“Not a chance,” said Billy. “You’ve made your decision, and I’ve made mine. You take one step further and you know what’s going to happen. Call my bluff. See what goes down.”
“Caleb,” I said, fear in my voice. I knew Caleb and had a good sense of what kind of man he was. Billy, on the other hand, was an unknown element. He could do anything.
“Come on,” said Caleb, turning to me. “Let’s go.”
He took one step forward. Just as Billy had suggested, he didn’t move. Caleb’s chest slammed into Billy’s, the two tall, powerful brothers staring one another down.
“Move, Billy.”
“No.”
“You don’t move, and I’m going to have to make you.”
“Do whatever you want.”
Caleb let go of my hand and nodded back toward the desk. Without waiting a moment, I hurried away from the two brothers.
“This is your last chance, Billy,” said Caleb.
“Yours, too.”
What happened next took place with such speed that I could hardly process it. Caleb put his hand on Billy’s shoulder, pushing him aside. Billy stumbled a few inches backward before composing himself and squaring his shoulders again.
“Didn’t want to have to do this,” he said. “But you’re not giving me a choice.”
“Wrong, Billy. You have a choice.”
And then he made it. Billy pulled back his fist and swung it toward Caleb, connecting with his jaw.
I gasped, a sick crack sounding as the blow connected. Caleb staggered backward, blood trickling from his mouth.
Then he ran toward Billy, throwing his arms around him and bring him down to the ground.
Caleb was too much for Billy and brought them both tumbling in a heap. Grunts and curses and other noises of struggle filled the office as the brothers grappled with one another, each trying to move into the dominant position.
I couldn’t help it—I let out a panicked scream as they fought. Then I searched around the room, looking for something I could use as a weapon. On the desk was a small glass vase. I picked it up and held it in front of my chest.
Billy squirmed out from under Caleb, rushing toward me.
“Come here!” he shouted to me as he drew closer.
But he didn’t get to me. Caleb grabbed him by the wrist, and without pausing for a moment, I raised the vase over my head and brought it down onto Billy’s. It crashed into pieces, a dazed look settling over Billy’s eyes as the shards fell around him onto the ground.
Caleb seized the opportunity, wrapping his arms around Billy’s neck. Billy struggled for a moment, but the fight had gone out of him. His eyes slowly closed, and his body went limp in Caleb’s arms. Seconds later, he was out.
It was over.
Caleb dragged his brother over to the chair behind the desk and set him down. There was a small cut on his forehead, but otherwise he appeared to be fine.
“Is he okay?” I asked, my heart still racing.
“He’ll probably have a hell of a headache when he comes to, but he’ll be fine.”
Caleb searched Billy’s pockets, pulling out a set of car keys and his phone. “Come on, we’re getting out of here.”
He didn’t need to tell me twice.
Caleb grabbed my hand and we hurried out of the office. Moments later we were at the van, Caleb helping me into the passenger’s seat before climbing into the driver’s and starting the engine.
I took his hand again, but as the shock of the fight wore off and the reality of the situation settled over me, I removed it.
“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling the van back on the road toward the highway.
“I’m fine. You know, aside from your brother kidnapping me and threatening to hold me for ransom.”
“I’m sorry about all that.”
“Did you know about any of this? That he was going to pull this kind of stunt?”
“He’d mentioned it, and I thought I’d talked him out of it. I had no idea he was actually going to go through with it.”
“Well, he did. And what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been able to beat him?”
He said nothing, and it was clear he didn’t have an answer for me.
“We can go back to my place,” he said. “Figure this out.”
“No.” The word came out with a sharp edge. “I want to go back to my apartment.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “We can go back there, get some re—”
“No,” I said again. “I want to go back by myself. I want to be alone.”
He turned to me for a moment before putting his eyes back on the road. “Are you serious? Sierra, being alone isn’t what you need right now.”
“I need to think about all this. You told me you were a criminal, and at the time it seemed fine. Well, not fine, but something we could work through. But having this happen, seeing in person what kind of life you’ve lived…”
“We should talk,” he said. “You’re frazzled from what happened.”
“I might be, but I’m clear-headed enough to know what I want.”
“Sierra, I—”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Take me to my apartment, please.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it as he seemed to realize there was nothing else to be said.
The rest of the drive was in silence. We eventually reached my apartment, Caleb pulling the van to a stop out front.
“Sierra, say something—anything.”
“I just need time to think.”
“Are we going to see each other again?”
“I don’t know. But give me time, Caleb.”
With that, I opened the door and hurried to the lobby. Minutes later I was in my apartment and locking the door behind me.
Tears formed in my eyes as soon as I was alone. I had no idea what to do.
Chapter 20
Caleb
I was seated at the bar of the same joint where I’d met Billy the day he’d gotten out of prison. No special reason for going there, other than that I needed a drink and it was the first place that’d come to mind.
