Flame- Wild Hearts

by Marie Scully

  “You did this. It’s all on you.”

  Everything is heavy as if I have a house on top of me, crushing me.

  “Just shut up!” The scream echoes and circles on repeat.

  But their voices just get louder, and their bodies move closer to me, wanting to torture me.

  “Stop. Please stop,” I whisper, bringing my hands to my ears, hoping to dull their voices, but it was no use; they were too loud.

  ❖

  “Danny, it’s time for your shift. You going to get up?” A voice thankfully breaks me from the nightmare, May’s hand on my shoulder, shaking me till my eyes flutter open.

  “Hey. What time is it?” My words sound weak. Reaching for my phone, I answer my own question and see it’s 10:30 a.m. Shit, I’m going to be slightly late. Moving to Florida about nine months ago, I bounced around a little till I landed on a catering company that did the food, drink, and hired staff for events. That’s where I met May. We’re both part of the staff that get sent out to assist. It’s not bad money and not as seedy as some of the places I’ve worked in the past. I lucked out further because May needed a roommate, and I moved in with her shortly after being hired. The event today is a birthday brunch and starts at 11 a.m. It’s going to take me a half-hour at least to get there. Yep, going to be slightly late. Rushing up, I race to the closet and pull the black-and-white uniform from the hanger.

  “You still not sleeping?” May asks as I close the bathroom door to get ready.

  “No, not really.”

  The dreams had been getting more intense in the last two weeks, though they’d been coming off and on since I left Fairmore. Two weeks ago, May was flipping channels and mid-flip Liam’s face flashed across the screen. May hadn’t noticed my reaction, and his face was only there for a brief moment before the channel changed, but while I spent the rest of the evening trying to forget, I eventually had google the race and his interview. He’d come in first and was describing what had gone well and the owner of the horse. I watched the damn video five times just to hear his voice till I finally stopped torturing myself and shut down the computer.

  The first few days after I left, Ben and Megan called several times and Liam once, leaving a message. I’m still too chickenshit to listen to it. It’s sitting in my inbox as unread. Rewatching the interview is what I’m going to blame for the abnormally bad dream last night. If nothing else, maybe I’ll sleep well tonight. The black-and-white uniform makes me feel like a penguin, but at least it’s a hell of a lot better than the one at Kit’s.

  “You know you can buy stuff to help you sleep or browse some of my meds,” May offers, standing outside the door. She’s made the offer a few times, and I had declined then too. I don’t want to start taking things to help me sleep. It’s too easy to start relying on them.

  “I know. I may take you up on that sometime. But sooner or later I’ll just pass out, right?” I reply, attempting some humor. May knows nothing of my past and doesn’t realize that having to rely on drugs for anything in my life won’t work for me.

  Clothes—check. Make-up—check. Everything else—check. Time to go.

  When I exit the restroom, May is standing exactly where I expect her to be.

  “Need a ride?” she asks, already knowing the answer.

  “Do you mind?” I ask, knowing if she didn’t want to do it that she wouldn’t have asked in the first place. Her boyfriend was a mile from the event space, so my drop-off would be on the way. I’d have to find a ride back home but that was okay.

  May shrugs. “No problem.”

  The apartment is a small two-bedroom space, and a few feet from the bathroom we’re outside. May talks on the drive as she always does. Thankfully she doesn’t expect me to respond all that much—she seems to enjoy just having someone to listen and nod at the correct times. The tiredness is overwhelming today. Most of the energy I have is going to have to go towards work.

  “Thanks for the ride. As always, you rock,” I say as she pulls up in front of a brick building with white awning. “Tell Mike I say hey.”

  “No problem. Will do. Have fun at work.”

  Yeah, not sure how fun this event will be, but few jobs are meant to be fun.

  ❖

  Liam

  The memory seems to be on replay all day.

  “Hey, man,” Ben says, entering the hospital room solemnly. “How are you feeling?”

