Kane Richards Must Die

by Williams, Shanice

  Kane Richards Must Die

  Shanice Williams

  Kane Richards Must Die

  Published by Lands Atlantic Publishing

  www.landsatlantic.com

  All rights reserved

  Copyright © 2011 by Shanice Williams

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN 978-0982500521

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author or publisher.

  For Martin,

  Regardless of the future,

  he was there when I needed him.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1 ARRIVAL

  Chapter 2 MEETING

  Chapter 3 FAVOUR

  Chapter 4 DISCOVERY

  Chapter 5 IMPRESSED

  Chapter 6 SURPRISE

  Chapter 7 FIRST THOUGHTS

  Chapter 8 CONFUSION

  Chapter 9 ACHE

  Chapter 10 WORDLESS COMMUNICATION

  Chapter 11 BACKGROUND TRUTHS

  Chapter 12 CRUSHED EXPECTATIONS

  Chapter 13 I’M SORRY

  Chapter 14 THOUGHTLESS PAYBACK

  Chapter 15 REALIZATIONS

  Chapter 16 TEXT MESSAGES

  Chapter 17 TRUST

  Chapter 18 PAINFUL MEMORIES

  Chapter 19 THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

  Chapter 20 RETURNING THE FAVOUR

  Chapter 21 REVELATIONS

  Chapter 22 THE STORM APPROACHES

  Chapter 23 THE POISON AND THE ANTIDOTE

  Chapter 24 UNSPOKEN WORDS OF LOVE

  Chapter 25 IMPOSSIBLE SPEECH

  Chapter 26 FROM NERVOUSNESS TO HAPPINESS

  Chapter 27 DROWNING IN THE BITTER DARKNESS

  Chapter 28 A DARK CASE OF PATHETIC FALLACY

  Chapter 29 THE FINAL SNAP OF A WITHERED ROPE

  Chapter 30 PAINFUL ULTIMATUM

  Chapter 31 FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

  Chapter 32 A FLOODGATE FINALLY OPENS

  Chapter 33 WHO'S LOVING YOU

  Chapter 34 A FIRE REIGNITED

  Chapter 35 REALITY COMES CRASHING BACK

  Chapter 36 AGONISING ORDERS

  Chapter 37 UNREPAIRABLE PAIN

  Chapter 38 MEMORIES AND A FINAL GOODBYE

  Chapter 39 EPILOGUE

  Acknowledgements

  1. ARRIVAL

  Suranne

  As I drew up to the secluded school building the butterflies started. Everyone here probably knew each other and had their own group of friends. I would be the odd one out. The new girl with the strange accent.

  Two weeks ago, my mother’s employer sent her to Greece on an extended assignment. She didn’t trust me to be home alone, so she sent me to America to live with my Aunt Clacy. At first I was looking forward to spending time in the big U.S. of A. but when I got to school my courses were all screwed up. I thought back to when I first found out.

  “What?! . . . this could mess up my graduation,” I’d fumed; I had already lived through sixteen years of damn school. I would be finished after this semester if I were back home.

  “Well, hopefully it’ll all get worked out, it’s only for a few months. I wouldn’t fret too much,” my aunt shrugged. Although she still had her British accent, there was a slight twang starting to form in her voice.

  “But I’m nearly seventeen! They’re not even transferring all of my credits!” I pouted, folding my arms.

  “Well, things are different here, I’m afraid.” She patted me on the back and then went to her office, leaving me on my own.

  I gave the building another once-over before sighing and pushing myself through the door. There was a small reception area, with a couple of worn, padded leather seats in the left corner and a desk on the right. A chubby brown-haired woman with big glasses peeked up at my entrance and then quickly went back to work. I walked over to her desk and cleared my throat.

  “Umm, hi . . . I’m Suranne Williams, I’m meant to be starting here today.” I smiled nervously and twirled my hair anxiously waiting for her reply. She looked up and cocked her head to the side slightly.

  “British, huh?” She eyed me up and down, curiously. I just smiled and nodded once. By the time she found my paperwork, the bell had rung.

