“Good workout,” Tyler tells him.
Wild grins, having a seat on the mat, letting his legs hang off the side.
“What’ve you got here?” Tyler asks as he notices us, nodding to me.
“This one,” he pushes me in front of him, is angry.”
I’ve always looked up to Tyler, always thought he was one of the coolest people around, but I’ve never talked to him much. Not because I haven’t wanted to, but because he’s Tyler Blackfoot. That name comes with connotations, and he’s a legend among men here.
“Are you, Justice? Angry?”
I nod slowly, looking up at him, taking in the way he towers over us.
“Do you want to learn how to harness that anger? How to take your aggressions out in a way that doesn’t hurt other people, and at the same time allows you to learn to defend yourself?”
“Yes,” I’m quick to answer. He’s the first person to frame it in that way. If I had known how to defend myself before, maybe I wouldn’t have been taken. “Can you help me?”
He grins, reaching out for my hand. “I can help you. We can help you, but you’ve got to listen, learn, and be patient. You won’t learn it all in a day, but I promise you. When we’re done, you’ll know how to defend yourself. What do you say?”
“I’m ready, Tyler.”
After that day, I never looked back.
Chapter Six
Justice
“Can we stop?” I yell over the loud roar of the bike. “Look,” I point to the sunset over the hill on the side of the road. Porter Pike is far enough out in the county for the road to be used by only people who live out this way. “It’s beautiful.”
He nods. “Sure, if that’s what you want.”
Caelin pulls us over into a field. If I’m not mistaken this is part of what Rooster and Roni bought recently. A new fence is going up, and as we sit in silence, I ask him.
“Yeah,” he points over to a brand-new section. “I helped them with that part last week. Once they get this done, it’s going to look really good.”
“This is nice,” I lean my head against his shoulder. “There’s always so much noise at the clubhouse, it’s nice to take a break every once in a while and just listen to nothing.”
“It’s weird,” he turns so he can put his arm around me. “I always have something going on. If I’m not at the shop, then I’m in the communications office, and trying to figure out logistics.”
“Keeping track of me,” I grin, punching him on the arm.
“Hey, I like keeping track of you.”
Our eyes meet and for the first time I think maybe he feels something too. The smile slowly drops off his face, and his eyes move to my lips, then back up again. He clears his throat before he turns toward the sky, then looks right back at me.
“You’re right though, this…this is beautiful.”
My heart beats harder, wondering if he’s talking about the view, or me. I don’t dare ask. If I don’t know for sure then my heart can’t be broken. We stay there long enough to see it set, for the sky to become a wash of pinks, purples, and reds.
“You ready?” He asks, and suddenly I’m taken back to the day six years ago when Tyler held his hand out to me asking if I was ready to start my boxing journey.
I say the same thing I said to Tyler. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
He starts the bike again, and off we go.
The streets are dark as we hit the city limits. Most people are at the bars, or in for the night. Not much has changed about this town, and we still roll the carpet up when the sun goes down. He makes the turn to where CRISIS is, and now I’m beyond curious about what’s happening.
I don’t come here as much as I used to. They seem to have added on since the last time I was here.
“How long has that been here?” I ask as he stops the bike, shutting it off. I’m pointing to the new addition.
“Just got finished last night around eleven,” he shrugs.
All of a sudden I feel like something is happening here, and I should know what it is. “What do you mean?”
He grabs my hand. “C’mon and I’ll show you. There’s not an entrance from outside, we have to go in.”
I would follow Caelin anywhere and I’m pretty sure he knows that by now. If he doesn’t, then I’ve hidden my feelings for him much better than I assume I have.
There are people staying at CRISIS, so we’re quiet as we enter. He puts in his code, not letting the alarm go off. We wave at a few of the ladies staying.
“Hey Caelin,” they say as we walk by.
I notice their eyes go down to where he and I are still holding hands. That’s right ladies, right now he’s mine. I’m not sure how long this will last for, but I will hold his hand as long as he’ll let me.
He gives them a head nod, to acknowledge them, but I’m the one with his attention. Before we get to the back door, he turns around, taking my other hand in his. We’re standing here he’s holding both of my hands and he looks nervous.
“What’s on the other side of this door is something I’ve spent two months working on,” he starts. “You don’t come here often at all,” he laughs.
“Maybe I should fix that,” I laugh along with him.
