I wrap myself in Jacob’s smell as Xav’s warmth slides around us. I let myself smile at the feeling of them both surrounding me, keeping me bound together till I can be in their arms for real. I let out a long, weary breath.
“You’re almost there, Vic. Just close your eyes for a little while and reach your hand for mine. I’m so close. I’m here.”His voice is getting faint, further away, but in my dreams, I can see him more clearly, I can see them more clearly, and I know I just have to reach a little further, and we can all be together. I will have a real family for the first time in my life.
My eyes flutter open, and I roll onto my back, scrubbing my hand down my face. They’re not here, not yet, anyway. “Soon, my loves, I’m coming home.”
I knock on Shelley’s door. When she opens the door, she looks puzzled for a second. I’ve only met her once, and I was in disguise then. Now, I’m as me as I’m ever going to get. There’s no disguise now, no wig, no excessive contouring, or risers in my shoes, just me.
“Hello. Can I help you?”
“My name’s Vic, you knew my… brother, Xav.”
She shakes her head. “No, sorry, I don’t know anyone by that name.” She goes to close the door.
I sigh. Fuck. What name did he give her? John? Jim? Jake? And what name did he give me? Fuck, why can’t I remember?
“Hey, are you okay?” she opens the door back up and reaches for my shoulder.
“I need your help, Shelley?” I reach out for her before pulling back. “Can you help me?”
“How do you know my name?”
“I met you before. I was in disguise. You were my… ‘brother’s’ girlfriend.
“I think you have me mistaken with someone else. I don’t have a boyfriend; the last one just ghosted me, so I can’t help you.”
She steps back to shut the door again. “Wait. He didn’t ghost you.”
“Funny, he hasn’t replied in months now. Tell me again he hasn’t ghosted me.” She goes to close the door, and I push my foot into it.
“He’s dead,” I blurt out, and she freezes.
She brings her hand to her mouth. “Dead?”
I nod, “Xav’s dead, Shelley.”
“My boyfriend wasn’t called Xav. I think you have the wrong person. I never met you before, sorry.”
Fuck’s sake. I shove the door and pull my gun on her. “Sit the fuck down, Shelley. I don’t have time for this shit.” I cock the gun towards the table as I lock the door. Her hands are raised as she glances around for something to take me down.
“Don’t even think about it, Shelley. It’s been a rough few months, and I’m not in the fucking mood.”
She sits at the table.
“Hands where I can see them.” She rests her hands on the table. “Right, I need you to listen and listen well. Do not interrupt me. I don’t have time.” I rest the bag with the laptop on the table and start talking.
“Xav, he is the guy you think ghosted you. He’s taller than me, has dirty blonde hair, and did all the dirty things you liked in the bedroom. You would have known him by a different name. I want to say James, but fuck knows. I can’t remember. I came and met you at the cop bar. I had a dirty blonde wig, bobbed, so I looked more like Xav, as we’re not actually related. We grew up together. We worked together. He’s my family, my everything. I need to get back to him.”
“I thought you said he was dead?” she asks quietly.
“I did.”
“Then how can you get back to him?”
I raise a brow and fix her with a glare. “CliffsNotes, okay?” She nods. “We were taken from orphanages as children under the guise of being adopted into a rich family. Turns out money can really buy you anything, especially children, no one gives a damn about.”
“I don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”
I blow out a breath. “Because I need your help to bring down the people I work for who took Xav from me, but you need to know the full story before we can do that.”