  My lips hurt a little as they grin. “Like I got in an accident because of a cow.”

  “I can understand why you’re embarrassed. Cow one, you zero.”

  A laugh escapes, and I wince. My hand finds my side, trying to hold back the pain.

  “Don’t make me laugh. But yes, the cow won.” I look behind Ben, looking to see who’s going to come in next. I know something is wrong when Ben’s face turned serious, and he pulls up a chair.

  “Megan is outside talking to the doctor about how long you’ll be out, meds, that kind of thing so you don’t have to worry about it.” Ben looks away, staring intently at the white wall.

  “She left?” I ask. I don’t need to specify who I’m talking about.

  Ben nods then faces me once more. “Yeah, she did. She freaked when she heard about the accident. We got here, and she went white as a ghost, shaking. Like she wasn’t even here but in another time. When she found out you were going to be fine, she was relieved, but then she was taken over again by fear. She couldn’t shake it. I tried to talk to her, and I should have stopped her, Liam. I never thought she would run.”

  While Ben’s surprised, I’m not. When things get hard, she runs. She even admitted that to my face. Why I thought I could change that or that we’d made any progress together, I have no clue. Once a runner always a runner. This is what I get for falling in love. I should have known better.

  Later I’ll be concerned for her well-being, but right now, I get to be pissed.

  Ben continues to look sickened by having to tell me the news.

  “It’s not your fault. There was nothing you could do. If Danny wanted to leave, that’s what she would do.” There was no holding her back. That’s one of the things I love about her—her ability to just go for it. But now I have to figure out what my life looks like without her in it.

  ❖

  “You look like shit out there,” my father’s voice yells as Midnight Blue and I race past.

  He’s not wrong. I know my time was off—I could feel it. From the movement of Midnight Blue to how I was sitting, everything was off with this ride, which meant the time was bound to be affected. Having his voice ringing in my ears doesn’t improve anything though. I still can’t seem to do anything right: Win a considerable race two days ago, not a word. Have a lousy training session, and it’s the end of the world. Hell, my race the other day went so well that Matt Edwards, the owner of Lucy Ray, invited me to an upcoming conference and awards show in Florida in a week. He says he has a business opportunity to discuss and wants me to meet some colleagues. How’s that for looking like shit, Dad.

  I circle around the track once more till we reach where my father’s standing with his frown.

  “He’s having an off day,” I say, pulling my left leg over and landing on the ground.

  “It’s not the horse having an off day; it’s you. You’re sloppy today, and he’s picking up on that. Get your head out of your ass.”

  I open my mouth to dispute his verdict, but for once, his criticism is accurate.

  “Don’t you have a meeting?” I snap.

  “As a matter of fact, secretary Liam, I do. In forty-five minutes. I had a few minutes before I had to leave and thought I’d come out and watch your training. I’m glad I did. You had a good race the other day, but based on what I saw today, that was lucky.”

  There was no point making a comeback; it would only prolong the conversation. Instead of handing the reins to Rex, a recent hire, I walk past him without a word and head towards the house. Most of my things were out, but I still had some clothes left thank
fully.

  As I reach the bottom of the stairs, my phone rings. It’s Lex.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey yourself,” I reply.

  “What are you doing tonight? You want to hang out?” Lex keeps telling me she’s concerned about me, saying I haven’t processed Danny leaving well, but she has nothing to worry about; there’s nothing to handle. I told Danny I loved her, and she ran. First woman I said I loved and she ran. I’m not sure what Lex wants me to process from that.

  “Lex, I know I’ve been busy lately, and you’re right; we do need to have some sibling bonding soon. Just not tonight,” I say, hoping that will be the end of the conversation.

  I should have known better. “Why not tonight?” she presses. “I know you don’t have plans with Ben or Megan, and you’re not dumb enough to be with Nicole again. So, what are you doing that’s so important that you can’t spend time with your only sister?”

