by Ali Parker
"But this little fucker." I reached up and pressed the screen, opening the file. "Jason Moretti. What a piece of work."
After reading through his profile a couple of times, I flipped over to his family information. It was always so damn interesting to see who was raising the little shits. Usually their grandmothers, as if life should have allowed such a travesty.
Not only were most of these women dealing with losing their own kids in some manner, but now they were being taxed by their grandkids and their horrible choices. It hurt my heart, but then again, most things did.
My phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts. "Markum."
"Danielle. It's your father."
I sat back and smiled. "Dad. How are you?"
"I'd be better if you were in one of these pews in front of me." He cleared his throat. "Is there a reason you're not at church again this week?"
"Yeah. I'm hiding from a bad guy right now, dad. I'm not sure Jesus would appreciate me bringing him and his guns into the middle of your beautiful church."
"I think you underestimate the power of God to protect you."
"Right." I stood and let a breath go that I didn't know I was holding. "Seth was here today. He was looking for you."
"What?" I moved to the window just above my kitchen sink and reached up to jerk it open. It felt incredibly stuffy all of a sudden. "Why didn't he just call?"
"He was hoping to catch you. I think you need to pay him a visit. He has some paperwork he needs signed."
"I'm not interested in giving him all of our assets. He's not playing fair because he has the money to bend me over."
"Danielle. Jeez." The disgust in my father's voice was palatable. It always was. "You have to finish this. You can't just leave the man hanging. Sign the papers and move on."
I closed my eyes and tried to hold back the scream building in my chest. "Okay. Thanks for calling dad. Enjoy your afternoon." I dropped the call before he could say another word. There was once a time not too far in the past that we'd been close and taken care of each other.
Everything changed the day my sister's body was found. It destroyed both of us.
I walked back to the table and sat down. My hand shook as I clicked through the rest of Jason's file and tried to block the memories of me and Seth making love. Of us walking in the park and buying a puppy and sharing a life. A life he'd destroyed with his infidelities. I wasn't adventurous enough. So, he found someone who was.
The bastard just forget that his ring meant more than a financial commitment.
"I hate you," I whispered roughly as I moved through Jason's file. I wasn't talking to the kid, but to Seth, or maybe even to myself. I stopped on the information about Jason's guardian. It wasn't an older woman, but a blistering hot bad boy.
"Shit." I leaned forward and let my eyes run across the man's face. Deep blue eyes framed by long black eyelashes looked back at me. The depths of them forcing me to lean in. High cheekbones, a Sicilian structured nose, full pink lips and a thick black beard that was cut close to his face. My nipples hardened and I grew warm as lust swelled in my stomach.
My eyes moved down to his thick neck and the tanned, flawless skin there. I wanted to see under his tight black shirt. He was ripped no doubt. The swell of muscle was more than obvious.
"Wow." I leaned back and sucked my bottom lip into my mouth. "Maybe I need to pay Mister-" I leaned forward again to search for his name. "Mister Johnny Moretti a visit."
A knock at my door surprised me.
Fear raced through the center of my chest, and I bolted up and jogged to the bedroom. After grabbing my gun, I walked to the door and slid the gun into the back of my pants. I'd been trained to survive in any situation, but that didn't make me any more willing to run toward danger than any other woman on the planet.
"Who's there?" I leaned forward and tried to make out the face on the other side through my peephole. Useless.
"It's me, Dani. Seth. I need to talk to you for a minute."
I groaned and opened the door. "What do you want? Make it quick."
"Can I come in?" He stood at the door wearing his Sunday best. The thick file in his left hand let me know pretty quickly what he wanted.
Without giving him a second glance, I turned and walked to the kitchen. "Do whatever you want. That fits your style best."
My heart ached in my chest. The life I thought was mine was a faded memory, and all I had to show for it was a career that I had to fight for every inch of the way. No family. No kids. No house on the hill. No fucking dog.
"I'm sorry to come over without calling."
I turned to face him and extended my hand. "Give me that and get out. I'll read it when I have time and then I'll sign if it's fair."
He tilted his head a little to the side and lifted his eyebrow. "You won't read it. I know you. Just sign the papers and let’s be done with this."
"Am I getting on Cindy's nerves?" I took the packet from him and walked around him back into the dining room. "Or is it Candy? Randy? Mandy? Sandy?"
"It's Cynthia, and you know it." He followed me.
I breathed in the scent of his cologne and tried not to let my emotions get the best of me. He was the only man I'd been with, and the only one I wanted to be with. But I wasn't enough. He'd turned me in for a slut from the bar he met on a business trip. And now she lived in my house and slept in my bed. I bet she petted my damn dog too.
"Nope. I don't know. Nor do I care." I sat down at the table and glanced up at Johnny again. I couldn't help but wonder what his story was. Had life dealt him a shitty hand, or was he a taker like Seth? Everyone walking around on the streets in their business suits were just one deal away from being homeless. All the happy couples at the park were one mistake away from being single, alone, destroyed.
"Just sign the papers, Dani."
"I will." I glanced up at him and forced a facade of indifference on my face. "I'll get them to you by the middle of the week."