After tossing back my whiskey, I immediately ordered another, hoping the buzz would ease my nerves and put the insanity of the last day out of my head.
Sierra. All I wanted was to see her again. But things had been left uncertain, and I had no idea if I would. She’d certainly have all the reason in the world to never want to come near me—it was one thing to hear about my criminal life as some vague thing, but it was another thing entirely to be pulled into danger like that.
It all made perfect sense. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell.
At the end of my second whiskey, I couldn’t resist any longer. I took out my phone and pulled up Sierra’s number, my thumbs hovering over the keyboard. I knew she wanted her space, but I had to check in, make sure she was all right.
“How are you?” I wrote.
I hit send. The message was simple. What more was there to say?
The moment I set my phone back on the bar, it buzzed. Though I had no reason to believe the news was good, my mouth still set in a smile when I saw it was a message from her.
“Not sure yet. I still need to think. But I don’t want to press charges. And I don’t think I’ll tell my parents.”
It was more than I, or Billy, deserved.
I sent her a reply telling her thanks, that I’d be there when she felt up to talking. Her reply was another “thanks,” and that was that.
It killed me to not be able to be there for her, to do nothing but wait. After I’d told her the truth about everything, I’d almost let myself believe it was going to be that simple, that we’d be in love and that would be that. I should’ve known my past would come back to haunt me.
I finished my second whiskey and ordered another. But before I could take even a sip, the front door to the bar opened, the dingy interior flooding with bright, afternoon light.
I turned to see who’d come in, the fi
gure seeming familiar.
“Whiskey,” the figure called out. “And make it double.”
I didn’t need a second more to recognize that voice.
It was Billy.
The door shut behind him, and he stepped up to the bar. There was something about the way he moved—he didn’t walk with his usual cocky stride, but instead walked with careful, measured steps, as if he was afraid.
I was at the far end of the bar, so he didn’t see me at first. I watched as he threw back the double, finishing with a harsh “ahh,” then ordered another.
Then turned slightly, and at last laid eyes on me.
Billy froze in place, his eyes going wide. Through the low light of the bar, I could make out the bruising on his face from where Sierra had hit him.
Neither of us knew what to say, what to do. For a moment, I wondered if he’d simply drop his drink and turn tail and run out of the place as quickly as he’d arrived.
It dawned on me that I was going to have to be the one to say something.
“Billy. Get your ass over here and sit down.”
The surprise faded from his face, replaced with a tinge of anger.
“Still telling me what to do, huh?”
“Fine. Sit your ass down here—pretty please, with sugar on top. Got something important to tell you.”
He took a deep breath before sipping his booze. Then, with a shake of his head, he stepped over to me and sat down in the open stool to my right.
There was silence at first—two brothers drinking their whiskey like they didn’t have a care in the world. Would’ve been nice if it were the truth of the situation.
“Surprised to see you here,” I said, breaking the silence.
“Surprised to see me at one of my usual bars getting drunk?”
“Surprised to see you in town, is what I meant. Thought you might’ve fled the damn state by now.”
“Nah. If I’m going to get busted for what I did, I’m going to get busted from the comfort of my favorite bar, a little whiskey in my gut. Not going to go down in some shitty motel halfway across the state.”
“Something kind of respectable about that.”
He shrugged. “Just trying to face the music, I guess. Besides, you took my damn car, remember? Not like I could go anywhere even if I wanted to.”
Billy grinned, and I did the same.
“Anyway,” he said. “What was it you wanted to tell me. Something important?”
“Oh yeah. You’re not going to have to worry about being busted.”
“Are you serious? What are you talking about? I just—” He stopped himself, apparently realizing it wouldn’t be a good idea to advertise his crimes in front of the entire bar.
“No one knows about it but the three of us,” I cut in. “And I got a message from Sierra letting me know she’s not going to be pressing charges.”
His eyes lit up, surprise and relief washing over him in equal measure. “Are you fucking serious? She’s just going to let it slide? Why? What reason does she have to do that?”
“No idea. She’s not talking to me right now, aside from telling me that. Maybe she doesn’t want to make this thing any more out of control than it already is.”
“She’s not talking to you? Why not? You saved her from your dumbass brother who almost made the mistake of a lifetime.”
“Guess it was too real for her. One thing to find out your boyfriend’s a crook, another to get kidnapped by his brother.”
“So things are done between you two?”
“Don’t know. She needs time to think, that’s all she’ll say.”
Billy shook his head, sipping his whiskey. “I’m sorry about all that.”
“Sorry? You kidnapped Sierra and now you’re sorry?” I spat. “Two hours ago you were ready to beat the shit out of me to hold her for ransom.”
“I don’t know. I got caught up in all of it, felt like that once I’d gone that far, there was no way out but through, you know?”
“You still did it. That’s not something I can easily forgive you for. Let alone whether Sierra ever will.”
