Striker: A Dark Bully Romance (Redwood Rebels Book 1)

by Rachel Leigh

  “Is that such a bad thing? I mean, you do like him, don’t you? Unless you tell me what happened, that’s all I have to go on.” Her shoulders shrug. “You like him. He likes you.”

  If only it were that simple. “Yeah, I do like him. More than I should. But he’s been lying to me. I feel like everything that happened between us was all just a lie.”

  “Is it possible that he lied to protect you?” When I shoot her the evil eye, she holds her hands up in defeat. “Just throwing it out there as a possibility.”

  With my left leg, I kick one of her hands down and chuckle. “No, you’re right. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly why he lied. I just need more time is all.”

  My phone vibrates for the umpteenth time beneath my pillow. Only, this time, it's not the steady vibration of a ring. It’s just one buzz. Ten seconds later, it buzzes again. Digging my hand under the pillow, I pull it out. My eyes dart from the phone to Shay. “He texted me.”

  She raises a brow. “Well, I’m gonna leave you to that while I get ready. When you’re done, join me. Because you’re going to this party, Ms. Debbie Downer.”

  I return to the phone and let my finger linger over his name. Temptation getting the best of me, I tap it.

  Talon: Please, Marni. I need to talk to you. I really don’t want this conversation to happen over a text message. There’s so much you don’t know. I’ll tell you everything. I’ll do whatever it takes. Hell, I’ll run away with you and leave all this behind if I have to. Just give me five minutes.

  I could really use some clarity right now. At this point, I have nothing left to lose.

  Me: Meet me at Shane’s party at eight o’clock.

  His response comes instantly.

  Talon: I’ll be there.

  “Are you sure I don’t look too sleazy?” I ask Shay, as I tug the skintight dress down a tad while we walk up the lawn of Shane’s house.

  Her eyes skim the length of my body. “You like hot.”

  Music blasts through the speakers and people are already staggering around in the grass with beverages in their hands. It’s officially Thanksgiving break, and when schools out, the students of Redwood High celebrate the only way we know how—music and booze.

  It feels surreal to be surrounded by all these people after everything that happened in the last month. Granted, I haven’t exactly been in isolation, but my mind has been there for a while. Alone and full of irrational thoughts that provoke irrational behavior. My eyes immediately search the party for Talon. I’ve been a ball of nerves and I’m so anxious to see him. To get answers and to try and move on from this. If that’s even possible. Josh is still dead. The cops are still investigating. And now, I have to worry about Dad going to prison.

  I’m pushing my way through the crowd, trying to keep up with Shay, when I spot Tommy. Then…“Talon,” I say, when his eyes catch mine.

  A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth and mine threaten to do the same, but I bite back and pull my lips between my teeth.

  “Hey,” he says, while he’s still at least six feet away from me. Slow steps lead him closer and when we’re face to face, I see who’s behind him.

  “Lars!” I spit. “Are you seriously hanging out with this guy right now? Do you have any idea what he did to me?” I shake my head and go to walk away, but Talon grabs ahold of my arm.

  “Wait. Please. Let me explain.”

  Jerking my arm back, I huff, “There’s nothing to explain.” I begin dodging people and heading out the house the same way I came in.

  “Marni,” Talon shouts, “Would you just wait a damn minute?”

  I look over my shoulder and see him coming closer. Along with Lars, and then Tommy.

  I pick up my pace and walk faster, but as soon as my feet hit the steps outside, I stumble forward. “Easy there,” Jordan says, when he catches me mid-fall. I brace myself by gripping the shoulders of his purple and black Ravens jersey. He smiles big and wide, like seeing me is the highlight of his night. “I was hoping you’d be here.”

  “Jordan,” Talon grumbles from behind me as he comes closer, “Get your dirty fucking hands off her now!”

  “I need to get out of here.” I push myself off from Jordan.

  Damnit, my car isn’t even here.

  Regardless, I keep trudging back down the lawn. I’ll walk home if I have to, err back to Shay’s. My arms cross over my chest, and I heave a drawn-out breath with each step because I know they’re right behind me. So close that I can smell Talon’s cologne.

