“Yeah, well. I had been thinking about it for a while now. Today seemed like the day, so I just took off. If I had known all of this was going on, I would have just given you the papers myself, or let them be delivered by a process server and left it up to him whether to respond or not,” I say righteously. “Either way, the Canadian courts would have granted me a divorce.”
Manny’s no fool. He knows damn well I could have had someone else deliver these papers instead of coming here in person. Why didn’t I?
He shrugs.
“It’s your life, Calla. Never really put much thought into watching you go into the courthouse. You’re in and out of there all the time, with law school and all. Do your parents know? About the divorce, I mean.”
I shake my head.
“No, they don’t know. And you’re right, Manny. It is my life. A life I need to start living.”
“I agree,” he says a little too quickly.
I don’t think he believes I want this divorce, but I’m not in the mood to argue with him over it. I want my life back, that’s all.
“You really did keep an eye on me, huh?” I reach up and kiss his cheek, lightening the heavy mood that has shrouded us. “Seriously, though. I can’t believe you have given up years of your life just to watch me walk around school, or go to parties and study groups. God, you must have been bored out of your mind. My life has been nothing but one big uninteresting bag of books.”
“Nah. I had a job to do, so I did it. Besides, we take care of our own around here. I would never be able to live with myself if something were to happen to you. Simple as that. And you were boring for the first year, but you broke free over the past year and a half. Especially after you started dating Mikel.”
I don’t miss the crossness in his tone.
“We broke up after he asked me to marry him. I lied to him the entire time we dated. That’s when I decided enough was enough and I couldn’t continue to put my life on hold for a man who didn’t give a shit about me. Mikel didn’t deserve to be hurt like that.”
I’ll never forget the regret I felt when I broke his heart. I know what that feels like, to think you know someone, and then to find out everything about them was a lie.
Manny sits down next to me and polishes off the rest of his beer, tossing the bottle onto the ground.
“It’s a damn good thing you did break up, though, because that’s the first time Cain really thought he was going to lose you for good. I had to talk the fucker down time and time again from driving over the border. He was ready to kill him.”
“That’s a little hypocritical, don’t you think? I mean, he wanted to kill Mikel when he’s the one who lied and slept with someone else in the first place. I mean, come on. I get the fact that he’s been protecting me, I really do, but that’s bullshit and you know it. He lost me the day he married me. The day he decided our love for one another wasn’t strong enough.”
“Come on, Calla. Loosen up a little. I didn’t mean it literally. I just meant for the first time since you left, he didn’t think he had a chance of getting you back.”
“I was never his in the first place,” I say softly.
“You’ve always been his woman. You just don’t realize it.”
I stand up, straightening my skirt as best I can.
“Really? Pin your ears back and crack open those eyes, Manny. I belong to no-one. What I want is to climb back into my car, go home, and forget this day ever happened. So if you could be so kind as to tell me where Cain is, I would appreciate it.”
“He’s in there. You’re wasting your breath and your time if you think anyone in this club will let you leave here. Come on,” he says, pointing to the bar. “Let me take you.”
I sigh, knowing I’m facing a losing battle trying to get out of here. But for the love of God, there has to be another way. Geez. I’ll even let the kingpin here drive me to my parents’ house himself.
The first step I take I stumble, my shoes catching in the dirt. These poor shoes are going to be ruined before this day is over. Manny’s arms go around my shoulders to catch my fall, the two of us laughing at my clumsiness, but it falters when we look up and under the light of the doorway stands Cain. And he’s not alone.
Chapter Six
Calla
“What the mother fuck?” he shouts.
Cain brings his arms up on either side of him, his hands balled into tight fists. If looks really could kill, Manny and I would both be dead right now.
“Don’t ‘mother fuck’ me, asshole. You’re the one who left her in your dad’s house. I’m the one who found her out here looking for you.”
Manny releases me. The two men stare each other down while I break away from looking at Cain to snap a dirty look at Emerald. Her sly smile lets me know all too well that she knows something I don’t.
I flash my best bitch grin right back at her. I hate this woman. She has Cain and I don’t, and if I didn’t want to get out of here so badly, I could very well kill her right now with my bare hands.
Emerald sidles up against him, her claws coming out like a vicious cat.
“Come on, baby. Let’s go party with everyone else. Unless you want to go back to your place? We can create our own party.”
I would love to say something crude to her, but Cain beats me to it.
“Enough, Emerald. We talked about this. We’re done here; now go find someone else’s bed to crawl into.”
Ouch.
“You can’t be serious right now? After what we just did in there, you’re going to cast me aside a-fucking-gain? You can’t do this, Cain. She doesn’t belong here. She will never fit in here. I mean, look at her. She looks like a high class whore! She’s a killjoy, a dead lay. You said so yourself,” she hisses like the nasty snake she is.
“We didn’t do jack shit, you lying bitch,” he says, turning on her.
Whatever. He probably did fuck her. I keep telling myself I don’t care, but the truth is, it hurts. More than I care to admit. However, this bitch and her words are more than I can stand. She’s desperate, and I can’t say I really blame her. But a dead lay? I’m far from a dead lay. Maybe I should remind him of all the blow jobs I’ve given him, how he used to tell me I could suck a nail out of a board! Knowing him, that was a lie, too.
And that’s the second time I’ve been called a whore since I stepped foot in this place. He must prefer whores over someone who would have always been only his. I can’t believe he would say something like that about me. What did I ever do to him for him to degrade me so spitefully? Moisture begins to build behind my eyes, but I won’t cry. Not in front of these two. Not ever.
She speaks the truth. I don’t belong here, which is why I want to leave. I can get my own protection. Hell, I’ll move clean across the country.
“What the hell kind of game are you playing at, Emerald? I’ve been nothing but honest with you from the very beginning. You’ve been nothing but a convenient fuck. And I sure as fuck have never spoken to you even once about Calla,” Cain snaps.
He takes hold of her by her arm, jerking her so hard I flinch, feeling the pain he is inflicting on her. I’m not one for abuse on any woman, no matter if I despise them or not. I go to step forward and I’m halted dead in my tracks by Manny.
“Leave him be, woman,” he barks in my ear as Cain’s voice escalates.
“I’m fucking warning you, bitch, for the last time. Get the hell out of my club and stay the hell away from me. And if I ever hear you spewing lies and bullshit about Calla again, I swear to Christ I will gut you.”
My insides start to crumble into a giant heap of shards. I should not have to stand here and endure this lovers’ quarrel. My world feels like it’s crashing down again. He’s talking about screwing her right in front of me. I couldn’t care less if he is defending me or not. Fuck them both.