Motown Breakdown (Motown Down #4) (16 page)

You gave me yours, here’s mine.

Take care of it.

Wiping my eyes, I stuff the note in my pocket and grab the shit from my place and leave. In a daze, I found myself at some random tattoo shop. The name didn’t matter, the guy who could put her heart on my wrist did. For fifty bucks and five minutes of discomfort, I left the shop with what would be the only physical proof that she ever existed.

That
we
existed.

For the next two weeks, I went by her place every night after work. I would knock and she wouldn’t answer. I would walk in, see her used furniture and sit on her bed. Until tonight, when I knocked and an older woman answered. At a loss, I introduced myself as her neighbor and walked away.

I haven’t been back since.

Three weeks have passed now and when my phone rings, I run to it hoping it’s her. It never is. It was always work or a solicitor. Drinking myself to sleep, I was just about to pass out when the phone rang with the last call I expected to come.

“Yeah?”

“Eddie?” that timid voice, the one I’d never thought I’d hear again was calling me by name.

“Evie?” I ask sitting straight up.

“It’s me,” she says softly.

There was so much I wanted to say but I didn’t know where to start. Here I had her on the phone but I was thinking about the woman that made the call possible. And what it might have cost her to do it so I went with, “Tell me what happened, Evie.”

Quiet for a moment, I can hear her crying and lost my temper. “I have to know if you’re okay, God dammit, talk to me.”

“I’m okay, Eddie,” she says composing herself. “I just… didn’t want to live that life anymore.”

“So you just fucking left me?” She wouldn’t answer and that set me off. “Nine fucking months I’ve worried, nine.”

“I’m sorry,” she cries. “I wasn’t thinking when I – ”

That’s when Luna’s words registered. “The tattoo on your wrist,” I growl. “What is it?”

“A star why?”

Unbelievable, Luna was right. “You
chose
to leave me. You chose to leave me and not even tell me goodbye. I put lives in jeopardy to find you. You selfish little
bitch
.”

“Eddie,” she continues to bawl. “I need you to know that I love you and hope one day you can forgive me.”

“Does he hurt you?” I grate out.

“Drew? No, never,” she rushes out. “He encouraged me to call you, Eddie…” she pauses. “I’m happy.”

Some get a happy ending, most…do not.
Those were Luna’s words and if I believed Evie’s, she did.

“I’ve got one more question for you,” standing by my window, I debated even asking. “Who called you? To say I was looking, who called?”

“Luna Bella,” she says carefully. “Look Eddie, I’m not allowed to talk about this…”

“Why?”

“Drew wanted me to ease your mind, alright? You have to let me go now, forget I exist and,” she pauses lowering her voice. “Forget about her.”

“What did she say, Evie? Word for word.” She was a lot of things and passive was one of them. Push her and she’ll cave that would never change.

“She asked if I loved you. She told me I was a selfish cunt and that if she ever saw me she’d kill me for what I did to you. She said as a moon it was her right.”

“Why is that such a secret?”

“That’s not the secret, Eddie. It’s what happened after that I can’t speak of.”

“Evie this is the last time we’re gonna talk, we both know it. Put me out of my misery and tell me what happened to her. She risked her life for me to do this.”

“I know,” she starts crying again. “Because I was on the phone with her when it happened.”

“What the fuck happened?” I roar so loud spit flew from my mouth.

“Marco started beating her while she held the phone,” she whimpers. “She didn’t tell him to stop, she kept screaming for me to call you. Then she stopped screaming and the line went dead, no one is talking about it. All I know is Marco is dead and Shade won’t let anyone see her. Drew made it clear I was to stay out of it and that you aren’t to know.”

Right, because a woman being beaten was no one’s business. “How did he die?”

“Drew said Shade heard her screaming and killed him on the spot.”

I couldn’t handle any of this right now and I needed to get off the line before I lost it. “You’ve got my number,” I tell her. “If you ever want to talk, use it. Otherwise, I won’t look for you again.”

“Eddie?” Her voice was just above a whisper. “Please don’t hate me.”

Luna said the same thing to me, only she worried I’d hate her if she couldn’t locate Evie. Yet she did and suffered for it. And with that thought, I simply hung up the phone. Being human meant I’d think of Evie, I loved her, it was a given. But I was done worrying for her, wondering if she was hurt or needed me when clearly she didn’t. Hell, she hated being with me so much, she volunteered to be another man’s property. Luna told Evie she was selfish and she was right. It took a lot of whisky and a lot of reflection to realize Evie had always been selfish. Nothing I ever did was enough. Evie hated Detroit, our house, my job and not once did she ever try to contribute. Manicures, pedicures, the fucking hair appointments… Sneaking out and lying about who she’d been with. Coming home with shit I could never afford to buy, swearing a friend gave it to her.

And still, I loved her.

Luna nearly died helping me and I’d bet my left nut she knew she might die and did it anyway. Looking at my wrist, I grabbed my keys and hauled ass to the place I thought stole Evie. It hadn’t but, it was keeping Luna prisoner. Evie had a choice, Luna never did.

But she willingly sacrificed herself…for me.

So I wanted her back. She belonged with me.

I said I’d be seeing Shade again, that one of us wouldn’t walk away from it.

May the best man win.

I was sick of this bed.

