Magic or Madness (The Wreck Me Duet #1)

FALLON.1

I’m excited to spend the night with Mick and Rae, but I know before we get to the good stuff, I’ll have to endure the lecture of a lifetime.

They weren’t home when I got back earlier, and since the shop is closed today, I only had to go in to change the codes and set the security system.

It’s pointless since I know what’s happening tonight, but I have to keep up appearances.

Once I reach the apartment, I take the stairs, hoping for the best but expecting the worst when I turn my key in the lock.

“Look who actually showed up,” Mick sneers, and I fake a smile, going through the motions of pleasantries.

“Nice to see you too, ladies,” I say, rolling my eyes and dropping my bag on the kitchen floor.

“We’re happy you’re home Fallon, even if it’s only for the night,” Rae says cheerfully, pulling me onto the couch.

“Can we skip the lectures?” I ask, searching her eyes for a sliver of hope.

“Do you know what you’re doing is reckless, and will probably end up breaking your heart?” Mick asks bluntly from across the room, not even hesitating for a breath.

“No, and no it won’t. Satisfied?” I double down, not breaking eye contact with her.

If she wants to go toe-to-toe we can, but I will get the last word. They don’t know the dynamics of our relationship, and I don’t feel the need to defend Ozzy if they can’t accept him – and us – as we are. I’ve never been more confident in a decision that’s been all mine to make in my entire life, and that speaks volumes for me. I trust the man I’ve chosen to stick beside me, and call mine, the only thing I can do is hope that my friends will get on board.

“You’re delusional, Fal, and I mean that in the nicest way.” She walks off, thinking she bested me, flipping her hair over her shoulder as if that’s the end of the conversation.

I’ve never been one for arguments or confrontation, but when it comes to Ozzy, I’m ready to defend him til death.

“I’m happy, can you just accept that?” I shout back, my words echoing off the walls as she slams her bedroom door shut.

“Let’s put this topic to rest for now, okay? I’ve queued up a few movies and bought everyone’s favorite snacks. There’s a surprise on your bed, also.” Rae smiles, happily playing the mediator and encouraging me to go see her gift for myself.

Rae bought us identical silk pajama sets, and mine are light pink. The tension is thick in the air, and even though on the outside we look like happy roommates in matching outfits, on the inside there’s pure turmoil between us.

Even so, Rae knows how to pull us all back together, forcing our asses on the couch as she plays the first of many rom-coms in her arsenal. She sits in the middle as if she’s the arbitrator, and we’re silent as we all lock eyes on the television.

Eventually, there’s a light knock on the door that breaks through the awkward silence in the house, and my heart rate speeds up, praying it isn’t related to the body shop.

If something were to go awry, Ozzy would know where I am, and instantly send someone for me, that much I’m certain of. My mind has traced every what-if scenario possible, coming up with conclusions to problems that haven’t even happened yet, but I’m permanently on edge, almost waiting for something to go wrong.

Before I can, Mick jumps and answers the door, letting us know that it’s a delivery for all of us.

We curiously open the box, and there are three boxes of chocolate, three bottles of wine, and a note.

Instantly, a smile creeps across my face and I know exactly who it’s from, but Mick snatches the envelope before I can read it.

I try to reach for it, but she glances it over, rolling her eyes and scrunching her nose as she gets toward the end.

“I shouldn’t have read that … Bambi .” She laughs, passing me the envelope and turning her attention to the goodies inside the box.

Knowing Ozzy, this letter is littered with dirty jokes and descriptions of what he plans to do with me, and I couldn’t be more excited to see how he put it into words.

I skim the letter and the smile on my face could be seen for miles, his personality jumping out with every syllable on the page.

Enjoy your girl’s night - Ozzy

Fallon,

I’ll be thinking of you in that magnetic fucking dress all night.

You’re my Goddess, and every time I think about you and I in the club I get hard all over again. Tomorrow, it’s until the sun comes up, no mercy, and that is a promise.

Enjoy your wine, chocolates, and time with your friends.

I love you, Bambi

? - Ozzy

Just as I suspected, it’s filthy, and I love every word he scribbled on the page.

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have read that, Mick.” I laugh, and she rolls her eyes in a not-so-subtle way.

Ever since I met Ozzy, she’s been cold toward me, and I can’t pinpoint why. Sure, it’s natural for friends to be weary, or even worry, but she’s taken this to levels that I didn’t expect. Ozzy is a good man, and he goes to extra lengths to keep a smile permanently painted on my face.

“What dress?” Rae raises her eyebrows, and I show them a few pictures from the club.

