Here you go my amazing fans :) The one thing you've all been wanting, along with a few more interesting tidbits I've been neglecting. Enjoy all thank you so much for reading :)
Chapter five: strange emotions
October 23, 2002
"Baby? Where are you going?" I was beyond tired, passed out in Luke's bed and opened my eyes as he tried to sneak out of bed.
He froze for a second before looking back at me and giving me that smile that I knew was fake. Whatever was going to come out of his mouth next was going to be a lie.
"I'm hungry babe, we had a....exhausting night." He was trying to distract me.
"So you should be in bed...with me."
I knew he was leaving. There was something going on he wouldn't tell me, something being built under his house. I heard the hammers and drills sometimes, but he liked to pretend that it wasn't happening, shielding me from whatever it was. I had already guessed Luke was into drugs, maybe more. He was stupidly rich, he had a mansion for Christ's sake, and the guys that hung around here weren't exactly upstanding citizens.
I had never really been involved with anything like that before, so I wasn't really sure how I would handle it. I knew I loved this man though, 3 months and I couldn't stand being away from him for longer than a couple of days, if that. So I was pretty sure I could handle him being a drug dealer or whatever it was he was into if he would just open up and let me have the chance.
"I'll be back babe I promise." He leaned over and gave me a small peck on the lips, something he did when he was feeling guilty or bad and then pulled on some jeans and a shirt and left without waiting for a response from me.
I gave him about a 5 minute head start....then I got up, already dressed and followed him. I saw his BMW pulling out of the drive way and rushed to the motorcycle he had been letting me use. I kept the light off and followed him at a leisurely distance. If anyone knew when they were being followed it was Luke.
Finally he pulled into a parking garage, going up to the third floor which seemed pretty much empty and stopped. I parked on the first level and used my small size to slink up without a sound to where he was. I perched behind a pillar as Luke got out of the BMW and walked over to a little blue Miata, where a short twitchy guy slowly got out.
Leslie followed Luke, looking more intimidating then I had ever seen him in a black muscle shirt and dark jeans. I watched with wide eyes as Leslie walked behind the little man, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him close to Luke.
"Jim....Jimmy Jim Jim, tell me you have my money. Please, I really don't want to get blood on me, I got a date tonight." Luke's voice was scary as hell, colder than I had ever heard it and downright terrifying.
Jim, whoever he was, started to shake. "Look Luke, man I got it, I got it, I just don't have it with me right now, but I can get it, I swear." Luke took a deep breath before he pulled out a 9mm Beretta. My eyes widened. Oh god, oh no tell me he wasn't going to do what I think he was.
"That's the third time Jim. You know the saying. Three times..."
He leveled the gun at the man's chest, "And you're out."
The explosion that gun made shook me to my core, making me yell. Leslie's eyes flashed over to me as Jim fell to the ground and Luke's head whipped around.
"Fuck Johnny! What the hell do you think you're doing!" Luke screamed at me, coming towards me.
I scrambled back, tripping over myself as I turned around and ran back towards the bike. I heard Luke coming after me, and the BMW start, presumably by Leslie and kept running. I wasn't stupid enough to have my keys in my pocket when I reached the bike, they were out and already in my hand. I knew it was stupid that I brought a motorcycle I knew it, I yelled at myself.
I drove off, squealing tires as Luke jumped into the BMW that was right on my ass.
"Follow him!" he screamed and Leslie peeled out after me.
Oh man, oh shit, oh man. What the hell was I supposed to do now? My mind wasn't even comprehending what I had seen. That man was dead. Like...dead. Gone, not coming back. A hole through his heart stopping his life as quick as I could blink. This can't be real. I wasn't paying attention to the road, and when I got to a red light I was stupid enough to slow down. I shook my head at my stupidity and went to speed up again, looking behind me to see the BMW wasn't there.
I frowned before I relaxed in relief. Maybe they decided I wasn't worth chasing. That was the last time I ever made that mistake. A big body landed hard on the back of my bike, making me swerve all over the road before Luke reached around me and took control of the bike. Leslie, who was behind us, followed so close I'm surprised he didn't clip the bike as I let my hands drop from the handles, trying to think as Luke drove us to his house.
We got to the sprawling mansion and Luke didn't even try to talk to me, grabbing me roughly by the back of the neck and dragging me into the house, past the guard that stared at us with unflinching eyes. We got some curious looks from the guys milling about the house but no one was stupid enough to say anything.
Luke dragged me upstairs, practically carrying me he was walking so fast. We got to his room, adjoined to his office and he walked in, letting Leslie slam the door behind him and throwing me so hard on the bed I bounced.
Luke paced around the room for a minute, running his hand through his short hair while Leslie took up station in front of the door, looking at me with sad eyes.
I wondered for a second if he would let his boss kill his best friend. I decided then I didn't really want to know. Luke turned back to me, his face breaking from the mask I knew so well. He was scared shitless.
