Page 56 of Magic or Madness

The jokes and the teasing seem harsh, but they’re treating me as if I’ll be sticking around for a while, and that’s a win no matter what they throw at me.

“Ozzy’s never had a girlfriend, maybe a few one-night stands, but you? He’s been a completely different person since he met you, Fallon,” he continues, and I love how well his friends know him.

“I wish my friends would approve of us like you all do. It’d make my life easier.” I sigh deeply, not expecting them to care, but needing to get it off my chest.

“They’re girls, right? I’m sure they’re just worried. It’s nothing against you or Ozzy, just think about it from their perspective,” Lex offers, and I weigh his words, knowing he has a point.

“It’s frustrating because they’re my family. I’ve supported them through phases, situationships, and horrible one-night stands, but my happiness seems to be too much for them to accept blindly as I’ve done for them.” I pop the top off a beer, letting the foam warm my belly, and kick my feet up on the coffee table.

Surprisingly, Lex is easy to talk to, even though he’s normally the quietest one out of them all.

“Families fight, though. That’s what brothers, and sisters, do,” he casually says, and I wince, hating how much it makes sense.

I leave the conversation there, not wanting to talk about myself the entire time. I want to learn more about them and how they operate.

“Can I ask you guys something?”

“Depends,” Max says, glancing around at each of the guys.

“What’s the story with Doc?” I jump straight into the deep end, and they all recoil a bit, each of their faces wearing different expressions.

It could be a sore subject for them all, but I’m still reeling from Ozzy’s reactions the other night, and I haven’t had the heart to bring it up to him again.

“Ozzy’s breakdown a few nights ago?” Oliver asks, and sometimes I forget how thin the walls are in this place.

Journey sighs, and Max holds his hands up in defense, clearly not wanting to take the lead on this.

I glance between Oliver and Lex, seeing which of them plan on cracking, and finally, it’s Oliver who speaks up.

“Doc was complicated. Most of the traditions, routines, and rules we have are because of how he taught us. On the other hand, he was ruthless, and arguably, turned us all into criminals. The final straw was Masha, which I assume you’ve heard about?” He pauses, sipping his beer while waiting for my answer.

“Uh, yeah. Ozzy told me a little about her, and how she died.”

The other guys are frozen, listening to Oliver recount the highs and lows of working with their mentor. Their faces are all expressive, some showing anguish, some looking like they’re ready to snap, just like Ozzy. Suddenly, I feel guilty for circumventing him to find out about his past without checking with him first, and for bringing all the buried turmoil back to the surface.

“Once we all had enough, we forced a mutiny. Something that was always on the table if we didn’t like his leadership anymore, but he never thought we’d actually band against him. It was bloody, messy, and hard on all of us. We still struggle with how to remember him,” Oliver finishes, and Max balls his hands into fists.

“I know how I remember him. Cold-blooded and heartless,” he interrupts, kicking the table and walking off in a huff.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought this up,” I say softly, but the guys assure me that it’s okay.

I’ve found my place within their circle, at least with Lex and Oliver.

Max still doesn’t seem to like me, and Journey can’t take his eyes off me while Ozzy isn’t here, which makes me uncomfortable. I’ve been insisting that it’s no big deal for Ozzy’s sake, not wanting to get between them, but I can’t stand how he looks at me, or the seemingly harmless comments he lets slip.

“We won’t tell Ozzy you asked,” Lex says, passing me another beer.

“No, I won’t lie to him. I’ll tell him once the dust settles from the job.”

Ozzy would never lie to me, and I won’t disrespect him by having secrets with his friends. Besides, we all survived the conversation and nobody got to upset, so maybe he can take this as a sign that it’s not a taboo topic.

The conversation slowly starts to stall and the quiet takes over, but I can’t possibly find it in me to stay awake any longer. My eyelids are heavy, and sleep is calling out to me.

I can hear the guys clearing the room, cleaning up the beer and pizza mess, but someone drapes a blanket over me, and my body freezes when I realize it’s Journey.

“Beautiful, Cinderella. He doesn’t deserve you,” he whispers, slowly dragging a hand down my ass and over my legs.

I feel completely violated, disgusted, and disrespected.

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