Treacherous: Twisted Youth #1

by Chloe Walsh

  "I demand allegiance from my men," he roared. "And you, my boy, knew exactly what would happen when you took that job for my fucking arch rival." Marching past me George turned when he reached my door and smirked. "Oh, and be sure to bring your little girlfriend Friday night, you know, for moral support…or for a final farewell."

  "No goddamn way," I snarled, chest heaving. "She stays out of this, George."

  George threw his head back and laughed. "What's wrong, Messina?" he goaded. "Don’t you think you can win?"

  "She's not going," I seethed. I could feel my temper piquing and I urged myself to calm down and breathe. "Leave her out of this, G. I mean it."

  George studied my face with an amused expression. "You were always weak, Messina," he croaked. "Same as your father. He lost his head for a blonde."

  Shaking his head, George opened my bedroom door and stepped onto the hallway. "Bring the girl," he sneered. "Let's see how focused you are with your piece of ass in the crowd."

  "One of these days I'm gonna kill you," I vowed, jaw clenched, eyes locked on his fat fuck of a face. "I promise you that much."

  "Famous last words, Messina," he taunted. "Oh wait – those really were your father's last words – right before I put a bullet between his eyes."

  ****

  Teagan

  Max and I still weren’t speaking on speaking terms – not a single word to each other in weeks – so when I spotted his plane-ticket in the trash this evening I wasn’t one bit surprised.

  I'd assumed a family trip home for Valentine's weekend wasn’t on the cards considering the man was having a hard time looking at me these days. I still had my ticket, though, and with a little luck I would be on that plane Saturday morning.

  I hadn’t spoken to Noah about it. He didn’t even know I was planning on taking a trip home this weekend. I only hoped that when I did speak to him about it, he would be as enthusiastic as I was…

  "He plays the gickar, too," Hope snickered, stirring me from my reverie. We were sitting in her lounge. Hope was sprawled out on her couch and her boyfriend, Jordan, was sitting on the floor beside her, and drooling all over my guitar.

  "Come on, hot shot," she giggled, nudging Jordan's shoulder with her foot. "Show us what you've got."

  I rose my brow in amusement as I watched the playful couple from my perch on the armchair opposite them. "Gickar?"

  Jordan caught her foot and dragged her off the couch, setting her on his lap. "It's a private joke," Jordan chuckled, not taking his eyes off Hope's face. "Isn't that right, keychain?"

  "How long have you guys known each other?" I asked, unable to stop the smile that was stretching my gums at the sight of Hope's beaming smile as she gazed lovingly at Jordan. This was my first real time spending time with Hope's beau and already I was completely won over. He was great.

  "I was one," Hope teased as she tried to defend herself from Jordan's tickling fingers. "He was four."

  "She dropped her keys at my feet," he added with a smirk.

  "And he's been fetching them ever since," Hope giggled.

  "Is that so?" Jordan purred, wrestling Hope onto her back.

  I watched in extreme discomfort as Hope dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out her car keys.

  "That's right," she crooned before stuffing the keys down her top. "Fetch…"

  "And I'm out of here," I squealed. Leaping to my feet, I covered my eyes with my hand and made a beeline for the door.

  I guess she didn’t need my help after all…

  ****

  Noah

  Dammit, I was living in perpetual hell.

  It seemed all of my previous wrongdoings and indiscretions had decided to clamor together and torment me just for the fun of it. Fucked up thing was they had seemed to morph into my girlfriend.

  "You're not going to the quarry, Teagan. Get it out of your head."

  I was sprawled on top of her bed not even pretending not to watch her change. She was too tempting and apparently I had zero willpower when it came to her. I was seriously regretting telling her about the fight on Friday – especially now that she was demanding she go with me. Jesus, I was stupid to even entertain the notion that Teagan might be capable of doing what she was told. Thankfully I hadn’t let on what a big deal it was…

  "Well you're not going without me, Rocky Balboa," she shot back sarcastically as she shrugged out of the tight denim jeans she was wearing.