  “I’ll show you to your first class,” she announced and then mumbled something that sounded like “eat you up for breakfast.” I sure hoped my hearing was playing tricks on me.

  Leaving the small office area, she led me down a hallway that had lockers on each side and doors to various classes.

  “Well, class has already started, and you’re in . . .” she unfolded my timetable and squinted through her thick spectacles.

  “English,” she confirmed with a nod, before turning down yet another hallway and stopping outside a door to a class. She handed me the folded paper and sighed, “At the end of the day, come back to the reception and we’ll get the rest of your details.” Then she opened the door and ushered me in. My heartbeat raced and my stomach did flips as the whole class turned to stare at me.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Case. I have the new student here.” She smiled at him adoringly. I frowned as I looked at her beaming face. Looks like someone has a crush, I thought.

  “Ahh yes. Suranne, am I correct?” The tall man with mousy brown hair and grey eyes smiled down at me warmly whilst handing me my books.

  “Umm, yeah, that’s me,” I murmured sheepishly. A rush of whispers erupted around the room, and when I turned, the whole class seemed to be gazing at me with expressions of curiosity and amusement.

  “Well, I’ll leave her in your very good, capable hands then, Mr. Case,” the reception lady announced before leaving the room.

  Mr. Case placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder and led me to a desk at the far right end of the class. The guy sitting next to the empty desk grinned at me as I approached. I smiled back shyly, sat down, and placed my books on the desk.

  “Hey, I’m Lawrence.”

  I turned to him and smiled. Up close, he was much better looking than I’d thought, and as he smiled back at me I could feel my face warming. He had spiky black hair and lightly tanned skin, with blue eyes, and a silver stud in his left ear. He wore a plain navy shirt and jeans with black trainers, which all looked good on him.

  Mr. Case called everyone’s attention and I turned my head back to the front of the class, but he mentioned something about Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. I had already studied the book two years ago. I sighed and looked down at my hands, twining them absently as he spoke.

  Suddenly the bell sounded and everyone bustled about gathering their things. Lawrence stood up next to me and smiled as I rose from my chair.

  Mr. Case stopped me as I walked past his desk. “Suranne, if you have any trouble keeping up, just let me know and I’ll try and explain everything best as I can.”

  “Umm, thanks, but I’ve already studied Shakespeare so, I’ve kind of done it already.”

  “Including this play?” Mr. Case asked, raising an eyebrow.

  I nodded sheepishly and made an exit. Lawrence was standing outside the door waiting for me.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, wondering why he was still there.

  He raised his eyebrows innocently and smiled at me. “I was just gonna show you to your next class, didn’t want you getting lost,” he reassured, motioning with his hand for me to follow.

  “Oh, thanks,” I mumbled.

&nb
sp; Breathing a quiet laugh he changed the subject, asking me about my last school and how long I’d been here as we made our way to the next classroom together. We talked about how different it was here for me, and he smiled when I mentioned that I should be getting ready for college. I felt completely relaxed when talking to him and even started laughing at some of his comments. When we entered our next class, the teacher hadn’t arrived, so everyone was chatting. Their attention diverted to Lawrence and me as we sat at our desks. All of a sudden there were crowds of people around us, all speaking at once.

  “Hey, you’re Suranne right?”

  “Hey, I’m Kate.”

  “What’s it like?”

  “Do you like it here?”

  “I hear you’re from London.”

  “Wow! I’ve always wanted to go there!”

  I stared at the different faces, speechless, not sure which question to answer first.

  Lawrence chuckled next to me, “Give her some room guys, she’s only been here five minutes.”

  “Yeah, well it might be our only chance. Kane’s in her next class,” a girl with long blonde hair said. She looked at me with green eyes and smiled.

  I heard Lawrence groan and rub his temples with his hand. What was with that? Kane? Who’s he, what did she mean by it may be her only chance?

  “Hey, I’m Kate.” The blonde spoke again, pulling me from my reverie and shaking my hand.

