Heartless Savage

by Terri Anne Browning

  “I don’t believe you,” Lyric snapped at me. “And I’m going to find out what happened. Right now.”

  “That’s why I called. I need you to go check on her. She sounded off on the phone just now. Make sure she’s okay, and then…find out what really happened.” I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached. “Please, brother.”

  “I’m leaving now.” I heard the sound of a vehicle starting, and I released a relieved breath. “I’ll call you after I talk to her.”

  “Thanks, Ric,” I muttered, feeling helpless.

  “Get some sleep. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Trusting my brother to take care of everything, I walked back into the hotel and went straight to my room. But I couldn’t sleep. For the rest of the night, I just lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Every time I so much as tried closing my eyes, all I could see was Cannon and Violet kissing. Each time, the images got more and more vivid. His hands would be on my girl, and she would enjoy it. She would go wild for him like she did with me.

  By midmorning, Marsh was awake, but Lyric hadn’t called me yet. We had to have breakfast with the team and then get ready for the game. Coach wanted to go through the playbook one more time with everyone, and I tried to pay attention, but I already had everything memorized.

  An hour before the game, my phone finally rang. Seeing it was Lyric, I picked up with a barked, “Well?”

  “Sorry it’s taken so long to call.” My brother’s voice was hard and full of exhaustion. “I showed up at her house in the middle of the night and Uncle Shane was pissed, but I told him I had to talk to Violet. Things went to hell from there.”

  “Yo, Thornton.” I lifted my head when I heard the voice of my defensive coordinator. “We gotta go, kid.”

  “Give me a sec,” I told him. “Ric, what happened?”

  He blew out a long sigh. “Maybe this should wait until after your game.”

  “Now!” Coach snapped.

  “Yeah,” I said to Lyric, frustrated. “Call me later. I want to know what happened.”

  I was tired after not getting enough sleep and pissed, so I took it out on the other team’s offense. But it did nothing to alleviate my bad mood, and by the time the game was over, I just wanted to know one thing.

  I called Lyric back as soon as I got to the locker room. “Hey,” he greeted, sounding even more exhausted than before. “Killer game. I think you broke someone’s ribs in the last quarter.”

  “Just tell me. Did they kiss or not?”

  “Yeah,” he admitted. “But it’s not what—”

  “That’s all I wanted to know,” I told him and hung up on him.

  Not two seconds later, my phone rang. Lyric’s name popped up on my screen, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to think about Violet and Cannon. I would drive me fucking crazy.

  Marsh came up behind me and slapped me on the back. “You look like you need a drink, my friend.”

  “Or six,” I answered, glaring at my locker. “You know a place we can get wasted?”

  “Party back at the hotel, man. You ready?”

  I grabbed my stuff and turned off my phone when Lyric called again. “More than ready.”

  --

  There was a pounding on the door that echoed in my head. “Wake your asses up. Bus leaves in thirty minutes and you better be on it, or you don’t play next week.”

  Groaning, I lifted my head without opening my eyes. “Huh?”

  “Bus. Thirty minutes. Be on it, or don’t start,” my coach reiterated.

  “Fuck,” I muttered and blinked open my eyes. Only to wish I hadn’t.

  I quickly shut them again and slowly lifted my lashes after a few seconds. When the image I’d seen only moments ago didn’t disappear, I felt nausea rise into the back of my throat.

  There, beside me on my hotel room bed, was Megan Hawthorn. Not in a bra and panties like she had been after my birthday party the year before, but completely naked.

  Just like I was.

  I jerked upright then jumped out of bed before making a wild dash to the bathroom.

  As I threw up into the toilet, images of the night before filled my head, and they only made me sicker.

  Marsh and I had gone to someone else’s room where the party had started and gotten drinks. Girls had begun showing up, but I’d been more interested in drinking away the thought of Violet and Cannon together. After about the fifth beer, I’d started feeling pretty mellow, and that was when I’d seen Megan.