“Jesus Christ, Fal, you look hot!” Rae smiles, scrolling through the photos we took, and the selfies I managed before we left.

“Ozzy bought the dress, too.” I wink, and their eyes widen in shock.

“He shops for you? He spoils the shit out of you, oh my god, I love it.” Rae grabs a bottle of wine from the goodie box, planting herself on the couch.

“Club sex? Who are you, and what have you done with the real Fallon?” Mick isn’t as impressed, and the look on her face is bringing my mood down.

I roll my eyes and leave her question unanswered, uninterested in playing her game or entertaining her attitude. It’s been made clear that she loathes Ozzy, and our relationship, anything more is just her beating a dead horse.

Rae and I toast our bottles of wine, and she presses play on a rom-com, while Mick reluctantly opens the chocolates and joins us on the couch.

The white wine goes down smoothly, and we’re all laughing at the movie, finally getting along when the topic doesn’t have to do with me.

I catch up on the gossip, which is usually something I love, but tonight feels superficial.

Most of the people we gossip about are irrelevant to our daily lives, and I find myself wishing I was studying Italian, or talking about something more interesting than the lives of strangers.

Just as I attempt to change the subject, there’s another knock on the door, and I volunteer to answer.

To my surprise, it’s Oliver, and suddenly, the world feels like it’s crashing around me. If he’s here, and not on the job, that has to mean something went wrong.

Something happened to Ozzy.

My lungs feel like they’ve collapsed, I can’t catch a breath, and my heart rate has skyrocketed. I can feel the thudding in my chest, the sound echoing through my brain as all other thoughts have escaped.

“Oliver? What happened?” The words spill out, but they don’t sound like they’re coming from me.

My voice shakes, almost like a squeak, but the man in front of me keeps his calm and collected demeanor.

“He’s fine, Fallon. He said to tell you that before anything else,” he rushes to say, but I’m not convinced.

I feared this would happen, something would go wrong and I’d be left to pick up the pieces, but there’s no panic on Oliver’s face. There’s nothing urgent about his tone, or emotion hiding behind his eyes, so I choose to believe him. If Oliver says Ozzy is alright, then I believe him.

“Why are you here, then?”

“Everything okay, Fal?” Mick yells, and I give her a thumbs up, slipping into the hallway and closing the door behind me.

“We need your help,” he says quietly, and I glance around the hallway, ensuring we’re alone.

Since the boys broke into the apartment across the hall, people have been weary, and this is not the time to get caught up in a nosey neighbor situation.

“With the thing?” I drop my voice low, and he nods.

“You have to come with me, it’s time sensitive,” he says, and I get the hint.

“Okay, give me two minutes,” I tell him, and he leans against the wall outside the door.

Mick and Rae are going to lose their minds, but I know I have to help the guys. They wouldn’t come to me, in the middle of the job, if it weren’t an emergency.

“Girls, I have to go,” I say, gathering my purse and essentials.

“Who was that, Fallon?” Mick asks, her hands planted on her hips.

“One of Ozzy’s friends, Oliver. They need my help at work,” I explain quickly, running around the apartment like a crazy woman.

“So you just drop everything and go?”

“Yes, Mick. He needs me, and you may not understand, but I have to go,” I answer, turning my back to them and slipping out the door.

I may have just destroyed the last hope I had of reconciling with my friends, but this is more important. I don’t give Mick a second to give me shit, or Rae a chance to beg me to stay. Within seconds, I’m out the door and by Oliver’s side.

“Let’s go.” He leads the way to the van, and we race to get to the body shop.

I didn’t have time to change, so I’m running off in my silk pajama set and fluffy slippers, looking like I was at a fucking slumber party for teenagers.

“Is it the code?”

“Max can’t crack it,” he says, fiddling with his earpiece, the same one Ozzy had the night he found me at the coffee shop.

“I don’t know the code, though,” I say softly, and he whips his head in my direction, confusion plastered on his face.

“Max will give you all the information, I’m just the muscle and the messenger.” He laughs, pulling up something on his phone, and it’s silent for a few minutes until he starts talking into his earpiece, which I assume is connected to the crew.

“Got the package, five out,” he whispers, and I realize I’m the package.

“Is that connected to Ozzy?” I ask, and he immediately pulls it out of his ear, handing it to me.

My hands are still shaking from the chaos of the last twenty minutes, but the second I can connect to him, hear his voice, I know it’ll stop.

“Are you okay, Ozzy?” I speak quickly, forcing this tiny device into my ear and waiting with bated breath until he finally answers me.

