28
1690 Words
“Huh?” Staring at the man, Erika felt her heart rate increase slightly. Her head tipped to one side, gauging him as he stared thoughtfully at the message on his phone. Dressed in her casual clothes to avoid drawing attention to her new job, she was out of class on a break when Markus came by. “What do you mean?”
He handed her the phone. “True or false?”
“Oh, totally false. That dude he’s bent over helping is a head case. He’s constantly begging for help, and I’m just waiting for someone to smack him upside the head with a textbook or something. It’s ridiculous, really. I don’t even know how he got in this place,” Erika told him.
Having received yet another text from an unknown person, he sought out the female guard assigned to his brother and boyfriend. Getting her to agree was difficult at first, but he slowly warmed up to her, weaseling his way into the conversations and outings over the last month and a half. Shockingly, his brother was steadfast in his celibacy vow, and never bothered with the young woman despite her being good-looking.
When he asked Lukas about it, his brother shrugged and told him he just wasn’t interested, and that school was more important. Yeah. Right.
Markus had laughed so hard at that explanation, he cried. Only just out of his teen years himself, Mark knew that the male teen’s libido was high, yet his brother seemed to be the opposite. “Do you happen to recognize this number that sent me the pic?”
Taking the phone gingerly from his hands, she scowled at the number. Pulling out her phone, she called the number. When a girl answered, Erika’s scowl deepened. “Gina?”
“Erika?! How did you get my number?!” The girl asked in shock.
“Listen you scrawny-ass, two-faced, all-you-can-eat-buffet,” Erika snarled, making Markus snicker. “If you don’t stop trying to screw over Jaxon and his boyfriend, I’m going to take you to a nice dark alley, beat the living s**t out of you, and leave you for dead. Do you hear me? I will f*****g strangle you with your own intestines while I watch you bleed out. Your only pissy because he’s turned down every girl and gay guy on top of having Sarah booted from school. Now, what do you have to say for yourself, and how the hell did you get Markus Roberts’ number?”
Markus’ phone dinged, and he looked down to see another message from the phone coming through. Biting his lip, he opened it to see what it said. “'Die in hell, you unholy creature!' Oh, would you look at that? I think we pissed her off even more.”
Hanging up, Erika stepped away to walk back into the building. Pausing, she turned to look at the man thoughtfully. His head was down, and the s**t-eating grin was still in place as he scrolled through the device. Seeing him so relaxed, she found it hard to believe he could be the jealous type. Then again, she wasn’t the one dating him.
Turning back to the double doors, she came face-to-face with his father. “What is he doing here?”
“Crisis averted, Sir. He asked me to bring out Jaxon to talk, but he was too agitated. I talked him down and settled the issue first and foremost,” She replied.
“He’s at it again?”
Knowing that the man meant Mark was being possessive and jealous all over again, she couldn’t help but wonder what made him that way. “Sir?”
“Yeah?”
“What makes him so jealous?” She asked.
Trace’s face settled into a mask of pure calm, and he seemed to shut her out for a moment. Shaking his head, he grimaced. “If the boys want to say anything, it’s up to them. Mark is scared of losing Jax, though.”
Scoffing, Erika rolled her eyes. “Sir, not to be disrespectful, but that would never happen. They’d need to be on opposite sides of the world, and still manage to find each other. What they have, whether they see it clearly, is pure and true. It’s the purest love I have ever seen, and I pray nothing ever comes between them. You did the best you could, and this is coming from someone who grew up with an abusive step-mother and sadistic brother.”
“I almost wish Luke was into you,” Trace laughed. “Almost.”
Watching Erika head inside, Trace stalked over to Markus. His son looked like a deer caught in headlights as he got closer. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“D-Dad!”
“Don’t you ‘Dad’ me, Mark. We had an agreement that you would back off once the boys got their own guard so you could focus on working with Red. I swear to God, if you don’t back off sooner rather than later, I’m going to be the one giving you a run for your money,” Trace snapped.
