by Alla Kar
I back stepped and ducked when he tossed a right hook my way.
“You two stop it right this second,” Dad said, grabbing the rope to pull himself upward.
Last chance. With all my might, I swung my best two-punch combo causing Chase to stumble to the floor. Dad grabbed him before he could get up, all the while smiling up at me. “You’re a champ, Nev,” Chase said.
My body heated at the nickname, my eyes flickering to Rage who stood quietly by the ropes with narrowed eyes. “Neveah, we have another match soon, and Chase doesn’t have time to deal with this. Look at his mouth, it’s bleeding. And so are you. What in the hell were you two thinkin’?”
Chase looked at me for help. “I wanted to box,” I said. “Sue me.”
Dad clenched his jaw. “You need to take the day off. Why don’t you call Shelly and go to the mall.” He pulled out his wallet and thrust his master card toward me. “Go do something fun.”
Really? “What am I, sixteen? Is bribing me with money really what you want to do?”
Chase spit blood onto the floor and smiled.
“No, Neveah,” Dad said. “I want you to stop showing out. You know your mother didn’t even want you to box at all. She’d kill me if she was here right now.”
Despite my attempt to look pissed off, tears whelmed in my eyes. “Well, she isn’t here, is she?”
Dad’s face softened, and he opened his mouth to say something but shut it. There wasn’t anything to say. She was gone. Grabbing my water bottle, I walked toward the double doors and sat down at the desk chair. Tears had started to stream down my face, and suddenly going to see Aunt Shelly sounded like a good idea.
I pulled out my cell.
Me: You want to go to the movies or something?
I placed it on the desk and waited for a response. Lucy placed her head in my lap. and I rubbed the ridge between her eyes.
“Come here.”
I jerked upward, rolling back in my chair. Rage stood beside my desk, his face sincere and soft. “Get up.”
The waterworks went off when he grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. I pressed my cheek into his chest and soaked his skin. He never moved or spoke, just stroked my back with his fingers while I listened to the heavy beat of his heart.
After five minutes of tears, I pulled back. “Thank you.”
He nodded, stroking my lip with his thumb. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”
That question made my insides tremble. Even though there was a chance it was a simple question for him, it felt nice for him to want to listen. I hadn’t experienced that feeling in a very long time. “No,” I whispered. “Thank you for offering.”
“You can always talk to me, Neveah.”
I nodded.
“Good, now you can explain why you were fighting Chase like that.”
“I wasn’t.”
Rage gripped my shoulders. “Why don’t we try the truth this time?”
I frowned. Frustrated, I glanced down at the floor. “I wanted to show you that I could help with your sister. That I can take care of myself.”
He studied my face, his fingers softened on the curve of my shoulders. “I know you can. There was never any question on it. You have to understand that I’m trying to get my sister back, and it’d be over my dead body that I’d let you near this son of a bitch. I can’t lose you too, Angel. I just can’t.”
The determined look on his face made me both flustered and awed. He’d do anything to keep me safe. Me. Who knew that I’d ever meet a man that’d make me feel so aggravated yet so loved and safe? There was a part of me that knew I wanted this from him, and I needed it. But I needed to make sure he wouldn’t falter, that he wouldn’t stop fighting. Because I was falling so desperately in love with him that I needed reassurance that he’d catch me.
“Rage, there is so much I want to say, but I want to show you by helping your sister. This is just as important to me as it is to you.”
The seconds ticked by slowly, only us staring at each other. Some look had taken over his face, and I wasn’t sure what exactly it was. The middle of his lip trembled, and my heart soared higher than it’d ever soared. “Baby,” he whispered. “You don’t have to risk your life to tell me what you need to tell me. The fact that you’d risk your life for me is proof that you love me. It’s proof you’re crazy out of your mind mad,” he whispered, a smile curving up his jaw. “And I fucking love you too.”
A single tear slipped down his cheek and disappeared into the scruff of his jaw. “Don’t say it unless you mean it,” I whispered.