“You may want to after you see your present. I thought a lot about what I could give you, Justice. Sweet sixteen, it’s a big one. I always think about what happened six years ago and how we’ve both grown and changed. There were so many ways it could have gone with both of us, had we not had the family and parents we do. I look at you,” he lets go of my hand, moving his palm to my cheek. He’s cupping my jawline, and my breathing quickens. Is this the moment I’ve been waiting for? Is it really going to happen? I’ve never allowed myself to fully dream it, but if I’m going to do it, it’s going to be tonight. “And I see a strong woman, one who knows her mind, one who didn’t let a bad experience ruin her life. You’ve fought hard.”
“So have you,” I interrupt him. “We both have.”
“You’ve always been by my side, every step of the way.”
“And you’ve been by mine.”
He stops, leaning in so that our foreheads rest together. His voice is soft as he speaks. “You’ve changed, Justice. You’re no longer a young teenager. You’re growing up on me, and it’s confusing.”
I let go of his hands, wrapping my arms around his neck. “It’s confusing to me too.”
“But I do know one thing. I sleep better at night, because I know you can protect yourself, and I think it’s important. So, for the last two months, I’ve recruited everyone, including your sister to help me,” he turns to the door, opens it, and pushes me through it slowly.
It’s dark, but he turns the lights on quickly. My eyes immediately go to the back of the room.
The Justice Walker School of Self-Defense.
“What?” I turn around, grinning at him.
He nods. “We’ve even got a schedule worked out. There are so many people volunteering their time for you, Justice. Because they love you, because we love you,” he whispers. “I don’t think you realize how much you mean to everybody.”
“I wanna mean a lot to you,” I say the words softly, grabbing his hand again. I turn my palm up to his so that our fingers can clasp. He pulls me into his body. My heart pounds against my chest, as I feel his arm come around me, holding me close. As close as he’s ever held me.
“You do,” he swallows roughly. “You mean everything to me.”
“Can I make one wish?” I ask him softly, not wanting to break the spell. “The one thing I wanted for my birthday?”
His dark eyes squint, his head tilts to the side. “Of course.”
Closing my eyes, I slowly lean in.
“Shit,” he mumbles before he crushes me to him, taking over, his lips meet mine, and I swear the angels in heaven sing.
Chapter Seven
Caelin
I knew this is what she wanted, she’d been throwing off clues all night, and fuck it, but I wa
sn’t strong enough to say no. I’ve never been strong enough when it comes to her. She makes this little noise in her throat, and it’s game over. I slam the door shut with my foot, giving us all the privacy we need, and deserve. Grabbing her up in my arms, I walk her over to where the boxing ring is set up in the middle of the room. Putting her down, I pull our lips apart.
“Caelin,” she chases them, wanting another taste.
I close my eyes, trying to get the image of her plump lips out of my head. “Was that your first kiss, Justice?”
She nods. “It’s all I wanted for my birthday.”
There’s a part of me that wants to yell to the world I’m what she wanted. There’s another part of me that worries she’s still hero-worshipping me and this could get tricky. “I’m older than you,” I remind her.
“I know, but it’s always been you,” she smiles, reaching up to wipe her lipstick from my mouth.
“Because I saved you?”
The answer may kill me, but I have to know. Our future will never work if she only looks up to me as the boy who saved her life.
“No,” she shakes her head. “There are so many things about you. You’re a great person, you treat me like an adult, an equal. You care about my interests, you know my likes and dislikes. You understand how to make me feel safe, and you know when I need reassurance,” she stops, leaning up to kiss me again. This time it’s chaste. “No one else knows those things, Caelin.”
“You know those things about me too,” I remind her.
Her smile is wistful as she speaks. “But you’re gonna break my heart aren’t you?”
Hugging her tightly, I let us both down easy. “We can’t be together until you’re eighteen. I respect your dad way too much.”
Justice
I knew this was coming, yet it still hurts slightly. “So what do we do until I’m eighteen,” I ask, because I want to know his plan.
“The same thing we’ve been doing, hanging out and being friends.”
“Friends don’t know the way you taste,” I remind him.
He groans, tipping his head back and blowing out a breath. “I’m hanging on by a thread here, Justice.”
“Let it snap,” I run my hands down his stomach, pulling at the belt around his waist.
He puts his hands over mine. “If I were any other type of man, I would, but…”I bite my lip, letting the words fall off.
This is disappointing, but I understand. “I get it,” I sigh. “You’re loyal to your club.”
“And the people of my club,” he reminds me. His hands cup my face. “I don’t want to lose you, Justice. Your friendship is important to me. Knowing you’re around is the highlight of my day.
“What if you fall in love with someone while you’re waiting for me to grow up?” The thought makes my throat close.
“Never gonna happen,” he tilts my chin up. “I could ask the same of you.”
“Never gonna happen,” I give him his words back.
We’re quiet, looking at one another.
“So this place is for me?” I ask, taking a glance around the building.
