“Wait…how do you mean you nearly slit his throat? You mean metaphorically, right?”
“No. Literally. I had my pocketknife in my hand and when he threw me up against the wall, I threw my hand up against him.”
“Wow,” she breathes. “That’s kind of morbid. Why do you have a knife anyway? Do you sleep with it?” I glance away and understanding appears on her face. “Why do you sleep with a knife, Sky? Did someone hurt you?”
“I don’t want to get into this right now,” I groan, hating that the thought of it has chills spreading through me. “Can you just help me find it. I can’t sleep if I don’t have it.”
“So, you didn’t sleep last night?”
“Not a wink. I was lucky to get an hour before he came storming into my room.”
“Shit, is that why you are such a cranky bitch today?”
“Yep.”
“Damn, and here I was thinking it was because you were about to get your period. I thought we were synching up for a minute. We were going to be mensie twins and I was going to throw us a party.”
I glance over at her. “Do you have any idea how fucking disturbing that sounds?”
“Yeah,” she sighs. “It didn’t sound so bad in my head but when it came out…you know.”
By the time we reach the parking lot, the majority of the cars have cleared out, but with cheer practice out on the field, the swim team doing their thing, and the chess club up in the library geeking out, there’s still a handful of cars to sort through. “Which one is his?” I ask, scanning through the rows.
Maze points towards a big, black Dodge RAM and I roll my eyes. Of course, that’s his car. In fact, I should have been able to guess. I start pulling Maze toward it and her brows drop down. “What do you expect us to do? Break into it?”
“Hell yes. You can’t possibly have an issue with it after he broke into my home last night.”
“Good point.”
We pick up our pace while doing our best at being discreet. The last thing we need is one of the girls on the cheer squad catching us and running to get their alpha’s attention.
We creep up to his truck and I find myself wondering if he was creeping last night or if he just walked on in without a care in the world, not bothered by the possibility of getting caught.
We reach the Dodge RAM and I groan as I realize that I’m barely tall enough to see through the window of this beast. I mean, what kind of high schooler needs a truck like this? Better yet, who around here has the kind of money to afford something like this. His parents must have robbed a bank…either that or he slept with the right person and just happens to have a magical tongue that was worth every penny.
I climb up onto the sidestep, thankful that I haven’t set off the alarm and try to peer through the window but the prick has the darkest shade of tint on his windows and seeing anything is near impossible.
I let out a sigh and drop back to the ground when the sound of the door opening has me gawking across at Maze. “What idiot forgets to lock their car?” she laughs, clearly amused that the old ‘trying the door handle’ trick actually worked “Does it still count as breaking and entering if the door was unlocked?”
I grin back at her. “Who gives a shit? Let’s get in and do this shit before he comes down here and catches us.”
We dive into the cab and start searching, at least I start searching while Maze stretches out on the back seat musing about how much space there is for extracurricular activities, but as I mention how many extracurriculars he’s most likely taken part in back there, she jumps up and helps me to rummage through his car.
We find all sorts of interesting things. A lacy bra which considering the small size must be Nessa’s, there’s a pair of boy leg panties which are definitely not Nessa’s, a roll of condoms, a bag of red licorice, and a copy of his car registration which I make sure to scan over. Though what I don’t see is my pocketknife.
“Did you try his locker?” Maze asks, getting down on all fours as she checks under the seats.
“Yes, why do you think it took me so long to get down here after the bell rang? All that was in there was a bunch of love letters and nudes that had been jammed through the little gap.”
“Did you find mine?” Maze questions with a chuckle. “I put it in there at the beginning of my junior year.”
“That’s so wrong,” I say, shaking my head.
“But oh, so right. I’m hoping that picture is sitting in his spank bank with sticky bits and curled edges.”
An image of Slade touching himself while thinking about Maze flickers through my mind and for some reason, it doesn’t sit well with me.
Maze gets off the floor of the cab and falls back onto the backseat, putting her legs up as though she was at home on her couch. “Dude, I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, but I don’t think your knife is in here.”
I groan and make myself comfortable on the front seat, pleasantly surprised with how much space this thing has. “Yeah, I’m starting to think that myself.”
“What’s so special about this knife anyway? Can’t you just go and get another?”
I shake my head as the sorrow sits heavy on my heart. “It was my father’s. Blake found it a while back. It was the only thing we have of his. Blake gave it to me as a vice to feel safe at night.”
“Shit,” she sighs, starting to fully understand the importance of that knife. “Blake really loves you, hey?”
“More than you could possibly understand. The shit we’ve been through together…”
“What shit?” Maze whispers from the backseat, sounding hesitant. “You say that all the time; that you’ve been through some stuff but you’ve never actually talked about it. I feel like I hardly know you.”
That makes two of us.
My mind swirls with all the horrors I’ve faced over the past seventeen years. I don’t talk about it. Period. It’s my coping mechanism, yet I find myself wanting to. Though, what am I supposed to tell her? That I was abused for years? That I was stolen from my family by a mobster and sold to another? She wouldn’t even believe me if I told her the truth. So, I tell her what I can, what I’ll be able to get out without turning into a mess, and what parts of myself won’t have her thinking less of me, pitying me, and thinking I’m used.
