Page 27

Dustin

W ithin a few days, Tina’s grandpa is on the mend and has moved to an assisted living home where he can be monitored and cared for by professionals. Tina made a stink about it, but he told her she had a new job and didn’t need to be taking care of him too.

I haven’t confronted her about her debt problems, nor have I brought up what almost happened in Vegas, and neither has she. I guess what they say is true—what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

I spend the days training, fighting, winning, and dragging Tina with me every step of the way. We eat dinner together every night and sleep in the same bed. I have this deep-seated need to keep an eye on her, like she’ll slip through my fingers again if I don’t. Fuckface sends flowers, the persistent fuck, and texts her way too often. Yes, I looked at her phone, so sue me. In my absence, Colin has picked up where I left off at the Vegas office. Each day, he blows up my phone, badgering me to come back so he can resume his life here in Heaven.

At the beginning of week two, I admit it’s time to get back to work.

Tina doesn’t argue when I tell her to grab a sweater and meet me in the car. She’s sitting in the passenger seat when I load the basket filled with our dinner in the trunk. I climb behind the wheel and she glances over. “Where are we going?”

I’m happy to see some interest in her gaze and color on her cheeks. “You’ll see.”

It takes us thirty minutes to get to our destination. I park in her usual spot, and she looks at me curiously but doesn’t ask how I know. I climb out and unload the basket and a couple of towels to sit on. With her hand in mine, I lead her down the stairs to the beach. She hops on one foot then the other, taking off her shoes, and sighs when her bare feet burrow into the sand. “I love it here.”

“I know.”

We used to come here together. It started out being the three of us. Then little by little Connor would find excuses not to come. It didn’t deter Tina and me, though. It became our thing, until it wasn’t. Or at least it wasn’t our thing together anymore… until now. I spread out the towels and open the basket, handing her a carton filled with her favorite lo mein I made earlier.

She settles next to me and digs in, moaning after the first bite. Watching her enjoy food has become my new obsession. She speaks around a mouthful. “I still come here. It’s soothing.” She swallows and takes a sip of her water. “What soothes you, Dusty?”

You.

“Fighting.”

She laughs, getting to her knees and turning to face me fully. “Really? It’s so aggressive.”

“It’s a release.” I hand her an egg roll and she takes an enormous bite, making me smile. “After each fight, I feel… lighter.” I don’t tell her that during the years in between losing her and fighting, I was so full of anger and sadness with no outlet it felt hopeless. Then I finally started winning and it gave me something to focus on.

“How far will you go with it?”

“I’ll go pro.” No doubt. It’s what I’ve been working towards. She takes another bite, and I watch her chew. “I like the way you eat, mouse.”

She playfully pokes my arm. “Stop watching me.”

Never.

I brace my elbows on my knees and face the water, keeping her in my peripheral. She finishes eating and mimics my pose, drawing patterns in the sand with a toe. I face her and nudge her with my shoulder until she looks at me. “I’ve missed hanging out with you,” I say.

Her eyes turn glossy, but she doesn’t look away. “I did too.” She sighs and rests her head on my shoulder. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

Her body slumps against me. “When?”

“Tonight.” I take a breath and ask the question I’d been dreading. “Are you going to quit?”

She laughs, but it sounds sad. “I can’t afford to.”

It’s the perfect opening to ask her about the money problems, but I don’t want to throw Dee and Stan under the bus. Plus, I want Tina to come to me herself. I’m starting to lose patience, though, and I fear the headway we’ve made so far won’t survive the distance.

Later, I spend the entire flight to Vegas so sick with worry that by the time I land, I’ve come to a decision. Lucius answers after the first ring. “What’s up?”

“I need a favor.”

Days later, I wake from a nightmare in my Vegas bed, sweaty and panicked. In it, Fuckface swooped in and bailed Tina out of her financial troubles. Grateful, she quit working for Lemmy… quit me. Dream or not, this outcome is not acceptable. As I see it, the only solution is to make it impossible. I just have to figure out how.

After racking my brain, it dawns on me there is only one person in Heaven who would loan a substantial amount of money to a person in need, and that person is an old fighting buddy of my dad’s. Aldo Mauricio. If Tina won’t accept help outright, I’ll have to try other means. I shoot off a text to him and his response is instant.

ALDO: Anything for one of Jack’s kids.

Colin takes the seat across from me at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in each hand. I accept the one he slides my way with a grunt of thanks. I study him over the rim. His hair is a mess and he has a dopey look in his eyes. “When does the honeymoon phase end?”

“Hopefully never.” His smile is smug as fuck, and I want to dump the contents of my cup over his head. Lucky for him, I’m too busy planning my failsafe to entertain my brother’s gloating. “How’s Tina doing?”

It’s not easy to keep your twin in the dark, but I still try. “Not a clue.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

“So, what you’re saying is, you haven’t checked in on her?”

I don’t like his know-it-all tone and my answer is pissy because of it. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Funny. I talked with Christian before joining you this morning. He said Rosa has been staying with Tina almost every day. Annnd”—he drags out the last word, being extra annoying—“he also said Tucker’s playing secret watchdog.”

Fucking big mouths.

When he doesn’t mention the cameras, I breathe a little easier. While Tina was busy helping her grandpa, Lucius’s buddy installed cameras in the house. The relief I felt the second I opened the app and saw Tina was staggering. But if Colin knew, he’d never let me live it down. “So?”

He kicks me under the table. “You need to work on your communication skills, brother.”

To be a dick, I check my watch. “You’ve been married a whole hot minute and all of a sudden you’re an expert on couple’s communication?”

“I might not be the best at it, but the fact I’m married says I’m better at it than you.”

“Whatever. I haven’t heard much talking going on between you two.”

He grins. “Jealous?”

Tina, with her green eyes soft and dreamy from sleep, comes to mind and my heart picks up speed. It feels like both a lifetime ago and just yesterday that my tongue was this close to heaven.

Was it some cosmic joke letting me get within a breath of her pussy, only to pull her out of reach? Well, the joke’s on the universe, because if everything goes as I plan, I’ll have Tina right where I want her.