“It was maybe the worst mistake of my life. Wish I could take it back. But I felt like my back was against the wall, you know? What the hell am I supposed to do but go back to the only life I’ve ever known?” He sighed.
“You know what the answer to that is, Billy.”
“I know. But I don’t know how.”
“You’re out on probation. And on top of that, Sierra’s not pressing charges. I don’t know if I’m a ‘signs from the universe’ type, but if I were getting two second chances right on top of each other like that, it would make me stand up and take notice.”
Billy grunted something undecipherable. “You know what she said before you showed up?”
“What’s that?”
“The same shit you’re telling me now, that I can leave it all behind, start fresh.”
“That’s because you can. I don’t know if you see it, Billy, but you’re not some lowlife piece of scum. You’re smart, you’re ambitious, and you’re fearless. Yeah, that’ll get you far as a criminal—”
“Until you end up dead or in jail.”
“Right. But they’ll also get you far in the real world.”
He laughed. “The real world. Bro, that world’s not made for people like me and you.”
“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But at the very least, we ought to give living normal lives a chance before we decide we’re doomed to lives of crime and prison.”
He said nothing, thinking over my words.
“Imagine making an honest living, not having to look over your shoulder every hour to make sure the cops aren’t on your ass. Imagine finding a wife, maybe having some kids.”
He laughed. “You think that kind of life is for guys like us?”
“It could be. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to give it a shot before I write it all off.”
“Easy for you to say. You’ve got a girl, got some way out of this. Me, I’ve got nothing.”
“You’ve got your freedom. And you can use that freedom to get a hell of a lot more. The love of a good woman helped set me straight, Billy. It could do the same for you.”
“Man, what kind of woman would want to date a shithead ex-con like me?”
“One who sees what you’ve got deep down, brother. One who sees in you what I do.”
Another laugh. “Man, you really have gone soft on me, huh?” Then silence. “Okay. Maybe I’ll give it a shot. Maybe I’ll try to live a normal life.”
“That’s all I ask, Billy. I know you can do it.”
He raised his glass. “Never thought I’d say this, but here’s to going straight.”
“To going straight.”
We tapped rims and drank. I had no idea what the future would hold, but at least I had my brother on my side.
But I couldn’t say the same about the woman I loved.
Chapter 21
Sierra
My mind hadn’t stopped racing since the moment I stepped out of Caleb’s car, when I’d hurried up to my apartment and locked the door behind me, as if Billy might return at any moment and finish what he’d started.
The first thoughts I’d had were that I needed to call the police as soon as possible. Billy couldn’t have gone far—he was likely still at the warehouse. Then, once he’d been picked up, I could call Mom and Dad and let them know what had gone down.
Maybe they’d fix it all. Sure, I’d get the talking-to of a lifetime for associating with a man like Caleb. They’d ask what the hell I’d expected letting a criminal get so close to me. Those kinds of men brought nothing but trouble—I could already hear it in my dad’s voice.
Then they’d tell me never to speak to him again. Dad would say this was a sign that I ought to have listened to them, that it was pure foolishness to think I could just run off on my own and make the right decisions.
He’d try to talk me back into the life I’d left behind, tell me to
sign back up for classes, to focus on my studies, maybe even to start the hunt for a man who wouldn’t bring the idea of getting kidnapped into my life.
And maybe Dad would be right. Maybe it had been a stupid idea to try and strike out on my own. After all, I had a criminal boyfriend who himself had a criminal brother.
But the more I’d thought about it, the more I realized I wasn’t ready to give up so easily. Not to mention that I didn’t want to sentence Caleb’s brother to a lifetime in prison for what he’d done. Sure, he’d put me in danger, but throughout it all I’d been able to sense the desperation in his actions, how he’d obviously felt he didn’t have any other options.
So, when I’d gotten the text from Caleb, I’d made my decision. It might’ve been a bad one, it might’ve been one that would come back to bite me on the ass down the road, but it was the only one that seemed right.
I wouldn’t press charges. But as far as what I was going to do about Caleb, I wasn’t so certain.
There was nothing for it; I had to talk to someone.
I sent Maggie a text, letting her know something had gone down and that she needed to come over as quickly as she could. Of course she wanted details, but I wasn’t prepared to give them to her over the phone.
She arrived at my place within the hour. When I opened the door, her eyes were wide, excitement and concern all over her face.
“Okay,” she said, blowing past me and stepping into the apartment. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“You’d better sit down for this, because you’re not going to believe it.”
With that, I went into it. I told her about Caleb and his secret life, about his brother, about what Billy did to me. Maggie sat on the edge of the couch, not saying a word until I finished my story.
“Okay,” she said. “That’s about the most insane thing I’ve ever heard in my life. And this happened today? How are you not going insane?”
I threw my hands up. “I don’t know. I’m frazzled from what happened, but Billy…he seemed more like a scared kid than anything else. I never felt as though I was in real danger. And though he told me Caleb was in on it, I think deep down I knew it wasn’t the case.”
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