Scarred for Life

by S. L. Kassidy

  CHAPTER 15

  The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the quiet house. The bell cut through the light snores that bounced off the bedroom walls. After the third ring, bothered groans replaced the snoring. Grey eyes fluttered open and a copper face tensed because the noise persisted.

  "Dammit," Dane muttered with a growl.

  "Leave it. They'll go away," Nicole suggested, staying cuddled against her lover. She caressed Danny's stomach to help keep her lying right where she was.

  Dane purred. "Okay."

  The couple tried to settle back down to return to dreamland, but whoever was at the door seemed to be totally against that. Eventually, it got on Danny's nerves and she rose from the bed. Nicole let out a long whimper, missing the warm body of her lover already.

  "I've got to get this damned clown off of the bell," Dane declared with a frown.

  "My hero," Nicole said as the sound persisted.

  Dane hopped out of bed naked as the day she was born. She was set to charge out of the room, forgetting her state of undress. Nicole stopped her by clearing her throat. Dane turned around and saw Nicole holding a very familiar pair of basketball shorts.

  "Going somewhere without these, stud?" Nicole teased, smiling in that way that made her eyes sparkle and Dane's heart flutter.

  The younger woman glanced down at herself and yelped, realizing that she was about to give whoever was at the door quite the show. She charged over to Nicole and was handed over her shorts without a fuss, but she went in for a brief kiss. While Dane put on her clothes, she glanced at the clock. Nicole did the same and chuckled.

  "We're sleeping in really late this morning, Danny."

  "Well, since we're up now, I'll get started on breakfast," Dane replied before being interrupted by the bell again. "After I beat the shit out of a very tenacious deliveryman."

  Dane heard Nicole laugh as she disappeared out of the door. The guitarist marched downstairs, barking that she was coming to whomever it was that didn't want to believe no one was home. When she got to the door, she was so annoyed that she didn't bother to ask who it was. She yanked the door open and wished to high Heaven she hadn't done something so foolish.

  "Tyler." Dane frowned deeply.

  "Dane? What the hell are you still doing here?" Tyler demanded as a scowl immediately conquered his face.

  "Minding my goddamn business, as you should be doing. What the hell are you doing here?"

  "Where's Nikki? What did you do to her? I'll kick your ass if you did anything to Nikki, you filthy swine," Tyler snarled and he grabbed his cousin by the collar.

  Dane was unimpressed, even with his pale hand so close to her neck. "I didn't do anything to her, you fucking idiot. Now, what do you want?"

  "I have some things for Nikki from work. Now, where the hell is she?" Tyler started shaking the ebony-haired female, who looked bored by the whole process. Her expression earned a growl from him and he tightened his grip.

  Dane was tempted to tell her cousin to "fuck off" in no uncertain terms, but she considered his words. If he had things of Nicole's from work, then Nicole would want those out of his hands posthaste. Who knew what he might do with the items, after all.

  "Chem," Dane called into the house.

  "Who the hell is Kim? Did you bring one of your filthy, fucking whores in here? How dare you disrespect Nicole like that, you disgusting bitch." Tyler shook Dane some more. "I should punch you in the fucking face for bringing some stink bitch into Nikki's house." He dared to ball his hand into a fist.

  Dane arched an eyebrow because he balled up the hand that held his briefcase. Fleetingly, she thought he might have the backbone to hit her with the case. But, he just shook her again with his other hand.

  "Goddamn, I know Nikki is a pushover and all, but to allow you of all the degenerate fuck-ups in the land to stay here, just shows how she needs someone to protect her from con artists like you. Shit, if I was a spiteful man, I'd leave her to whatever carnage you bring into her life to teach her a lesson for breaking up with me. Unfortunately, I know how sick you are and who knows what the hell you might do to her. Hell, who knows what you've already done to her. Hopefully, now she's come to her senses and after dealing with the likes of you for so long, she'll be begging for me to come back," Tyler rambled, mostly talking under his breath.

