by Eden O'Neill
Outside, flashing lights took my vision, blinding me, and I was dragged through it all. I was rushed right past the cops holding like a million guns on the place and taken to a black sedan.
The guy with me opened the door for me, sliding me inside.
I noticed right away I wasn’t cuffed.
This didn’t seem to be a priority, a cop behind the wheel and some guy in a suit next to them. Since they faced forward, I couldn’t see either of their faces.
“This is him,” said the guy who put me in the car. He slammed the door shut, and before I knew it, he was running back inside the building with his gun drawn. I had no idea what the hell was going on, but suddenly, the officer behind the wheel was peeling out of the lot.
I belted in, bumping around and it took me a second to realize someone was yelling at me.
“You Lance Johnson?” The guy in the passenger seat yelled at me, the one in a suit. He had red hair and wild eyes. “Lance Johnson, yes or no—”
“Yes.” I sat back, confused as fuck as the gunfire continued on behind us. It started to fade as we pulled away, but still, sounds of the shooting ran goddamn rampant in my scull.
“Just sit tight. We’re headed to the precinct,” the guy in the suit said, and though I did what I was told, I couldn’t help the growing tension in my limbs. I heard my heart in my fucking head, and like Niko probably did that night he got shot, I considered the totality of what I may be about to lose. I wondered if I’d ever get to see my family again outside of steel bars.
I wondered if I lost my whole life as I knew it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
LJ
I studied the guy in a suit from the side-view mirror. He’d put on some dark sunglasses during our drive, completely obstructing his face despite the fact it was pitch black outside.
I sat back, my fingers laced when I dropped my hands between my legs. I felt like I was totally screwed here but didn’t know for sure. After all, they hadn’t cuffed me…
Panning to the dark streets, I thought about the events tonight and how they’d gone down. The guy who’d saved me tonight and kept me out of the crossfire of Alexi’s guns clearly had been a cop. He’d not only saved me but seemed to know something about me too. That exchange he had with the cop in the driver’s seat and that guy behind the shades was an obvious indicator. Shades definitely knew who I was, knew my name at least anyway. Since he was in a suit, he could be a detective or something, but I didn’t know.
I glanced to the mirror, and Shades appeared to be looking in my direction. Though I couldn’t gauge that by the sunglasses. Whatever the case, he and the cop driving us stayed silent, and the moment we pulled up to the downtown precinct, I took in a sharp breath. I figured a rough arrest was next for me as Shades got out. He stood idle while the cop in the uniform opened the door for me. Surprisingly, they both allowed me to get out on my own, and neither put their hands on me once I hit the pavement.
I looked around. “What’s going on?”
Maybe a stupid question since these guys were cops, but whatever. I had rights and should know what was going on. The only response to my question was from Shades when he put a hand out. He guided me to walk ahead, and he and the cop flanked me. Cop got the door for both of us, and that felt… weird. I wasn’t arguing since I still wasn’t in cuffs and appeared to still have my freewill.
Once inside, I followed behind the guys. Again, weird. They put their backs to me and let me follow.
I did, staying close as I watched other guys and women being escorted very roughly through the place. After all, this was a police station. Still, I wasn’t one of them. I stayed quiet the whole time, not trying to make waves. Eventually, the pair took me down a quiet hallway, and the regular cop stayed behind while Shades put a hand out.
“Right through there,” he said, sliding off his glasses. Light-colored eyes bored down on me, narrowed distinctly in my direction. Inside now, this guy also had hair as bright as his necktie, a darkened red but bright nonetheless. His gaze settling hard, something about this guy struck me as familiar. I might have questioned it had I not turned the corner.
I saw similar eyes.
A darkness was underneath them, Billie chatting to Niko. The pair of them sat in some kind of interrogation room, but the moment they saw me, they launched out of their chairs.
And Billie launched right at me.
