Road Chosen: Sequel Book 2

Chapter 9

Mike

Dammit, Elena! I shove my way out the front door ignoring the obscenities from Rachel and start to run to the far side of the house towards the beach where I think she may be going.

A thought crosses my mind. She’d want to flee, not just run.

Her car.

I fumble to a stop, then run back the other direction to the driveway; I was right.

There she is, running straight for her little Saturn.

Oh, no you don’t.

She rushes for the door, but I catch up, giving her enough time to unlock it, but not enough time to open the door and get in. She runs to the rear of the car in attempts to keep me from her while I stop at the hood.

I hate that there’s a damn car between us.

“Michael, please. Just let me go,” she begs.

“No. Not until you hear what I’ve got to say,” I tell her.

She jerks her body to make me think she’s running off to somewhere else, and I follow her movement. Elena knows that no matter where she goes, I will follow her, and I will get her.

“I don’t want to hear what you have to say!” She shouts.

I drop my voice. “Tough.”

My girl is eyeing the door handle, she’s thinking she might be able to get away. She doesn’t realize how fast I can be.

Yep, there she goes. She rushes to the door and curls those fingers under the handle.

I simply let out a breath and the minute she opens the door to think she has victory - I pull her body away by the waist.

“Michael!” She screams, “Put me down.” The kicks, squirming, and screaming that she does in my arms does not do a thing to me but make me tighten my grip.

With a little force, I push her body against the grill of my lifted truck. I take her punching arms in each of my hands to nail them across the hood so I’m leaning over her; my legs are tight on either side of hers so she can’t do a whole lot of movement. I’m right up against her, her body is pinned between me and Roxanne.

“Let me go!” She yells in my face.

Keeping myself calm, I simply tell her, “Not until you hear me out.”

“I don’t want-“ I cut her off.

“Yes, your father hired me. Yes, my club and I got something out of it, but that doesn’t mean I never had feelings for you. The moment I met you, I knew it would be difficult to keep my emotions at bay – I was right, because you just came in and waltzed right to the damn vault and split it wide open!” I bark at her as if all my current feelings right now are her fault. It’s her fault that I feel anything at all.

Bringing my voice down a tad, I tell her, “I started to fall in love with you that week when we spent every day together. Do you remember? It was the week I got suspended and you were adamant about not letting me fall behind on anything. You drove me nuts! I fell in love with you that week. The moment I kissed you for the first time was the best kiss of my life. Whether you like it or not, you are it for me. You are mine. Please, you have to forgive me, because I’m not going anywhere.”

Those glossy grey-blue eyes sear into my very soul with the look she gives me. It isn’t the look I was expecting. No. Those eyes are becoming dark, like there’s a storm brewing inside. While I wait for her response of me practically pouring myself out to her for the second time in this relationship, I can hear Paul and Rachel yelling at each other by the front door. I can’t look over there, I’m trapped in Elena’s depths.

“Forgive you?” Elena asks with disbelief. “Forgive you?” she shouts and pushes her head forward, so we are nose to nose. I have missed the smell of her hair and the warmth of her breath.

Her face contorts to the anger she feels, and I notice her hip move. There’s a little thump on my boot. She tried stomping on my toes.

A smile tugs on my lips, but I stop it from happening. “Steel-toed boots, sweetheart.”

She glares at me and moves her knee; I dig my body into her even more, so she can’t knee me in the balls. “Don’t even think about it,” I growl.

“You gave me a big lie, Michael.” Her voice changes. There’s no fight left in her anymore. Under my weight, I feel her body relax, so I lighten my hold on her. “I can’t trust you. You made me believe that you had real feelings for me-“ I cut her off right there.

“Didn’t you just hear me? I told you-“

“I know what you said, Michael. Put yourself in my shoes. I just found out that we met on a lie. A job. You got paid to be with me. You…” Her voice drops to an angry whisper, “You took my virginity, Michael!” A tear flows down her cheek. “That was meant for someone who actually loved me back.”

