out a long exhale. "I don't know. I'm leaving if we decide this is a good gig. I need to get my head out of the clouds. I'm not the kind of man who has a happy ending. It just sits wrong on me."
"Damned to be damned?" Zak gave a sad smile as Marcus glanced over at him.
"Yeah. Something like that." He ran his hands over his bald head. "What about you? You like what they had to say, or are you thinking the future might be better back in Nawlins?"
"I'm going to take you up on running the drug cartel up here if you're offering it." Zak rubbed his hands down his legs. "We could kill the cop, you know. Just take him out while we're taking Billy out. No one would have to know, and Kate could be yours again."
Marcus smirked. "Would you believe me if I told you I actually care about the bastard? He's starting to become more like the punk-ass brother I never had. Just leave it be. Someone has to lose."
"Why you? I can tell you that if I had a choice to shift the emptiness inside of me from losing Katrina to someone else... I would." Zak shifted and shrugged.
"To me?" Marcus glanced over at him.
"That's not fair. I'm finding a friendship with you like the one I had with my own brother years before his death." Zak shook his head and grumbled, "Point taken."
"Naw, it's good. Jon's a good man. He'll take care of Kate. I'm just going to have to close my eyes every time I kiss a woman, touch her, fuck her. I need them all to be her." He closed his eyes as devastation pumped through his chest. Lust was easy. Love was a sick bitch that deserved to be locked up forever.
"Does she know?"
"About Chicago? No. I'll tell her when we get home. I need one more night in her arms before I walk." Marcus pressed his hands over his face and took a long, shaky breath. "I'm praying to God that I have the strength to walk away."
"What if she doesn't want you to, Marcus? Then what?"
The car stopped and Marcus sat up and cleared his throat. "Then nothing. It's not her choice. It never has been."
*
The club was dark and smoky when they walked in later that night. Sitting around the hotel talking about Zak's loss or Marcus's situation got old far too fast.
"I'll grab us a couple of beers. Find us a table, preferably away from the dance floor." Marcus turned from his new friend and walked to the bar. A pretty blond with far too much titty for the top she was wearing leaned over and smiled.
"What can I get for you, big man?" She bit her lip and tried hard to look cute.
"Two beers. Bud Lights if you have them." He lifted his card. "Start a tab too."
"Of course." She took the card and turned, putting long legs and a short skirt on display. He kept waiting for his cock to twitch, his stomach to tighten.
Something.
Anything.
"Fuck, nothing." He turned around and growled softly as his eyes scanned the dance floor. There had been many women in his bed before him and Kate settled into a routine, but not since. Getting back in the swing of things should have been something to look forward to, but it wasn't.
He didn't want anyone else, and yet the future was forcing him to walk.
"Here you go, handsome. The girl at the end of the bar bought these for you." The bartender smiled and nodded toward the end of the bar.
A bombshell sat on a stool by herself, her long dark hair covering her shoulders and hiding her face. The strong slope of her shoulder and thick swell of her breast was appetizing, but not enough to walk down and thank her. Marcus would send Zak over later.
He walked through the crowd and found the smaller man at a table, talking to a couple of rough looking guys who stood around him.
"Excuse me." Marcus pushed his way through them and dropped down beside Zak. "Friends of yours?"
"Yeah, crazy enough. Paulk, this is Marcus. Marcus, my brother's best friend from when we were kids. They're all here in Chicago now." Zak laughed and shook his head. "Small fucking world."
"We're going to shoot some pool. You guys wanna join us?" Paulk
"Damned to be damned?" Zak gave a sad smile as Marcus glanced over at him.
"Yeah. Something like that." He ran his hands over his bald head. "What about you? You like what they had to say, or are you thinking the future might be better back in Nawlins?"
"I'm going to take you up on running the drug cartel up here if you're offering it." Zak rubbed his hands down his legs. "We could kill the cop, you know. Just take him out while we're taking Billy out. No one would have to know, and Kate could be yours again."
Marcus smirked. "Would you believe me if I told you I actually care about the bastard? He's starting to become more like the punk-ass brother I never had. Just leave it be. Someone has to lose."
"Why you? I can tell you that if I had a choice to shift the emptiness inside of me from losing Katrina to someone else... I would." Zak shifted and shrugged.
"To me?" Marcus glanced over at him.
"That's not fair. I'm finding a friendship with you like the one I had with my own brother years before his death." Zak shook his head and grumbled, "Point taken."
"Naw, it's good. Jon's a good man. He'll take care of Kate. I'm just going to have to close my eyes every time I kiss a woman, touch her, fuck her. I need them all to be her." He closed his eyes as devastation pumped through his chest. Lust was easy. Love was a sick bitch that deserved to be locked up forever.
"Does she know?"
"About Chicago? No. I'll tell her when we get home. I need one more night in her arms before I walk." Marcus pressed his hands over his face and took a long, shaky breath. "I'm praying to God that I have the strength to walk away."
"What if she doesn't want you to, Marcus? Then what?"
The car stopped and Marcus sat up and cleared his throat. "Then nothing. It's not her choice. It never has been."
*
The club was dark and smoky when they walked in later that night. Sitting around the hotel talking about Zak's loss or Marcus's situation got old far too fast.
"I'll grab us a couple of beers. Find us a table, preferably away from the dance floor." Marcus turned from his new friend and walked to the bar. A pretty blond with far too much titty for the top she was wearing leaned over and smiled.
"What can I get for you, big man?" She bit her lip and tried hard to look cute.
"Two beers. Bud Lights if you have them." He lifted his card. "Start a tab too."
"Of course." She took the card and turned, putting long legs and a short skirt on display. He kept waiting for his cock to twitch, his stomach to tighten.
Something.
Anything.
"Fuck, nothing." He turned around and growled softly as his eyes scanned the dance floor. There had been many women in his bed before him and Kate settled into a routine, but not since. Getting back in the swing of things should have been something to look forward to, but it wasn't.
He didn't want anyone else, and yet the future was forcing him to walk.
"Here you go, handsome. The girl at the end of the bar bought these for you." The bartender smiled and nodded toward the end of the bar.
A bombshell sat on a stool by herself, her long dark hair covering her shoulders and hiding her face. The strong slope of her shoulder and thick swell of her breast was appetizing, but not enough to walk down and thank her. Marcus would send Zak over later.
He walked through the crowd and found the smaller man at a table, talking to a couple of rough looking guys who stood around him.
"Excuse me." Marcus pushed his way through them and dropped down beside Zak. "Friends of yours?"
"Yeah, crazy enough. Paulk, this is Marcus. Marcus, my brother's best friend from when we were kids. They're all here in Chicago now." Zak laughed and shook his head. "Small fucking world."
"We're going to shoot some pool. You guys wanna join us?" Paulk
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