Slick

by Kristi Pelton

  My heart felt like it was going to detonate in my chest. Or maybe it was because Collin still had me pinned.

  “She went straight over and crawled into your bed. She couldn’t wait for you to get home to fucking hold you and erase that pain for you. As far as your goddamn cock goes, she was scared to death of that.” She shook her head. “You don’t deserve her.”

  Elle whispered something to Ben and huffed out of the bar while Collin must have had felt my body go lax because he backed away. The pain in my chest was unbearable still…

  “You good?” he asked, keeping his hand on my chest.

  “No,” I rumbled. “Tyler, I’m leaving. Apologize to everyone for me.”

  I didn’t stick around long enough to hear Tyler’s response; I simply knew that he would handle it.

  When I shoved the gear into park in front of the house, hope grew with the sight of my bedroom light shining through the window. Unsure if I even shut the Jeep door, I glanced back as I hurdled the steps. Nope, still open.

  “Tessa!” I shouted running to the bedroom. Her shit was gone. “Slick?”

  I stopped and listened…a thudding echoed from the other house and I shot in that direction. The back door was open and I dashed out, sprinting across the yard and into the guys’ back door. The house was quiet, dark and Tessa wasn’t in any room as I frantically searched for her.

  When I heard the purr of an engine, I hustled to the front door in time to see the lights of Elle’s Saab come on.

  “Tessa, no!” I screamed with fear seizing every cell in my body. She’d drank a lot and was an emotional mess. “Tessa!”

  Taking a quick glance over her shoulder, she spotted me and then squealed away from the curb. As I ran after her, I pulled my phone from my front pocket to try and call her. She had to stop!

  My run had become an all out sprint and three blocks from home…I’d given it all I could. She never answered.

  “God damn it!” I shouted totally winded. The pain of seeing her brake lights fade away in front of me was too much. The curb served as my refuge as I collapsed near the road, trying to catch my breath.

  Then I heard it…the screeching tires, the collision of metal, the shattering glass. Tessa! Oh God no! Everything turned to slow motion. My eyes shot to the direction of the horrific sound and I ran…

  I ran and I ran and I ran.

  Then I saw it. I saw her standing outside of her car and relief flooded through me. Suddenly, a conversation between my parents came back rushing back to me. I was little and our country had been attacked. They stared at the TV for days watching the tragedy unfold and they both made comments to friends about where they were when they heard the news and how that moment would stay with them for the rest of their lives. This was one of those moments. I was quite certain, this very moment, of running to her and capturing her in my arms, would be etched in my brain until I was 90.

  “Tessa…” I panted completely out of breath.

  “Bodhi! I hit him!” she cried, diving into my arms.

  For the first time I looked at the other car. The wreck sounded way worse than what it was. A younger gentleman stood outside of an SUV studying the damage.

  Tessa was violently shaking, and I held her as tightly as I could without hurting her.

  “Is she OK?” the guy asked, approaching us in a Chicago Cubs ballcap.

  Prying her arms off of me, I held her back to take in her face. “Are you OK?” I asked.

  She nodded with the fattest of tears streaking her face. Facing her victim, she asked, “Are you OK?” Her voice cracked.

  Sirens screamed in the distance.

  “Yes. I’m fine. I’m actually a doctor. Is there anything on you that hurts?” he asked.

  “Just my chest,” she said, stepping away from me and toward him. I took a couple of steps to stay close to her. I never wanted her out of my sight again.

  The doctor nodded. “That’s probably from the seat belt. Tell me you have insurance and this will be simple.” He grinned with a slight wink.

  “I really am so sorry.” Tessa apologized.

  The sirens were upon us now and the flicker of red lights rounded the corner ricocheting off our faces. Her face crumbled when she looked at me as two more police cars rounded the corner.

  “Do we need an ambulance?” the first officer asked, getting out of his car.

  “No. I think we are OK. Just a fender bender,” the doctor explained.

  Tessa’s body continued to tremble beneath my touch.

