Love, Lies, & Crime: Anthology

by Kimberly Blalock

  CHAPTER FOUR

  I watched the tarp fade from view with loose rocks trailing behind and saluted. Another offering to the hungry predators below. As I turned back toward my car, I saw a glint in the tree line across the road from me. All my senses went on high alert as my feet pounded against the ground toward it. If someone saw…

  Panic swam through my body freezing my blood and constricting my lungs. Push, Gabby. Push as hard as you can to save Rosa. If they get you, they’ll go after her next. I ground my teeth and urged my legs to press on as fast as they could. My ears strained to catch the echo of the person’s feet crunching on the foliage over my own noises. I narrowed in on their sounds and saw an outline.

  The shoulders appeared broad but not overly so, causing my predatory instinct to rise and hunt down the prey. My head inclined and my senses zoned in on his movements. Judging him from this far away was difficult, but I didn’t like the thoughts filtering through my mind. This has too many possibilities that can go wrong.

  Hazard lights flashed once ahead of us, signaling his car doors unlocking. He was still too far away to tackle and closing in on his vehicle. I had one more shot before losing this guy.

  Absorbing the last of my energy reserves, I picked up the pace and threw myself forward as soon as the form was within arm’s length. His upper body turned and something collided with the side of my face. My body jerked with the impact, knocking me off of my feet. Pain shot through my head and a high-pitched ringing filled my ears, deafening me to everything else. I attempted to stop the sound threatening to shatter my eardrums by cupping my ears, but it did nothing.

  I ground my teeth together, my left temple and cheek pulsing with pain with every heartbeat. I hadn’t realized I curled in on myself, but I used the position to roll onto my knees so my back was the only vulnerable spot on my person in case of another attack. Attack. I’m being attacked. Get up and fight!

  Survival instinct clawed its way through the pain to force my body into defensive mode. I lifted my head and swayed to the side. It felt too heavy for my neck to hold up. If someone was still attacking me, I’m sure I would’ve been hit again by now. Something isn’t right.

  I sucked in a deep breath and braced my hands on the ground in front of me as I examined the surrounding area. My vision was blurry out of my left eye, but the right was much clearer. It was impossible to focus on anything so constant sweeping was the only way to take everything in around me quickly. A figure was crouched over something a few steps away from my position to my left and trees everywhere else.

  One area to watch is a lot better than a forest. I focused my blurry vision on the figure and I kept my ears tuned into the area around us. Awareness prickled along my skin as the scene cleared before me; a man crouched over another man’s motionless body. Shit! Bile burned in my throat as the image swam in front of me and I wavered. Pain rippled through me as I came in contact with the ground again. It consumed my thoughts and stole the breath from my lungs. Anger bloomed in my heart at the weakness my body was showing.

  I fought through the sea of unconsciousness and forced my eyelids to lift. Dark brown eyes captured mine and shock robbed the little control I had from me.

  Cold. Wet. I felt a liquid smeared across my face by cool fingers, slowly helping me swim through the swamp of unconsciousness. A murmuring voice slid over my ears, the unfamiliar tone sent alarm shrieking through my system. My eyes shot open as I flailed, forcing the person to move away.

  “You’re okay. You’re safe.”

  Those eyes. “Why are you following me? Where are we? Ah!” Pain, hot and sharp, throbbed and stabbed the left side of my face. Clenching my jaw only made it worse and wincing made my vision blur. I was definitely not okay. I brought my hand up to assess the damage by feeling around.

  “I wouldn’t put any more dirt in that wound than there already is,” the stranger with dark, enticing eyes said.

  “Answer my questions. You don’t know who I am, so I’m giving you a second chance. And keep your distance.” I did my best to examine the surrounding area using my peripheral vision. My instincts told me that I couldn’t take my eyes off this man. My car wasn’t too far away from where I sat.

