Wicked Bad Boys

by Bella Love-Wins

  “Me too, Kevin,” she replied. She had wanted to phone him so many times but couldn’t bear to give him mixed signals. “How are you?”

  “I’m okay, but I miss you so much,” he confessed.

  “Me too, Kev. Did you need something? Is it about your brother? Parents?”

  “I just wanted to see how you were doing. Things have quieted down, Tara. I was thinking maybe I could come see you. I…”

  “Tara, do you…” Reggie started to say something, but she put her hand over the phone. She didn’t want Kevin to think the worst.

  “Who’s that?” Kevin asked.

  “A neighbor,” she answered nonchalantly. “Hold on.” Turning to Reggie, she explained, “It’s my boyfriend. Hang on, let me finish talking to him.” She returned her attention to the phone. “Sorry, Kevin. What were you saying?”

  “What’s your neighbor doing there so late at night?” he asked. Tara picked up on the jealousy in his tone.

  “I couldn’t start the furnace,” she answered.

  “And why didn’t you call me?”

  “I didn’t want you to worry, and he lives right around the corner.”

  “I know, but you’re not supposed to get by alone, okay? Tara, this is killing me, not being able to see you. We’re supposed to be best friends. And I love you,” he pleaded.

  “I love you too, Kevin. Look, I’ll call you back, okay?”

  “Tara, wait. Don’t hang up. We need to talk.”

  “I have to go.”

  “Look, I’m coming—” he started, but she ended the call.

  “I hope I didn’t cause any trouble between you and your boyfriend,” Reggie said as she walked him to the door.

  “No. It’ll be fine,” she answered. She didn’t want to have such an important conversation with Reggie in the room. “Thanks again for your help with the furnace.”

  “No problem. Like I said…you have my number, call me if you need anything.”

  “I will. Good night.”

  He waved as he pulled his coat tighter around him and hurried to his car with the toolbox. It had gotten colder already.

  I’ll call Kevin tomorrow. I’m not ready to tell him how I feel. She headed back to the living room to relax. Things would look brighter in the morning.

  Chapter 16

  Without warning, while Tara was reading a book beside the fireplace, all the lights went out. This can’t be happening tonight. She walked to the kitchen with the lighter she had used to start the fire. She was positive she had seen some candles in one of the drawers. In the dark room, only pale moonlight flowed in through the window. Going by touch, she searched each drawer and found two small tea lights among some knickknacks. She lit them both, leaving one in the kitchen. The other, she took with her upstairs so she could change into her pajamas and find some warm blankets. It was going to be a cold night, but at least she had the fireplace.

  On her way back down to the living room, she left the second tea light in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, and settled in on the sofa closest to the fireplace. Her thoughts drifted to Kevin. She wondered what he was doing right now, and if his family was okay. More than anything, she hoped he was not too upset with her for shutting him out. She had fought so hard to ignore his calls, and now that she had heard his voice, all she wanted was to be with him. A text would be an easier way to connect. God, I wish things could be different.

  She took her phone from the end table, and began to reply to his last message, when she heard a loud scraping sound outside. It was almost like claws on metal. She paused, listening to it again. Her heart pounded hard in her chest. It was not the living room window, so she walked into the hallway and took the tea light with her to check the front door. The sound grew louder. This time it was like chains crashing against glass. She hesitated, listening again before she peered out the front window.

  Her heart caught in her throat. A white van was parked on her street. The windows were tinted, so she couldn’t see inside. She backed away from the window, her heart rapidly palpitating.

  “Jake?” she whispered, continuing to think about the van.

  They said he was in a black sedan. Or was it a green Volkswagen? Knowing how resourceful he had been thus far, she went back to the door to make sure it was locked and the deadbolt was secure. When she was satisfied it was, she continued looking for where the sound was coming from. She stopped when she reached a window where the branch was scratching against the pane. She sighed.

  “That’s it,” she mumbled. “I’m being paranoid. And now I’m even talking to myself.”

  She put the tea light back on the hallway counter and returned to the sofa to resume her text to Kevin.

  “Who are you phoning?” Tara nearly leapt out of her own skin at the sound of Jake’s voice coming from the corner of the dimly lit room.

  “Jake! What are you doing here? How did you get in?” she shouted, jumping out of her seat with her phone in hand.

  “That’s not the way to greet the man you said you loved on Halloween,” he chastised her. “How about, ‘hello honey’?”

  “Jake, you need to leave right now,” Tara demanded, stepping back to put some distance between them. “The police are looking for you and Kevin will be here any minute.”

  “Ahh, I don’t think so, Tara,” he answered. “Kevin’s at home, just like he’s been at home these past few days, instead of with you.”

  “How would you possibly know that, Jake?” she asked, and then remembered. “Wait, have you still been following me?”

  “Kevin’s never been the right man for you, Tara. I’ve only been watching over you to make sure you’re okay.” He moved toward her as she continued to back up. “That’s what a good boyfriend does for his woman, isn’t it?”

