Page 49 of It's Going to Be a Chrome Christmas
“I didn’t know who you were, man. I didn’t place it until yesterday. We talked every day for two years, but we never talked about personal things. I don’t even think you ever told me your last name.” Cayden took a deep breath before he continued. “Mr. Wynn got me a job at Romero’s.” Tony stiffened. “It’s so great there, Tony. I was originally hired to work on updating the security system but then I started working in the motor pool. I get to work on exotic cars, T, and I’ve even been learning about running a legitimate business. I’m turning my life around, just like a swore I would. And your sister…” Cayden cleared his throat. “Well, she’s amazing, T. You’d be so proud of her. After she inherited the shop from your grandfather, she expanded it. She’s got more clients and employees than ever.”
Tony’s jaw tightened. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I’m in love with her.” He didn’t see the point in beating around the bush. Tony had always appreciated things being done straightforward.
Tony closed his good eye, setting the phone down on the desk in front of him. He dropped his head into his hands, gripping his shorn scalp. Cayden tried to be patient as he waited but failed. His leg started bouncing up and down. He wished Tony would look up. He wished he could tell what the man was thinking.
Finally, Tony straightened. Cayden watched him clear his throat and take a deep breath before he picked the phone back up. “And Trix? How does she feel?”
A smile crept onto his lips. “She’s never said it, but I have it on good authority that she loves me too.”
Tony nodded once. “Good, good.” He glanced behind him at the guard. “Boost, I need you to swear to me you’ll treat her right. If you love her, truly love her, don’t come back here.”
Cayden knew he didn’t mean as a visitor. “Never,” he promised. “She deserves a hell of a lot better than an ex-biker like me. I honestly don’t know what I did in a past life to have gotten so lucky.”
Tony fell quiet again. Perhaps Cayden shouldn’t have mentioned his good fortune in front of the hapless man.
“T?” Cayden asked, grabbing his attention again. “I need to tell her about you. She told me about her brother AJ, but you never called yourself that. At least as far as I knew. I didn’t know until I saw your picture yesterday that you were her brother.”
Tony hesitated and then said, “AJ died a long time ago. I didn’t want that name in here. I didn’t wantherin here.” Cayden didn’t think he was referring to Trixie. “Tell her what you need to, but please don’t—” He paused. “Don’t tell her about me, about who I am in here.”
Cayden’s brows furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“Come on, man. You know what it’s like in here. You know the things we’ve had to do just to make it through the day.” Tony shook his head. “Don’t taint her with that darkness.”
Cayden recalled his own reaction when Trixie had asked him to tell her about his time in prison. Without knowing it, he’d already done as Tony was requesting. “Okay.” He glanced at the clock behind Tony. They only had a few minutes left before the visiting hour was up. “How are you, really?”
Tony’s laugh was dry and humorless. “Ask me that tomorrow.”
Cayden winced, recalling all the times Tony had said that to him.If today doesn’t kill you, there’s always tomorrow.“Do you need anything? I can try?—”
“There’s only one thing in this world I need, and I gave it up a long time ago.”
Cayden had a feeling that it wasn’t anitTony was referring to but aher. He knew now why the pictures of Addy Wilson had looked so familiar. Every night Tony would stare at a picture of her, even long after light’s out. The one time Cayden had asked Tony about the picture, Tony hadn’t spoken to him for a week.
Apparently silent treatments ran in the family.
“I’m told she’s a lawyer now?—”
“Don’t.” Tony spoke the word so softly, Cayden almost missed it over his own words. Tony seemed to struggle for a moment before he said, “Make Trixie happy. Please.”
Before Cayden could reply, Tony hung up the phone and stood. He swayed, struggling to catch his balance, and then limped his way back to the guard and the door. Cayden watched Trixie’s brother disappear back into Hell with a sense of dread.
Tony was utterly defeated. There was no fight left in that man. He truly believed he was going to die in here.
And what the hell was Cayden supposed to say to Trixie when that happened? How was he supposed to comfort her when yet another one of her brothers was taken from her?
Trixie jumped at the knock on her apartment door. It was after nine on Friday night. Who the hell was knocking on her door? For that matter, who could have gotten up to her apartment to knock on her door?
Trixie scurried out of bed, hoping it was Cayden. He hadn’t called her back and all Peggy had been able to tell her was that he was “out with Mr. Jones”. Trixie didn’t know much about his rehabilitation officer. She had only met the man twice, the daywith the Rolls Royce and Bucky, and the following Sunday. She wasn’t sure that was a fair assessment of the man, since she’d been royally pissed that he put Cayden under house arrest.
She opened the door, smiled, and then scowled. “Where were you today and why the hell did you not call me back?”
Cayden shifted nervously on his feet. “Can I come in?”
Trixie straightened, the feeling of dread washing over her. “Are you going to break my heart if you do?”
A look of fury crossed over his face. “Never.”
