Covet, p.5
Covet, page 5
“For what?”
“It’s none of your business. I just need it in the next 48 hours.”
“And what if I told you, I won’t give it to you if you don’t tell me what it’s for.”
“Then I’ll walk away, and neither of us will get what we want.” I held my breath waiting for a response and hoping that he didn’t call my bluff.
“Fine. Leave me your bank information, and you should have a deposit in your account tomorrow.”
I barely managed to stop myself from letting out a sigh of relief.
But Nick apparently wasn’t finished. “One more thing. Once the money in in your account, our deal starts, and if you back out if it, I’m going to make you wish you were never born.”
His words were laced with so much venom I believed him. I had made a deal with the devil, and I had a feeling that there was no way I would walk away from this arrangement without getting scorched.
Chapter Five
Nick
I should have left well enough alone. I could have let things play out and allowed my attorney to handle any legal affairs between us. But she was a fire in my blood that simply could not be put out. She was my obsession, and there was only one way I could get over her. Use her. Use her until I could move on with my life and never think about her again.
Fuck.
The way her mouth felt on my dick made me want her even more. I needed it again, craved it. Was something wrong with me to desire a woman to the point of madness? One I hated. One who had caused so much heartache and destruction in my life. There had to be, but there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it except let this little game play out. Soon enough, I’d have her where I wanted her.
The thing is, I had every intention of leaving her alone despite my threats. Admittedly, when I’d threatened to ruin her the night of the funeral, I was on edge, angry and hurt. My grief and sense of injustice had guided me to confront her that night and make those threats. And maybe for a few weeks afterward I’d festered in that hate and resentment, plotting on ways to make her pay, make her suffer for what she’d done. For tearing our family apart. For taking a son away from his mother. For coming between two brothers. For destroying lives.
I had ignored the earliest signs of her duplicity, and for that I only had myself to blame. My mother had reservations about Frankie, and though she never came right out and said it, I knew my mother. The subtle digs she made about Frankie’s appearance, from her hair to her clothes, or even the way she laughed, seemed to bug my mother. I ignored it because my mother had the tendency to be overly critical. There was one observation she’d made I wish I’d heeded. Maybe then I could have saved myself a lot of heartache. But most importantly, I could have saved my brother.
They were whispering with each other again. I didn’t know whether to be pleased that my brother and girlfriend were getting along so well, or jealous that my brother and girlfriend were getting on so well. I mean, most people would be thrilled that their significant other got along so well with their family, but lately those two seemed to be doing that a lot.
As had become custom, my mom had Sunday dinner, and since Frankie and I had started dating, I brought her along. At first I was pleased at how she and Kenny got along, but it seemed that the two of them were constantly going off to the corner to chat in private. It was irritating. I never considered myself the jealous type, but the way Frankie hovered over my brother seemed a bit much.
I’d told myself that it was because she was a genuinely caring person, and Kenny of course wouldn’t cross the line being my brother. And maybe God would strike me down for having unkind thoughts about my brother, but he was wheelchair-bound and had a medical condition that some people wouldn’t be able to look past. Okay, yeah that’s pretty shitty thought process, but I’ve never worried about him as a rival for a woman’s affection.
Again, I told myself that Frankie was being nice.
As I enjoyed my after-dinner drink, I watched the two of them on the other side of the room with their heads close to each other, their voices lowered. I don’t know why seeing them like that irritated me so much. Maybe because Frankie had been hinting at Kenny not being happy being taken care of by our mother. Or maybe because I was actually jealous of my little brother. But that couldn’t be it, I was sure. What man wanted to see his woman getting cozy with another man regardless of his relation to him?
I found myself getting up and walking over to join them only for them to stop talking as soon as I was in hearing distance. I tried to pretend that their sudden silence didn’t affect me, so I pasted a smile on my face as I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “What are you two chatting about?”
Frankie looked up at me and quickly looked away. “Nothing, just an old movie that we both enjoyed.”
I raised a brow at the sound of her wobbly voice. It was clear she was lying, but I decided to play along so I pasted a smile on my face. “Oh, what movie?”
“Die Hard.”
“Steel Magnolias.”
They answered simultaneously. Then they exchanged shocked glances before repeating the movie the other had blurted out.
My brows shot up because I could see right through their bullshit, and I think they realized it as well because neither of them could fully look me in the eyes. “Which one is it?”
“We were talking about both actually.” Kenny shot me one of his signature grins that would always get him out of trouble when he was a kid. For the most part, it worked because our mother doted on him to the point where the rest of us were ignored. And honestly, I usually let him as well. But this…I didn’t like being lied to like this, no matter how small.
“Oh? That’s funny you mentioned liking Die Hard so much considering you said you refused to watch the movie because you hate that people have labeled it as a holiday movie, and you decided to take a stand out of principle.”
A deep shade of red creeped up Kenny’s neck and engulfed his face. “Well, I changed my mind. Did you want something?”