  Terror ripped through her mind and body as she evaluated her options to get away from Jake. He had killed so many people, there was no way to know if there was any reasoning with him anymore. Fight or run? She was not dressed for going outside, but running would have to do. She had to take her chances. As she looked at him, his eyes bore no resemblance to the person she knew as Kevin’s dear brother. All she could see was some delusional stranger with the capacity to end her life there and then.

  “You’re not my boyfriend, Jake,” she shouted, continuing to back into the hallway so she could improve her chances of getting out the front door. “Now, I’m going to ask you one last time. Please, just leave now. You’re scaring me.”

  “Oh, I’m leaving all right,” he agreed. “But you’re coming with me this time. I’ve waited long enough for you, Tara. Now it’s our time.”

  “Just leave me alone, Jake!” she screamed.

  In her panic, she tripped on the carpet and lost her footing.

  “Let me help you, Tara” he said, rushing to her side and raising her off the ground with care. “Come on, don’t be afraid of me, honey.”

  Tara stood and clawed desperately at his arm as she tried to pull away, but it was too late. A white cloth pressed over her mouth and nose, and as much as she tried to fight, there was no resisting the sick feeling in her stomach and the dizziness that overcame her, before everything faded into blackness.

  BLAZE

  Blaze

  The Wild Flames Series, Book 3

  Bella Love-Wins

  Chapter 1

  Tara opened her eyes slowly. As she sat up, she saw she was still on her living room sofa. The lights were back on and the logs in the fireplace had almost burned themselves out. She looked around for Jake. He was not in the room. Slowly, to avoid being heard, she got up and tiptoed to the kitchen. No Jake. He wasn’t in the hallway either, but the candles she had lit were burnt out, so she knew there was a power outage. She checked the basement and all the rooms upstairs. There was no trace of Jake anywhere. Was my mind playing tricks on me? I know I saw Jake. He was right here, as clear as day. It was so vivid. Could I have been a dreaming?

  Tara didn’t know what to think. She checked the tim
e and it was the middle of the night. Confused, she looked outside. The white van that was parked on the other side of the road was still there. She couldn’t see through the black tinted windows. There was no way to tell if anyone was even inside. And what on earth were they doing out there in the middle of a blizzard?

  She resigned herself to believing the whole thing with Jake must have been a dream, and went to make herself a tea.

  * * *

  Watching the snow fall could only be interesting for so long. Tara experienced that firsthand. It’d been snowing nonstop since the night before for seventeen hours, and as she looked outside this morning, she could tell that lots more snow was on the way. She walked away from the window and turned on the television to the weather station. The cable reception was not ideal, so most of the channels would freeze on a frame of whatever was showing. The only channel that seemed to work was the emergency weather channel. It displayed an updated forecast of way more snow that she cared to know about. She didn’t need to keep watching TV to know that Mother Nature had hit the area with more snow than she had seen in a long time.

  Just as she turned the television off, there was a knock on her door.

  “What the heck?” She cautiously approached the front of the house. “Who would be out there in a blizzard?”

  There was another knock before she made it to the front door.

  “Who is it?” she called.

  “Reggie!” she heard through the sound of the wind blowing.

  She opened the door to find him standing on her doorstep, bundled up and looking frozen.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Of course.” She backed up, giving him room to enter and closed the door before turning to him.

  “What are you doing here? It is a frigging blizzard out there. Are you crazy?”

  “Hello to you, too.” He removed his scarf and hat and placed them on the rack at the door.

  She watched after him, waiting.

  “Oh…you want an answer?”

  “That’d be nice.”

  “I thought you’d be lonely here. I was bored out of my mind and thought I’d come over and keep you company.” He put his hands in his pants’ pockets.

  “So you drove through all that snow to be here?”

  “What’s wrong with wanting some company?”

  “Okay. Now I know you’re insane. It’s only going to get worse. What are you gonna do if you get snowed in here?”

  She crossed her arms, challenging him, finding him a little presumptuous for inviting himself over. But then, she recalled phoning him for help, so how could she turn him away now?

  “Would that really be such a bad idea?”

  He was flirting with her, and she already didn’t like the smirk growing on his face. He didn’t seem to care that she was involved with someone. She didn’t even like him that way. Do I? The moment she thought about it, she cringed. He had to go.

  “I’m sorry that you trekked all this way, and how you braved the snow and cold is amazing and all, but you really need to leave.”

  “What?” he said. “Won’t you at least give me a cup of coffee?”

  He really knew how to play the game, pouting with downturned lips to gain her sympathy, or agreement. Finally she couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Fine. Coffee. Then, you’re going to have to leave.”

  They walked to the kitchen and Tara put on the coffee pot. She was painfully aware of his eyes following her everywhere she went.

  “How did the furnace make it last night?” he asked.

  “Great,” she answered, not looking at him.

  She kept her eyes fixated on the coffee pot. She regretted ever asking him for help when she should have called Kevin, or even better, jump in her car last night and go to him. Now she was here, alone with this man, feeling uncomfortable.

  “Glad to hear it,” he said. There was a gentle lilt in his voice. “There’s one good thing about this snowstorm.”

