by Erin Trejo
“Where the hell have you been?” he asks, leaning down so it vibrates through my ear.
“Handling business.”
“You didn’t even come check on your man?”
“My man?” I ask spinning to face him. His eyes stay locked on mine through the holes in the mask before slowly moving over the bloody streaks on my cheeks. For a second, I think he’s going to ask me about them, but he doesn’t.
“I like the hooker boots,” he says, pulling back and avoiding his own question. I smirk and look to my left when I see Knox. Walking away from Steele, I head straight for his brother.
“Are we dancing tonight?” I ask him. He spins around, leaving the girl he was talking to, to face me. His eyes rake over me before I grab the hem of the sweatshirt and pull it up and off. Tossing it to Shane, she giggles while Knox eyes me again. A slow dark smile curls his lips as he takes me in. Then, he leans in closer.
“I know what real blood smells like, Whisper.”
“That makes two of us, Knox. Now answer the question,” I say.
“You want to rile up the devil on Halloween?” he asks tilting his head to study my face.
“What a better night to summon demons.”
22
Steele
High-heeled knee-high boots that beg to be wrapped around my waist. Skin tight leather shorts that I’d like to shred into many little pieces hug her ass. And yet she’s over there dancing with Knox. Is she trying to get a rise out of me? Is she trying to piss me off? It’s working perfectly and the thought of hurting her drifts across my mind.
“Haven’t seen you around lately.” I almost tell the body that belongs to that voice to take a fucking walk but instead I use it to my advantage. You want to play, Whisper? Game fucking on. I turn to see Tricia standing next to me, bright red lips painted to perfection like always.
“Been dealing with a lot.” I don’t give her a chance to respond when I grab her and pull her into me. She gasps but I ignore it. The song is hot, beating through the speakers as everyone dances and has a good time. That’s when I notice her looking. Whisper sees me now. Bet she didn’t think I’d play this game with her. She wants me to chase her and I’m not that kind of man.
“Where have you been? I’ve missed you.” Tricia moans as I run my lips over her shoulder. I don’t answer her this time either. I move our bodies to the beat and keep my eyes on Whisper. She spins around, pressing her ass into Knox and reaching behind his head to grab onto his neck. His hand comes to rest low on her stomach. They know what they’re doing. They want to test my patience and sadly for them I don’t have much left.
“Steele,” Tricia whines as my fingers find her nipple through the flimsy fabric she has on. I pinch and pluck, tug until she’s panting and pushing into me. But that’s when I see it. Whisper grabs Knox’s hand, shoving it into her shorts. He tries to pull back, but she doesn’t let him. I’m thirty seconds away from losing it and crushing my brother’s skull.
“That hurts,” Tricia says as I pull harder. Knox’s eyes roll back.
Twenty.
His body presses closer to her.
Ten.
Her lips part.
Five.
She starts grinding against his hand.
One.
Just as I shove Tricia to the side and start toward them, Leddy grabs my arm and brings the mic to her mouth.
“How are we all doing tonight?” The crowd screams as I glance around, bodies blocking my view of them.
“Are we all ready for the dance off? Who is going to be our Devil and his Disciple tonight?” Once more, the crowd roars to life. Leddy is known for amazing parties and Halloween is one of her favorites. Slowly, the music starts to blend with a new song and everyone slowly parts in the middle. A girl in a devil costume leads her man out onto the floor and they begin to dance.
“Calm down lover boy. I already claimed Knox for the dance off,” Leddy whispers in my ear. I shake my head and tug at my hair as we watch. They do their thing and then the music fades into a new one letting a new couple know it’s their turn. Leddy passes the mic off to someone else before she pushes her spandex covered body through the crowd and right in the center. Knox comes out as if on cue and they begin their dance.
“Hey, Steele!” I look to my left and see Callan with Shane attached to his arm. It’s about time those two talked shit out.
“Nice,” I say nodding toward her.
