Claimed Harder by Em Brown
Chapter 26
DARREN
Past
“You want to put a hit on Mok?” JD asks the following day.
Sitting on a lounge chair near the infinity pool with the midday sun glaring down at me, I entertain the idea for a second before replying, “Not worth it. If he had raped Bridge, then yes.”
“How about a brutal beating?”
“It won’t be satisfying unless I do it myself.”
JD eyes a young woman in a skimpy bikini sitting at the swim-up bar.
“Where’s Amy?” I ask.
“Still asleep.”
The young woman smiles at JD, prompting him to say, “I’m gonna cool down in the water a bit.”
After JD goes in, I decide to swim in the lap pool. I can’t seem to settle my nerves. Every time I think about Mok, my blood pressure rises.
After several laps of IM, I feel a little better and return to my lounge chair and towel off.
My mother comes up to me. “How’s Bridget?”
“She’s working on some grant application, but she should be up here soon. She wants the chance to say goodbye.”
My mother nods. “She’s more interesting than I first thought. Still not the right girl for you, though. I’m surprised you’re with a wonky type to begin with.”
I put on my sunglasses and lie back. “Who says I need a ‘right’ girl? If I follow in Dad’s footsteps, I’m better off with no one.”
“You’re right about that, especially since you can’t keep her out of trouble even with people who aren’t gangster. Joseph Mok is a nobody.”
“He touched what belongs to me.”
I think I spoke too emphatically, because my mother looks taken aback. I rub my temple. I know I’m the real reason Bridget has a split lip. If I hadn’t gone after Mok, she wouldn’t have stitches. I’m also fully aware I’m angry at myself, but I don’t have any issues taking it out on Mok.
My mother continues,“You’d be better off not taking after your dad and being with a girl who’s more simple.”
“What do you mean by ‘simple.’ Bridget’s not complicated.”
My mother furrows her brow. “Yeah, but she has her own goals. She’s not just going to sit around supporting whatever you do all the time, especially if what you’re doing involves more with the Jing San.”
I recall how Bridget didn’t stand around screaming like the other women. She jumped right into the fray. I smile. “No, she definitely didn’t just sit around while I was trying to beat the shit out of Mok.”
“She could have been hurt worse.”
“You that worried about her?”
“I’m worried about you. What happens if you fall in love?”
I try to imagine what that would be like. I remember having a pretty bad crush on a girl in high school, then thinking I was in love with Jade Huang, who does bookkeeping for many triad members, but the emotions faded after a few months. That’s about as close as I’ve come to being in love.
“You worry too much,” I finally tell my mother.
“Do I? Maybe it’s already happened?”
“What’s already happened” I ask with exasperation.
“Maybe you’ve already fallen in love.”
I don’t respond. Women. They make such a big deal about everything. And I’ve done enough for my mother. I finished school for her. I stepped away from my father’s legacy in the triad. So far.
There’s no fucking way I’m giving up Bridget. Not now. Maybe not ever.
Shit.
My mother might be right.
