Rule Number Three (Rule Breakers Book 3)

by Nicky Shanks

  Time slows down when I park the car, grab my stuff, and make my way into the lobby of the luxury apartment building. Oliver’s parking garage code has been the same since he moved in, and I still even have a key to his place on my key ring too. The night guard still eyeballs me like the pathetic piece of shit I am, but he lets me enter the elevator without question.

  I hear Julie and Oliver talking loudly when I step in front of his door. Her voice is raised and he’s trying to calm her down, but I can hear what they’re saying.

  “Please, baby. I need someone to look after you while I’m gone.”

  Julie is closer to the door than he is. “I’m not a child, Oliver! I can look after myself!”

  “Come on, Julie. Just let Casey stay here with you; he’s trying to make up for his mistakes. Wasn’t it you who said we should forgive people?”

  “That was a long time ago, before my outlook on friendship changed. What mattered to me then doesn’t matter to me anymore. I don’t want him here.”

  “He loves you, Julie. I don’t know if it’s as a friend or something else, but he won’t let anything bad happen to you, and I need that comfort while I’m away.”

  There’s a long pause and Oliver speaks again. “I love you…I just want to keep you safe. It’s just like if I’m here, only it’s Casey. I’d feel better knowing someone who cares for you is here for you if I can’t be. Is that so wrong?”

  Julie moans. “No, I guess not. I just don’t need a babysitter.”

  “He’s not here to babysit you—he’s here to hang out so you’re not totally alone.”

  She laughs. “I’d actually prefer to be alone. I don’t know what his problem is.”

  “I fell in love with you the moment I met you. It just took me a long time to realize it.”

  “And someday maybe you can elaborate on just what it is that makes you so smitten with me.”

  Oliver is standing right next to the door now. “Smitten? You’re such a dork. Come here.”

  I step backward and don’t listen to them kissing only inches behind a closed door. It’s quiet in the hallway, and I lean my head on the wall behind me.

  “Whatcha doin’ there, boy?” A woman’s voice startles me. “You snoopin’?”

  I look at the woman and clutch my chest. “Oh, Mrs. Atchley, you scared the shit out of me.”

  She isn’t buying it. “Don’t avoid the question.”

  Oliver’s door is opening and he peeks his head out to smile at the old woman. “Mrs. Atchley? Did you want to come in too? Julie is about to order pizza because I let her tacos get cold.”

  She shakes her head and glares at me. “No, thank you. I’m headed out. Watch this one—he was lurking at your door being a creeper.”

  Oliver laughs as she hobbles into the elevator and waves back at him. Julie opens the door wider from behind him but clutches the back of his shirt.

  She’s afraid of me.

  “I was just saying goodbye to her—come on in,” Oliver grunts, stepping back from the door so I can come inside. “Julie, come into the bedroom with me, please.”

  She hesitates but follows him anyway. I put my stuff down and try to get comfortable. When they return, Oliver sticks out his hand for me to shake. “Thanks for helping me out. I’ll be back on Friday at the latest, okay?” He’s looking at her now and he winks, releasing my hand.

  He’s gone before I can even breathe.

  It’s just Julie and me now.

  I guess I better decide what to do before Veronica calls me. Even though Julie’s across the room, ignoring me, it’s hard to concentrate.

  Speak, Casey.

  This may be the last time she ever talks to you again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Heather

  I told Brandon that I trust him to take care of his little marriage-to-Julie problem, and even though I’m crawling out of my skin wondering if he’s going to go through with it…I have to keep looking forward. Studying actually takes my mind off my relationship problems and averts it to more problems, just different kinds. I don’t understand a damn thing in this Economics book; it’s all about money and how much the rich people have versus the poor people. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely accurate, but you can’t blame me for being bored. I like different things than most women my age, but I’m still into makeup and dressing up and playing the part of a princess. I don’t think that’ll ever go away.

