I meet Dominique’s gaze in the rearview mirror and it clicks. He’s not going for Kasey because of Aaron. Interesting. “Alright. Alright. You go get yours. I’m about to go get mine. Talk later, cabrón.”
I hang up the call just as we pull up to Sarah’s place. The lawn is packed with bodies, the streets lined with cars.
“Fuck, this is going to be a nightmare,” I groan. How the hell are we going to find the girls in this mess?
Stepping inside, we’re immediately overwhelmed by the crush of bodies, loud thumping music, and the strong smell of marijuana. “I’ll check the living room and hallway. Go check the kitchen and we’ll meet at the bottom of the stairs in ten,” Roman grunts over the noise.
“I’ve got the back,” Dominique adds, and we all part ways to see who can find our prey first.
I nod, eager to get this over with. Guys and girls are grinding against one another. Another couple is damn near fucking against a wall for everyone to see, the guy’s hands down the girl’s pants, and it takes zero imagination to know what he’s doing.
I scan the heads around me, looking for Bibiana’s raven black hair when I hear my name.
“Emilio!” Sarah squeals, launching herself at me. I stumble back a step before I steady myself and peel her arms from around my neck. Her smile falters at my expression. “Did you come to see me?” she asks, a thread of hope in her voice.
I sigh and shake my head. “You know I’m with Bibiana.”
She harrumphs. “Then why are you here?” Sarah flicks her hair over her shoulder before folding her arms across her chest, a move I know she does to draw attention to her chest. Too bad for her I’m not even tempted to take a peek. My girl’s got the only tits I’m interested in.
“I’m looking for Bibiana, Kasey, and Allie. Have you seen them?”
Her brows furrows. “Maybe.” She hesitates.
“Sarah—” She doesn’t miss the warning in my voice. I’m not here to play games.
“Urgh, fine. I think I saw them earlier getting a drink. Come on.” She turns around, leaving me no choice but to follow as we make our way through to the crowded kitchen. “Do you want something?” she asks, reaching for a red cup and letting the dude manning the keg fill it for her.
“No,” I bite out. “I’m not here to party. I’m grabbing the girls and then leaving.”
Her lips press into a tight line. “It’s only one drink,” she says, holding the cup out to me. A guy crashes into her back and she stumbles forward, her drink spilling down my front. Sonova— My nostrils flare as I stare down at my now beer-soaked shirt.
“I am so sorry,” she rushes to say. Sarah sets her now empty cup down and hands me a wad of paper towels. I blot at the mess but it’s not going to make a lick of difference. The whole fucking cup caught me.
“Great. I’m going to smell like the beer the rest of the night.” Maybe I can convince Bibiana to take a shower with me. I know Monique is keeping Luis for the night and she was going to stay the night at Allie’s but maybe we can change that.
Sarah’s eyes brighten. “I think I have one of your shirts.” She looks away with a shrug. “I mean, if you want it back that is.”
My brows pull together and I cock my head to the side, not sure if I believe her or if this is some game she’s playing. I don’t remember leaving clothes here, but I mean, I guess I could have left a beater or hoodie or something like that.
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t act so suspicious. I’m pretty sure you left one here from one of the nights you stayed over. It’s upstairs.” She heads for the staircase and yet again, I’m forced to follow. But honestly, what choice do I have? While the prospect of convincing Bibiana to take a shower with me is promising, I don’t want to wear Sarah’s drink for the next thirty minutes or however long it takes for me to find her and then get home.
We make our way upstairs and I stand in the middle of her room as she rummages through her drawers. “Take off your shirt and you can throw it in there if you want.” She points toward a laundry basket in the corner. “I’ll wash it and bring it to school on Monday.”
I hesitate and she huffs out a breath. “Emilio, you’re being stupid. I get it. You’re seeing someone.”
Fine. I peel the shirt off, tossing it in the hamper before moving past her and stepping through the open doorway of her bathroom. I wet a rag and run it over my chest and abs to get off some of the lingering beer off before walking back out into her room.
“Shirt?” I ask.