"What the fuck Johnny. Why would you follow me, I thought you trusted me."
I stood slowly, watching his eyes which were starting to look a little frantic.
"Luke how can I trust you when you don't trust me? You hide from me, you lie to me, trust is a two way street man, and so far I'm the only one on it." My voice was low and calm, though my mind was going insane.
Luke walked over to me and I fought very hard not to move, even when he put his hand on my cheek. I was so scared of him, knowing my life was very much in his hands now. Luke would decide if I became another missing teen.
He glanced at Leslie and my friend nodded, pulling out his phone and walking out the door. I didn't know exactly but I think he was making a call about the body in that garage.
"I don't want to lose you Johnny." Luke whispered, drawing my eyes back to him, his voice so filled with emotion my heart broke for him.
I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him close, not fighting when he picked me up, just wrapping my body around him. He held me so tight it hurt but I didn't care. I loved this man...I loved him no matter what.
"Then let me in Luke. Don't hide from me anymore. I can handle a lot more than you think I can, and I would do anything for you. I love you Luke. No matter what."
His eyes were guarded, and I could see he wanted to trust me, he really did but he was scared. This was a very revealing night, I had never seen him show so much emotion in the past three months, not once.
I was still scared, i was terrified actually, i was still trying to come to terms that he had killed a man, that he was a capable of that. My mind however was also realizing that this man was the love of my life, and i might not be like him or approve of how he does things, but i loved him, and i was going to have to take the good and the bad if i wanted to have him.
He slowly put me down and started pacing in front of me again. I didn't push, just crossed my arms and propped myself up against one of the banisters on his four post bed. Luke looked like he was doing some serious thinking, the kind that made frown lines deep on his forehead. Finally he stopped and looked at me, his face smoothing.
"How much do you want to know Johnny? How deep do you want to go?"
I knew my answer before it came out of my mouth, "Everything Luke. Everything."
He looked into my eyes for a long moment before nodding, "It's your funeral," I think he whispered before grabbing my hand and walking me out of his room.
We walked to the end of the hall where he pushed a random piece of the move, shocking me to my core when it moved. A brand new, probably just installed elevator was behind that piece of wall and I looked at him in surprise. Luke stepped onto the elevator and held his hand out to me. I knew if I took it my life was going to change, maybe for the worse or maybe for the better, but either way it would be with Luke.
"Man I'm dumb." I said, slapping my hand into his.
"Yea, yea you are Johnny boy." Luke said but he was grinning from ear to ear as the doors shut.
Present day
I wondered how long it would take for me to not think about him. Probably years...a lot more than two at least. I looked up from the paperwork I was doing as he and Leslie came down the elevator together. Luke was his usual composed self and Leslie was, as always, trying to look scary and failing. At least to me. They made their way over to me, Luke talking to a few people on the way. Why were they coming over here? Oh right I was at Luke's desk.
I didn't even realize where I was, automatically going to his office to do my paperwork like I used to. Only difference is there used to be two chairs on this side of the big desk. They walked in as I was standing up.
"Sit down Johnny boy." Luke said in that demanding voice of his, reaching behind him to roll in my old chair.
I shook my head, "No Luke it's cool. I'll go work at the workstation, it's no big."
I went to leave and he stepped in front of me, taking a deep breath that calmed his big body.
"Stay...please Johnny." Both Leslie and I frowned. Luke didn't say please; most of the time he didn't need to.
I wasn't going to be the one that poked the sleeping tiger so I nodded, letting him walk past me to his chair and pulling mine up by the desk.
I didn't sit nearly as close as I used to, basically sitting at the side of the desk, and to my amazement Luke didn't say anything. We both started doing our work as Leslie left and I tried hard not to twitch in the awkward silence.
"Ok Johnny boy put on some music or something here." Luke said suddenly after about five minutes.
I laughed and he laughed and I put my iPod on shuffle, sitting it in the center of the desk so we could both hear it.
That definitely broke the tension, both us bobbing our heads or tapping our foot. Then my stupid iPod had to betray me. Follow me, by Uncle Kracker started playing...Luke and I's song.
I tensed, reaching forward but Luke beat me to it. I was shocked to my core when Luke was the one that reached out, tapping the button to change the song. I looked up at him and he smiled, just a little quirk of his lips. I smiled back, telling myself to get back to work.
Luke kept it up all day. I kept waiting for the other shoe to fall on his nice side but it didn't. He opened doors for me, he helped me with my work, he picked up stuff that I dropped. It was like he was trying to win my heart all over again. This, however, was not the Luke I knew, and not the way he won me in the first place. I had a sinking suspicion what it was though.
Around 8 that night Luke was gone and I needed to ask him something about next week's shipment. I didn't know where he was so I figured Leslie would know. I went upstairs and knocked once before opening the door, stopping dead in the doorway as my jaw dropped.
Leslie and William, both bare as the day they were born jumped apart as the door swung open in front of me.
