Chapter Six
That night I got a call from my parents, one I didn't want to answer because of the questions they'd eventually ask. However, like the good daughter I now was, I answered on the second ring, silencing the Psycho Theme ringtone. For fifteen minutes, I painted my toes while they blathered on about the conference and the vacation they were now planning on taking as well. I wasn't surprised when it was my father who finally got around to asking how I was.
"I'm fine, Dad. I swear."
"Are you sure? Because we can come home instead of going on this vacation."
"Can I come with you?" I joked.
"Oh, china," my mother huffed. If she was using that nickname, she wasn't happy.
They were doing the three way call with two lines in their hotel room. I heard my father sigh. "Maybe we should, esposa. She doesn't sound happy."
"Happiness is in the eye of the beholder, Fidel." I heard her sigh. "It can't be that bad there, niña."
"I don't think being back there is healthy for her," my father piped in. "She's been doing so well and her staying with Vincent was only temporary. Arrietty, have your things ready on Sunday and I'll come collect you."
"Fidel..."
"No arguments. It's settled."
He hung up which left me with my mother. It wasn't exactly the greatest idea since she was always the toughest out of the two.
"Now you've got him all riled up, Arrietty. I hope you're happy."
"That's not what I wanted..."
"No. You just wanted to make this about you and now it is. You need to learn to deal with your past and coming with us is not going to help you. It's just hindering and enabling you. You're a strong girl. Start acting like one."
I closed my eyes and held my head in my hand. "I'm sorry, mamá. If it's what you want then I'll stay..."
"That's not the point! You have the men in our family twisted around your pinkie and I won't have it anymore. You've been babied enough. It's time you step up."
"What do you think I've done all year? I'm clean, I have a 3.4 GPA. I haven't touched an alcoholic beverage..."
"You shouldn't be drinking anyway! You're not old enough and you're diabetic. If you drink it'll send your sugars into orbit..." I held the phone away from my ear letting her rant and rave about a life I no longer lived. Her words made me ashamed of myself and a tear trickled down my face. Leave it to my mother to make me cry. I quickly brushed it off and said, "Sorry, mamá. I have to go. Give my love to papá."
I snapped my phone closed and tossed it on my bed. I needed a drink. Oh wait, I couldn't.
"Fuck, fuck, shit, damn, fucking shit!"
I knew my brother was having a party tonight and if I stuck around I would be tempted to drink. So after the polish dried, I dulled myself up, grabbed my car keys and cell, and left my room. The second the toe of my Marc Jacobs' black pump touched the carpet of the landing, my brother said, "And where do you think you're going?"
The man had a sixth sense when it came to me.
"Out." I took a step forward but retracted the second his voice boomed, "Get in here. Now."
I sighed and walked into my brother's office, the door of which was conveniently open. He looked me over, his eyes ignoring the leather jacket and becoming livid by the time they reached my toes.
"You're not going anywhere in that..."
"Would you rather it be red?"
"No..."
"Skin tight?"
"No..."
"A few inches shorter?"
"No..."
"Then stop acting like I'm going out half naked!"
"You didn't let me finish." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "Mom and Dad called."
"Mom and Dad?"
"Well, just Mom. She informed me you asked to go on vacation with them." He twirled his pen around on the desk. "Are you tired of me already?"
"Well considering you asked me to pee in a cup the night I got here..."
"I'm just trying to protect you."
"You're trying to keep me from living my life."
"The previous time you were busy 'living your life', you sunk yourself into a hole you barely clawed your way out of." He gave me a bitter smile. "Me controlling it doesn't sound like a bad idea."
"It is when I get arrested because you forgot to have one of your cronies leave me a parking space. You owe Rey five hundred bucks by the way."
"I've already paid him back. You're staying in tonight. No drinking and if one of my "cronies" catch you with one in your hand then I'll lock you in your room until the end of the summer."
"I'm an addict, Vin. I know better than to drink."
"I'm not talking because you're an addict. I said it because you're diabetic."
"Diabetics drink, niño. You know that, right? They even have a section of AA just for us disease ridden people."
He glared at me. "Do as I say, not as I do. If you were stable and on your regimen then I would allow you a drink or two but since it's been a little stressful..."
"You mean since you got me arrested..."
He continued to glare at me. "...no drinking. I'll even put a guy on you just to follow you around all night if I have to."
