Getting nailed against the wall by your brother.

Figuring he wouldn’t let me hear the end of it if I confirmed, I simply mumbled, “Forgot to lock the car.” Trip looked at me, pointed and burst out laughing. “Shut up, you fool!” I chastised light heartedly, just as Mace got to the table; he leaned around Remy and punched Trip, corking his arm

“Keep laughin’, you give her shit, and I’ll break it next time,” he joked.

My joking mood was abruptly cut short when I looked up to see tears in Teeny’s eyes. She quickly pushed her way out of the booth, mumbled a few goodbyes and took off out the front doors. Trip’s head snapped up and he took off after her.

“What the hell is that all about?” I asked Mace and Remy. Mace just shook his head. Remy looked back to me “They’ve got something going on. Teen was shooting daggers through him most of the night. The boy’s got problems there if you ask me.”

Curiosity was getting the better of me, along with the fact Teen never hid anything from me. I wanted to know what the hell had gotten her so upset. Obviously, it was about Trip, or he at least knew what was happening. Tomorrow night couldn’t come quick enough.

Chapter Sixteen

“Teeny fill you in on what’s goin’ down?” Lying in bed wrapped around Mace a few days later, warm, naked and sated after a morning of mind-blowing sex, my body was still limp as his hand ran lightly up and down my back. “No, not really. She’s over the top emotional, but keeping the details locked down. It’s buggin’ me though. Teen isn’t like that. She always tells me what’s goin’ on. I’m really worried,” I told his chest where my head was lying.

With a kiss to the top of my head, he quietly suggested, “She’ll be fine, babe. Whatever it is, she’ll tell you when she’s ready. Just give her time, yeah?”

I rolled off him onto my back staring at the ceiling. A smirk crossed my face. “I hate it when you’re right, you know!” There was a small tension in the air, but I’d put it down to my concerns for Teeny; that was until Mace spoke again.

“Scar, I—I need to talk to you about something, without you getting the wrong idea.” That whole sentence put me on edge. What the hell could be so damn important he needed to start off like that?

My stomach knotted up. I turned my face to his. “Okay, so talk.” Best to get it out there now, right? He looked nervous, like he wasn’t sure how to tell me whatever this thing was, and that was in turn making me nervous.

Shit.

He held my hand in his, resting them on his chest where I could feel his heart beating out of control. “I have to go away for a few days and I can’t say where, but I won’t be gone long.” Relief washed over me. That was it? That was his big confession? I burst out laughing. Mace looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“Mace, you should know by now I’m not some needy bitch. You gotta go for a few days, fine. I’ll see you when you get back. You have a phone. I have a phone. There’s this thing people do called texting. It’s where you—” Cut off mid-sentence by hard warm lips, my libido kicked in; the whole mood shifted from joking to serious.

Mace shifted so he was above me. He looked down at me like I was the most precious thing in the world. His hands framing my face, he leaned down and softly kissed my lips. Pulling back slightly searching my face, he whispered, “I love you, Scar.”

My breath caught at the intensity shining in his eyes. The way he was holding me, imploring me to understand just how much he felt, left me almost speechless. “I–I think that maybe I’ve loved you for a while now.” His face moved to my neck, raining small kisses across my skin. From there, he proceeded to make love to me, slow and sweet. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. My heart was at bursting point. Afterward, he laid beside me, holding me, kissing me like he was about to lose me. I was so overwhelmed, I might have thought to be concerned. Looking back, I probably should have been.

Mace had been gone two days. Two damn days and I hadn’t heard from him, not one measly text message. I hadn’t realized how lonely I was before he came along. I’d officially turned into some kind of pining cock-whipped bimbo. I missed him and not just the great naked sexy time, but waking up with him, spending a lazy Sunday cooking, and making out on every possible surface—some that weren’t so possible.

I’d kept myself as busy as possible in the shop and spent some quality time with Teen; she still hadn’t told me much, although she assured me she was perfectly fine. She looked better and seemed a little perkier, though not quite her normal self. But I knew Teen like I knew myself; she would tell me when she was ready and there would be no dragging it from her until then. I’d just finished up with a client and had the rest of the afternoon free when my cell vibrated with a message from Teen.

Goin’ to Comida’s, wanna come?

Comida Del Cielo was a little Spanish cafe about an hour’s drive away. It was a once in a while place because it was such a long way to go for their out-of-this-world strawberry rhubarb empanadas, filled pastry turnover, deep fried and served with the yummiest chocolate sauce; it was worth the effort to go there. I figured why not and told her to pick me up at the shop.

“Remy, I’m heading out with Teeny. You good here without me?” I yelled toward the front of the shop.

“Sure, Trip’s in real soon anyways. Take your sulking ass out and stop buggin’ me,” he smiled. Poor bastard. He’d had to put up with me and my sulky mood that was only made worse when Mace hadn’t contacted me since he’d left. Standing in the doorway waiting, I was about to throw a smart-ass retort back when Teeny pulled up and beeped her car horn, yelling out the window, “Let’s go, bitch.”

