Arranged love

I OPEN MY heavy eyes to a pitch-black room. Sitting up, I pat down my shirt and jeans, looking for my phone but feel nothing. Reaching out, I run my hands over the cool comforter and realize I won’t find it. Bones took it from me.

Getting out of bed, I make my way to the adjoining bathroom and use the restroom. After washing my hands, I walk back through the bedroom and decide it’s time to join the shit show. At least I got a nap. I feel recharged for at least two more screaming matches.

Stepping out of the bedroom, I come to a stop when I see Cross standing in the kitchen at the stove.

He looks up at me and comes over. Cupping my cheek, his eyes search mine. “Hey, gorgeous.”

“Hey,” I say softly.

“How do you feel?” He asks, trying to run his hand through my wild hair.

“Rested.”

He nods once. “Good. You’re just in time for dinner. Come eat.” Leaning down, he kisses my forehead and walks back to the kitchen.

“Dinner? What time is it?” I smooth out my wrinkled shirt. Like he gives a shit what my clothes look like. Looking out over the floor-to-ceiling windows, I see the lights of the Strip illuminating the night.

“Almost nine.”

I gasp. “Cross I have to go. I was supposed to be at Crown …”Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“I had someone cover your shift.” He interrupts me.

“What? No.”

“You needed the rest, Alexa.” He points at the bar. “Sit.”

I plop down not wanting to argue. Looking around I see the TV that hangs on the wall is on but muted. The place is quiet. “Where is everyone?”

“Your brother went home. Bones never returned from running after Grave and Titan left.”

I drop my head and sigh. “I’m sorry for what my brother said.”

“Don’t be.” He blows it off.

I look up at him. “It was horrible.” I was embarrassed, pissed and hurt all at the same time for what Derek said to Grave. I wanted Grave to knock him out just to make a point.

“You can’t control what he does or says, babe.”

“Have you spoken to Grave? Is he okay?” I wonder.

“No. I tried calling but he didn’t answer. I spoke to Titan after he had left here, and he mentioned Grave had asked Titan to take him to a meeting sometime this evening.”

I nod.

“Here,” He pulls my cell out of his pocket and places it on the bar in front of me.

“Why did Bones take it from me?” Who the hell was I going to call to come and get me? Jasmine? April? None of them would have been able to help me. I sure as fuck wasn’t going to call Mitch.

“He just needed to turn it off so no one could track it, knowing where you were at.”

I snort. That sounds ridiculous. “I promise you; no one is that determined to get to me. You’re being paranoid.”

He leans across the bar, placing his elbow on the marble and cupping my cheek. His eyes search mine before he leans forward and gently kisses my lips. “That’s a chance I wasn’t willing to take.” Letting go, he pulls away and turns back to the kitchen.

“Cross,” I sigh his name. “We need to talk.” There’s so much that needs to be discussed.

“I know.” He agrees “After you eat.”

ALEXA

I PLACE MY plate in the sink and make my way into Cross’s bedroom. He came in here a minute ago to plug in his phone and get ready for bed. For once, he’s going to bed at a decent time and I’m going to be up all night because of my damn nap.

He stands on his side of the bed, removing his shirt up and over his head.

“I Googled you.” I blurt out. If I don’t do it now, I’ll never have the courage to.

He pauses and looks over at me. “And?”

I lick my lips. “I found Kingdom, Tit for Tat, baseball …” I trail off and take in a deep breath adding. “Oak Grove.”

If it bothers him that I brought that up, he doesn’t show it. He just stares at me as if I should have more to say. At his silence, I shuffle from foot to foot. Dropping my head, I look at my hands. “I saw the scars on your back, Cross. They looked like the exact same branding you gave my brother.” Lifting my eyes, I peek at him through my lashes.

“Are you asking me a question?”

The hard tone in his voice has my heart rate picking up. “How did you get them?” I can only manage to whisper it. And I fist my hands mad at myself for being so afraid. It’s not that I think he won’t tell me. It’s that I’m terrified of the answer.

He reaches up and removes the cross that hangs around his neck and sits down on the bed. “My father believed that kneeling was originated for humiliation, not for forgiveness.”

I frown, confused with those words. “Your dad was the priest,” I say, remembering what I read online. Did he mean in reference to people who kneel to pray? There’s nothing wrong with asking for forgiveness.

He gives a rough laugh. “My father played that role.” He looks up at me. “He believed as long as the congregation saw him as a savior, then he was one.” Opening his nightstand, he pulls out a ring. “My father was a Three Wisemen.”

“What’s that?” I’ve never heard of that before.

“My father, Titan’s father and Grave and Bones’s father were all members. They started Kingdom. And they raised us to take over.”

A chill runs up my spine at his words. Raised them to take over?

“He would say ‘you must repent for your sins.’ I didn’t understand him at first. I mean, what nine-year-old commits sins that are unforgiveable in the eyes of the Lord?”

“Nine?” I whisper, horrified, feeling my knees shake.

“That’s when it started. My punishments-repenting.”

“Cross …” I choke out his name, not sure what I was going to say. No words will heal those scars I’ve seen. “What? He’d use that?” I look at the necklace in his hand, sitting down on the bed next to him, my knees now too weak to hold myself up.

“He told me that I must repent. And he would take a candle, heating up this Cross and he would burn my back with it.”

Tears sting my eyes at his confession.

“I thought it was for the wrongs I did, but as I got older, I understood it was a sacrifice. He was righting his wrongs through me.”