When he said those things, my heart shriveled and died a little more each time.
It was time for A.J. to go to bed, and after I tucked him in, Manda stood. “I should go. I’m afraid of outstaying my welcome.”
But I simply walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. “Let’s sit on the back porch.” Then I smiled at my new sister. “I’m not ready to see you go just yet.”
She looked at me with such unabashed affection in her eyes that I knew this was just the beginning. We were a small family craving more, and now that I had it, I mourned the time we spent apart. She followed me outside, and I sat on the top step leading down into the yard.
Manda joined me, holding out her glass, and I poured. She sipped at the aromatic white and made a sound low in her throat. “There’s nothing quite like Australian wine.” She held the glass up to the moonlight before putting it to her nose and taking in its fruity aroma. “There’s no comparison. Every other one just tastes like swill when put next to a Barossa wine.”
I nodded in agreement, sipping at my glass.
We sat in silence a while, before she said, “Tell me about him.” When I looked over to her, she clarified. “How was it, your relationship with my brother?”
Oh, God. What a loaded question. “How much time do you have?”
She snuffled out a laugh. “As long as it takes.”
“Okay.” I leaned back on one elbow. “You asked for it.”
I told her everything. Well, almost everything. I quietly kept out the fact that I willingly took drugs to prove to Twitch I was serious about him. I also kept out what Twitch enjoyed in the bedroom. Other than that, I let her have it. All of it.
My stomach clenched tightly.
Jesus. I missed the belt.
And by the time I was done, Manda’s eyes were wide and unblinking. “Lexi,” she muttered quietly. “That sounds awful.”
Sipping my wine, I laughed gently. “I know.” It did. It sounded horrible. “It’s hard to explain why I loved him. He wasn’t a want, Manda.” I swirled my glass, watching the wine in it spin. “He was something I needed more than I needed to breathe.”
“But the things he did....” She frowned.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Pretty screwed up, right?”
“I just don’t understand.”
She wouldn’t.
No one did.
It wasn’t something you explained; it was something you had to have lived through to get. “He loved me so much he took a bullet for me.” I gazed over at her. “What’s to understand?”
At that, one perfectly manicured brow rose and her lips puckered. “Well, when you put it like that.” She raised her glass to me. “To the ones we love.”
Yeah. I would drink to that.
I lightly touched my glass to hers, smiling out into the yard, and spoke quietly.
“To the ones we love.”
***
Twitch
The second I opened the door, my sister glowered at me. “You son of a bitch.”
I glared back. “Why does everyone keep callin’ me that? Fuck.”
“That woman—” Manda tramped into the house. “—is the sweetest person I have ever met.” She looked so disappointed. “And you treated her like shit.” Her hands came up. “No. Worse than shit.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “You were mean. You were cruel. You were nasty, Tony.”
Well, someone done gone and had a nice ole chat, didn’t they?
I sighed, walking over to the fridge. “You want something?”
“I want you to stay away from her.”
Slowly, I turned to face my sister, holding her eyes with the intensity of my stare. “Say again?”
Manda’s lips thinned. “After hearing what you did to her, I don’t know why she still loves you, but she does.” She lowered her voice. “So you need to stay away from her. Because she loves you enough that she might just take you back someday.” She shook her head. “And I can’t allow that.”
Her words shook me, but I didn’t show it. My voice was calm, bored even. “That ain’t your decision to make, Mandy.”
She hated when I called her Mandy.
“I sat back while my best friend suffered through an abusive relationship. I did nothing, and Ana almost died because of it. I won’t do it again. Not ever again.”
Oh, shit. No she didn’t.
My eyes flashed. “You comparing me to Dino Gambino?” Anger bubbled low in my gut and I gritted my teeth. My tone turned dangerous. “I fucking love that woman.”
Manda’s eyes turned sad and she started to nod. “That’s what Dino told himself too, Tony. Said he loved Ana, and that was why he did the things he did. No one had the guts to tell him he was a vile piece of shit.”
Do not fucking tell me this bitch just called me a vile piece of shit.
The anger turned to rage and it burned me, lighting my veins and pumping raw fury into my heart. I spoke low, turning and gripping the edge of the counter so hard I was surprised it didn’t break, “You watch your fucking mouth.”
“Please, Tony. Don’t do it. Don’t go back. They’re fine without you.”
That was the breaking point.
I closed my eyes and swallowed hard, trying to breathe through the physical pain of my wrath. My breathing quickly turned into heavy panting. Taking a glass from the sink, I lifted it high before slamming it back down as hard as I could. The loud smash then tinkling of the broken shards did nothing to soothe my anger.
I spun, shouting a thunderous, “I’m not fine without them!” and my sister’s body jolted as she flinched.
She had no idea what it cost me to be here. She didn’t know shit.
Blowing out a long breath, I tried to calm myself, and when I spoke, I did it quietly. “You may be my sister, but you know nothing about me, Manda. Don’t pretend you do.”
We stared at each other a long moment before my sister turned and walked out of my house, gently closing the door behind her, and those words unspoken were louder than if she’d just yelled them at me.
Chapter Six
Lexi I watched the afternoon news in complete silence.
“Underworld figure Ling Nguyen, matriarch of the notorious Vietnamese gang The Flying Dragons, has bought and taken ownership of the Darling Harbour’s infamous night club The Cross,” the reporter said.
With my arm across my stomach, hugging myself, the other came up to my throat as I listened on.
“The Cross’s reputation has diminished over the years, now known for being a meeting place for criminals and thugs alike. Nine people were killed there last year, while a staggering one hundred and three people were seriously injured on the premises, and police are baffled by the sale.”
The screen turned to a police sergeant who spoke to reporters. “If Miss Nguyen is here to do legit business, she’ll have nothing to worry about. However, we’ll be taking a special interest in the goings on at the location.”
Oh, God.
This was not good.
My phone started to ring. I looked down at the screen and answered immediately. “Julius, are you seeing this?”
“I’m watching it right now.” He paused, then uttered, “I’ll take care of it. Don’t say a word to Ana.”
Take care of it.
Take care of Ling.
My stomach coiled in on itself and my lips parted. It didn’t matter how far away these men tried to get from their pasts; it followed them, for always. I wished they would be given the peaceful lives they desired. Regrettably, too much blood had been spilt, and that was not how their world worked.
It’s not like she didn’t deserve it. Ling was the reason Ana found herself in the hands of a madman. Ling was the reason Ana was the mentally crippled woman she was today.
Yes, she deserved to die, and I quickly decided I was okay with that.
“Okay.” I licked my lips and kept my eyes on the television. “Do what you need to do.”
“Look,” he said quietly. “I don’t think she’d be stupid enough to do anything in broad daylight, but—” He hesitated. “—I’ll talk to Molly. Tell her to be vigilant.”