Page 42 of Close to Falling

“I’ll be home late tonight,” I tell her.

“You’re always home late.” She’s sleepy-eyed and pretty as ever. I lean back against the counter and look at her. Sweet love wears nothing but my T-shirt, and I know she smells like me and her mix, which makes me want to sayfuck work.

“You want me to stay?” I ask, just because I want to hear her say it.

“Of course, I do,” she says, wrapping her hair up. Her neck is exposed now, and I walk over to the couch and sit down at the far end.

“Come here,” I command. My shirt rides up when she moves, revealing her panties. B grabs my thighs when she crawls onto my lap. Her face goes to my neck, and I feel her soft lips against my skin. I love this girl more than life, and I show her when I lean my face down and kiss her. I lift her up so she is straddling me and run my hand down to her panties.

“Tell me,” she says.

“I love you.” I smile.

“Do we have time?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I say, sliding the lace to the side. She sighs when I sink in and moans when I curl my fingers. She grips on to cotton, and I move my thumb, rubbing against her until her thighs want to close. She bites down on my shoulder as she comes. I undo my belt and unzip my pants.

“Lift up, B.” She does, and then she sinks. I grasp her hips and guide her down until I’m all the way in. She’s only high on me when we are like this, and I lean back on the couch and let my eyes roam over every part of her. Her makeup-free face, her messy hair, and her slightly open mouth as little sweet breaths sneak out. The creases of skin between her thigh and waist as she takes me all the way. She grabs her breasts, and I run my hand across her waist and snake it up her back until I reach her shoulder. I press down and lift up with my hips, hitting her in the spot that drives her crazy.

“Take my shirt off,” I tell her. B grabs the bottom and removes my shirt before she lets it slide through her fingers. She’s sweet as candy and the prettiest girl I’ve ever been with. No one before her mattered or felt like this. I suck on her bottom lip as I lift my hips again over and over until my stomach muscles burn and her legs shake. I dip my head and kiss her chest, sucking and marking her soft skin. I keep going and tell her she is my fucking world as I let go, too.

***

“Yo, River, we need you to make that run, man.”

I slip my hoodie off my head and turn the forklift off. I’ve been working for twelve hours straight. I haven’t even had time to call B. I jump down and walk over to Swift.

“What’s it for?” I ask.

“Don’t need to know, kid,” he replies, giving me an envelope. “You’ll get the rest when it’s done.” I nod and take the manila envelope from him. Sliding it into my back pocket, I grab a smoke from my pack and slip my hoodie back on. I jump into the oversized truck and press the clutch before I crank it. It rumbles to life, and I put it in gear and press the gas, turning the steering wheel and making my way to the already opening gate. Pulling out onto the main road, I light my cigarette and roll the window down. The night air feels good as I head to the spot to drop this shit off. I don’t think about anything but driving straight and getting to my destination.

***

I pull around the old bar and see the usual man sitting out back. He’s in a metal chair and has a smoke lit. I put the truck in park and jump out. Walking toward the end of the trailer, I toss my cigarette and unlock the bolt. I hear commotion and look toward the guy sitting down. He jumps up and takes off running inside. I hear guns fire, and I quickly run back to the front of the truck. Snatching the door open, I go to jump in.

“Hold up.” I hear and freeze. Shit. “Step down from the truck and put your hands in the air.” I put my foot back on the ground and slowly turn around. A man in a suit and tie holds a gun up, pointing it directly at me.

I hear the doors on the truck open and someone say, “This is it.” The suit grins.

“You running drugs, boy?”

“Hey, I have no idea what’s in that truck,” I reply calmly.

“Sure, you don’t,” the gun owner says as he walks toward me. “You had no idea you were hauling bricks.”

“Bricks?” I ask.

“Put your hands behind your head. You have the right to remain silent…”

He goes on reading me my rights, and my mind flashes to Maddie as the cold metal clinks across my wrist. I don’t even hear what he is saying anymore as he walks me past the truck. Two men are going through the contents and tossing out bricks of cocaine. From the looks of it, I’m fucked.

***

“So, you’re telling me you had no idea there were two hundred pounds of cocaine in the back of that truck?” The man who is talking to me has on a gun vest and a cup of coffee sitting in front of him. We have been at this all night, and I’ve told the fucker a million times I didn’t know what was in the truck. I’m not lying. I had no idea I was distributing roughly eighty million in drugs. I have a court-appointed lawyer, and he couldn’t be more of an idiot. First off, he is letting this coffee drinking piece of shit talk to me, and he is nowhere to be found.

***

Court days come, and court days go. They busted up the biker bar where I was dropping the drugs off, but the docks remain safe. No one knows where the truck came from because my mouth hasn’t told shit, so the Brothers are good. I don’t give a shit about them, but I’m not a snitch, and because I won’t talk, they find me guilty for drug trafficking. I’m facing six years. I look back at Maddie as I stand and the guard handcuffs me. Baby has tears in her eyes, and it fucking kills me.

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