by Brooks,Anna
“It’s okay. I’ll just go by myself.”
He shakes his head. “No, I don’t want you driving to a bar alone. Let me at least drop you off. Can Vaughn give you a ride home?”
I put the phone back to my ear. “Can you guys give me a ride if Landon drops me off?”
“Yes!”
“Okay, what’s the address?”
“You’re coming?”
“Yeah, why not?” I need some fun time before going back to school for another four years.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”
“Address, Kat.” I smile.
“Oh yeah, it’s on Lincoln. On the four hundred block across from the convenience store.”
“Okay, see ya soon.”
Landon pulls back onto the street and heads toward the bar. We arrive, and he pulls up to the brick building. The streetlight has burned out, and bars are on the window, but I overlook that. Since I don’t go out much, I’m sure this is probably a hole in the wall, and once I get inside it’ll be much nicer.
I take a deep breath. “Thanks.”
Landon looks around the run-down neighborhood. “You want me to walk you in?”
Just then, a man with a suit and a woman wearing a barely there dress walk out. Seeing a couple makes me feel relieved. “Nah, I’m good, thanks.”
“Okay. Stay safe, and call if you need me.”
“Will do.”
I get out of the car and head inside, waving to him right before the door closes. When I turn around, I realize I’m not in the right place. Men—gruff looking guys with hard faces and scars to prove it—all turn their heads. Loud music blasts through the speakers and smoke fills the dark space, even though it’s illegal to smoke inside a bar.
I quickly grab my phone out of my purse, but the no service signal flashes. I don’t want to go outside by myself, but I don’t want to go in to the bar. First thing tomorrow, I will be switching cell providers.
A man with black boots and a leather jacket walks in and nudges me out of the way, forcing me to take a step inside. I scan the place, desperate to see Kat or Lindsey … maybe they’re in the back? God, this is like a nightmare come true.
No women are in here, none. What the hell was with that couple? All guys—guys who I wouldn’t want to run into in the middle of a damn grocery store, let alone in a bar by myself. As my eyes dart through the bodies, I see him.
Ty. My freaking savior. The man who haunts my dreams, both day and night.
If possible, he’s even bigger than before. His arms three times the size of mine, his hair a little longer, his entire body tighter. I swallow and head in his direction, afraid out of my mind to move one way or the other.
I stand behind him at a pool table where he’s watching someone else shoot.
“Ty,” I whisper.
His back stiffens, and he slowly turns around. His eyes, God, his eyes, they shoot a warning at me. He smirks then leans down, pulling me flush with him as his hand goes right to my ass. “Hey, baby. ’Bout time you showed up.”
And then he kisses me. Rough, totally inappropriate for public, and as if we’ve done this forever. Just like I thought it would be the first time. His tongue works against mine, and he pushes me back so I’m against the wall.
Jesus. I hate that I love this. Hate that he still has this power over me.
He grabs my ponytail, tilting my head back so he can suck on my neck. When he gets to my ear, he whispers, “Do not freak out on me, Jessa. I’ll get you outta here.”
He slides his tongue back down then turns my head the other way, stopping at my ear again, “Play along.” With a final lick to my neck, he pulls back, throws an arm over my shoulder, and then laughs. “Sorry, fellas. I’ll finish up after this game so I can take her home and tap it.”
I pretend not to be disgusted by what he said and do what I think is right by running my finger down his chest. When my hand gets to the waistband of his jeans, he grips my wrist and lifts that finger to his lips, sucking it into his mouth.
Fucked up. I know it’s so fucked up, but my panties are wet right now. I should be scared, petrified even, but I’m so damn horny that I think if he told me to fuck him right here in front of everyone, I would.
“Dayumm, T. You gonna pass that shit around when you’re done?” one of the guys asks.
Ty’s hand tightens on my wrist, but his escalating anger doesn’t reflect in his appearance. “Once I get sick a’ her pussy, I’ll pass it along.”
“Fuck yeah, brother,” another man says. He’s wearing sunglasses, but I can tell his eyes are on my chest. “Can’t wait to pound into that. She looks pure as the driven snow. Bet she’s tight as shit.”