  “Haven’t you realized by now that you can’t escape me?” He speaks casually, like his words have little to no effect.

  “Watch me.” We’re walking side by side now. I don’t slow down, and I don’t speed up. I just keep walking, unsure of where I’m even going. “Where’d your posse go?”

  “Left them behind. We were planning to talk to you together, but apparently, that didn’t work out like we planned.”

  “How can you even talk to Lars after what he did to me? Are you buddy-buddy with Zed again, too?” I chuckle, and it’s loaded with sarcasm. “Oh, right. The pact. Your loyalty lies with them.”

  “It’s not like that. Lars was being blackmailed. He’s just as much of a victim as you were. Zed threatened to expose him for some serious shit if he didn’t do what he was told. But he tried to amend the situation. He called and told me everything and offered to help once the guilt ate away at him.”

  I smirk, with even more sarcasm this time. “Oh, good. All is forgiven.”

  He grabs my hand, stopping my movements, but I jerk it away again. “Would you stop walking and listen to me for a damn minute.”

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I grumble, “I’m listening.”

  “Lars would have never hurt you. He knew we’d come find you, and you’re safe. Isn’t that enough?”

  “Alright. Let’s forget Lars for a minute. I don’t even care about fucking Lars. I wanna know about my dad and his place in all this.”

  His fingers weave through his hair and he lets out a sigh. “It’s messy, Marni. And really fucked up.”

  I speak each word slowly. “Did my dad really hand me over to you guys just to keep his secret?”

  “Yes.” That’s all I need to know. “But there’s more.”

  27

  One month earlier

  “His car is right fucking there.” I point out the window. “I know he’s watching her. Probably jerking off in her front yard as we speak.”

  Josh Moran is going to pay for not listening to me. He will pay.

  “What do you wanna do about it?” Tommy asks, as he lingers beside me from his bedroom window.

  “He needs to be stopped,” I tell him, while he pulls a black hoodie over his head and slides on his tennis shoes. “What are you doing?”

  “Let’s go stop him.” He opens his drawer and pulls out a taser.

  “Where the hell did you get that?” I laugh, as I grab it from him and inspect the little device.

  “Stole it from the cop that tried arresting me for spray-painting under the bridge.”

  I stuff the taser in my pocket. “Alright. Let’s just give him a little scare. We only use this if we have to. We’re not hurting the boy. Not yet.”

  We walk outside and the night is completely still. Not even a cricket chirps. “So what’s with this guy? Why’s he honing in on your girl?”

  “She’s not my girl. She’s my pawn. I just need to find a way to get her on my side, so I can lure that bastard Mike Porter in. She's got the body and she’s got the guts. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

  As soon as we round the corner, I notice a flicker of light coming from the road. “What the hell is that?” I jog closer. “Holy shit.” My hand claps over my mouth.

  “Is that—”

  “Yeah. Dude. I think he’s fucking dead.” I lean closer to get a better look. The flashlight of his phone is on about five inches from his body. “It’s definitely Josh.”

  “Fuck, man. We
need to call the cops—an ambulance—someone.”

  Giving Tommy a shove, I push him out of the way. “Get back, there’s a car coming.” We run and hide behind a bush. “Get out your phone,” I urge him. When he does, I grab it from his hand and press record on the camera app. Holding the phone up, I record the car coming down the road. “He might have just got hit. They might be coming back.”

  “Fuck!” Tommy shrieks at the same time I do.

  “Oh my god.” My hand covers my mouth once more as I continue to hold the phone up.

  The car rolled right over Josh’s body like he wasn’t even there. Then backed up.

  “The driver’s getting out,” I say in a hushed tone. “Wait a minute. That’s Anderson Thorn, Marni’s dad.”

  Anderson takes in his surroundings, checking for witnesses. Takes one look at Josh, mumbles something with wide eyes, then gets back in his car and keeps heading straight. This time, driving around his body. Driving right past us while we hide behind the bush. I stop recording. “Do you think he’s the one who killed him?” I ask Tommy.