  Grey eyes rolled in disbelief at the level of bullshit coming from his mouth. "Chem." Dane repeated, still appearing rather detached from Tyler's abusive actions.

  "What, honey? I'm trying to finish getting dressed." Nicole replied from upstairs.

  Tyler balked and his grip loosened a bit around Dane's collar. A part of her wanted to kick him while he was down after all of the garbage he had been spewing, but it was a very small part. She mostly wanted him gone.

  "Chem, c'mon. I don't know how much longer I can stand here and not hurt this dumb motherfucker

  "Baby, who are…" Nicole trailed off as she rushed down the stairs and saw who was at the door manhandling her girlfriend.

  "Baby?" Tyler echoed as his face twisted from confusion and his eyes went wide, making it clear that his brain was already coming up with a million and one excuses for why Nicole had called Dane by such a term of endearment.

  "Tyler, what the hell are you doing here?" Nicole demanded, moving next to Danny. "And get your fucking hands off of her." Nicole yanked Tyler's hand away from Dane.

  "What the fuck are you doing dressed like that and calling this disgusting bull dyke 'baby'?" Tyler countered, motioning to both women. Nicole was wearing her short robe and Dane was in pajamas.

  "That's none of your business. What the hell are you doing here?" Nicole glared daggers at him.

  "Saving you from Dane apparently. Did she touch you? Did she do anything to you? Anything at all? I'll call the cops right now." Tyler started reaching into his pants pocket for his cell phone.

  "Don't you dare. She didn't do anything wrong." Nicole pushed his hand down to keep him from dialing.

  "I'll go start on some breakfast," Dane volunteered. She really didn't want to leave Nicole alone with her overly excited cousin, but she doubted her continued presence would help calm him.

  ***

  "Good idea," Nicole agreed. Dane was gone before another word was uttered and Nicole focused her attention on Tyler, preventing him from entering the house.

  "What the fuck has she been doing?" Tyler demanded, pointing inside of the house. He almost hit Nicole in the side of the head with his arm.

  "That's none of your business, Tyler. What the hell are you doing here?" Nicole continued to viciously glower at him, silently informing him that his presence wasn't welcomed. Her stare bordered on wishing him a slow, painful death.

  "Why did you call her 'baby'? She seduced you, didn't she? She's nothing but trouble, Nikki. My family doesn't trust her. Her fucking parents don't even trust her. You don't know the real her and how fucking evil she is. She's probably planning to rob you blind when you least suspect it, so she can blow the money on dope. Who knows what kind of whores she brings in here while you're at work." he shouted. "Why the hell are you acting like this? Why don't you just fucking believe me when I tell you she's a fucking monster? The world would be a better place if she wasn't in it. I'm trying to look out for you, but you're treating me like I'm the fucking bad guy when Dane's the real goddamn villain," he whined.

  "Now, you listen here," Nicole snarled and poked him hard in the chest with her index finger. "Danny has been nothing but marvelous to me in the months that she's lived here. She's sweet, generous, and takes better care of me than any other person on the planet, so I won't have you standing here badmouthing her with all of your bullshit. So, just tell me what the hell you're doing here and then don't let me see you on my street again."

  Tyler flinched, stepping back as if she struck him. "You're going to stick up for that bitch instead of fighting for us? How the hell can you stand up for that worthless cunt, but not for us?"

  A bestial snarl es
caped Nicole and her face twisted with rage. "Don't you ever fucking call her that again, you worthless bastard, or I swear on my mother that I'll fucking hurt you. And there is no us. I went over this the last time we spoke. There is no us. Now tell me why you're here or I'll slam the door in your face."

  Tyler snarled. "Goddamn it, I'm trying to help you. Now, if you don't want the documents just say so and I'll leave." he declared, trying his best to look like he was in control.

  What a loser, always wanting to be in control, Nicole thought. "You wouldn't dare leave without giving me those. If anything happened because I didn't get them, you'd be blamed. So, just give them to me and go." Nicole smirked.

