You’re Everything I Need: A Forbidden Romance

by Ford, Mia

  “But he made you. Don’t worry, I understand that. I know what he’s like.”

  “I should have stood up to him more, I should’ve refused.”

  “Why the hell are you apologizing to each other?” Krysten demands with rage in her voice. “You two haven’t done anything wrong. There’s only one person to blame for all of this and it’s that asshole, still out there. Now, the both of you are going to pull your panties up and call the cops. Right now, we need to save Cooper.”

  This is what I mean about Krysten. She’s blunt, but what she says is right. At times like this, Flora and I need her. I’m so God damn happy that I’m back where I’m supposed to be with my girls. Of course, I would much rather the situation be totally different, but at least I’m not alone.

  “Okay, let’s call the police now, let’s get this sorted.”

  “Let’s save your man,” Flora smiles. “None of us want your happiness to be destroyed. You deserve this.”

  “You do,” Krysten agrees. “Plus, I want to hear all about it.”

  I look at Cassie, scared that her answer won’t be quite so positive, but she grins. “You do. Now come on. Let’s put an end to this before it tears me to shreds.”

  My tears are still flowing, but this time they are happy ones. Well, it’s just happy, a mix, but I know now that if we can all get through this then I will finally have the perfect life. I just need to sort out all the messes that I’ve created first.

  37

  Cooper

  This is probably wrong. In fact, I’m sure it is, but at the same time it feels so right. There’s only one thing in my mind, and that’s putting an end to Trent’s reign of terror. As far as I’m concerned, he’s had control over Lexi for far enough. It needs to stop now. I don’t know how I’m going to make it happen, but I will. My fists wants to punch him, to make his fucking face look like Lexi’s, but that’s probably not the best solution.

  Still, I don’t know. I’m not in a rational place.

  I don’t know where Flora lives, but I’m pretty sure that doesn’t matter. I don’t think he would be an idiot to hang around there. He’ll probably be out on the hunt for the girls, wanting to find them before they can do anything to get to him. If he has even one brain cell in his head, he’ll know they might call the cops, and I’m sure he’ll understand that will get him in serious trouble. He stabbed Flora. He’ll be locked up.

  “Fucking hell, where are you, you son of a bitch?” At least I know what he looks like now. “You can’t exactly be far. You must be somewhere around here because you haven’t done what you intended to.”

  He wants Lexi dead, to save face, to show the world that he’s a tough guy. He doesn’t seem to understand what an idiot that makes him, but so be it. Anyone who’s a criminal and in a gang is dumb. There are so many ways to make an honest living, I just don’t understand it.

  “I will find you,” I promise to the universe. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

  All I need to do in the meantime is block out Lexi’s face from my mind. I hurt her when I moved her out the way of my car. Emotionally, I destroyed her. I could see it and I don’t want that to shut me down. All I can do is hope that once all of this is done and Trent is out of her life forever, she forgives me.

  If she doesn’t, I don’t know what the fuck I will do. If she cuts me out of her life, then it’ll be awful. The only thing I’ll have is that I saved her. I got rid of him forever, and I suppose that will be enough.

  “Who is that?” I mutter to myself. There’s a guy on a bike looking shady talking to what I assume is a drug dealer on the side of the road. He isn’t Trent, but he might know him. It’s a stereotype to assume that he will but I just have a feeling. So much so that I pull up the car and slide my way out.

  I glance down at my outfit before I approach the guy, glad that I’m not all smart. If I looked like a rich prick then they would probably tear me apart. I just look scruffy because I left the house in a hurry.

  “What do you want?” the drug dealer demands in a distinctly British accent. “You a fucking nark?”

  “A nark?” That’s an insult but I don’t know what it means.

  “You know, a cop or whatever.” He pulls his cap further down his face and steps back into the shadows. I have to admit some of my bravery evades me and I wonder if I’ve made the right choice. “Fuck off if you are.”

