by L A Cotton
This fucked up life took away the one person we’d loved more than anything.
It almost killed him too. Not in the physical sense, but he was never the same after she passed. I watched my old man, plagued with guilt and self-loathing, try to chase her soul into the depths of hell. But not even hell wanted a man like Miller Hayes. After two failed suicide attempts, he finally realized he was destined to live out his days in the underbelly of Stonewood Creek.
But it wasn’t enough.
Regret turned to greed and grief to anger. And the man I once called Dad became someone I barely recognized. Driven by the need for more.
Money ...
Drugs …
Business …
Always more.
Miller Hayes grew a criminal empire right out of our beat down house. People feared the man they once called neighbor. And one day, that empire would be mine.
Whether I wanted it or not.
Chapter Six
Cassie
I’d let someone kiss me. What the hell was I thinking? I was just so angry at Dennis. And then he hadn’t shown up at the party and I was even more pissed.
I thought—hoped—he’d come.
Thought he might take advantage of the opportunity of us being around one another without the need for pretense or excuses.
I thought we could steal a few moments together—that he might want to fix things.
I was wrong.
So, what had I done? I went and kissed some schmuck during a game of spin the bottle.
Way to go, Cass.
The whole night had been weird. Mari, Paul’s girlfriend, was acting odd. She’d invited a bunch of random people to celebrate his birthday. And then, as if things couldn’t get any weirder, Lydia’s boyfriend Nate, had slapped one of them in the face with his dick for a dare.
“Seriously, Nate,” Lydia scolded him quietly, but even she couldn’t hide the amusement on her face.
“Just so you know,”—he puffed out his chest and pointed at the guy—“I never back down from a challenge.”
“Nice, hmm, work, Nate,” Mari giggled, obviously tipsy. Her eyes were glazed and her voice slurred. It wasn’t like her. The girl had no filter, but she was quiet, preferring the background to the limelight. Much to everyone’s relief, people started to lose interest in the game, and I used the lull to my advantage, discreetly checking my cell for any messages.
There weren’t any.
“I want to dance,” one of the random girls whined to her friends, who all nodded in agreement, but Mari handed the bottle to one of the guys—Lewis, I think—determined to keep the game going.
“Come on, just another couple of turns.” Her eyes moved around the circle as if she was mentally calculating who was left to take a turn.
Lewis placed the bottle on the floor and spun it. It whizzed around until it slowed and landed on Ana. Mari clapped her hands together, enjoying this far too much. “Ana, you’re up,” she beamed, a stark contrast to Jackson who looked ready to commit murder.
“I choose truth,” Ana said with a hint of uncertainty, but it seemed like a safer bet than dare given Nate’s earlier stunt.
“Is it true you used to cut yourself?” said Lewis.
A whoosh of heads snapping over in Lewis’s direction filled the room and Jackson said, “What the fuck did you just say?” His voice was eerily calm but we all saw the anger radiating underneath the surface.
“Whoa.” The guy’s hands came up in front of him. “It’s just a question, man. She picked truth, so I asked.”
“A fucking insensitive one,” he snapped. “This game is over.”
Jackson stood and helped Ana up while the rest of us watched on, dumbfounded. I shot Lydia a look and mouthed ‘What the hell?’. Nate helped her up and then offered me his hand. Elena had already rushed over to her best friend, and the rest of us stood awkwardly, drinking our drinks, watching as she consoled Ana.
An hour later, the party began to wind down. Mari’s friends had outstayed their welcome and the tension hanging in the air had reached nuclear levels. We’d spent the last thirty minutes watching Jackson, and Elena’s boyfriend Tyson, playing quarters. I kept one eye on the door, part of me hoping Dennis might show.
He didn’t.
Needing a distraction, I helped clean away the remaining bottles. When we were done, Ana grabbed the two black sacks. When she disappeared out the back door, I joined Lydia, Nate, and our other friend Jamie.
A few minutes later, Jackson glanced around. “Where’s Ana?” he asked.