The nurses stopped coming a few days ago, thank God. I was well enough to finish my healing without in-home care. At least I can be bored and alone now. When Shade wasn’t hovering that is. Since the day Marco tried killing me, he’s never been far from me. He blames himself for my condition. Nothing I say gets through and until I’m free of the marks left behind, no one is allowed to see me.

Shade had picked me up at 3 o’clock sharp. We came back to the house and I dropped my bag in his quarters. Before coming to get me, he’d made room for my things. Not twenty minutes had passed when the artist came up, tattooed me then left us alone. Professing his loyalty and his protection, we married with me in yoga pants.

That’s how it’s done around here. No ministers or priests, just a tattoo and a few words. Boom, done. However, later that night when Marco demanded an announcement, Shade proudly told him it was already done. I know Marco and though he faked happiness, he was far from it. Shade was convinced we had time. I didn’t trust Marco for a second.

That night after our marriage was consummated several times; I held the tears in. Would I always think of Crews every time Shade wanted to fuck? I knew that to get through it, I would and it killed me that I was low enough to do it. The third and final time, Shade went all out lasting a whole ten minutes. Seeing an opportunity to catch him while his guard was down I fessed up to telling my neighbor I owed him a favor. Shade had just come hard so he didn’t freak out. Let’s face it, around here we’re big on favors. He was curious about what he wanted in return for saving my life. I told him he
thought
someone he cared for had been taken and if we could try and locate her, to ease his mind and some other shit I made up.

“What’s her name?” he asked easily.

“Evie,” I struggled to say without the thread of hate behind it.

“Does she have a last name?” That stumped me because I never thought to ask.

“I assume it’s Crews. But her first name is Evie or maybe Evelyn.”

“Can it wait until morning?” No. “Yes.”

“Good,” he said throwing a leg on me. “I want time with my bride.”

That very next morning, he sent me a text with her number and asked that I be discreet. Drew Morris bought her and from what Shade said, was extremely protective of her, he even loved her. Well, how fucking nice for Evie.

I didn’t make the call right away, in fact, it took a full week to make it happen. But I promised Crews I’d do it and when I heard her voice I hated that she sounded beautiful. I remember the entire phone call. Asking if she loved Crews, her saying she did. Yet she sold herself to Drew which set me off. I called her names and even threatened to kill her which if she told Drew and it got back to Shade… Probably not my smartest move. Then Marco punched me in the back of the head and the world went sideways. Clutching the phone, I screamed at Evie to call him, right before Marco’s steel-toed loafer connected with my face.

I remember nothing that came after and according to Shade, he preferred I didn’t. For him to say that meant Marco had put a serious beating on me. When his foot came down I thought
this is it
and was glad I could die doing something selfless for someone else. But I woke up (in pain) to Shade pacing, relieved I made it and him telling me he how he killed Marco (in detail).

That all went down three weeks ago (give or take a few days).

Now, I wanted out of this bed.

Getting dressed and making my way into the kitchen, I had hoped for coffee and struck gold when the pot was still warm. Following Shade’s voice, I find him in his office and lean against the door to listen while he works. Truth is, he was one hell of a business man. Sipping my drink, he motions me to take a seat and I do.

While I was recovering Shade asked to include me in the business. I agreed (kinda) and when he asked me what I thought of it, I told him it was disgusting, perverse and that women should never live in fear of being stolen. He asked what if a woman was willing (to be a star)? To that, I just shrugged and admitted to being able to live with it considering she was making the choice. On the spot, Shade changed the skin trade.

And I really liked him for it because he did it for me.

Okay fine so, he’s running a bunch of other shit now but it’s not women and I counted that as a win. Hanging up the phone, he sits next to me and touches the stitches on my forehead. Pure guilt pinches his face and I remind him it wasn’t his fault and thanked him again for saving my life. Kissing me once, he stands offering his hand. Taking it, I don’t ask questions I just follow. Walking into the building, Shade leans in nibbling my ear. “My Luna,” he says taking my mouth.

“What was that for?” I ask.

“No reason,” he says leading me into the parlor. “You’re beautiful, I couldn’t help it. Sit, so you can rest, we’ve got a few appointments but the rest of the day is pretty free.”

“Okay,” I agree curling up in the chair gingerly. Sure, I was healing but I wasn’t
healed
. Hours go by and I’ve sat through several appointments (girls wanting to be stars), had lunch and even a cat nap before our last visitor arrived. Not bothering to look up, Shade says, “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“I’m here to challenge you for Luna.” Frozen, I still do not look up. I could do nothing, not even breathe.

“Challenge me?” he didn’t laugh, nope. He was pissed.

“He knows of our ways, wife?” he asks me in a low voice. A tone that I’d never had directed at me before.

“I let that one slip,” I mumble refusing to look at Crews.

“Her freedom, Shade, I’m here to challenge you for her freedom.” So he wasn’t here for me then…

“I accept.”

Like a bomb went off inside of me, I stood up and went to my husband’s side. My heart was racing, my mind was a tangle of brutal images. All of them gruesome, all of them showing me Crews dead on the floor. This moment wasn’t about him being incapable of beating Shade, because let’s face it, anything’s possible. The hard truth was, even if Crews won, he’d die for it. I wasn’t walking out of here free and he wasn’t leaving alive unless I intervened.