“You know it.” Ty pats my ass, and I take that as my cue to step back. I try to pay attention to the pool game, but all I can think about is the fact Ty knows how to talk that dirty. That sharing women is expected. That he’d even do that. I’m beginning to wonder if he’s not the dream man I imagined. If he’s really a dirtbag I’ve just happened to run in to a couple of times.
But if that were the case, why in the hell was he nice to me? Why wouldn’t he have had sex with me when I was vulnerable? Why would my damn heart skip a beat, yet beat faster at the same time? Why is he the only one who I fantasize about? Why is he the one?
They finish their game of pool, and Ty tosses his cue on the table. “Sorry, guys. I’m out.”
“Shit, don’t blame ya,” the same one with the sunglasses says, as he pulls out a wad of money and hands it to Ty. “Keep it clean, brother.”
“Always.” Ty wraps an arm around my waist and ushers me out a back door.
As soon as we’re in the alley, he steps back and runs his hands through his hair. “What the fuck, Jessa?” He doesn’t look mad; he looks more worried, an emotion I’ve never seen from him before. Normally, he’s all calm confidence, so my anxiety heightens, and the beat of my heart forms an uneven rhythm as it pounds against my chest frantically.
“I thought I was meeting friends here.” I wipe the tears forming and pull out my phone. And stomp my feet at the irony that I have service now.
“We’ve gotta get the hell out of here.” He reaches for my hand and tugs me along, my four-inch stilettos barely keeping up. “We’re not far from my place and then I’ll give you a ride.”
“Why don’t I just call my brother for a ride?”
“Because we need to leave, baby. We can’t be here like fucking sitting ducks.”
Sensing his urgency, I force myself to run on my tiptoes. Through several alleys and behind an empty parking lot, we finally arrive at the same place where his truck was before. He curses under his breath, and I look at where he has his gaze aimed.
Two black SUVs stop and a man dressed in a suit hops out of the back. Another man comes out of the driver’s seat with a gun in his waistband. In the other vehicle, a man comes out and opens the back door. A woman, battered and bruised, stumbles out.
“Christ,” Ty shouts. “What the fuck, Marco?”
“Ty. Help me.” Her frail hands shake as they reach out to him.
He looks at me, his eyes darker and more pained than ever, before he turns back to the three people in front of us. I don’t know any of them, but it’s obvious you don’t want to fuck with these men. The menacing glares and guns are a dead giveaway. This is what he was talking about. This is his world.
He was right. I don’t fit in.
“Your mama here decided to try to earn herself a little extra on the side,” the man called Marco replies.
Oh, my God, that’s his mother?
“Jesus, Mom. You know better than that.”
“Not the first time she’s done this, Ty.”
“I know, Marco,” he snaps.
Marco’s black eyes squint as they rake over me. I shiver from the blatancy of it, and Ty growls, crossing his arms over his chest.
Marco sucks in a breath through his teeth and grabs his crotch. “What do we have here?”
“Not yours
.”
“Oh, but see”—Marco takes a few steps closer to us and runs his thumb along his lower lip as he stares at me—“I can easily forgive your mama for a taste of this sweet thing.”
“Not happening.” Ty stands in front of me. “She’s not in this.”
“Oh, but she is, son.”
Ty reaches back and pulls me closer to him, so I’m flush with his muscular back. I peer around him. “What do you want?”
“I got pulled away from my activities tonight because of your mother. Either this sweet piece of ass comes back with me and makes it right”—he nods at me—“or you say goodbye to your mama ’cause she’s disobeyed me for the last time.”
I gasp in fear, shock, and horror. He’s going to kill her? The muscles in the back of Ty’s neck pulse as his fists turn white from how hard he’s squeezing them. “Take me.” He steps forward, and I can’t help the tears that roll out of my eyes.
“Nah. I don’t want you,” Marco says. “And the longer I stand here, the less I want your worn out mama, no matter how deep she can take me.” He licks his lips and saunters over to us. “Yeah. I want that sweet thang. Don’t worry, I’ll save her cunt for you, man … I’m only interested in breaking in her ass.”