“I’m okay. Thank you for coming, Bellissima ,” he says, and I can finally exhale a full breath.

It’s almost as if a tidal wave of relief crashes onto my shore, and I’m filled with the relief that comes with knowing he’s alright.

“Anything for you, amore mio .” The rest of the world fades away now that I’ve got him, and I forget everyone else can hear us.

“Stop speaking fucking Spanish and give Oliver back the mic, Fallon,” Max says sternly, and I feel like a kid who got in trouble with their parents.

“It’s Italian,” I quip, knowing that Ozzy is probably shaking his head, laughing about my smart mouth.

I toss the earpiece over the middle console at Oliver, and we ride in silence the rest of the way, but my anxiety rises higher and higher as we get closer to the body shop.

One wrong move and I could ruin this for all of us.

I distinctly remember placing the sheet with the new code on Keith’s desk before leaving this afternoon, but sneaking into his office also requires a code, and there’s a camera that picks up motion behind his desk.

It transmits to his phone immediately, so he knows whenever someone enters his office.

Not that he has anything worth stealing in there, but it makes him feel powerful when he questions people for entering when he’s not around.

Finally, Oliver pulls into the adjacent parking lot, and I follow him into the shop where Lex and Max are waiting for me.

I fill them in on the camera in the office, but Max has a different idea.

“Generate a new code. I can’t figure out how to hack it, so it has to be you,” he says, bringing me to my desk.

There’s an alert on the screen, and if I type my password wrong, it’ll set off an alarm.

My hands are shaking, and I feel a thousand pounds of weight hanging over my head, but I came here to help, and that’s what I intend to do.

I sit down, pretending this is just another day at the office, and carefully type my credentials into the correct boxes as I hold my breath.

“It takes three minutes for it to change over to the new code,” I say, pointing at the screen where the six numbers begin to randomize.

“Anything else?” Max asks, clearly out of patience as he taps his fingers rapidly on my desk.

“It’ll turn green when you can enter.” I smile, and he leads me out back toward the loading dock.

“You’re a part of this job now. Focus on that, and not hanging out with your boyfriend,” he lectures harshly, and I keep my composure but my eyes want to roll so far back in my head they fall out.

“Yes, boss,” I say in a mocking tone, climbing into the truck with Ozzy.

“Bambi.” He lights up when I join him in the passenger seat, and the darkness cloaks over us as the interior lights fade to black.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

“You saved us, but you didn’t have to,” he says gently, and I trail my fingers along his arm, happy to be in his presence again.

It’s only been a few hours since he dropped me off, but when I’m not with him, hours feel like days.

“I’d do anything for you. Max, on the other hand, is a bit bossy,” I joke, but he doesn’t find it too funny, his body stiffening as soon as the words leave my lips.

“He’s always on a power trip. He wasn’t an asshole, was he?” He asks, that possessive fire entering his dark eyes, but I backtrack, ensuring he doesn’t try to kill anyone else on my behalf.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” I assure him, lacing my fingers into his and letting him refocus on the job.

I sit quietly in the front seat, listening as Ozzy asks for updates and barks out orders. They successfully open the door to the storage room, with Journey and Oliver following the path Ozzy spells out until they reach the loading dock.

“Go with Oliver I’ll be back in a few hours,” he tells me, and I follow his direction so as to not step on anyone’s toes.

As much as I’d rather stay here with him, the job isn’t done, and I know how meticulous these guys are when it comes to planning. Me being here is already a blip in those plans, so I intend to disappear as quickly as I arrived.

“Be safe, my Greek God ,” I whisper, leaning in and leaving him with a quick kiss on the cheek.

It kills me to walk away right now, knowing he’s finishing the last leg of the job by himself, but I have faith in what they planned, and that he can handle it.

I follow Oliver back to where we parked the van, and everyone is already waiting for us, eager to get away from the scene. Once we’re back at the dealership all I want to do is hide in bed until Ozzy gets back, but apparently, that’s not an option.

“Sorry, Fallon. It’s bad luck. We stay together until the job is finished, and you’re a part of it now,” Max orders, and I reluctantly find a seat on the couch.

I watch as they all scramble, changing their clothes and packing the gear away. They all unclip their weapons and place them on the coffee table, like a weird, threatening centerpiece.

Lex tosses me a phone, instructing that I order pizzas, and Oliver lightens the mood with a cooler full of beers.

Basically, I’m a bro tonight, and as much as I want to hate this, it’s kind of fun. I’m learning the routines and rituals of a tight-knit crew, down to their superstitions and traditions.

“Ozzy hasn’t smiled this much since Masha, you know,” Oliver says randomly, inadvertently making me blush.