“Just for you. Dad’s got nothing going on in retirement, so he’s excited to have something to do. I think your grandfather is too.”
I grin at him. “Maybe I can come here and work out some frustration.”
“Girl, you have no idea what frustration is. I’m doing my best not to reach down and adjust my package. Don’t wanna scare you off.”
“Promise me,” I grab hold of his cut, pulling him closer. I wrap my legs around his waist, not letting him get away. There are things I need to know. I’ve never been the type to beg anyone for anything, but this I need. “Promise me you’re not just feeding me a line. That you aren’t going to treat me differently.”
“No difference,” he runs his fingers through my hair.
“I’m yours and you’re mine?” I ask, looking up at him.
“Goddamn, Justice. Those eyes of yours. They make you look equal parts innocent and vixen. When did you learn to do that?”
“You teach me new things all the time,” I laugh.
He grabs my hand in his, entwining our fingers, he kisses the tips, bringing them up so that I can see. His voice is deep, tinged with the southern accent we all have, and when he speaks the words, I feel like I could conquer the world.
“You’re mine and I’m yours. Always.”
But sometimes always has an expiration date, and neither one of us could have predicted what the next two years would bring.
One thing was for sure. We’d always have my sweet sixteen.
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Royal Rebel
Prologue
Tristan
“I’m fucked. Completely and totally fucked. The King is going to have me beheaded in front of the entire country.”
I should have been home hours ago, technically yesterday. Looking down at the illuminated clock located on the dashboard of my Bugatti, I grimace as the blue numbers turn to four am. The sad thing? I know what I’m required to do and I’m failing miserably before I’ve even started.
“That’s one way of putting it, Tris, and he’s your father, I doubt he’d behead you in front of everyone. More than likely he’ll give you a private dressing down. Public isn’t his style.”
A smirk twitches at the corners of my mouth as my good friend and member of my royal protection team, Parker holds on tight when I take a turn at almost one-hundred miles an hour. He’s used to it, but he still slides across the leather of his seat.
“Perhaps slow down? Getting there quicker isn’t going to make it any better if your father is waiting on you.”
Chuckling, I question. “Faster? You want me to go faster, you say?” I press my foot to the pedal harder, enjoying the way the car designed specifically for me, responds. Gripping the steering wheel I hold on tight as it gives a jolt, and accelerates forward.
Parker gives a yell as we’re jerked back in our seats by the force of the acceleration. The city is asleep in the eerie quietness of the early-morning, but the lights pass by in a blur as I make my way downtown, heading for the residence I keep while not in the country.
“Not so fast!” Parker is pressing an imaginary brake so hard on the passenger side floorboard that I can hear it from where I sit.
“No worries, it brakes like a dream.”
The tires squeal lightly as we come to a halt in front of the gates. They open once the guards inside see who I am. Conservatively, I drive to the garage, park the car, and then as quiet as I can, sneak into the main house through the kitchen entrance.
“Tristan!”
“Shhh,” I shush the head of the kitchen. Mary has worked here since I was a child, and I can always count on her to use discretion. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” I grab a fresh biscuit off the counter, before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Again, with the stealth of a ninja, I navigate through the main room and then the hallway. The stairs are in m
y sights when I hear a throat clear behind me.
“Tristan, where have you been?”
The loud, commanding tone of King Phillip, better known to me as my father, stops me in my tracks. Pasting a smile, I turn. “Out for a morning run?”
“Don’t pretend I’m stupid. Get to my office now!”
He’s angry, much like he’s been for the past twelve years since my mother passed away. Angry at the world for forcing him to grieve in public, angry at God for taking her away, and angry at me for looking so much like her. I’m a constant reminder of the life he had and lost. I’m the person that survived the crash which took her life. Some days, I think he wishes it was me who perished. Breathing heavily, I follow him into his office, knowing I’m going to deserve whatever he gives me.
“You know what today is?” He has a seat behind the ornate desk he’s had since I was a child. Back then it’d been larger than life, much like he was to me.
“How could I forget?”
My birthday.
Twenty-five is a big year, especially in our tiny country of Haldonia. It’s the year you can legally rent a car, the time you age out of mandatory military service, and if you’re in line for the throne, it’s when the previous King or Queen secedes. They give you six months to learn the ropes, but what is six months when trying to learn how to be a ruler?
You’ve got that right, I’m about to be the King of a freaking country. Know what else comes along with being King?
“She’s here, Tristan,” he steeples his fingers in front of his face. The fact he still wears his wedding ring doesn’t escape me. It flashes with the light from the lamp on his desk.
Justice (Heaven Hill Shorts Book 3) Page 3
