Project Apollo: Book Two ✔️

Chapter Four

Apollo Diaz

"Let me light Marcus on fire."

I sighed as I blocked yet another number Marcus texted me from. "No, then you'd be in prison, and then what will you do?"

Axton shrugged as he fell back on my bed. "He'll be dead, so everything will be fine."

"And you'll leave lil ol' me out here all by myself with Alaric and Emery."

He sat up, propping his head up in his hand. "Well, there is lil ol' Jason. Mama wants us to play nice. I've been nice for the last four days he's been here."

"That's because he's been hiding in the room every chance he gets."

Ever since our little spat in the foyer, Jason has gone even more out of his way to avoid me. I didn't understand his need to assume shit about me. He seemed dead set on finding me homophobic for a year–which was odd. Then he moved onto me finding him downright disgusting, which couldn't be further from the fucking truth.

I found him attractive, but I didn't trust him. His smile caught me off guard. It was a combination of what Marcus did to me since that was still fresh at the time I met him, and the shit I'd gone through with Axton. People didn't generally give a shit about us. Marcus and I met on a dating app. It was far more simple that way until you got cheated on.

I shiver from the memory just as I hear my Mom shouting at us in Spanish to get our asses downstairs. Which was the easiest way to translate what she said. Axton and I were on our feet, jogging down to the living room. Emery was dragging Jason by the arm as Jason tried to swat him away. Alric was only chuckling at their interaction. I wasn't sure how Alaric was cool with any of this. After what Jason did, I wasn't sure how to look at him the same.

Emery was the first person Axton and I truly became friends with since Declan. It was oddly simple. He was a sweetheart, and we gravitated toward him with little to no issue. He made Alaric happy and that was all that mattered.

Mom stood in front of the couch, hands planted on her hips as she watched us file in. She truly knew how to grow a room size with a simple shout up the stairs. "Okay, I need help. For one, I need to get ready for a work function, so one of you is going to sit with me while I get ready. Secondly, I need two of you to get your asses in the kitchen and finish up dinner. The remainder can start stringing popcorn on a string for me. So, who is taking what?"

Axton raised his hand as he grabbed my arm. "I am so down to finish cooking dinner. Apollo will help because we all know I'll fuck it up. And I think the lovebirds stringing popcorn together sounds like the perfect activity." He glanced at Jason. "You can sit with Mama while she gets ready. Sometimes she needs help applying her makeup. So, I hope you're ready for it. She has a bit of a shaky hand."

Dread flooded Jason's eyes, and I furrowed my brows. He didn't answer Axton. He didn't deny him. He didn't do anything. He just stood there. He accepted his fate. But what the fuck was wrong with sitting with my Mom while she got ready for her little party tonight? My Mom was a superhero. She took my friends in when circumstances rendered them in need of a place to stay.

I wanted to open my mouth and maybe curse him in Spanish, but Mama would have my ass, so I kept my words to myself. But I sent him a glare. I dared him to do anything to hurt her feelings. He'd be on his ass faster than he could blink. I wouldn't give a shit if he had nowhere to go.

After everything was decided by Axton, we separated. Axton dragged me into the kitchen. We got to work–Axton tending to the rice which I didn't trust him with even one iota. I was over his shoulder every second–fixing what he screwed up. He liked to feel useful when maybe we should have been the damn lovebirds stringing popcorn.