I click my tongue, rub my chin. Start to laugh, then stop myself. I turn to Oxy, who’s been standing silently, and shrug.
“No,” I say, turning back to her. “It’s not off.”
“What?” Axel’s voice cracks.
Lexi just glares at me, jaw tight.
“The deal I made with your sister still stands,” I continue, taking a step closer. “But the question is... what the hell am I going to do with you, Axel?”
Lexi points at him. “If the deal stands, you’re not doing anything to him!”
“He won’t keep his fucking mouth shut.”
She spins around and kicks Axel’s shin. Hard. “See! You’re ruining everything!”
He stares at her, eyes glassy with booze and hurt. “I know what’s happening now. I can see it clearly. You’re addicted too, aren’t you?”
She rolls her eyes.
He continues, “No, that’s what this is about. You fucking—”
The slap echoes through the trailer.
Lexi leans in close to his face. “Don’t ever fucking compare me to you. You’re like the gum stuck at the bottom of my fucking shoe! Look at this fucking mess you put us in.”
I scratch my face, glance at Oxy. He’s holding in a laugh, shoulders shaking.
This has suddenly turned into a therapy session, and I’m not going to lie—this is entertaining as hell. She’s laying down the law, telling him exactly how it is. When she starts hitting him—slapping his chest, his shoulder, anywhere she can reach—I step forward and grab her.
“Okay. That’s enough.” I pull her back against my chest. “How about we find a ditch and throw him in it?”
She turns to look at me. For a second, I think she might hit me too. But then her eyes flicker, pupils dilating when I look into them.
“No,” she says, voice softer now. “Only I can do that to my brother. Not you.”
I laugh. “Okay. So I’ll make you a new deal because I’m fed up with this storyline of you two.”
I look at Axel and smirk. He’s going to love hearing this. And Lexi? She’s going to be ecstatic.
“I’ll cut him off completely.”
“I thought you said you were going to do that?” Lexi asks, confused.
“Baby, I know where all the supply comes from.” I step closer to her, close enough that she has to tilt her head back to look at me. “And your brother? If it means that much to you, he’s done. No more.”
Axel tries to jump to his feet. The rope around his wrists throws him off balance, and he falls back onto the couch, rolls onto his side. “No! Fuck no!”
Lexi looks at him for a long moment. Then her eyes fix on mine.
Fuck.
They’re big and brown and glistening. Like she’s about to cry from happiness and relief but won’t let herself.
“Are you serious?” she asks.
I nod. “Very.”
“In return for what?” she questions like the smart girl that she is.