“Is it a crime to want to talk to my girlfriend and my brother?”
“Of course not.” Frankie stood up quickly and gave me a bright smile before hooking her arm through mine. While I wasn’t ready to easily overlook my brother’s lie, I could hers. That smile made me feel like a hormonal teenager. My heart was doing all kinds of backflips. In fact, I’d forgotten why I’d even come over here in the first place because I was lost in her big brown gaze.
“Are you ready to leave?” I wanted to get her alone, and I was tired of sharing her for the night.
“Do you guys have to go?” Kenny piped in before she could answer.
“Are you two leaving?” I hadn’t heard my mother joining us, but there she was next to me with her arms, folded and lips pursed. “I suppose you want to leave?” She leveled what sounded like an accusation at Frankie.
For reasons I didn’t understand, my mother didn’t seem to take to Frankie as I thought she would although she’d never been outright nasty. But my mother’s opinion of Frankie didn’t matter to me because I knew she was just being her overbearing self. I figured she’d come around eventually.
“Actually, it was my idea. It’s getting late, and I have an early meeting. Frankie has to work as well.”
My mom’s lips momentarily thinned before they curled into a tight smile. “Well, in that case, I’m sure glad the two of you were able to make time for us. I know how new romance can be. You tend to forget about everything and everyone, even your dear old mom.” She then turned to my brother. “At least I’ll always have you, Kenny.”
I was used to her subtle barbs when she compared me to my brother. She’d made no secret of the fact of how much she hated that I had gone away for school and made my career far away from home until a few years ago when I started a firm of my own. I noticed how Kenny’s face tightened this time at my mother’s words, and it was clear he wasn’t too fond of them either. The earlier wave of jealousy I’d felt for him was replaced by pity. I turned my head away so he wouldn’t see it.
“Yes, well, I’ll be in touch.” I leaned over and gave my mother a perfunctory kiss on the cheek.
“Hmm. You say that, but then I won’t hear from you for days.” My mother then turned her a slightly narrowed-eyed stare in Frankie’s direction. “I trust the meal was to your liking?”
“Everything was delicious. Thank you for having me.”
“Well, Nicholas insisted he bring you, so…. Anyway, thanks for coming.”
I had to give Frankie credit for not flinching at my mother’s backhanded attempt at hospitality.
I was damned proud of her when she smiled. “Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure.” It was spoken without an ounce of irony. It pleased me because God knows if there was anyone who knew how to get under someone’s skin it was my mother.
That tight smile remained on my mother’s face until we were out the door, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Once in the car we rode in silence for a while, my eyes on the road, and all I could think about was getting the woman next to me back to her place to do what I’d been dying to all night. When she placed her hand on my knee, I briefly glanced in her direction before returning my attention to the highway. “You know, I wouldn’t have minded sticking around a little longer. We didn’t have leave.”
“I didn’t want to subject you to my mother any longer. Besides, I wanted to get you alone.” I took her hand and brought it to my lips to give it a quick kiss.
“Your mom isn’t so bad. A lot of mothers are protective of their sons.”
“One of the things I love about you is that you always seem to find the positive side to everything and everyone, but my mother takes it to another level.”
“She’s fine. Besides, I was having an interesting conversation with Kenny.”
It was then I remembered how intimate their conversation had seemed. “Oh, and what exactly were the two of you talking about?”
“Oh, nothing, maybe I…Maybe I shouldn’t say anything.”
“Or maybe you should. We’re not keeping secrets from each other, are we?”
“It’s not that. It’s just that I have some concerns.”
“Oh?”
“Kenny’s condition lately. It seems to be getting worse, and the new meds he’s on aren’t helping. He told your mother about it, but she says it for the best. She refuses to take him to another doctor. I mean if the meds he’s taking are making him feel bad, I don’t think it would hurt to try something else. Maybe you could talk to you mother about it.”
“What exactly are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything. I’m just making a suggestion that Kenny might need to try new meds. He says the ones he’s taking is making him feel awful. He tried to tell your mother, but she says to stick it out.”
I don’t know why what she was saying bothered me so much. She was a nurse after all and would know what she was talking about, but my walls rose and I became defensive. “My mother has been taking care of Kenny since he was born. Are you saying she doesn’t know what’s best for him?”
“Of course I’m not, but perhaps she’s too close to the situation and could use a second opinion. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.”
“I don’t know what you’re implying about my brother’s care but he’s fine, and my mother has made many sacrifices for him.”
“And I’m just saying that based on what Kenny told me, it wouldn’t do any harm if at the very least he can seek out another doctor who will address some of his concerns. Honestly, I’m not sure why he’s not already advocating for himself. His condition doesn’t prevent him in any way of letting a medical professional know his symptoms. Maybe it’s time for your mother to let him make his own medical decisions.”
Frankie didn’t say anything that hadn’t already been in the back of my mind for a while now, after all he was 25. But hearing the words out loud from someone who’d only known my brother for a few months I said, “my mother is doing the best she can, and if Kenny really had an issue with it he would have said something about it.”
