Better When He's Bad

by Jay Crownover

  His wild eyes skimmed over me and then over Bax.

  “Good he’s here. Good, good.”

  I shivered and looked up at Bax, who was frowning and trying to follow Lester’s broken thinking pattern.

  “Why did they give you whiskey, Les? Help me out here, big guy.”

  “Don’t go home, Dovie. Bad things. You watch her. She’s a sweet girl.”

  Lester nodded, like his business with us was done, and stumbled back toward the apartment building. I was full of apprehension, and shivered involuntarily.

  “He’s a disabled vet. No one—and I mean no one—goes in or comes out of the building without his okay. The only time he leaves the stoop is for church on Sunday morning and if he gets the chance to go on a bender. He’s good people.”

  “What did he mean by bad things?”

  I sighed and shoved my seriously tangled hair over my shoulder. “I don’t know, but I have a really bad feeling I’m about to find out. Don’t let me keep you from your nightly conquest. I expect to hear from you tomorrow if you’ve got anything on Race. I expect you to keep your word, Bax.”

  He grabbed my elbow and started hauling me mercilessly across the street. I struggled a little at first until I realized he was going up to the apartment with me. I really didn’t want to face whatever might be waiting for me up there alone.

  “I always keep my word, Copper-Top. That’s not something you have to worry about with me.”

  Great. He had already insinuated that if I kept getting in his way and making things tricky for him, he would use me in a way I couldn’t even imagine. I had never offered my body as a bargaining chip before, and I had no desire to start now. But I sensed he would push me if it got him what he wanted. He wasn’t scared of coming across like a total scumbag; in fact, I think he kind of liked it.

  I pressed up against his back as we skulked up the stairs to my floor. He was all hard lines and coiled strength. I didn’t know how a guy as big as he was moved so silently. He just melted into the shadows and darkness around us. I felt clumsy and awkward behind him.

  “Shit.” The swearword was breathed out more than spoken when we rounded the corner where my apartment was.

  I guess I really should have put a move on those new locks because the door was standing wide open, and even from where I was partially hidden behind Bax, I could tell I didn’t really want to see what was inside.

  “Benny?” My voice quivered a little.

  Bax shook his dark head and I felt the muscles I was leaning against tense.

  “No. Destruction isn’t his style. This was Novak, though. He wants me to know he has eyes on me. He waited until we were together to do this, not while you were here alone.”

  He swore again.

  “You have anything in there you absolutely need?”

  I bit my bottom lip. “My stuff for school.”

  He sighed and ran his hands over his head. “If this was a typical turn and burn, I doubt anything really made it. You can check, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

  I was shaking. I seemed to be doing a lot of that tonight.

  “The good thing about going without much is that there isn’t much to get attached to. Let me see what I can salvage and I’ll call Carmen to see if I can crash with her and the boys for a few days.”

  He gave his head a violent shake. “Too close. You need to get farther away.”

  I snorted. “Where do you suggest? This is the Point, not grammar school. I don’t have a hoard of besties in my back pocket to pull from in an emergency. The only other person I can rely on in the world is missing, in case you forgot, so Carmen’s will have to do.” Not that I was thrilled with the prospect of bringing any kind of danger to her door.

  He sighed and his hands opened and closed into fists.

  “I have a place I can take you for a few days.”

  I barked out a laugh and tucked some hair behind my ear. “No, thanks. I’ve had enough of strippers and prostitutes for one night. Carmen’s will be fine.”

  He glared down at me and started hauling me toward the door, which was hanging drunkenly off its hinges. Turn and burn indeed. Nothing escaped unscathed. My clothes, pots and pans, the stuff in the fridge, anything that wasn’t tied down was on the floor. The couch was upside down, the curtains were ripped off the broken window, and sure enough, every single book and piece of paper that was in the messenger bag I used for school was tossed and thrown all across the floor. It looked like someone had put the entire mess through a wood chipper. Disaster didn’t even begin to cover it. All I could do was stand there and try and take it in with my mouth hanging open.