I’m not sure what happens first, but before I know it, fists are flying, and I’m screaming. The two other men come at him, but Ty ducks and kicks one of them in the knee, then turns and slams his fist into the other’s head. The one Ty kicked in the knee gets a head start and barrels into Ty. They fall to the ground, and I can’t even tell who’s hitting who, but somehow, Ty manages to flip the guy over and stand above him.
Ty’s head flies back as the other man who was waiting sends an elbow to Ty’s face. Blood sprays and he makes the first noise since he landed the first punch, and his grunt of pain churns my stomach.
Ty brings one of the men’s heads to his knee, and the man howls in pain. Then Ty throws him so he can take on the other two men. The man who Ty threw has a gun in his hand, and it flies out and lands a couple of feet away from me.
My eyes scan everything around me. His mom is half passed out, sliding down the side of the SUV with her eyes closed. The other man and Marco team up on Ty, and I scream at them to stop. I scream Ty’s name. I just scream.
Marco grabs Ty by his arms and holds his battered body while the other man begins pummeling Ty. The grunts of pain coming from him make me gag. I reach down for the gun on the ground and lift it up with shaky hands, pure instinct driving my actions.
The guy rolls over, groaning, but pushes himself up to his knees then stands to charge at Ty. He gets a hit in, and Ty’s neck springs back.
“Stop hitting him,” I whisper. “STOP!” I scream, causing Marco to look at me for a brief second. He smirks while the other men continue to hit Ty. Without thinking, I pull the trigger, and a body collapses to the ground.
The other man who I didn’t hit falls to the ground and covers his head. Ty elbows Marco behind him, turns, lifts his knee up the same time he brings his head down on it, and after a popping noise, Ty tosses Marco to the ground, then whips his head up to look at me.
“Put the gun down, Jessa.”
I shakily nod and bend at the knees to set the weapon on the ground. He walks to me and grabs my face then kisses me. His bloody lips press against mine, but I don’t care. My salty tears mix with metallic, and I grab his arms for stability.
He pulls back so we’re eye level. “Jessa, listen to me.”
I can’t speak, but I nod. Or my body is just shaking so much it looks like I’m nodding.
He looks behind him. “You need to run and get the fuck out of here.”
“No. I’m not leaving you.”
Sirens sound in the distance, and my body quivers more when I see Marco crawling to an SUV. The other man is crawling too, and when he reaches the SUV, he pulls himself into the backseat. Marco pulls himself into the driver’s seat and tears with squealing tires away from the street.
Ty shakes me. “Get the fuck outta here, baby. You were never here, you hear me? You were never fucking here tonight. Ever. This doesn’t fucking touch you.”
“Ty,” I plead. “I killed him.”’
“They all woulda’ stood around and watched the other rape you in your ass, Jessa. These men are disgusting.”
I cling to his chest, and a kind of nausea and fear like I’ve never experienced makes everything blurry. My knees shake, and Ty lifts me from under my arms as I begin to sink. “You need to be strong right now. Stand up, Jessa. Stand up and look at me.” He gives me a light tap on the side of my face, and I grab his wrists and look into the most tormented but beautiful set of eyes I’ve ever seen. “Go.”
“Ty!” I shout as he pries me from his body. “No, don’t make me go.”
“Get the fuck outta here. You have to go.” His eyes beg me along with his words. “Please, baby. Go.”
Red and blue lights shine in the distance, and I take a step back, then another and another. Ty leans down, grabs the gun, and wipes it off with his shirt. He holds it in his hand, smearing his prints all over it. “No!” I say over and over, loud enough for only me to hear. He jogs over to his mom and holds her frail body in his arms.
I continue backing away until I hit a tree half a block down. I hide behind it and watch in terror as the police show up while Ty talks to his mom. They train their guns on him, and he sets his gun on the ground then holds up his hands. He’s placed in handcuffs and shoved into the back of a squad car.
Tears pour out of my eyes, uncontrollable shudders jolt through my body, and after an hour, the car passes me. Ty turns his head and looks right at me. I cover my mouth with the tips of my fingers and close my eyes. When I open them again, he’s gone.
