by A. M. Myers
I nod. “Yes.”
“And what did you do?” Mia asks cautiously because… well because she knows me.
“Got in my car and started driving away…”
“Oh, thank god,” she breathes, placing her hand over her heart.
“…before I decided to turn around and tase him.”
Willow starts laughing, Lexi shakes her head, and Mia gasps.
“Jesus Christ, Tate. You can’t just go around tasing people.”
My brow furrows and I shoot a glare in her direction. “Why does everyone keep saying that to me? The asshole made me feel like I could open up to him, share my pain with him and hope for something more for the first time in a long time and I’m the bad guy for shocking him?”
“Well, it’s a little dramatic,” Lexi interjects and I roll my eyes.
“I didn’t shoot him, okay? And I could have because I had a gun in the glove box but the situation didn’t warrant it. Don’t act like I’m some crazy deranged person. The punishment fit the crime.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Mia whispers, turning to her menu and flipping it open. “Normal people don’t go around tasing people for things, Tate.”
“Well, maybe they should. Folks would be less likely to be assholes if there was a threat of tasing.”
Willow chuckles under her breath. “So, I take it you haven’t heard from him since?”
“Nope. And I don’t expect to.”
“He just called you,” Mia snaps, pointing to my phone and I shrug.
“So? I didn’t answer and I won’t answer. He’s dead to me.”
“Well, rest in peace to your non relationship then,” she says, holding her glass in the air and I do the same before taking a sip of water.
“I wouldn’t write him off just yet,” Lexi points out and I shake my head.
“I already have and I’m focused on other things.”
Mia leans back in the chair and crosses her arms over her chest. “Like what?”
“Like talking to Roger about getting more hours at the diner and getting registered for college.”
“Tate,” Lexi exclaims, looking bewildered. “How the hell are you going to work more hours at the diner, work at the gas station, and enroll in school? When will you sleep?”
“Oh,” I murmur, thinking back to yesterday when I stormed out of the store and quit my job. I also haven’t told the girls about the money my mom left me either. The only person I shared that with was… Lincoln. “I quit at the gas station.”
“Why?”
I suck in a breath. “I didn’t have much choice when Reed cornered me in the back room and tried to blackmail me into giving him a blowjob.”
“Oh, fuck,” Mia whispers.
“Shit,” Willow says and Lexi shakes her head. Mia grabs my arms and turns me to face her, her eyes wide.
“This is important, Tate. Did you kill him?”
I laugh, shaking my head. “No. Because I told you, I’m not some deranged person. Y’all have no faith in me.”
“No, sweetie. I have infinite faith in your abilities to defend yourself. I worry about your temper sometimes though.”
Shrugging, I shake off her grip and grab my water, taking a sip. “Whatever. No one’s died yet.”
She turns to the group with those wide eyes again. “Yet. She fucking said “yet”. I feel like I need to ground you from your guns or something.”
“Stop it,” I scold through my giggles. I’ve been in a sour mood for the past three days but only twenty minutes with my girls has turned that all around. “Tell me all about your love lives now.”
As Willow launches into her latest dating adventure, I sit back in my seat and let my gaze roam around the table to each girl as a smile forms on my face. Yeah, they may not understand what it feels like to lose a parent but these girls are my rocks and they are here for me unconditionally so fuck Lincoln. I don’t need him.
Chapter Eleven
Tatum
Stepping out onto the screened in porch off the dining room, I sink into one of the wicker chairs and let out a sigh as I bring my coffee cup to my lips. There’s a chill in the air despite the bright morning sunlight piercing through the old oak trees out in front of the house and birds are chirping sweetly above my head. It’s almost idyllic.
The phone rings for the sixth time in the last hour and I sigh, glancing through the open door into the dining room. The call has come in every ten minutes on the dot since seven this morning and I’m quickly losing patience with whoever is on the other end of the line. The machine picks up and since it’s just past the door, I can hear everything when the heavy, creepy breathing starts up again.
At first, I thought it was maybe a wrong number or the caller had a bad signal but when the next call came ten minutes later, I was less convinced that that was the case. By the time the phone rang for a third time, I knew it was intentional and meant for me. Maybe it’s just a prank. In fact, it doesn’t seem like a childish thing Reed might do but my mind tends to go darker than that and I can’t help but wonder if it has anything to do with the note taped to my door the other day.
When the phone stops ringing, I stand with my mug in my hand and walk back into the house, making sure the door is locked behind me before grabbing my pistol off the dining room table and stomping back to Mom’s bedroom. Theo and I avoided her room when we started going through her things and it wasn’t until the note showed up that I ventured in here but since then, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the safe room.
I open the closet door, revealing the tiny space she used to store her clothes. Pushing them to the side, I go to the back wall and press on the hidden control panel. With a little pressure, it pops right out and as soon as I enter the code, the door swings open, revealing a long L-shaped room. There’s TVs along one wall and I flip them on, watching as the video feed from the cameras fills the screens. When I was a wild, crazy teenager, I hated that Mom had cameras all over the house and could see what I was doing all the time but now I understand it. This room is where I’ve felt safest since that note showed up. Something that comforts and annoys me to no end.
