Breaking Bones (Mariani Crime Family Series Book 2) (14 page)

We shared a moment of happiness and gratitude before things got awkward. Angel, Bones, Markie, and I all looked from the tree to one another, locked in some twisted game of chicken. Who would be the first one to put their gift out there? What if the other person read too much into it? What if they didn’t like it? Man, I hated Christmas.

Markie unwound herself from Angel and headed for the tree. She came back with two gifts, handing Angel his before she sat back down on his lap with hers. Then they looked at me and Bones expectantly.

Right. This was clearly gonna be a group thing. I went to the tree and came back with the remaining two presents. After handing Bones his, I studied the package he’d given me. It was big and light, like a box for a pillow or something.

Finally, curiosity seemed to overcome our fear, and all four of us began tearing paper. I held back, waiting to see the other gifts before opening my own. Angel got Markie adoption certificates. Seriously, he gave her a box of cards with photos and information for what looked like half a dozen African kids they’d be supporting together now. My sister turned into a blubbering mess as she sifted through the pictures before trying to kiss Angel’s face off. In return, she’d gotten him some sort of electronic gadget that he raved about.

I looked to Bones. He opened the wrapped box I’d given him and paused, staring inside at the contents. On Christmas Eve and still without a gift for him, I’d panicked and spent way too much money on a gift certificate for a foodie tour for two. The certificate was wrapped around a gun-shaped hair comb I’d also included because it reminded me of him: dark, sleek, well-groomed, and deadly.

He arched an eyebrow, unwinding the gift certificate to reveal the comb. His eyes were laughing when he looked at me.

“What?” I asked. “Come on, that is so you. And the gift certificate… it’s for two, but totally not meant for me to go with you.”

He read the certificate and cocked his head. “You don’t want to come with me?”

“Not what I meant. I just don’t want you to feel obligated to take me because I bought it for you. I want you to be able to take whoever you want and…”

He didn’t answer. Did not say one damn word.

And I was rambling, trying to fill all the blank space between us. Desperate for a topic change, I ripped the paper off my gift and plunged into the box. It was a beautiful Coach bag.

“I noticed yours is getting worn,” Bones explained.

He’d noticed my bag and spent a grip of money to replace it, which was thoughtful, sweet, expensive, and yet somehow still impersonal. A purse? What did a purse mean? It sure wasn’t romantic.

“If you don’t like it, we can take it back,” Bones said. “Get you something else.”

“No, it’s great. It’s perfect.” It just didn’t tell me a thing about how he felt about me. I’d gotten him something I knew he’d love and hoped he’d share the experience with me, and he got me a freaking purse? “I love it. Thank you.”

I was getting ready for work when Markie came into the bathroom, collapsed on the side of the bathtub, and gave me a pathetic sigh.

I rolled my eyes and pulled the straightening iron through my hair. “No.”

“Oh, come on. It’s one night. Christmas. You can call in and spend one holiday with family, can’t you?”

Probably, but there was no way I would. And thankfully, I had an easy out. “I forget, tell me again what happened the first time
you
had dinner with Angel’s family,” I said.

“That was different,” she said, lowering her gaze.

Different didn’t even begin to describe it. From what I’d heard, she’d practically been strip-searched for trying to get into Angel’s Hummer for her migraine medicine. I didn’t need that kind of attention in my life. There was only one suited stud I wanted ripping my clothes off, and he didn’t seem to be interested in the task.

“No. This is your mess. You’re the one dating the spawn of the big bad wolf.”

“And you’re my sister. You’re supposed to hold my hand and walk with me through the dark and scary mansion.”

I cracked a smile. “I’m pretty sure the girl in the red hood is a solo act. One girl. Definitely singular.”

“You could play the grandma?” she asked, sounding hopeful.

So what if I couldn’t use my years of drama class to get an audition? At least it still provided sound information so I could argue with my sister. I set down the iron and leveled a stare at her. “The grandma gets eaten, remember? No thank you.”

She threw her head back dramatically, almost falling into the tub. “Don’t make me do this alone.”

“I’m not. You’ll have Angel and Bones with you. And be careful, would you? I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be throwing that recently-operated on cranium around like that.”

She grunted. “You sound like Angel. I’m fine. Feeling so much better. The headaches are almost gone.” She righted herself on the tub and leaned forward, all conspiratorial. “Bones got you such a nice gift.”

“Yep.”

She frowned. “But you’re not happy about it. Why?”

Because I’d gotten him a tour I desperately wanted him to take me along on, and he’d gotten me a purse. And I was over-analyzing the gift and would feel like an idiot if Bones ever found out how much it was messing with me. I was confused and a little hurt, and probably bordering psychotic for feeling that way. I dabbed concealer on my face and lied through my teeth. “I am. It’s a good friend gift.”

“Friend gift? You think he’s friend-zoning you?”

Gah. I’d already told her too much, but now that it was out there, I couldn’t take it back. “I know he is.”

“Why? What happened?”

The concern in her voice made me feel even more like an idiot for some reason. Trying to play it off as no big deal, I admitted, “He… kinda shut me down.”

“What?” Markie asked.

“No details. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“But… but… I’m sure it’s not you, Ari. His job is—”

“Complicated. I know. I get it. And we’re cool.”

She eyed me.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s fine. We’re all good. Still going to the gym every day. Best buds.” I forced a smile.

