Remington's Sky

by LaShawn Vasser

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedications & Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  Thank You

  Other Books by LaShawn Vasser

  REMINGTON’S SKY

  By

  LaShawn Vasser

  REMINGTON’S SKY © 2018 LaShawn Vasser

  All Rights Reserved

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  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  *EXPLICIT ADULT CONTENT*

  WARNING

  This novel is considered romantic fiction with erotic elements or erotica. This is for mature audiences only. This book contains profane adult language, mild violence, and strong sexual content.

  Dedications & Acknowledgments

  THANK YOU to all of the readers who have come along with me on this incredible journey!

  You guys the ROCK!

  Prologue

  “It’s not safe.”

  “You won’t change my mind.” Charlie Kneeland was defiant.

  “Why are you so stubborn? You can’t go sneaking around in the wee hours of the morning by yourself.” Yolanda whisper-yelled, as her eyes flitted from the open bedroom door to Charlie. It was obvious her words were falling on deaf ears. Her being Yolanda Garcia, the daughter of Charlie’s mother’s live-in house manager. Yolanda also sometimes doubled as Charlie’s best-friend and pretend older sibling–although only by two years.

  How ironic, Charlie thought, glancing around at her bubble-gum pink walls, the extra-large canopy bed draped in white lace with the fluffy pink and white comforter to match, a room fit for a princess. She smiled sadly as her dolls sat on the shelves watching her every move. They had seen it all. Fortunately, this time Charlie’s absolute favorite toy–La La was face down and placed innocently in the center of her bed unable to take in the scene. While it was true her room had all the frills meant for a princess, there was just one problem . . .

  Charlie wasn’t a princess.

  To an outsider, she had way more things than she needed. And Charlie knew it was true. She would probably have appreciated her room more if the décor hadn’t been about a magazine shoot to gin up publicity for her mom’s movie. It had nothing to do with her. And those people never had to witness the horrors that had occurred in her room over the past few years. So, to the unsuspecting person, it was every little girl's dream. Angrily, Charlie brought a cigarette up to her lips and lit it.

  She hated her room. She hated everything about it. “Can you open my bay windows? It’s a beautiful night. I love the way the moon shines in through it.”

  Yolanda ignored her. “So, you’re smoking now!? It’s not even the vapor kind. You’re only twelve, Charlie. Those things are going to for sure give you cancer.”

  Charlie shrugged and pushed herself off the door. She walked over and pushed the windows open herself. They were large, more like French doors than windows. “I’m glad you’re concerned, but it’s not necessary. I can take care of myself. I have been doing it for a long time.”

  Yolanda stomped over to Charlie and got in her face. “Not if you’re smoking, knowing it’s bad for you.” Yolanda snatched the little white stick out of Charlie’s tiny hand and stalked away. The next thing Charlie heard was the toilet flush. Yolanda had disposed of them. “What is wrong with you? Is this why you got kicked out of school earlier this week? For smoking?”

  Charlie fell back onto her bed. Her long, glossy blonde hair fanned out over it. She stared up at her canopy and reached for La La. She held the doll tight to her chest. “No. I got kicked out of school because they found alcohol in my things.”

  “Charlie! You’re smoking and drinking too? What kind of school is this? I thought it was one of the best.”

  “It is. The best money can buy, and that includes drugs and alcohol.”

  “This is so unlike you. Ma Ma says your grades are falling too. I don’t understand. What’s going on?” Disappointed, Yolanda sat down next to her. It was then she noticed that Charlie’s eyes had closed and tears were leaking down the sides.

  “It wasn’t mine. I don’t drink or do drugs. I don’t know who put it there, but I’m glad. I hated that place. The problem is, I hate this place too.”

  “You don’t mean that. But, I have to be honest. I never understood why your parents sent you to that school anyway?”

  Charlie lifted her head off the mattress and cracked one eye open. “Other than the obvious?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My family is not like yours. Your parents actually like you. My mom and dad are too busy to know I even exist. But, to answer your question, I caught Kane cheating on my mom with her assistant. Showed her the pictures and everything. Next thing I knew I was being shipped off to a boarding school. I should have sent the nudies to that gossip rag TNZ instead.”

  Yolanda’s eyes grew large in surprise. “You’re kidding? Your mom’s husband was cheating with her assistant?”

  “Yep.” Charlie popped the p at the end of the word so hard that it reverberated around the room. “She won’t divorce him because of appearances and all.”

  “Why didn’t she just send you to your dad’s?”

  In a voice, dead of emotion, Charlie answered. “Child support.”

  “No way. There’s got to be more. Your mom’s already rich, and so is Kane.”

  “No. There isn’t any more to it than that. And, looks can be very deceiving. They are broke. An aging actress just doesn’t command the same kind of payday that she used to and certainly not one that would keep her living as lavishly as she does without my dad’s money. I overheard her accountant say something about curbing her spending. It costs almost a hundred thousand a month just for lawn care and maintenance for our estate. My dad pays for it, but she’s cutting costs and pocketing the savings.”

