Lost Minds

34

The place my parents work?

"Why are we doing that?" I ask, looking around the group as they stare back at me. Maddy's usual smile now sits in a frown.

What's going on?

"Daxon should have told you when you became his bodyguard. This is too important for an excuse, Daxon! She really doesn't know?" Daxon continues to stare at me as Scarlett yells at him. My eyes skim over everyone as the mood sours.

I knew he was keeping things from me, but he was supposed to tell me?

"Just tell her." He says, finally looking away from me and onto the ground. Rick sighs loudly as Cole clears his throat.

"We're together like this because we want to take down Legacy, or at least it's two bosses. Celine and Henry Davidson. Everyone has a grudge on them for their own reasons. We've spent the last 10 years collecting information on them and recording of their crimes. We're going to expose them in one month." Daxon sits tense, glaring hard at the ground. Everyone else watches me silently.

This is what I got caught up in? That's Daxon's past? Why everything about him seems off? What happened to all of them? What did those people do to these guys so horrible that they formed this group to destroy them?

I let out a deep breath.

"That's fine. but how are you going to expose them?" I ask.

"There has been a press conference to announce the new branch of their company internationally or whatever, and it's been planned for 2 years now. That's when Daxon brought us all together." Matteo says. Daxon gets up on his feet, not bothering to say a thing as he leaves my apartment. My eyes follow him until he turns, completely out of sight.

What's with him nowadays?

"Don't mind him. That's just how he is. He doesn't like to talk about this. For now, we have to get something arranged so you won't be a deer in headlights in a couple days." Cole says. I nod, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in my chest.

That's just how he is? No, it's not. Daxon is annoying and weird but he's never just walked away from me. Not even when I wanted him to. Since they got around us, he's had that dead look in his eyes more and more, while his talkativeness is disappearing.

I know I didn't trust who Daxon was before but what if that's not him? Who is he?

Do I even know the only person I can call my friend?

"Hey, are you listening? We'll teach you how to do what you have to before we go. If you have down all the basics, what we teach you should be easy, ok?" Cole finishes as I blink at him, coming back to the conversation.

"Yeah, I get it." I say, standing up. The group follows, some stretching as Maddy comes next to me.

"Let's get your room all organized and have dinner." She says as I nod. Scarlet also waits, as the rest of the guys leave. I smile.

There's no time to think about Daxon. I do that too much any way.

I shake my head, letting out deep sigh.

"Yeah, let's."

***

Maddy collapses on the couch as Scarlet and I lean against the wall, sweat shining on our foreheads.

All Daxon and those guys did was drag the stuff inside. We did all the hard work.

"Damn, what the fuck? I don't exercise this much." Maddy says fanning herself as I take a seat at the small black dinning table in my kitchen.

"The real question is why does it look exactly like Daxon's?" Scarlett asks, I roll my eyes.

"Cause I like how his apartment looks. Thanks for helping with everything, let's go eat." Getting up, I yawn.

Today really has been such a drag.

The girls and I head back into Daxon's house, Maddy throwing her arm around my shoulders as Scarlet knocks on the door.

"You can say we're buddies now, right?" She asks me as footsteps pound heavy on the other side of the door. I blink at her, not smiling as amusement fills my system.

Yeah, I guess we might get along.

"Why would I admit something mushy like that?" I say, slipping out of her grasp as the door opens, revealing Rick. He looks at Scarlet who sighs, walking into the building. I follow close behind her.

"Wait, Naomi. You can't just say that." Maddy pesters, as I pass Daxon. He stands at the kitchen counter, chopping up raw pieces of chicken and throwing them into a pan.

"Yes, I can. Leave me alone." I chuckle as she pouts, storming off into Daxon's gun room. I stand by the closet and the spot I slept last night.

Is he going to ignore me now? When did he become such a cry baby?

Sighing, I turn back towards Daxon. My feet drag on the ground as I stop next to him.

"How can I help?" Daxon continues chopping the food, tossing the pieces into the pan as I stand by him.

Why is he ignoring me? I hate that. I hate this.

"Daxon."

"Season the chicken with this mix. Put like 5 dashes of it in." My mood lifts as he gives me a bowl full of a colorful powder. Taking the bowl, I move around to the other side of him, standing in front of the pan.

The silence between us spans out, as he pulls out the Alfredo sauce and other seasonings. The seasonings grind against my fingers as I sprinkle them in.

"So what did they tell you?" Daxon asks, putting in the last of the chicken as I put in the last of the seasonings. He opens the cabinet above him, taking out a couple of boxes of pasta and a large spoon, handing that to me.

Finally, he speaks.

"They told about the Legacy company and how it's wronged every single one of you. They also said they'd train me more." I say, stirring the food as he pops open the sauce, dumping it into a big bowl.

Is that how you're supposed to do it? What happened to the cajun spice?

"That's good." He says as he pours more seasonings into the sauce. I stir, trying to calm the screaming questions in my mind.

Don't ask, Naomi. Just keep in to yourself. Just-

"Why didn't you tell me about that company?" I blurt out, unable to hold my own tongue.

A pause starts again as I set down the spoon on the stove, turning to look at him. He tenses, pouring more garlic powder into the sauce.

Is it that serious?

"That's none of your business." His voice comes out low as I narrow my eyes at him.

"None of my business? Daxon, there were men trying to kill us a couple days ago. They burned down my house and you think-" He cuts me off.

"They aren't trying to hurt you." He whispers, setting the garlic powder down beside the bowl. My eyebrows furrow.

"What?" I breathe out.

They were shooting at me, at us. They burned down my house and they don't want to hurt me? Bullshit.

"Just leave it alone! Stop trying to dig into something you have no right to know!" My eyes widen as he raises his voice at me. The entire house is silent as I scoff.

Whatever. Just whatever.

I was wrong to trust him.

"I get it. I won't pry anymore." I back away, throwing the door open and slamming it behind me. My fingers twist my knob, opening my door and locking it as my back leans against it. My knees buckle beneath me and I crumble to the ground.

That's what I get for thinking I had a friend.

That's what I get for trusting anyone other than myself.