I get closer to her face and I feel rage creeping into my blood. “Oh, no. Don’t you say s**t like that. I did not take anything from you. You gave it to me and if I remember correctly, I tried stopping it.” My eyes close for a split second. I shouldn’t have said that, so I rush out, “I loved you then and I love you now. Why can’t you understand that?”

She breaks the hold I have on her and a sting reverberates across my face.

A slap. I knew that was coming. I simply keep eye contact with her and fight the urge to just plant my mouth on hers; maybe it could change her mind?

“How dare you.” Her voice breaks as she tries to walk away. I stop her by wrapping my arms around her body and bury my face against the delicate curve of her neck. I breathe her in and hold her close to try and memorize the details.

Elena’s body for a moment molds to mine, but she fixes it quickly – I curse under my breath that she’s still fighting me. I know her voice just caught in her throat by the surprise, a surprise her body does not hate, but her mind has a rule over her impulses right now.

I knew the inevitable would be here. I knew she’d hate me and claw me from the inside out to get away, but I simply can’t let her. I’m a selfish bastard.

“Michael,” she whispers. I hate that she’s been calling me Michael. She only calls me Michael when she’s upset with me. I can’t handle this. She needs to forgive me so we can move on, so I can help her.

“Please, darlin’, let me help you,” I rasp low in her ear. “Please forgive me.” I hug her tighter and nuzzle her neck. “I’m in love with you.”

She shivers from the contact of my stubble against her flesh, I know she misses the feeling.

Elena’s arms cover mine and just when I think she’s hugging me back; she tries to unwrap herself from my grip. I don’t fight her, I let my arms drop from her warm body and I feel a piece of me fall apart. My chest tightens again.

She turns around to look at me. “I need time. Please, give it to me. When I’m ready for answers, I’ll let you know.”

That’s reasonable. I reluctantly nod my head as she steps backward to retreat into the house. Then she stops. “Just… please, don’t stop calling me,” she nearly pleads and there’s a jolt in my chest at the notion that she still wants me in her life even if it’s just by a damn phone call that she'll never answer.

“I won’t,” I tell her. “I’ll call ya every day.” That’s a promise.

She turns back around, and I watch with squinted eyes from the bright sun as my fallen angel walks past Rachel, who gives Paul a hug.

When Paul is in hearing distance, I ask, “How the hell did you get a hug?”

“Jealous?” Paul irks with a smug grin.

I roll my eyes and give him the middle finger. Damn straight I’m jealous. I was hoping that my speech would have made all the bad in Elena’s world go away.

Or at least have her realize that she has another person in her corner who can help her cope with the loss of her father.

To help provide justice for what my uncle had done.

“What did you say to Rachel to get her not be pissed at you anymore?” I ask him a little intrigued.

Paul mounts his bike. “I told her the truth.”

I scoff. “Well I did that.”

He points a finger at himself. “I wasn’t in a situation that got her father killed. He’s still very much alive.”

Bastard.

“I didn’t kill him. It wasn’t my fault,” I strain. I truly believe that I didn’t get him killed. Did I? I could never forgive myself if it were true… “How can I get her to see that?”

“She just needs time, Red. She needs someone to hate right now, needs someone to blame. Right now, that’s you,” Paul informs me as he straps his helmet on.

My lungs push out a sigh. I know he’s right; it just stings to hear it.

I reach for the handle of the truck and slide in. If she needs someone to hate, I’ll gladly be her punching bag for as long as it takes.

In studying Mom’s house, I decide that when the time is right for Elena to want answers, I’ll come back here and Mom, Elena, and I are going to have a long hard talk. I need some damn answers too from the woman who set all this up in the first place.

Sure, Elijah shared some of it, but Elena needs to hear it. Which reminds me… I open the center console and take out the envelope Detective Cobra gave to me at Charlie’s. It’s for Elena.

I fidget with the edges of the envelope and finally decide to put it back in the console, to save it for another encounter with my girl. She’s had enough of me today.