  “Nicole isn’t the only girl in town. Not that I need your permission, but I have a date tonight.” While Danny may not have wanted me, there are plenty of people that do and it was time I remembered that. I’d matched with Melanie a week earlier and asked her out to drinks. She’d said yes, so that’s what I was going to do. Get drinks and remember why I don’t do commitment. It’s much more fun to be free.

  ❖

  Melanie makes quick work of unbuttoning my shirt, and her lips move down my neck. “Did I already congratulate you on your win last week?” her sultry voice whispers against my neck.

  “Maybe once or twice. But I won’t complain if you repeat it.”

  “Hm. What if I show you?” she asks.

  “I will definitely not complain.” My lips curve into a grin before she moves down my chest.

  Melanie is drop-dead gorgeous with long lashes, green eyes, and hair that has various shades of brown in it. She has a slim waist and long legs and walked into the bar as if she owned the place, coming straight towards me with no concerns. When she reached me, she turned me around and kissed me right in the middle of the bar. Hell, I was slightly taken aback, and it took me a minute to recover and return the favor. She was someone that knew what she wanted and went after it, and it seemed like tonight she wanted me. She was the type of woman that got the blood pumping in all the right areas, so why the fuck wasn’t it pumping? Her lips move, and her hands touch all the right places, but I still don’t feel what I should.

  Fuck Danny. It’s her fault. I have been able to perform since she left but never at my house. It’s been at their homes, or in the car, or the bathroom of the restaurant, but not at the house.

  Melanie has dropped to her knees and is now working on my belt. Still nothing. Just great.

  Reaching down and placing my hand on her head, I gain her attention. She glances up, questioning me with her eyes.

  “I have a better idea. Since you’ve been so very kind to me this evening, showering me with compliments and all that, why don’t we start with your pleasure?” I ask, pulling her to her feet and moving towards the bed. Hopefully, that’ll help me with my own issue, but if nothing else at least she won’t find out about it right now.

  “Can’t say I’d complain,” she says, removing her shirt and unbuttoning her pants. Melanie is most certainly someone that knows what she wants. Why the fuck can I not say the same?

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Danny

  “Danny, let’s go. You’re not getting out of this,” May yells at me as soon as she enters the apartment.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I yell back, zipping up my dress. I’d come up with multiple excuses but knew May wouldn’t let me away with any of them. She’d been on at me to go out and “meet a tall and dark stranger” as she put it.

  “You look great!” she compliments as I exit my room.

  I laugh. “Thanks. I can sometimes pull myself together.”

  “No shit. You look hot,” she says, eyeing me up and down. Her words make me suddenly uncomfortable. I wanted to look good tonight, but I also didn’t want to draw attention. I was hoping to fly under the radar but still appease May. Maybe I should change. The red and black dress is form-fitting with spaghetti strips, and the old black heels give a little extra height to my legs. I’d only put light make-up on since it’s going to be dark in the club.

  May interrupts my thoughts with, “Don’t even think about changing. You look great. I look great.”

  No one could say May lacked confidence. She did look great in her light jeans and off-the-shoulder white top, her blonde hair straight tonight, her perfectly made-up brown eyes popping, and her lips painted red.

  “Now, let’s go,” she says, opening the front door and waving me out.

  “Don’t forget, you have to work in the morning,” I point out in one last attempt to get May to chill a little.

  “Oh, you’re so cute,” May responds, throwing her arm over my shoulder as I roll my eyes. “It’ll be fine.”

  ❖

  “This place is nuts!” I attempt to yell over the music.

  “What?” May yells against my ear.

  “I said this place is nuts,” I try again.

  May holds her hand to ear and mouths “What?” I shake my head—it wasn’t important.

  May uses hand signals once more to point across the dance floor, and inching through hot, sweaty bodies, we reach the bar—or May does at least. She smiles at two guys and they inch to the sides, so she has to squeeze between them. One of the guys—the balding one—accidentally grazes the side of her breast. He apologies and May laughs it off, just happy to be able to get the drinks. That’s another difference between us.