She came for me, no other thoughts given in a pair of little shorts and a tank like she’d just gotten out of bed. I had no idea what the fuck was going on, but the instant she hugged her tight little body against mine, I hugged her back. I drank her in and braced her so hard I thought my body would literally fuse into hers.
“Thank God, LJ. Just… Thank God.”
She was happy to see me, forcing her fingers through my hair. Her racing heart beat wildly into my chest.
Mine matched.
“Beauty queen?” I questioned, awed that this girl was even standing in front of me, let alone in my arms. She peeled away quickly, and I noticed right away how goddamn beautiful she was. Not a stitch of makeup on freckled cheeks, lips red and flushed. I wanted to bruise the shit out of them, kiss her until I couldn’t anymore. I reached to touch her, and she pulled away, eased away by Niko when he pulled me in.
“What the fuck, buddy? What the fuck?” Tackle-hugged by this guy and chuckling, I embraced him back. I think I got him a little too hard with his injury because he cringed a little.
“Sorry, bro.”
“Hug me however hard you fucking want, dude. You’re alive. Let me look at you.” He did, holding me out, but the whole time I was staring over his shoulder. Billie lingered on but wasn’t close enough. In fact, she was adding space.
She made her way to the door. “I’m just going to get some coffee.”
And then she was leaving, cutting out of the room before another thought could be had. She passed Shades in the hallway on the way, her head down, and he almost went after her. He started to and everything, but in the end, put his hands in his pockets. A shake of the head, and he headed in the opposite direction down the hall. Meanwhile, Niko was handling me and looking at me like I was the missing link.
“God, bro. You’re so fucking stupid. How could you go out there to the Marvellis? Fucking stupid.”
It was, but not for the reasons he believed. He just hadn’t wanted me to go because he didn’t think they’d honor a financial exchange with me for a loan he’d taken out. The thing was, I had a very good relationship with Alexi. He would have forgiven Niko and let me pay, but that hadn’t been what put me in the crossfire when it’d all been said and done. It’d been my link to Billie, my obsession with her and the whole reason I’d tried to keep my distance from her in the goddamn first place. I’d put her in danger. And honestly, the only good thing that had come out of tonight was that they’d gotten to me in the end instead of her. I’d never forgive myself if it’d been any other way.
I really had been stupid.
“What’s going on?” I asked, wanting to go to her now just to make sure she was safe. My jaw moved. “How are you and Billie here?”
“How are we…” Niko started to chuckle. He put hands on my face. “You’re only even here because of that girl.”
“How?”
“Dude, you scared the fucking shit out of me when I woke up and saw you were gone. I didn’t know what to do so I called her.”
“Why?” I left him, going to the glass window. Billie was out there, down the hall just a ways, but I could see her. She’d returned with that coffee, but wasn’t drinking it.
Pacing, she chewed her little lip, waving her hands around and talking to herself. I couldn’t hear her since the door was closed, but she looked frustrated as fuck. I didn’t know if the frustration lay with herself, the situation, or what, but whatever she was doing, I smiled at her.
She looked cute as hell.
“She called her father, man. Called him for you.”
I found my
buddy’s eyes. “What?”
Grinning, he folded his big arms. He too spied Billie through the glass, her drink up to her lips. “I wanted to go to the cops, but I didn’t think they’d listen to me. I went to Billie instead, told her everything and she got her dad involved. The DA? Anyway, he made a few calls, and after he did, the police got a team together to go get you…”
“Does her dad have red hair? Wear aviator shades?”
He frowned. “Don’t know. Haven’t seen him.”
I think I had, and I think he was here tonight, which meant he’d gone to get me when he definitely didn’t have to. I mean, he wasn’t a cop.
My mouth dried, staring at Billie again. She’d sat down now, staring at her lap. I swallowed. “She called her dad for me?”
“Yeah.” Niko dropped an arm around my shoulders. “I don’t know what would have happened if she didn’t.”
I did, in the middle of that goddamn shoot out.