The doorbell rings and I jerk out of my thoughts, glancing up at the screen that shows the front door. Lincoln rocks back and forth, his hands shoved in his pockets and I sigh, wondering if he’s here to bitch me out about tasing him. Honestly, I’m surprised it took him this long. A heavy sigh slips past my lips and I set my coffee down on the desk, grabbing the pistol and tucking it into the waistband of my jeans.
Might as well hurry up and get this over with.
Stepping out of the closet, I close the outer door but leave the hidden door open for a quick escape. Not that I think Lincoln will truly hurt me but it makes me feel better to have multiple plans in place when everything feels so off balance. When I get to the living room, his gaze locks with mine through the glass on the front door and I suck in a breath, those damn butterflies taking flight in my belly again.
“What do you want?” I yell.
“Open the door, please.”
I arch a brow, slowly approaching the door. “You mad?”
“For tasing me? Yeah, I’m a little fucking mad, Tate.”
Rolling my eyes, I unlock the door and open it, propping my hand on my hip. “You deserved it.”
“Are you kidding me? Have you ever been tased? That shit hurts. How did I deserve that?”
“Uh, well, first of all, yes I have been tased. And you deserved it because you’re playing fucking games with me. Stupid move on your part, really.”
He growls and I narrow my eyes into a glare.
“I’m not playing games.”
Like I’m going to buy that.
“What do you want, Lincoln?”
He takes a step back, rubbing the back of his neck as he clear his throat. “I want to talk to you.”
“What could we possibly have to talk about?” I ask. I think after Friday night, everything is pretty fucking clear.
“Can I just come in, please?”
I shake my head. “Naw, you’re good there.”
“Goddamn it, Tate!” he roars and my eyes widen as I watch him start pacing in front of the door, my hand twitching to grab the gun behind my back. “Why does everything have to be so damn difficult with you?”
“It doesn’t… as long as you do what I want.”
His gaze snaps to mine and he balls his fists up before turning away and slowly blowing out a breath.
“I don’t want to lose you.”
Releasing the door, I cross my arms over my chest. “I think that ship has sailed.”
“Don’t say that.”
“We can’t go back to being just friends,” I tell him and he nods, turning back to me. The two of us being friends was a terrible idea from the start with how attracted we are to each other. It was always doomed to end the way it did.
“I know.”
I scowl. “So what are you saying?”
Whiskey eyes meet mine and I suck in a breath at the heat raging in his gaze. He takes a step toward me and I love and hate how weak he makes me feel.
“I want more.”
“No, you don’t. You said yourself that you’re not a relationship guy.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he whispers, closing the space between us and reaching up to cup my cheek. My eyes flutter closed and I lean into his touch, completely at his mercy. “Shit happened and my life fell apart. I haven’t been in a relationship in six years and I had no intention of ever being in one again but you make me want to try, Tate. You make me hope for things I thought I had no business hoping for anymore.”
“Oh,” I whisper, opening my eyes and meeting his gaze.
“Yeah, oh.”
My teeth sink into my lip. “So, more then? A real relationship?”
“Nothing would make me happier.”
“I swear to God,” I murmur, tears burning my eyes as I shake my head. “If you’re playing me again, I will kill you.”
He chuckles, nodding. “I know you will, Sweetheart.”
Leaning in, his lips hover above mine and I lose my train of thought for a second before I press on his chest and he pulls back, scowling at me.
“If we’re going to do this, we need to lay all our cards on the table.”
He studies me for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”
“Come on in, then,” I whisper, my hands shaking with nerves. There are still things about me and my past that Lincoln doesn’t know and I honestly have no idea how he’ll take them. He steps into the house and I scan the street as I shut the door and lock it again.
“You want some coffee?” I ask, turning to face him and he nods.
“That sounds good… you know how I like it.”
I am reminded of the first day we met in the diner and I smirk as I brush past him. “I’m gonna dump it on your lap if you’re not careful.”
“Eh, I don’t think you will,” he calls after me and I laugh.
“And here I thought you knew me better than that already.”
Peeking over my shoulder, I catch his shudder just as the phone starts to ring and I sigh. I brace my hands on the counter and close my eyes, counting to ten in my head as I feel Lincoln step up behind me.
“You gonna get that?” he murmurs and I shake my head, snapping up and grabbing a mug off the open shelving by the sink.
“Nope.”
The machine picks up as I pour his coffee and heavy breathing fills the room.
“What the fuck is that?” he growls, marching over to the machine and reaching out to grab the phone.
“Don’t!”
He glances up at me, his face set in a glare. “What the hell is going on, Tate?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a prank call or something. They’ve been coming all morning.”
His eyes widen before he walks back over to me and crosses his big arms over his chest. “That doesn’t sound like a prank call.”
“Okay, so it may be… my boss from the gas station.”
His jaw ticks. “And why would he be calling you like that?”
“Because I quit?” I suggest and his eyes narrow. “After, I pulled a knife on him.”
“Jesus Christ,” he breathes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Any particular reason that you pulled a knife on him?”
