Four Brothers

Chapter 5

"I don't think you should cut your hair, if you cut it you'll just whine and complain" Mark stated making up a conversation on the spot as I flopped on the bed dramatically. "You aren't cutting your hair, so get the idea out of your head." Beth chimed as the door slammed open "I'm not spending $10 on a haircut because then I'd have to spend a $100 on makeup. Now get your asses downstairs" she snapped grabbing my long brown hair and pulling me off the bed. "And I mean all the way downstairs" she added as Mark and I stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen where Greg was standing with the door to the basement open and waiting. I stopped so Matt could walk in front of me and screamed as Greg gaveme a hard shove sending me flailing down the steps as the door slammed shutbehind me. "We'll let you out when we get home from the bar, maybe" he calledlaughing hysterically. "Lexi are you okay?" Mark asked quietly his voicecatching as tears slid down his cheeks. "I'm alright little brother, find thelight, it's creepy down here" I whispered gritting my teeth against the painradiating in my ribs. "Got it" he cheered as light filtered around us revealingthe nasty basement, the moldy mattress and tattered blankets in the far cornerwhere they always were. "What now Lex, you were supposed to meet Bobby" Marksighed taking a seat on the mattress as I climbed to my feet and paced tryingto come up with a plan. I didn't have to think long before the phone was vibrating in my bra. Hello. I answered quietly knowing if we got caught I was in deep shit. They left, you need help or do you got it? James' voice sounded in my ear. I got it, there's a window that I've used enough times, Do me a favor while I'm gone, get some food down here. I replied at a normal volume since the house was empty. I can do that. He agreed before the tone sounded meaning he had hung up. 

Checking the time I grimaced time had flown way too quickly because in a half hour I'd be speaking with Bobby, a conversation I didn't necessarily want to have. "Give me a boost" I grunted sliding the window open as Mark slowly stood up raising me out the window. "Oh fuck shit, hell dammit" I muttered getting a face and chest full of snow. "You alright?" Mark called as I leaned back in "yeah, just got snow in all my places" I smirked gesturing to my upper body. "I'll knock three times when I get back" I informed before shutting the window and running for the rink. I got to the rink and looked around not seeing Bobby or his car, I was starting to think I had gotten set up when he stepped out from behind the little booth on the opposite side. "Baby Girl, what the hell you thinking running around in wet clothes" he scolded sliding his jacket off his arms andonto me. "Locked us in the basement, I ran with what I had on me." I shrugged letting him pull me into him for added warmth. We just stood there him holding me in his arms slowly rocking us back and forth, in complete silence until his curiosity must have gotten too much. "What's going on Baby" he asked lifting my head "Bobby, there's a lot of people after me...even if...even if Evie gets custody there are going to be men knocking down the door to find me." I paused "They pay him a lot of money Bobby, and I mean hundreds of dollars a month for me" I whispered hoping he would understand without me having to flat out say it. "Baby, tell me it ain't what you mean. I swear to fucking god I will kill every last one of those sons of bitches." He started yelling throwing his hands in the air. "Fucking Aye Bobby, keep your voice down" I shrieked shoving him into the snow. "Look, I can get you names...but Bobby these are Class A people. You can't just go shooting them and no one gives a shit, you need a plan, no winging it." I sighed as the phone started going off. I looked at the time and who the call was from and whimpered. "I gotta go" I whispered handing him his coat. "Baby" he called running after me, he tightened his grip on my wrist and pulled me into his chest slamming our lips together in a heated kiss. "I've been wanting to do that since we met" he whispered barely pulling our lips apart to say it before sliding them together again. "I gotta go, Bobby I gotta go" I whispered pulling away and sprinting towards the house.

