Page 53 of Filthy Savage
Axe
I wakeup to Nancy’s enthusiastic knocking on my guest room door. I open one eye and check the time on the clock. Six-fifteen in the morning. Fuck, is this the time people in the burbs get out of bed?
“Alexander,” Nancy calls through the closed door. “We need to get going. Kade says the two of you need the afternoon to get some things done.”
“Coming,” I groan. “Give me ten minutes.”
Rolling to Angel’s side, I press a kiss on her forehead and get moving. I’m showered, dressed and in the hallway in eight, just in time to see Nancy take the stairs down to the main floor, dressed as though we’re about to join an executive board meeting.
“Morning,” I greet her from the bottom of the stairs. “What’s with the power suit?”
Nancy looks down her body. “Oh, this old thing?”
I grin from my spot next to the stairs. “It’ll be an old thing when we’re done sorting through a gazillion boxes and pieces of furniture. Seriously, throw on some jeans and a t-shirt. Oh, and grab some work gloves for that manicure you just got.”
“Oh no.We’renot organizing a gazillion boxes today,” she says, pointing her finger back and forth between us. “You’reorganizing a gazillion boxes today. Do you want to know why?”
I fold my arms across my chest. “Let me guess. Does it have anything to do with the fact that you just got your nails done?”
Nancy stares at me for a long beat. “You’re doing it all because I’ve had to visit that depressing place once a year every year to renew the lease. You think your nightmares are bad? Try physically walking into them once a year and being reminded of every little detail.”
“Hang on, who told you I was having nightmares?”
“Like you have to ask,” she huffs, turning to leave through the front door. “Let’s get this over with.”
I follow her outside. “I don’t even know why you hung on to Mom and Dad’s stuff for all this time. You should’ve just gotten rid of it. We don’t need the reminder. I sure don’t. And you’re not hard up for money.”
She stops in the middle of the driveway and spins around. Tears are in her eyes. “They’re still our parents, Alexander,” she cries. “They may be gone, but that’s all we have left of them. You can’t just fixate on the night we lost them, you know? What about all the years before that?”
I’m beside her and have my arms around her shoulders that very instant. “Come on, don’t cry,” I beg, rubbing down the side of her arm to console her. I lean Nancy’s head on my side. “You know I can’t take it when you make that little whimpering sound…or that choking noise…oh God, the sputtering too,” I half-joke. “Awww crap, now you’re humming like a beached whale.”
“Stop that, you little shit,” she whines. My comment gets me a punch in the chest, but at least her crying has turned into a gurgle-like laugh. “Okay, let’s go.”
“No. You stay here,” I tell her. “You’re right. You’ve had to deal with this on your own for far too long. Just give me the address and locker key. I’ll take care of it.”
“I don’t think so, brother dearest. Let’s do something together for a change.” She walks around to her Ferrari California T convertible. “Get in.”
“One sec.” I unlock my bullet-riddled truck and drag out a wad of napkins from the glove compartment. “Here,” I offer as I jump into the passenger side of her car. “Your mascara’s running, and there’s a bit of snot smeared on your cheek. Not pretty at all.”
Nancy smiles, but snatches the napkins from my fingers. “Awww, how sweet and tactless all at the same time.” She flips the sunshade down and checks her facial cleanup effort in the mirror before starting the car. “I’m glad to see you haven’t changed a bit, big brother.”
“Where’s the locker?” I ask as she reverses into the street.
“About twenty miles up the highway.”
I stare out the window. “Any chance we can open this baby up?”
Nancy turns onto the main street and fish-tails the sports car as she speeds up. “You mean like that?”
I smile. “Uh huh.”
We’re on the highway within minute. During the short drive, we sit in silence. I can just sense the questions forming in Nancy’s head. I know that familiar expression that flits across her face and quickly disappears. After a while, she glances over at me. “So... you and Angel, huh?”
“Sorry, what?” I wasn’t expecting that question. “Oh. Yeah well, we’re getting to know each other.”
“Bullshit.”
“Really, we’re not serious.”
