“Derek,” I snap. Why is he such a dick to her? I think he secretly has a crush on her but knows she’d never give him the time of day.
Before she can say something sarcastic back to him, his eyes drop to the money counter. “What the fuck are you two doing? No way your pussy brought that much in,” he says to her as she puts Tanner’s envelope of cash in her purse.
I don’t miss the fact that he’s still ignoring me. “Derek!” I slam my hand down on the bar. “Quit being a fucking piece of shit!” I’m so tired of men like Hooke and my brother. Derek is a man-whore, but God forbid a woman has sex with more than one guy in her lifetime.
He just laughs it off like I’m joking, the first time acknowledging that I even exist since he saw Cross and me in the office.
The front door opens again, and Bones enters, wearing his usual fuck-off face. His pretty blue eyes glare at my brother instantly. He looks him over once and then dismisses him like he’s not a threat. Which he isn’t, but Bones made it an insult. I refrain from smiling. Derek’s body stiffens, and his eyes narrow. “We’re closed.”
“I’m not here for a drink,” Bones responds flatly.
“Sis, may I see you for a second?” Derek grabs my upper arm and drags me into the cooler before I can protest. “What in the fuck are they doing here?” he snaps.
I jerk my arm free of his hold. I was going to tell him what I’m doing tomorrow, but I guess now is as good a time as any. “I’m going into business with Jasmine and Bones.”
He blinks a couple of times, glaring down at me before he manages to get any words out. “What do you mean?”
“We’re opening a bar. Down in the basement.” I’m not going into detail at the moment because it doesn’t fucking matter. I own Lucky’s and allow him to work for me.
“The fuck you are!” he commands.
My teeth grind. I’m not arguing about this. It’s not up for negotiation. “It’s done, Derek.”
“How could you?” He gives me his back, running his hands through his hair aggressively. “That is the stupidest fucking thing you’ve ever done. And you’ve done some dumb shit.”
“Derek …”
“He’s a King, Alexa,” he growls in my face. “Connected to the Mafia. He can’t be trusted. None of them can. Didn’t you learn your lesson when April started dating Grave?”
He doesn’t know that April lost their baby. I haven’t had a chance to tell him, and honestly, it’s none of his business. “You don’t know anything about them,” I point out.
“Neither do you,” he fires back. “They’re fucking criminals.”
I roll my eyes. “They’re not—”
“And not to mention druggies,” he interrupts me.
It just pisses me off that he judges them. “Oh, just like your friend Ethan.” Derek and I grew up with April and her brother. He was never as close to Ethan as I am April because Ethan was quite a bit younger than us. But they’re still friends.
He purses his lips. “No, he isn’t.”
Derek either doesn’t know Ethan like he thinks he does, or he’s a good liar. “Yes, he is. He was over at April and Grave’s the other night fucked up. Cross dragged him in. April was crying when she found out.”
He shakes his head, not believing it. “Well, if he is, Grave got him started. Hell, he’s probably his dealer. That piece of shit …”
I slap him across his face, cutting him off. He stands there glaring down at me stunned. “Don’t you accuse Grave of that. Ethan is responsible for his own actions!” I scream, my blood pressure rising with each second.
“You’re going to do this. Pick them over me?” he asks through gritted teeth.
“It’s business,” I snap. “Not a competition.” Derek has always been happy with where he’s at in life—single with no ambition—but I want more. I want what Jasmine strives to have. A career. A woman can do more than lie on her back and push out kids. We just have to work harder, and I’m not afraid to do that. Men like my brother and Ethan hold us back. They make it harder than it has to be.
“If you do this.” He points at the closed door of the cooler. “If you go into business with them, I quit,” he threatens.
No one will give me an ultimatum. “It’s a done deal, Derek.”
“Alexa …”
“The papers have been signed,” I clarify, letting him know it’s too late. Not like I’d change my mind anyway.
“Fine.” He spins around and storms out. I follow him, but he exits the bar just as fast as he did the cooler.
“Are you okay?” Jasmine asks me.
I nod my head, but my heart is heavy. I never can win with Derek. He’s always making my life about him. It’s a never-ending battle that I’m tired of fighting.