  May turns around with a beer and a gin and tonic, along with two shots of vodka, barely hanging on to all the glasses. Stepping forward, I take the shots from her. “Are shots necessary?” I ask as I trade her a shot for my beer.

  “Yes. You being out for the first time in months is something to celebrate.”

  Fine. We clink the glasses together, raise the shots to our lips, and with a slight nudge, the strong burning liquor goes down.

  “Come on. Let’s dance,” May says as she puts the empty glasses back on the bar then grabs my arm, dragging me to the dance floor. I attempt to apologize as I hit people left and right, but most are too far gone to notice or care.

  “Don’t look now, but those guys behind you are checking you out,” May says, close to my ear. Rolling my eyes, I continue to move to the music. It’s more likely they were looking at May and will be disappointed when her boyfriend shows up.

  Hands reach around my stomach, their owner pushing up against my back and invading my personal space. His hips roll against my back, misunderstanding my body’s reaction to him touching me. One would think freezing would be a telltale sign, but it seems not.

  May continues to dance in front of me but gives me the side-eye, telling me that if things get weird, she’ll pull me away. I know she wants me to let loose and let myself go tonight, but I don’t think I can. It would be easy to turn around and take this guy to the bathroom for a quickie, but it’s not what I want. More important, it’s not who I want.

  “I need air,” I say to May and move away from the hands grasping me. The asshole behind me pulls me back, but as May steps forward I swing around.

  “Yeah, I’d strongly advise you don’t do that again,” I grit out between my teeth. If he couldn’t hear the whole sentence above the music, then he got the point from my face. Either way, his hands drop. Turning back around, I push through bodies again.

  Air. I need a little air, and I’ll be better. I need to get Liam out of my head. Maybe it’s time for another change. I’ve been here longer than planned, and my lease will be up soon. It may be time to start planning my next move.

  Out on the street, I can breathe and move my limbs without making contact with another body. Leaning into the brick building, I avoid the streetlights, enjoying hiding from the world for a moment. Pulling out my phone, I look at my voicemails, and Liam’s unre
ad message haunts me. Maybe I should just listen to it. Rip the Band-Aid off and get the fuck over it. My fingers hover over the message.

  Just as I’m about to hit play, a back SUV pulls up in front of the club. Great, more people to fight through when I go back.

  The back door opens up, and a pair of long legs hover out for a moment before their owner fully emerges. The owner of the legs is as stunning as the legs themselves, and she laughs as she tugs her tight blue dress down slightly. The dress doesn’t have that much fabric to go down, but the attempt was made. Her hands reach to fluff her dark hair before running down the length of her body to remove the invisible wrinkles. Hands emerge from the dark car, pulling her back, and she giggles. She actually giggles. I thought that was a made-up noise for shitty romance movies.

  A few seconds later, she re-emerges, and a man follows. A man that looks surprisingly like Liam. Oh, no! No! No! No! This can’t be happening. It feels like if I move or breathe wrong, he’ll look up and see me.

  I lean into the wall as far as possible and try to hide, the brick hard against my back. What is he doing here?

  Liam’s arms wrap around the woman’s body, pulling tight before he move his lips to her neck. One of her hands holds his tight against her body while her other one lifts to keep his head against her neck. Her mewling sounds reach me. Oh, come on. He’s good, but he’s not meowing-sounds good. Who was I kidding? Yes, he was.

  It feels like hours before they get bored of necking and move into the club. Time to go. Opening the ride app, I thank multiple gods when I see that there’s a ride around the corner. Choosing that, I text May to tell her that I’m not feeling well and need to get home. Liam is here. Obviously not looking for me as he seems to have found a replacement, not that I can blame him. I’m the one that left. I can’t expect him to be holding out for me. But I also never expected to see him again so happy with someone else. It was cutting. It was meant to be me in his arms. No. You left—you have no claim.