Page 36 of Tarnished
He nodded. “I know. Which is why I didn’t put up a huge fight. Besides, even if I did, Alejandro will always win.” He looked at his watch. “I need to get in to see my therapist. Maybe there’s a med I can take while I’m in the field to prevent flashbacks.” He drew in a deep breath before slowly releasing it. “Christ, I’m not ready for this shit, brother. Especially with a fucker I don’t know.”
Emmanuel worked mainly out of Mexico, from what I’d learned. While Alejandro’s second in command, Miguel, tended to follow Alejandro closely, Emmanuel was the one that was left in charge when Alejandro was Stateside.
I nodded. “I know. But despite the orders, call me if you need me. I’ll keep my burner phone near—always. And I’ll always answer.”
He smirked at me, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Even if you’re balls deep in Beck or Clarke?”
I barked out a laugh, reaching over to lightly shove him. He snickered. “Even then, asshole.”
We both looked up when the door opened. Clarke came out carrying a pack of Oreos and a glass of milk. Beck shrugged at me as he walked out the door behind her. She squished herself between me and Vern, getting comfortable. Beck snorted and sat on the other side of me, leaning against my side. I curled my arm around his shoulder, turning my head to softly kiss him.
“I think we should eat cookies instead of getting high,” she told Vern.
Vern snorted at her but put out his blunt, nonetheless. She wasn’t a huge fan of the smell. “I have a figure to maintain,” he teased her.
She shrugged. “I’m sure eating this pack of cookies with me won’t make it disappear. You can go workout or run or whatever after if it makes you feel better. But cookies always make me feel better.”
He snorted and took the cookie she handed him. When she held out the glass of milk, he dipped it in before biting into it. He nodded as he chewed, considering the cookie. Then, he nudged her shoulder, some of the light re-entering his eyes.
“You know what, kid? You might be on to something here.”
She beamed at him. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head while I grabbed Beck’s hand in mine. He cuddled into my side, and we just sat there, watching as our woman cheered Vern back up with a pack of cookies and a glass of fucking milk.