Worth the Chance

“Sure, it sounds like fun. Do I get to see your exhibition?” I tease.

“You get to see me kick someone’s ass.” He plants a chaste kiss on my mouth before tearing off the towel wrapped around my body and hauling me over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking you back to bed.”

“I can walk.”

“I can carry you.”

“Maybe, but I’ll make it quicker to the bed.”

Chapter 27

Vince

“Don’t give Preach a hard time. He’s doing me a favor going down with you to D.C. since Elle can’t travel.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“That’s what you said the night before your first fight and I had to pick you up down at the police station at two in the morning.”

“I won’t be in a bar at two in the morning this time.” I jump from the chin up bar, landing in front of Nico. He stands his ground.

“You better not be.”

Picking up the jump rope, I don’t look in his direction as I speak. “Liv’s coming with me.”

“Liv’s coming?”

“Is there a damn echo in here?”

Nico laughs and shakes his head. “That’s good. She seems like she can keep you out of trouble.”

“I can keep myself out of trouble.” I whip the jump rope, turning at warp speed, two flicks of the wrist with each single jump. Nico has to back up to keep from getting slapped in the face as the rope begins to play a whirling song with each turn.

“Whatever, I’m glad she’s going.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Thursday I stop by my mom’s to check in before heading to Liv’s to pick her up and leave for the airport. She’s in better shape than most days, even sitting up on the couch and capable of having a lucid conversation.

“You look good, Ma.”

She laughs, assuming I’m pacifying her. “Thanks, Baby”

“Did Jason resurface and fix things with the two guys that were here last week?” I’ve started to ask around, the guy’s an even bigger loser than I first thought. And I didn’t think much of him to start.

Her eyes trained downward, she wrings her hands as she speaks. I know the answer before the words fall from her lips. “No, I’ve tried everything I know of to reach him, but he’s gone. Vanished.”

Shit, I knew that dirtbag was no good. Should’ve finished his sorry ass off when I had the chance the day I found him raising his hand to my mother.

“Ma, those guys aren’t screwing around. I asked around about them. They don’t make threats lightly. How much are they holding you up for?”

“Two hundred.”

“Please, please tell me that you’re kidding! Or that you mean two hundred bucks?” I begin to pace. What the hell has she done? Where am I going to get that kind of money? I figured the loser was passed out somewhere on a binge, but it’s been too long…the realization just starting to kick in that he’s probably hiding. Leaving my mother holding the bag just for vouching for him. Now I’m starting to get nervous.

“I’m sorry, Vincent.” She begins to cry. She drives me crazy, screwed up half of my childhood, and is probably responsible for my fucked up relationships with women, yet I still can’t stand to see her cry.

I sit next to her, wrap my arm around her shoulder, and pull her close. “Stop, Ma. It’s go

Chapter 28

Liv

Vi

“So after I turn my hair blue and pierce my eyebrow, I was thinking we could go to Target and buy up all the shaving cream in their stock.” Vi

Vi

He’s still a million miles away, even though we’re sitting so close, so I take out the bigger guns. “Oh, okay, great. I didn’t think you’d mind. I mean, I agreed to go out with him before we started seeing each other. It will only be one or two dates, so I probably won’t sleep with him more than once anyway.”

“Wait, what?” Tension shows in his face as he turns to me, I have no idea what part he heard, but clearly something finally sunk in.

“Well, welcome back.”

“Did you just tell me you’re going on a date?”

“I told you I was dyeing my hair blue and piercing my eyebrow before that and you didn’t seem to care…so I thought I’d see how far away you really were.” I smile playfully.

“Very nice. But you know what happens when I even think about another man near you don’t you?” Vi

Startled, I find myself being lifted out of my tiny plane seat and reseated onto Vi

I’m so consumed with the feel of his big hands holding my face in place so he can kiss the daylights out of me, that I don’t even hear the flight attendant’s first attempt at a polite interruption.

“Sir, she’s going to need to take her own seat now. We’re getting ready for landing.”

My face crimson with embarrassment, I want to crawl under the seat when I realize that the flight attendant is speaking to us. Vi

“Vi

Once we’re checked into our hotel, Vi

“So you never told me about the interview you’re doing tomorrow. Is it anyone I’d know?” Vi

Freezing in place, panic overcomes me. Lying has never been my strong suit, but lying and guilt combined isn’t a combination easy for me to mask on my face. I’m grateful that my back is to him when I’m forced to respond.

“Ummm…I doubt it, just some Senator.”

“Senator huh?” Vi

His warm breath and light nibbling cloud my thoughts, I stand unmoving, not quite sure how to respond. Vi