"Promise?" His expression softened a little.
So many questions pressed against the back of my front teeth as I clenched my jaw. Was she worth it? Did she make him happy? Was he really the boy that took me to prom and promised to be mine forever when we were just in fifth grade?
Where did that guy go? Did he leave first, or had my sister’s death changed me to the point of pushing him away?
Was it my fault?
"Yes." I nodded and turned back to the packet of papers as my eyes filled with tears.
"Dani."
"Go. Please." I lifted my hand as he reached for me. Fuck me if my voice didn't break. "Get out."
"I'm sorry that-"
"Get! Out!" I screamed from deep inside my chest as my body clenched. He had too much power over me, but he wouldn't for much longer. I turned my attention to Johnny Moretti's picture and reached up to wipe at my eyes. I'd find a way to break Seth's spell.
Even if it meant falling for the wrong guy for a little while.
Relationships never lasted too long anyway.
At least not in my world.
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My One and Only
By
Weston Parker
Prologue
Leo
“Die, zombie fuckers!” My fourth round of Zombie Hunters was in full swing when I heard a tapping sound at my window that nearly sent me jumping out of my skin. As usual, I was home alone in my upstairs bedroom and making due with my time like every Saturday night of my life.
I froze in place and looked over my shoulder and then jumped to my feet as I saw Kya on the other side of the glass. As she mumbled something I couldn’t quite understand, I rushed over to the window and lifted it.
“What the hell took you so long, Leonard?” Kya stepped into the room with her tall, spike-heeled boots leading the way.
“Why can’t you use the front door? Your reputation would be severely damaged if you were to die falling off my roof.” It would take a hell of a lot more than that actually
because Kya was known for her carefree spirit.
She straightened her skintight jeans and smoothed down her jet-black hair that she’d added red streaks to only days ago. “I knocked on your door for twenty minutes, which you’d know if you weren’t up here with your TV blaring.”
I took in the sight of her slim hips, curvy ass, and tits that were way bigger than the time her bikini top had come off in my kiddie pool when we were only six. Back then, things were less complicated. We’d been best friends, and it wasn’t until eighth grade when everything changed.
She filled out with curves as I grew as straight and tall as a weed and just as weak as one in a strong breeze. Her popularity soared as a talented singer with one of the hottest garage bands in town, and I became the butt of everyone’s jokes with my horn-rimmed glasses and lack of muscle tone.
Luckily, my misery hadn’t lasted too long, though. By the time I was a junior, I’d grown so tall and lanky that I was damned near invisible.
“What do you need?”
She rarely came over, and when she did, it was usually to borrow something or ask a favor.
“Do I have to need something to pop in and say hi?” She walked around my room looking at my science fair trophies and the banner I’d gotten for attending the school’s mock trial.
“These days, yeah. I mean, it’s been a while.”
“Well, you don’t exactly darken my doorstep these days either.” She lifted her chin in a defiant way, and then her lips spread as if she couldn’t help but grin. “Okay, so maybe I do want something. What are you doing tonight?”
“Hanging here while my parents are gone and playing Zombie Hunters.”
“There’s a big party over at Seth O’Haver’s house. I was wondering if you’d give me a ride?”
“What’s wrong with your car?”
“My parents took the keys. I got in trouble for letting Laney Peterson drive my car. She puked in it, and until I pay them back for the cleaning bill, I’m shit out of luck.” She walked to the window and looked out to the rooftop where I usually sat to listen to her sing. “There are sunflower seed shells all over your roof, by the way.”
“Ah, yeah. I dumped them out there.” There was no way I would admit to sitting out there while her band practiced in her garage on the opposite side of the house. It was the only way I’d get close to the party that took place every other Friday of the month.
“Oh. So, will you?” She smiled sweetly as if to convince me.
“Sure, I’ll give you a ride.” I would have given my left nut to take her anywhere she wanted to go, but I was still at a loss for why she needed me. She had tons of friends, and any one of them could have gone out of their way to give her a lift.
“Perfect.” She flashed me a big smile with her red-painted lips and then walked to my bedroom door as I stood there like an idiot. “Are you coming?”
“Oh, right.” I didn’t bother changing clothes. I had on a plain white T-shirt that I usually wore under my button-downs and a pair of jeans that were so baggy and loose, they looked like I could fit another one of me in them. I put on my sneakers when we got downstairs and grabbed my keys.
“I really appreciate this, Leonard. I would have gotten a ride from Emily, but Noah already packed half the team in her car, and since most of my friends are used to riding in with me, they filled up everyone else’s cars fast.”
“Oh, it’s cool.” I really didn’t need her excuse and thought it really wasn’t that big of a deal. I’d dump her off and bail out before anyone could see she’d gotten a ride from me.
We walked out, and I unlocked her door and went around to the driver’s side.
When we were both in our seat belts, she reached up and put her hand on the dashboard, giving my car a pat like it was a pet. “I like your car, by the way. It’s pretty cool, even with the dent.”
