The right kind of wrong, p.20
The Right Kind of Wrong, page 20
He gives me this ‘what the fuck’ look.
“Like I said… long story. I’ll fill you in later.”
He’s speechless at first. He just nods. “You better.”
We spend the rest of the afternoon cleaning, then Justin orders an early dinner and we all sit down to eat.
“Sorry this happened,” says Michael.
“Thanks for coming to help,” I say. I find myself in this place where I don’t know how to act. I want to make an effort. I know they want to be involved in my life, and I want to be able to give them that. And then I find myself wondering what Blake would do in my position. ‘What the fuck is happening to me?’ I think to myself as I chuckle.
“What is funny?” asks Justin.
“Nothing, man.”
I look at Michael, then Brian. “Do you mind if I tag along next time you to go a game?” I ask.
Michael jumps in. “Not at all! And by the way, I keep meaning to thank you for protecting Julie the other night. It’s really great what you did,” he says excitedly as I look at Brian for his reaction. I thought she really wasn’t going to say anything.
“Relax,” says Brian. “I already knew. I’m proud that you stood up for her.”
I relax, but feel pretty fucking weird for having done something right for once.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
We’re almost done eating when I see Emily come in. She stands by the bar, and she looks rough. She looks like she didn’t sleep at all the night before. She’s wearing jeans, a tank top, her hair is up in a messy bun, and she has dark circles under her eyes.
Her eyes meet mine and she just stands there, looking at me. When she doesn’t say anything, I nod toward the office and I start to get up. But she doesn’t go in that direction. Instead, she comes toward us. She stops by Justin and hands him a phone.
“It was Craig,” she says. “You have all the proof that you need in there.”
She then walks toward the office.
I look back at Justin. “Call the cops. Make sure he’s charged with anything and everything possible.”
Justin looks down at his tattoo, then back up at me.
“I don’t give a fuck who he knows. Just do it! If anyone asks, say that I turned him in. I’ll deal with it.” Brian, Jenna, and Michael look at me confused. Once Justin agrees, I go toward the office and close the door behind me.
Emily is sitting on the couch, with her head down.
“What was all that about?” I ask.
She looks up at me. She looks exhausted. “I got tired of being played.”
I stand in front of her and cross my arms. “Explain.”
She sighs. “They were supposed to leave you alone.”
I stand still waiting for more. Emily looks down. “A few days ago, I ran into him on campus.”
“Craig?” I ask.
“Yes. And John.” Damn it, I think to myself as I uncross my arms. I already know that whatever happened was a setup. He has no reason to go there.
She continues. “He wanted to know where you were. He knew you had been away from the club and had someone follow you around. He asked me if I had seen you with Brian before and I didn’t want to tell him the truth. In fact, I knew it was a bad idea. Then Craig started asking questions and it was as if I was under a spell. I found myself telling them everything,” she sobs.
“So, he didn’t know.” I say and she looks up at me.
“About Brian being your dad?” She asks and I nod. “He knew. He just didn’t want you to know.” She pauses. “I’m so sorry, Owen.”
I kneel down in front of her and put my hand over hers. “It’s not your fault.” I pause. “What happened after?” I ask.
“I begged him to leave you and Brian alone. He laughed at first, but I just stood there with my arms crossed. Then he shrugged and agreed to it, and he said it would come at a cost. He didn’t say what. I figured if it was something bad, I would just tell him no at the time.”
I let go of her hand as I shake my head. I look down and stare at the tattoo on my arm. “You made a deal to protect me?” I whisper in disbelief, but she doesn’t say anything in return. “I just don’t understand why you would do that,” I whisper.
I feel her fingers on my chin. She tilts my head up and looks into my eyes. “Do you know how hard it is to look into your eyes and see how much pain you’re in?” she asks as she moves her hand away. “It hurts to watch you, Owen. In spite of what you think, you deserve to be happy.”
I hold her gaze.
“I don’t think you understand what you got yourself into,” I say and I glance down at the tattoo again. If I had listened to Jones none of this would have happened. He would have no power. And I would be able to protect her a whole lot better than I can right now.
“That tattoo has something to do with what happened, doesn’t it? That feeling like I was under a spell. I felt it before. I noticed that John has one and so does Craig, and Justin. Owen, I didn’t even want to go to dinner with them last night, but I couldn’t say no. I found myself wearing something I didn’t feel comfortable in, getting in the car, sitting there silently and smiling as they talked about things that I could care less about, and I was physically unable to leave.”
I take a deep breath and I get up.
“Where are you going?” she asks, confused.
“I’m going to fix this.” I say.
“Owen, stop. You don’t have to rescue me.”
I look into her green eyes and I think, ‘he fucking owns her’. But I’m not telling her that, because I am going to get her out of this somehow.
I lean in, give her a kiss on the cheek, and start to walk toward the door.
“Owen?”
I close my eyes for a split second before I reach for the door, but I don’t turn around.
As I start to turn the knob, I feel this burning sensation around my tattoo.
“Please don’t go,” she says.