“We’re going out. Call you later,” he hollers over the crowd. I nod my head and turn back to watch Leddy and Knox. The chemistry between the two is off the charts but Knox isn’t anywhere near ready to be with just one girl. Hell, I didn’t think I was either but now all that consumes my mind is Whisper and all the dirty things I want to do to her.
The music changes and Leddy and Knox leave the floor just as Whisper steps out there. Her body moves with ease as I part the crowd and make my way to the edge of it. I don’t step into the middle, not yet. I want to see her. Watch her move. And she does move. Her body lowers to the floor before she spreads her legs into a split and raises back up. She pops her back, locks it in place before spinning with her arms above her head. She’s magical. The motions so fluid and free. She drops to her knees when her eyes find mine. I step out into the open space and watch her as she crawls across the floor. With her gripping my thighs, I roll my hips, my hard cock pressing against her lips. She spreads her knees, dropping a little lower before climbing to her feet. I grab her hand, spinning her out and back in before gripping her hips like my life depends on it.
“I’m going to make you pay for letting my brother touch you.” Before she can say anything further, I shove her away from me. I roll my hips, popping my back before spinning and watching her. Her eyes roam my body as she makes her way back to me. The music changes and I lift her in my arms carrying her out of the middle. The cheers don’t stop as the next person takes our spot.
“You’re a cock tease.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“And yet you can’t seem to stay off my cock,” I add. I reach up and run my fingers over the dried blood that she didn’t think I noticed when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I reach in and pull it out seeing it’s Callan. He never calls unless something happens.
“What?” I snap into the phone, a little aggravated that he’s interrupting me.
“We got a problem. Get Knox and meet me at the square.” The line goes dead before I have the chance to ask what happened. Whisper watches me with wide eyes but I just shake my head, grab her hand, and drag her with me through the crowd. I find Knox with Leddy at the bar.
“We need to go. Something’s up,” I tell him. He nods and sets his drink on the bar before turning and pressing a kiss to Leddy’s cheek. I lean in and do the same.
“I’m staying,” Whisper protests, pulling her arm out of my grasp. I smirk.
“Like hell you are,” I growl. I move toward her when Leddy stops me.
“Let her stay. I’ll keep her company.” I heard the tone in Callan’s voice. Whatever it is, I know it’s not good and I’m not leaving Whisper on her own at this point. I shove past Leddy and grab Whisper’s arm once more, dragging her behind me. She doesn’t bitch and I’m happy for that. She needs to listen to me.
Once we’re outside, Knox glances over at me but I just shrug because I have no idea what’s happening.
“He said to meet him in the square.” Knox nods and climbs in the driver’s seat as I usher Whisper in the passenger side. She doesn’t protest that either and it makes me wonder where that blood came from. No one speaks when I get in until I lean forward and wrap my hand around her throat.
“Is this little meeting about something you did?” I ask her. She turns her head as much as I’ll allow it.
“Depends. What do you think I did?” There she is. The little shit that I knew lived inside of her. She’s always been mouthy, and I like that but this? This is a spark of darkness that she doesn’t let shine all the time.
“Well, I’m wondering where you got the blood on your face from. Care to share?” She grins, licks her lips and says, “Not a chance in hell.”
I nod my head letting her have a minute, but this conversation is far from over. I will find out what the hell she did one way or another. Sirens sound in the distance and Whisper smiles to herself.
“What the hell is going on?” Knox mumbles to himself as he pushes the gas harder. We make it in a short time to the square and park. The square used to be the old town square, but McLean and his little followers decided that they needed a new one built on the other side of town. Now this is a meeting place of sorts. Knox pulls the car over to the curb and we all climb out. Callan sits on the bench with Shane tucked close to his side.
“This good?” I ask, nodding at her.
“Yeah, it’s all good.”
“What’s going on?” Knox asks as we all come to a stop in front of him.
“The librarian from school was killed.” Whisper gasps, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. I glance over at her but drag my gaze back to my brothers.