“She went to take out the trash.” I motioned to the door, and he disappeared after her. Almost immediately, the sounds of scuffles drifted through the door.
“What the …” Tyson went to the door and stuck his head outside. “Oh, shit.” He disappeared into the darkness and we all rushed to the door to see what was happening.
Elena started yelling strings of Spanish expletives and rushed over to a pale-faced Ana. Lewis lay unconscious on the ground, blood trickling down his face. Tyson and Nate checked him over, and then Nate pulled out his cell and disappeared with it attached to his ear. Lydia wrapped her arm around me as we stood unable to piece together what had happened.
Whatever it was, it didn’t look good.
Jackson gathered Ana into his arms while barking orders at Tyson, and led her back inside the house and we followed. Elena got her a glass of water.
“Okay?” she asked encouraging Ana to take a drink.
“It hurts,” Ana replied quietly. I didn’t miss the way her hands trembled as she brought the glass to her lips.
Jackson paced the length of the living room like a caged animal. When Lewis started to come around it had taken Tyson, Jamie, and Nate to haul Jackson off him. It wasn’t the first time we’d seen it. Usually the epitome of calm and collected, Jackson had one trigger.
Ana.
The house was quiet except for the sounds of the guys’ hushed whispers. My eyes flickered to Dennis. He’d arrived within minutes of Nate calling him and the two of them had escorted Lewis to medical to get his nose looked at. Covering their friend’s tracks, no doubt. That was how it was with Jackson and Dennis and the rest of the Fallen. If something went wrong, they closed ranks. Protected their own.
Elena and Ana talked quietly, and then their heads snapped up at Paul who stood across the room. “Paul,” Elena yelled, “Where did Mari go?”
His eyes darted around the room and then his face paled. “She, hmm, I thought she was with you guys? She’s not here?” He scratched his head.
Everyone stopped their conversations to listen to the scene playing out in front of them.
“So, she invited those fuckwits and then just up and left when Ana was attacked?” The disbelief in Elena’s voice was telling.
“Elena,” Lydia warned from beside me.
“No, Lyd. Ana was attacked in her own home, and Mari, the girl who invited him here, has gone AWOL. That shit doesn’t fly with me.”
“I’m sure there’s an explanation. I’ll go find her.” Paul raked a hand over his head, looking to Ana for reassurance. She offered him none.
Nate came over to us and took Lydia’s hand. Given everything that had just happened, a pang of jealousy zipped through me, though I knew it was irrational.
“We’ll head out and let you get some rest, Ana,” he said. “We’ll get to the bottom of what the hell happened tonight.”
“I guess that’s our cue, too. Ty, papi, are you ready?” Elena directed her question at Tyson and he nodded from across the room, where he stood with Dennis.
“If I find out she had anything to do with this, I swear...” Her expression twisted, but was quickly replaced with sadness. “Night, chica. Get some rest.”
Me and Jamie followed them, my eyes lingering on Dennis. But he didn’t look at me. He didn’t even acknowledge me.
And as I walked out of the house, my heart broke a little more.
Jamie walked me to my dorm. I thought
space would calm the emotion swirling in my chest, but the further we got away from Ana and Jackson’s house, the more annoyed I became.
Dennis hadn’t even looked at me.
He’d acted like I wasn’t there. My friend’s boyfriend was ready to go to war for her, and my boyfriend—if he even was that anymore—couldn’t even look at me.
What was wrong with me?
Why did I allow him to do this to me?
I deserved more.
I deserved someone who wanted to move mountains for me. To stand proudly at my side. To show me off to their friends.
He didn’t even look at me.
Fighting back the tears, I stripped out of my clothes, pulled on an oversized CFA T-shirt, and climbed into bed. When Dennis pulled me out of the party, all those months ago, I could hardly believe it. Dennis Hayes—star football player and one of the most popular guys in school—noticed me.
Me.