  The aroma of lavender fills the air, drawing me into the living room where Brandon stands silently, holding a bouquet of the plants. We haven’t spoken much since I yelled at him when we returned home yesterday—he kept his distance because he knew he was wrong.

  “I’m sorry for lying.” The boyish grin he paints on his lips is definitely helping his case. “I don’t want to lie to you. Can you forgive me?”

  I take the flowers and pretend like I’m thinking about it. “I’ve already forgotten about it.”

  His arms are around me and he kisses my lips, the heavy scent of whiskey on his breath. “You’re such a bad liar,” he murmurs. His body heaves with his laughter and takes me with it. “I just want to make sure we’re all good…are we all good?”

  I nod. “All good here.”

  Accepting my answer, he lets me free and looks around the condo. “Let’s go out for dinner tonight.”

  “We can’t eat out every single night—” I notice the mischievous look on his face and blush. “Between the both of us, we should be able to figure something out, right?”

  This doesn’t sound appealing to him at all. “I just want to take you out and show you off…what’s wrong with that?”

  “To who, exactly? It’s not like we have any friends left.” He knows I’m speaking the truth, but he’s not ready to let me win yet. “I’ll go to the grocery store tomorrow and we can eat in, okay? I’ll allow you to show me off one last night.”

  Brandon smiles and claps his hands. “Okay, so…sushi?” I make a grossed-out face and he laughs harder, knowing damn good and well I don’t like raw fish. The thought of something slimy running down my throat isn’t something I’m going to line up for anywhere. A twisted look stretches across his face and it drowns out my rumbling stomach. “Are you afraid to go out because of Oliver’s weird-ass mom?”

  My breath is ragged at the sound of him even speaking about her. From the stories that Oliver has told me about her…she’s not someone you want to be around for too long, and I intend to stay as far away as possible.

  “She’s harmless—she just wanted information about Julie. I didn’t give her any except for the whole marriage thing, so you have nothing to worry about.” He tries to comfort me, but he has no idea what he’s even talking about. Veronica is up to something—and it’s not going to be good.

  “Maybe we can order takeout tonight?’ A lump forms in my throat. “I just want to lay low until she’s out of town…just because she isn’t a threat to me doesn’t mean I need to see her in public again. Plus, you think she’s not a threat, but trust me…she is. I’m not Julie’s biggest fan, but I don’t want to see her get hurt or something worse because of Oliver’s crazy mom.”

  “What do you want me to do about it?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know, but Oliver needs to know about it.”

  He groans. “I thought we were done with Saint Jackson?” He looks down at me, searching for some sort of compromise. After a few minutes of staring each other down, he backs down and takes his phone from his pocket. “Okay, you win. I’ll order Thai and then I’ll call Oliver—does that make you happy?”

  “I knew you’d see it my way.” I giggle and wrap my arms around his neck. “See, living with me isn’t so bad. You get to make me happy and I get to be happy. It’s a win-win.” He groans and kisses my forehead, tugging my arms from around his neck.

  The doorbell rings and we both look at each other, freaked out that it might be Veronica. Maybe she followed us home and she’s coming to collect information that she really wants. I don’t have any
pull with Oliver anymore, but it’s not like she’s going to believe me even if I tried. Brandon clears his throat and shoves his phone into my hand, giving me a knowing look to call the police if I need to. The sensation of fear builds in my stomach as he creeps to the door; the person outside rings the doorbell again the moment he reaches for the handle. I squeeze the phone in my hands, nearly crushing it in suspense as he looks through the peephole and frowns. Puzzled, he looks back at me and shakes his head before opening the door to let the person in.

  “Oliver,” Brandon says, and my head spins. “What are you doing here? I was about to call you.”

  “I need to speak to you,” Oliver says darkly as he enters the house, seeming not to care about what Brandon just said. “Alone.”

  Brandon scoffs. “Whatever you need to say, you can say in front of her.”

  “Fine.” Oliver steps into view and waves limply at me. “I need to talk to you about Julie. It seems my mother has been snooping around, and I have a favor to ask.”