“What the hell does that have to do with us?” I ask annoyed that he pulled us from a damn good party for this shit. I don’t care what happened to the librarian.
“It’s our town, Steele.”
“Probably her boyfriend,” I grumble. His eyes move to Whisper and then it all hits me. The blood. Sirens. Did she kill her?
“You did this?” I roar, turning to face her. She scrunches her nose up and looks at me like I’ve grown two heads. “Is that where the blood came from?”
“Why the hell would I kill her?” Whisper snaps, getting in my face.
“Why the hell did you shove my brother’s hand in your pants? I don’t know why you do half the shit you do, Whisper!”
“It wasn’t her!” Callan roars. We all turn to look at him confused.
“What? How do you know that?”
“Tell them, Whisper,” he says softly bringing his eyes to meet hers. What the hell is going on?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Callan moves to stand, rushing at her and wrapping his hand around her throat. Her eyes widen as the rest of us watch. Callan isn’t like this, this isn’t him. I’ve never seen him lose control the way he is right now. He backs Whisper up, slamming her roughly against the brick of a nearby building.
“Tell them who she was.” His teeth are grinding, his jaw locked tight.
“What the hell is this?” Knox asks, moving toward them. I raise my hand to stop him. I want to see how this plays out.
“Tell them!”
“Okay!”
“Now!”
“Okay! I didn’t kill her!”
“Tell them why!”
“Fuck! I didn’t kill her! She was my half-sister! Happy now?” Whisper screams in his face. I take a step back wondering exactly how any of them knew this and Knox and I didn’t.
“Sister?”
“Yeah. She’s the one that told me who I was. She knew.” Her tone has quieted a lot as Callan releases the hold on her. I run my hand through my hair when it all hits me hard. If someone killed her sister for telling her, then they know who she is now.
“We have to go,” I say mainly to myself.
“What?” That comes from Callan.
“They will come for her too.”
“Who will?” Knox asks moving in next to me. I tug at my hair letting it all seep in. This is bad. This is really bad. There’s only one person that can help us now. One person that I never wanted to be involved with.
“We need to go. Now!” I snap. I move toward Whisper and grab her arm, pulling her along with me. Shoving her roughly into the back of the car, I climb in the driver’s seat and wait for the rest of them to get in before taking off.
23
Whisper
I can still remember the beat of the very first song I danced to. It was hypnotizing. I remember letting my body just take over and do what it wanted. Even at a young age, others knew I could dance. They would invite me outside with them all the time. I think my foster parents hated the idea of it, but they were too out of it to actually tell me to stop. I wouldn’t have anyway. I’m free when I dance. There are no chains around my heart, no shackles holding me in place. There’s only me and the vibrations that work through my body. Those are memories that I will keep with me forever.
This car ride seems to be taking hours. Steele hasn’t once looked in the rearview mirror at me as he drives. His eyes are locked straight ahead. Knox is in the passenger seat asleep and Shane has her head in Callan’s lap snoring softly. This night has taken a toll on everyone. Mostly me. I never got to know her. I never got to see more of her and for some reason that hurts. I can’t help but think about it and blame myself for Crystal’s death. She told me. She shouldn’t have but she did. I wonder if she knew that was a risk? That someone could have found out that she told me.
Shaking the thoughts away, I glance out the window. I don’t know if I should mourn the loss of her or not. I didn’t even know her, yet she did me a favor.
“Stop thinking.” I look up and catch Steele’s dark eyes on me, this time in the mirror.
“It’s hard not to.” He nods and looks back out the front window. Another ten minutes and we’re pulling down a dirt road. All the thumping must wake everyone else up. They all shift and look around when Knox speaks.
“Haven’t been here in a long time.” Shane rubs her eyes before looking over and giving me a soft smile that I don’t return.
“Figured it’s the safest place until we figure this out,” Steele adds. Callan grunts his agreement as I watch the small cabin come into view. It’s nothing fancy like their house. It’s almost… calming.