He smiled. “I love you, Neveah. And you’re just not going to save my sister’s life, I am. But I want you to be in my bed tonight so I can show you how in love I am with you.”
“I’ll be there,” I whispered.
Rage kissed my forehead and then each of my eyelids. “Please, go take some time to yourself.”
I looked back at my blinking phone. “I texted Aunt Shelly. I think I will take my dad’s advice and go somewhere.”
He nodded, his eyes tracing my face like he’d never see me again. “Be safe and get back fast. I have plans for you tonight.”
“I’ll be back for dinner.”
He kiss me so tenderly, drawing out any passion I had left inside of me. When he pulled away my lips were tender and puffy. The smug look on his face darkened when I nipped his lip. “Hurry back.”
***
Aunt Shelly tugged me toward the Victoria’s Secret in the Dallas mall. “We need to get you sexier panties,” she said.
I snorted. “I have sexy panties.”
She narrowed her gaze and started sorting through the underwear. “You have boy shorts, and they aren’t considered that sexy anymore.” She sighed. “You need to keep up with the times, Neveah.”
I rolled my eyes, my thoughts drifting to Rage at the gym earlier. He’d said he loved me. Loved me. I wanted to tell Aunt Shelly but part of me wanted to keep it all to myself. I loved a man I hadn’t known but for a few weeks. Is that possible?
“You want to go ice skating after this?” Aunt Shelly asked, shoving another thong into my hand. “I haven’t been in so long.”
I opened my mouth but it stuck in my throat. There she was. Chills skated along my skin, leaving a trail of ice behind. Hannah stood next to the lingerie, a light-haired man beside her. The smile on her face was the one in the picture. It was her.
“Hello?” Aunt Shelly said, waving underwear in front of my face. “Are you in there? You must be dreaming about that sexy man of yours back home.”
I bit my lip, trying to decide what to do. She didn’t look the least bit uncomfortable with him, but she had no idea who he was. How can I get her alone?
“Neveah!”
I jumped. “What?”
Aunt Shelly narrowed her gaze. “I said, do you want to go ice skating before we go home?”
I nodded. “Sure.” I stole a glance as she disappeared into the fitting room. I grabbed the nearest bra. “I need to go try this on. I’ll be right back.”
Aunt Shelly shouted something my way but I’d already made it to the back. The thump thump thump of my heart hammered loudly in my ears. Denver stood near the entrance of the dressing room, his eyes scanned his phone, his posture relaxed.
Vomit pushed up my throat. The nonchalance in his demeanor made me angry. He thought Rage was dead and nothing showed that he gave a damn. Because he didn’t. When I stepped beside him, his eyes met mine. He was definitely handsome. Dark eyes and light hair. A swagger that came from new money, no doubt. “Hi,” he said, his voice like silk.
The southern charm was there, and I knew why Hannah was attracted to him. Most girls would be. My lip pulled into a sneer, and his chuckle felt like the softest of knives piercing my skin.
“Do you need to try that on?” a lady asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, can I have that room, please?” I pointed toward the one closest to Hannah.
The lady nodded and let me into the fit
ting room. Before the door shut, I stepped onto the seat and curled my fingers around the top of the wall. When the door clicked, I used everything I had to pull myself up to the top. Thank God I had some muscle. She stood in front of the mirror in her outfit.
This is going to be awkward.
“Oh my Go—,”
I grabbed her mouth. “Listen. My name is Neveah,” I whispered. “Don’t scream. Rage sent me.”
Her blue eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously. When I removed my hand, she stepped back. “You know my brother?”
“Yes,” I said. “I found him near death in the woods. Your boyfriend out there tried to have him killed.”
“My fiancée would have never done that,” she snapped.
Fiancée? My mouth dropped opened. “Are you serious? You’re going to marry that murderer?”
She clenched her fists. “You don’t know him.”
“No, but I know he’s a drug dealer and tried to have your brother killed. Your brother that risked his life to take care of you. Your brother that raised your ungrateful ass.”
Her hand snapped back to hit me, but I caught it. “I wouldn’t do that. I’d beat your ass.”