  She’d been with a few friends and must have driven down for the game like so many others had. When she saw me looking her way, she left them and came up to me in the hall where I was talking to Marsh and a few other offensive players.

  I’d told myself to stay away from her, and I’d even walked off a few times to get more drinks for Marsh and me. But each time, she was there when I came back. She started getting touchy.

  And I was pissed at Violet for kissing someone else.

  The alcohol had shut down the smart part of my brain, and I must have lost my fucking mind, because when she kissed me, I kissed her back. Before long, we’d ended up in my room.

  I’d messed up. Big-time. There was no coming back from this. It was worse than Violet kissing some asshole. A million times worse. If she found out, I knew I would lose her.

  If…

  If she found out.

  She couldn’t fucking find out.

  When my stomach was empty, I jumped in the shower, washing away the evidence of what I’d done the night before. There was a condom wrapper in the trash, telling me I’d at least been smart enough to use protection. I hadn’t had any, because I’d never needed them before, but thankfully Marsh had some in his case.

  Wrapping a towel around myself, I walked into the bedroom and started putting on clothes while Megan continued to sleep. Once I was dressed and had my stuff packed up, I nudged Megan awake. She yawned loudly and rolled over.

  The sheets slipped, and I quickly averted my gaze from her chest. “Hey, baby.”

  “Last night—it never happened,” I told her, looking directly into her eyes so she knew I meant what I said. “This was a mistake. One that will never happen again. Do you hear me?”

  She smirked up at me. “Sure. You keep telling yourself that, baby. But you had fun last night. The kind of fun you can’t have with that little kid back in California.”

  “Keep your damn mouth shut about this, Megan, because if Violet finds out, there isn’t a place you can hide from me.” I tossed my bag over my shoulder. “Stay the hell away from me.”

  “See you around, Luca,” she called with a laugh, and I slammed the door behind me.

  It was late afternoon when the bus pulled up in front of the football field back in Alabama. I’d slept the entire way thanks to my motion sickness medication, but my head was still throbbing from my hangover. I was never going to drink like that again, that was for damn sure.

  “Luca!”

  I turned my head at the sound of my brother’s voice, sure I was hearing things. But when I glanced around, I saw him standing several yards away. With Violet right beside him. Her back was to me, but I knew it was her.

  Seeing my girl, I took two steps toward them. All I wanted was to hold her and tell her I was sorry for being an asshole. Tell her how much I loved her and that I didn’t care she’d kissed Cannon.

  Then she turned around, and I saw her swollen bottom lip and the purple bruise that went all the way around her mouth. The sight had me freezing up, unable to take another step for a moment as I tried to draw in a deep enough breath. Nausea and rage swirled around inside me, and without realizing I was even moving, I suddenly found myself standing directly in front of her.

  Carefully, I lifted her chin so I could see her face better. “What happened?”

  “You wouldn’t listen to me last night,” Lyric told me in a hard voice. “So, I grabbed Violet, and we flew out here last night to show you.”
<
br />   My thumb skimmed over her bottom lip. “Who hurt you?”

  “Cannon,” Lyric answered for her. “He was drunk and pissed at Shaw over something that happened earlier. So, he took it out on Violet.”

  “You said…” I stopped and cleared my throat of the lump that was filling it. “You said you were drinking, and it just happened.”

  Violet swallowed hard and pulled back from me. “It was what you wanted to hear,” she said with a shrug.

  “No,” I whispered, already shaking my head. “It killed me, thinking…” My knees felt weak.

  “Shaw kissed Jagger, so Cannon thought it was only fair that he should get to kiss me. In his drunk mind, he thought it would make them even.” She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. “I didn’t want him to kiss me. But he was drinking and I fought him, and he…hurt me.”

