Neveah (Society Girls #2)

by Crystal Perkins

  I smile and laugh my way through the next couple of hours. I smile when I’m groped, even though I want to break the men’s hands, and I laugh at their lame and sexist jokes, despite wanting to punch them. I also manage to lose both of my earrings, and all of the hardware from my shoes. I place them all around the room, and luckily no one’s looking at anything other than my breasts and my ass when I pretend that I’ve dropped something, or that I’m checking out some decoration. I’m almost caught in the meeting room, but a sloppy kiss does the trick with the guard who found me. Gross, but a kiss is better than a bullet in the head.

  When it’s time for the women to be sent home, I slip out the back door, and climb onto the roof of one of the cabanas. Lying flat on my stomach, I transform my purse into the parachute that it really is, and strap it on over my dress. Once I’m sure the women are far enough away, and all of them men are inside, I open the lipstick that was inside the “purse” and take it apart. I tip the remote detonator into my hand, press the button, and wait for the explosions to start.

  As the explosives all detonate at once, I stand up. Audrey talked to us about using the force from an explosion to shoot yourself into the air, and with luck, my calculations will be just right, and I won’t blow up along with everyone else. Within seconds, I’m in the sky, shooting higher than I’ve ever been without being in a plane. Just as I’m about to pull the cord on my chute, I feel a pain in my arm.

  I look down, and realize that one of the men has gotten out and his gun is raised towards me, ready to shoot again. I have no weapon, but it turns out I don’t need one. I don’t hear the shot that kills him, but I see the hole the bullet leaves in his head as he falls. I pull the cord, but I know I won’t be able to control my landing with only one arm.

  I try to make it towards the lights on the boat—Matt’s rented yacht—but I fall short, and sink into the water. I know I need to get myself out before the sharks come for me and my blood, but I’ve lost so much already that I’m light-headed. I’m about to give up, and just keep sinking, when strong arms band around me and I’m being pulled up to the surface. I open my eyes long enough to see that it’s Theo who dove into the ocean for me, and then everything goes black.

  * * *

  Dylan

  I’m shooting hoops in the gym when Sully comes in. I’m not sure whether to brace for a punch, or toss him the ball. He makes it easy on me when he holds his hands out.

  “I’ve never played with an NBA player before.”

  “I’ve never played with the brother of a woman I loved before.”

  “Have you ever loved a woman?” he asks as he takes his first shot. It bounces off the rim, but I knock it back to him so he can try again.

  “Besides my mom, my sister, and your sister? No. I mean, I loved my grams and aunts, too, but those three are the ones I’d do anything for.”

  “Nev doesn’t believe you cheated,” he tells me as he makes his next shot.

  I nod, before making my own basket. “Reina told me.”

  “Did you?” he asks before making another basket.

  I answer immediately, sinking another ball as I do. “Nope. Never.”

  “Nev said I can’t ask you for tickets to a game.”

  I laugh at how she’s always looking out for me, even when I don’t deserve it. “I told her that people who didn’t even like me as a kid ask me for tickets now. Lots of people want to take advantage of me now that I have something they want.”

  “That must really suck.”

  “It does.”

  “My sister’s not like that. She doesn’t care about money, or that you’re famous.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m not really like that, either, although I love the car Matt bought me, and, I wouldn’t turn down tickets.”

  “I appreciate your honesty, man. I’ll get you some tickets for next season.”

  “Cool. Can we tell Nev that you needed the seats filled?”

  “That, I can’t do. I intend to tell her no more lies. I’ll get you the tickets, but you’ll have to deal with her on your own.”

  “I guess that’s fair. I think I might like you, Gallagher.”

  “You’re not too bad yourself, Ayoub.”

  “I also want to thank you for helping my dad,” he says, holding onto the ball as he turns serious. “What he wanted for Nev was messed up, and he’s owning that, but you’ve always been there for him.”

  “He was there for me when I needed him.”

  “You probably think of him like a father, huh?” he asks, and I know it hurts him to even ask. He has nothing to worry about.

  “I have an amazing father, so no, Sadiq was never a father figure to me, and I was never like a son to him. I think of him as a good friend, and I guess you could say maybe like an uncle, but never a father.”

  “Oh. Cool. I didn’t mean…I just…it’s hard.”

  “I get it. He missed you, Sully. I can promise you that. He talked about all of you so much. Once we figured out Ellie had a connection to you guys through Reina and Matt, I tried to find out everything I could, and made sure I was at any function you attended. It’s going to sound stalkerish, but I took pics of you guys so he could see you. It didn’t make things easier for him, but at the same time, it did. If that makes any sense.”

  “Wow. I just don’t even know what to say since I already thanked you. And yeah, I understand what you’re saying.”

  I motion him over to the juice bar, before continuing our talk. “How are you really doing with everything?”

  “I’m happy that he’s alive, but I’m also angry, and sad, too.”

  “That’s normal. At least, I think it is. I’m no shrink, but I’d be feeling those things too,” I tell him as I slide a juice across the counter to him.