  “Who’s Kane?”

  I heard a couple of girls from behind Kate sigh dreamily as I mentioned his name and I guessed he must be pretty popular with the ladies.

  “Kane Richards is—”

  “An asshole, stay away from him,” Lawrence interrupted her, sounding irritated.

  “Dude, he’s your best friend,” I heard a guy mutter from behind me before Lawrence shrugged.

  “So? Doesn’t mean it’s not the truth. She should be warned.”

  “Anyway,” Kate interrupted impatiently. She seemed angry at how the conversation had progressed; she grabbed a chair and pulled it up towards our desk.

  “Whatever you do, don’t engage with him in any form whatsoever,” she warned, looking at me severely.

  “Yeah, like don’t speak to him, don’t sit by him or nuthin’, ’cause once you’re sucked in, then bam, it’s too late,” Lawrence continued.

  Kate nodded at his words and then jabbed a thumb behind her at the two girls, who still seemed to be in a dreamy state.

  “Otherwise you end up like them,” Kate said, rolling her eyes. The guy behind me, who’d spoken before, chuckled. “Come on you guys, she’s new. You know Kane’s gonna get his hands on her either way. The fact that she’s fresh meat don’t help.”

  I turned to glare at him but he just grinned and winked at me before being punched in the gut by Lawrence. I smiled vindictively and turned back in my seat.

  “How will I know which one he is?” I asked, puzzled by how serious they all were, like he was some ax murderer or something.

  “Believe me, you’ll know,” Lawrence muttered next to me, looking sad and frustrated, but I just shrugged and let it go. The teacher came in then and the group dispersed to their desks. Kate was the last to go back to her seat. “I’m in your next class, you can sit next to me,” she whispered, then she turned and walked away like the others.

  “Won’t you be there?” I asked, turning round to face Lawrence. He stared at me before he spoke.

  “Yeah, but I’ll be with Kane, and he’s usually the last one in, although . . .” he paused and stared at me thoughtfully, “when he realises you’re in his class he’ll probably be there first.” He sighed and shook his head infinitesimally, disappointment the main expression on his face.

  “Is he some kind of misogynistic womaniser or something?” I whispered to Lawrence. He chuckled darkly. “You could say that,” he muttered, ducking his head in his book.

  Throughout the lesson I pondered this Kane Richards, wondering what kind of a reputation he had gained for himself and what would happen to me if I got caught up in him. I was nervous as I made my way to my next class. People stared at Kate and me as they walked past, but every time I glanced at her, she just smiled back warmly.

  When we arrived, people still stared, smirking and muttering something to their neighbors. Kate sat down, and I went to join her. I decided to ask her a few quick questions of advice before Casanova came into the room.

  “What do I do if he talks to me?” I whispered to her. She was texting on her phone and she just shrugged without looking up.

  “Ignore him,” she said simply.

  Right, so I’m to just ignore this guy if he talks to me? I mean, I didn’t know about her, but I was brought up knowing that if someone speaks to you, it’s generally rude to just ignore them. I tapped my fingers against the desk, watching as the class slowly filled up with students. Even though Lawrence claimed I would know who he was, I wasn’t so sure. All the guys seemed pretty normal to me.

  Just then the class door opened again and in stepped three guys. One of them was Lawrence. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him staring at me, probably appraising my expression, but at the time, I was completely focused on someone else. On him.

  Yes, Lawrence was definitely right. Without a doubt, I knew I was staring Kane Richards in the face.

  2. MEETING

  Suranne

  No questions asked, Kane Richards was a carving of pure perfection.

  He looked about six feet tall and had short dark hair, neatly spiked up in front. His facial features were . . . well . . . indescribable. His high cheekbones and firm jaw line were perfectly symmetrical, and his skin was flawless and tanned.

  Like Lawrence, he had a stud in his left ear, but it was bigger, and looked much more appealing on him. His eyes were a very light brown that reminded me of the milkiest of chocolate, and his full red lips were screaming to be kissed. He wore a crisp black shirt that emphasised the perfection of his chest, and dark jeans. As he walked down the aisle of desks towards me, there was a string of enthusiastic greetings upon his approach.

