Page 44 of The Other Side of Together

“You’re not keeping your end of the deal,” he growls at Mei as I stumble toward them, but when metal clicks, my head snaps up. Extra Large stands behind Mei, pointing a gun at me over her head, and my eyes flick between the glint of metal and Mei’s horrified eyes.

“Don’t take another step,” he booms, “or I’ll end this.”

Small Guy curses and drops Mei’s phone before slowly approaching Extra Large. “Put it away, man. Now.”

Extra Large’s eyes never leave my face as he leans closer to Mei, the gun still pointed at me. “If you think this is some kind of game, go ahead and keep playing, but remember we know how to hurt you.” He shoves the gun in his waistband and takes off running, Small Guy limping behind him.

CHAPTER 17

Marcus leans against a brick wall, catching his breath. “Who were they, Mei?” His left eye is swelling, blood trickling from his eyebrow.

How am I supposed to answer that? If I do everything ends here. If I don’t, everything ends anyway. How’s he supposed to trust me after this? I glance up the street, down, across. Nick may be out of town, but he has his guys watching me. I clench my jaw and swallow the metal taste coming from anger and my bleeding heart. He’s ruined everything.

“I’m so sorry, Marcus. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

He growls in frustration and pushes away from the wall, hunched over, limping toward his building. I follow him, not sure I should. Maybe I should just go home and lock myself in my room. Or run in the opposite direction. When I turn the corner, I see his bags. At least I can use them as an excuse to follow him into his building. But when I pick them up, he stops.

“Why are you protecting them?”

“I’m not, I’m…” Protecting myself? My family? Not Marcus.

“Are they your friends?”

“No.” My voice rises, desperation pushing it out of me.

He turns to me, clutching his ribs. “Then tell me who they are, because I’m sorta confused. Maybe I have a concussion from being slammed against concrete.” His eyes are clouded with anger, pain, exhaustion. “I just got jumped by someone you know. Think we’re past the point of secrets, don’t you?” Blood drips into his eye and he swipes at it, swearing.

When I don’t answer, he swears at the cement before grabbing his bags from me and limping around the corner. I close my eyes, the darkness in the dingy alley settles inside me, but I don’t want any of it. I want to tell Marcus everything. He deserves to know.

I turn the corner and he’s punching in the code to his building. When it beeps, I pull the door open for him. He said his dad’s gone, but if he happens to be home, this night will get much, much worse.

Marcus grips the railing and hauls himself slowly up the two flights of stairs. I wish I’d never brought him into my world. That I’d never gone to his game. That this building had an elevator. That dealing with Nick was as easy as calling the police. But nothing’s easy about this. Ending it is the hardest by far. But this has to be the end of us.

When we finally reach his apartment, Marcus’s hands tremble on the doorknob, and he throws the door open, his anger like a heat wave as he drops his bags on the floor.

I follow him inside, pulling out a bar stool for him. He eases onto it, then talks to his hands pressed against the countertop. “Who were they?” His voice is raspy, his eye swollen, cheekbone purple and splotchy.

I pull a bag of peas from the neat stack in the freezer, and he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and lets it out with a string of swear words.

“What can I do? How can I help you?”

“There’s a first aid kit in the hallway closet.”

I drop the peas on the counter and dash to the hallway, bracing myself for the questions that will build a barrier between us now that the world is still and the truth is all over his bruised face.

Opening the closet door, I snatch the red box before hurrying back to him, flipping it open on the counter. He pulls it toward him and rummages until he finds a roll of medical tape. When he lifts the hem of his shirt to chest level, he hisses through gritted teeth and I step to him, fingers trembling as I help him pull his shirt over his head. He catches my eye as it comes off but drops them to his swollen torso and fumbles with the end of the tape.

He rips off a piece with his teeth, then sets down the roll and spreads the tape over a spot below his chest while I watch and feel helpless. He rips off a few more pieces and sticks them on the same spot before I take the tape from him, my fingers stiff and shaky.

Goosebumps rise along his skin as he watches my fingers smooth the tape, then closes his eyes and exhales, long and heavy. When he looks at me again, I drop my focus to the final piece of tape before handing him the bag of peas.

He hesitates, then takes it from me and holds it over his eye while I grab a dish cloth, soak it, then step in front of him and dab blood off his eyebrow and lip. He inhales sharply and tenses.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “For everything.” My voice is uneven, and I should have stayed quiet. Any word I say is one more piece of myself I have to leave with Marcus.

“All I gotta do is call in an anonymous tip. Those guys’ll leave us alone.”

I step to the sink, rinsing the cloth. He’s right. If the cops know, Xander and Holden will leave us alone because the Zhangs will be on the other side of the ocean. Twenty minutes ago, I wasn’t going to end up like Mama. I chose Marcus andwas going to tell him everything tonight. But now…I’d rather become Mama than do this to him. There can’t be anymore us. If there is, this will keep happening. I’m being watched. I never thought Nick would go this far, but I don’t know him anymore.

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