Come To Me (Owned 3)

“What’s that?” I followed her finger to the black wrapping that had fallen to the floor.

“It must be left over from the birthday party,” I lied.

“I thought I’d cleaned all that up…” Lenny yawned and scanned the room, looking for stray bits of birthday party.

“Everything is fine, go back to sleep.” Lenny shrugged and pulled the shirt up tight, turning back toward our room. When I was sure she wasn’t coming back, I extracted the small black card.

Hours after Lennox had gone back to sleep, I flipped the black card in my hand. The gloss face reflected against the granite kitchen counter. It didn’t have a name or number, just an address. Two addresses, actually.

Both my apartment and my fucking safe house.

In case I got any ideas about hiding.

I knew what it meant. Anyone in my line of work knew what a black card with their address meant. It meant they’d been marked. Somewhere, someone had an identical card, except it was white. That person would be coming for me. Maybe they were already here, waiting.

Fuck! I moved to slam my fist against the adjoining kitchen wall but stopped short an inch from the plaster, for the very reason that I felt the need to crush my fingers.

Lenny.

She was upstairs, asleep, and I didn’t want to wake her. I’d heard that love made you a fool, but I hadn’t known it made you a complete fucking idiot. It was like all my training flew out the window the minute I met Lenny.

Years ago I’d made my bed. I’d married the devil, then had the gall to divorce her.

I deserved everything that was coming.

But Lenny didn’t.

I turned the card in my hand, my stomach churning. I’d known Alice would get her revenge, but I hadn’t thought she would have GEM on her side when she did it. It was a revelation I should have come to much sooner, but I’d been so wrapped up in my own shit I didn’t see it.

I used to shrug at the idea of being blacklisted. Even when Alice threatened me, it barely resonated. Then again, I was never used to making decisions for two. Somewhere along the line my consequences stopped affecting only me and started rippling like a stone in a pond.

And somewhere in that time, Alice had gained power, true and real power. The kind of power that could crush a much bigger man than me. I was dealing with a greater threat than I’d previously thought. Upstairs Lennox slept soundly. She trusted me to protect her, and I had been failing miserably.

It was no longer just my address, it was our address. It was our bedroom. It was our kitchen. It was our goddamn safe house. It wasn’t our fucking black card, though. It was my black card with my black address and my inked ruination about to befall both of us.

Crumbling the card in my palm, I threw it against our wall.

I walked up the stairs and into the bedroom. Keeping the light off, I went over to the bed and grabbed Lennox by the arm. She struggled in her sleep, fighting against me, but when she woke she looked me in the eyes and calmed down.

“Oh my god, Vic!” She gasped. “You scared me. What the hell are you doing?” I kept my face cold, doing my best to dampen the emotions rising up. I tightened my grip around her forearm and for a moment I faltered. She’d lost weight. My fingers now almost completely curved around her arm.

Before, Lenny was curvy. She had hips. She had an ass. She had tits to die for. Now she was wasting away. Had I done that? Well, I definitely knew what the fuck my black card would do.

Fuck. I shook my head, tightened my grip, and pulled her out of the bed, flinging her to the floor. She fell, the crash making my stomach revolt. She’d taken off my shirt and was completely naked. Even in the darkness, she shone. Like the moon against the black.

On the ground, I noticed how knobby her knees had become. She lay disheveled, her hair like a fiery veil over the rest of her body. When she didn’t move, I was worried I’d gone too far. I nearly reached out, but all at once she moved.

“What the fuck, Vic?” Lenny exclaimed.

“Get out,” I said, voice stony.

“What do you mean ‘get out’? Have you gone insane?” Lenny stood up and walked toward me. “What’s wrong? Tell me what’s wrong!” She gripped my shoulders, trying to pull my eyes to hers.

“You’re what’s wrong,” I lied.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I don’t love you any more,” I continued. “I can’t be with you. You’re a fuck up. You’re an addict. You’re a fucking psycho. Just get the fuck out.”