The car comes to a stop and everyone climbs out. I stretch and glance around at nothing but trees. The guys all move toward the cabin as Shane comes up to me.
“You okay?” I shrug. Am I?
“I don’t really know. I’m sorry you got drug into this,” I tell her, not knowing what else to say.
“Don’t be. Come on.” I let her lead the way and watch as she climbs the steps behind Callan. I don’t make a move to go in until Steele comes back out. He stands in the doorway, his arms stretched over his head, hands resting on the doorframe.
“You going to stay outside all night?” I don’t respond. Just stare up at him blinking. “Whose blood is it?” I shake my head.
“Is it Nathan’s?” I can tell by the look in his eyes that he already knows the answer. Asshole.
“He was using me.”
“To do what?”
“Get back into everyone’s good graces. I don’t know who he was delivering me to, but I know that was the plan.” Steele’s eyes darken as his arms fall to his sides.
“Come inside.” I nod once and climb the steps, exhausted from the day. I thought I felt high as hell when I killed them but now all I feel is drained. I walk past Steele and into the cabin. I hear the others talking but I look up at Steele.
“Where’s the bedroom?” He can see it, how worn out I am and I’m glad he doesn’t act like a dick this time. Instead, he grabs my hand, weaving our fingers together as he leads me to a set of stairs. We descend into the basement when he reaches over and flips a switch. The lights come on revealing a bedroom. Looking at the plush blanket, I just want to crawl under it and never come out.
“Bathroom’s in there. I’ll leave you some clothes to put on,” he says before releasing his hold on me. I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe I was waiting for him to be a little moodier than normal? Slam me around a little? I’m not exactly sure but being nice the way he is, wasn’t it. Nevertheless, I walk into the bathroom and flip on the light. I sit on the toilet and unzip my boots, tossing them to the side before I stand and strip out of my clothes. I lost the mask in the car and now that I look at myself in the mirror, I feel sick. I killed them. I felt like a completely different person as I pulled the trigger.
“You’re so stup
id,” I whisper to myself. How could I have done that? I killed someone. Bile rises in my throat and I’m hugging the toilet in no time. I guess when the alcohol wears off, you realize what you’ve done.
“You okay?” Steele’s voice drifts through the bathroom as I heave once more.
“I killed them,” I whisper. Steele curses under his breath before coming up behind me. He slides his arms under mine and lifts me from the floor before turning and starting the shower. I feel weak. I feel disgusting. I thought seeking vengeance would make me feel a little better and for a while it did. Steele releases me long enough to pull his clothes off before ushering me into the shower.
“What have I done?” I ask, looking up at him with confusion racing through me.
“You did what you had to do,” he answers, reaching up and running his fingers along my cheek.
“I killed someone, Steele!”
“I know you did, baby.” He called me baby. He’s never called me that before. What’s happening? What’s happening to me? I feel like I’m slowly crumbling and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. My heart’s beating too quickly. I can’t slow it. My mind is racing.
“What did I do?” I whisper as he pulls my head to his chest.
“Everything’s okay, Whisper. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that! They killed her for talking to me, didn’t they?” Lifting my head, I look into his eyes. Steele slowly nods his head before I lose it. Tears that I don’t let flow easily spring to my eyes and fall down my cheeks.
“She’s dead because of me.” His hands move quickly, grabbing my face roughly.
“No. Not because of you! She’s dead because you and she were secrets, Whisper. You weren’t supposed to come back to Rolling Springs.”
“Why did it have to be that way? We were babies, Steele. We didn’t know any better!” Anger creeps in overriding the guilt. I ball my fists and slam them into his chest and he lets me.
“What could we have done? Huh? We were babies! We didn’t ask to be born.” Hit after hit, he takes every one of them until my body just gives up. The high I was on, the alcohol induced bliss is gone and there is nothing left in me. My body goes limp and I fall into Steele’s arms. He lowers us to the floor of the shower, just holding me in his arms. The blood that stained my cheeks is now leaking down his chest and I can’t find it in me to move.
