Page 31 of Rox

We all turn our heads and stare at Duck.

“What? It is.”

“Where the fuck did you get a cupcake from?” Mammoth asks.

“It’s mine!” he yells before shoving it all in his mouth—which was all Rox needed. She loses her shit. She turns toward me and laughs. Full-blown belly laughs cause a chain reaction. I look at Duck, and he honestly looks confused.

“Wh ooo half-ling?” he asks around his cupcake.

“Nothing, man. Nothing.”

I look back to Prez, and he and Angel make their way to us. Meg is ready to step in, but something tells me she’s going to let this play out.

“Roxanne?” She stops laughing and turns toward them. “I only want you happy and safe. It was hell when you were a kid, and we had to deal with everything we did. I’m so protective over you because I never want that to happen again.”

“I understand that I do, but that’s never going to happen with Mimic.”

“No,” he looks me dead in the eye, “it fucking won’t.”

I give him a nod, and something passes over his face. For now, I’m no longer on the shit list. I can’t say the same for Angel, though.

“Roxie, I…”

“Not now. I don’t understand your motives, and for right now, I don’t think I want to. I’m gonna let this slide for nowbecause I’m tired of fighting with my best friend, Angel. But no more. And I’m not saying sorry for punching you.” She holds her head up sternly.

“Nah, I deserved it. It’s…right, not right now. When you’re ready to listen, I’ll tell you, deal?”

“Deal.”

I let her go, and she hugged them both before heading off with her mom. “We good, Prez?”

“Is there a reason you went behind my back?”

“I never thought I did. Rox and I were seeing who we were. And your wife is right, Prez. I haven’t hid my feelings for her, ever.”

“How so?”

“Prez,” I pause as I let out a breath, “I’ve been in love with her from the moment I saw her. It’s only ever been her.”

“Are you serious?”

“As a fucking heart attack, Prez.”

“Alright, I don’t like it, but my wife and Roxanne are right. She’s her own person, and I need to accept that she’s going to do things I’m not okay with. But Roxanne also made a good point in her being with a man I already know and trust is better than someone who just walked into her life. But I fucking swear to God, Mimic. You better ask me to marry her. And uh, don’t tell her I said that.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” I tell him as I wink and slap his shoulder.

“Wait. Hold up! I wasn’t serious. Mimic!” I let him stew as I walked out of the office to find my lady.

Sixteen

Mimic

It isn’t easy to steal my attention when I’m with Rox. Especially when I’m coming down from the blissed-out high her body gives me. But a crash from the living room does it. Her place is so tiny it could have even been the kitchen. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Something made a noise that shouldn’t have. Without saying anything, I remove myself from her body and reach into my cut for my gun. Pants be damned at this point. I won’t waste time putting on pants if someone’s downstairs. There is nothing more terrifying than a naked tattooed man welding a gun, right? I close the door behind me, allowing it to be another form of defense between the problem and Rox.

I hear a distinctive crackle as I make my way down the halls. But it’s not one I’ve heard before. I move faster in an attempt to catch the son of a bitch. It’s late evening, but it seems brighter than usual. Walking the narrow hall, I keep my gun steady, allowing it to lead.

Then I see it. Hear it. Smell it.

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