  “Nah. He looked scared shitless. No way. Someone else did this. Someone hit him and left his body out here.”

  “Who would fucking do that?”

  We sit quietly for a good ten minutes then a devious plan creeps into my mind. I try and shove it back down, but it keeps crawling back in and filling every crack and crevice of my head. “Anderson did look scared. Like he thought he hit and killed him. Then he drove off out of fear.” I look at Tommy, who isn’t following one bit. “We have a video of him running over Josh. What if we crop it and make him think he did kill him? We could get whatever we want.”

  I can immediately tell that Tommy doesn’t like this idea. “What could he possibly have that we want?”

  A smile spreads across my face. Sinister and full of mischief. “His daughter.”

  “What a damn minute,” Marni cuts me off, “You mean to tell me that my dad didn’t kill Josh?” Her face drops into her hands. “Then who the hell did?”

  “I’m not finished. We then decided to call the guys and fill them in on the plan. We scooped up Josh’s body, tossed it in the trunk of Zed’s grandma's car, and took him to Briarwood.”

  “You’re telling me that her dad just hit him and drove off and you guys actually caught the entire thing on video. This is fucking epic.” Zed beams all too eagerly. “We’ve got that fucker in the palm of our hands and we’re gonna squeeze the life out of him. I’ve never liked that bastard.” He begins pacing the basement floor while Josh’s body lies next to him wrapped in an old afghan.

  “We can’t push him too far. We tell him that we want Marni for a while and we make a deal. No one touches her. She will not be harmed. Got it?” I say, making myself perfectly clear.

  “Works for me,” Lars says. Tommy follows in agreement.

  “What the hell is in it for us?” Zed huffs. “Doesn’t seem fair that we do all the dirty work and you get to carry out your plan with no gain for us.”

  “How about this,” I tap my fingers together. “We all have people who have done us wrong. We all get our shot at revenge. When I’m done, someone else gets their chance. One shot. Four acts. We stick together no matter what.”

  “That sounds a little bit better. I can handle that. I’ve already got a poor soul in mind who needs to atone for his sins.”

  I put my hand out, and the guys pile theirs on top. “One shot. Four acts. We’re in this together from start to finish.”

  Tommy chimes in, “And anything that happens in between.”

  We break.

  “We need to get rid of this fucking body before he starts stinking up the place.” Zed pinches his nose.

  “We could just bury him down here. No one comes to this place, except for the occasional scarefest. Chip up the cement, dig a hole, and drop him in, and we’ll cement the surface again,” Lars says.

  Tommy gags as he walks toward the stairs. “I can’t stomach this shit. You guys have to do that part without me.”

  “I’ll take care of Josh and grab a few bags of cement tomorrow. You all go home. I’ll text you when it’s done. Then we need to talk about what we’re doing with his car that's parked in front of Tommy’s house.” Zed surprises us all by taking some initiative.

  “Thanks, man. When you’re done, meet us over at Tommy’s house. We’ll come up with a game plan.”

  “Wait. Zed buried Josh in the basement. So why was he digging up a spot down there last night?”

  “He was?”

  “Yeah. I assumed he was planning to toss one of you guys in there with Josh, but you all seem fine to me.”

  “I guess that could have been his plan. But, I got through to him and left. Haven’t heard a word from him since and don’t plan to.”

  Marni nods in agreement. “Yeah, let's hope that none of us do. Is that all to the story?”

  “Pretty much sums it up. You know what happened next.”

  I pull out my phone and hold a finger up to Marni. “Hey, Lars. We need to go check on things at Briarwood. It seems Zed was stirring shit up in the basement. Pick us up at the end of the driveway.”

  I end the call.

  “We?” Marni questions.

  “We’re in this together. Remember? You’re one of us now.” I hook an arm around her, and this time she doesn’t toss it off like it's infected.

  “Alright. So, Josh is dead. We have no idea who did it. Lars and Zed still think that it was my dad and could use that against him at any given moment. Should we tell them the truth?”

