TAINTED LOVE ▸ BILLY RUSSO

chapter twenty-one - scars

I get home and Krista's already asleep. Billy was on the couch and I tried my best to hide my gun so that I could go to the bathroom to hide it.

I take the tile and nothing's there.

"You looking for something?" I hear Billy's voice and I look back, seeing him in the bathroom door with the bag in his hands.

"Give it back. I need that bag." I say steadily.

"It's mine. You said it yourself."

"You don't even remember it. Give it to me." I order but he doesn't do it.

"Why do you need it?" He asks and I start to feel tears approaching my eyes.

"Stop that. Give me the bag back."

"Why is it so important?" He asks curiously. "I won't give it to you until you tell me."

I stay quiet for a second and look at the ground.

"A day before it happen," I point to his scars. "We took the money you had saved and blew up your company. We were gonna run. Change our names and forget all this shit. But you needed to do something first so we went to where I lived at the time and you told me to wait. You left the bag. You never thought it would go wrong. You left it just because you didn't want to carry it." I say sadly. "That's all I have left."

"You have me."

"No, I don't." I shake my head. "You don't love me. You barely remember me."

"Let's do what you said then. Let's start over." He suggests and I look at him for a second. "Please?"

"Who knew I would hear Billy Russo beg." I joke and he smiles, kissing me. "You sure?" I push him away.

"Never was so sure of anything." He replies, his lips touching mine, taking their time.

___

I lay with my head on his chest, our bodies only covered with a blanket. His hands were wrapped around my waist.

"How did you get this?" He touches the small scar on my cheek.

"Your old boss." I look up at him. "You should see him. One eyed fucker." He chuckles.

"What about this one?" He looks at my arm.

"You shoot me." I look at the scar.

"Sorry."

"It's fine." I laugh and he looks away for a second. "You didn't know it was me, if it makes you feel any better."

"This one." He touches my lower back.

"Angry ex-lover."

"You're so full of shit." Billy laughs, repeating what he had said before. "I can see why I loved you." He smiles. "Love, loved, I don't know."

I place a small kiss on his lips and he pulls me closer.

"I met some guys." He looks down at me. "They served too."

"Do they know who you are?" I look up and he nods. "It's not safe, Billy."

"Safety's overated." He looks at the ceiling. "We're gonna steal something. A small bank."

I look at him confused.

"I want you there."

"I'm not a thief, Billy. I do the dirty work." I scoff.

"We could run. We get the money and leave." He suggests and I open my mouth to say something but I don't. "I might not remember a lot, but I feel it."

I frown not knowing what to say and slighly cringing at his words.

"Tomorrow. We can leave, we go to my guys and after it's done..." He doesn't finish his sentence but I know what he means.

"What's the worst that could happen?" I shrug and he smiles at me. "We should sleep."

"Yeah," He nods, wrapping his around my tired body.

I wake up in the couch, Billy was still asleep and Krista was on her office.

I get up and put on my clothes that had been carefully put at the end of the couch by the apartemnt's owner. I drag my still tired body to the kitchen, make a coffe. Lucky me, Kristen barely drinked anything but tea so coffe was something I would always have available.

I go the woman's room, grabbing some clothes and walking to the bathroom, ready to wash the smell of sweat and sex out of me.