I shrug. “He tried to blackmail me into giving him head and when I said no, he grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.”
“Motherfucker,” he snarls, looking toward the machine as the message finally cuts off. He clenches his jaw and he balls his fists, looking ready to murder someone.
“Hey, it’s okay because I took care of it.”
“Yeah?” he asks, turning back to me. “And what if he decides to take this further and shows up here?”
I laugh, picturing just how that would go down. Reed wouldn’t even know what hit him. “Oh, I wish he would.”
“You’re terrifying,” he tells me, a smile teasing his lips and I grin.
“Only if you cross me so, you know… don’t do that.”
He nods, grabbing his coffee out of my hand and turning toward the dining room table. “Noted. You ready to talk?”
“Yeah,” I answer, sucking in a breath and grabbing a fresh cup of coffee for myself. “Let’s do this.”
We sit across from each other at the table and I pull the gun out of my waistband, setting it down between us. He arches a brow and I shrug, smiling at him.
“So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?” he asks and my stomach does a little flip.
“Uh… you know how I told you about the pregnancy scare in high school?”
He nods. “Yes.”
“Well, that was really only the start of it. I moved out right after graduation because I was rebellious and wanted to be on my own but it was way harder than I ever thought it would be. I was struggling to make ends meet when I met Beth. She was working as an escort and told me all about how much money I could make…”
“Are you saying you were a hooker?” he asks, shock filling his voice and I glance down at the table, twisting my fingers together. Why do I even care so much what he thinks of me?
“Not exactly. I never had sex with anyone but I did get paid to go out on dates with them.”
“So, in the coffee shop, when you told me that you’d been waiting for someone special, was that a lie?”
I shake my head. “No. Those dates, they weren’t real. I was there for companionship and they could talk to me about anything they needed to get off their chests but that was it. As soon as the date was over, I didn’t speak to them again unless they booked another date and I never even kissed anyone.”
“Why did you quit?”
“One day, Beth showed up at my apartment, beat to shit. Apparently, her date didn’t get the memo about the no sex thing and when she told him, he lost it. I rushed her to the hospital and she was there for three days. By the time she was discharged it just wasn’t worth it to me anymore.”
He stares at me as he lifts his coffee cup to his mouth and I wring my hands together under the table, fighting my urge to get up and run into the kitchen. “Did your mom know? Does your brother?”
“No and I would prefer that Theo never finds out. It’s not a time in my life that I’m proud of but I was too determined to make it on my own without my mother’s help. Please tell me you don’t think I’m a terrible person?”
With a quick shake of his head, he reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “No, Tate. I think you are one of, if not the strongest person I’ve ever met in my life and I certainly can’t judge you for your past when you haven’t judged me for mine.”
“Why haven’t you been in a relationship in six years?” I ask and he sighs, scrubbing his face with his free hand.
“I suppose turn about is fair play, huh?”
I nod.
“After Nora died, I was lost and I met this girl, Tara, who made me feel sane again. Looking ba
ck, all she did was give me a place to hide and pretend like I was fine again but at the time, she felt like my saving grace so I asked her to marry me.”
I suck in a breath and try to pull my hand away but he refuses to release me.
“On our wedding day, I was standing at the altar, waiting for her to walk down to me when my mom walked into the church and told me that Tara had run off with my best friend.”
Her loss, I think and try not to look smug as he continues his story.
“Anyway, I kind of lost it after that, packed up everything I owned and threw it in the back of the Camaro. I left town and just traveled all over the country for two years until I landed in Baton Rouge and I promised myself that I would never get close to anyone again.”
“You and I are so alike it’s a little scary,” I say and he smiles as the phone starts ringing again. Sighing, he glances over his shoulder.
“What are you going to do about that?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know yet. I’ve been kind of hoping that he’d get bored.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
Shrugging, I squeeze his hand. “Then, we’ll deal with it.”
“I like the sound of that. Do I get official boyfriend privileges now?”
Boyfriend.
My mind spins at the mention of the word and I suck in a breath, meeting his warm golden gaze.
“About that… I do want this but I need to take it slow. I’m not just going to jump into bed with you because you used the word boyfriend or say you want more.”
He smirks, leaning back in his chair. “Shit. I knew you wouldn’t make this easy on me.”
“Yeah,” I muse, standing up from my chair as the machine picks up and I silence it as I pass by before sitting down in Lincoln’s lap. “But it will be so worth it.”
Leaning in, I thread my fingers through his dark hair and press my lips to his as he lets out a low groan that shoots straight to my neglected core. Damn, resisting him is going to be one hell of a challenge but I’m determined to do things right this time.
Chapter Twelve
Lincoln
Where the fuck is she?
I frantically flick through each video feed, searching for movement or a shock of red hair but I come up with nothing. Glancing up at the house, I sigh. I watched her walk in the front door ten minutes ago and after going through her mail and deleting more weird messages from the answering machine, she went into her mother’s room and disappeared. The only reasonable explanation is that she’s in the closet but I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why. When I first started following her, I went through each room in her house so I could see the layout in my mind and the closet in her mom’s room is so small, I don’t even know how she fits in there.