  “I’ve filled Lars in. He knows now.”

  “And, Zed? Do you plan to tell him so he doesn’t do something stupid that could send my dad to prison?”

  I shake my head. “No. Not until we find out who really killed Josh. He could turn it around on us. Someone out there knows something and eventually, we’ll find out who that someone is. When we do, let’s hope for their sake they don’t have something we want.”

  “You don’t think it could have been Zed who hit him, do you?”

  I shrug a shoulder. “At this point, everyone is a suspect.”

  “We’ll meet you guys inside,” I tell Tommy and Lars when they get out of the car.

  Marni tucks a leg under the other and turns toward me in the back seat. The back of my hand grazes over her cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

  She chuckles and turns her head to look out the window. “It’s only been a day.”

  “It felt longer.”

  Turning back to me, her expression is solemn. “Talon, I just don’t know how this could ever work between us. Everything is so messed up.”

  “That’s because we’re messed up. You and I both. Nothing has ever been easy for us, so why would it be now?”

  “I’m just not sure that a relationship is the best thing for me right now.”

  “I agree. Besides, I don’t do relationships. Never wanna get married. Definitely not having kids.”

  She smiles. “Same.” Then she takes my hand from her cheek and holds it in hers, tracing the lines of my palm. “What if we just take things slow?”

  My eyes dart to hers. “As long as it's fast in the bed.”

  “Such a man.” She snickers.

  I lean forward and press my lips to hers. “Your man.”

  “I thought we just agreed to take it slow.”

  “This is slow. But I don’t want anyone else and you better not be with anyone else.”

  “Or what?”

  “You’ve seen what I’m capable of my little rebel.” I kiss her lips again, and again, and again. Then I pull back.

  “Are you happy now that you carried out your revenge? Do you feel fulfilled?”

  “Honestly, I’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted. Money, power, my revenge on the man I hate. But, it means nothing without you. I didn’t know it at the time, but my plans changed the first time I saw you cry. I’d give it all back if it meant I could keep you forever.”

  “O
k then.”

  “Ok?”

  “Keep me.”

  Our lips collide with so much intensity that even the strongest force of nature couldn’t pry them apart.

  The strongest force of nature couldn’t stop it, but the loud thudding on the window could. “Unlock the fucking door.” Lars growls from the other side. I didn't even know it was locked. I pull the handle, and the door flies open.

  “He’s fucking gone.”

  “What do you mean he’s gone?”

  “Josh. He isn’t down there. The hole is dug but nothing’s in it. Fuck man, I don’t think he ever was.”

  “No. That can’t be.” I slide out of the car, and Marni follows.

  Tommy comes hurling down the driveway. “Nothing.” He throws his arms in the air.

  “So Zed never buried him here like he said?” Marni asks.

  I pinch the bridge of my nose and exhale a drawn-out breath. “That mother fucker.” I pull out my phone and hit his name.

  “What are you doing?” Lars steps forward. “Don’t call him.”

  “We need answers and he’s the only one who has them.”

  Zed picks up on the second ring, “Miss me already?”

  “Where is he?” I huff.

  “Oh, Josh. He’s safe. Don’t you worry about that.”

  “Did you ever even bury him like you were supposed to?”

  “Oh, he’s buried. But not where you wanted. Never was.”

  “Where the fuck is he?”

  “I told you I’d take care of him and I did. Now, I have you all right where I want you and you’ll do exactly what I say. If you don’t, everyone goes down.”

  I look around at the concerned faces staring back at me.

  We’re all screwed.

  Epilogue

  If someone would have told me a month ago, or even two weeks ago, that I’d be spending Thanksgiving with these guys, and actually enjoying it, I would have rolled over dead. Yet, here I am. Squeezing my eyes shut because I was told to—not much has changed.

  “Can I open them now?” I ask Talon, as he leads me down the sidewalk to who knows where. I’m pretty sure we’re in Las Verdes, but I have no idea where we’re going.