  “When I showed up at Uncle Shane’s, he didn’t want to let me in, but I told him something was going on with Violet. She called you and you were worried, so you sent me.” Lyric hugged Violet to his side, as if he needed to feel her so he didn’t lose his mind. “He let me in, and we found Violet huddled on her bedroom floor crying. She told us everything, and things got ugly after that. I’ve never seen Uncle Shane lose it like that. Luckily, Aunt Harper was there, or he would have probably murdered that little shithead then and there.”

  “Tell me he’s dead, Ric,” I commanded. “Tell me he’s dead for doing this to her.”

  “He’s still breathing,” he told me, regret thick in his voice. “But after his parents got done with him, I’m fairly sure he was wishing he wasn’t.”

  “Not good enough. I want that little fucker in the ground.” I scrubbed my hands through my hair and started pacing in front of them. “He touched her without permission, and he hurt her. He—”

  “Luca.”

  Something in Violet’s voice had my blood turning cold. Holding my breath, I stopped in front of her. She stepped forward and pulled my shirt down, her gaze zeroing in on something on my neck. “What the hell is this?”

  I touched my neck. “What?” A sick feeling was turning my gut to lead.

  “This,” she whispered, her eyes glued to the same spot. “What. Is. This?”

  “For fuck’s sake,” Lyric muttered. “What did you do, brother?”

  “Nothing,” I denied, pulling my shirt back into place. “It’s probably a bruise from yesterday’s game.”

  “That’s not a fucking bruise,” Violet said, her voice turning just as emotionless as it had Friday night on the phone. “That’s… Oh God. What did you do? Who…?”

  “Hey, Luca baby.”

  My eyes closed at the sound of Megan’s voice, and I could feel my life slipping through my fingers.

  Arms that I knew weren’t Violet’s wrapped around me. “I had so much fun last night, babe. But I probably won’t be walking right for days after that anaconda in your pants went at me all night long.” She touched her fingers to my neck. “Ah, look at that love bite. I got you good. Sorry. Hope your girlfriend doesn’t find out…” She broke off as if just realizing Violet was standing there. “Ah hell. Sorry. I didn’t realize.”

  A strangled, pain-filled cry came from Violet, and I forced my eyes open. Our gazes locked, and it took everything in me not to fall to my knees at her feet. Tears filled her purple eyes, but she held them back with Herculean force. “You slept with her last night?”

  Megan giggled. “Oh, honey. Sleep was the last thing that happened last night.” She patted me on the cheek. “Well, I have to go. I’ll call you later, Luca baby. Once the girlfriend leaves, we can hook up again.”

  Violet took a step back from me, disgust twisting her beautiful face. “Why?” she whispered.

  I reached for her. “It meant nothing. Less than nothing. I…” She slapped at my hands before they could touch her. “I got wasted and things went too far, and I…”

  “You still haven’t grown up,” she said with a humorless laugh as the first tear spilled down her pale face. “You thought I cheated with Cannon by kissing him. So you decided to one-up me and have sex with someone else.”

  “It wasn’t like that.”

  But it was exactly like that. She was right. That was what I’d been thinking while I’d drunkenly fucked Megan.

  It was only in the stark brightness of day that I’d realized how badly I’d messed up.

  But Violet shouldn’t have found out. If she hadn’t flown out to see me, she never would have known. I could have taken this mistake to my grave. I wouldn’t have been standing there watching my life—the life I had dreamed of having with Violet—flash before my eyes.

  Because I knew even before she slapped me across the face that it was over.

  Chapter 22

  Violet

  Lyric pulled into my driveway and turned off the vehicle. Numbly, I looked up at my house. It was the middle of the night, and in only a few short hours, I would have to get up and go to school.

  That simple act seemed trivial when the rest of my life was lying in a million shattered pieces at my feet, scattered along the path I’d taken from Alabama back to California.

  “Are you going to be okay, Vi?” Lyric asked beside me.

  I blinked a few times, but my eyes were painfully dry. It felt like I had sand in them, and I could only imagine how bloodshot they were. It seemed as if a hundred years had gone by since Friday night. So much had happened since Cannon kissed me, yet only a few short days had passed.

