I felt like we were going across the country.
This motorcycle ride was never going to end.
The only comfort I got out of it was that whatever road Hil was on, it was right next to the ocean. So I sort of knew where I was.
Just in case I needed to know that.
The vibration of the motorcycle moved through my entire body. My hands released their hold on his t-shirt and grabbed his leather jacket instead. I looked around when I wanted to. But I mostly kept my head against his back, smelling the air and leather.
Hil finally pulled off the road.
We were now slowing down along a little bit of a bouncy road that wasn’t as smoothly paved as the main road. We were still near the ocean though. Actually, we were getting closer. So close that the road stopped and turned into sand.
That’s when Hil stopped the motorcycle and turned off the engine.
He leaned to stand the motorcycle on its own and I jumped off. I took off the helmet and handed it to him as he took his glasses off.
“I need a smoke after that ride,” he said.
“What was that about?” I asked. “What country are we in?”
Hil laughed. “Figured we could use some privacy.”
“Why? Did Uly say something?”
“About what?” Hil asked.
He took off his leather jacket and tossed it over the motorcycle. He touched the neck of his shirt and pulled at his necklace.
The guitar pick. The ring.
It was all driving me crazy.
“Nothing,” I said. “No. Not nothing. Something. I have something to say to you. You asshole.”
“Whoa, beauty,” Hil said. “Nasty talk, huh? Too bad I don’t mind it.”
He stepped toward me, his hands reaching for me.
Always so rude, crude and dirty in a sexy way…
I threw a right fist like I had planned.
I got Hil right in the jaw.
His head turned for a second and I jumped back, grabbing for my hand, yelling in pain.
“Fuck,” I groaned. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Goddamn, Belle,” Hil said. “What was that about?”
“Your father isn’t dead,” I said. “You liar. What gives you the right to lie about something like that? Huh? Ash’s mother is really dead. He has a scar to prove the accident. And Uly told me about his father. And you… is that your game? I know guys like you will lie about anything to get into a girl’s pants, but that? Your own father’s death? Who the fuck do you think you are?”
The words felt so good flying from my mouth the way they were.
And before Hil could respond to me, I threw him the middle finger with my left hand then ran toward the ocean.
Let Hil chase me down.
Which he didn’t do.
I was inches from the water and I looked back to see Hil smoking a cigarette, staring at me.
He probably wanted to know how I knew. And he probably could have taken a guess and ended up right.
I wasn’t going to walk back to him.
Nope.
Hil turned his head and I moved my eyes to where he was looking.
I saw another motorcycle.
Stopped, someone else getting off.
No helmet. No glasses.
He looked angry.
The kind of guy that was always angry.
Hil turned and flicked his cigarette away and started to go toward the guy.
My mind thought about what Uly had said. About going to find a fight. For fun.
My heart sank, fearing the same for Hil.
Not that I would ever think Hil would lose a fight, but this guy he was approaching had the same build.
They got closer and moved away from the water.
At the last second, they both threw their right hands forward and shook hands.
They grabbed tight and pulled each other close, hitting each other’s backs.
Relief went head to toe.
Still though, it was Hil. I never knew what he was going to do or why.
He and the other guy stood there talking.
I then decided to crash their meeting. I was the one who wanted to see Hil. Whatever they were talking about wasn’t nearly as important as what I had to say.
I needed answers.
I told myself not to show any sign of hesitation. Show no weakness. Throw another punch or two if you had to. Fuck these dudes. Well, not fuck them… but… well, Hil…
My brain let out an ahhh sound and I started to blush again.
Hil put a hand to the other guy’s chest for a second and then pointed at him.
The other guy swatted Hil’s hand away.
“Are you done yet?” I called out to Hil.
Hil looked back at me and grinned.
There was barely a red mark where I had hit him.
Fucker.
“Come here, beauty,” he said. “Meet someone. You won’t be able to appreciate it as much… but that’s okay.”
Hil put his hand out and when I grabbed him, he pulled me tight against him.
“Belle, this is Leo,” Hil said.
“Hey,” I said.
Leo looked at me, then to Hil.
“Leo’s a bad guy.” Hil said. “Well, not really. Bad guy means you’re tough. Leo is more like… I don’t know. A cockroach?”
Leo laughed. “That mouth never stops running, does it, Hil?”
“No it doesn’t,” I said to Leo. “I hit him but that didn’t work.”
“That’s because you’ve got those little girl hands,” Leo said.
“Fuck you, dude,” I said. I pushed away from Hil and made a fist. “Want to see what it feels like?”
“Offering me your hand?” Leo asked.
“Takes balls to talk like that,” Hil said. “Didn’t know HCH had balls.”
HCH?
I looked at Hil.
He winked at me.
“As much as I appreciate the offer, I have a little something going on at HCH,” Leo said. “Wild and unpredictable. Keeps me up all night.” Leo looked at Hil. “Careful letting her into your head. Once they are there you can’t get them out.”
“Well, for Belle, she’s stuck somewhere else in me,” Hil said.
“Yeah, right,” Leo said. “Play the tough guy act, Hil. Grab your dick like you’re in control. Just watch out.”
