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His basketball shorts ride low on his hips, and I cringe, noticing his feet are bare. "My family thinks I'm getting married. Actually, not think. They’ve arranged my marriage. An arranged marriage? Are you fucking kidding me?!”
I sigh and sink to the edge of his bed to consider what he’s confessed. "Why?" It's the only thing I can think to ask. I kinda hate that I’m terrible at conversations and emotions. I could learn a few things from Maybel.
Tightening his grip on the bottle of bourbon, he brings it to his lips and takes a massive gulp before extending the bottle out to me. I should decline since it’s not even noon yet, but after the morning I’ve had, I could use a drink.
With his other hand, he wipes at his mouth. "I don't know. Maybe they think I'm running around, fucking men, destroying the family name. Maybe they want me married off to a meek little girl, someone they can control or use to control me."
I snatch the bottle out of his hands and watch as he takes a spot on the edge of the bed beside me. Then I bring the bottle to my lips and take a long pull from it. The rich brown liquid blazes a path of fire down my throat, coating my insides in warmth. I have to say this is so much better than the gin he had before.
"Shit, man."
He drops his head into his hands. "Why is everything so fucking awful right now? Seb is barely here. You're off doing whatever the fuck you're doing. And Aries is out there fucking his way through the cheerleading team.” He lifts his head, piercing me with a knowing look. “Which we need to do something about.”
Shit. Yeah, we do. Some of the most off-limit girls at the school are on the cheerleading team. Most of them are daughters or granddaughters of alumni. Too innocent, but I guess not as innocent as they like to portray if Aries has started plowing through them, both literally and figuratively. And if left to his own devices, every one of them will be looking to murder him once he's through with them. Fuck.
That’s a good enough reason for another drink. Bringing the bottle to my lips, I take another long swig. This time, the bourbon burns a little less. "We'll deal with Aries soon. He's not going to have all of them wanting to murder him in just a few days, right?"
Lee snorts and snatches his bottle back. "I think you’ve forgotten your friend's sexual appetite. Aries is a playboy, and I mean… does it really matter at this point? You and Seb have barely been here for the new inductee week, and when we manage to get you both in the same room, we have to worry about who is going to murder who first. I've been trying to manage it all on my own, but it’s getting to a point where shit is out of control. I need you, all of you, and everyone is going through shit, but we can’t fuck this up. We can’t make a mockery of ourselves or ruin our own image. Fuck our parents. I only give a shit about us.”
Fuck, he’s right. I'm the president of The Mill. Being present isn’t an option but a requirement. I need to step the fuck up, and I need to do so now. I sigh and give him a nod. That's about as much of an apology as he'll get from me.
Lee relaxes next to me. "Great, one fire out. What about the next one? What are you going to do about Bel?"
His question catches me off guard so much that I flinch.
"Going that well, huh? What even happened?"
I shake my head. "I don’t want to drag you into any of it. All you need to know is Seb is trying to keep her away from me, and I’m not giving her up. Not at all.”
"Fucking fantastic, the two most hardheaded stubborn fucks fighting against each other. What’s the point? Why fight when you could work together?”
I snatch the bottle back from him and take a long drink instead of answering right away. Once I swallow, I pin him with a glare. "Yeah, work together to get his sister out from under his thumb long enough to have a fucking conversation? That will go well. He blames me for everything that happened, and I have no problem saying I fucked up. I know what I did hurt her, but I was trying to protect her. He doesn’t see it that way. Not that it matters. I think it has more to do with his pride. The slight to his family name is what he's really pissed about. He doesn't even know her."
Lee shrugs and leans over to brace his elbows on his knees. "I don't know, man. He's been living in that giant-ass house with her. I’d assume he’s learned something about her by now. Plus, with how he saw you treating her before, his reaction isn’t really that shocking. If I had a sister, I’d probably do the same. God knows I wouldn’t let any of you fucks touch her.”
I let out a small laugh, dislodging a thought from my mind. How would I feel if I had a daughter and she was with a man like me? The thought has the opposite reaction of what I thought it would. Instead of disgust, I feel warmth. The idea of having a child with Bel. My flower. Fuck… the image of her pregnant, her swollen belly cradled in my hands is there now. It pops into my head, refusing to leave. It won’t be today or even next month, but that will be us years from now. It has to be because there is no point in breathing if she isn’t a part of my life.
We sit in silence for a few moments. Lee breaks it after a minute. "You know he's under a lot of pressure. More than he used to be now that he's head of the Arturo family. Something he never even wanted. He's just trying to..."
I wait, not encouraging him since I know where this is going.
"He just wants to secure everything. Make sure the last person related to him by blood is safe and protected."
"Okay, so are you telling me to give up?"
Lee doesn't flinch away from my sharp tone.
"No, dickhead. What I'm saying is try not to kill each other in the process and maybe keep Bel out of it. She doesn't know this world, the ruthlessness of it. She’s been through enough shit."
I consider what Bel's been through. She’s lost her mom. Me. Her piece-of-shit friend Jackie. All she has is Seb, and through all that, she still remains, standing taller with her chin held high. "She's strong enough to handle it."
He lets out a sigh of defeat. "You're missing my point. Both you and Seb need to be stronger. That way, she doesn't have to handle it. Get me?"
A light bulb goes off in my head. I’m good at being vindictive, at manipulating and getting what I want, but sometimes you need to think deeper, to dive into the emotions of a person. For the first time, I consider what being part of one of the biggest crime families in the world means for Bel. Does she even know what Seb and his family does? What she has inherited, and what her new last name means?
Lee hands me the bottle again and lies back against the mattress. I swear the man is in perpetual motion, unable to stay still for even a second.
"Okay, Dr. Phil. Your turn. What are you going to do about this whole marriage thing, and if so, can I help at all?”