  "I'm Rocky?" I cocked a brow. "We're not in a movie, baby, this is real life."

  The thought of her in the quarry again caused every muscle inside of my body to coil tight with tension. Teagan being within touching distance of all those scumbags – and if I didn’t win...

  It wasn’t happening.

  No fucking way.

  I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t risk her…

  "Well how's this for a plot twist; you can either take me with you or I'll drive myself there." Teagan tossed her jeans at me before continuing to prance around her bedroom in a bra and thing. "It's your choice." The girl was made of steel. She was breaking all the rules having me in her bedroom and she was breaking every piece of my self-control by arguing me.

  "That's not a choice, baby," I grumbled. "That's tyranny and you damn well know it."

  "Maybe it is tyranny," she replied airily. "But it's what's happening."

  "Not if I can help it."

  "What's your deal, Noah?" Shaking her head, Teagan let out a heavy sigh and folded her arms across her chest. "You've told me your secrets and I've told you I understand. I want to be with you – to support you." Her brows furrowed as she stared at me. "You think I'll be afraid because of last time, or turned off – if I see what you're capable of?"

  Yes, I'm scared, I'm fucking terrified… "It's not something I want you to have to watch me doing," I managed to squeeze out.

  "Before my mom died I spent most of my childhood camping, Messina," she told me smugly. "You're a prince in comparison to the colorful camping companions I've had over the years."

  I didn’t respond but the corner of my mouth tipped up.

  She was trying to make me feel better.

  "Um…let's see." Teagan pretended to think about it for a second before grinning. "There was the particularly curious herd of cows who trampled on our tent, and almost squashed us to death in third year – freshman year to you….And then there was the attack of the water-rat in 08 – the summer we camped in the field of maze."

  Her eyes bulged as she used her hands to animate the shape of an animal. "I swear he was the size of a toddler…oh and the most memorable trip was the one I went on to county Kerry with our school and our History teacher was arrested for urinating on the wheel of our school bus on the side of a road."

  The school bus tale caused me to chuckle and Teagan grinned victoriously.

  "So you see, Mr. Messina," she teased, strutting towards me. "You are like a little furry kitten."

  Lowering herself onto the bed, she crawled up my body until our chests were touching. I couldn’t stop myself from wrapping my arms around her. Jesus, she smelled so damn good…

  "Nothing will ever terrify me quite like that water-rat," Teagan whispered. "So stop overthinking things. I'm coming with you," she added before lowering her mouth to mine.

  My heart swelled to the point of pain as I rolled her underneath me. Yeah, she so wasn’t coming with me, but the arguing could wait until later.

  ****

  Noah

  "Do you have a passport, Noah?" Teagan asked me at school on Wednesday.

  We had taken to eating lunch in my car. Well, what had started as me going out to my car for a smoke and Teagan keeping me company had turned into private lunch dates in my Lexus.

  Swallowing a bite of my sandwich, I turned my face to look at her. "Yeah, baby, I do." Her pretty face flushed and when she smiled up at me and I felt physically sucker punched.

  Jesus, there would be no getting over her.

  The past few months had been the be
st of my life and I wasn’t exaggerating or ashamed to admit I was head over heels in love with the girl next-door. I also wasn’t ashamed to admit that the girl next-door had given me the one thing I'd always lacked and constantly craved.

  Aspiration.

  Teagan Connolly gave me hope every time she smiled at me, or cracked a joke or played me a song on her guitar. Confidence oozed from her. Her laugh was infectious. I was drawn to her aura. She was gorgeous, stunningly beautiful, but then so were a lot of girls.

  Looks were a lot of the hunt but they were never the catch.

  She was the catch.

  The whole package…

  Teagan called me treacherous but she was the one who could shake mountains.