Lowering his eyes, Markus blinked back his tears. He knew his father was right, and it killed him to admit it. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
“Go back to work and let Erika handle keeping the boys safe. Delete any messages about Jaxon from any numbers you don’t know as soon as they come in, or I’ll lock down your phone,” Trace threatened.
“Why are you threatening me?”
Grabbing Markus by his jacket, Trace seethed. “You miserable little s**t. You just keep pushing the boundaries, don’t you? I could lose everything if you hurt that boy, so play your f*****g cards right, Mark. You only got your position because Nix begged me to meet you and your brother. Had it not been for that kid, you wouldn’t be where you are right now. As it is, Jaxon and Lukas are on the fast track to being my interns when they graduate.”
Shocked by the revelation, Markus let his jaw fall open. He hadn’t known that, and it was obvious that his father was worried about his own mob position being affected by his son’s actions. “I’ll go back to the shop now. I’ll turn off my phone for the rest of the day. There’s, um, there’s something I need to think hard about.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, my recent actions. I’m trying really hard, Dad. I really am, but I still feel like he’s going to leave me at the drop of a hat. I’m scared that someone who treats him better will lure him away,” Markus confided.
Trace winced, understanding the reasoning behind Markus’s standpoint. There was always the fear in the back of his own mind that he tried hard to constantly ignore. The tiny, hateful voice of insecurity and scorn that told him his boys would leave the nest and forget him to create their own lives. He smiled sadly, putting a hand on Markus’s shoulder as he hooked his fingers under his oldest son's chin.
“We all have that little b***h in the back of our minds that tells us bad s**t, Mark. We all have a voice in the dark recesses of our heads that tells us things like we’re not good enough, or that we’re just around to make others happy, or that we’re temporary in the lives of those we love. Jax, however, has stuck with you for two long years through all your tantrums and controlling behavior. He honestly believes in you and in your ability to change for the better,” he said solemnly.
Thinking about what his father said, Markus blinked back the tears that burned his eyes. He knew he was strong, but he was tired. He could feel that his body was wound tightly, like the recoil of a gun, and he could feel his emotions bubbling over. The pain, the fear, the thought that he wouldn’t be able to hold onto his boyfriend’s love – it was all hitting him harder than hard.
“Mark? Have you been taking your medication?” Trace asked suddenly, noticing that Markus’ behaviour seemed off.
Swaying on his feet, Markus could hear his father’s voice, as if the man was talking to him through a tunnel. A long, winding, narrow tunnel that made his voice seem far away and weak. Wait… what was that about medication?
Oh. Right. He was supposed to be taking a sleeping pill to offset his insomnia. Had he taken them lately?
“Dad… I don’t feel so good…”
Catching the younger man as he fell toward the ground, Trace cursed. “Verdammt! Markus! Markus, come on, buddy. Wake up for me. Scheisse!”
Realizing that the younger man had completely collapsed, Trace dug out his phone. Scrolling until he got to the contact he needed, he pressed the call button. Without waiting for her to say anything, he relayed the information to Ambrosia.
“Stay with him,” she said, her voice holding an edge of urgency. “Call an ambulance, and I’ll meet you here.”
“Understood,” he replied. Looking around, he spotted the dean coming out to see what was going on. “Sir, I need the afternoon off.”
Scowling, the dean jogged over and crouched down. “It looked to me like you were talking to him. Someone you know?”
“He’s my oldest boy, and he’s got pretty bad insomnia. We were having a chat during my break between classes, and he just collapsed,” Trace explained.
Eyes wide, the dean pulled out his own phone. Patting Trace’s arm, he said, “Take the afternoon. I’ll cancel your class for the day so you can be with your son. Should I let Luke know?”
“No, I’ll do that. Thank you so much, Sir.”
Standing, the dean moved off to the side as he connected with the ambulance service.
- Writer