  His hands were held in front of him as if he were approaching a wild animal. Good boy. “I saw you driving toward the river earlier and I recognized you from the club. It’s dangerous out here by yourself so I followed the road you took but when I got here, I saw you take off into the woods. Was that man someone you knew?”

  I couldn’t process his story fully but something felt off. The whole situation was odd and dangerous. I couldn’t leave him out there, just in case he saw something he shouldn’t have. But the other man, he saw me. That trail needed to be eliminated immediately. “Where is he?”

  “Gone. Who was he?” The man’s eyes narrowed.

  My eyebrows slowly drew together. “Which way did he go and how long was I out?”

  The stranger stood, towering over me as I sat on the ground. I refused to look up to any male that way, so I pulled my legs under me and stretched to my full height. “You’re not very good at answering questions,” I ground out.

  He inclined his head. “Neither are you.”

  “You don’t understand what is at stake if I don’t find that guy. He has something of mine that I need. I’ll ask one more time…where is he?” My patience was waning.

  He lifted a small camera and tossed it at me. “Is that what you were looking for?”

  I caught the camera and fumbled around for the power button while keeping an eye on him. “Did you go through this?” His mouth twitched. “I don’t know why I asked. Obviously you won’t answer.”

  The cracked screen lit and I glanced down to find the scrolling button. The man had taken pictures of me with the tarp, but they were out of focus, dark and grainy. My throat constricted and I quickly deleted the evidence. The taut skin of my cheek was stretching beyond its elasticity and my left eye was slowly swelling shut.

  “Not to be rude, but you might need to go to a hospital. I would help but I don’t have a kit here and I doubt you’d let me,” he said as he touched my elbow. He gently guided me to my car, bracing me when I stumbled. I felt vulnerable in a terrible way.

  We neared my car and a body in a heap inches from the precipice caught my eye. I stopped and looked at the man beside me. A whirlwind blew furiously in my mind and scattered any thoughts lurking there.

  My feet planted firmly to the ground and he stopped with me. “I’m afraid our friend here didn’t survive the blow to the head I gave him after he struck you. Now that you see me for what I am, maybe you can be a little more honest with me. Who was he?”

  I turned back to the predator with new eyes. He killed for me. Protected me. But why? “I didn’t see his face so I couldn’t tell you his name if I wanted to. Did you call the police?” He shook his head. “What are you going to do with him?”

  A smile cracked his face, but it wasn’t a happy smile. Cunning would best describe it. “The real question is what are we going to do with him?”

  If that was a test, I’m not sure if I failed or passed. He assured me there wasn’t any blood left to cause trouble and I made him do all the grunt work while I rested on the ground. Thank the heavens I kept an extra tarp in my car for emergencies, and not this kind. I recognized the dead guy as Trav from the club. It was definitely a surprise, but my mind was numb. How the hell am I supposed to fix this? How long has he been watching me? Did he tell anyone? All questions I probably wouldn’t find any answers to.

  When the man kicked Trav off the edge, we stared at one another for a few moments. “Time to go, then.” As soon as I was in my car, I reached for my phone to call Rosa. I didn’t know how long I’d been gone or what time it was until it lit on my phone. 5:11a.m. I threw the camera into the center console and quickly told Rosa the gist of the situation in French so the mystery man would be less likely to understand. She assured me she would be on standby to come get me if
need be. Until then, she would wait for me at the house so we could take care of this together.

  “Are you okay to drive? That eye will completely close soon.”

  Get out of here, now! My inner voice was screaming at the top of her lungs for me to leave and get rid of the camera. I slid my legs into the car and attempted to close the door, but the man blocked it.

  “I didn’t get your name, miss. And I understand you’re extremely independent but please let me follow behind you if you won’t let me drive you home,” he pleaded. His dark eyes beckoned me while his gentle yet slightly demanding presence cocooned me.