  She'd unintentionally lit a fire of hope and desire inside of me that seemed to burn brighter and grow stronger the more time I spent with her. To want someone so much that even when you have them, when you're with them, you're still hungry, still craving them. I needed more of her and the more I got the more I knew it would never be enough. It sounded weird, fucking crazy, but there it was.

  The girl accepted me, all of me, and to have someone so good love you back even when they know you're not perfect, even though you've done terrible things and will do terrible things…well, that was an indescribable feeling.

  It all ends on Friday…

  The thought penetrated my mind and I had to force myself not to physically flinch.

  "Can I see it?" she asked and her Irish accent curled around me like a blanket of comfort.

  Reaching over, I opened the glove compartment and handed her my passport. "Why?"

  "I have a proposition for you," she told me as she twisted sideways to face me.

  "Remember when you said that you and Logan were planning on hiding out at his grandfather's farm in Louisiana after graduation?" Her hazel eyes were wide and fixated on mine.

  "Yes…" I coaxed, feeling like a douche for telling her and making her worry. I'd spent weeks trying to assure Teagan of this. Besides, that plan had gone to shit the minute I pushed myself inside of her…

  She inhaled a deep breath before saying, "I think we should run away together."

  ****

  Teagan

  "I think we should run away together."

  There, I'd said it. I'd admitted to my boyfriend the idea that had been plaguing me since he told me he was fighting on Friday night.

  The look of shock on Noah's handsome face proved that was the last thing he expected me to say, but there it was. His brown eyes were narrowed on mine, his brow was creased and I was fairly sure he hadn’t taken a breath in over twenty-five seconds.

  "Well?" I asked after a few minutes of stunned silence. "What do you think?"

  A muscle in his jaw worked as he stared down at me. "Where would we go?" he finally asked, and his voice was thick with emotion.

  "Ireland," I told him. I so desperately wanted to help him that I was prepared to do anything to free him from his stepfather's clutches – from controlling my boyfriend, making him fight, risking his life, his future… I would not stand back and let that happen to him.

  "Ireland?" he croaked out.

  "I already have a ticket booked for Friday night," I told him quickly as I tucked his passport into my coat pocket, taking advantage of the vulnerability I saw in his eyes – the desperation I heard in his voice. "Well, 3am Saturday morning, it's a red-eye flight – I can get you one, too. You'd be safe there…free from George and JD…from everyone." I was rambling, I knew I was, but this was the biggest pitch of my life and deep down in my heart and soul I knew this was his only opportunity at freedom. I needed to sell it to him dammit…

  "Come with me, Noah?" I whispered. Reaching over, I grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Run away with me."

  "What about your uncle?" he asked me in a soft tone as he stroked my knuckles with his thumb. "What about my mother?" Shaking his head, he let out a heavy sigh. "We can't just run away, Teagan."

  "Why not?" I demanded, climbing across the console to straddle him. Sitting on Noah's lap, I cupped his cheeks with my hands and forced him to look at me.

  "You were going to leave after graduation," I told him. "You said so yourself. And Max knows I don’t plan on staying here when school finishes." Leaning closer, I pressed my lips to his and kissed him hard.

  "Three months, Noah," I whispered against his lips. "That's the only difference between Logan's plan and mine. Do this with me."

  ****

  Noah

  I wanted to say yes.

  I wanted to say fuck the consequences and leave right now with Teagan, but what would happen to my mother if I did that – if I didn’t fight on Friday?

  George would…

  "Teagan, I can't," I choked out, eyes clenched shut. I didn’t want to see the disappointment in her eyes. I didn’t want her to see the pain in mine.

  "Yes." she hissed before pressing her lips to mine almost savagely. "You. Can."

  She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her forehead to mine. "You have to," she cried.

  "I can’t," I mumbled, chest heaving, as regret flooded me. "It's too far… my mom – I have to stay close…"

  "I'm going, Noah," Teagan told me. "And I'm booking you a ticket to come with me." She stroked my cheek with her small hand.

