Invincible (9 page)

A hand touched my shoulder and I screamed.

“
Whoa,
”
Tommy
’
s voice said.
“
Easy, princess. Let me just say
…”

Wes turned and elbowed Tommy away. He then grabbed Tommy by the throat and walked him back against the wall. Tommy
’
s face turned red, his eyes ready to pop from his skull.

“
You ever call her
princess
again and I
’
ll tear your fucking throat out. Her name is Rose. You ever touch her again, I
’
ll break every goddamn finger.
”

“
Okay,
”
Tommy strained to say.
“
I
’
m sorry. Okay.
”

Wes pushed away from Tommy.

He then grabbed my hand and we left the office. We made it no more than a couple steps before I tugged at him.
“
What the hell are you doing?
”

Wes turned and put me against the wall. There was a sexy anger in his eyes.
“
I
’
m saving your ass, again. Don
’
t think it means a thing, sweetie. I want to know everything about your family. About you. I want to know who shot me because now I can
’
t fucking fight. And I know you
’
re hiding plenty from me.
”

“
You could just say
please
.
”

“
I don
’
t do please.
”

“
Maybe you should try.
”

“
Maybe I should tell Aton the truth.
”

“
Then it
’
s your life too,
”
I said, feeling defiant.

I kind of liked having Wes so close to me. Then again, he was being an ass. I almost felt like kicking him in the balls.

He gritted his teeth and looked ready to explode.
“
Your brother was a fighter? What was his name again?
”

“
Is everything good?
”
a voice asked.

I turned my head and saw Tommy eyeing us, one eyebrow lifted.

I had no choice, really.

I grabbed Wes by the face and planted my lips to his.

Yeah, everything was just fucking a-okay.

10.

(Wes)

I could sense it as I pulled up to the cabin. The woman next to me so goddamn beautiful, it was hard to look at her. I had to push away her beauty and look beyond it. There were secrets in those blue eyes. Heavy and deep secrets. Call it whatever you want, but something told me she could help me figure out who killed Shane.

I got out of the car and went to the trunk. I had a bag of clothes and Rose had a bag of clothes. This was some kind of fake honeymoon escape. Bottom line was that as soon as Aton started digging around and asking questions, Rose and I were going to be caught.

No marriage. All lies.

My feeble attempt at clinging to a few more days of life.

To get everything out of Rose.

I slammed the trunk and she stood there, staring at me. We had just driven for a good hour and not spoken a single word. When I looked at her, my chest tightened. Then I pictured her starting the car, blowing up. Yeah, I felt a little guilty but at least it didn
’
t happen.

“
I don
’
t understand it,
”
she said.

“
What?
”

“
I thought Aton would be tougher,
”
she said.
“
He bought the marriage thing
…”

“
He lost his wife to cancer,
”
I said.
“
She was a little over forty. Nice woman. Made a great meat sauce. She had a stomachache for a week, went to a doctor, and six months later, she was gone. I watched it all happen. I did what I could for Aton. He lost his damn mind over it, rightfully so. He started ordering hits on anyone that looked at him the wrong way. Somehow I wrangled him back to normal. Maybe because he helped me after Shane was killed. We owed it to each other. So he
’
s got a soft spot for marriage.
”

“
That
’
s a heavy card to use,
”
Rose whispered.
“
Does that mean you like me?
”

“
No,
”
I said.
“
You
’
re beautiful, sweetie, but that
’
s not going to cut it with me.
”
I stepped forward, holding both bags with one hand. My shoulder was still hurting.
“
If you want to get tangled between the sheets, I
’
m game. But don
’
t think for a second
…”
I lost my words.

I wasn
’
t going to bully the woman around. I could see it in her eyes she
’
d been bullied her entire life. Right up to the point of almost getting taken out by two different crews.

I walked away from Rose without another word.

The cabin was rustic yet beautiful. It had a woodsy smell throughout. Everything reflected the same feeling. Deep colored furniture that wasn
’
t anything modern. The blankets had weird patterns with a variety of colors. They looked old and all  hand stitched. The fireplace was wide, the bricks with black charred marks on them from use. There was a small pile of old, white ash in the fireplace with a skinny, leftover, half burnt piece of wood. The floor creaked a little when you walked on it. There was a second floor loft area with a desk and a bed. The first floor under the steps had a door that led to the master bedroom and the only bathroom.

I put Rose
’
s bag there and left mine at the bottom of the steps. I wasn
’
t sure if I was going to sleep upstairs or crash on the couch.

Just in case.

Off the small kitchen was a large deck. A set of steps went down to the ground and within spitting distance was a large lake.

I stood at the railing of the deck and stared out at the horizon. There was a peaceful feeling up here, but it was all bullshit. I was meant to be a fighter and nothing more. I shouldn
’
t have fought on the anniversary of Shane
’
s death.