  “Come on. There’s nothing you can pull out of this mess.”

  He sounded gruff and angry. When I numbly looked up at him, I was surprised to see black fire glowing in his eyes. I don’t know how I, for one second, ever thought those pitch-black orbs were emotionless. I felt like whatever rage was burning in them was tied to the very core of his corrupted soul.

  I picked my way across the floor as delicately as I could to peek inside the tiny bedroom. It wasn’t like I had very much stuff or any kind of quality wardrobe, but what I did have was shredded and tossed around the room like fabric confetti. Whoever had done this had taken their time and enjoyed every second of it. I shook my head and jumped a little when Bax grabbed my arm from behind.

  “Let’s go.”

  I didn’t struggle and didn’t argue when he dragged me past Carmen’s apartment and back down the stairs. There was no way I could put her and the kids at risk. This was my problem . . . well, Race’s problem, but since he was now literally all I had left in the world, it was my burden to figure out. If Bax wanted to dump me with one of his lady friends for a few days, I would just have to deal with it. My next shift at the restaurant was in a couple days and I would just ask Brysen if I could hang out at her place for a while. I was pretty sure she would be okay with it. That only solved one immediate problem. I had no idea what I was going to do about my schoolbooks or finding money to buy an entirely new wardrobe.

  I felt like a rag doll as Bax ushered me back into his black-and-yellow monster and strapped the seat belt on around me. All I could do was stare blankly at him as he rounded the hood and slid in next to me. The engine sounded as angry as he looked as he peeled out of the parking lot and headed farther into the Point. It was well past midnight now, and nothing good ever happened here when the sun went down. I should demand to know where we were going, what his plan was, but I just couldn’t muster up the energy to care. I closed my eyes and tried to remind myself that Race had saved me, had changed my life, so little inconveniences like a totally trashed apartment and a disturbingly hot make-out session with a criminal were just small sacrifices I could suffer through in return.

  I was brooding and lost track of time, so when the car pulled to a stop on the street in front of what looked like an abandoned warehouse, it could have been an hour or five minutes later. I rolled my head over to look at Bax, but he was already pocketing the keys and climbing out the door.

  “Where are we?”

  He gave me a weird look, like he suddenly remembered I was there, and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head.

  “You can wait in the car. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  I looked around the area where we were parked and threw open my door. No place in the Point was exactly safe, but just like in every bad part of any city, there were some areas that were worse than others. This was one of those places, and I had had enough of feeling rattled and shaken for one night. Right now, sticking by Bax was the only thing giving me a modicum of security.

  “I’ll just go with you.”

  He sighed and lit up a cigarette. It was a nasty habit, but considering the guy stole things for a living, I guess there were far worse things he could be lighting up in my presence.

  “Just stick close, I mean in-my-back-pocket close. I need to talk to a guy about some money he owes me.”

  “It
can’t wait until later?” I was emotionally exhausted. I didn’t know how all this stuff after dark didn’t wear him out. It was like an entirely different life in the shadows.

  “No.”

  Nothing more and nothing less. Just “no.” Clearly prison hadn’t offered Bax any kind of awesome communication skills. I just grumbled at him under my breath and trudged along behind him down a set of stairs that looked like they were going to collapse under our weight. In fact, the staircase was so rickety and dilapidated, I put a hand on the back of his sweatshirt so if we went down, there was a chance I could land on him instead of the concrete below. This was creepy and didn’t look like anyplace I wanted to be, but Bax acted like he knew just where he was going, so I dutifully followed along.

  At the base of the stairway there was a bare lightbulb hanging over a metal door that was painted bright purple. It looked like the service entrance to the warehouse, but Bax punched in a numerical code on the little box to the side and the door swung open under the flat of his hand.