She holds up a black shirt I vaguely recognize and saunters my way, a little extra swing in her step. And here we go. She places the shirt in my hand, but a second after I accept it, she tosses her arms around my neck and stares up at me, longing in her gaze. Fuck. Her eyes have that glazed look too that says she’s probably had one too many drinks herself and is about to do something stupid.
“Sarah—” I warn.
“Come on, Emilio. Weren’t we good together?” Her voice is breathy, more of her wannabe porn-star shit and I am not in the mood. “Why don’t we have one last round together? For old time’s sake,” she purrs. “I’ll make it good for you.”
“I’m seeing someone,” I remind her, grinding my teeth together. I hold myself back from shoving her off me which is exactly what I want to do, and instead grip her arms with near bruising force to keep her from climbing my body like I’m a goddamn tree. The feel of her hands on my chest makes me shiver, and not in a good way. I hate the press of her body against mine. It’s just… wrong.
Despite my hold on her, she still leans up on tiptoe and presses her lips to my neck, her teeth grazing the column of my throat. “I don’t mind sharing anymore,” she whispers. “I miss you.”
I’ve had enough. Fuck the shirt. Fuck this shit. I don’t want her or anyone else that isn’t my girl touching me.
“Sarah—” I growl, but the creak of the door stops me from finishing the sentence as my eyes meet twin pools of anguished blue. “Hey ma—”
She doesn’t wait for me to finish. She bolts from the hallway, her slender legs taking her quickly from sight as I shove past Sarah and chase after her. “Bibiana, wait!” I shout after her, but she doesn’t stop. Fuck.
I lose sight of her raven-colored hair in the sea of people when we make it to the main part of the house. Shit. Where is she?
I scan the crowd, calling out her name. Several heads turn in my direction—none of whom are her—but I don’t give a fuck what people think. I need to find my girl. What she thinks happened didn’t and I don’t want her worried for even a second longer than she needs to be. Allie is the one who drove so she can’t go far on her own. That’s the one thing I’ve got going for me right now.
I pull out my phone, firing off a quick text message and praying she takes the time to read it.
Me: It’s not what it looked like. Let me explain.
I stare at the screen for several seconds, willing her to respond.
She doesn’t. Shirt still in my hand I throw it on over my head and scan the room again, spotting baby Henderson surrounded by a circle of seniors. Motherfucker. What is she thinking? I make a beeline for her and move to drag her away from her admirers. One of them steps forward to object—some asswipe I recognize from the school’s basketball team—but it only takes a second for him to realize who the fuck I am, and he immediately backs off. “Sorry, man. I didn’t realize Kasey was Devil property.”
“She’s not.” Kasey tries to wriggle away but I tighten my grip. “But she is my friend’s baby sister and she’s fourteen. Which makes her too fucking young for you to get your dick wet with.” He drops his head, a chastised look on his face. Good. These fuckers need to stop trying to rob fucking cradles.
“Emilio, knock it off,” she snaps.
I ignore her, shoving her toward the front door with my hand on the center of her back. “I do not have time for your shit, Kasey. I need you to help me find Bibiana.”
She stops struggling and whirls around to face
me. “What did you do?” she asks, hands on her hips.
“Nothing.” I bite out. “Sarah threw herself at me, but nothing happened. Bibiana doesn’t know what she saw.”
Her eyes narrow. “I swear to god if you—“
“I didn’t do shit,” I yell at her, but she doesn’t look convinced, and goddamnit if she doesn’t believe me how the hell am I going to convince Bibiana?
“Yo,” I turn and find Dominique and Roman a few feet away. Allie beside them.
“Either of you seen Bibiana?” All three shake their heads as they move closer. Dominique shifts to Kasey’s side, taking a protective stance beside her as his expression screams to every guy within range to back the fuck off.
“No. She was looking for the bathroom before Roman found me. It’s been kinda long for that though,” Allie says, and I rub the back of my neck.
“Would she have gone to your place?” I ask Kasey. Desperation bleeds into my voice. Where is she?
She shakes her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Fuck.”