I knew who he was. Everyone did. But I had the inside scoop most people didn’t have thanks to being friends with his best friend’s girlfriend. Jackson and Ana kept their relationship low key—as low key as you could in a place like Chastity Falls—but we all knew the rumors about Jackson’s family. The Donohues. They owned the town and everyone in it. And Dennis was embroiled in it, a part of their inner circle. But their drama didn’t affect me. I was here to get my teaching degree and move on.
Then he’d kissed me and I’d felt it.
Jesus, it couldn’t have been someone else. Some meet-the-parents worthy guy from the swim team or even the debate club. No, it had to be Dennis fucking Hayes. I had to feel the earth move when his lips touched mine and his hands slid into my hair.
From the first touch, I knew I was screwed.
It wasn’t because of his name or who he was. It was because in that one kiss, he made me feel what no guy had ever made me feel.
And I both hated and loved him for it.
A soft knock at my door startled me, and I gripped the covers, my heart thumping against my chest.
Knock. Knock.
“Cass.”
That one word said a thousand things. Things I didn’t want to hear. But my resolve snapped, and I slid back the covers and went to the door, unlocking it. It creaked open and Dennis stood there, regret shining in his eyes.
“I’m sorry.” His gaze searched mine but I backed away and got back into bed, exhausted from the night’s events.
The door clicked shut and he came closer, yanking off his jersey. His jeans went next. And then he was there, climbing into bed next to me, his warm body enveloping mine.
“I messed up tonight.” Dennis tucked my head into his chest. “When Nate called, I went into fight mode. Seeing Ana like that, it did something to me. All I kept thinking was what if that had been you, Cass, and I wanted to beat the shit out of something ... someone.”
“You didn’t even look at me.” It came out a whisper. There was so much more to say, but I was exhausted. Of the sneaking around. The lies. The one step forward and two steps back.
“I couldn’t.” His fingers grazed my jaw, tilting my face to his. “If something happened to you because of me… I … fuck, Cass.” He slanted his lips over mine, pressing feather light kisses to my mouth. Seeking permission.
I didn’t respond. But I didn’t push him away either.
Maybe I should have told him to go—to leave and never return. To put an end to this right here and now. But I couldn’t do it. Because somewhere in the last five months, I’d fallen love in with him.
I loved Dennis Hayes.
And it terrified me.
His arms tightened around me and his legs tangled with mine.
“Is it always like this?” I whispered, taken aback by my words.
“Never.” Dennis lowered his face to look me dead in the eyes. “It has never been like this for me.”
He looked at me with such intensity I thought my heart might beat right out of my chest. Dennis wasn’t a guy of many words, which meant you had to listen closely when he finally decided to open up—and boy oh boy, had I heard them. I’d felt them all the way down to my soul. Which is exactly why, when he leaned in to kiss me again, I didn’t stop him.
Dennis rolled me underneath him, his lips tracing a path from my lips to my jaw, my jaw to the column of my neck. Deft fingers ran over the tops of my thighs and grazed my panties eliciting a shudder from deep within me.
“Do you know what you do to me?” His words danced over my skin, etching their way onto my heart, and I curled my fingers into the sheet as Dennis continued his exploration of my skin. Resisting was futile because he owned my body.
My heart.
Dennis Hayes owned every last piece of me but I already felt him slipping away. And there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it except hope that I survived.
Chapter Seven
Dennis
I was on babysitting duty again. Jackson was in Seattle, handling business, and had left me with strict instructions to watch Ana.
So, I watched.
Hidden behind the crowd of people, I watched as they laughed and danced and goofed around. It was a tedious fucking job, but someone had to do it and I was the only person he trusted. I still didn’t understand why he thought it needed to go down this way—why he needed to handle shit by himself—but it was his life. His score to settle.
Ana moved away from her friends and headed in my direction, but walked right past me. I followed. She knew I was there but we didn’t address one another. Until she poured a drink and moved closer to my position. “Have you heard from him?” she whispered, trying not to draw attention to us.