Chapter 5
Ty
26 years old
I stand in the interrogation room, Jay leaning on the wall and my cuffs tossed on the table. The beer he handed me goes down nice and easy, and as soon as I drink the last swallow, he gets right to business.
“How you holdin’ up?” He eyes the bruises on my face.
I’ve been in jail for three years, so I laugh with no humor. “Fucking outstanding.”
“That fight with the new inmate got you ninety in solitary, so we can at least put you up in a secure location for a few months.” I roll my eyes at him because I know he staged the fight. Jay knew I was starting to go crazy, so he arranged a way for me to get out for a bit.
“Gee, thanks.”
He winces at my words then takes a seat and opens a file. “We’re at a dead end, man.”
“No shit.” I sit in the chair across from him and open another file. Marco’s immoral face stares back at me, and I clench my jaw. “I want him.”
“Hopefully, we can get him before your sentence is up. I didn’t want you to do any time, let alone the entire six years.”
I shake off a sarcastic comment sitting on the tip of my tongue and continue to flip through the file. Working undercover for the FBI wasn’t supposed to go like this. I was never supposed to land in a fucking jail cell, but in order to maintain my cover, I had to. I had to take the fall for Marco’s right hand getting iced by Jessa.
No way could I be mad at her for pulling the trigger, because she saved my life. They wouldn’t have stopped beating me until I was dead, and then they woulda violated her. I’m just glad she was able to get away, and from what Jay says, Marco hasn’t bothered her since.
But I know he’ll go after her just to get to me, so when I get outta here, my first goal is to make sure she’s safe. I just have to wait three more years to finish this bogus sentence.
If we want a shot at getting Marco, I have to serve this. If I don’t, it’ll blow my cover. And I want Marco, so I’ll rot for the greater good, and then he’ll rot for eternity.
“Come on.” Jay sighs. “Let’s get the cuffs back on, and then I’ll drop you at the safe house.”
I nod and put my hands in front of me while he loosely secures
the metal handcuffs and leads me out to his car. I sit in the back and watch the city fade away.
“Stop,” I shout at him. “Turn around and stop in front of the coffee shop.”
He does as I ask. Knowing she can’t see through the tinted windows, I watch her as he pulls to a stop.
I watch Jessa sitting at a table outside with friends, her long blond hair blowing in the wind. She wears a flowing dress that shows off just enough thigh to make you wonder what’s above it. A large sun hat hides her innocent blue eyes, and I want so desperately to feel her lips on mine again. To have her soft body molded against my hard one.
“She looks happy, man.” Jay breaks my train of thought.
“Yeah, she does,” I agree.
“Worth the time?”
My response is a non-response. I don’t need to say the words to know I did the right thing.
Like she can sense me, she looks up and stares right at me. Her smile falls, and she squints her eyes, even though she can’t see through the glass. “Fuck,” I whisper. She’s so damn perfect. Too good for me. Even though she doesn’t know anything about me and the man I am now. The man I was always trying to be. She doesn’t know that I’m clean now. That I’m one of the good guys. My filth will always follow me, and no way would I ever let it touch her beauty.
I pull my gaze away from her. “Let’s roll.”
“Roger.” Jay’s voice has lost its enthusiasm; surely, he sensed my despair.
After he drops me at the safe house, I dig through the cupboards and stuff my face with anything and everything I find. Jail food is shit. I take a hot shower, not having to worry about anyone else. I fall asleep but wake up after only two hours. I circle the house, and before I lie back down again, I triple check that the pistol beside the bed is loaded.
Marco’s got so many on the inside, so many dirty cops, that aside from Jay, I don’t trust anyone. He was the one who approached me when I was seventeen years old. I started snitching for him, and one thing led to another.
Being a street kid means jail time, regardless. It was like a rite of passage to do time in juvie. But as an adult, I didn’t want to go back. With Marco on my ass, I lacked so much freedom as it was, and I didn’t want any more taken from me. I laugh at the irony of the fact that the United States Government employs me, yet I’m rotting away in a jail cell.