Although we hadn’t spoken about what happened on Sunrise Mountain, Bones had plenty of other things to say to me, like “Raise your hands,” “Protect your face,” and my personal favorite, “Don’t drop your shoulder.” He seemed obsessed with making sure I could defend myself. We’d graduated from the punching bag, and he was now letting me take swings at him. I had yet to make contact, but sometimes I really wanted to. Finished with my makeup, I stuffed it into my new bag and turned to face Markie. “I have to get to work.”

Her face scrunched up and she looked at her phone. “But Angel and Bones aren’t back yet and you have plenty of time.”

I shouldered the Coach bag I was trying really hard not to hate. The purse was beautiful, but every time I looked at it I couldn’t help but wish it was something else, something more personal or meaningful. I wanted something that shouted Bones’s everlasting love for me, or even something that told me to go jump in a lake because he wasn’t interested. I just needed to know where I stood with the guy.

“Not if I plan on taking the bus.”

“They don’t want you taking the bus. Angel says it’s not safe right now.”

“‘Angel says,’” I mimicked. “What are you? His pretty little parrot? Listen, I have ridden the bus thousands of times. Sure, there’s the occasional creep, but it’s public transportation and full of… well, public. Nobody’s gonna do anything in broad daylight on a crowded bus. On Christmas Day. Besides, I need a little time to myself. It feels like the four of us are living on top of each other and I have no time alone.”

Markie frowned, which admittedly played on my conscience, but this wasn’t about her. This was about me, needing to get my head screwed on right.

She started to object in that annoying older-sister-filling-in-for-an-absent-mother way of hers, but before she could nag me to death I counter-attacked. I went in for a hug, and said, “Make sure you don’t overdo it tonight. Do not get on the floor with the kids.”

Her mouth gaped open, giving me the time I needed to get out the door. It had been so long since I’d gone anywhere alone, fleeing the building before Angel and Bones returned felt like
Mission Impossible.
The theme song even played in my mind as I crept down the hallway and slunk into the elevator. Knowing Markie was probably already on the phone ratting me out, I half-expected to run into my jailers the instant the elevator doors chimed open. When they weren’t there, I was so relieved I almost laughed out loud. Feeling free and like I was getting away with something, I hurried for the exit. The guard in the lobby gave me a puzzled look, but didn’t try to stop me.

Pulling my jacket tight against the cool December air, I made my way toward the nearest bus stop. My phone buzzed in my pocket, but since I had a pretty good idea who it was, I ignored it until I was safely on the bus. Only then did I check the text message from Bones. It asked me to please wait for him but it was too late. The bus was already en route. Smiling as I sent the text to tell him this, I sat and waited for his reply.

Minutes passed with no reply. I felt a pang of regret and wondered if he’d see my defiance as immature, because now that the high of escaping was wearing off, it did kind of feel that way. But then I came to my senses. I was riding a bus to work, not doing something dangerous or illegal. People lived through the experience every day, and I was pretty sure the odds of surviving were in my favor. Yes, bad guys had gone after my sister, but only because she was protecting her boyfriend’s little siblings. I, on the other hand, had no boyfriend and was a nobody. Bones was paid to be paranoid, but I couldn’t let his madness affect my independence. I refused to be sheltered from the big bad world by anyone. Even if that anyone happened to have a smokin’ hot body and could melt my panties with a kiss.

Despite the concerns of my paranoid roommates, I lived through my bus ride to work just fine. Bones never did reply to my text, and I couldn’t decide if I was disappointed or relieved about his lack of communication.

The combination of garlands, lights, and the smell of ham and mashed potatoes made me painfully aware this was the third Christmas in a row I’d spent alone. Four years ago Markie had come home from college during the holiday, determined to make it a little less sucky by trying her hand at Mom’s old recipes. We did our best, but holiday dishes were well beyond our expertise. The ham was dry, served with runny mashed potatoes and chunky macaroni and cheese. The only edible course was dessert, thanks to the store-bought chocolate cream pie.

Despite the ruined food and the lack of additional family, Markie and I had a blast that year. And as I delivered the dinner special to two little old ladies—sisters—guilt gnawed at me. Markie was the only real family I had left, and I should be spending every holiday with her. So why wasn’t I? I could have requested the time off or called in sick. Hell, Piper wasn’t on the schedule today and she’d volunteered to take my shift for the time-and-a-half pay. But I’d said no, not because I was afraid of Angel’s family, but because I didn’t want to spend the holiday with Markie. I couldn’t. I didn’t deserve another family Christmas. Not after what I’d done to her.

The day dragged on, taking much longer than any day should. Bones was waiting for me after my shift, leaning against the wall of the casino where he could watch the main entrance, the floor, and the restaurant entrance. He looked irritated, so I approached with an apology.

“Sorry about earlier. I was already on the bus when I got your text.”

He pushed off the wall and headed for the main door. “You knew I was coming back to take you to work.” Since I couldn’t deny that, I followed him out to the parking lot. Once we were in the Hummer, he asked, “Why’d you take the bus?”

A thousand excuses formed on my tongue—everything from needing to buy tampons to meeting with a guy for coffee—but I didn’t want to lie to Bones.

“You’ve been avoiding me. I thought I’d make it more comfortable for both of us.”

“Fair enough.” He started up the engine and headed out of the parking lot. “But don’t do it again.”

That pissed me off. “Don’t do what? Take a bus? Ohmigod, Bones, I am a grown-ass woman. You can’t keep me off public transportation and make me depend on you for a ride. Or for anything else for that matter. Who do you think you are?”