I turn around and all I see in her eyes is fear.
“Please tell me what the tattoo means,” she begs.
For a split second, I feel compelled to tell her, but I know that will freak her out even more. “I can’t tell you that,” I force myself to say.
EMILY
He walks back toward me and I can tell he looks concerned. He stops in front of me and looks down at that damn tattoo. He looks so serious. “I wish you hadn’t done this, Emily. Especially not for me. I don’t deserve that kind of-”
I get up and look him in the eyes. “You do deserve it. Seeing you sitting out there with Brian, Mike, and Jenna – you looked peaceful. I’m happy you are giving them a chance. They love you, Owen. Let someone try to protect you for a change.”
He gives me that half smile, but it’s different than usual. His eyes carry more emotion. He shakes his head. “If only things were that easy, Emily. You made a deal with the devil. That comes with loopholes, and I guarantee that none of them will benefit you.”
But I’m so tired of the games that I don’t even care. What is done is done.
My gaze lowers to his lips.
He says something I don’t quite listen to. He leans in as he grabs my waist and pulls me closer to him. He looks into my eyes, “You’re not listening to me, are you?” he whispers against my lips before he slowly closes the remaining distance between us and kisses me. A kiss that is different from the ones before. It’s a slow, soft, long kiss.
OWEN
When I pull away, she keeps her eyes closed for a while longer, then she puts her fingers to her lips and opens her eyes.
“That was different,” she says.
“I want you to come stay with me for a while to make sure you’re safe,” I say.
“Owen, I can’t. They’re obviously not going to leave me the hell alone, but somehow, I’ll make sure they stay away from you.”
I stare at her debating once again if I should tell her about the tattoo. She goes on. “Just live your life, Owen.”
I think about Brian and Jenna out there, and Michael and his wife, and Blake and Arianna, and I wonder if that is what I’m missing in my life. This huge fucking void I know is there… “Maybe I want you in my life,” I say, and I mean every word of it. She drives me fucking insane, but there could be something here. She’s different.
She doesn’t say anything in return.
I run my fingers through my hair. I know I won’t be able to have peace without knowing she’s okay. At least not until I get her out of this mess.
“Just please come and stay a few days. You can take Molly’s room.”
“You’re not going to drop this, are you?” she asks.
I shake my head.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
EMILY
Owen and I walk out of the office. Everyone seems to stop talking at that moment and look toward us - everyone, except for Justin, who is gone.
The bouncer looks at Owen, “Justin went to the police station. He said to tell you he wants to keep the place closed tonight and re-open tomorrow.”
Owen nods.
“Do you need anything else, boss?”
“No thanks, Jackson. It’s been a long day. Go home. I’ll lock up the place. Did Justin leave the new key and code?”
Jackson nods and reaches into his pocket. He gives Owen the key and a piece of paper, and says bye to everyone.
Owen looks over at me. “Are you hungry?”
That reminds me that I haven’t eaten since last night. My stomach growls as soon as I think about it. “Eat something, then we’ll go,” he says.
We sit down and Jenna looks at Brian. Brian clears his throat. “We should get going. Unless you need more help,” he says to Owen.
“I think we’re good. I appreciate you coming to help. You didn’t have to do that,” says Owen and I watch them interact. I can tell Owen is nervous.
“Glad to,” says Brian. “That is what we do for family,” Brian smiles at Owen, and then winks at me when he notices that I’m smiling at their whole interaction.
Owen just nods and looks away uncomfortably. I know he’s still figuring things out, but at least he’s trying.
They get up and say their goodbyes.
When they leave, I’m still smiling.
“What?” Owen asks. He looks exhausted and confused.
“I’m happy for you, Owen. I’m just glad that you get to have this - them in your life.”
His phone rings and he looks at it. “It’s Justin. I’ll be back,” he says as he answers and walks toward the office.
I finish eating, and then I wait for him. I’m so exhausted from the night before that I struggle to stay awake.
After a while, I look up toward the office and see him watching me. He then walks in my direction. “The cops picked up Craig not long ago,” he says. “There was a lot more on that phone than you think,” he takes a deep breath. “Justin is going to call back with more information, but for now, let’s go. You look like you are about to pass out,” he says in a concerned tone.
We walk down the block to the hotel. Once we get inside of the suite, he says, “I’m going to call Justin back. Just let me know if you need anything.”
As he goes into his room, I go toward Molly’s. As I slowly close the door, I see him sitting on the bed, talking on the phone while looking down toward the floor.
I lay down on the bed, and feel safe for the first time since the day I made that deal. I close my eyes and fall asleep within seconds.
It’s a little past two in the morning when I jump awake with a strange pain on my side. It only lasts for a few seconds – something that I’ve been feeling on and off for the past few days. I get up, and open the door to go grab a bottle of water.
Owen’s lights are still on. I see that he’s sitting on the bed with his shirt off. He is scanning through this phone, and he looks worried. When he sees me staring, he puts the phone down. I approach his door.
“Can’t sleep either?” he asks and I shake my head.