  “I don’t know if I can just let him back into my life like it’s no big deal.”

  “He doesn’t expect that. He never thought he’d be able to be a part of your life again, so he’ll take whatever you can give him,” I tell him, knowing it’s true because Sadiq and I have talked about it.

  “You’ve already done so much, but do you think I could maybe talk to you every once in a while?”

  “Definitely. Let me give you my number, and we can hang while we’re here if you want.”

  “That’d be great.”

  It really would. I like Sully, and I know he’s struggling with what went down with Sadiq. I can’t imagine my dad dying, but coming back from the dead has to be just as bad, if not worse. I’ll do whatever I can for him, and not just because I hope to one day be his brother-in-law.

  Chapter 20

  Neveah

  I wake up in a room on the boat. I can tell that we’re still on the water, because the boat is rocking a little more than it would if we were docked somewhere. My arm is bandaged up, and hurts like…well, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I try to stand up, but I’m still dizzy, so I end up slamming into the wall. Before sitting back down.

  The door opens immediately, and Jake pokes his head in. “Hey, you’re up! That’s really good.”

  “Where are we?”

  “About ten miles from the compound.”

  “Why didn’t we just go back?”

  “Well, it would’ve been a little hard to explain why we had a woman who had obviously been shot and was in a party dress coming off the boat with us right after the compound exploded.”

  “Oh yeah. I didn’t have room for other clothes anywhere,” I say, looking down at my torn dress.

  “Matt thought you might forget that, so we have clothes for you to change into.”

  “I might need help.”

  “I can imagine you will. I’ll get Matt.”

  “I’m surprised he wasn’t down here.”

  “He’s pretending to be a rich traveler up on deck, along with everyone else. I’m down here because if shit goes down with the Coast Guard, I have the most pull, and could maybe talk them out of taking you.”

 
“I sometimes forget that your mom is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

  “Sometimes I wish she wasn’t,” he says with a grin, “but other times I’m glad she is.”

  I start to laugh, but that jars my arms and I hiss out a curse. “Fuck, that hurts.”

  “Getting shot normally does. It was a through and through, and Nate patched you up really well, but you’ll want to have Kendrick look at it when we get back. I’ll have Matt bring you some pain pills when he comes in.”

  “Thanks, Jake. For everything.”

  “Anytime, Nev. This is more fun than I’ve had in months. The other guys feel the same way, too. Now that we’ve settled down, we don’t do this kind of stuff too often anymore.”

  “Well then, I’m glad I could give you a little adventure,” I tell him with a smile.

  He winks, and then leaves me alone in the room again. I make my way into the bathroom that’s attached to the room while I wait for Matt. After taking care of everything I want to do, including washing off my heavy make-up with one hand, I go back into the main room. Matt is sitting on one of the chairs in the lavish room, but he jumps up as I stagger out.

  “I brought you some pain meds. Jake said you need help getting changed?”

  “Yeah. My arm is pretty useless at the moment. Not sure how I’ll pass any of my weapons tests now.”

  “You have time for that.”

  “I guess. I wanted to do it next week, so I could concentrate on other stuff. Things that aren’t as hard, but I could use some extra time with,” I tell him as he unzips my dress for me.

  He holds up a bra awkwardly for me, and we both look resigned. I definitely need the bra, but I’ll never be able to do the front clasp on my own. I’ve hero-worshipped Matt for years, but I haven’t had a crush on him since I was twelve. He let me down easy, telling me about Reina, but this is still a little embarrassing. Okay, very embarrassing.

  “If I help get it over your bad arm, can you turn away, and get the cups over…your breasts…and then, I can just do the clasp?” he asks, looking as panicked as I feel.

  “Yeah. I can totally do that. I’m sorry you have to help me.”

  “Don’t ever apologize. I’ll help you with anything, any time. This is just a little uncomfortable. It’s like seeing my little sister, or niece, in a bra.”

  “You don’t have either, so I think you’re safe.”

  “Thank God for that.”

  We both laugh, distracting us from what he has to do. Once it’s done, he swings me back around so my back is to him, and helps me put on a maxi dress that has loose sleeves and is in a bold print on a light blue background. It’s not something I’d pick for myself, but it covers my injury, and looks like something a woman lounging on a yacht would wear.

  “I still can’t believe you rented a yacht for this.”

  “Less suspicious. I look like a rich guy, playing at fishing with my friends.”

  “I’m sorry you didn’t get to fish for real.”

  “Oh, we are fishing for real. We’ve caught some good stuff for a late dinner tonight.”

  My stomach rumbles, reminding me that it’s been hours since I ate. “I didn’t know you could even fish at night, but that sounds wonderful.”

  “It’s not as good as daytime fishing, but we did alright. It won’t be long before it’s ready. We let Aiden gut everything since he didn’t get to kill a human today, and now Theo’s cooking it all up.”

  “Who killed the man who shot me?” I ask, remembering him fall to the ground.

  “Nate. He’s the best sniper out of all of us.”

  “And Theo came into the water for me, right?”

