by B. B. Reid
Fear Me
Broken Love #1
B.B. Reid
Copyright
Copyright © 2015 B.B. Reid
All rights reserved.
Editing by Robin Griffin of Words In Play
Cover Photo by Jozsa Levente from Shutterstock
Cover Design by B.B. Reid
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the author or publisher constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use the material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, are coincidental.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to every romance author that fulfilled my romantic heart and fantasies.
Acknowledgements
The easiest part about writing Fear Me is thanking the wonderful and dedicated people who have helped me along the way…
First, I want to thank God for blessing me with the courage to not only chase my dream but to catch it.
Mama, thank you. There is so much I can say but all of it would never fit on paper. I’ll do any and everything to keep your proud of me. Oh, and if you read Fear me…please don’t tell me. It would be weird. I love you!
Deven, you have encouraged me in ways you will never know. Thank you for putting up with being ignored and all my crankiness. I hope I haven’t neglected you too much while I wrote Fear Me. You are everything a girl could ask for…sometimes. You can still be such a guy sometimes.
Tiera, my very best friend and most likely the first person to buy Fear Me, thank you for all the support and love. You were the very first person I told when I decided to pursue my dream because I trusted you to be the one to encourage me the way I needed. Plus, your antics keep me going.
Tae, for the last time I am not writing another Fifty Shades of Grey. Stop obsessing and meet your new book boyfriend.
Kimie, Sharee, Stephanie, & Kimmy I don't think you know how loved you are among the writing community. Pussycat Promotions will go extremely far with the dedication and love you show each person you work with whether it be authors, bloggers, or PAs. Your names should be revered. I couldn't have done it without you ladies. With the teasers, cover design, cover reveal, and even beta reading, you guys have been there. Thank you so much.
To any new author out there looking for a promoter or even a friend, these ladies are who you need to see. They have many connections and know how to work them. You can find them on Facebook or their business website. They can and will meet all of your promotional needs.
Robin, my very gifted editor, your tenacity won me over and I am so glad we got to work together. Because of you Fear Me will flow, Fear Me will make sense, and Fear Me will be perfectly flawed. If there is any author out there looking for an editor with really good prices visit her at Words in Play on Facebook
Sharee, my beta reader/editor, you put up with my doubts and second guesses to the very end and as my very first reader, I thank you for your honest opinion and the extra time you spent making sure Fear Me was written the way it was meant to.
Shantaye! My best author buddy…Girl, you are fifty shades of crazy but I thank you for the inspiring way you motivated me to write Fear Me how I wanted. I owe much of its success to you. Zel (Deviants & Saints) was an awesome dark read. Continue to write with your heart.
Sabrina, Karina, and Dani, you ladies were the first authors I met who would even give me the time of day. Thank you so much for the support!
For all of the awesome blogs and fans that participated in promoting Fear Me, thank you!
Here’s to Fear Me.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Prologue
I huffed and wiped the sweat off my eyebrow for the hundredth time in the last five minutes. The pink toenail polish that Aunt Carissa helped me paint on this morning glistened in the sunlight.
I wasn't having a very good time.
“Wanna play hopscotch? I’ve got chalk. Pink ones too if you like. My mom says girly-girls like pink. Your bow is pink so you're definitely a girly-girl. I like your bun. You look like a ballerina. Are you a ballerina? Can you show me your moves?”
The soft voice above me rushed the words out before I could raise my head. I looked up and was staring into twinkling green eyes and a chubby face. She reminded me of my mom’s statues that she often called a cherub.
“Willow,” she stated.
I continued to stare.
Her wild mane of curly red hair that was more like a copper color was currently spread in every direction like it had never met a brush before. Freckles covered what seemed like every inch of her face and framed her big round eyes. Her bright green overalls had a yellow daisy print that she paired with purple sneakers. She definitely had the adorable kid look down.
“Hi,” I finally responded after the silence became awkward. I could see some of her confidence disappearing when I continued to stare.
“What’s your name?” she prompted nervously. I wasn't sure I should answer her. She looked like trouble and a long day. I didn’t get the chance to answer though. A lady with equally red hair, but carefully swept back to rest on her shoulders, interrupted before I could.
“Willow,” the lady called out in a stern tone. “What happened to your hair? Oh, never mind. Where is your brother? It’s time to go home.”
“Mooooom,” she whined. “How would I know? Buddy’s five! He’s practically an adult!”
I‘m almost sure that isn’t right.
“Willow Olivia Waters,” her mother started, turning red.
