Devil's Backbone (Muke)

18

"Michael, what the hell happened to you?"

My fiance is sitting on the bathroom counter, facing me. I am standing between his spread thighs, doing my best to clean him up without hurting him. A cold, wet rag is my tool in gently dabbing away the blood. It's taking a while, since it's half wet and half dry.

"Don't worry about it," he says. I shake my head.

"I am worried about it. I need to know what happened to you."

His hesitation is long, but he finally sighs and starts talking.

"Ethan's dog."

That's it?

"That's the only explanation I get?" I give a wry chuckle. "Two little words? That doesn't tell me anything."

He examines my face while I wring out the rag and get it wet again. I've made some good progress on the blood, but there's more than I thought.

"Fine. We were at Ethan's house for something work related, you know? And he just got that new doberman," he tells me. I nod, remembering Michael telling me about his friend's new dog and how he didn't want a big dog ever.

"Yeah. And?" I prompt. He isn't getting away without providing details. I stay calm and gentle while I work on his face and listen.

"And I was playing around with Ethan. Well, Trixie didn't know we were playing. Trixie is the dober- ow!" He exclaims. I flinch away and frown.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," I state. His lip is busted good, and I almost wonder if he needs to go to a hospital. It isn't bleeding anymore, though, which I think is a good sign.

"You're good."

"Anyways, Trixie?" I ask. He sighs a long sigh.

"She didn't know we were playing around. So, she sort of got all defensive and came after me," he finishes. "She's a big dog, Luke."

For one second, I buy it. But, as I look at him, I know he isn't being honest. How did a dog attacking him give him a swelling eye? I can understand the claw marks, but what about the bloody nose and busted lip?

"Really? That's what happened?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes," he nods.

"Yeah. Now tell me what really went down," I state. "I'm not stupid."

He lets out a loud groan.

"You'll be upset, Luke! I don't want to upset you. Especially with something that isn't your concern."

I scoff. "You're my fiance, Michael. It is my concern."

He shakes his head.

"You really don't need to worry about it."

I finish getting all the blood off of his face and pull out first aid kit from the cabinet. Shuffling through it, I answer him.

"Well, I am. So just tell me what the fuck happened."

He's quiet for a long moment. The entire time I'm finding the ointment I need, putting everything back, and replacing the kit in the cabinet. When I turn back to him, he starts explaining.

"I got into a small argument with someone. It wasn't a big deal," he downplays it.

"A small argument?!" I exclaim. "Look at you, babe!"

He laughs, like it's funny or something that he got into a fight and tried lying about it.

"I'm fine! The other guy is worse, I promise."

"What'd you even fight about?" I demand. I apply some of the healing ointment to the outside of his lip. Looking at his eye, it's not hard to tell that it will bruise. There's not much I can do for that, so I put the ointment back and look at him with an expectant look.

"Just some material," he tells me.

"Details," I sigh. "I need to know what's going on."

He hops off of the counter and takes a step closer to me.

"I can't give you details. Trust me, I want to, but I can't tell you these things, darling," he says. Wow, I've never heard that one before. For some reason, it pisses me off more this time than it ever has before. I don't think as I respond.

"Yes, you fucking can! Quit lying to me, quit treating me like I'm stupid, and quit saying you can't tell me! I'm so sick of you acting like this!" I snap. He moves even closer and puts his hands on my shoulders. I almost pull myself away, but I stay put.

"Honey, calm down. I'm sorry, okay?" His voice is soft. "I didn't mean it like I don't trust you or I think you're dumb."

I huff. For several minutes, I don't say a word. I just let myself calm down before asking any more questions.

"Can I please just have the truth, Mike? The entire truth?" I ask. His pretty eyes meet mine and I raise my eyebrows.

"What do you want to know?" He questions.

"Everything," I respond. He takes my hand and we go into the kitchen.

"Eat first," he says. "You might not be able to afterwards.

We eat in near silence and I ponder the possibilities. My mind had considered countless things, from him being a male stripper to him selling things on the black market to him cheating on me with his "boss". None of it makes sense, but I can't come up with an explanation.

Once we're finished, he cleans up the table and sits back down.

"Now, I want to know things." I adjust to a more comfortable position; I'm not moving from this spot until I'm satisfied.

"What first?" He asks.

"Your job," I state. I've been curious about this for a while now, and he's never given me a straight answer. I'm probably straighter than the answers he's given me.

"We do things that... aren't ethically or morally right," he says.

"Like what?" I demand.

"A lot of things, Luke. I can't explain it easily."

I smack my palms on the tabletop.

"Well, fucking try anyway!"

He thinks for a few seconds.

"What if I call Ashton over and have him explain?" He suggests. I consider it for a moment.

"Fine. As long as it's tonight," I agree. "I'm not going anywhere until I have an explanation."