  Yolanda’s mouth dropped. “Whoa. That’s more than my mom makes in a year.”

  Charlie sat propped up on her elbows. She felt bad for complaining. Charlie wasn’t a stupid girl. She knew that even on her worst day, as far as money, they had it better than most. “Well, remember, my mom hasn’t been in a movie in three years. And, Kane . . .” Charlie rolled her eyes. “Nobody really knows what he does. I guess he just screws assistants and spends my dad’s money.” Her voice dropped, and the sadness in it was palpable. �
��They deserve each other.”

  Yolanda felt sorry for her. “You don’t mean that.” She reached out to place a soothing hand on her shoulder.

  Charlie winced and jerked her body away. Her voice was strained with pain. “Yes. I do.”

  Concern was evident on Yolanda’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  Charlie debated being honest for just a second, then decided to tell the truth. She could show Yolanda better than tell her. Charlie lifted her t-shirt to reveal yellowish, purple and blue marks all over her ribcage and parts of her back and shoulder.

  Horrified, Yolanda began speaking in Spanish. “What in the world? What happened to you?”

  “Courtesy of Kane for being disobedient and looking at him with defiance in my eyes.”

  “H-he hit you?” Yolanda was shocked. “You’ve got to tell your mom.”

  Charlie nodded. “She knows. It’s not the first time, the second, or the third. That’s why I’m getting out of here before I’m punished for getting kicked out of school. When really I’m being punished for being Remington Kneeland’s daughter.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “Nobody does except for my mom.”

  “Does he hit her too?”

  “Not that I am aware of. I think I’m the only one who wins that lottery.”

  Yolanda couldn’t believe that the famous Bella Lord-Kneeland and now Bella Lord-Langston would allow such a thing to happen to her child. While she didn’t support Charlie’s decision to run away, Yolanda fully understood why she would want to leave. “How are you going to get past security? Someone is always at the front gate.”

  “I’m not going through the gate. I’m going to sneak out the south part of the estate by the service entrance next to the stables. There is a new security guard there. He falls asleep like clockwork around 1:30a.m.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I heard the head of security warning him about it. I need to make my escape before he gets fired.”

  “But, where will you go?”

  “I’ve got a couple thousand dollars saved. I’ll figure it out once I’m out of here. Maybe I can try to stay with my old math tutor. She was nice.”

  “I don’t know Charlie.” Yolanda was more than a bit skeptical. “I still think you should tell your dad. You’re not even old enough to rent a hotel room.” She could see Charlie about to protest. “Okay–Okay.” She put her palms out. “At least tell my mom.”

  “First, my dad’s in China. He’s almost never around anymore. And, even if he was, what’s he going to do? Nothing because my mom has great lawyers. Your mom works for my mom. If you tell her, how is that going to work? I’ll tell you how. It won’t. Ms. Sofia would get fired, and I can’t put your mom in that position. And, for future reference, you would be surprised at what an extra hundred dollars can convince people to do. You’ve got to promise me that you’ll keep quiet about this.” Charlie needed to make sure Yolanda understood. She pleaded. “You’ve seen my bruises. Next time, Kane might kill me.”

  At her words, Yolanda’s head snapped up to stare into the real fear revealed in Charlie’s eyes. Against her better judgement, Yolanda gave in. “I’ll keep quiet but only if you promise to text and keep me updated about where you are.”

  Visibly relieved, Charlie whispered. “I promise.”

  Careful not to put too much pressure on Charlie’s injuries, Yolanda reached out and pulled her friend into a much-needed hug.

  Chapter 1

  Not this shit again. Inwardly, Sky cringed as her eyeballs rolled into the back of her head while she sipped on a glass of red wine. Fortunately, Nia couldn’t see her face. Not when the woman was seemingly looking straight ahead and staring out into space.

  Sky was sympathetic to her plight . . . to a point. Only, this exact situation had played out so many times before, kind of like ground hog’s day–over and over again. So, after witnessing this same routine in the past, the moment Nia phoned about needing to get together, Sky knew exactly how her evening was going to go down.

  It wasn’t the words Nia had spoken during the call, but the tone that told the story. Sky had become very familiar with it and knew what as well as who had caused the changes in Nia’s mood and why.

  That fool had had another affair. Only this time it was with a different woman.

  As irritated as Sky had been about Nia continuing to endure the cycle of insanity, she was still her best friend. There would come a moment to be brutally honest for the millionth and one time, but this wasn’t it. For now, she would drink like a sailor so that she could continue to listen and comfort—not rub salt in Nia’s wounds with I told you sos.

  Sky sat quietly with her feet curled up on the sofa watching Nia, who was on the other end of the couch, bawling her eyes out over Steven’s latest betrayal. Even though Sky convinced herself to remain mum, she imagined reaching over, grabbing Nia by the shoulders, and shaking the shit out of her while screaming GET THE HELL OFF THE CRAZY TRAIN! But, again, she wouldn’t—not today. Instead, Sky would calmly sip her drink. It kept her from acting out and spewing the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

  Tears streamed down Nia’s face. Her nose was raw and red as she sniffed uncontrollably. Mechanically, Sky grabbed a tissue out of the box that sat between them and handed one over.

