Page 24 of Remember When We
On that basis alone, I was wholeheartedly in agreement now with Gibbs’ recommendation to focus on the note. The note would have been for someone with the power to stop whatever it was Marshall saw. So, my question was who in Philly had that kind of power to stop someone who could get their hands on toxic doses of ricin specifically in injection form. Who was it, how did Marshall know someone like that and I not know them, and did the person still have that kind of power?
If this was Chicago, I knew the answer would lie with one of the mob crime families. I was pretty certain it would be the same here.
Philly had the same set up and if it was them, God help them. I was no one when I first left here. Eight years ago, I wasn’t anybody. Now I would be the harbinger of death to the motherfucker who thought he could get away with Marshall’s death and pass it off as a gang crime.
We’d definitely see about that.
I stopped in front of the bar, hesitant on going inside. If Paul still worked the bar, I wouldn’t know what his reaction would be. The last time we actually had any interaction he had punched me, threw me out of his house and told me to leave his little girl alone. Worst of all he blamed me for Marshall’s death. He blamed me as if I didn’t feel bad enough as it was.
The whole altercation broke me down in a way I couldn’t describe to anybody.
Still what had killed what was left of my soul was the lie I told Lyssa.
Fucking hell, I didn’t know I could be that good of a liar. I had looked at my girl, my baby doll and lied to her. I had practically told her I was using her for sex, was never serious about her, and screwed anyone I could get my hands on when she was away.
I was so disgusted with myself that I could hurt her the way I did when she was already consumed by her distress over Marshall. When she told me she loved me, what I really wanted to say was: ‘I love you too, come away with me.’
The damage was done though, and I just hoped it was worth it. I hoped she got with a nice guy who didn’t do dirty dealings, did nothing to put her in danger. I imagined her teaching the high school kids she had wanted to teach and doing all sorts of wonders. I wished for that for her.
As I opened the door to the bar, that vision I had for her faded, because fuck there she was behind the bar serving drinks.
There she was looking better than a million dollars. I’d seen many millions in cash in my life time so I knew.
Eight years looked real good on her, the same baby doll. She just looked more like a woman now in that midnight blue camisole top that showed off her fully rounded breasts, the curve of her waist, and the perfection of her.
Her raven hair was bone straight, parted in the center so it showed off her delicate features. She still had her large jade eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes that fanned over high exotic cheekbones.
Damn ...
Damn me, and fuck my life …
Eight years and I still felt it. I still felt the same way about her, looking at her and wanting her. She was still the girl I wanted to keep for myself.
Seeing her the other day at the parking lot was just a glimpse and we were so far away. This was closer, and instead of staying away like I knew I should I found myself moving toward her. Moving to her like I was being pulled along on a string.
I got just paces away before she turned with a bottle of Jack D’s in her hand and saw me.
She saw me and froze.
It was too late to leave like the coward I was though. I couldn’t do anything besides face her.
Those jade green eyes staring at me like she was trying to figure me out. Almost like she was trying to work out if it was real or not. It was the same way I looked at her.
Her gorgeous lips parted as she continued to stare at me. The whole thing was so intense the man who she’d been serving had to look at the two of us, from me to her.
His look broke the contact and she smiled at the man as she handed him the beer.
He moved away and went over to the table in the corner.
She was already looking at me when I looked back to her.
She looked even more beautiful than I had remembered. How could I have forgotten that, this was what that cute kid looked like at twenty-eight years old.
“Hi,” I said. I thought I should be the first to speak since I was just staring and it was me who came in here.
“Hi.” Something hardened in her eyes, giving her a guarded look. “Long time no see.” She tried to smile. It was just the beginning of a smile that appeared at the corners of her mouth, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
“Long time. How’ve you been?”