  “What is this place?” I didn’t really expect an answer, but he looked over his shoulder at me, most of his face obscured by the hood.

  “Just a bar.”

  I couldn’t contain an eye roll or the sarcasm that colored my tone as he guided us down a narrow hallway toward the sounds and smells of what indeed seemed to be a bar.

  “A bar doesn’t have a secret entrance down a back alley and a password to get in. A bar has PBR signs on the window and tired girls cocktailing the floor.”

  He grunted. “It’s not that kind of bar.”

  Loud electronic music was making the ground shake under my sneakers, and when we rounded a corner to finally come into a big, open space, which was obviously the old factory floor of the warehouse, we were in what definitely was not that kind of bar.

  Neon lights swirled all around from the exposed metal rafters. Girls of all nationalities, in outfits more suited for a strip club or hip-hop video, were on platforms spread throughout the space dancing and writhing to the loud music. There had to be no less than two hundred people milling about. All of them holding drinks, smoking something other than cigarettes, and gyrating to the electronic thump and bass of the music. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before and totally not where I would picture Bax spending his time. It was too bright, too colorful, a complete sensory overload that made my head hurt and my eyes twitch.

  “What are we doing here? My brother is still missing, my apartment is trashed, and I’m tired and cranky. Do you really think this is the best time for a rave?” I had to shout to be heard over the music.

  He cut me a look and caught my wrist and dragged me over to where the bar was. He leaned on the Lucite bar top and hollered at the bikini-clad bartender, “Where’s Nassir?”

  She was busy pouring drinks and looked like she was going to ignore him for a second. He lowered his hood and I saw her eyes flicker over that star inked on his face. It made him so identifiable. She wiped her hands on a bar towel and pointed to a set of wrought-iron stairs that coiled up behind the brightly lit bar.

  “Up in the VIP section.”

  He jerked a nod and dragged me along behind him. I tugged on my wrist to try and get free but he only curled his fingers tighter. I was getting sick and tired of being yanked around by this guy. In every sense of the word. I felt like I had been tangling with him for months—not just a few short days.

  The VIP section was the converted catwalk of the factory. It was all metal and chains and looked like it was about to fall to the ground at any second. It was a good thing I wasn’t scared of heights because there was nothing but a twisted chain barrier between the edge of the metal platform and the drop to the dance floor below. Once again I gulped and scooted closer to Bax’s back. He stalked through grinding bodies, not stopping even when a couple called out to him or tried to stop him. He was clearly on a mission and nothing was going to deter him, not even me having a mild panic attack as I noticed that the entire platform moved and flexed with all the weight on it.

  We made our way to a raised section at the very back of the platform that had several tables with black satin covers on them. It was less populated back here, and Bax headed straight for the table where a very good-looking man of obvious Middle Eastern descent was seated. He had a chilled bottle of champagne on the table in front of him as well as an open laptop. There was a really pretty blond girl seated on his right and an even prettier brunette seated on his left. Both girls were trying to get his attention, but whatever was on the computer had his undivided focus until Bax pulled out the chair opposite him and plopped down.

  He let go of me finally, and I was at a loss as to what to do besides hover uneasily over his shoulder. I didn’t belong in a place like this with a guy like him. I was uncomfortable and doing nothing to hide the fact. The girls were watching me with curious eyes, and all I could do was fidget nervously with one of my curls.

  The gorgeous man with the olive skin and jet-black hair lifted his head and skimmed his eyes over Bax and then flicked them to me. He offered a grin that literally made my heart trip over itself and I knew I was blushing.

  “I heard you were out. Figured you would find your way here. It’s good to see you, Bax. Hard time looks good on you.”

  “You have my money?”

  The guy’s gold eyes drifted up to me and I felt like he was looking right inside of me. I felt my breath hitch. Wow, that was some powerful mojo he was working with. No wonder he had two supermodels fighting for his attention.