Uh-oh.
“Lake”, I stated abruptly.
They both turned to me, her mother appearing confused while Willow grinned at me triumphantly. I guess learning my name was some kind of victory for her. Weird.
I only gave my name as a distraction because for some reason I didn't want the other girl in trouble, but now I didn't know what to do as they both stared at me.
“Mom, Lake and I will find Buddy and we’ll meet you at the car,” the girl rushed out as she grabbed my hand and took off running across the playground.
We quickly passed swing sets, merry-go rounds, and jungle gyms, but I never really saw any of it as she pulled me across the park at top speed. We finally came to a stop near a set of bright blue monkey bars. It looked pretty scary to an eight-year old so I could only imagine how the younger boy in denim overal
ls, crouched over in tears, on top of the bars felt. I wondered how and why he got up there. The monkey bars were meant for kids three times his size.
“Buddy!” Willow called out next to me.
“Willow, help me. I can’t get down!”
I could see him shaking from where I was standing and felt sorry for the little guy. I turned to his sister expectantly to see what she would do but she no longer looked like the vibrant girl I met a moment ago. She looked scared. I nudged her, which seemed to break her out of her trance.
“Well?”
“I can’t go up there,” she whispered softly. Her rosy cheeks paled as she turned to me with wide eyes.
Great, she’s scared of heights.
I looked around for their parents and noticed we were surrounded by trees on the far side of the park away from any adult help. I thought for a moment to go and get help but the little boy was near hysterics and Willow continued to look around nervously.
What was the big deal anyway? The monkey bars weren’t that high. I sighed, knowing I was going to be the one to climb the monkey bars and coax her little brother down.
I knew giving her my name meant a really long day. I started forward and grasped the first bar, ready to climb, when I heard him.
“Stop.”
I froze and immediately looked in the direction of the unknown voice. I was looking into a stranger’s eyes for the second time today. These eyes didn't twinkle though. No…they were dark and reminded me of the thunderstorms I hated so much. They were scary and mean.
Everything about this moment felt different. I was unable to look away from his startling gray eyes. They were taunting me, daring me to look away and risk the consequences.
I didn't, or rather I couldn't look away and I didn't know if I wanted to.
I watched him watch me and suddenly I wanted to know what he thought of me. I needed to know what he saw when he looked at me. I wasn't entirely sure what I saw when I looked at him but I knew the reaction we were having towards each other wasn’t normal. It was too powerful.
He was leaning casually against the ladder on the opposite side from where I began my climb, but his intense stare said this encounter was anything but casual.
I could tell he was around my age or maybe older. His dark shaggy hair fell forward partially shading his eyes because it was slightly longer in the front.
Little rivulets of sweat lined his angular face and sharp cheekbones that were still slightly rounded with youth. A basketball was lying at his feet so I guessed he just finished playing.
“I want to go home.” I heard the sniffled cry from above, snapping me out the trance I was in. I noticed a few other kids now standing around the monkey bars watching Buddy cling to the bars but no one moved to help.
There was a smaller boy standing close to him who favored him. He was staring at us; watching our silent exchange. Without giving a response or another glance I continued on, the moment gone, but the awareness very much present. However, I didn't get my foot on the next bar before he stopped me again – this time with a hand on my right leg. His eyes seemed even darker up close. It made me pause.
How did he get over here so fast?
“No,” he said this time. It almost sounded like a growl, but that couldn’t be right. People don’t growl. But apparently he could because he continued speaking in the same forceful tone. “He got himself up there, he can get himself down.”
What? He was just a little kid, I thought angrily. But then so were we.
“Look, I don't know who you are or what your deal is, but he needs help and he is going to get it from me. Got it?” I rushed out when I found the courage to speak. Truth be told, he was scaring the crap out of me.
I immediately realized I made a mistake. But no, it wasn’t the shocked sounds from the other kids surrounding us that made me realize my error. It was his hand that tightened and the anger growing in his eyes turning them black.
I looked around and saw Willow in the same spot where I left her. She was chewing on her lip with a worried expression on her face. I assumed it was for her brother, who had stopped crying and instead watched us with wide eyes.
Still, I yanked my leg free and continued my climb, quickly reaching the top of the monkey bars. I started to move closer to the younger boy waiting for help.
Don't look down.
I should have looked down.
The split second warning as I reached out my hand to Buddy, when his eyes widened in a terror, unlike what I witnessed below, didn’t prepare me for what would happen.
Something shoved me and then I was falling.