  “No, no I’m not. I’m actually just looking for someone.”

  “So, you are a fucking nark?”

  “I’m no nark.” I halt where I am in the middle of the road. There’s an instinct inside of me telling me that’s close enough. “I’m just hunting for a friend of a friend.”

  Both guys give me a suspicious look. Obviously, they don’t trust me, but I imagine people in the criminal world don’t trust other people. They have their tight circle of people they know think like them.

  “His name is Trent, he’s actually been in town recently…”

  “Blond hair? Dark eyes? A bit of a fucking prick? Sorry if he’s your mate.”

  “That’s him.” I think it is anyway. It’s a start.

  “He rides with the Hell Boys.”

  The Hell Boys? I haven’t heard anything like it. He’s in a gang, so I suppose it makes sense.

  “Yep, that’s right. Is he… or are they… about at the moment?”

  “What do you want with them? Plenty of others can offer more.”

  “I just want to speak with Trent. Like I said, he’s a friend of a friend.”

  “He don’t have friends outside the gang.”

  “Right.” I gulp nervously. I need this to go right for me. “Well, this friend he does have.”

  “Okay, well they drink in shitholes, if you know what I mean.”

  “Like The Bell?” That’s the worst place I know. Probably a drug den.

  “Yeah, why the fuck not. Like The Bell. You probably find him there.”

  It isn’t much, but it’s enough for me to back away with my life still just about together. This is the most dangerous discussion I’ve ever had so far and I want it to end. I need it to end. Aubrey’s face is swimming in the forefront of my mind, I don’t want to leave her. She’s already lost her mom. That’s more than enough.

  “Thanks very much. I will go then.”

  The guy on the bike takes a giant stride towards me, closing the gap. I stiffen, ice-cold fear bolts through my body and unfortunately, I stand still just waiting for him to do whatever to me.

  “You find that prick, you kill him. He’s an asshole that needs to die.”

  I nod slowly, unsure of what I’m supposed to think about that. I guess it means he’s pissed the whole world off. At least I hope so; I pray this isn’t a trap. “I will,” I tell him. “Trust me, I really will.”

  * * *

  This is getting hopeless now. I feel like I’ve checked everywhere. Maybe Trent is even smarter than I gave him credit for and he’s skipped town. I don’t even know where Lexi was before she came here which is just another stark reminder that I need to get to know my girlfriend a whole lot better.

  If she’s still my girlfriend that is.

  “Yes, mate…” a voice floats from the alleyway behind another dive bar, Stag. “She’s dead.”

  “You fucking killed her?” A brutal laugh comes back. “Mate, you are brutal.”

  “That’s what I told you, didn’t I? She wouldn’t get away with messing me around.”

  “I don’t know what we’re going to do with you. It’s pretty fucking awesome though, it’s good to have someone mental like you around. It keeps every single day interesting, doesn’t it?”

  This is insane. It has to be a joke. No normal person would have a chat like this. Loud enough for everyone to hear as well. It’s nuts. Unless it’s people who think that they are way above the law.

  It’s him, it has to be, I tell myself, knowing that’s the only thing to make sense. It’s time to face him.

  But I don’t go r
ight away. I wait to gain as much information as I can.

  “I think we should just get the fuck out of here now. It’s time to leave, go back home.”

  “Nah, mate. I want to see the body first. I need to know if you really are psycho.”

  “You are kidding, right? So much fucking noise has been made, the cops will be all over the shop by now. We can’t return to the scene of the crime unless I want to get arrested.”

  “You scared to go back inside?”

  “Nah, but I don’t want to go back inside. No one does.”

  “I want to see it. Even if we have to get you arrested. If you were dumb as fuck enough to get seen, that’s on you. Trent, I can’t believe you until I see it for myself. That ex-bitch of yours has to be dead.”