  I felt the subtle shift of his legs, his thigh brushing my arm, successfully blocking the easiest way out if I wanted to run. He was skillfully cornering me. Despite the obvious, I didn’t feel trapped or forced. I was in that position because I let him advance. I pressed the record option on my phone. “Call me G. You can drive me on one condition.” I waited until he nodded before continuing. “Tell me why you did everything I told you without hesitation to that body.”

  His jaw clenched, causing the muscles there to tick. Annoyed, I turned and reached around to force him away from the door. His arm stopped me from closing the door once again. “If you’re G, then call me Z. And the man had to be taken care of. You are in no condition to do it yourself so I needed to. Now scoot over, please.”

  My pain tolerance was reaching critical point and colors splayed across the horizon, signaling sun would be rising soon. As I shuffled to the passenger seat, I sent the recording to Rosa and set my phone to silent. His lithe form settled in and he started the car. As we slid off into the night, my playlist synced to the radio and Giving In by Adema filled the silence. The words sank into my heart causing my stomach to turn, but lower areas clenched with desire. This should be a fun ride. The only exchanges we made were directions. Destination: my house.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “G! You finally made it! Thank you so much, sir. You saved her life,” Rosa briefly touched his shoulder, quickly judging his stature before shifting her focus on me. “Jesus! Come on. We need to clean this to see how much damage there really is.”

  She grabbed my hand and led me to the kitchen where we had the best lighting in the house. Z prowled behind us silently through the house. She had the first aid kit and a chair ready for me to plop on. I was so exhausted from dealing with constant pain, I didn’t care about him being there. I was home and safe in our territory.

  Rosa’s deft fingers quickly cleaned the wound and tilted my head to get a better view. “It’s not deep enough for stitches but we will need a few butterfly bandages and gauze. It’s too late to do anything about the amount of swelling, amour. And I didn’t see any damage to your eye, so once it goes down you’ll be fine there.” She set to work and handed me ibuprofen.

  Z peered over Rosa’s shoulder and took in my appearance. “I’ll get an ice pack ready. Wash cloth?”

  “Top drawer on the right side of the stove,” I rattled off. I sought comfort by wrapping my hands over her waist and hips, pulling her forward until my unharmed cheek nestled her breasts. The reality of how close I came to losing her left me shaken and extremely aware of how fast things can change.

  “You two are perfect for each other,” Z whispered as he neared us. “It’s beautiful to watch.”

  Arousal rippled down my back at his words. Rosa sucked in a breath and looked down at me. Her hazel eyes were molten, heating me to the core. Our reaction to this male should’ve warned us, but desire saturated all senses.

  Rosa’s head jerked back and a butcher knife pressed against her neck. “How rough do you two like it?”

  LA FIN.

  For now. Keep an eye out for the full-length story in the very near future.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  Taylor

  THE ROAR OF THE crowd echoes throughout the hall. I hear the muffled noise bounce off the walls as the sound of screaming fans ricochets. Adrenaline courses throughout my body as I stare at my reflection in the mirror of the locker room.

  A black fleece hoodie covers my head as beads of sweat trickle down my face. The white tape wrapped around my knuckles and wrists clinches tight against my skin. I glance at the clock on the wall and notice it’s almost time for the fight to start.

  A knock on the door causes my focus to flutter and in walks Rob, my best friend since high school.

  He enters with a smile. “You ready bro?”

  My shoulders pump as I clasp my hands. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “You look nervous.”

  I scoff, “Well how should I be? It’s my first fight. I have so much energy flowing through me right now; it’s uncontainable.”

  Rob pats me on the back. “You’ll kick ass. Now come on, they’re ready for ya.”

  I nod and follow him out of the locker room and into the hall. The echoing sound of the crowd grows as we make our way toward the ring. Blinding lights flash throughout the arena as I step into the light.

  My eyes focus on the center—the ring. Inside I see the announcer getting ready to begin as he hypes up the crowd.