“I’ve never been happier,” I confess, only realizing how cheesy it sounds after the words leave my lips, and all the guys mock me.

The jokes and the teasing seem harsh, but they’re treating me as if I’ll be sticking around for a while, and that’s a win no matter what they throw at me.

“Ozzy’s never had a girlfriend, maybe a few one-night stands, but you? He’s been a completely different person since he met you, Fallon,” he continues, and I love how well his friends know him.

“I wish my friends would approve of us like you all do. It’d make my life easier.” I sigh deeply, not expecting them to care, but needing to get it off my chest.

“They’re girls, right? I’m sure they’re just worried. It’s nothing against you or Ozzy, just think about it from their perspective,” Lex offers, and I weigh his words, knowing he has a point.

“It’s frustrating because they’re my family. I’ve supported them through phases, situationships, and horrible one-night stands, but my happiness seems to be too much for them to accept blindly as I’ve done for them.” I pop the top off a beer, letting the foam warm my belly, and kick my feet up on the coffee table.

Surprisingly, Lex is easy to talk to, even though he’s normally the quietest one out of them all.

“Families fight, though. That’s what brothers, and sisters, do,” he casually says, and I wince, hating how much it makes sense.

I leave the conversation there, not wanting to talk about myself the entire time. I want to learn more about them and how they operate.

“Can I ask you guys something?”

“Depends,” Max says, glancing around at each of the guys.

“What’s the story with Doc?” I jump straight into the deep end, and they all recoil a bit, each of their faces wearing different expressions.

It could be a sore subject for them all, but I’m still reeling from Ozzy’s reactions the other night, and I haven’t had the heart to bring it up to him again.

“Ozzy’s breakdown a few nights ago?” Oliver asks, and sometimes I forget how thin the walls are in this place.

Journey sighs, and Max holds his hands up in defense, clearly not wanting to take the lead on this.

I glance between Oliver and Lex, seeing which of them plan on cracking, and finally, it’s Oliver who speaks up.

“Doc was complicated. Most of the traditions, routines, and rules we have are because of how he taught us. On the other hand, he was ruthless, and arguably, turned us all into criminals. The final straw was Masha, which I assume you’ve heard about?” He pauses, sipping his beer while waiting for my answer.

“Uh, yeah. Ozzy told me a little about her, and how she died.”

The other guys are frozen, listening to Oliver recount the highs and lows of working with their mentor. Their faces are all expressive, some showing anguish, some looking like they’re ready to snap, just like Ozzy. Suddenly, I feel guilty for circumventing him to find out about his past without checking with him first, and for bringing all the buried turmoil back to the surface.

“Once we all had enough, we forced a mutiny. Something that was always on the table if we didn’t like his leadership anymore, but he never thought we’d actually band against him. It was bloody, messy, and hard on all of us. We still struggle with how to remember him,” Oliver finishes, and Max balls his hands into fists.

“I know how I remember him. Cold-blooded and heartless,” he interrupts, kicking the table and walking off in a huff.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought this up,” I say softly, but the guys assure me that it’s okay.

I’ve found my place within their circle, at least with Lex and Oliver.

Max still doesn’t seem to like me, and Journey can’t take his eyes off me while Ozzy isn’t here, which makes me uncomfortable. I’ve been insisting that it’s no big deal for Ozzy’s sake, not wanting to get between them, but I can’t stand how he looks at me, or the seemingly harmless comments he lets slip.

“We won’t tell Ozzy you asked,” Lex says, passing me another beer.

“No, I won’t lie to him. I’ll tell him once the dust settles from the job.”

Ozzy would never lie to me, and I won’t disrespect him by having secrets with his friends. Besides, we all survived the conversation and nobody got to upset, so maybe he can take this as a sign that it’s not a taboo topic.

The conversation slowly starts to stall and the quiet takes over, but I can’t possibly find it in me to stay awake any longer. My eyelids are heavy, and sleep is calling out to me.

I can hear the guys clearing the room, cleaning up the beer and pizza mess, but someone drapes a blanket over me, and my body freezes when I realize it’s Journey.

“Beautiful, Cinderella. He doesn’t deserve you,” he whispers, slowly dragging a hand down my ass and over my legs.

I feel completely violated, disgusted, and disrespected.

I think about what Ozzy would do if he were here, and I channel his power when I decide in a split second to defend myself.

If he thinks I’m asleep, and nobody is looking, he’ll do it again if I don’t set a clear boundary.

“Excuse me?” I sit up, and he freezes as he picks up the last of the dirty dishes.