I take another step closer, and stand right by the doorframe.
“Owen, please tell me what the tattoo means.”
“I can’t do that,” he says in a low tone. I slowly walk toward the side of the bed as he tracks my every movement. I stand next to where he’s sitting and look down at him. I unbutton my jeans and his gaze follows my hand. I sigh and lower my jeans just enough to where he can see the small tattoo on my side.
He turns his body to where he is sitting on the edge of the bed. He puts each of his hands on the side of my hips, pulling me closer. He traces the tattoo with his finger, sending shivers through my whole body, and then, his hand goes back to my hip and he leans his forehead against my stomach as his fingertips clench to my sides. My hand goes to the back of his head and I run my fingers through his hair. He stays like that for a few minutes.
“Owen,” I finally say and he moves his hand away from my hips and wipes his face before he looks up at me. And I’m at a loss for words when I realize that he’s crying.
I kneel down in front of him, but he avoids eye contact.
“I woke up with this the morning after I asked John to leave you alone. Please tell me what it means,” I beg.
He takes a deep breath. “I’ll tell you. I just need a few minutes first. I’ll be right back,” he says as he gets up. Still, he can’t make eye contact and the burning from the tattoo gets worse as he walks away.
A few minutes go by and I hear something hit the wall. I rush to the living room and see a glass shattered into pieces on the ground, and a closed bottle of whiskey on the counter.
I go toward him, grab his hand, and lead him back to the room, where we both sit on the bed.
He sits quietly for a few seconds and then, he says, “I don’t know where to start.”
“Start at the beginning,” I say and this time, he looks at me, and for the first time since we met, I see fear in his eyes.
And so, he tells me his story, starting with the girl in high school whose heart he broke to impress John, even though that hurt him just as much as it hurt her.
“Black magic?” I say the words in disbelief wondering if saying it out loud will make it seem more real.
“Did you ever use it on me?” I ask and he smiles. “I may have caused that Ferris-wheel to break down so we would be stuck there, but that was about it.” His smile turns into a frown. “I don’t understand why he would give you this kind of power, other than to hurt me,” he says. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“What does it feel like for you?” I ask, wondering if this pain is normal without having to worry him even more.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes using black magic, Emily. For the most part, I live my life feeling like there is something dark lurking around. Always waiting for things to fall apart when they’re finally going my way.”
“But you mentioned power. This can be used for good, can’t it?” I ask and he looks at me with such sadness in his eyes. I feel naïve for even asking it.
“Once you say yes to one deal, it is easy to end up making others. These deals have consequences. It may start with good intentions, but things tend to go the other way.”
I nod.
“I’ll be okay, Owen,” I say and I know I need to leave his room before I start falling apart. I give him a kiss on the cheek and get up. When I start to walk away, my skin burns again, to the point where I have to stay in place for a few seconds before I can move. Once the pain stops, I look back at him and again, I can see the concern in his eyes.
“I will find a way to fix this,” he says. And that worries me more than anything else. I can handle having this. I can handle this burning sensation. But I can’t handle seeing Owen hurt by that man again.
I don’t even make it out of the room before the pain returns, worse than ever before. I fall to the floor and within seconds, Owen is crouching over me.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, and his eyes widen when he sees that I have my hands over the area of the tattoo, putting pressure on it in an attempt to make the pain less intense. He looks from my hands to my eyes.
“Why does it burn?” I ask.
He sighs. “It usually happens when you want something. It’s a tricky way to tempt you, to just make things easier and do what it takes to get what you want.”
The pain goes away, but I start to tremble.
“What is it that you want, Emily?” he asks and I blush. “I’m not answering that. I’m not putting any of this on you, Owen. It’s my problem.”
“This became my problem the moment I found out that you did it for me,” he says in a frustrated tone.
I get up. “It was my choice to do this, Owen.”
“Why did you do it?” he asks.
“I already told you.”
He shakes his head. He thinks I’m hiding something, that there is more… and there is.
I turn around to leave before he knows the truth. That no matter how much I tried to fight it, I did the one thing he warned me not to do. I fell for him. I fell for everything about him. His flaws, his love for his siblings, his protective nature, that damn half smile of his…
He grabs my wrist before I step out of the room. When I turn around, he quickly closes the distance between us, putting his hands on my hips and pinning me against the wall. He leans forward and stops just as his lips brush against mine.
“What is it that you want, Emily?” he asks in a soft tone that makes me melt.
“You,” I say against his lips. “I want you.”
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
OWEN
I watch her sleeping next to me and for the first time, I don’t feel the urge to bolt after sleeping with someone; in fact, this is exactly where I want to be. Soon, morning comes and that is when I sneak out of the bed. Or at least try to. Her hand goes to my arm, covering part of my tattoo, and she pulls me back in.
“Where are you going?” she asks.
“I have something to take care of,” I say with a yawn. “I shouldn’t be long.”
“Okay,” she says sleepily and I give her a kiss before I slide out of bed. I’m actually surprised she doesn’t try to find out where I am going. Not that I would tell her.