  The officer pointed at me, “You driving this vehicle?”

  Damn, I so wanted to lie for her and the words scraped up the back of my throat.

  “No. I was,” Tessa added as I closed my eyes.

  The officer pointed toward the car. “May I get your license and registration?”

  Tessa nodded and walked away from me. My heart stuttered as the distance between us widened. She leaned into the car and grabbed her purse. When she handed the officer her license, big silent tears broke free again.

  “You’re from Pennsylvania?”

  “No, sir. I’m from Massachusetts. That was made for me and I know it’s a fake ID. But my real one is at my boyfriend’s house.”

  Oh Jesus.

  He slid the ID in his front pocket. “Insurance?”

  “I don’t know,” she cried.

  “Cody,” he said to the other officer. “See if there is insurance.”

  Unable to take it a second longer, I moved closer to her.

  “Ma’am have you been drinking?”

  Say no!

  “I had a drink earlier but I haven’t for a little while.”

  The wind picked up and Tessa’s hair blew everywhere. The officer jogged back to his vehicle and returned with a damn breathalyzer.

  “I’m going to do a breath test on you to see if you are under the legal limit. Have you eaten or drank anything in the last 20 minutes?”

  My fists clenched as I watched him interrogate her.

  “No. Nothing.” She hiccupped a sob.

  Holding the little square box up near her face, he instructed her to take a deep breath and to blow into the little tube contraption.

  “What is the legal limit?” she squeaked out.

  “Point 08. If you blow that or over, you will be arrested for driving under the influence. Do you understand?”

  Her wide eyes made my heart hurt…but then she nodded, took a deep breath and blew.

  I watched slowly as the digital numbers began to go up….01…02 …03…04…05…05…05…05. How long did we have to watch the fucking thing? .05!

  “Brent.” I heard from behind me and glanced over my shoulder to the officer who was instructed to get the insurance. In his hand, he held a baggie of white powder. Elle’s fucking cocaine! “I just tested it. It’s pure.”

  “Ma’am, I need you to put your hands behind your back,” the officer next to Tessa said, putting the breathalyzer in his pocket. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can or will be…”

  “That’s mine!” I shouted toward Brent. “That’s mine. Not hers.”

  “…in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot…”

  “Seriously,” I spat out angrily. “It’s mine. Please take your hands off her. It’s my coke. I swear.”

  “Sir. Step away from her please.”

  “Bodhi!” Tessa cried. “What do you mean your coke? What’s that mean?”

  Her neck twisted at an odd angle to try and see me. With tightened fists, I rocked back and forth feeling sick. My eyes were glued to hers.

  “Ma’am. Are the cuffs too tight?”

  “Bodhi?”

  Goddamnit. I should never have let her walk out. She begged me! Impulsively, I stepped forward within mere inches of the cop’s face.

  “Please. Let her go,” I gritted with a locked jaw.

  “Sir. I’m warning you. Stand down. She is going to be arrested regardless of what you say. If you c
ontinue, you will be arrested as well.”

  “Bodhi. Don’t!” Tessa pled.

  “Hey,” the doctor grabbed my arm and instinctively I flinched away. “Don’t do this, man. I’ll take you to the station. But don’t do this.”

  I ran my hands over my forehead, watching as the officer guided Tessa to the car.

  “Sir. Can I get your license and registration?” the other cop said to the doctor.

  There was no way in hell he was going to be able to get me to the station soon enough. When Tessa’s eyes never found mine from the back of the car…I did the only thing I knew to do, I turned and ran back to the house to get my Jeep. I had to get to her.

  Chapter 25—Bodhi~ Destroyed

  When Tyler walked in at the intake and release department, I breathed for the first time in an hour. I only looked up long enough to see that it was him and then hung my head again.

  “What the hell happened?”

  “Possession of narcotics. False ID. Minor in consumption. It’s a pretty good fucking list.”

  His head fell back against the wall when he sat next to me.

  “Shit…the coke was in Elle’s car?”

  I nodded.

