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“Natasha Kovak has returned to Banta City,” she explains and lets the words settle in the air.
Hearing Natasha’s name feels like a kick in the balls. Yet, my chest also hurts in a good way at the thought of her sharing the same town with me again.
“Why?” I casually ask Aunt Fred.
“Timing,” Zoot says, and I wish he’d go back to his normal silent-and-cold routine since this softer side is creeping me out.
“She was living with a man in the state over,” Aunt Fred explains. “They had two kids. Little house. Real boring middle-class life.”
“Is that why she’s back?” I ask and cross my arms. “Did she get bored of her new family?”
Aunt Fred hears the anger in my voice and continues, “Natasha called the Syndicate’s hotline last night. The cleaning crew disposed of her violent ex. Now, she’s returned home.”
For the next few minutes, I don’t say a damn useful thing. Instead, I mutter under my breath, sounding like an annoyed bear. The smart move would be to pretend I didn’t care. Except my brain can only see the beautiful woman who was so close to being mine.
“Bear, no one expects you to stick with the agreement,” Aunt Fred says, leaning forward and forcing me to make eye contact. “Things have changed.”
“The timing’s off,” Zoot adds unhelpfully.
I finally glare at him and growl, “You’re pissing me off.”
Zoot looks at Aunt Fred and throws up his hands. “You should have done this shit alone. I’m not good at it.”
“You’re his president,” she says and then adds, “And his family.”
“You know what I say, Bear?” Zoot mutters to me. “I say to hell with Natasha Kovak. She was always on the weird side. I don’t even know why you agreed to marry the stuck-up bitch.”
“Are you done?” Aunt Fred asks him.
Holding her gaze, he spits back, “No, probably not. I actually feel like I might just be getting started.”
“I blame myself,” she says softly and pats his cheek. “You’re more productive when silent. I’ve created this problem by insisting you speak.”
Zoot gives her a snarly grin before gesturing for her to handle this situation. Aunt Fred looks at me and smiles.
“How do you feel?”
I pace around, grumbling about Natasha running off and making a family with someone else. That other guy abused her. I’d never lay a hand on her, but I wasn’t good enough.
As I gripe to myself, Zoot goes rigid like he’s plotting how to take me down if I lose my temper. Aunt Fred just smiles patiently since she knows my rage won’t touch her.
“Natasha was a long fucking time ago, and I was only doing the club a favor,” I lie despite knowing they’ll see right through my words. “I don’t know why everyone’s acting like I just got dumped. First, Siobhan and then Carys. Wait, is this why Siobhan picked up the girls early? She’s rushing back to her bestie.”
Aunt Fred nods. “Katja called me after Natasha arrived. I told Elvis, and he blabbed to the girls. Other than Zoot and Noble, no one knows yet.”
“Since this guy smacked her around, she’s the victim, right?” I ask Aunt Fred. “Meaning, I’ll always be the bad guy.”
“No one blames you,” Zoot answers rather than wait for her to reply. “Everyone knows Natasha was cracked in the head.”
Aunt Fred doesn’t react to his words. She just rests her hands on my shoulders and calms me with her soft gaze.
“What happened with Ollie wasn’t what you wanted. Most people understood how it was an accident. Deep down, Natasha probably knows that, too. But her heart was hurt, and she isn’t wired right for the life we live. In the end, no one blames you, and you shouldn’t blame yourself.”
“Damn right. You did nothing wrong,” Zoot grumbles and wags his finger at me. “Ollie shouldn’t have been there. That’s on his scummy brother, not you.”
I heard Natasha collapsed with sorrow when she found out about Ollie. She came to the hospital thinking he was hurt, only to find out he was dead. My chest burns hot and heavy when I imagine her knowing I did that to him.
Natasha was crazy about Ollie. They’d been friends since junior high. She “dated” him in school to keep him protected. Natasha organized therapy, transportation, and supervision for the hulking, disabled guy. She wanted Ollie’s life to be filled with happiness, even if his family preferred to keep him trapped with them.