“Thanks for meeting me, Leo,” Hil said. “And we did it without throwing a fist.”
“If I go back and talk to Wes and Elijah, you know the fire is going to be burning three ways, right?” Leo asked.
“That’s the best kind of fire,” Hil said.
“You’re as crazy as ever, brother,” Leo said. “How’s Uly these days? Still hating that piece of shit?”
Hil pointed at Leo. “This wasn’t a play catch up on old memories meeting. Get the hell out of here before things get mean.”
Leo looked at me. “Be careful taming a wild animal like him, Belle. At first it’s fun. It’s a challenge. They give in. But then when you least expect it… they attack.”
Leo turned away and walked to his motorcycle.
I turned and faced Hil. “HCH?”
“Hidden Creek High,” Hil said. “Bunch of sorry ass losers over there. But Leo isn’t all that bad. Not sure how he got his ass sewed to Wes’s ass. We talk from time to time.”
“That’s not time to time,” I said. “That’s a whole history there.”
“Yeah. Your point?”
Leo started his motorcycle and drove off.
I swallowed hard. “What are you doing, Hil? Does this have to do with the Rulz?”
Hil grinned. “See? This is what I mean. This book smarts shit like Uly has… what’s the point? I mean, unless he’s going to cure cancer or fly a rocket to another galaxy, who the fuck cares? Life is about street smarts. You’ve got that, beauty. You’re fucking dangerous.”
As Hil tried to turn away from me, I dove at him.
I grabbed his arm. “I don�
��t understand the fighting, Hil. There’s two BFH buildings and you all hate each other. And now HCH is in the mix?”
“Don’t forget BC,” he said. “Brooks Crest. It’s just one big, crazy family, huh? I can tell you everything about HCH, beauty. Let’s just say Wes and Elijah had been rubbing up against the Rulz. There’s a lot more to it besides that, but I just needed to let Leo know what was going on. Because I know Wes will want to get in the middle of it too. Same with Elijah. Oh, the stories, beauty… but we’re not here for that. That’s a different fight. One that I’ll take care of. Uly throws the match on the fire. Ash stands and stares with mean eyes, trying to figure out a move. Me? I throw the punches as needed.”
I was caught up in so much at once.
I reminded myself to focus.
When I took my hand away from Hil, I pointed at him. “I wanted to knock you out. I might still try.”
“I like it rough, Belle,” Hil said. “Take all the free shots you want. Just be careful when I make my move back.”
“You wouldn’t…”
Hil moved fast, his hands all over me, body against mine. “No, I would never hurt you like that, beauty. What kind of guy do you think I am? I’m just keeping to the deal we made.”
I hated that I knew Hil was going to kiss me right then.
Not just because of the kiss but because I did nothing to stop it.
If anything, I wanted it.
I ached for it.
My heart jumped around in my chest, yelling everything wrong with Hil.
Each reason worse than the previous.
But his lips against mine… the way the tip of his tongue knew how to flirt with my lips… the way he swiped his tongue against mine…
He pulled away and laughed. “Let’s get this mess out of the way.”
I opened my mouth but Hil made another move.
He picked me up into his big, strong arms and started to run toward the ocean.
He smiled.
I started to laugh - no idea why.
Somewhere in my head and heart I wanted it to be romantic.
But it wasn’t.
Hil was part of Them. He was a liar. He was shady. He was the bad guy.
But I was in his arms.
And I didn’t care where he was taking me to.
* * *
Hil put me down in the sand right where I had been standing.
Then he dropped to his ass and dug the heels of his black boots into the sand and pushed forward. He reached for a cigarette and looked so bad and so sexy as he lit it against the ocean breeze. He put his head back and exhaled that first drag.
His neck… throat…
God why does it all turn me on so much?
Hil hung his arms over his knees and looked up at me.
“My father isn’t dead, Belle,” he said. “You solved the mystery. You win the grand prize.”
“And what’s that, Hil?”
“It’s nestled between my legs but keeps bothering me about you,” he said with a half grin.
I rolled my eyes and sat down next to him. “That does nothing to or for me.”
“Yes, it does,” he whispered. “You don’t want to admit it because you’re afraid of your crazy side showing too much to me. That’s why you like when Uly pampers your cute ass.”
“I have a cute ass, Hil?”
“Do you want to talk about my not-so-dead-father or your cute ass?” Hil put his hands up. “I’m good for either one. Although I think your cute ass would end up with me being dead. Which is worth it.”
“Yeah, right,” I said. “You’ll say anything, Hil. I’m sure you’ve had enough cute ass that mine would just be another.”
Hil leaned closer to me and groaned. “But yours would be forever for me.”
I swallowed hard and fought the rushing heat from my body to… everywhere else.
I turned my head and took a deep breath.
“Something special about this beach, beauty,” Hil said. “Ever hear of ass-crabs?”
“What?” I asked.
I started to turn my head and felt something pinch the left side of my ass.
I jumped up into the air and screamed.
As I kicked and thrashed, sand flew all around me.
I had no footing and swiped at the sand, trying to find the crab…
All the while Hil laughed at me.