  “I swear to God, she had no clue what she was even being arrested for.”

  “Have you seen her?”

  I stood, walked over to the door I knew she was behind and rested my forehead on the metal. “No. They won’t let me.”

  Just then a different door opened and a man in uniform breezed through.

  “You are here with Ashby?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “You need to go next door. She’s been transferred to the juvenile detention center.”

  His statement caught me off guard. “Why?”

  “She’s only 17 and we are an 18 and up facility. If you go over there they may be able to give you more info.”

  What the hell? I spun around on Tyler. “You said she was 18!” I roared.

  “She told me she was!”

  “Holy shit!” My God. 17! The things we’d done. The things I’d done to her. Oh my God… FUCK!

  After an hour of sitting at the juvenile detention center waiting for even a breath to be blown our way, Ben came in with Elle trailing behind. I sprang upright and bolted toward her. Tyler tried to grab me but he was no match for the anger boiling inside. I didn’t hesitate as my hand came up and grabbed her arm before Ben realized what happened.

  I pinned her to the wall.

  “Bain!” she screeched. Ben shoved me sideways, knocking me off balance away from her.

  “Don’t touch her again, Bodhi,” he growled.

  “Get her the fuck out of here then. Tessa’s been arrested because of your goddamn drug habit. They found the coke in your car. Now get out!” I pointed at the door.

  Her entire face crumbled. “I’ll tell them it was mine!” she cried.

  “I already tried. SHE was in possession of it. Seriously, Ben. I warned her this was a deal breaker. It doesn’t help that you two lied about her being 17! Now go. Just take her and go.”

  Ben held his breath for the longest time and then guided her out.

  “Keep me posted please,” he said. All I had to offer him was a nod.

  Tyler stayed with me through the torturous night as we waited and waited, hearing nothing. In reality, I was four years older than she was—that news continued to settle in. I was a 21-year-old man and she was a 17-year-old girl. Christ.

  When an older gentleman walked in wearing a nice suit and cufflinks, I silently prayed it was an attorney for her. It would make sense…her one call would go to an attorney. A much younger assistant walked behind him.

  An extremely long hour later, a detention guard came through a door that buzzed when it opened.

  “Bodhi?” she asked.

  Instantly I stood, my fatigued body ached as I got up. When the door closed behind me, the suffocation of the jail was immediate, but I was one door closer to Tessa. The guard led me through three more doors and then to a small, windowless room. The attorney and his assistant sat at a table. No Tessa. The guard stayed behind me as I moved toward the table.

  “Are you Tessa’s attorney?” I asked.

  A sarcastic huff shot up the older gentleman’s throat, causing the younger prick to laugh too.

  “Look my girlfriend is in jail and there is nothing funny about that to me. So if we could cut the bullshit,” I growled.

  Cufflinks shot to his feet. “Let me see if I can ‘cut the bullshit’ for you. Ethan Ashby,” he introduced himself, extending his hand to me. “Your ‘girlfriends’ father.”

  No fucking way. “I’m sorry sir. It’s been a long night,” I justified my outburst, shaking his hand.

  “Yes. I’m aware. I flew halfway across the country for this. Before I take my daughter home, I’m trying to clarify if she needs to be placed straight in a drug treatment facility or not. Could you enlighten me on this?”

  “Tessa doesn’t use drugs.” My tone was flat.

  “So is what she said true? They were yours?”

  There was no way in hell this was truly happening. Unbelievable. I glanced around for some magic lamp that I could rub, hoping for a genie.

  “Sure,” I lied. I could tell by the look in his eyes he knew I was lying. Frankly, I didn’t give a fuck. From what I’d heard, this man hadn’t given two shits about his daughter her entire life.

  “Well, Bodhi.” He pronounced my name with an oily tone. “Tessa is returning home with us. We will handle things there. You will leave her alone. Understood?”

  “We?” I asked, eyeballing the guy behind him who still had a ghost of a grin.

  Mr. Ashby clapped his hands. “I’m sorry. How rude of me. This is Christopher Lara. This is who Tessa will be marrying when she turns 21.”