I got back the same time the car was pulling into the driveway, I knocked on the window and dropped inside hittingthe lights and crawling into the bed just seconds before the door opened and slammed shut again. "What'd he say?" Mark asked quietly "he flipped, I told him no winging it with these guys" I whispered "if this goes how it needs to go, he can't just be shooting 'em up, these ain't no street thugs" I added. "Here,they brought food" he smirked pushing a bag into my chest. It smelled delicious and it was gone within 10 minutes. "I don't know what we're going to do Mark...tomorrow is Sunday." I whispered getting scared, Sunday is when Victor Sweet always came over for dinner, and then I always had to spend the night with him and he would drop me off early Monday morning. "I don't know Lex...maybe it's time to take a page out of Bobby's book and just wing it" he joked trying to lighten the mood a little. "I guess we'll see what happens, get some sleep little brother" I sighed wrapping my arms around him as we got comfortable and drifted to sleep. 

"Wake up, we need to get you looking presentable for Victor" Beth's voice screeched as she kicked my side sending both Mark and I flailing. "Let's go. Both of you" she snapped pushing and shoving until we were standing outside the bathroom. "You have 4 hours to cleanup and bathe" she informed walking back down the stairs. "I'll shower second, since you have a lot more effort to put in" Mark volunteered going to our room and closing the door while I walked into the bathroom. I turned the shower on and stripped making sure I had locked the door before climbing under the warm spray of water. I took extra care shaving and washing my hair since Victor was very precise about what he wanted done and how. After so long it was a pretty easy ritual to complete in the time I was given. When I deemed myself clean I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy white towel around myself, making sure to grab all my dirty clothes before I walked out and knocked on the door to our room three times. "You smell good" Mark commented before leaving to have his turn in the shower while I put on lingerie and a robe before drying my hair. Once it was dried I realized Beth hadn't stated how I was supposed to have my hair and makeup so I set off to find her passing a now clean Mark on my way. "Beth" I called softly at the door of the kitchen getting her attention as well as Greg's. "You never mentioned how my hair and makeup are supposed to be" I informed quietly twisting my fingers together nervously as she thought. "Soft curls, and nude makeup. The clothes you'll be wearing are hanging over there" she snapped pointing to a bag hanging from the door. I grabbed the bag and returned to mine and Mark's room laying it across my bed before grabbing my curling iron and plugging it in so it could heat up while I began my makeup. 

"What do you think he's going to make us do tonight?" Mark asked quietly after a while. I looked over to where he was sitting in his dress pants and white button up and smiled "I don't know Mark, but I hope it isn't anything at his house" I sighed ruffling his hair as I moved from my makeup to the curling iron. I started curling my hair giggling as Mark began singing and dancing around to entertain himself while he waited for me. We both turned towards the window when we heard a car door slam followed by the front door and then voices downstairs. "He's here" Mark sighed looking out the window where Victor must have parked. I shrugged and continued curling my hair "everything is going to be fine little brother. Just relax." I smiled picking up a white bow and using it to hold back my curled bangs where they met in the middle on the back of my head. I stood up and tossed off my robe so I could pull on the dress Beth hadpicked...it was a beautiful pink rose color with white accents. Once I had it on I checked my hair and makeup quick before pulling on my usual black boots and lacing them up. Once I was ready I caught site of Mark wrestling with the tie he was being forced to wear. "You know, if you learn to tie a tie you'll get all the bitches, when I say your allowed to date of course" I joked as I quickly did it for him before ruffling his shaggy hair. "Wanna help me slick it back?" he asked pulling out some hair gel "I saw you do Bobby's the other day" he added with a slight blush on his cheeks. "Come here" I smiled softly taking the tube from his hand and getting to work, it didn't take quite as long to do his as it did to do Bobby's but that's because his hair wasn't quite as long and he wasn't trying to watch a hockey game behind me either. "All done" I grinned using one of the bathroom towels we had brought in the room to wipe off the excess gel from my hands. "Alexis, Mark are you ready yet. Our guest is here" Greg's voice yelled up the stairs as if we didn't already know since Victor Sweet wasn't a quiet or subtle man. "You ready?" Mark asked holding his arm out to me in a gentlemanly fashion which I took with a shaky smile. "As I'll ever be" I replied before we began walking down the stairs slowly, neither of us excited for the night ahead.