Mess Us Up – Jaxson Kidman Page 0,60
is waiting outside.
With the exception of Ado.
“What’s going to happen to Ado?” I ask.
Mac looks at me. “So you’re going to keep worrying about stuff that doesn’t matter?”
“Everything matters, Mac. You can say it doesn’t, but it does.”
“It’s taken care of, Jolie,” he says. “Okay? Everything is taken care of.”
“Is it?”
Mac gets out of the car and slams the door.
I feel like I can cry again but I turn that switch off. I know I’ll have time to cry later. Right now… I’m angry.
“What the fuck is your problem?” I call out to Mac as I climb out of the car and slam the door the same way he did.
He looks back at me. “Wait there, sweetie.”
“Fuck you, I won’t,” I say.
I walk around the car.
Mac says something to Les and Taz.
Taz hurries to hug Mac.
They go into the warehouse, toward the room where the table is.
Mac lights up a cigarette and turns to face me.
“Are you really mad at me because of Declan?” I ask. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“You made your choices, I made mine,” he says.
“What?”
“If I want to kill someone, I’m going to do it. I didn’t tell you to choose me, did I?”
I gasp. “Seriously? What else would I choose, Mac? Everything I’ve ever known is a lie. You’re the one that exposed all of that to me. For me. Remember?”
He shakes his head. “I’m just doing my thing. Whatever happens, happens.”
“What the fuck is your problem right now, Mac?” I ask.
“Nothing.”
“What would have happened? Huh? If you did that to Declan… then what? You’d get caught. You’d be in jail for the rest of your life. He’s a cop. Dirty or not. Like, are you serious?”
“My choice,” he says.
“No, it’s not. It’s supposed to be our choice. Together. Everything is exposed finally. I know what I want. I know the truth. And so do you. I’m sorry about Mama Dae…” My chin quivers. “I’m so sorry for all she’s done…”
Mac steps toward me and touches my chin. “No, no, sweetie. Don’t do that right now. Don’t play that emotional bullshit card right now.”
I smack his hand away. “And you’re going to play the super tough guy douchebag card right now?”
Mac takes a drag of his cigarette. “I’m just me.”
“No, you’re not. You want to hide right now? Why? Because you know I was right. Killing Declan would have ruined everything.”
“For you,” he says.
“What?”
“For you, sweetie. It would have ruined everything for you. Maybe you should work shit out with your mother. And maybe you should get back into law school. Or show up to class. Look around you, Jolie. This is my life. This isn’t going to go away. This isn’t going to change. This is me, sweetie. Take it or leave it.”
Mac puts his cigarette between his lips and opens his arms.
He steps back a few steps and curls his lip.
He’s nothing but a dangerous bad boy.
A guy.
A man.
But I’ve seen the other side to Mac.
I know what he does… why he does it…
Because he cares.
My mind frantically tells my heart to believe that.
But my heart is kind of tired of being pushed around.
Mac’s the easy target.
He’s staring right at me, you know?
“That’s what you want me to do?” I ask. My words are gasoline to the fire. “You want me to just walk away? Disappear? That’s what this has all come down to then? I just… vanish…”
“Do whatever you want, sweetie,” he says as he takes the cigarette out of his mouth. “Just stay the hell out of my way. Everything I’ve done for you and you get in the way like that.”
“In the way. I saved you from yourself.”
“I don’t need to be saved,” Mac says.
“Don’t do this, Mac. You’re going to regret it.”
“Regret what?” he asks. “That you were just walking that beach… so innocent, right? With your fucking friend who’s trying to do the same as you.”
“The same as me?”
“You wanted to get too close to flames, Jolie. Then you touched the tips and got a little excited. When’s it enough? When you get a little burned? Huh? Last time I checked, things were moving along. Didn’t have to worry so much about your family. Or Mama. Or anything else. Now look at it.”
I gasp. I step back.
My right hand curls into a fist and I show it to Mac.
“I feel like hitting you right now for what you just said,” I say.
“Then hit me, sweetie. Do what you have to do.”
“You’re really going to try and blame me