  Nut punch…literally those words carried the power to take me to the ground. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, could have prepared me for that statement. Surprising even myself, I maintained my composure. Yet his words continued screaming in my head. Tessa will be marrying this man.

  Blood rushed directly to my fingers and I pumped them, preparing my fists for battle. My first thought was to go all Jason Bourne on their asses and kill them both. But, this man was Tessa’s father—or at least biological sperm donor. She had no relationship with him and his agenda was unclear to me. Bottom line, she was seven-fucking-teen; I had no legal right to her.

  The little fucking weasel behind him—well, I’d crush him without reservation. He was never getting anywhere near my Tessa.

  “Well, after spending my nights with Tessa, I’m assuming she will want to marry a man…but you’re welcome to talk to her about it.” I addressed the weasel.

  He narrowed his eyes. Wow. Scary.

  “Mr. Lara is not the type of man to engage in a physical battle. He is a brilliant software designer who graduates from MIT this year. His father is a senator and our families uniting will benefit a lot of people.”

  “So, she’s a transaction to you?” I accused, with my lip pulled in a semi-snarl.

  He picked up his jacket and folded it neatly over his arm. “There will be no need for further contact with you. I’ve taken possession of her cell phone. Mr. Lara will take care of any further “business” she may need.” He smirked at me.

  “Well. He’s going to have to take his tampon out and grow a fucking dick.”

  All weasel did was chuckle. Fuck him. Maybe Jason Bourne was the way to go.

  “I’m ready to go back out,” I said to the female guard; she pushed a button on a wall—immediately the door buzzed.

  “Goodbye, Mr. Ellingston.”

  Tessa’s father put emphasis on my name in a way that led me to believe he knew more about me than I’d prefer.

  We all followed the guard through the buzzing doors—the only sound breaking the uncomfortable silence.

  Seeing Tessa would fix all of this. There was no way in hell she had any intention of marrying Mr. MIT. Something mo
re was going on here. Tessa loved me and nothing would ever make me doubt that love.

  Tyler shot upright when he saw me.

  “They took her, Bodhi.” The desperation buried in his tone worried me.

  “What?”

  His frantic eyes flitted over the room and his hands flew up in the air. “They fucking took her. Two men. Walked her out. She was crying, Bain. Screamed at me to tell you she loved you.”

  Panic seized my chest making breathing nearly impossible. “Where? Which way?” I yelled, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “Which way, Tyler?” I shouted.

  “Out that door!” He pointed and I ran. Not a single damn car was in sight. She was gone. GONE!

  When I swiveled around on the concrete sidewalk, I nearly crashed into Ethan Ashby. My heart pounded against my ribs and my gut instinct was to punch him—no…worse. Yet because he was Tessa’s father, I let him swoosh past me as if I didn’t matter to him at all. I didn’t.

  When my eyes found Tyler, pain radiated from his piercing blue stare and back to mine. My chest that had pounded so powerfully only seconds ago, felt as if it was caving in—like literally crushing my lungs. I meant it when I told her she had the power to destroy me—and as I fell to my knees in front of Tyler, clawing at his shirt, the reality hit me. She was gone and my heart was obliterated…

  Chapter 26—Tessa~ GONE!

  My lids scraped over my swollen, dry eyes as the jet took flight. I could barely breathe. My father hadn’t even looked at me since he’d boarded. Only once had I caught the eyes of my future husband and his were no happier than mine. His pressed shirt tucked perfectly into his khaki pants—matching belt and shoes.

  The thought of an arranged marriage seemed old and antiquated. Yet, I’d known since I was 14 that I was expected to marry this man. For three years, I’d been the envy of every girl at the school. Christopher Lara would be my husband, and they were all green with jealousy. It wasn’t that he was unattractive. He was beautifully put together in a Wall Street sort of way. Today, his hair was exactly like it was when I’d met him the first time when I was 16—at my debutante ball. Seeing him now made me want to vomit.