Slice (The Elledge Family #1) (32 page)

“Why don’t you trust him?” Mark rolled his eyes. “He saw you kill Summer and he hasn't said anything.” He paused. “Your behavior is getting out of control.”

“Fuck you Mark.”

“You're being careless! Lucas, why don't you fucking listen?” Mark snatched him towards him like a paper weight and nodded his head. “Why don’t you fucking listen?”

I jumped back watching the two tussle. Lucas pushed him and stepped back. “Don't touch me Mark.”

“What, you wanna kill me now? It is not about you anymore. You’re being followed by people. You have friends that are risking their lives for you and you...”

“Mark, get the hell out of my face. I know.”

“Do you care? Can you pretend to care?”

“Get the fuck out of my face, right now.” His voice was low.

I nodded my head. “He can't pretend because he doesn't know how to care. You know I don't care what you do. I just don't want to be taken down with you.”

“Oh my God. I have to get home.”

“You need to get home. You need to stay home. And Asher, we need to talk. We need to sit down and formulate a good strategy. Lucas get the fuck out.”

“Great, I didn't want to be here anyhow.” Lucas left the apartment.

I locked the door and Mark stared at me. “Are you really trustworthy?”

“I am. I mean… I have everything to lose why wouldn't I be?”

“The feds are buzzing around him.” He slid a picture down on the desk and it was Lucas' handwriting. “He wrote in his blood. He doesn't care.”

“What the actual fuck?” I gasped.

“I'm worried about him. Cypress is an anchor for him. His blood lust goes down. He feels like with her everything can be normal. Then someone pisses him off or someone that he has hated for a while… Luther here… comes along and he can't resist. He can't stop himself sometimes. And that is going to be his demise.”

“If he is addicted I can try to counsel him.”

“One wrong word and you are dead to him.”

“He trust me for some reason and I wouldn't cross him.” I looked at Mark. “Teach him to be like you.”

“Like me?”

“Quiet reserved...fighting… channeling it into something else.”

“I channel my… whatever by a greed for money. I just want to be rich and worry free. I don't want the extra.”

“Make him want money.”

“He has money Asher.”

“Well look I don't know what you want me to do.”

“Continue to watch him.” Mark whispered. “Be there and stop him.”

“I have to have a life Mark. I can't just follow a grown man around hoping that he doesn't kill anyone. I can't just stop my life.”

“I know.” He pushed his hands through his short blond hair in frustration and I nodded my head. “This would be better if Cypress knew. But she would freak out. They got back together.”

“So we leave her clues. I am sure she is wondering something already.”

“No,” Mark sighed. “I don't know what the hell to do. I don't know. Look Ill swing by sometime tomorrow and don't talk to the feds anymore. Is there anything that you know that they are looking for?”

“A knife.”

“They said something to you about a knife?”

“Yeah, they said it is the link between London and America...”

“Cumbria?”

“Yeah whatever, the strokes of the knife are they key.”

“Fuck alright, thank you. I'll talk to you later.”

Chapter Fifteen

Asher

Lucas could never be simple. I asked for one simple thing from him, a blood test and of course he was dead that I was wrong. He refused and now my life was a living hell. My mom swore she wanted nothing to do with it and begged that I leave it alone, but I now understood that she was hiding something from me. I made a special trip back home to California. I missed the bright skies and liveliness of the city. The palm trees on every block and the beautiful painted homes. Our home was perfect.

I sat on my old porch and waited for her to get off from work. She was a registered nurse and she worked long hard hours. It was part of the reason my parents split. My father wanted a wife and she wanted a career. And she got what she wanted. She was the head nurse of three different wings in the hospital, but she lost a husband and basically a son in the mix.

She had the cigarette in her lips and her face was less than amused. “I can't believe you even came to see me.” She closed the door and smiled at me. She was as pretty as her name. Margot's hair was a silky mixture of gray and black. Her eyes slanted like she as Asian and I looked nothing like her. “Must be important.”

“Hey mom.” I hugged her as she sat down on the porch in the plastic chair next to me.

“Enjoy the drive?”

“I did not.” I laughed. “I’m done with my thesis. I turned it in. It's just awaiting the grade.”

“My son will be a doctor. How does it feel?”

“Like a burden that I’m more than happy to have off of my shoulders.” I took the cigarette from her lips. “You’re a nurse. You know what those things do mom.”

She took it back from my hands. “I feel like the conversation we’re about to have will be worst if I don’t have it. Where did you get the photos from?” Margot re-lit the cigarette and turned her head to me.

“I got it from a friend in college. Someone, I think you know already.”

“Lucas Elledge,” She exhaled and blew the smoke into the air. “How did you meet him?”

“Coincidence, really,” I lied. I folded my arms. “Mom, I know that this little boy in this picture is me.” I held it out in front of her and waited. Her shaking hand took the picture from me. “Please, just tell me.”

“She was so beautiful.” Margot smiled and then her eyes shifted to me. “Yeah, Asher it is you.” She rolled her eyes. “I hate we are even talking about it, but I can tell you. But I don't want you to stop being my boy. You’re all I have.”

“You’ll always be my mom. Nothing that you can say can change it.”

“You say that,” The silence sat between us and then she sighed. “You were born in England and you are English.”

“She’s my mother?”