"Poor dumb bastard. I'm pretty sure when he signed up to be in your dog pack, he didn't imagine himself babysitting the boss's little sister."
"I'm sure he'll make do. Dom!"
My brother's faithful best friend walked through the open door. "Boss."
"Do we have anyone available that would be willing to trail Elina for the night?"
"Ah..." he scratched the back of his neck. And to think these men were supposed to be hardcore. To me they were as soft as warm caramel. "The thing about that..."
"Spit it out."
"They're all afraid you'll break their faces if they even look at her." He shrugged. "You put the fear of god in them, Boss. What did you expect?"
Vin's head dropped back and groaned. "Is there no one in my employ who is capable?"
"You should just let me go out. I won't get in any trouble. I promise."
"No." Brief smile. "Nice try. You'll just have to hang out with us low lives or stay in your room for the night. Your call."
"You're so boring."
"Be nice to me."
"Or you'll what?" I glared at him. "Keep me from getting a date. Oh wait, you already did that."
"Hey, I never said you couldn't go out on a date. Feel free. Just as long as he or she doesn't touch you."
"God, you are such a buzz kill. What if I want to get laid? Hm? What if I want someone to touch me?"
He shrugged. "Then you might want to invest in a vibrator because it's not going to happen."
"I hate you!" I got up and glared at him. "You know, I think I'm going to go talk to Michelle."
"You won't dare."
"You wanna bet? It's called female solidarity and you'd be surprised what it can accomplish."
"You'll just make it that much worse on yourself."
"Then we'll be grumpy together." I stormed out of his office, ignoring the amused look on Dom's face. "Don't you dare say anything."
"I'm sure you've said enough for the both of us."
*
The sounds of the party drifted through my paper thin walls. I'd talked to Michelle before I barricaded myself in my room and she agreed that my brother cock blocking me was wrong. But I knew, if he tried hard enough, she'd give in. They loved each other too much.
I think that's what I missed, what I wanted really. To love someone enough not be able to hold out for longer than a few days. I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to get passed the noise so I could sleep. You'd think I would be used to this, especially since I lived in the dorms during the school year and there was a party going on every Friday and Saturday night. Not to mention the three nights of straight binge drinking that occurred after midterms...
I rolled over again, unable to stay still. If I wasn't able to drink tonight, I'd been hoping to at least find a decent lay. I could kill my brother for doing this to me. Incapable of staying in bed anymore, I got dressed in some denim shorts and an off the shoulder top. If I did this right, I could sneak out and my brother wouldn't notice my absence until he checked on me after the party was over.
My door thankfully didn't creak as I opened it to look out. There were a few people talking on the landing but none of them seemed to be staking out my door. If I remembered correctly, Dom said he'd moved his car onto the street in case there was a need of quick escape. Only problem was he had his keys. Lucky for me, I knew how to hotwire a car and that he tended to leave it unlocked. I acted like nothing was amiss as I walked across the landing and down the stairs. So far, so good. Thankfully no one bothered me as they remembered my face from the other night or because my shirt exposed my shoulder blade, giving everyone who looked an eyeful of my tattoo.
I was about to exit through the open doorway when an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back. There was only two people who had the guts to do that after my brother gave his little order. Not to mention the Aztec inspired band that ran around his forearm gave him away. He was just covered in Aztec imagery.
"Damn," I muttered.
"You didn't really think you'd get far before I or your brother caught you, did you, Oranges?"
I turned around to look at him, ignoring the fact he kept his arm around me. "Can't say I didn't try."
"Why do you want to go out so bad? Is there some guy out there waiting on you or something?"
"One can only hope." I sighed. "I'll go back upstairs."
I moved to go but he just resituated himself around me. "Why don't you stay down here with me? I'm sure you'd have more fun."
"Fun?" I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "I can't drink, I don't do drugs anymore, I don't dance unless I have to, and I have nothing to say to anyone here. So how would staying down here be fun?"
"I'm willing to risk it," he said slyly, taking a swig out of his bottle. "If you are."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"I don't know. What do you think I'm saying?"
I rolled my eyes and pulled his arm off me. "You're drunk."
"Actually this is my first one and it's still 3/4ths full." He put it down on the table next to the door and placed his hands on my hips. "And like I said, I think I'll risk it."
"My brother will have your hide, ruining everyone's plans. No girl is worth that. Not even me."
