Page 42 of Bad Men

Of course she would give up her own future for them. It didn’t surprise me at all, yet I was pissed.

“But you can still go back,” I pointed out.

Mia nodded. “I might one day. Right now, I have a family who needs me. School will be there when I’m ready for it, and before you say it, no, I don’t feel like I’m missing something. Would I like for my family not to have to live the way we do? Yes. Would I like for them not to have to pay Eduardo once a month? Absolutely. But we don’t always get cupcakes and rainbows in life.”

I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Instead, I focused on driving the rest of the way in silence.

Chapter Nine — Nero

I heard the keys in the front door a split second before it was opened and footsteps echoed down the hall. I stayed seated on the edge of my bed, clammy palms mashed together between my knees as if I’d been praying.

I hadn’t been.

Religion and I had parted ways years ago and we’d never made up. I didn’t expect that to change just because I fucked up and needed divine intervention. I knew I would need to face the music, face what I’d done and accept whatever punishment fate saw fit. It was facing Dav that terrified me. It was the knowledge that I had screwed up so royally, there was a chance I could have lost my best friend forever. To most, it would have seemed ridiculous to be so crippled by something seemingly inconsequential, especially given that I killed people for a living but those people would never understand the bond Dav and I shared, the years of brotherhood. I knew I had to make things right, no matter what I had to do.

Pushing to my feet, I started for the door. I threw it open and joined the subtle rustle of fabric down the hallway.

Mia glanced up when I approached. Her brown eyes blinked once before her mouth bowed into a grin.

“Hey!” she said in greeting. “How did you sleep?”

It was at the back of my mind to tell her I hadn’t. Sleep was the furthest thing from my mind. I was more preoccupied by the presence of her in my living room. The fact that Dav stood a few feet from her, arms crossed, made me think this was an intentional decision on his part, a decision he’d made on his own, a decision neither of us had ever made in all the years we’d lived on our own. Women were never allowed back at our place. It was one of our rules. That only made me wonder if this was a test, an attempt to punish me by waving her in my face. The other part of me wondered if this was his way of telling me she’d failed and it was my job now to finish what I should have completed the night before. Whichever one it was, Dav was giving me no hints.

“Is it okay I’m here?” Mia was saying when I returned my attention to her.

I had no idea.

“It’s fine.” Dav answered for me, one hand going to the small of her back. “Do you want a drink?”

She eyed me a moment longer, visibly waiting for a response, but when I offered none, she glanced to Dav. “Water, please. Thank you.”

With a final glower at me, Dav pivoted on his heels and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving me alone with the tiny woman staring up at me again.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly.

“Yeah,” I murmured, sparing glances over her head to where I could just make out the figure yanking open cupboards and running the faucet. “How are you?”

One shoulder lifted in a small shrug. “I’m all right. Tired.”

Dav returned, glass of water in hand. “You can sit down,” he told her, motioning towards the sofas.

Mia looked to me again, a dip in her brows that mirrored the twist at the corner of her mouth. “Maybe I should—”

Dav was already moving her deeper into the room, and what felt like our lives. The water glass was placed on the coffee table and she was nudged to the sofa across from it. I followed, having nothing else to do, except playout whatever game Dav was playing. My butt hit the armchair before Mia took a cushion. She sat rigid with her knees pressed tightly together. Her teeth worked anxiously at her bottom lip while she studied the fingers twisting together in her lap.

“How was work?” Dav broke the serrated tension.

Mia raised her chin and fixed him with a quirked eyebrow. “You were there with me the whole time.”

Dav gave an indecisive bob of his head that rolled with the shrug of his shoulder. “Nero wasn’t.”

Eyes the liquid gold of whiskey lifted and met mine. “It was fine.” Her gaze dropped just as quickly and she drew in a quick breath. “Can I use your bathroom?”

Dav gave her directions and we both watched her push to her feet and pad from the room. The soft clip of her strides echoed through the hall and stopped with the click of the bathroom door closing behind her.

“What’s wrong with you?” Dav asked the second we were sure she couldn’t hear us. “Why are you acting as if she’s responsible for the death of your turtle?”

“Why is she here?” I asked instead. “Since when do we bring women to our apartment?”

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