“Luna,” she smiled. “We were best friends. Tracy and Luna both went to UCLA with me. We were dorm mates and roommates after the first year in our own home. No one really expected us to be so close. But we were,” She nodded her head. “Luna met Declan and she had got pregnant. He didn't want her to have it. He wanted her to give it up and I thought it was a bad idea. She loved him and he loved her. So they gave the oldest child to Tracy. His name was Marcus.”

My heart raced. “Tracy, who?”

“I don't know her last name now, but at the time it was Tracey Todd. She loved the child and she made a pact with Luna that she would make sure the child knew her at least as a godmother. It was beautiful.”

“Okay,” I shook. “And then?”

“She got pregnant less than a year later. I had just found out that I could not have children and here she was popping them out like it was nothing. Tracy said that she had her hands full and she just couldn't. They were about to throw you into the system in England.  I told her to bring you here. I told her that I would raise you, but only as my son. I didn't want her to have anything to do with you… But most importantly, I didn't want Declan around
you. Declan was a bad guy. He was always a bad guy and she couldn't get it. She agreed and when she left I changed everything. I moved and hid out.”

“So, Luna had me?”

“Yes and Lucas is your younger brother. He looks like Declan you know. The hair, the smile… I saw him on the back of his book. He looks just like him, especially those eyes.” She paused. “You look like Luna, but your hair, this beautiful mess of chocolate brown hair, is Declan.”

“Mom, why didn't you just tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want you to know them. They’re not good people.”

“Luna died.” I said. “And Declan.”

“She did?”

“ALS, and I could have at least met her once. That is important to me mom. I would have never called her mom.”

“She is your biological mom.” She sniffled back her tears. “I just wanted you to love me only. It was selfish, but I don't regret it.”

“That's selfish mom. I have a brother out there. Two of them and I haven't had the chance to know them or anything because you want...”

“Because I protected you from something that you didn't need.”

“You could have let me be the judge of that.” I spat back at her. “I love you.” I stood up. “I am gonna go to bed. The drive killed me.”

Cypress

Lydia sat on the edge of her bed reading her magazine like it was a science. “So… tell me some good positions?”

I spit out my water and stare at her. “What? Are you and Trey sleeping together?”

“We are.” She blushed. Her cheeks flushed and she done her small happy dance with her fist balled and in the air. “It was amazing.”

“Wow, your brothers have no clue do they?”

“Hell no,” Lydia smirked. “And you won't tell them right?”

“I won't.” I nodded my head. “Where were you two?”

“Valentine’s night,” she answered. “Picture it, the hotel was full of roses and candles and he gave me this ring. He's going to Texas AM.”

“Where are you going?”

“Texas AM.” She was giddy.

“Well, I wish you the best of luck!” I stared at the ceiling.

“He has been asking about you.”

“I know he has, I can't even focus on him right now.  I have something bigger at hand.”

“And what's that?”

“Well, I haven't had a cycle in months. We tested a while back and I haven't tested again.”

“You wanna take it here? We can barricade the doors for privacy and then debate on the results. We could turn this into some freaky girl’s event.”

“Will he show up here?”

“More than likely,” she looked down at her hands. “Look, I know my brother is not the best person. He has some issues. But I know he loves you and I know you need time. I won't pressure it and I don't blame you for hating him. If Trey ever done anything like that I would be freaking out. So hate him and do what girls do. But don't make a rash decision about your life and not look at every side of the situation.”

She had gained some wisdom in her few years. “Okay, well do you want to ride with me to get the test and some pickles.”

“If mom sees pickles she will know something is up. So we can get the test and we will have to carry huge purses to sneak all of this into my room.”

“What do you mean all of this? It's a pregnancy test and some pickles.”

“I want some fat snacks and some Redbox movies. Dear we will make the day of this.” She grabbed her keys. “Come on, I can't wait to see the results. If you are… make me the Godmother.”

“But you are the Aunt.”

“I would really like to be the Godmother.” She added. “Please.”

“Fine,” I laughed. “Come on.”

We made our way down the steps carrying huge purses down the steps. “The two lovely ladies...” Mark greeted as he bit into his apple. “Where are you going?”

“Um, we were about to run to the store.”

“Can I go?”

“No,” We both said.

“Mean, the both of you.” He plopped onto the couch. “You should be warned that Lucas will be here later on today. I don't know where the love saga is currently. Law school has me trapped in its grasp for too long.”

“We don't care that he will be here.” Lydia answered for me. “You make sure he stays down here away from her and if he wants me, I can come downstairs to him.” She grabbed my hand. “And you better not be plotting anything Mark. I swear it will be war.”

“When did you grow a set of balls?”

“I've always had them.” She pulled me out of the house towards the car. “Now we have some planning to do. Should we get some food first? We could go to a restaurant and pig out.”

“I don't know… should I even go back?”

“Did you not hear my threat? We'll get pizza on our way back.”

This girl day was much needed. We grabbed unnecessary items and tossed them into the shopping cart. Then of course grabbed ten pregnancy tests and made out way to the house. Lucas was there as Mark said he would be. He sat on the couch with Mark engrossed in some horror movie.

“Shit,” I mumbled as we opened the door.

Lucas watched me with every step I took into the house. “Cypress...”

“Hi,” I waved. My eyes welled and I stared at him.

“Um, so you two cannot have any of the pizza and do not disturb us. We have some chick flicks and some food.” She pushed me passed them. It was much needed because my feet felt like they were planted there permanently.

I climbed the steps out of breath and tossed the heavy purse full of fat snacks and pregnancy test on the high bed. “Thank you.”