CHAPTER TEN
Ariana
I TRIED NOT to feel hurt and disappointed at the way Bones had taken off without saying goodbye, but his absence stung. Last night had been so amazing, but now I wondered if he’d felt anything at all. Maybe I’d been the only one affected.
Maybe he’d gotten his fill of me.
Refusing to let my lonely thoughts take me down that dark alley, I dragged myself out of bed and showered. Then I put my hair up in a messy bun, threw on some jeans and a T-shirt, and headed next door to see how Markie was doing. And to ask her some difficult questions.
Angel answered the door and stepped aside, letting me in. “Hey Ari. Haven’t seen you in a couple of days.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that. I went back to work and…” And I couldn’t come up with any other excuses. I should have made time for Markie, but I’d been too busy working and chasing after Bones. Guilt settled around my shoulders as Angel led me to his bedroom door.
“Let me make sure she’s decent,” he whispered before slipping into the room.
It felt weird to have him checking on her before he let me see her. Like I’d never seen my sister without clothes on. Apparently, Angel was the only person allowed to see her naked now. The way he protected her should have comforted me, but instead, it made me jealous. I wanted someone to protect me like that.
Not someone, Bones.
I wanted Bones to make sure I was decent before he let people into my room.
But he couldn’t promise me anything. He’d been super clear about that fact before we’d done the nasty. I assured him I didn’t need anything, but now… now I wanted more.
I wanted everything.
Which was stupid since we’d only spent one night together, but the lack of sense it made did not change my feelings one bit. I no longer wanted to seduce him, I wanted to own him.
And, I wanted him to own me.
“She’s awake,” Angel said, interrupting my fantasies as he opened the door.
I entered, and he walked out, closing me in with Markie.
“Hey,” she said, giving me a weak smile. Her coloring looked more normal, the dark circles around her eyes seemed lighter, and the shaved side of her head was now covered with blonde fuzz. The rest of her hair was brushed and French braided to the side. She was seated with her back against the headboard, wearing a T-shirt while her lower body was covered with blankets.
“You look good,” I said, relieved to see her recovering.
“Not good. I think the word you’re looking for is better, but definitely not good.” Her hands went to her braid. “Angel watched a video and learned how to braid my hair.”
He was sweet. They were so fucking sugary together they gave me a toothache.
I wanted that, too.
After all my sister had been through, I should have been happy for her. I was happy for her, but I was also so damn jealous I hurt inside.
“He did a good job. Think he’d do mine?” I asked.
She smiled. “Maybe.” She patted the bed beside her. “Come sit with me and tell me what you’ve been up to. I’m bored out of my mind here.”
I sat, and Markie leaned her head against my shoulder.
“It’s almost Christmas, isn’t it?” she asked.
I nodded. Christmastime in Vegas felt weird. The temperature had dropped, and there was holiday crap everywhere, but there was none of the snow we were so used to from back home. “It’s next week.”
She blew out a breath. “I missed your birthday.”
“You’ve been a bit busy.”
“We need to do something. Preferably something with cake and ice cream. Maybe we can even go out for dinner. Then on the way home, we can stop and get a Christmas tree to decorate. You don’t have any Christmas decorations, do you?”
My sister was a force to be reckoned with when she set her mind to something. The mischievous glint in her eye told me she was bound and determined to fill the world with Christmas spirit. I’d disliked the holiday ever since mom and dad died, and I wasn’t looking forward to her making a big deal out of it. “Are you sure you’re ready for all that?” I asked.
“Yes.” She threw back the covers and put her feet on the floor, gingerly standing as she held onto the bed. “I have been dying for a long time, Ari. I’m ready to live again.”
Her words made no sense, because Markie lived harder than anyone I knew. My thrill-seeking, daring, crazy big sister was the most courageous person I knew, and she’d be jumping from the Ozone again in no time.
“No, I don’t have any Christmas decorations. You know how much I hate the holidays.”
Last year I’d celebrated at a rager, and I couldn’t remember a damn thing about it. It was the best Christmas I’d had in a long time.
“Angel’s parents invited us to Christmas dinner. A huge family dinner. I can’t wait! You’ll come, right?”
Christmas dinner with a scary, dangerous mob family. Only Markie would be excited about that. “I’ll think about it.”
She beamed a smile at me.
It was good to see her healthy and happy, but I could feel the weight of secrets between us. I needed to get everything off my chest and clear the air. I’d never been good at beating around the bush or pulling my punches, so I just came right out and asked, “Did Matt come visit me at the hospital?”
Markie’s expression fell. “I take it you’ve spoken to him.”
“Yeah. He said you threatened to call the cops if he didn’t leave me alone.”
She spun around, losing her balance. I reached for her as she planted both hands on the bed and held herself upright, wincing in pain.
“You okay?” I asked.
She took a couple of deep breaths. “Will be. I think I moved a little too quickly. My head is spinning.”
“Want me to get you some pain pills?”
“No. They’ll knock me out.”
“You need your rest,” I replied.
“I have been doing nothing but resting. I swear I’m going to lose my mind if I don’t get out of here soon. Christmas is coming, and I need to buy presents and do things. I’m sure the orphanage needs all kinds of help right now. I don’t even know if the kids have presents.”