She called him…
I stared at the beauty queen once again, and this time, she stared at me, her head up. Lifting her coffee, she waved her cup a little at me, and I raised a hand back. This girl saved my goddamn life tonight.
And she spoke to the father she hated to do it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
LJ
Niko drove Billie and I back since the police wouldn’t let me get my car until morning. As a result of working with the police, Niko and I were both told we were able to go, but I had a feeling that may have had less to do with our cooperation and more to do with Billie and her dad. Of course, we weren’t told this. We were just told we could go, and neither one of us argued. We were just happy to be out of that place and that Alexi was in custody. I was told I personally would be hearing from the police soon regarding him and his arrest. I was told not to worry. As long I was available, I wouldn’t have any issues regarding the police, and I was just happy to be done with all this shit. I just wanted to finish school and forget about that part of my life.
Of course, I wouldn’t have had the option at all if it hadn’t been for Billie. She hadn’t had to help me, but she did.
I just didn’t know why.
I’d fucked up royally when it came to her, but still, she’d helped me. I wanted to talk to her, but with Niko around, I hadn’t felt it appropriate. He was going to drop her off at her house, but since I had wanted to talk to her, I’d been able to convince her to come back to our place for dinner. It was the least I could do, but I also had an evening’s worth of metaphorical crap on me I wanted to scrub off as soon as possible.
I left Billie downstairs with Niko to chew the fat and shit while I showered. He was supposed to call in takeout.
My hand on the shower wall, I let all the stress and shit fall, my hand somehow finding my cock when I thought about the redhead downstairs. I couldn’t help but think about her and what she’d done for me. It’d been a brave thing she’d done tonight. From what I understood, she and her father had a history she wanted nothing to do with. This history sent her running, but she came right back to him. She did it for me.
Grunting, I almost got myself to that peak, but ended up stopping. Fuck, it’d be too easy but I didn’t think I had the right. I didn’t have the right, not with all the drama I’d made sure she’d gone through in the past. I’d hurt her, something I needed to own up to.
My own history plaguing me now, I let go of my dick, then turned the shower cold. This tamed the madness within, calming me down enough to ultimately finish my shower, then towel off. I had clothes waiting, sweats and a white tee. I shrugged the sweats on with no boxers, but held the t-shirt in my hands as I came downstairs. Billie was still where I’d left her at the kitchen island. But surprisingly, there was no Niko in sight.
“Where’s Nik?” I asked, and her sight lifted from her device. She’d been playing with it when I came downstairs, but she wasn’t now.
A heat touched her gaze that simmered all those rogue thoughts again, a flush crushing her cheeks. Her attention drifted down my damp chest and lower, stopping at the midpoint of my abs before finding my eyes. Red lashes blinked. “He went out to get the food.”
All too quickly, she fluttered those lashes back in the direction of her phone. Honest to God, I hadn’t left my shirt off to tease her. Though, that’d been my nature in the past so she probably assumed.
Being real, I’d still been amped up from thoughts upstairs, hot, and the way she eye-fucked my chest just now didn’t help.
I eliminated space between us, freckled thighs crossed atop my barstool. So supple-looking, I wanted to thrust myself between them, and her wearing her night shirt the way she currently was didn’t help. She had it bunched at her midriff, her hair tie doing the holding. Set free, her red hair fell in thick waves across her shoulders, and I wanted to wrap them around my fist and crush my mouth against hers. I had all these words in my head, all these goddamn words I’d mulled over in the shower, and not one of them made it out of my mouth now. She made it hard, never easy with her.
Her eyes glanced up to me, literally not an ounce of space between us. Her chest heaving, she stared up to my eyes. “What are you doing, LJ?”
What was I doing? I had no fucking idea, sliding my shirt to the counter and looking at her. My mouth parted. “I just want to know why.”
“Why?”
I nodded. “Why did you do what you did? Why did you call your dad?”
I just… needed to hear it, couldn’t believe it.
