Chapter Ninety
The pain in his chest was excruciating. He hated betrayal and now Ernesto had basically told him that Milana had been his victim. So many things slammed into him at once, so many emotions threatened to overwhelm him. He needed to breathe because he'd added to everything. He'd hurt her and pushed her away and he'd made her his victim as well.
He choked out an emotional sound before dialing another number and he closed his eyes as it rang. The ringing in his ear was like a ticking time bomb. He didn't know how to handle the emotions swirling inside him. He didn't know if he'd ever feel differently again. He never thought he'd be that man, not after everything he'd seen and lived through, he'd never wanted to be Charles Alexander and somehow he'd become him.
“Kelley?”
“I need you. I’m at the pier.”
“I’ll be there in five.”
The wind was cold on Kelley’s cheek and when he wiped under his eyes he was surprised to find the wetness there. He hadn’t cried in years, not since … he wasn’t going to think about that. It didn’t hurt as much anymore but he still felt the guilt.
Lights appeared at the end of the pier and then footsteps approached Kelley. Shadows appeared longer than they were and he lowered his head to his arms on the railing. The footsteps quickened and Kelley looked up.
“Are you hurt? Are you okay?”
“I don’t know, Jesse.”
Jesse stopped next to him and looked him over. “What do you need, Kelley?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” For the first time since Kelley had been seventeen years old, he felt lost. He felt useless and he hated the feeling.
“Talk to me, hash it out.”
“I got out of the shower tonight to find Milana waiting in my room for me.”
“Okay … that doesn’t sound so bad.”
“On her knees, Jesse, she crawled over to me on her fucking hands and knees.”
“Shit.”
Kelley scratched at the growing hair on his face and he had the sudden urge to hurt someone, punch someone so hard that his knuckles broke. For a manic second, he wanted to feel that pain, see the blood and experience that adrenaline.
“She’s one of them …”
“Kelley, you don’t know that.”
Kelley laughed angrily. “I do know that. She’s demure and timid and always looks down. I thought it was a ploy, that she was just playing nice until she could lead me into a trap set by her uncle.”
“Kelley …”
“She asked me permission to buy clothes, Jesse. She never looks me in the eye, like she’s afraid of me.”
Jesse shifted on his feet and looked at Kelley, straight in the eye. “Have you given her a reason to be afraid of you?”
“I haven’t been nice to her.”
“You know what to do, Kelley, you just don’t want to.”
Kelley sighed. Jesse was right. He knew exactly what to do but doing it meant digging deep into his own past, a past he didn’t want to relive. “I know.”
“Then go home and talk to her, like you, not the asshole you can be. Find out the truth from her.”
“It’s been weeks, Jesse …”
“Either you do it or I remove her from your care and find her a new life.”
“Piss off, Jesse. I can look after my own wife.”
Jesse folded his arms across his chest. “Can you? You’re not even interested enough to know her favorite color or what food she likes. Is she allergic to anything? More importantly Kelley, is she happy?”
“I didn’t call you here to give me shit!”
“That’s exactly why you called me. Grow a pair, Kelley, and talk to your wife. If she’s a victim in all this like I’m starting to think and you don’t fix this, I’ll kick your ass.”
“Like you could.”
Kelley ducked too late as Jesse’s fist came flying through the air, brushing painfully against the side of his head. Another fist landed in his gut and drove the air from him. He doubled forward and then tackled Jesse to the wooden planks of the pier.
Jesse’s legs came around his waist and Kelley knew he was in trouble. He lifted his elbows as Jesse kept punching him but the move opened his abdomen and Jesse didn’t waste any time. Kelley pushed his knees up and rolled them over to the side hitting Jesse on the jaw with his fist.
Kelley grunted as Jesse found his mark on Kelley’s ribs and another punch landed on Jesse’s face. Jesse pushed Kelley away from him and they both stood there for a few seconds breathing hard. “Are you over it?”
“Are you?” Kelley eyed him and then pressed his hand against his ribs.
“I’m only getting started, asshole. If you wanted a pat on the shoulder you should’ve called Mason or Lee.”
“We can go five rounds, Jesse … but I doubt my sister will be happy when I mess up your pretty face.”
“At least I have a pretty face, Scar.”
Kelley grinned then. “Low blow, asshole, besides, I’ve heard women like my scar.”
Jesse laughed then and he patted Kelley on the back. “Have a conversation, Kelley, an honest one. You’ll never know if you don’t ask her yourself. She might just surprise you with the truth.”
“It’s not the conversation I’m afraid of.”
Jesse spat blood from his mouth and wiped a hand over it. “Then what?”
“I’m afraid of what I’ll do once I know the truth.”
“It doesn’t matter what you do with it, as long as you don’t do it alone. You have friends, Kelley, people that’s got your back. Close ranks, close your circle and take out your anger on the ones that deserve it.”
“I’m going to need an alibi.”
“Every good plan takes time, Kelley, don’t do anything rash. You know I’m right. You waited six years to take Petey down, don’t start making mistakes now.”
"I know, Jesse. Sometimes though there's no time to plan and that's where I'm at."
Jesse gripped his shoulders painfully. "Look at me. I'm right here. I'm with you but you have to go home, take a breather and really think this through."
Kelley nodded his head and placed the stoic mask on his face once again.