  I whimper behind Brandon, tugging on his shirt. “I saw your mother the other day…” My voice is weird and doesn’t even sound like me at all. “She grilled Brandon for information about Julie…that’s what he was going to call you about.”

  Oliver’s eyes fix on me, and it’s makes me sad inside. I haven’t looked into his eyes in months—maybe even a year, if I’m being honest with myself. So much has changed since he moved me to Rockford to be with him…he’s changed to the point where we’re complete strangers wanting the same things in life but going different ways to get them. “What did she want to know?”

  Brandon shuts the door once Oliver is completely inside the house. He and I both know that he’s going to have to break the news to Oliver about the marriage before Julie gets a chance to. I watch him frantically searching his mind for something else instead of the truth, but I know how to play Oliver like a violin and I need to step in to make this right.

  “She was just asking questions. She wanted any information we would give her.” I nod at Brandon, who thinks for a few seconds before agreeing with me. “Nothing in particular, but she’s very interested in all things Julie.”

  Oliver can’t bring himself to look into my eyes a second time, and that speaks volumes. He can’t stand to even look at me without shoving his hands into his pockets and shifting his weight because he can’t stand still. Brandon notices his reservation and clears his throat to ease the tension in the room.

  “What is it that you want, Oliver? Didn’t you come here to ask for a favor?” Brandon looks puny standing next to Oliver with his broad shoulders and bulging chest muscles. I used to fawn over him until I met Brandon; there’s something about his long legs and thin torso that make me jump inside, and whatever else I uncover that I like…well, that’s just another plus for me.

  I do miss having crazy sex in public places with Oliver, though.

  “Heather?” Brandon snaps his fingers, annoyed that I’m daydreaming like he knows what I’m thinking about. “Did you hear what I said?”

  I shake my head. “No, sorry.”

  Oliver snickers. “Typical. Look—” He matches Brandon’s angry eyes and they glare at each other before Brandon backs down. “—you two are basically the only people in this world I shouldn’t be asking for help from. But…I have to go out of town on business.” Oliver’s eyes find the floor and he blushes, because he knows what happens when he leaves on business and the woman he loves doesn’t tag along. “And you’re not the only one my mother has contacted about Julie.”

  I listen to Oliver’s story while Brandon slides his arm around my waist. We know what’s coming: Oliver is going to ask for our help to keep Julie safe. I couldn’t think of anything less appealing, but we are trying to become better people.

  Honest people.

  “Casey is staying with Julie until I get back, but I don’t trust him.”

  Brandon scoffs. “Then why is he staying with her?”

  I think about Casey and how much he reminds me of Oliver. They both have the same broad shoulders and build, but Oliver takes better care of himself and works out, where Casey just skates on his semi-good looks and pathetic charm. They don’t share the same emerald green eyes, but they share the same rugged jawline and thick lips, which I always found odd.

  “He’s there because he has feelings for her and I know he won’t let anything happen to her,” Oliver says, catching my eye. “He thinks that he’s in love with her.”

  “Jesus.” Brandon starts to rub his jaw in frustration. “Is everyone in love with her now? So, what you do want me to do?”

  “I know you loved her once…maybe you still do.” Oliver shoves both hands into his pockets. “But no one will ever love her like I love her. Just because I trust that Casey won’t let anyone else do anything to her doesn’t mean he won’t do something himself.”

  Brandon nods. “And you want me to look after him while he looks after her.”

  Oliver clears his throat. “She barely agreed to let Casey look after her—she’d punch me in the jaw if I told her you were looking out for her too. This has to stay a secret.”

  “I don’t know, man…”

  “If you do this for me, I’ll overlook all the shit you’ve pulled since Julie and I met.” Oliver’s voice is cold and quick, just enough to whip Brandon in the face and make him back down. He looks at me with the same demanding eyes. “You too. I’ll forget everything you’ve done to me.”