  “Yep. Ex-Navy SEAL.”

  “I can’t believe all of you helped me without question. You, I can understand, because we’re…or we were…family, but your friends didn’t need to be here.”

  He tips my chin up to look in my eyes. “I will always be family to you, Nev. Your father being alive doesn’t change that. As for my friends? They’re here because I’m here, but also because you are. They’re the best and most loyal guys I know. You know Nate, and Aiden, and I can’t believe you don’t know they’d do anything for you. Theo’s relatively new to our group, and we’re missing Darcy—who doesn’t fish—but we’re all really tight. We’d do anything for each other, and they’d do anything for you as well. The other husbands and Kendrick hang out with us a lot, but this is my inner circle, so to speak. They know how much you mean to me, and also to their women, so they’ll do whatever has to be done for you.”

  “My friends—the recruits—would do the same.”

  “Good,” he says with a nod. “Reina will be happy to know you’re so close.”

  “We all stopped going to classes when she thought about kicking Sierra out. I think she knows we’re tight.”

  “True, but it makes her feel like she’s doing things right when she sees it.”

  “How are you? Really?” I ask, knowing this may not be the right time, or place, but I haven’t had the chance to ask before now.

  “I’m better than I thought I would be the night I saw your father. Reina made me realize that although we lost so much time together, maybe it was better for both of us. She reminded me that although our love has endured the test of time, that maybe when we were younger, we might not have known how to handle a love so powerful. Now, we not only handle it, but we embrace it and are stronger because of it. I know that if I hold onto my anger, and pain, it will only work to destroy what I’ve built with her.”

  “Wow. That’s really romantic and beautiful.”

  “Yeah, well, it happens,” he says with a shrug. “Reina brings out all the best in me—and helps me keep the worst in check.”

  “I want a love like that. Hell, I think everyone in the universe wants a love like that.”

  “You think Dylan might have a shot at giving you that?”

  “Yeah, I do. I need to talk to him about the pictures, and let him tell me what we both need him to say.”

  “Are we going to talk about what went down at the compound?”

  It’s my turn to shrug. “I blew it up.”

  “With people inside.”

  “Bad people who wanted to kill the man I love, and probably countless others.”

  “I’m not saying they didn’t deserve it, and honestly, no one else on this boat would give a second thought to doing what you did.”

  “I didn’t have any second thoughts.”

  “That doesn’t scare you? Because I gotta tell you, Nev, I never thought I would see this day come. I wanted you to be part of the Society, but I wasn’t sure you could.”

  “I’m not scared, no. I prayed before I did it, and once the painkillers you brought me kick in enough so I can walk, I’ll pray again. I don’t feel remorse for what I did, so asking for forgiveness doesn’t exactly feel right, but I’ll keep praying every day. I strayed from the tenets of my faith, and I know that by continuing on with the Society, I will do it again, but I’ve come to realize that it’s sometimes more necessary to remove evil from the world, than it is to worry about saving your own soul.”

  “I don’t believe that the soul of any woman or man within the Society is at risk. Saving lives has to count for something, even if violence is involved.”

  “I’ll have to hope that you’re right. In the meantime, I’ll keep praying.”

  My stomach rumbles again, and he smiles at me. “Let’s get some food in you before you try and gnaw on my arm.”

  “I’d go for your legs first—they have more meat on them.”

  “Good to know.”

  I’m going to be okay, and so is Matt. Dylan and the rest of my family are now safe from the men who wanted them dead, and Matt has Reina, which is better for him than most anything else in the world. I survived something I didn’t think I would ever be able to do, and while I didn’t enjoy it the way Aiden seems to, I really am at peace with what I did. Now it’s time to move forward.

&
nbsp; * * *

  Dylan

  I get the news that I’m safe while I’m watching movies with Sully later that night. Ellie runs in, and hugs me tight, telling me some kind of explosion happened at the compound where the bad guys were meeting. I still don’t feel like I’m out of the clear yet, but she seems sure that I am.

  “What about any guys who might not have been there?”

  “Anyone not there was low-level and will be scrambling to find someone new to work for. From the intel Ainsley’s team had been able to get, we know they kept most of their money, guns, and documents on that compound. Everything is pretty much gone now, with the villagers scavenging through the wreckage for anything they can take.”

  “Why now? If so much of their resources were there, why didn’t someone take them out before?”

  “They pretty much owned that island. The police were firmly in their pocket, and no one else who lived there wanted to risk their life by going against them.”

  “If no one could get to them before, how did it happen now?”

  “I don’t know, and really, does it matter? You’re safe!”

  “Are you sure you had nothing to do with this?”

  “I wish I could take credit, and we were planning to mount an attack. It seems like someone else beat us to it.”

  “I hope I never meet them, because they’re probably as cut-throat as the men who died, but I’m secretly grateful.”

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “Tonight? Finish watching movies with Sully. Tomorrow? I’m going after Eric and his lies.”

  “And Nev?”

  “When she comes back, I’m going after her in a very different way.”