What felt like hours later, we were walking into the Cafe laughing and joking. When I looked up, my stomach dropped. The laugh on my lips instantly died and I gripped Teeny’s arm.

Sitting at a secluded table in the back corner was Mace, with a stunning blonde. What the hell? He was supposed to be away for a few days, hadn’t contacted me and I found him an hour away with some broad draped all over him. She was leaning down with a barely-there shirt gaping open at the front exposing way too much boob, whispering close to his ear as she ran her hand down his arm seductively. They were sitting far too close for it to be an acquaintance, and I knew full well the skank wasn’t family.

I don’t fucking think so.

“Scar. Hey, what’s wrong?” Teeny asked. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, anger started to bubble up within me realizing Mace had lied to me and I’d just caught him red handed. Teeny followed my gaze to where they sat and gasped. “Wait, sweetie, it could be anything. Maybe an old friend, family, anything. Don’t go in there guns blazing, calm down.”

Teeny was right I needed to take a breath before I went over there and kicked his ass; she wasn’t even convincing herself. “Teen, I’m going over there,” I warned. She picked up my hand, gave it a squeeze, and in true best-friend style, took up the rear, following me to the offending table and most likely my doom. I might have been a little dramatic.

As I approached with dread and an equal amount of fury swirling within me, Mace looked up. The color drained from his face and he opened his mouth to speak. Before he could get a word out, I asked, “How was your little trip? I see you made it back fine.” Guilt flashed across his face.

Blondie took that moment to pipe up. “Excuse me can’t you see you’re invading on our private conversation?”

Teeny clearly couldn’t hold her tongue and said just what I was thinking. “Who the hell do you think you are? You have no idea who you’re talking to, this is his girlfriend,” she spat, pointing to me.

“Oh, I know exactly who she is. Macey filled me in on the garbage he hangs around when he isn’t with me,” Bimbo snarled.

Teeny instantly bristled. “Listen here, you bleach blonde bimbo, take you dodgy-ass hair extensions and your slutty anorexic face the fuck away from me.”

The entire time Mace sat there like a stunned idiot spluttering, not getting a word out, clearly shocked at being caught out.

Bimbo turned and smiled sweetly. “Mace, you clearly haven’t told her about me? That’s really no surprise now is it. You always were ashamed of our relationship.”

Oh, hell fucking no. Just—No!

I wasn’t about to do this, not here, not now. My chest was tight. I felt sick to my stomach; bimbo clearly knew about me. I told him I didn’t share, and the bastard was—well I didn’t know what the hell he thought he was doing, but whatever it was, it ended right fucking now.

“Right, well then, Mace, I have to be going. Don’t bother coming near me again. I’m not down with that shit.” I turned and made my way back to the car, Teeny right on my heels, and Mace yelling after me as I went. I turned and flipped him the bird as Teeny reversed the car. My heart breaking just as quickly as we raced off down the street.

Chapter Seventeen

“Shut the fuck up, Janelle,” I snapped at her stupid whining voice. Right at that moment, I loathed her. I shouldn’t have lied to Scar. I knew that. I just wanted to sort out Janelle and her stupid-assed bullshit, and all I’d succeeded in doing was fucking everything right the hell up.

FUCK!

I sat there like some moron while Scarlett got the wrong idea, and while Janelle ran her mouth. I was too shocked to do anything, and now I had lost the only Goddamn thing good in my life. What a fucking idiot!

“I don’t know what you see in her. She’s covered in ugly-looking tattoos. Her hair is disgusting and look at how she was dressed. Yuck! You have so much better taste than that,” Janelle snarled like the catty bitch she was.

“Janelle, I warned you I told you to shut it. You of all people have no right to tell me anything about my life or my choices.”

She gasped and threw her hand to her chest in poorly-faked offence. Just as quickly, she changed gears pasting a sugar-sweet fake-as-hell smile on her face and cooed, “Fine, when you come to your senses, you know I’ll be right here for you, Macey.” I hated when she called me that.

Standing there looking down at the woman who had made my life hell for more years than was necessary, it suddenly occurred to me Scarlett was right. I was holding onto blame for something I would never have been able to control. I was allowing Janelle to keep me feeling guilty and I’d had enough.

I needed to go after Scarlett. I needed to fix this cluster-fuck situation, and I needed to once and for all sort this shit out with Janelle. Only, I had a time limit with Scarlett. I knew I had to find her quickly and explain. Explain everything.

I raced out to my truck ignoring the incessant nagging from Janelle as she followed me carrying on like a banshee, screaming cursing, throwing accusations that made no sense. Shit, how did I put up with that whining voice for so damn long? I jumped in the cab, started the engine and took off like a bat outta hell to get my girl back. Praying every second of the way I wasn’t too late, and Scar would give me time to explain. In my rear view mirror, I could see Janelle standing on the sidewalk, her arms flailing about, obviously still making a scene. Crazy bitch.