  Slowly, I looked at my friend. At least, I thought he was still my friend. Lyric was Luca’s brother, his twin. Did I still get to keep him now that I was no longer with his brother? The thought of losing Lyric should have made me sad, but I was too numb to feel anything.

  “I’m probably going to be in so much trouble,” I told him as I glanced back at the house. There was a light on in the living room, and I knew at least one of my parents was waiting up for me.

  They had no idea what happened back in Alabama. With the exception of Megan, Marsh, and a few other football players who had been standing nearby when it all took place, Lyric, Luca, and I were the only ones who knew the man I loved had cheated on me.

  For the moment, I wanted to keep it that way.

  It was no one else’s business, and I needed to think—digest what happened—before anyone else in our family started throwing their opinions around.

  When Lyric couldn’t get his brother to listen to him the night before, he’d decided that we needed to go and show him exactly what happened. I’d been mad at Luca for not wanting to listen to me, but I couldn’t let him continue to think I would actually cheat on him. Without packing anything, I’d simply grabbed my purse and gone with Lyric to the airport. The next thing I knew, I was on a plane headed to Alabama, not caring that I was most likely going to be grounded for months once I got back.

  I’d turned off my ringer but left my phone on so Mom and Dad could track me. They knew where I was and must have known what I was doing.

  But they couldn’t possibly have known that I would be coming home completely and irrevocably changed.

  “I’m sorry,” Lyric said with a grim twist of his lips. “If I’d known, I never would have…”

  He broke off, and I nodded. “You couldn’t have possibly suspected, Ric. But I should have known. Luca…” I inhaled sharply. Just saying his name hurt worse than any other pain I’d ever experienced before. I preferred the numbness. It was easier to breathe when I was numb. “He might be almost nineteen, a man in the eyes of the law. But he’s still an immature little boy at heart. To him, I cheated, and that hurt. The only way he could justify it was to cheat on me in return.”

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured again. Even in the darkened interior of the vehicle, I could see regret flashing in his eyes.

  “Don’t be. None of this is your fault.” I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling so cold, I wasn’t sure I would ever be warm again. “I should reall
y go in now. It’s better to get this over with and accept whatever punishment my dad throws at me.”

  “Do you want me to come with you? Maybe they will blame me and you won’t get in trouble.”

  “You’re a really good guy, Ric,” I murmured softly. “But, no. I think it will be better if you just went home. I don’t want you to take the blame anyway. I could have said no when you suggested we go see him. This is on me.”

  I reached for the door, but he caught my elbow and tugged me around. He enfolded me in a tight hug, and I closed my eyes as I hugged him back. I hoped this wasn’t the last hug we would ever share, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he promised when he finally released me.

  “Don’t be surprised if you can’t reach me. I may be grounded from everything, including my phone.” I stepped out, and with a final wave, shut the door before climbing the steps to my porch.

  Before I could put my key in the lock, the door swung open, and I met the furious glare of my dad. “Get in the house, Violet Hope. Now.”

  If I weren’t so numb, I might have been scared of what he was going to say or do, but my heart rate didn’t even increase as I walked into the house. Mom was standing at the foot of the stairs. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing flannel sleep pants and a cotton robe. She had a pair of slippers on her feet looked as if she hadn’t slept in about as long as me.

  When her purple gaze fell on me, relief filled her face, and regret that I’d made her worry made my heart contract with the first real shot of emotion I’d had since Luca destroyed me.

  But with her relief quickly came her anger, and Mom pointed toward the living room. “Sit,” she commanded.

  I walked to the couch and sat down as both my parents stood in front of me. “You will never pull this shit again,” Dad snapped. “You wouldn’t even answer your phone when we called you. Texts went unread and unanswered. If I didn’t know Lyric was with you, I would have lost my fucking mind.”