“But he said something to me and—”
“I said Kenny is fine. Now stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.” The words came out much harsher than I intended, and the second they were spoken, I wish I could take them back. “Look, I didn’t mean it to come out like that, but you have to understand—”
“No,” she shook her head, “You don’t have to explain a thing. I won’t bring it up again.”
The mood for the night was officially killed. And while I felt like a complete jackass for snapping at her, I was still more than a little annoyed that she thought she could speak on my family at all.
But I got over it, although it wasn’t the last time she’d bring it up. In fact, the last time she’d been so insistent, it led to our break up. And within a month, she was married to my brother.
Thinking about how she’d manipulated me and my brother reignited my fury. I had to get her out of my system. I opened my phone and pulled up my banking app to confirm that the payment I’d sent her to go had gone through.
It had.
And that meant one thing. She was now mine for the next two months, and by the time I finished with her, she was going to wish she were as dead as my brother.
Chapter Six
Frankie
I stared at the large sum of money sitting in my bank account which hadn’t been there the day before. Yesterday, it held the grand total of 27 dollars and 82 cents because the final check from the nursing home job had not come through yet. I had only asked for the 50 grand up front, but Nick had added a little more which would be enough for me to at least maintain first and last month’s rent along with a security deposit for a new place.
I shuddered when I thought about what I’d have to do to earn this money, and I asked myself, not for the first time, if this was worth it. Then I thought about Adam. Though my brother had let me down time and time again over the years, he was still my brother, and I loved him. He was all I had left, and it was difficult to simply let go. Maybe with the extra money I could send him to a different rehab center, one that would give him the incentive to see things through this time.
I could only hope.
But then I wondered once Adam got the money he needed, would he just disappear from my life and I wouldn’t hear from him again for another chunk of time. Or at the very least, until he wanted something from me again.
As I mulled over this dilemma, another popped in my head in the form of a 6 foot 3 sexy ass demon who went by the name of Nick. I hated his guts for what he was making me do, what else I might have to do. I squirm in my seat as I remember what he did to me in his office. It was going to be a long two months. I doubted I’d be able to walk away with my dignity intact, but there was no turning back now, especially when Nick had held up his end of the bargain.
In the meantime, I’d remain in this state of nervous tenseness until he decided to contact me.
“What are you looking at on your phone that’s putting that ferocious frown on your face, Sis?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin because I’d momentarily forgotten that I wasn’t alone. I looked up to see Adam looking paler than I’d ever seen him. His once vibrant brunette waves were now stringy and lifeless while rings of black underlined his dull, watery blue eyes. His shirtless frame emphasized how emaciated he was, and my heart sunk.
I jumped up and swiftly crossed the room to stand beside him. I briefly touch his skeletal chest, and I wanted to cry. “Adam, are you okay?”
“Couldn’t be better.” But the grimace on his face belies his words.
“Don’t lie to me. You look like shit. Adam, you need help. Today.”
“Sis, I’ll be fine. You have to stop worrying so much. It will age you.”
“Says my younger brother who looks twenty years older than me. Adam, you can’t go on like this. You’re going to die if you keep on this path. Is that what you want? Please tell me it isn’t. Tell me you’re willing to fight for your life and you’re not just here to get what you want and disappear. Do you have any idea what it’s like living in a constant state of fear that one day the police will come knocking to inform me that your body has been found in some gutter. Do you think this is what Mom and Dad would have wanted to become of your life?”
“There you go playing the mom and dad card,” he snorted.
“It seems to be the only card I have left to play because apparently you don’t give a shit about letting me down after the many times you’ve hurt me. You are sick, and you need help. This sickness is the reason you got involved with these sketchy people who are literally threatening to kill you. Maybe you don’t give a shit, but I certainly do!”
He opened his mouth and then closed it as if he was reconsidering his words. Adam licked his dry, cracked lips before raking his fingers through his hair. “Believe it or not, I do care, Frankie. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. Did I tell you that the guys I owe money to dangled me off the side of a 20-story balcony? I fucking shit my pants, and that’s when I knew if I survived that ordeal, I’d get my act together. They gave me this souvenir as a reminder for what I did.”
“You make it sound so casual when, in truth, you had no business getting involved with these characters in the first place. If your life weren’t on the line, I’d go to the police, but I can’t take that risk.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. “Sis, I admit I’ve wronged you, and if I’m being perfectly honest, I can’t say I wouldn’t have done it again, in the state of mind that I was in at the time. As fucked up as it is, it’s the truth. But I want to change. I don’t want this for my life, hustling and stealing for my next hit. I thought I could pull a fast one on this local hood and look what happened. It was my wake-up call. It’s why I came to you. I do want help. But I’m in pain right now, and all I could think about last night was sneaking out and looking for another hit. Not even to get high but to feel better. These withdrawals are painful. I literally feel like I’m going to die.”