He doesn’t say anything, and none of the other guys are within earshot.

“You just whispered something when I was asleep,” I say, my voice growing louder with each word, and he shakes his head nervously.

“You might have been dreaming, Fallon.” He turns toward me, a smug look on his face as he rakes his eyes over my body in a way that makes me shudder internally.

Lex and Oliver come back in the room and see us caught in a heated stare down. He can deny it all he wants, but I’m not backing down.

“Was I dreaming when you touched my ass, and rubbed my legs, too?”

I can see his mind scrambling, and he’s visibly anxious as he can’t find a lie to get him out of this.

“We good here, Fallon?” Oliver asks, coming closer to me and giving me the confidence to use my voice.

“No, we’re not. Tell them what you whispered, or I will,” I say, not taking my eyes off Journey.

“She’s insane. I was nowhere near her.” He backs away, standing on the opposite side of the coffee table.

“He called me Cinderella and whispered that Ozzy doesn’t deserve me, before touching my ass and legs over the blanket.” I cross my arms over my chest, feeling ripped open and vulnerable with everyone’s eyes on me.

“Journey?” Lex asks, and Oliver’s eyes shift between the two of us.

“I have no idea what she’s talking about. I didn’t go near her.” He doubles down, and I shake my head, fully prepared for them all to call me crazy.

“How’d she get the blanket then?” Oliver asks, picking up the throw blanket from the floor, and relief washes over me.

They don’t think I’m lying.

“You’re going to accuse me of doing something insane like that? Believing this bitch over me?” He yells, and my body tenses in response.

The last person to take advantage of my body and call me a bitch was my stepfather, and I refuse to be reduced to the person I was at that point in my life.

Without thinking, I react, snatching one of the guns off the coffee table, and pointing it directly at Journey.

“ Fuck !” Lex yells, and Oliver steps closer to me, resting his hand on my shoulder.

“Fallon, do you know how to use that?”

Admittedly, I don’t. But nobody else needs to know that. This is about me taking a stand, and I feel pure power cascading through me.

“Call me a bitch again. I fucking dare you,” I say calmly, keeping my aim steady.

“Jesus fucking Christ, what is going on?” Max joins us, and behind me I can hear Lex filling him in.

“Fallon, you don’t have to do this. I’m sorry you think I touched you,” Journey says, but it’s not enough.

His attempts to deflect and pin this on me as if I imagined it aren’t going to work. I know what he did, I heard what he said, and this isn’t over until he gets it through his head that I’m not interested.

“You did touch me. I’m not yours to touch, and you don’t call me Cinderella, do you understand?”

All eyes are on me, and everyone is holding their breath, waiting for my next move. I could shoot him, put a bullet in his leg, or maybe his arm, not enough to kill him, more like a warning shot. I could drop the gun and bury the hatchet, but none of those scenarios feel like the right way to end this.

“Alright, Fallon. You’re right, I did touch you, and I’m sorry. I lost my head for a minute,” he confesses, but I don’t lower the weapon, keeping it trained on his chest, deciding not to let him get away from me without regretting ever laying a hand on me.

“Are we good, Fallon?” Max asks, and before I can answer, the door opens.

Ozzy walks in, and his eyes scan the room, immediately falling on me as I hold Journey at gunpoint.

“What the hell is going on?” He barks, that protective instinct kicking in as he strides across the room to my side.

“Just a misunderstanding,” Journey attempts to defend himself, but I shake my head, not letting him speak another word.

“He touched me while I was sleeping.” I stand firm, my hands beginning to sweat as I keep my grip tight on the pistol.

Just because Ozzy is here doesn’t mean I’ll back down. He fucked with me, and I’ll be the one to handle it. I don’t need my man to fight my battles every time, especially when it comes to sleazy guys who think a woman’s body is something they automatically have a right to.

Oliver pulls Ozzy aside, and I hear them whispering, but I don’t take my eyes off Journey. This is far from over, and I’m not letting him get away with disrespecting me.

“Ozzy, she’s got it all wrong, man.”

“Did you not just admit to touching her?” Lex asks, and Journey stumbles over his words, attempting to excuse his actions.

“Enough. I know what you said, and I felt your hands on my body. He is the only one who touches me, are we fucking clear?”

“We’re clear,” he says, raising his hands in surrender.

“One punch, Fallon. That’s how we settle shit,” Ozzy explains, and I toss the gun back on the table, focusing solely on my target.

I wind up, using every ounce of strength in my body, landing a hard punch to his gut, and instantly, he doubles over, holding his stomach while stumbling backward.