  “And…what’s that?” she asked politely after a long pause.

  The truth was, she didn’t want to know. She didn’t want to speak to him. She wanted him gone.

  She poured two mugs and turning to hand him one.

  “The van that was outside is gone.” He took a sip.

  She paused. She had not noticed. She walked over to the window and looked outside. Sure enough, it was gone.

  “You’re right. You noticed it too?”

  “Yes it’s been there off and on for the past few days. I didn’t see it outside when I drove up.”

  She went back to the table. There was a fleeting moment of peace. She didn’t have to worry about it possibly being Jake or someone else. She relaxed a little and took a seat.

  “How long have you lived in your house?” she asked him. He was an unwelcome guest, but she still had manners. And how could I be hostile when he saved me from a night of freezing when the furnace went off?

  “Three years.”

  “So, tell me…how long will it take for the roads to get plowed?” She didn’t want to seem too impatient, but she also didn’t want to be locked in her house for too long. What she really wanted was to see Kevin.

  “Not as quickly as in town, unfortunately. We use the same plow service that Trinity does, and we’re usually last on their route.”

  She groaned. Trinity was the next town over, and wasn’t much bigger than Forrest Hills. Being alone and snowbound was not was not going to be pleasant.

  “That’s just great.”

  “Don’t look so glum. It could be worse.”

  Right! I can’t imagine this getting much worse.

  For a while, they chatted about mundane things, and soon they’d both taken their last sips of coffee. She grabbed the mugs and put them into the sink.

  “Okay. Thanks for stopping by, Reggie.”

  She left the kitchen and headed to the living room and directly to his wet belongings at the front door. He slowly followed behind her.

  “What harm would there be if I stayed a little longer?” he asked.

  “Well, let me tell you…for starters, I’m in a relationship.”

  “Contrary to what you’re thinking, I’m a complete gentleman.”

  “Even if that’s true, there’s still more snow coming. The longer you stay here, the less likely you’ll be able to leave. You must have things to attend to back at your place.”

  “Not particularly.” he replied, moving closer to her. “I could be persuaded to stay.”

  He licked his lips and she looked away. She had to. For her own sake, she needed him to go.

  “Reggie, I…” Her words trailed off when the lights flickered and then went out. “Are you kidding me? This storm just keeps getting better and better.”

  If the electricity stayed out, they would have more problems than just the snow. She grabbed his coat and handed it to him.

  “You’re still kicking me out, even after you just lost power?” he asked.

  “It changes nothing. I can handle myself.”

  He grabbed his coat and put it on, shaking his head. It didn’t appear he was rejected often. The shock was written on his face. He wrapped his scarf around his neck and then put on his hat.

  “Call me if you need anything?”

  “Yeah, I will.” She held the door open for him and waited for him to leave.

  “Goodbye,” he muttered.

  She shut the door when he started down the porch steps, but before she could turn to walk away, there was a yell and a loud thud on the wooden stairs.

  She flung the door open. Reggie was on his back at the bottom of the steps, feet in the snow and his head half-buried on the snow-covered step. She threw on her boots at the door and ran down to him.

  “What happened?”

  “I must have slipped.” His teeth chattered but he was alert and still jovial. “Good thing I landed on my head.”

  He stood up with her help, but swayed as though he couldn’t find his balance.

 
; “Are you dizzy?”

  “Maybe a little.”

  She groaned. It really was turning out to be the worst snowstorm ever. If only Kevin were here.

  “Here. Put your arm around me.” She carefully helped him back up the steps and inside to the couch.

  The lights flickered back on.

  “Oh thank goodness.”

  “It was cozy with the lights off too,” he teased.

  She rolled her eyes, walking away to shut the door.

  “You know, I really don’t want to be a burden”

  “You won’t be if you keep your hands to yourself tonight, and sleep on the couch. We can see how you’re feeling in the morning.”

  “Thanks, Tara. I’m a gentleman.”

  “You’re welcome. And I’m counting on it.”

  She sat at the edge of the couch to help him remove his coat, scarf and boots, and watched as he sprawled out and made himself comfortable. The clothes were wet from his fall, and she understood then why his teeth kept chattering as he spoke. His skin was freezing cold. She was tempted to leave him with the few blankets on the sofa, but she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if he got hypothermia.

  “Take your shirt off.”

  “Excuse me?” He laughed. “I didn’t think you wanted to be that close.”

  She wasn’t the least surprised by his bad timing for humor.

  “You’re freezing and wet. Give me your shirt and I’ll hang it up to dry.”

  He sat up and pulled the shirt off. She bit her lower lip as she took in what she saw. His chest was broad and ripped with muscles. She wasn’t supposed to notice his body. She looked away, took his shirt and left the couch, letting out a low breath as she hung the shirt up and grabbed a few more blankets from upstairs. It would help to get her mind off the way he looked at her.

  “Cover up,” she said, throwing the blankets to him.

  He smiled. “If it will make you more comfortable.”

  “You know, you could be grateful that I care enough to help.”