  “I do, but I think I have a better option for you. It looks like you bulked up in the joint. What are you pushing now, two-eighty, two-ninety? You can hold your own with some of the big boys. Why don’t you let me set something up, double or nothing, and I’ll only take a fifteen percent cut instead of my normal twenty.”

  “You actually gonna set up something clean, Nassir? I told you before that last fight you set up before I got locked up that I’m not playing with amateur hour. I don’t have any time for it.”

  “Out only for a minute and already back to making demands. You always did have balls the size of watermelons. I’ll keep it as clean as I can.”

  “Do you actually have fifteen grand on hand to go double or nothing?”

  I felt my eyes pop wide. I had no clue what they were talking about, but fifteen grand was a lot of money. Who in the hell was this guy my brother considered his best friend, and what kind of life had Race been living before he rode to my rescue?

  “I’ve never shorted you, Bax. I’m not a stupid man.”

  Bax gave a jerk of his head and cast me a look out of the corner of his eye.

  “You see Race around since he came back to town?”

  The dark-haired man turned back to the computer he had in front of him. “No. He never cared for how I did business. I haven’t seen him since he asked me to track down someone for him. That was a month before your arrest.”

  Bax climbed to his feet. “Who did he ask you to track down?”

  The man waved a hand dismissively. “Some girl. He was very intent about it. I found her over in Carlson and passed the info along. He was supposed to owe me a favor, but I never saw him again, and then you got busted, so he was no use to me anyway. I heard Novak was frothing at the mouth to locate him, though, so I’m not surprised you’re asking or that he’s nowhere to be found.”

  My heart was thudding loudly in my ears, and I think I might have toppled over if Bax hadn’t clamped down on my arm and hauled me to his side. I was the girl. I was from Carlson. Race had used this smooth, obviously connected man to track me down even before Bax had gone to prison. I was on his radar well before he had realized there would be no saving his best friend. I wasn’t sure what to do with that information, but it felt significant.

  “Be here Friday, Bax. I hope you remember what it’s like.”

  Bax just lifted an eyebrow. “You mean it’s different from trying to keep your ass safe in the yard every day?”
/>   Nassir laughed and I saw both his companions’ eyes glaze over in arousal. Man, he was potent.

  “Good point. It really is good to see you, Bax.”

  Bax didn’t respond in kind, but gave me a little shove so I was leading the way down the staircase. Once we were back on the main floor, he couldn’t seem to get out of the club fast enough. I almost had to jog to keep up with his purposeful and long-legged strides back to street level and the car.

  I had a million and one questions I wanted to fire at him, answers I wanted to demand, but his jaw was locked and he looked mad. Not at me, not at his criminal cohort, just mad at the world in general, and I didn’t want any of that pointed in my direction. I hadn’t survived as long as I had on my own without knowing when to keep quiet and disappear into the background.

  We drove in silence for fifteen minutes out of the city. I was surprised when he pulled the car to a stop in front of a cute little bungalow right on the border of the Point and the Hill. This was a nice neighborhood. Kids could play outside here. Parents didn’t need bars on the windows or handguns under their pillows. That being said, I had no idea what we were doing here or what I should do when Bax parked in the driveway and turned the loud engine off. I turned to look at him and noticed his jaw was clenched and that the star was throbbing as the vein under his skin moved.

  “This is my mom’s house.”

  I wasn’t going to ask. I didn’t think it was my place to do so, but something was off, so I had to wade in.

  “Okay. She won’t mind me staying here until I can work something else out?”

  His jaw clenched and I was pretty sure I heard his back teeth crack under the pressure.

  “She doesn’t live here. The place is empty. It has been for years.”

  I blinked in surprise. Mostly because I never would have pictured him coming from a nice, suburban background like this.

  “I’m sorry. Did something happen to her?”

  If it was possible, his jaw got even tighter.

  “No. I bought this house for her right before I got locked up.”

  I blinked at him. “Didn’t you go to jail when you were just a kid?”