“So, I used to live in Haven Falls with my family. My mom, dad, me and Blake. I was four and Blake had only just had his third birthday. Don’t ask me how, but I remember there being cake leftover in the fridge from his birthday party. I was mad because mom didn’t let me eat it. That night, Blake and I had already been tucked in and I remember waking to a loud noise and instantly being scared. Mom was screaming from the kitchen and then there was some kind of scuffle.”
“Home invasion?” Maze breathes.
I nod, looking back at her to see the horror on her face. “Of the worst kind.”
She swallows hard and waits for me to continue. “Blake was screaming in his room and I snuck out of my bed and ran to him. I was so worried that I was going to get in trouble for being out of my bed. Mom and dad were sticklers for their rules, but I couldn’t just stay there. I went to Blake and we hid under the bed. I was trying to be quiet but Blake was screaming so loud.
“The details are fuzzy now but I remember someone grabbing my hair and yanking me out from under Blake’s bed. It hurt so bad. I screamed and was thrown up the hallway while the guy held Blake dangling by his arm. Thinking back now, it’s probably the reason why Blake’s shoulder often dislocates,” I let out a heavy sigh. “Anyway, we were put on the couch and tied up, and the sight I saw will always stay with me.
“My parents were back to back on the floor, tied up with Anton Mathers and his men looking down on them. I couldn’t get Blake to stop crying, and fuck, I’m so happy that he has no recollection of all of this-”
Maze cuts me off. “Anton Mathers?”
“He’s a mobster and a horrid one at that. I didn’t know this until later, but my parents were strugglin
g with money, something about a bad business deal and the possibility of losing their home. Their last resort was to borrow the money from Anton just to keep food on the table and when they couldn’t pay it back…”
“He came for them,” she finishes.
“Yeah, in a big fucking way.”
I hear Maze let out a horrified breath and I fight the tears that are threatening to spill. I’ve only told this story once and it was three weeks ago to a therapist that the state demanded I see before they put us with Shay and Ben.
“There was a kid, I don’t know, maybe he was eight or nine, somewhere around that age. I’ve always struggled with this bit but he had some sort of connection to Anton. It was almost like he was training him to become some sort of killer, his protégée or something like that. Anton handed him a knife and ordered him to kill.
“The kid kept looking at me and Blake and then back to mom. He didn’t want to do it but every time he refused, Anton would hurt him. It was so bad. The kid was so strong, enduring so much pain, but by the end of it, he had no choice. He wasn’t strong enough. It was kill or be killed and I’m awful enough to wish he’d let Anton kill him but I see now that would have ended with both of them dead.
“I’ll never forget mom’s agony. It made Blake scream the house down but I couldn’t help him because I was watching my mother bleed out. I don’t think I really understood what I was seeing but something inside of me told me that I’d never see her again.
“Anton patted the kid on the back and ordered one of his men to take him away. My father was next but I was so distraught that I don’t remember how he went. I don’t know if it was brutal, slow or quick…I don’t know. All I remember after that was Anton’s men taking us and throwing us into the back of some dark car.”
“Fuck, Sky…” she says, struggling to find the right words, but she’ll never get them. There’s literally nothing anyone could say to make any of this okay.
“Yeah,” I agree.
“Tell me he got caught.”
I nod. “He was locked up a few years ago.”
“Oh, thank fuck. You can finally begin to move on knowing he’s being punished.”
My lips pull into a tight line. Anton is only the beginning of it. I’m all sorts of fucked up. One man being behind bars isn’t going to help me in the slightest.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “Something like that.”
I fall heavily against the back of the seat and glance around the cab. This car really is nice and fucking big. I’ve never understood why males need such big cars. Maybe they’re trying to overcompensate for something else. “We should hotbox this thing.”
Maze cracks into laughter as the sound of the car’s central locking echoes around the cab. Maze and I look at each other in horror. “Fuck,” she panics.
Both our heads snap back toward the school and see Slade, Damian, and Blake walking out of the gymnasium. “Oh, shit.”
“What are we supposed to do? I don’t want to be caught in here. My life would be over.”
I look around frantically and realize there’s only one way out, and with no other cars around to shield us, Maze isn’t going to like my plan.
Knowing the dark tint on the car will keep us concealed, I throw myself into the back and hurry to work the lock on the back slider window. My fingers fumbled with the latch but I’m able to slide it open just in time. Maze squeezes through first, doing her best to keep quiet before dropping down into the tray. I follow behind and have to have Maze help pull me out as my damn ass threatens to remain behind.
I silently drop down into the tray and sneak my hand up to slide the window closed. I hear their voices in the close distance, getting louder and louder by the second.
“We have to get out of here,” Maze insists.
“We can’t,” I say in a whisper. “There’s nowhere to hide. They’ll catch us for sure.”
She cringes and I watch as she becomes all fidgety. Their voices are right on us and I suck in a breath, hoping to God we don’t get caught. The car doors open and I hear bags being thrown in the back as the topic of the slight blue tinge marring Slade’s skin seems to keep them entertained.