But even then, she was there.

Rose was there.

Standing behind me, worried about me.

“
Can I get you anything?
”

I looked back and Rose stood there.
“
No.
”

“
So what
’
s your plan now?
”
she asked.
“
Aton is connected. If he finds out we
’
re lying.
”

“
I
’
ll worry about that when it happens,
”
I said.
“
We need to get some food and supplies if we
’
re going to stay here.
”

“
How long are we staying here?
”
Rose asked.

“
Not sure. What
’
s wrong? You
’
re not enjoying your honeymoon?
”

I walked from the deck to the door. Rose grabbed my arm.
“
I didn
’
t ask for any of this, Wes.
”

“
Neither did I,
”
he said.
“
It was the only idea I could come up with to keep us alive.
”

“
I saw you the other night,
”
she said.
“
Standing with your fists against the wall.
”

“
And you didn
’
t want to listen then,
”
I said.
“
To go away. To stay away.
”

“
You wanted me here, Wes. You lied for me. So what now?
”

“
I want to know everything about your family. And who is out to kill you. We might be able to actually survive everything.
”

“
Probably not,
”
Rose said.

I nodded.

You
’
re right.

I went for the front door, keys in hand.

Rose followed me.

There was a small market a couple miles away. They had all the bare essentials to survive. We wouldn
’
t be ordering out pizza or eating gourmet meals, but we wouldn
’
t starve. The man behind the counter was more interested in a baseball game on a small TV with a long antenna than he was asking Rose and I questions.

Which was good.

Then again, knowing Aton, he owned the store and the guy running it.

Nothing could be hidden.

I regretted telling Aton I was married to Rose, but it worked for now.

Back at the cabin, I made spaghetti with jar sauce, something that was as taboo to Aton as lying.

I gave Rose a plate and said,
“
Aton would cut my head off if he saw me serving jar sauce.
”

“
Good thing he
’
s not here then,
”
Rose said.

I sat on the couch a little bit away from her.

I wasn't hungry, but I forced myself to eat.

We sat in silence again.

“
This is good,
”
Rose said.

“
It
’
s boxed pasta and jar sauce.
”

“
I
’
m trying to give you a compliment.
”

“
Thanks.
”

“
That
’
s better.
”

I looked at her. The cabin was starting to get dark as the sun went down. I had no idea how to handle the night with Rose.

I took her plate and went to the kitchen. There was no point in wasting any time, right? I turned and she stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Everything about her was stunning. Her hips filled out her jeans, her body shaped like an hourglass. Her hair was pulled back, everything just natural yet beautiful.

I shook my head.

“
What?
”
she asked.

“
Tell me about your old man.
”

“
Ever hear of Don
the Dragman
?
”

“
Yeah,
”
I said.
“
That
’
s your father?
”

Rose nodded.
“
He got the nickname
the Dragman
because he used to get right into the circle with the fighters. And if one of the guys were knocked out, he
’
d grab them by the hair and drag them out. To keep everyone excited and ready for the next fight.
”

“
That was before my time in the circle,
”
I said.
“
Shane probably saw him.
”

“
Shane
…
your brother?
”

“
Yeah.
”

“
I
’
m sorry he
’
s gone.
”

“
I want to know who did it.
”

“
Can
’
t you ask Aton?
”
Rose asked.

“
He doesn
’
t know. It was a bad fight. Something that should have never happened. There was this guy, he was called
the assassin
. He wore a black mask over his face. We
’
re not supposed to cover up our faces. But this guy was something intense. The entire night is a blur because I was drunk. I told Shane he was a fool for doing it. He had his own problems with booze, drugs, women. The life had got to him, bad. Then the fight
…”

I gritted my teeth, feeling my chest pull.

I blinked fast and cleared my throat.

When I regained focus, Rose turned and stormed away. I touched the corner of my eye and then raced after her. She cut through the living room and went right outside. I thought she was going to goddamn lock me out.

I tore the door open and blocked her way down the stairs.
“
What are you doing?
”

“
I have to get out of here,
”
she said.
“
This was a mistake. Everything. You shouldn
’
t have lied for me. You don
’
t know me, Wes. I deserve it all. Whatever I get.
”

“
Whoa,
”
I said. I put my hands out and gently touched her shoulders. My mind flashed an image of me pulling her close. Hugging her. Holding her. Kissing her. But I couldn
’
t do any of that. I couldn
’
t get too close.
“
What
’
s wrong?
”

“
Everything about me is a lie,
”
Rose whispered.
“
My entire life.
”

“
Meaning what?
”

Her eyes glistened with tears against the moonlight.

Her lips quivered.

“
I
…
they want me dead
…”

“
Who does?
”

“
Wes, you don
’
t get it.
”
A stray tear fell from her eye.
“
I
’
m a murderer.
”