  There’s a sour taste in my mouth. “What exactly is that? Okay, so I cheated on you and played some games with people, but this isn’t my fight. I’m not in the business of making sure Julie is okay.” I storm off and hide in my room, but I can still hear what Brandon and Oliver are talking about right outside the open door.

  “Look, I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t worried,” Oliver says. “My mother doesn’t play well with others, and she never plays nice. She’s after something—she’s just using everyone to get what she wants.”

  Brandon blows out a harsh breath. “Man, what a crazy bitch.”

  “Yeah.” Oliver chuckles. “She’s crazy, all right. Look—there’s a lot about my mother that Heather knows, but there’s a lot that she doesn’t. I just found out that Casey is actually my brother, but I don’t know much more than that. Life is fucking crazy and I just don’t want anything happening to Julie when I’m away.”

  “And you have to go? I mean, come on man, even Heather is scared to go outside with your mom in town.”

  “She is?” Oliver sounds surprised. “Well, she should be. My mother will go through anyone to get what she wants. If she thinks she can scare Heather into helping her, she’ll try. Can you just do me this one solid and keep tabs on her?”

  “Shouldn’t be too hard since Heather and her friend Lucy are in Economics class with Julie tomorrow. I can stick around and watch them go in and out if you want.”

  Oliver makes a grunting sound. “She failed to mention that.” I hear him rubbing his jaw, the same familiar scratching sound it always made before. “It doesn’t matter—she doesn’t give much thought to anything besides the future now, and Heather isn’t our future.”

  “I know. She’s mine,” Brandon growls. “Let’s not get things fucked here. You came to me for help, and despite the argument I’m going to have to go through after you leave, I’m going to help you. I care for Julie; she’s always going to be a part of me. I’m not going to let someone hurt her if I can help it.”

  Oliver’s laugh is rough and vicious. “You mean more than you already have? Trust me, it’s taking every fucking ounce of everything I have not to kick the shit out of you right here. But you’re right, I need your help. Call me if anything gets too fucked up and you can’t stop it, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Brandon, get Heather on board with this. If you two do this for me…” Oliver’s voice gets directive, like he’s talking right at me from the other side of the wall. “…I’ll send you on a week’s vacation anywhere
you want.”

  “I have classes, try again,” I yell through the open door.

  “Her classes are accelerated like Julie’s, though, so she’ll be out in eight weeks, won’t you?” Brandon’s voice turns sweet and patronizing. I bite my bottom lip; going on a vacation with Brandon doesn’t feel bad…it’s just too overwhelming. I want to take it slow, and having a romantic getaway together paid for by my ex-boyfriend is just too weird.

  I launch from the room and the two men stand side by side, both glaring at me. Oliver wants me to agree so Brandon will do what he asks, and Brandon wants me to agree because he wants a free vacation paid for by his ex’s new boyfriend.

  So damn dramatic.

  “If I let Brandon do this…” I hold out my hand and Brandon rushes to me to fold it into his. “Then you and Julie have to try and be friends with us.”

  Brandon takes his hand from mine and Oliver starts to laugh uncontrollably. I frown immediately when Brandon joins in on the laughter, but I take a little comfort in the fact that they finally agree on something. I know it’s insane, but there are no rules for our situation.

  No rulebook to guide us through our jacked-up lives.

  “You’re serious?” Oliver’s voice cracks and he tries to keep his composure. “Even if I agreed, Julie would never fucking go for that. I already got her to fake-forgive Casey…I can’t fix what you two have broken.” He sniffles and clears his throat, pushing his laughter back into his stomach. “Why would you even want something like this after what you’ve done?”

  “Hey, she’s not the only guilty one here,” Brandon chimes in, finally on my side again. “I did some fucked-up shit too. I think she’s just trying to seek some sort of redemption and be normal. Julie and I were friends once. You and Heather were too, right? She just wants a chance to be a person you haven’t seen before.”

  My eyebrows are raised so high that it hurts. “He’s right. I-I just want a chance to have normal relationships with people, and what’s a better way than trying to fix bridges I’ve broken?”