"Your brother is busy with business in the backroom."
"You think? I thought I was alone with Bobby Matson in the back seat of his father's car. He lasted less than a minute."
He walked me back until I was pressed up against an expanse of wall, resting one of his hands on the wall next to my head. "Do I look like a high school boy to you?"
"You're my brother's next in line which means I should definitely be off limits. Not even on your radar."
"You've been on my radar since you walked into this house."
"Well that's comforting and exactly what I don't want."
"You want to get laid, that much I know. A woman gets a certain look in her eyes when she wants it. It was in yours when you first looked at me and it's there now as you think it over."
"Do you know what happened to the last guy I slept with that my brother found out about?"
"Probably the same thing that happened to my sister's ex-husband. Only difference is Vince does his dirty work in the winter so he can throw the bodies in the river to be trapped under the ice until spring. My bodies are never found."
"Why are you telling me this? Aren't you afraid I'll narc?"
He shook his head and leaned in close to me. "If you can keep your brother's secrets then you can keep mine."
"He's my brother. I'm naturally loyal to him."
"And you're loyal to this gang which means you're loyal to me." His eyes darted between mine, trying to understand why I wasn't melting into a puddle at his feet. "What do I have to do to prove it to you?"
"You don't have anything to prove to me. I'm off limits. It won't matter that you're next in line. You'll end up just like Ford. Why would you risk that?"
"Because I believe you're worth it. I told you that."
"Yeah? What happens when you don't think I'm worth it anymore? If you get tired of me, the second my brother retires, you'll bring me back, uncaring about what happens to me. I've seen how this works. Some Joe says he'll take care of you, tells you he'll make all your dreams come true. Then he gets what he wants and he's gone." I shook my head. "It's not what I want."
"That's not who I am."
"Sure about that? You're a Thorn which by definition makes you a player."
"Your brother's not like that."
"That's because our abuela beat a set of morals into him. Family first, the life second. He twists it from time to time to make it fit his needs. Not to mention he's been with the same girl since he dropped out of high school."
His hand came off the wall and touched my face, making our bodies come into contact from our knees to our chests. For some unknown reason, probably because I hadn't gotten any in a while, something down deep stirred and heated my skin. He must've caught my reaction to the feel of his body against mine because his grip in my hip tightened. "My abuela taught me a set of morals too. Maybe your brother and I are more alike than you realize." He brushed his nose across my lips and then moved away, leaving me a little more chilled than I ever thought possible. "Find me when you decide it's worth the risk."
*
I went back upstairs and flung myself on my bed. What the hell was wrong with me? I was acting like a little virgin girl decked out in white on her confirmation day. I was a De Sota for Christ's sake. We had more backbone than any normal person should.
And here I was, upstairs and hiding in my room for no apparent reason. What was wrong with me? When I tried to get up, I couldn't do it. Something was telling me going against my brother's 'wishes' would lead to disaster so I ended up rolling over and groaning.
What happened to me? I used to be rebellious, afraid of nothing, and here I was laying in the dark alone because my brother said no. I'd sunk so low and I was letting him rule my life. I laid there, repeating over and over to get up and go downstairs to tell yet another gangster I was willing to risk it.
Finally around midnight, I gathered up enough courage and made my way downstairs. I didn't know why this was so hard for me. I'd faced down cops today without blinking an eye. Telling a gangster to take me to a dark corner and do naughty things to me should be easy, not all the sudden terrifying. Maybe it was because the last gangster got me addicted to drugs.
Just saying.
Not every frog you kiss is going to be a prince charming.
I rounded the wall to the living room and scanned the faces of the crowd. And I found him, cornering another girl like he'd done me. A different bottle was in his hand and the other was pressed up against the wall. I couldn't see his face since he was whispering in the Rose's ear. The smile on her face told anyone who looked what they were 'discussing'.
Yeah I was an idiot.
He probably only said all that stuff to keep me from leaving and to get in my pants.
Well, it so wasn't happening now.
I turned on my heel and walked out the door, easy as pie. This time my brother's guard dog didn't stop me. The cars were all double parked but Dom's Honda Civic sat with an opening to the road even though it was in the row closest to the curb. Without putting much thought into it or what it meant for him, I hopped into the car, hotwired it in five seconds flat, and pulled away from my brother's house without anyone expecting a thing.