“Hey,” Allie says, stepping closer. “What’s going on? What happened?”
I run my hands through my hair. “Nothing, but Bibiana thinks something did. I just need to find her.”
She reaches out and places a hand on my arm. “Take a breath. We will. Let me call her.”
I nod, my gaze still scanning the room in case I catch sight of her. Allie dials her number, but then pulls the phone away from her ear to frown down at the screen. “What—”
“One sec. She sent me a text.”
I move to peer over her shoulder as she reads it aloud.
Bibi: Catching a ride home. Sorry. I’ll explain later.
I rush out the front door. Who the hell would she get a ride with? Everyone who’s fucking trustworthy is right here with me. I don’t want some random asshole trying to take advantage of her. If she’s leaving though, then she has to be outside somewhere. I ask a few of the kids I recognize if they’ve seen her when I spot her curly hair in the dark cutting her way through the crowd. Relief floods through me. I take a step forward, and then notice that she’s veered straight for the bright red car sitting in Kasey’s driveway. One I know doesn’t belong to either Henderson.
I squint. “You have got to be kidding me,” I curse, heading toward them when the driver comes into view. He is someone I immediately recognize and someone I do not want anywhere near Bibiana right now. Not when she’s pissed. Probably hurt over what she thinks she saw. Fucking Jae. Can’t this guy just disappear or something?
“Bibiana!” I shout her name and she spins, her face red and splotchy in the moonlight, wet trails running down her cheeks as she stumbles a bit before regaining her footing. My chest tightens. Shit. I did this. “Mariposa, please. Talk to me.” The endearment rolls off my tongue, but as soon as she hears it, she flinches as though struck.
I’m almost to her but she manages to swing open the car door, climbing inside and shutting it quickly behind her. I slam my palm against the glass and lift the door handle, but it’s locked. “Momma, open the door.” She won’t look at me. I can tell from their mouths moving that she and the fucker inside are arguing about something, but I can’t hear their words. I can feel her slipping through my fingers. If she leaves right now without talking to me, without hearing me out, I know deep down in my gut that we’re done. I don’t know how I know that, but it’s a visceral feeling I can’t shake.
I need her to open the door. Now.
Twenty-nine
A text message flashes across my screen.
Allie: Stay. I’ll take you home if you don’t want to see Emilio but you should hear him out. I don’t think he did what you think he did.
My fingers fly over the illuminated screen as tears track down my face. Of course she would take his side.
Me: I know what I saw.
He had his shirt off, his hands holding her to him as she sucked on his neck like a goddamn vampire. So, no. I do not want to hear him out. I don’t want to ever talk to him again. Urgh! I press the backs of my hands to my eyes.
Nothing can excuse what he did. What he was about to do. God, I am so stupid. I thought I meant more to him. I thought that the flirting and whatever at school was unintentional. Like maybe he didn’t realize what it looked like. I tried to brush it off, but this, I can’t ignore this, and god does that hurt. I thought—I thought maybe he wanted to build a life with me. That we could be a family—him, me and Luis. But I was wrong and now I feel sick. Nausea twists and turns in my gut as I buckle my seat belt.
“Can we leave?” I ask Jae, ignoring the look of concern on his face.
Emilio never cared about me. I was convenient. Easy. A heavy weight presses down on my chest as I realize just how insignificant I am to him. Was this all just a ploy to hurt me? Was any of these past few weeks real?
I shake my head, the alcohol making my head spin.
“Bibi—”
I groan and press my head against my seat. “I’m crying. I’m drunk. And my boyfriend or baby daddy or whatever the hell he is supposed to be was with another girl so for the love of God, can we please leave!” My voice is shrill in the car and I don’t even care. I can’t—my chest heaves and I begin to hyperventilate.
“Are you okay?”
No. I am not okay. I’m pretty sure that’s obvious right now, but I don’t say that.
“Open the door,” Emilio shouts, knocking on the window, startling me as he tries to pry the door open with brute force. Good luck with that. “Mariposa, please. Talk to me.”