  His deep voice chimes through the mic. “Welcome to the main event! Tonight we have a battle between a seasoned veteran and a brand spanking new fighter.” The crowd roars and yells, anxious for the action to begin.

  Rob gives me a nod as he stalks off into the crowd. I make my way to the ring, making sure to flex and let the blood flow throughout my limbs. Feeling the heat and energy build, I step up just as the announcer begins to state the name of my opponent.

  “Returning to the ring tonight, the defending champ of the featherweight division, welcome Mason ‘The Eagle’ Fernandez!”

  The crowd erupts into cheers as my opponent enters the ring with hands in the air, feeding off the intensity of the crowd. I won’t let the intimidation get to me. Stay low and be quick.

  I glance over to the announcer as he motions toward me. As I step up to the ropes, I hear him call my name.

  “And now, our challenger for today, all the way from the Bronx, NY, we have Taylor Monroe!” The hoodie slides off my back as I step into the ring. Boos from the crowd chime throughout the arena. Fans yell out, telling me to go home where I belong and encouraging The Eagle to kick my ass.

  Taking in the crowd’s hostility, I soak up the heated anger and let it fuel me from the inside. My muscles charge, my breathing calms, and my fists flex.

  The referee ushers The Eagle over to be cordial and shake. As I reach out to grab his hand, he slaps it away and spits at me. “Go back home pretty boy. You don’t belong here.” His display of aggression causes the crowd to erupt even louder. Turning around, I walk back to my corner and silently wait for the bell to ring. My eyes focus on the jackass, waiting to pounce.

  Eight seconds—that’s all I need to wipe the floor with his face. I can do it. Eight seconds.

  The sound of the bell chimes, blending with the screams from the fans. The Eagle stalks toward me as I crouch down and strategize my method of attack. Studying his motion, I step closer to him, breathing with caution.

  Just as I’m about to make my first move, he races toward me and lands a swift kick into my abdomen. Sharp pain shoots throughout my body as I stumble backward. My hands immediately go to the source of the pain, but I suck it in, careful to not show any look of pain or discomfort.

  Without another second to compose myself, The Eagle kicks again in a set of flashes, all to my chest. Losing balance, I crash onto the floor as the crowd gasps then lets out a loud cheer. My eyes flinch as the shooting pain flows throughout my body and I see him step toward me.

  He crouches down and lifts my body off the ground. “I thought you came to fight! Or are you pussying out already?”

  His words make my blood boil and I shove him
away from me. As he stumbles off, I rush toward him and twist my body, landing a spin kick right into his ribcage.

  He crashes to the ground and I don’t stop there. I land a punch to his face, relishing the feel of his nose cracking underneath my fists. Blood spurts from his nose as he cries out and uses his arms to block my attacks. A sly swivel of his leg slides underneath my stance, causing me to fall. Taking his chance, he jumps on top and wraps his legs around my head. His hand grabs my arm and bends it backward.

  The strain of the unfamiliar movement stretches as I feel like my arm is being ripped out of its socket. I flinch in pain as balls of sweat pour down my face. I glance at the crowd as the fans are jumping out of their seats, yelling for The Eagle to finish me off. The referee stalks closer to us and The Eagle’s arm lock gets tighter. The shredding of muscle tissue and bones stretching causes me to yell out. A rush of anger and disappointment soars inside as I tap out, and within a millisecond he lets go of the hold.

  The ref lifts his arm as the victor of the match and the fans explode and rejoice in echoes. “Eagle, Eagle, Eagle!”

  As the ref attends to me, I catch a glimpse of The Eagle jumping up and down and reveling in his victory. He flexes his arms and yells along with his fans.

  Fuming with anger and disappointment, I rush to stand and stalk out of the ring, grabbing my hoodie off the floor. Rob meets me at the exit, a look of pity on his face.

  I stop him before he even has a chance. “Don’t.”

  Following me out of the arena and toward the locker room, he calmly acknowledges, “This was your first fight. No one expects you to win.”