  Trent. He’s trying to act like he’s killed Lexi. Maybe I don’t need to do anything. Perhaps this guy will kill him for me, saving me the job. There’s a chance this is all an initiation thing and he’s failed. He won’t be able to show a dead body because there isn’t one. I could just walk away from this to keep myself alive.

  But I kind of need to know that he’s dead. I won’t be able to relax until I’m certain. I don’t think I’ll ever get this close to Trent again, so this might be the only chance I have to take him down.

  What do I do? I ask myself desperately. Do I walk away safe or wait?

  At the moment, I feel frozen to the spot, just listening to this conversation unfold. It feels like fate has brought me here, and this is my chance to do something dramatic and drastic.

  “She is dead. Why wouldn’t you believe me? That’s ridiculous.”

  “Because I know what little bitches like you do and say. It can so easily be lies.”

  “Fine, right. I will show you then.”

  “You sound hesitant, Trent. Is there some other reason why you can’t show me? The boys too?”

  “The boys? They don’t all need to be here, do they?”

  “Of course they do. In case this all goes wrong.”

  “Is this a threat? It feels like a fucking threat, mate?”

  “Oh, it’s no threat. It’s a promise.”

  There are loud footsteps; one of them is moving away, so I slide back down an alleyway to keep myself hidden. I don’t know which one it is but considering the way that the conversation has just gone, I think it’s the other guy. He might well be leaving Trent alone right now which gives me even more of a chance.

  That sounded like he’s going to die anyway, but I still know this is my one chance.

  The other guy comes out. He’s got tattoos covering his face which is my first indicator that it isn’t Trent. Lexi might be wild and she may well have gone for a bit of a bad boy, but I know this is too much. He looks nothing like the guys from the pictures anyway. This isn’t Trent. He hops onto a bike and speeds away.

  I remain frozen where I am for a moment, really considering my next move. If I genuinely go for this moment, it could change everything. It could be the best or worst thing that I ever do in my life.

  “Fucking hell.” A stone kicks against the wall beside me and I see a shadow appear. My heart kicks up a notch as I realize that this is him. This is the man that I’ve been waiting for from the start. “Asshole.”

  I don’t even think about what I’m doing, I step out into the light of the street light, putting myself in the firing line of danger without much consideration of my safety. I let this guy drag his eyes off the ground to finally see me. It isn’t long until an unexpected flicker of recognition comes across his face.

  “I fucking know you.” He points his cigarette at me. “You are that guy. The fucking fashion guy. The one who’s been screwing Lexi.”

  “What, the woman you just told your ‘friend’ is dead?” He doesn’t say anything to that, he even looks a little shame faced. “She definitely isn’t dead and she has the cops on your ass. You really are in a fucking mess here, aren’t you? Your ‘friends’ will kill you for lying or the police will arrest you. What shall you do?”

  “Fuck off,” he mutters back pathetically.

  “Oh, I don’t know if you should be saying that to me. I’m the only one who can help you.”

  “Help me?” The desperation is evident in his gaze. “How?”

  38

  Lexi

  “You think they will catch him?” Flora asks me doubtfully once the door closes behind the officer.

  “I don’t know, they seem pretty determined, don’t you think? What he did to you was dreadful. I’m sure they don’t want that happening to anyone else. He’s a danger, isn’t he?”

  “Don’t apologize again. I can see it in your eyes. Like Krysten said, we shouldn’t.”

  “I know, I know, but it’s hard. I hate seeing you like this.”

  “At least nothing major has been damaged. I’m going to be fine.”

  I take her hand and squeeze it tight. “I love you to bits. Flora.”

  “I love you too. You are honestly awesome, Lexi. I don’t think you even know it.”

  “Is it true that you told Trent that he wasn’t good enough for me?”

  Her lips turn up into a smile. “I sure did. I let him know quite a few home truths.”

  “I can’t believe that you did that. That’s so brave of you, Flora.”

  “I know, but I find it easier to be brave for someone other than me.”