“My brother isn’t everything he said he is,” she spit. “Did he tell you why he had to raise me?”
My mouth felt like sandpaper. The hate in her eyes hit bone. “Because your parents died.”
“Yes, because he left the stove on in the house. He’d taken the batteries out of the smoke detector to use in the game controller. He killed them. He’s the reason they died.”
Oh God. Everything made sense. The dream, the torment in his face. All the guilt inside of him must be eating him alive. “It was an accident,” I whispered. “He’d never do that on purpose. Not like Denver.”
“I love him, and I’m not leaving him. I don’t want to leave. I like my life with him. We go places and do things.”
“Is that it?” I said, my voice trembling from wanting to scream at her. “Is that the reason why you’d turn your back on your brother?”
“I love my brother!”
“Well then listen to him. He’s trying to save your stupid ass! And all you care about is a fucking dollar!”
Her cheeks turned bright red. “Leave. Get out before I call the sales lady. I don’t want to see you again.”
Bam. Bam. Bam. “Hannah, are you okay in there? Let me see?” Denver’s voice was calm, but I could hear the threat in it.
“Think about it,” I whispered. “Your brother loves you and it would kill him to lose you too.”
I crawled back over the top and slid down into my fitting room. My rubbery legs gave out, and I fell to the ground, cradling my knees to my chest like a child.
“You okay in there?” the lady asked.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “I’ll be right out.”
Tears streamed down my face. That hadn’t gone like I’d hoped. The defiance on that girl’s face hurt my chest. She blamed Rage for their parents’ death. Hell, Rage blamed Rage for their parents’ death.
“It’s not your fault,” I whispered. “It’s not your fault.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rage
Neveah hadn’t looked at me but once during dinner. Once her eyes fell to her plate, she hadn’t looked back up. I wanted to get up, pull her into my arms and demand to know what made her so sad.
“Did you have fun with Shelly?” I asked over the table, desperate for her to speak to me.
Wes nodded and sipped his tea. “Yeah, what did y’all do? Buy anything? Do I need to hide when my credit card bill comes in?”
Neveah gave a half-hearted smile. “Just some underwear. We went to Dallas to the mall and ice-skated.” Her eyes jerked from mine when she mentioned Dallas, and my blood went cold.
“Sounds like fun,” I whispered.
She nodded but avoided eye contact. “Yeah, a lot of fun.”
Wes patted his stomach and stretched his arms behind his head. “I’m heading to the gym to do a little paperwork. You two okay to clean the kitchen?”
I nodded. “Yes sir.”
He nodded. “I’ll see you kids tomorrow morning. Rage, we need to patch a hole in the roof tomorrow before practice. So if you can be at the gym by seven, it’d be great.”
I bit my tongue. Just leave! “Seven is great. Have a good night.”
Wes smiled and disappeared out of the front door. Neveah’s shoulders tightened when the lock clicked. Slowly, she rose from the table and began grabbing dishes.
I didn’t want to pressure her into telling me—well, not yet at least—so I helped her clean off the table and started drying dishes as she handed them to me. After ten minutes of silence, I had to talk or go insane. “Are we gonna talk about what happened today?”
Neveah bit the corner of her lip. Sighing, I slung the towel down and grabbed her shoulders. “Look at me, Angel.”
When she meet my gaze those moss green eyes were coated with tears. “Tell me. You can tell me.”
She took a shaky breath. “I saw your sister with Denver today at the mall.”
What the fuck. “Neveah,” I whispered. “Please tell me you didn’t talk to them?”
She tugged on her bottom lip. “No, not them, her.”
I tightened my hands on her shoulders. “What did you say? How did you get her alone?”
“We were in Victoria’s Secret—she was trying on lingerie, and I crawled over the fitting room to hers. She said …,” she broke eye contact, her eyes finding her feet.
She climbed over the fitting room? Oh my God. I gritted my teeth to keep from screaming at her. “Angel,” I whispered, lifting her chin. “What happened after that? What did she say?”
