckily, it wasn’t locked. I looked for the keys. They were inside, my spare pair of sunglasses, too. I hid my wet, burning eyes immediately and started the car. Tools banged from the garage as I headed down the gate. A few men with prospect cuts stood, unmoving, with their hands clasped over their crotches.

“Please, open the gate,” I said as politely as possible.

“Sorry. We can’t,” one of them said, his gaze awkward, as if he was sorry he had to do this or something. “Prez’s orders.”

What the fuck? “Please, move out of the way. I won’t say it again.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.”

I banged the horn with my fist long enough to irritate the dead. “Laius! Tell your men to open the fucking gate!”

He didn’t answer me, and no one came out of the house or moved off the fucking gate. Fuck it. I blew out of the car, slamming the door. “I swear to God, if you don’t let me out now, I’ll run your men over and crash my car into the gate!”

I waited for five seconds. Nothing.

“I’m going to count to three! One! Two! Three!” When he still didn’t come down, I climbed back into the car and reversed it as far as the distance allowed, screeching the tires so he’d know I wasn’t bluffing. That was only when he appeared at the front door. I squinted at him in the rear mirror, switched gears and held the steering wheel tight, foot ready on the gas.

“The fuck. Jo, don’t,” he warned, Ty’s face emerging behind him.

“Watch me.” I squared my shoulders and slammed the gas pedal.

Ty held his head with both his hands, and Laius ran after me like a maniac, yelling, “Stop the fucking car!”

The poor prospects stared between me, as I went toward them in full speed, and him. If they were smart, they would get out of the way or better yet, open the gate.

Suddenly, Laius wasn’t behind me, and the prospects scattered away. It was just me and the yellow gates about to manically embrace.