  "You need to know you have options," she told me. "There's more to life than the Dennis family."

  More to life than the Dennis family…

  More to life...

  Life…

  "Don’t make me watch that again," she whispered and I swear my heart cracked when I saw her lip wobble. "I love you – I can't bear the thought of anything happening to you…it would destroy me…"

  "Okay," I heard myself saying – fucking lying. Why the hell was I lying to her? "I'll come with you."

  Teagan lifted her face and when I looked into her tear-filled eyes I realized exactly why I was lying to her. Why I would continue to lie to her and let her believe I was going with her…because she deserved better.

  Because Teagan was the one thing I'd ever got right and I wanted to keep her safe and untainted from the rest of my life.

  And if I didn’t win Friday night I didn’t want her to be here to find out. I wanted her safe. I wanted her on that plane and as far away from George as possible.

  I needed her shielded…

  "You will?" Teagan sniffled. "You really will come with me to Ireland?"

  "Yeah," I managed to choke out. I loved her. I fucking burned for her. I would do just about anything to protect – even if that meant I had to protect her from me. "I really will, Thorn."

  ****

  Teagan

  "If someone told me at the start of senior year that you would be running away with Noah Messina I'd have laughed into their face," Hope mumbled as she sat on my bed with a mixture of shock and disbelief etched on her face. I'd told Hope everything and she was surprisingly understanding if not a little depressed. "I can't believe this, Teegs."

  "Neither can I." But it was happening. I was getting on a plane in less than eight hours with Noah Messina and I knew in my heart and soul that it was the absolute right thing to do.

  I loved him and, crazy as it sounded at eighteen, I knew it was the real deal.

  I knew he was the real deal for me.

  "I love him, Hope," I told her as I tossed my clothes into my suitcase. "And Noah needs this… he needs someone to save him."

  "I know," she muttered. "I just wish you guys didn’t have to leave."

  "They're never going to let him be, Hope," I told her. "As long as Noah stays here he's the property of George Dennis and his family. I love him too much to sit back and let that happen."

  Shaking my head, I grabbed my slippers and shoved them into my case. "I've seen what they're capable of." The memory of those men beating Noah outside of the Henderson Hotel flooded my mind and I shuddered. "He needs this."

  "And what do you need, Teagan?" Hope asked softly.

/>   "Him," I replied simply. "I need Noah, and I need him alive."

  "Where's Noah meeting you?"

  "He's meeting me here in a few minutes," I mumbled, checking my watch. "We'll take a nap and then drive his car to the airport since Max still has my keys."

  "And what about Max?"

  "I'll leave a note." I couldn’t think too much about Max and how what I was doing would make him feel – if I did it was possible the guilt would break me down.

  Hope stared at me for a long moment before sighing and nodding her head. "I understand why you're doing this," she told me as she got to her feet and embraced me in a hug. "Just…just stay in touch, okay. Don’t forget me…"

  "Never," I replied.

  The sound of someone clearing their throat alerted me to the fact that Hope and I were no longer alone.

  Noah stood in the doorway of my bedroom, with one lone duffel bag in his hand and that fire he lit inside of me the very first day I laid eyes on him roared to life. My body seemed to hum with electricity when he was near.

  "Keep in touch," Hope choked out as she pressed a kiss to my cheek.

  "I will," I told her.

  "And you too," Hope added, stepping towards Noah. Wrapping her arms around him, Hope stretched up and whispered. "Don’t break her," before rushing from the room.

  And then she was gone and I was left on my own with Noah.

  "Have you got everything you need?" I asked him, my voice thick with emotion. It had been hard saying goodbye to Hope. I was really going to miss that girl…

  "Come here," Noah murmured, taking a step towards me.

  I didn’t need to be asked twice. I rushed over to him and allowed him to envelope me in a hug that touched parts of me only he could.