He showed me his right hand. His pointer and thumb fingers pinching together.
“Ass-crabs,” he said.
“You fucking asshole,” I said. I touched my ass. “I thought…”
“Ass-crabs love a cute ass.”
I caught my breath and sat back down in the sand.
Except this time with distance between myself and Hil.
I put my feet toward him, which meant the ocean was on my right side.
The breeze felt good against my cheek, playing with my hair.
Hil took a deep drag of his cigarette and then slowly lowered his hand down to the sand, killing the cigarette.
He exhaled the smoke and rubbed his chin.
“I can tell you something that’s going to make you jump higher than the ass-crabs,” Hil said.
“Try me,” I said.
Hil looked at me.
He waited a few seconds, just staring.
And the way he stared…
Those icy, gray eyes had my heart fluttering.
“Here’s the thing about my father, Belle… you’ve already met him.”
eleven
Instead of asking any questions, I helped myself to a cigarette.
Rightfully so.
I’ve met your father, Hil? Seriously? When? How? Who…
I wondered if it was something crazy like my mother had dated his father. But why would Hil tell everyone his father was dead?
“Before you get too deep in that writer’s mind of yours, beauty, we aren’t related,” Hil said. “We haven’t been doing anything naughty.”
He winked.
I blushed.
“And, no, it has nothing to do with your story,” he said.
“Then what is it?”
“It’s a little of everything at once,” he said. “My mother was the smartest girl all her life. Shit, she should have been Uly’s mother. And Uly’s mother should have been mine.” He laughed. “I’ll never understand how that shit works. Life is fucking crazy sometimes.”
“No shit, Hil,” I said.
He stared at the ocean. “It’s really not all that exciting, Belle. My mother was smart. Never did a thing wrong. Coasted right into an ivy league college and right from there into law school. That’s when she met my father. He wasn’t a lawyer. Fuck, he didn’t even finish high school. He was just good at surviving. Smooth talking. Able to throw a punch when needed, but mostly he avoided anything that could expose him.”
“Expose him?” I asked.
“As a bum,” Hil said. “A piece of shit. He was like a two-ton anchor on my mother’s leg. In some fucked up way I think she pitied him. I mean, she loved him. Yeah. That was for sure. She didn’t see what everyone else saw. At least not at first. Once she got her first real job and realized what her life could be, she knew she had a problem. I can’t make this shit up, beauty.” Hil laughed again. “She goes to tell my father that she’s done with him. Right? She’s got to face this guy… he made her feel so good but there was nothing good about him. It was going to hurt to do. And right as she’s about to say something, she gets sick. And it’s my father who suggests she’s pregnant.”
Hil put his head back and puckered his lips like he was exhaling cigarette smoke.
“Hil…”
“So that’s where I came from,” he said. “A one night slip up. Now my mother was screwed. My father insisted it was a good thing. He had this vision of himself being a stay at home father to me. While my mother worked. What a fucking joke. He would steal from her. From my mother. From his own love. At first it was cash. Then my mother hid the cash. Then he would go to t
he bank…” Hil shook his head. “He was a piece of shit. Still is, Belle. With my mother he always knew he’d have someone to support him. The dream of becoming a stay at home dad was short lived. He got into debt at a strip club.”
“What!?” I yelled.
“Yeah. He owed women and some shady dudes some cash. And with my mother being a lawyer, it was a bad look. Shit, beauty, I used to sit on the bar at the strip club and play with little race cars. The women loved me.”
“I don’t know what to say to that,” I said.
“Nothing to say. Just the truth. So when all that happened, my mother made an arrangement with my father.”
“Which was?”
“Pay him off,” Hil said. “And keep him paid off. A little bit of cash here and there. To keep him away. And we would tell everyone he was dead.”
“Holy shit.”
“Not really. We moved away from him. I was young. So I just settled into the BFH world. My mother was fucking smart. I mean, she still is. She worked her ass off and made a ton of money. It was just me and her. And the babysitter. Delores. The opposite of any wild babysitter fantasy I could have had.”
“That’s gross.”
“No, it’s not.” Hil winked at me. “That’s kind of the story, beauty. My mother always slides him some cash to keep him away. And he knows to stay away for the most part. If she cuts off the cash, he’s fucked. So it’s not like he can push at her. When she met Samson… Ash’s father… everything came together for her. Finally. He’s a good guy to her. They’re so fucking busy all the time, I don’t get it, but it works. Having to make nice and become stepbrothers with Ash wasn’t easy. But we agreed to do it for our parents. So, yeah, his mother really did die in that accident. They all know about my father. Them. They know. As far as everyone else, they could all go fuck themselves.”
“It’s easier to pretend he’s dead.”
“He is dead to me,” Hil said. “Even if I have to toss him around once in a while.”
“Meaning what?” I asked.
Hil put his right hand out.
I waited… carefully choosing my move…
I leaned forward and let my fingertips touch his.
“Hey, beauty, you’re a writer,” Hil said. “So keep up with the fucking story.”
“I am.”
“You’re not. You missed a big part of it.”
NOT SO Beautiful: a bay falls high novel Page 11