Why are you doing this to yourself?
I didn’t deserve this girl, not in a million galaxies with all the shit I’d done to her. Even still, I was torturing myself. Still, I allowed myself for hope I most definitely didn’t deserve.
But if she gave me an in…
The ball was completely in her court now, and I think she knew that, turning away from me.
I bought her back by the chin, my thumb sliding across her lip. “Why, beauty queen?”
“Why do you think?”
I shook my head. “Why? Tell me.”
The ultimate question that somehow caused tears to form in her eyes. Her lip trembled, and when I tugged at it, she wet it.
“I was scared,” she breathed, my heart punching the walls in my goddamn chest. “I was scared for you. Scared I’d never see you again.”
The lump in my throat thick and hot, I choked it down, made myself look at her. Framing her face, I dragged her gaze up.
“LJ…”
“Want to know what scared me?” I asked her. “The last thoughts I had when Alexi Marvelli had me staring down the barrel of more than one gun.”
She cringed, her hands coming to lock around my wrists. “What?”
“Well, it wasn’t school,” I said, waving the hair out of her face. “And it wasn’t just my family. Though, I thought about them too.”
I thought about so many things, and yes, my family but she’d been right there with them. It’d been her face I found there too in the night. She’d been right there with them, a heavy fear that I’d messed up and never got to see any of them again for decisions I made. My jaw moved. “You were there in my mind, Billie. You. I had thoughts of you as one of my last, and I hate myself for that. I hate what I did to you. I hate that I hurt you.”
Tears finally fell as she trembled in my hands, her eyes closing. “Then why did you? Why did you do those things?”
“Because in the fucked up spaces of my mind, I thought I was doing it for my family. I worked with Alexi Marvelli, had a good relationship with him. He was a business partner, and I couldn’t have anything come between that. I’m all my family has, and the Marvellis and your dad are literally at war. Having anything to do with you would have been bad. Your dad’s that family’s enemy.”
“But what does my dad’s relationship with them have to do with me?”
“Because you’re close to him, Billie.” I dragged my thumbs across her cheeks. “You know, the Marvellis showed me your picture tonight? Alexi Marvelli
had your goddamn picture in his fucking hands. He knew who your dad was, your ties to me. He knew I love…”
I stopped just short, unable to go there. Because once I said that, it was over. I was hers, but she could never be mine. Not after all the things I did.
I said the words anyway.
“He knew that I love you,” I said and not past tense. I swallowed hard. “I love you, Billie.”
She was trembling so hard at this point, quivering. It drove me so fucking mad my mouth fell down on hers, claiming it.
A gasp and she gripped my shoulders, basically fusing our mouths and bodies together.
“I love you,” I breathed over her mouth, unable to hide it anymore. This girl had me undone to the point I thought I’d collapse beneath my own weight.
Her tears wet my cheeks during the kiss, that same passion I felt coming right back to me. I had no idea when all this had changed, but it had. She’d claimed me.
And I marked her.
“I love you, LJ.” Her hands seared over my body like hot wax, each touch the best fucking burn. She sighed when my tongue flicked out, tasting hers. A reach and I forced everything off the island, picking her up and setting her on it.
“I’m so sorry,” I gritted, unable to get enough of her softness and taste. “I’m so fucking sorry for everything I did to you.”
I couldn’t be sorry enough, her body quaking in my hands. I tugged her shirt off and saw just a sports bar hugging her full tits. The thing gave her cleavage like a motherfucker, the swell of her breasts flushed and heated.
Growling, I dove between the pair, licking from one swell to the other. She gripped my hair as I worked the bra off, releasing her breasts. I drew a nipple instantly into my mouth, laving, and she dug her fingernails in my abs.
“Christ, beauty queen. Christ.” I bit hard, and she cried out against my teeth, the sound literally reverberating through her entire chest. Yanking her shorts off, I realized she wore just as few undergarments as I did.