My brother is still with them and I raise an eyebrow in shock as I hear him slide into the backseat of Slade’s Dodge RAM. That little traitor. He’s going to hear about this. If he’s the one who let Slade know where the hell we live, there’s going to be hell to pay.
“I got to give it to her,” Slade murmurs. “If it was any other game, I’d say it was a pretty fucking epic prank.”
My brow raises in surprise. “Yeah, watch out for her,” Blake chuckles. “She doesn’t fuck around.”
“No shit. I learned that the hard way. She turned me into a fucking smurf in front of the whole school. Coach threatened that I’ll be running drills until the blue fades from my skin.”
“Fuck, that sucks,” Damian laughs before the sound of skin being pummeled is echoed through the parking lot.
“Most of it’s gone anyway, but use rubbing alcohol for the rest,” Blake says. “It’s what Skylah uses to get it off her hands when she does her artsy shit.”
“Rubbing alcohol?” he confirms.
“Yep.”
The engine rumbles to life and just when I think we’re in the clear, a head pops over the side just moments before a bag is thrown over the edge. It comes down hard on my stomach as a freshly showered Damian grins down at me.
I look up at him as Maze looks like she’s about to wet her pants. ‘Please,’ I mouth, silently begging him not to say a word despite it being one hell of a long shot.
Damian considers me a moment before letting out a soft sigh and nodding his head. Wordlessly, he walks around to the front passenger’s door and climbs in.
Holy fuck. That was too close for liking.
The Dodge RAM backs out of its parking space and before we know it, we’re speeding down the road and cringing as Slade goes over the speed humps with a vengeance.
The car stops and from the familiar looking tree that hovers over the Dodge RAM, it’s clear we’re at my place. The guys get out and for a moment, I wonder if my traitor brother is about to invite them in when it becomes clear that they’re just going to fuck around outside.
This is our only shot to get out of here.
As if realizing the same thing, I hear Damian call out. “Yo, Slade. Check it out. You’ve punctured your tire.”
“Fuck off,” he says in a slight panic. “Did I? Where?”
“Yeah, it looks like a nail.”
I hear Slade move toward the front of the car and Maze and I make our break. We climb over the side of the tray and I don’t miss my brother gaping at me in surprise, though I know he won’t rat us out. Instead, he takes a massive step to his right, shielding us from Slade’s view. Maybe he’s not such a traitor after all.
We get safely to the ground while the boys check over the tire and quickly dart behind the tree. I check around to make sure the coast is clear and with lightning-fast speed, we race toward the neighbor’s yard. The very moment we clear it, we dive down behind their boundary fence while sending up a silent thanks to whoever exists above for getting us the hell out of that unscathed.
Chapter 10
Three fucking nights.
72 hours.
That was the last time I got any sleep and I’m sitting here, in the front of Shay’s old Honda in an absolute rage. Slade Fucking Cruz is going down. This is taking it too far. I need that knife back. This isn’t just some prank, trying to annoy me, this is my fucking sanity.
I should have just climbed back through that slider window and held him in a chokehold until he relented and gave it back. That prick. All I want to do is get my knife and get my ass home so I can sleep.
If only I knew where he lived. Though, it’s not like that would have helped me. One tiny hint of me in his home and he would have overpowered me and forced me out.
There’s no winning here, especially not right now that I feel like
the living dead. I can’t even keep my thoughts straight. There’s no way I’ll make it through the day.
Shay pulls up at the drop-off area and I try my best to remain polite as she tells us to have a great day. I grunt and smile and even let her hug me goodbye. I climb out of her Honda with Blake beside me. “What was that all about? You were a cold bitch to her.”
“Really? My bad. I thought I was being nice.”
“Yeah…you failed.”
I don’t have time for this. I start storming into the school.
“Woah, hold up,” Blake says, easily catching up with me with those long legs of his. “What’s the rush?”
I don’t respond as I force my way through the big double doors of Aston Creek High. “Yo, Sky? What’s gotten into you?” Blake questions with a slight worry to his tone as his brows drop in concern.
My jaw clenches. I don’t like him worrying about me. It should be the other way around. I get into the locker-lined corridor filled with preppy students and look up and down for my target.
I see Damian first with his eyes already on me. He watches me with curiosity but I don’t have a second to waste on thinking about it. I find Slade a few lockers down with Nessa pressed into the hard metal, her hair all messed up and Slade’s tongue down her throat.
I don’t waste a second. I start bee-lining for the prick.
Seeing where I’m heading, Blake hurries behind me. “Sky, this is a bad idea. Whatever’s going on, let it go. It’s not worth it.”
It’s as though I don’t hear him speaking. All that matters is getting to Slade and making him pay. As it becomes clear that shit’s about to go down, people start talking and by the time I reach him, Damian is by his side, Nessa completely forgotten, and Slade’s dark eyes focused solely on mine.
“What do you want?” Slade says with a devilish smirk.
“Where is it?” I growl, fighting hard to keep my calm but I’m sure as hell that I’m about to snap.
Slade cocks his head to the side as his brows furrow. “Where’s what?”
“Stop fucking around with me. Where’s my goddamn knife?”
Ugly Girl: Aston Creek High (Book 1) Page 8