Pain unlike anything I’ve ever known rushed through me, almost blinding me after I hit the concrete below on my left side.
I managed to roll over onto my back and look up. Once again I met his eyes as they watched my tears fall. He no longer seemed so beautiful to me. He looked like the monster I never knew I needed to be afraid of.
“I told you I couldn't go up there.” It was Willow speaking from somewhere far away. “Keiran wouldn’t like it.”
Chapter One
Ten years later…
“Lake!” I snapped out of my daydream as the last bell of the day rung, signaling the end of school and junior year.
I survived.
I knew why, although I didn't dare speak it aloud foolishly, believing that reason would appear suddenly in front me like a dark cloud.
Be for real, Lake.
I looked over at my best friend who was looking at me with questions in her eyes. I said nothing, gathered my books and stood by the door. Willow finished collecting the many colorful pens she used to take notes in class. That's just Willow. She’s flamboyant in everything she does—no exceptions. The rest of the class along with the teacher had already disappeared. Everyone was equally eager for the start of the summer. Willow stood and approached the door with the same mischief in her eyes that was present from the very first day we met.
I closed my eyes briefly. Don't think about that.
We silently walked to Willow’s purple Eclipse in the parking lot. Of course it was purple or it wouldn't be Willow. I cut my eye at her waiting for whatever was on her mind to spill out. I knew I wouldn't have to wait long because Willow was a talker.
“So did you hear?” she asked as she stopped just outside the driver’s side. I waited patiently, but she hesitated to unlock her door as if she didn't want to let me in.
No, I pleaded silently. There was only one thing Willow was cautious about with me or rather one person. Don't bring him up. Don't bring him up. She continued on, completely missing the change in my body language. One would think after ten years we could read each other better or maybe we were just too comfortable to care.
“No, what?” It slowly became harder to breathe. Sometimes I think I enjoy pain, physically and mentally. Sick right?
“The Dark Lord of Bainbridge High returns next year.” I met her worried gaze. I guess she isn’t as oblivious as I thought. She’s warning me.
Breathe.
I used controlled, breathing exercises to keep myself from hyperventilating whenever he was brought up. Ironically the habit developed after he left last year. After years of allowing him to control me out of fear, you would think I would be skipping with joy after he left. I finally controlled my breathing and looked up to find her on my side now rubbing my back soothingly.
“I’m fine,” I said only after I was confident my sanity was intact. “Besides I have all summer to prepare myself and your slightly illegal antics to distract me,” I stated, attempting humor to lighten the mood. Willow looked away and began chewing her lip. Okay…
My heart was beating fast now—too fast. My breathing was out of control again as I waited for the final blow to my sanity. “My parents are sending me away this summer…and he’s already here.”
I died.
* * *
No, I didn't die but it was a close second.
I woke up to find the school nurs
e standing over me, pressing a cool cloth to my forehead. The principal and gym teacher were sitting with a crying Willow in the corner, attempting to console her. “It’s all my fault,” she kept repeating as Principal Lawrence hugged her.
“She’s awake,” Nurse Kelly announced.
Willow rushed forward as everyone turned to me. “I’m sorry Lake, I shouldn't have said anything!” I gave her a shaky smile but didn’t respond. I couldn’t in front of them. Principal Lawrence interrupted to say that my aunt had been called and was on her way.
She’s going to ask questions. I quickly sat up, thinking there might have been time to escape. She would want answers I wasn't ready and never would be ready to give. I might have escaped if the nurse hadn’t nudged me back with a stern look. “I’m fine, really. Willow can drive me home.” I gave her what I hoped was a healthy smile.
“Miss Monroe, our policy requires us to notify parents or guardians when incidents such as these occur. We chose not to call an ambulance because you had a strong pulse and began to come around quickly…and then you started talking.
I was talking? Oh no, what did I say? Was it bad?
Principal Lawrence continued speaking, but I’d tuned her out as I wondered what I could have possibly said in near unconsciousness. My mind went through many scenarios in a small space of time. “Miss Monroe did you hear me?” she asked impatiently.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” She huffed as if I was wasting her time. I fought the grin tugging at my lips from her mini tantrum. The staff at school sucked and I didn't care for any of them but that was mostly due to the fact that they turned a blind eye to my tormentor and the reign he had over the school. It was too fucked up for words. “I said we think you should speak to Mrs. Gilmore.” I immediately looked at Willow, wondering if she told anything to make them want to involve the counselor. She immediately shook her head, knowing what I was asking.