My ‘86 Mustang SVO was my dad’s last attempt at trying to help my social life, but so far, the only action it had seen was when I backed into Kya’s mailbox. “Thanks. I wanted a new paint job anyway.” The car, which was originally a much glossier red, had oxidized to an unflattering pink on the top half, making it a two-toned nightmare that had earned the nickname Pretty Pony.
I started her up, and we went down the street to the stop sign.
“Which way do I go?” I asked, revving the engine, which was the most impressive part of the car next to the clean interior.
“You don’t know where Seth lives?” She made a face like I had just told her I’d never seen sunshine or a pencil.
“No, I haven’t actually ever been invited.”
Her face fell, and while I expected her next move would be to show how much she pitied me or change the subject, she gave me a nudge. “Well, you are now, so take a right.”
I laughed not thinking she was serious. “Does that mean you want me to get out and walk you to the door? I’m flattered.”
She turned in her seat to angle toward me. “What do you mean? You’re coming in, right?”
“That would be a negative. I didn’t even know about this party until you crawled in my window, and I’m pretty sure that was a deliberate strategy orchestrated by the rest of the senior class.” It was like the other kids spoke a different language most times anyway, a language I wasn’t supposed to understand.
“You have to. It’s our senior year. This is not only the last party of the school year but our last party together as a class. We’re all going our separate ways after next week, Leonard.”
“I thought we did that our freshman year. Oh, wait, that was just me.” I had learned to laugh at myself before anyone else could, and so far, it was a pretty good coping mechanism.
“You know what I mean. This party is for the seniors, though. And since you’re a senior, you should come. I’m sure you’ll have fun.” She turned my rearview in her direction, straightening her eyeliner and lipstick with her finger.
“Look, I don’t mind dropping you off. I’m used to not being included, so I promise I can handle it. It’s not like I’m going to go home and hang myself.”
She turned the mirror back in my direction and sat back in the seat. “Leonard Michael Pace. I’m going to be so pissed off at you if you don’t go inside. You can’t just dump me off and leave. How will I get home?”
“I tell you what. If you need a designated driver, I’ll come back for you. But I’ll wait for your call in my bedroom. I’ve got important shit to do anyway.”
“Like what?” She didn’t look convinced.
“Zombie killing. It’s my favorite sport.” For me, it was my only sport. I had outgrown everything but mock trials, and that was only because I had law school in my future.
“Take this street and then the next right.”
I slowed down, following her directions, and finally pulled up to the house. “Here you go, curbside service.”
“No, I’m not getting out until you park and promise me you’ll come inside.” She folded her arms and didn’t budge, not even when I reached over and unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door.
“Better hurry. Someone will see you in the pretty pony, and your reputation will be shot to hell.”
“No. We’re eighteen, Leonard. We’ve known each other our entire lives, and I want you to come inside and have a good time.” She gave me a pleading look. “At least go in and have a drink with me. One drink, and if it totally blows, you can leave, and I won’t stop you.”
I looked across the lawn to Seth’s house where every window was lit up, and music pulsed with a low thud. Laughter carried from behind the big privacy fence that led to the backyard, and there were so many cars in the driveway already, I was going to have to park around the corner.
“Fine. One drink. But only because this feels like every cliché teen movie I’ve ever seen, and I’m a die-hard Hughes fan.”
“That’s even more of a reason why you need to experience it. And I wouldn’t tell any of the guys you see their killer party as the next teen movi
e.”
“I’ll remember that,” I said as I pulled the car around the corner and found a spot to park, hoping I’d have an easy getaway if things went south.
She jumped out of the car and waited for me to unbuckle and reluctantly join her. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” I raked my hand through my hair and smoothed down my wrinkled shirt wishing I’d dressed to go out.
“You’ll love it.” She walked with me to the front door, and we went inside, both blending quickly into the ocean of bodies that made up our school.
Kya was immediately swallowed up by her friends, and even though she looked back at me, she was helpless to stop them. She called out over Seth’s head, “Thanks for the ride, Leonard.”
Seth gave me a hard look. “You had Pretty Pony Pace bring you?”
“Yeah, so what? Leonard’s a senior, Seth. Why don’t you be a little hospitable?” I could hear them talking over the music a few feet away, and before I could make my way out again, Seth came over and handed me a shot.
“Here, Leonard. Have a celebratory drink on me.” It was the sincerest thing Seth had said to me since I’d known him, but then I realized, other than “give me a pencil” or “give me your notes,” it was the only thing he’d ever really said to me.
I took the glass, and after giving it a sniff, I turned it back, downing the liquid that was so hot, it burned my throat. The others whooped and cheered. And I smiled, certain my cheeks had turned the same color as my car.
Kya grinned big. “Have fun, Leonard. You deserve it.” She mingled with her friends while I walked around, trying the punch and coolers and being stared at by many. No one talked to me, not even when they were passing me drinks, and I was okay with that. I tasted a few, especially the ones that smelled like a regular punch, and before I knew it, I was about to fall on my ass.
I found myself near the banister, looking up at the winding stairs and growing woozy. Suddenly, before I could hold it back, everything that had gone down made a violent climb back up. I turned in time to grab a vase that was sitting on the nearest table but dropped it, shattering it into a million pieces before puking all over the floor.