  “Well, I have to say I know what you mean. As soon as you got hurt I knew that we needed to escape.”

  “Were you scared when you kicked him in the balls?”

  “Oh, I was fucking terrified. I’ve never been so scared in my life.” We both giggle, a little hysterical now. “I was shaking like a leaf, but it was all I could have to take him down. There weren’t any weapons and I just knew it would stop him for long enough for us to get out. If you untied yourself, which thankfully you did.”

  “Yeah, I had absolutely no energy, I was drained, but I mustered up just enough to get out.”

  A bond tightens around us, Flora and I will now share something forever. Something that no one else can understand. It isn’t a pleasant memory but I’m sure we can make the best out of it. Somehow. Flora is a wonderfully positive person. I just know that she will make this something to strengthen us.

  “I’m so glad you did. I’m so freaking glad that you got that.”

  “Who was the woman who saved us? I can barely remember that.”

  “Judy. She was an angel. She let us in so Trent couldn’t get to us and she called us an ambulance. Also, she treated your wound enough to keep you going. She was an absolute lifesaver.”

  “We should thank her, once all of this is over. Go and visit her.”

  “One hundred percent.” I nod enthusiastically. “Yes, we need to take a gift. If it wasn’t for her I don’t know where we would be right now. I’m not sure what would have happened. He could still have us…”

  “Nah, not a chance. We’re kickass independent women, we would have gotten away.”

  “At least we didn’t need to be saved. There’s always that. We did it ourselves.”

  “Ha-ha, that’s so true. I’m proud of the both of us. We did good, girl. Better than expected.”

  It feels nice to laugh about this, it’s so much better than crying. Trent would want me to cry, he’s always wanted me trampled and underneath him. Not this time. Now I have support in my best friend.

  “So… Cooper. Are we going to talk about him?”

  “No way.” I shake my head vigorously. “I don’t ever want to talk about him again.”

  “This is why I told you to have a fling, not to do something serious. It’s always trouble, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, well I should have listened. I realize my mistake now.”

  “I’m teasing you, Lexi. I don’t think that at all. I think Cooper makes you happy.”

  “He does make me happy. He did anyway.”

  “What’s changed?”

  “Tonight. He hasn’t handled this well at all. H
e’s stormed after Trent, threatening him.”

  “To protect you.”

  “I begged him not to, though. I told him that I didn’t want him to.”

  “But he’s a man, isn’t he? Men are all cavemen at heart.”

  I can’t help but laugh at that, it’s just the way that she’s put it. “I suppose so. He is a bit like that.”

  “Exactly, this is a sweet thing. He’s just doing what he thinks is right.”

  “Sweet until he gets himself killed.”

  “You really think that might happen?”

  “Trent is dangerous. You saw what he did to us. Anything could happen.”

  “Well, let’s just hope that the police get to him first.”

  I nod, wishing that so much, but there’s no guarantee that will happen. Cooper has been out so much longer, so much could have happened. I don’t like being in here not knowing anything, but I also can’t leave. I might not have spent much time in my own bed but I haven’t even been officially discharged, and I can’t leave Flora either.

  “I guess so, I just still think it’s stupid. I don’t know if I can get over it.”

  “Stupid, maybe, but you don’t have to hate him for it.”

  “I don’t hate him.” Which might well be the issue. “I’m just angry. Disappointed too.”

  “Is there more to it, Lexi? Your hesitation, I mean?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It seems like… I don’t know, like you’re making excuses not to be with him.”

  “Excuses? Are you serious? Why would I do that?”

  “I don’t know. Is there any reason why you wouldn’t want to be with him? You can talk to me, you know.”

  “I know I can. You’ve always been the best listener, Flora, I just don’t know what to say.”

  My head hangs low, I can’t meet her eyes. A small part of me is scared that she can see right through me. If anyone can see what’s going on inside my very confused mind, it’s her.

  “Well, are you worried about what people will say?”