Something about the look on her face told me Hannah told everything. Everything that I’d kept from her. How my parents died. “She’s engaged to him, Rage. She’s going to marry him.”
Bile rose in my throat. My heartbeat doubled in my neck, pulsing lava unleashed in my veins. There was no stopping the ugly from coming out. Sidestepping Neveah, I stormed out of the house and into the humid night. Nothing made sense in my mind. My thoughts were ninety to nothing.
Each breath I took, the hot Texas air sucked it right back out of me. I let out a bitter laugh, turned and grabbed the nape of Neveah’s neck, pulling her mouth closer to mine. “Tell me what else she said, please.”
Her eyes screwed shut. “She said your parents died in a fire.”
I nodded, stroking her bottom lip with my thumb. “And that it was my fault?”
“But it wasn’t,” she said, leaning her cheek against my palm. “It was an accident, Rage. You can’t blame yourself for that.”
I did though. I had since the moment it happened. Since the moment Hannah looked at me with wide innocent eyes. I knew then that I’d give my life away fighting for her, for her to have a life our parents wanted her to have.
And now I’d risk my life for more than just Hannah, I’d risk it for Neveah. “I can’t go back in time and change what happened, but I can keep you safe. Why did you go do that? I asked you to stay away. You promised me that.”
She gave me a blank stare. “Stop changing the subject. We need to talk about your parents—,”
“I don’t want to,” I whispered. “Not now.”
“Rage,” she whispered against my mouth. “You need to tell me what happened. Just tell me—,”
Frustration filled my voice and everything spilled from my mouth like vomit. “I killed them!” I shouted. “I’m the reason they died, Neveah. My sister blames me for it!”
She stroked my mouth with her fingers. “Tell me.”
***
My Xbox controller flickered green. “Oh no, man. My controller is going dead. Hold on!”
“Hurry the hell up! I’m dying over here!’ Frankthetank14 shouted.
I slung my controller down. Jumping up from the couch, I ran toward the kitchen. I dug through our battery basket. Nothing. Fucking nothing. Aggravated, I search
ed the house for remotes that used the same kind. “Shit, shit, shit,” I mumbled.
“Hurry man, they’re closing in!”
“Rage! I need the TV. The Little Mermaid is coming on Disney. I can’t miss it!” Hannah approached the couch that I’d been searching underneath.
“Like you haven’t seen it thirty times.”
“You’ve watched Night At The Roxbury just as much!”
“Tough shit, Hannah” I said. “I’m playing the game. Go over to Stephanie’s house to watch it. Y’all will just watch it together over the phone anyway.”
She huffed. “I don’t want to walk all the way over there.”
I groaned and placed my hands on my hips while looking around the room. There has to be batteries somewhere! “It’s right across the road. Stop being so damn lazy!”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “Whatever. Stephanie is more fun, anyway!”
The red light of the smoke detector blinked, and I smiled. I ran toward the dining room table and hoped on top. “Hurry man. They’re coming!”
Hannah walked over to the screen and smiled. “Rage sleeps with a nightlight and talks to himself in the shower.”
I unscrewed the detector and grabbed the batteries. “Hannah get away from the mic!”
She ran up the stairs, giggling.
“I’m coming, man.” I fumbled with the batteries. “I’m back.”
Adjusting my headset, I grabbed the controller and focused on the game. A few minutes later Hannah came back down. “I’m leaving. Mom and Dad are taking a nap. They want you to run to the store and get some butter.”
Goddammit. “Okay, Hannah,” I snapped. “I’m trying to play.”
“And what’s that smell? Are you cooking something?”
The zombies cornered us in the abandoned warehouse. “Hannah, no! Just go. I’ll get the butter.”
She said something, but my eyes were glued to the TV. My thumbs ached from the controller. “Damn,” Frankthetank14 screamed. “We fucking lost, bro.”
I slammed the controller down and palmed my face. “Shit. Same time tomorrow? I’ve got to go to the store for my parents.”
“Yeah, man. We’ll get ‘em tomorrow, peace.”