  “Why can’t the man be faithful?” Sniff . . . Sniff. He promised he wouldn’t do this again.” Nia wiped the tears from her eyes and blew her nose.

  Because he’s a hoe. Another sip was in order as Sky mused. And, it’s not again . . . It’s again and again and again.

  To keep herself quiet, Sky brought the glass to her lips and took another long swallow. Still, it wasn’t enough to keep her mouth in check, so Sky took another drink. As the dark liquid meandered down her throat, it left her feeling warm all over. Sky allowed her eyes to drift closed as she savored the tangy plum flavor and swirled the fruity taste around with her tongue. A good wine always took her to a magical place. It was impossible to blurt out the obvious with a mouth full of Merlot. Her mind was awhirl with thoughts, and by the miracle of alcohol, none of them made it past her lips–not yet.

  Sky could hear the steady tone of Nia’s voice, but somehow, managed to block out the words and briefly tuned her out. Although Sky’s subconscious was trying to get a million miles away, her conscious mind wouldn’t allow it. Instead, Sky slowly opened her eyes and sat stoically in the darkness. She was enraptured by the golden glow from the fireplace as it illuminated the room. Her movements were slow and deliberate as she lifted her glass to study it. I could have sworn it was full just a moment ago? It was a good thing that Nia was talking mostly to herself and wasn’t really expecting a response, because Sky wasn’t paying close enough attention and didn’t know what the hell she had been talking about.

  “What do you think I should do? Steven keeps calling me.” Nia’s words finally broke through Sky’s fog of thoughts. She stared at her cell phone as the tears continued to fall down her face. “He probably won’t stop unless I answer it. At the very minimum, I should cuss his ass out.”

  “Mmhmm.” Sky nodded slightly. She had been dreading the what should I do question and hoped her non-answer was enough to pacify Nia since she hadn’t been able to get the woman drunk enough to pass out before she asked it. Nia didn’t honestly want to hear how Sky really felt. So, Sky pretended as if she hadn’t heard her while continuing to examine her glass. It was much too low for this conversation. Sky peered over into Nia’s glass and realized hers was too. Perfect time for a refill. “I think we could use just a little more wine.” Sky leaned over toward the coffee table to pick up the almost empty bottle. For anyone counting . . . It was their third. Typically, Sky would never encourage drinking to deal with a problematic issue. As a doctor, she knew better, but this was more for her than Nia. Sky was doing her best to keep from saying something hurtful. This conversation was also one they had had before, and unfortunately, it led to them not speaking for almost a mon
th and Sky was mindful of that.

  “Seriously? What would you do?” Nia wouldn’t let it go. Her swollen face and red-rimmed eyes were filled with pain and desperation.

  Maybe this was not a good time for Sky to be more than a little tipsy and not have a mouth full of wine. “Before or after I cut off his balls and shoved them down that woman’s throat?” Did I say that out loud, or did I think it? Sky wasn’t sure. But, by the look on Nia’s face, she’d spoken them.

  “That’s a felony. You and I would never risk our licenses by doing something like that.”

  Sky wasn’t so sure. She shrugged. “Well, you did burn all of his clothes. Last I checked that was illegal too. I figure, if we’re going to lose our licenses, I would want to do something a little more lasting and memorable.”

  “Burning clothes is a misdemeanor. Anyway, I couldn’t catch her. She ran out of the apartment before I could get my hands on her.” Nia threw her head back against the sofa. “Steven said he knows he has a problem and that he loves me enough to get therapy.”

  Like a sex addict? Sky knew they existed, but that wasn’t his problem. Steven was just a selfish pig. Was Nia really starting to buy into his bullshit after less than twenty-four hours? Sky was more angry than shocked. “Are you serious?” How many times did the man have to cheat before Nia understood Steven would never change? Some things just happened like clockwork—The sun rose in the east and water was wet. Those things were facts and were not changing, and neither was Steven.

  Nia kept talking. “He’s never been willing to try therapy. Sex addiction is real.”

  Sky responded. “So is the bubonic plague. Both of them can kill you.”

  Nia didn’t hear her as she glanced down at her phone, and briefly closed her eyes. “He’s calling again.”

  “If you don’t want to talk to him, turn off the phone.” Easy enough for a person who really doesn’t want to be bothered. “And, I was serious about physical bodily harm. Considering I’m a doctor, I could have come up with a great medical excuse for why Steven didn’t need his man parts and why they found their way into that woman’s esophagus. You’re a lawyer. You’re smart enough to figure out the legal reason to justify it. If an attorney can get a privileged white kid off for murder due to that made up affluenza defense, we certainly could come up with an excuse way more creative and convincing than that.”