Page 14 of Ridin' True
I’d never been so attracted to a client. It didn’t help to learn the one who screwed up in his previous relationship was his ex, not him. From the sounds of it, she regretted the ultimatum she’d issued, and—while I was sure he wasn’t perfect, because no man was—he seemed like a good dad. The fact that he was legitimately standing up for his rights to share the responsibility of parenting his children, it was a rare and admirable quality that made an already hot guy even hotter.
‘If you’re tellin’ me we’re doin’ this, I’ll just have to ask you out after we put this issue to bed.’
The weightless sensation I felt earlier returned as I replayed his words in my head. It was probably stupid to hope he meant what he said. I had enough drama in my life. I didn’t need some guy’s baby-mama-drama to add to my stack, no matter how beautiful his eyes were.
I raked my fingers through my hair and then looked down at my notes. It was all the reminder I needed that I didn’t have time to think about a hypothetical date with Jed Barker. I had half a dozen cases that needed my attention, his being one of them. I was determined to show up to that mediationover-prepared—but first, I still had court prep to finish.
I was in the process of organizing the mess I made at my desk when I spotted the card the scary crony left behind. I hesitated and stared at it for a minute. It was black on both sides with only an address printed on the front. I didn’t know what kind of trouble Alejo had gotten himself into, but I could guess.
With a sigh, I tossed the card into the bin. I wasn’t going to need the address. The only address I planned on visiting belonged to Felix Garcia.
Alejo had some explaining to do.
Itwasaftersixby the time I was ready to leave the office. My sandwich from lunch was all but forgotten by my hungry stomach, but dinner was going to have to wait until after I paid my brother a visit.
Felix lived in a one-bedroom apartment not too far from the firm. It was only a couple of minutes away from the high school, where he worked as a janitor. I didn’t think it was the best fit, given he was not my idea of a responsible adult, but he wasn’t violent; he’d never been arrested; and he wasn’t into hard drugs, which made him perfectly employable.
He and Alejandro had been close since junior high. Whenever one of them wanted to do something stupid, the other would always have his back. It was mostly harmless, but neither of them seemed to have fully grown out of it, which had its own consequences. Even after Felix became a father, he remained notoriously unreliable.
He was a pretty boy, which happened to be Bella’s weakness. For the longest time, she had a crush on him, but he didn’t see her. She was Alejo’s baby sister until her twenty-first birthday. That very night, she got drunk, made her move, and they were inseparable for three years.
They could have given a master class on how to fight, seeing as they did it all the time. They had loved each other in that fiercely toxic sort of way. Even now, in spite of the lies and regrets and pain between them, I knew they loved each other.
Every year, the day after Christmas, they still hooked up.
Bella didn’t know I knew, but it didn’t take a genius to figure it out.
I wasn’t sure about the significance of the date, but I knew it had been going on for years. It kind of broke my heart thinking about it. Partly because I wanted my sister to move on and to find happiness with a man who would love her completely. Partly because Felix could have been that guy if he wanted to be, but he didn’t.
I spotted Alejandro’s car in the lot when I pulled in. I parked next to it before making my way inside the appropriate building. Felix’s unit was on the ground floor. The hallway reeked of a combination of scents embedded in the old carpet. When I reached his door, I could hear the TV. It sounded like they were playing video games, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes and knocked loudly, instead.
Someone paused the game before Felix yelled, “Who is it?”
“It’s me. Alexia. Open up.”
I waited a full thirty seconds before I heard the lock give way.
Felix opened the door, and I was almost knocked over by the smell of marijuana.
His mop of black, curly hair looked like it hadn’t been recently washed, and his chocolate brown eyes were further proof he was totally stoned. I shouldn’t have been impressed that his shirt looked clean and he was wearing pants, but I was.
I pulled my top lip between my teeth and willed myself to remain calm.
It wasn’t legal, but it wasn’t heroin, or cocaine, or meth, either.
Sealing my eyes closed tight, I frowned, annoyed that I was relieved my addict of a brother was likely only high onMary Janeand notMolly.
“Yo, what’s up?” asked Felix.
I opened my eyes and forced a smile. “I’m here for Alejandro,” I said before inviting myself inside.
The place was disgusting. There were dirty clothes everywhere. My guess was the laundry belonged to Alejo, who had been living out of a duffle for the last six months. There were pizza boxes, beer bottles, and bags of Chinese takeout discarded and abandoned on every hard surface as far as my eye could see. How anyone lived in such conditions, I couldn’t say.
I had every intention of leaving as soon as possible.
“Hey, you,” Alejo mumbled through a lazy smile from where he sat slouched on the couch.
His greeting made me pause.