  Frowning, he went into his briefcase and shoved the folders into her chest. The force pushed her back slightly. "Your father sent me to give those to you," he stated as if those words were an insult of some kind.

  "Thank you," she shot back.

  "You need to watch out for Dane. The bitch is nothing but trouble. I don't give a shit how good she might eat you, you need to remember she's—"

  He was immediately slapped in the face for his words. The noise seemed to echo throughout the neighborhood. The sting to his ego was instantly a hundred times worse than the sting on his cheek. That knowledge made the blow even sweeter to her.

  "I didn't ask for your opinion. Danny is an exponentially better partner than you ever were. Now, get the fuck off of my porch," Nicole ordered before shutting the door right in his face.

  Nicole snorted and tucked the folder under her arm. She marched into the kitchen and was met by a cup of tea, which soothed her raw nerves before she even started to drink it. She smiled at Danny and easily forgot all of the bad things that Tyler had been spouting seconds ago.

  "I hope the neighbors enjoyed the show," Dane remarked, sipping her own drink.

  Nicole groaned. "Oh, god, I forgot about them. I'm sure Mister Boyler is telling his wife right now what a bad influence you are on me and how I was screaming out there like that. Not to mention I slapped Tyler."

  "Tyler deserves more than that. I was ready to kick him in the balls. Who's Mister Boyler? That's the bastard next door that always glares at me when I'm mowing the lawn?" Dane had taken to mowing the lawn, saving her some stress when she got the "urge to do something" and she had already cleaned the house. It saved Nicole money since she didn't pay for landscapers anymore.

  "Yes, and I do wish you wouldn't call him that. He's been very kind to me since I moved into this place a couple of years ago. He just thinks that you're a crazy teenager and he wants to keep an eye on you so you don't get me into any trouble," Nicole said with a teasing smile.

  "Everybody's worried that the big bad Wolfe's going to get the precious Nicole in trouble." Dane shook her head. She stepped over to Nick and wrapped her free hand around her girlfriend's waist.

  "What they don't know is that I have the big dog on a very short leash," Nicole quipped, bumping her hip against Danny's thigh.

  Grey eyes rolled. "The Great Dane doesn't do leashes."

  "Good thing I'm here with Danny then." Nicole put her cup down and tightly hugged her. "I'm glad I'm here with you, Danny," she whispered.

  "I'm glad to be here. Is it all right for Tyler to know about us? He'll tell your parents and everyone at your job, right?"

  "It should be fine. My parents already know I date women on occasion and who gives a shit what people at work think? I hope this news will keep some of them away from my door."

  Dane snickered. "What about your friends? Will they care?"

  "No. Hell, Mina knew I had the hots for you before I did, so I know there's no problem there. The only trouble she'll give me is screaming 'I told you so' for the next few months. Clara will just be happy that I'm with someone that treats me well and respects me."

  "You have really good friends to a certain degree, even if they do take advantage of you sometimes."

  "They are good people. I know they already like you just from all of the stories they've heard and the times they've seen me on the phone with you. I've got nothing to worry about with Tyler. What about you? Can he make any trouble for you?"

  "Hell, no. The only person in the world that gives a damn about me is standing right next to me. She's also the only person whose opinion matters to me."

  Nicole blinked. "Are you serious?"

  "Dead serious. I love you, Nick. I've never felt this deeply for another person and I damn sure know no one has ever felt like this for me. There's nothing that Tyler can do that can keep me from you."

  Nicole smiled and she planted a deep kiss on Danny's mouth. Tyler was a memory after that. He rushed back to the forefront of Nicole's mind when she remembered the documents he brought. She looked down at the paperwork after taking it from its folder.

  "These were in my desk. Did he go through my desk for these? Did Daddy go through my desk for these?" Nicole wondered. Both weren't good prospects, but one or the other had taken place. She tried to dismiss it from her mind since it was already done, but she couldn't stop thinking about one of them rifling through her things. She knew both of them would do just that if they felt like it.