  “Morning, Kane.”

  “Hi, Kane.”

  “Hey, did you get my message?”

  The greetings continued as he walked past them without giving any inclination of a reply. He didn’t look at them, didn’t speak, he didn’t even nod. He just carried on walking, his milky chocolate eyes fixed on mine. He flashed a crooked grin in my direction as I stared at him in awe, my mind barely comprehending the fact that he was getting closer to my desk.

  “Oh, great,” Kate groaned and ducked her head to write something in her notebook. I decided to follow her example and tore my eyes away from his perfection, doodling on the back of my timetable, but before I knew it, I felt the paper being pushed aside by a set of extremely attractive hands, and as I glanced up, Kane Richards sat down on the side of my desk. A whiff of expensive, mouthwatering cologne swirled up my nose and I nearly choked on the sweetness of his smell. This was going to be difficult.

  “Suranne Williams, I’m told.” My ears rang as his deep and seductive voice hugged the smooth words that slid off his tongue. I stared at him, my eyes wide and locked in his gaze as he arched one thick eyebrow. Before I had the chance to answer, a slender girl in a very revealing vest, with bouncy brunette curls, walked up to Kane and tapped him lightly on the shoulder with two fingers. I recognised her as one of the girls who was dreamily sighing when I mentioned his name in my last class. His eyes never left mine and his eyebrow was still raised

  “Yes?” Once again his smooth voice rang in my ears, like he was in song. I looked at the girl who was looking at me with a ferocious jealous glare before eyeing Kane and batting her eyelids ever so slightly.

  “So, I had a good time last night?” She said it more like it was a question than a statement in her high reedy voice.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” he said, without the slightest amount of interest. I bit back a smile at his tone, but it couldn’t be kept in complete
ly, so I released a very small smirk. He noticed and grinned in response, winking at me ever so slightly. I could definitely understand why the girl next to me had been sighing dreamily. This guy was one hell of a catch. He frowned as he remembered the girl still standing there shifting her weight uncomfortably and turned to glare at her, raising his eyebrows.

  “Listen . . . Kelly, can’t you see I’m busy?” His head inclined slightly in my direction as if to prove his point. The girl’s eyes widened, and she blushed, “It’s uhh . . . Kerry, actually,” she mumbled, her face twisting into a grimace. Kane merely shrugged and turned his glorious face back to me. I peeked quickly behind him to catch Lawrence watching us both, his eyebrows raised and his expression looking worried. I frowned as I remembered our conversation in my last lesson.

  “Is he some kind of misogynistic womaniser or something?”

  “You could say that.”

  Glancing back at Kane and his hypnotic eyes, I raised a brow. “Kane Richards, I presume?” I spoke, trying to keep my voice cold. His eyes widened and he grinned, keeping his stare firmly locked on my face.

  “Damn, Lawrence, you didn’t tell me her voice was that hot,” he spoke, his perfectly white teeth shining. My breath caught and I felt the warmth spread over my cheeks and he chuckled gently at my blush.

  “Uhh, yeah, she’s from London,” Lawrence replied, sounding irritated. His voice reminded me once again of our last conversation; I told myself to get a grip and continued to glare at him.

  “You have earned quite a reputation here, so I’m told.” I kept my voice cool and businesslike as much as possible, but his smile was melting my concentration. His lips turned up into a smirk and he winked at me as his smooth, musical voice caressed my ears.

  “I’m the best.”

  “Hmm,” I replied curtly. “They say men with large egos who big themselves up are usually making up for something rather. . . ” my eyes roamed down his body and stopped at the belt of his jeans. “Small.” I smiled and lifted my head before raising an eyebrow. His eyes tightened ever so slightly and I could see Lawrence trying to fight a smile behind him. The class door opened and a bald man in a tweed jacket walked in, calling the class to order even though the room was silent, everyone turned in their seats, concentrating on Kane and me.