I closed the space, helping myself to an empty cup. “I had one text. He's okay.”
Ana placed down her cup and gripped the edge of the counter, leaning forward slightly. “I don't like it. It's too dangerous.”
“Ana,” I sighed. “You know it’s not that simple. He has obligations.”
She let out a frustrated groan and I couldn’t blame her. We both questioned Jackson’s motives lately. He was so hell bent on revenge that it clouded his judgment. And he was shutting both of us out.
“He knows what he’s doing.” It was supposed to sound reassuring but Ana’s head snapped up and she hissed, “Does he?”
“Chica, get back in here,” her Spanish friend appeared in the doorway and Ana grabbed her drink off the counter.
“What’s up, big guy.” She winked at me and I frowned.
“Come dance, please. Lydia is glued to Nate, and Cassie still hasn’t shown up. Come on, chica. It’ll be our last dance before the New Year.”
Just the mention of my girl’s name had me straightening off the counter. Not that things were good between the two of us lately. After the party at Ana and Jackson’s, I’d snuck into Cassie’s room and spent the night lost in her. But since then, I’d cooled off. Seeing Ana shaken up and Jackson ready to commit coldblooded murder over his girl, was a wake-up call. In this life, there would always be someone—something—trying to fuck things up. Time and time again, they overcame the obstacles placed in front of them, but how long could that go on for before one, or both of them, ended up seriously hurt?
I couldn’t do that to Cassie. She wasn’t cut out for this life.
For my life.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Ana said, shooting me a weary glance. “But no dancing. I’m not in the mood.”
Elena grabbed her hand and started pulling Ana away from me. “Okay, no dancing, but you can watch me.”
And I would watch her watching.
As they disappeared back into the crowd, I checked my cell for any texts from Jackson or Cassie. There were none. And as I went after Ana, I couldn’t shake the thought that it was better this way.
The party sucked.
Watching Ana and her friends let loose and enjoy themselves only reminded me of everything I could never have. It had never bothered me before.
Before Cassie. But she was a game ch
anger.
Cassie Malson was the kind of girl you changed for. Only the choice wasn’t mine to make. Maybe that made me weak. Letting him call the shots, make decisions for me. But he was my father. My family. And regardless of how much I despised him, that meant something to me.
After letting Elena persuade me to dance, I excused myself to get some air. Ana was safe. No one would even think about touching her in Fallen House, not when she belonged to their leader. That’s when I saw her, hovering in the yard looking all sorts of awkward.
My Cassie.
Just the sight of her took my breath away. She wasn’t dressed for a party, in her simple jeans and a CFA hoodie, but I had memorized the soft curves underneath. I stalked toward her, sticking to the shadows until I’d rounded her and then I stepped into the stream of light.
“Dennis?”
I soaked up the sound of her voice. Imprinting it to memory.
“Come here.” I held out my hand and, when she slid her palm against mine, tugged her forward. “I thought you weren’t coming.”
“I wasn’t.” Cassie stared up at me, her big brown eyes searching my face for something.
“But?”
“But it seems I have no power when it comes to you.” She ran her hands up my chest and over my shoulders and blood rushed to my dick.
Fuck.
This was going to be a lot harder than I thought.
“Cass,” I whispered as I swept her hair from her face and palmed the soft skin of her cheek.
“Dennis?”
“Elena made me dance.”
“She did?”
I nodded. I was stalling but I needed more time. Just a few more minutes with her.
“I’ve missed you,” Cassie said and it was like a knife to the heart. When I didn’t answer, she added, “You’re freaking me out. Did something happen?”
Even now, after the last few weeks, she still pushed aside all her frustrations to be concerned. About me. I didn’t deserve her. And the realization shattered something deep inside me.
Without thinking, I sealed my lips over hers. It was a dick move—one she’d later hate me for—but I had to taste her one more time. When I pulled away, I touched my head to hers and closed my eyes. Savoring the moment before everything changed—before I ruined us.
