I can only do my best to finish this as soon as possible so I can get home to her.
“Jagger.”
I turn to see Sharleen walk into the room I’m in; it’s the only room in this fucking place that has a bar. She sits beside me and orders a drink from our personal bar attendant. Mick doesn’t do anything in halves, he always has to have the best of the best with the money I provide.
“What do you want?” I mutter, taking a shot of whiskey.
“Can’t we even talk? Can’t we even try to get along?”
“You lied, cheated, and oh, yeah, let my father take my girl—sure, what do you want to chat about?”
She flinches. “I had no choice.”
I look her dead in the eye. “There’s always a choice.”
She glares at me. “Then why are you here, Jagger? Sometimes there isn’t a choice, sometimes you do what you have to.”
Dammit, the woman is right about that. I hate her more for that.
“I know you hate me, you have every right to, but I don’t see why we can’t get along.”
“I’m not here to make friends.”
She rubs her head angrily. “I’m not asking to be your friend, I’m just asking that we don’t snap and snarl at each other all the time.”
“Fine.”
“Jagger ...”
I spin on her. “What do you want from me, Sharleen? You fucked me over, end of story. I can’t be nice to you, I can’t be what you want me to be. I’m in love with someone else, and I’ll do whatever I can to protect her. I don’t trust you, or my father, or anyone else in this damn place.”
“I heard ... I heard you have a son.”
I round on her so quickly she drops her glass, and it shatters on the counter, splashing liquid everywhere. “What did you say?”
“I ... I saw a notice in an old paper here. I saw his birth notice.”
Why don’t I trust that?
She’s a fucking liar, that’s why.
“Did you tell anyone?”
She shakes her head. “No, of course not.”
“I don’t know if it’s true or not. I asked the guys, but nobody will confirm or deny,” I lie.
“It must be hard, I know how much you wanted kids.”
“Well, I can’t change it because I’m stuck fighting to keep them safe from my fucked up father.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t know if I believe that, Sharleen.”
She sits in silence beside me for a few more minutes. When I get up to pee and return, I find that she hasn’t moved. There’s a fresh drink on the counter. I sit down and take it, drinking it as she begins trying to talk to me. The woman won’t get a hint. Soon though, my head is fuzzy and I’m easing up. I haven’t felt like this for a while, I guess whiskey was what I needed. I lick my lips a few times, but they feel a little numb. I’ve had too much.
“You okay?” Sharleen asks, but it sounds slurred, almost as if it’s coming from a distance.
“Yeah, all good. Goin’ to bed.”
I stand and stumble backward. Fuck, I’ve had far too much. Sharleen stands and grips my arm, helping me down the hall. I don’t even have the strength to fight her off.
“How much did you drink?”
“Fucks me.”
She leads me to my room, but by the time we’re there my vision is almost completely blurred. Something’s just not right about this. I don’t feel right. My legs are heavy, and my eyes are drooping. I try to reach for my face, but I can’t get my hand to work.
“Let’s get you laying down.”
I can hear Sharleen’s voice, I can even feel her taking my clothes off but I can’t stop her. When she’s lying on top of me, kissing my neck and fumbling with my jeans, I try to push her away, but I can’t move my hands more than an inch. My fucking body is dead, and I can’t control it, no matter how hard I try.
“Get off me,” I try, but I don’t know if my words come out clearly at all.
“Shhh, it’s going to be okay.”
The fuck? I try to move, but I’m numb. I’m lifeless. Sharleen has my cock in her hand, and I can’t get her off me. I can’t even buck my hips to send her flying. She leans down and makes a groaning noise and wraps my arms around her. I can’t move them. She buries her head into my shoulder, and I see a bright flash go off before everything goes black.
WILLOW
It’s been a week. I haven’t seen him. Angel said the plan is going ahead and they’ve gone to the island as far as he knows. He tried calling for a few days, but I ignored it. After our huge fight, I chose not to speak to him for a bit. I hate the way that makes me feel, but he wasn’t hearing me out. I told him not to tell Mary everything, and he did it anyway. That was like a slap in the face. He made a choice, and it wasn’t me.