My upper lip curls at that single word. I am not his butterfly. I am not his anything. I turn to face him and suck in a shaking breath. “Leave me alone!” I scream loud enough for him to hear me.
His hand is still holding the door handle as if he can stop the car from leaving. His nostrils flare and he gives one firm shake of his head. “We need to talk. You can’t just run away from—”
“Fuck you, Emilio!” I flip him off. I don’t care that it’s childish. He deserves it. “Leave me the hell alone.” Angry tears spill down my cheeks and I hate myself for them. Hate that I can’t lock up my emotions right now. “Why can’t I stop freaking crying,” I complain out loud, and Jae squeezes my knee.
“It’s okay,” he says.
Emilio shouts, “Dammit, Bibiana. Nothing happened!”
I want to believe him. Believe he would never throw what we have away, but I know what I saw, and I refuse to let him make a fool out of me. How long has this been going on? Did he ever stop seeing her? Has he been fooling around with her behind my back this entire time?
“Drive Jae.”
“Are you sure? If you need to talk to him—”
“Just drive!”
His face is tight with worry, but he nods and puts the car in reverse, backing out of Kasey’s driveway.
“Bibi, please—” Emilio’s voice cracks.
I can’t look at him. Not when it feels like my entire world is crashing down around me. They say when you lose the one you love, your heart breaks. But it isn’t only my heart that hurts. My chest aches, my breaths are ragged and shallow. I didn’t realize just how much I cared about him before, but the weight of my feelings slam into me like a Mac truck and I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack if I have to look at him even a second longer.
Is this what he wanted? To hurt me? To see me fall apart? To know he owned my heart and then throw it away?
Emilio chases us out of the driveway, panic written all over his face. “Don’t do this! It’s a misunderstanding. A fucking misunderstanding,” he shouts. But I’m done listening.
Jae peels down the street, finally putting some much-needed distance between us. I see Emilio come to a stop in the rearview mirror, arms at his sides and a hopeless expression on his face as he stands in the middle of the street. I stare at him as his figure gets smaller and smaller. The hole in my chest growing wider and wider.
We turn a corner, and as soon
as he’s out of sight, the tears come faster. Angry, hurt, confused sobs wrack my body, making my chest heave and my shoulders shake.
I bury my face in my hands, a keening sound escaping my lips. Jae pulls over on the side of the road and I hear him unbuckle both our seatbelts before shoving his seat back as far as it will go and dragging me into his lap. His arms wrap around me and he holds me tight in a fierce embrace. “It’s going to be okay,” he tells me, but I have no reason to believe him. No part of what happened tonight feels like it will ever be okay.
“You’ve been drinking, B. Things might look different in the morning,” he tells me.
I don’t bother responding. He wasn’t there. He doesn’t know anything.
I don’t know how long we sit there on the side of the road, but eventually my sobs subside, leaving behind a gaping pit in my chest. “I’m sorry,” I tell him when I can form words again. “I didn’t mean to drag you into this. I just—”
“Don’t apologize. I’m here. For whatever you need. I’ll always be here, okay?”
I nod against his chest, taking a few precious seconds to pull myself together before I lift my head from his chest and climb over the center console, taking my seat again. I wipe the tears from my face and suck in a shuddering breath. Get it together, I tell myself and decide here and now that I will be fine. I’ve been through a lot. I’m strong. I’m independent. And I can do this on my own. I’ve already proven that. I don’t need Emilio to be whole. Brick by brick I will put myself back together. I won’t become my mother. I won’t settle for a man who doesn’t really love me.
Thirty
She won’t take my calls. I know she moved in with Jae, but I don’t know where the fuck that even is. She picked Luis up this morning. Dominique called to let me know she showed up at his place, but I wasn’t able to make it there fast enough to intercept her and Monique refused to tell him what time she was coming for me to plan ahead. Fuck. I should have just showed up at seven this morning and waited. That would have been the smart thing to do. The creeper-stalker thing too, but I could live with that.
Savage Devil: A Secret Baby, High School Bully Romance (Devils of Sun Valley High Book 2) Page 19