“I get it.” She sounded so worried and frustrated it made me feel bad for even brining Matt up. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this now.”
“No, we need to.” She collapsed back down on the bed, seemingly worn out from standing for a couple of minutes. “I should have told you he stopped by. I’m sorry, Ari.”
Her apology caught me off guard. I’d been expecting her to list off all the reasons Matt was bad for me as she justified keeping me away from him. I expected her to treat me like a little kid she needed to protect and shelter, but instead, she’d come clean.
She rolled onto her side, facing me. “Forgive me?”
How could I say no to such an honest request? Still stunned, I nodded.
Her smile returned briefly before faltering again. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”
I nodded again. “What happened to Mom and Dad?”
She chewed on her lip, studying me. “How much do you know?”
“Bones said something about a cover up.”
“Their death wasn’t an accident, Ari. They were going to rat out some dirty cops and…” She looked down.
“And they were murdered for it,” I said.
She nodded.
It didn’t surprise me at all that our parents were killed for taking the high road. Truly honorable people rarely lived to old age. Knowing they’d been betrayed by other cops did sting, though. “And Uncle Jay?” Our uncle was our hometown’s district attorney. He had the power to bring guilty people to justice, but he was an asshole who rarely used his power for good.
“He knew. I didn’t tell you about it, because I knew you’d confront him. You can’t talk to him about it, Ari. He made it clear that if this gets out, the cops who killed mom and dad would come after you and me. And you know Uncle Jay will rat us out in a second.”
My chest felt like it would burst. My parents had been murdered, and my big sister had kept it from me.
She hadn’t trusted me to keep my mouth closed.
Granted, I hated Uncle Jay already, and probably would have laid into him, so she’d probably been wise to keep the truth from me. The more I thought about it, the more I appreciated her wisdom. I hadn’t been mature enough to deal with it back then, but I was now. Nine years had passed since our parents’ death. The cops involved were probably either retired or transferred by now.
“Say something. You’re not plotting my murder, are you?” she asked.
“No.”
“Uncle Jay’s murder?”
“I’ve already plotted that one out.” I cracked a smile and she gave me one back.
“Hopefully you have plans to make it painful? Lots of suffering?”
“Sharks with frickin’ laser beams,” I said, quoting Dr. Evil.
We shared a conspiratorial grin. Then Markie rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “Thank you for coming to see me. And for talking about this stuff with me. The old Ari would have just gotten mad and avoided me.”
True. “And the old Markie would have dodged my questions, insisting I was too young for the truth.”
“We used to be such bitches,” she said, giggling as she reached for my hand. “I’m glad we’re not like that anymore.”
Holding her hand, I agreed, “Me too.”
“Now, tell me what’s up with you and Bones. Have you figured out how to get him in your pants yet?”
My face warmed and I shifted, collapsing on my back to stare at the ceiling as well. While Markie was drugged out of her mind, I’d poured out my feelings and intentions for Bones to her, thinking she wouldn’t remember any of it. Turns out she remembered everything, and she’d been bugging me to come clean with Bones about my feelings ever since.
“We’re keeping it casual,” I said.
Propping herself up on an elbow, she stared at me. “You and Bones did…”
“Everything.”
A grin stretched across her face. “I need details.”
I groaned in protest.
“Look, Angel hasn’t touched me since we’ve been home from the hospital. He’s giving me time to heal and I hate it. I need details. I need to live vicariously through you right now. I need stories of hot romance and wild sex.”
“Do you want me to go buy you some books?” I asked.
“No! I want you to tell me your story. You can embellish a little if you want, though.”
“Oh, trust me, nothing needs to be embellished.”
She gasped. “How big is it?” Holding out her hands like she was sizing a fish, she asked, “Like this?”
Laughing, I settled myself in to start the tale, but a knock sounded on the bedroom door before Angel popped his head in.
“Ari, are you good to stay here with your sister for a few hours?” he asked.
“Yeah, of course. I have no plans today. I can stay as long as you need.”
“Good.” He walked into the room and smiled down at Markie, brushing a strand of hair from her face and kissing her gently. “I’m gonna go help Bones with a job.”
“Be careful.”
“Always, baby. Don’t overdo it.” Then looking at me he said, “Feel free to strap her to the bed if she tries to do too much.”
“I don’t even want to know why you have straps for your bed,” I replied.
Laughing, Angel left.
As soon as he was gone, I gave in and told Markie everything. She listened intently, only interrupting to ask questions and get more of the details I tried to gloss over. I couldn’t help but appreciate the way our relationship had changed since she’d come back. I was so glad she planned to stay for good.
“So, what are you going to do?” she asked after I finished.
“I told you, we’re keeping it casual.”
“It doesn’t sound like you want to keep it casual.”
I shrugged. “It’s safer. Nobody has any expectations, nobody gets hurt.”
She frowned. “I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy.” I grabbed the remote control from the night stand and pointed it at the flat screen television hanging on the wall above a dresser. “But this conversation has gotten way too deep. Let’s find something to watch that’ll make us laugh.”
She giggled. “You said deep.”
Feeling more content than I had in a long time, I curled up next to my sister and watched The Proposal.