  ***

  Tyler drove around the city for a couple of hours trying to process what he had stepped into when he was at Nicole's house. He seethed and stewed as Nicole's voice echoed in his mind, her voice calling out the nickname "baby" and it wasn't directed toward him. It was directed toward Dane. He even said the name with venom in his own mind.

  "That twisted fucking dyke bitch Dane seduced my Nikki," he screamed at the top of his lungs as he came to a red light.

  His fist hammered fiercely against the steering wheel, and with each hit the frown on his face cut deeper into his cheeks and wrinkled his brow more. He couldn't believe Nicole allowed Dane to touch her. He had heard tales of Dane's exploits, but he never thought they were true until now. Dane had something that made women fall into her lap, even sensible women like Nicole.

  "Well, she's not getting my damn woman. Who the hell does Dane think she is anyway? She comes to my house out of the blue and then has the nerve to stay after I get kicked out. What the fuck is wrong with her. Stupid fucking cunt thinks the world belongs to her when she's nobody/ Nobody gives a fuck about her/ She should just die and make us all happy."

  He never liked Dane…but then again, no one in the family liked Dane. Some rumors went around that maybe his aunt Christine cared about her, but no one was really sure. Christine did things that contradicted her own actions. But, his Uncle Russell hated Dane, and if her own father hated her, she had to be pure scum.

  The whole reason he had let Dane stay was because he was aware Christine checked up on Dane through other family members. If she cared about Dane, it was best for everyone in the family to be somewhat civil toward Dane. Besides, he liked his aunt and that was one of the reasons to take Dane in.

  One of the things he loved about his aunt was that Christine practically lived her life for his uncle Russell. She was devoted to the man and Tyler admired that. His aunt carried herself like the perfect lady and seemed regal, which made his uncle seem like a lord or a king. He hoped to find a woman like her one day. He believed Nicole would be that woman, his lady. Nicole was everything that he wanted in a woman—attractive, sexy, intelligent, rich, well-connected, and they looked like a model couple whenever they entered a room. They lit up society pages whenever they went to an event. And the sex had been pretty good, too. He figured he was going to have to work on her a little because he disliked that she worked so much, and every now and then she'd get a slight attitude. But she was worth the work. In order to get her back, he had to get her away from Dane.

  Most of his animosity toward Dane came from seeing how others treated her in their family. Every now and then his father would engage her in conversation, as best one could since Dane hadn't been the most talkative person in the first place. Since he always had a low opinion of his father, he never paid it any mind and figured his father was just b
eing ignominious by paying attention to a girl no one wanted. But, now he felt the true bite of what he perceived to be a personal insult, and he felt his hatred against Dane amplify a thousand fold. How dare that black, cripple, bull dyke, stupid fucking cunt-bitch touch my Nikki.

  He wouldn't allow Dane to have what was his. He was the one that took the time to draw Nicole to him. He was the one that showered her in gifts to let people know she was his. He was the one that had to put up with more dates than he cared for to places that he hated to show her that he cared for her. He was the one that put up with her insane work hours, so he should be the one to be rewarded with her.

  He had always known that Nicole was fragile and needed to be protected, but he didn't think it'd be to this extent. He had tried to lead her before, to show her that he was king of the castle, and she had blown up on him just because he didn't do a few dishes and dropped clothes on her floor. She obviously didn't know what was good for her. He had to do something to save her from Dane and from herself. His mind started moving and he realized he had to do two things. He had to get Dane out of the picture and he had to get Nicole back into his arms.

  "Nikki would believe it was night out even if the sun was staring her right in the face if told that enough times," he muttered, shaking his head.

  His baleful cousin had manipulated Nicole with some 'lesbian mind trick' and whatever that trick was made Nicole think Dane's word was better than his. Now, he had lied to Nicole many times in the past, but he doubted anything he ever said was on the level of deceit that Dane had thrown her way and then the solution hit him. He knew exactly how to get to Nicole and put an end to all of the nonsense with Dane. It was all so simple that he couldn't believe he stressed over the situation for so many hours.