by Bella King
A goofy smile occupied Sarah’s face. “Isn’t he hot? He’s so fucking hot.”
For a second, I thought she was talking about Jacob. I felt a pang of jealousy before I realized that she was referring to her own date, Jonathan. Of course. I shrugged. “I suppose. I don’t know him.”
“Who are you going to the date with?” Sarah asked.
This was an unwelcomed question. I racked my brain for an appropriate response. The only thing I could think of was, “Nobody.”
Sarah laughed. “Nice try, Elise, but I know you’re lying. You’re pretty fucking hot for a goth girl, so I know somebody had asked you already. Probably loads of guys.”
“Don’t call me a goth girl, please,” I said, clenching my jaw. I was all too familiar with that nickname.
“Whatever,” Sarah said playfully. “Tell me who you’re going with. I want to know.”
I shook my head. “Nobody. I mean, it’s a surprise.”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “You’re going with Jacob, aren’t you?”
That was the last straw. I was holding another black dress in my hands, yanking on either end while trying not the rip the fucking thing in half. I was growing increasingly irritated with Sarah’s questions, and I wanted to be left alone. I didn’t need to be exposed so quickly.
“I’m not going with Jacob,” I said slowly. “You will see who I’m going with at the dance.”
Sarah groaned. “Fine-uh,” she whined, turning away from me.
I breathed a sigh of relief and went back to the bathroom to try on this dress. It would be the last thing I tried on before I gave up and went to bed. I was frustrated with myself for being excited about the dance, but I couldn’t hide that. I couldn’t run from the truth. I was falling for Jacob, and it was killing me.
Chapter 22
Trying to avoid fate means to take the path that fate had intended for you all along.
You know it’s a full moon when the air is ripe with energy and the leaves glow in the darkness. The full moon brings with it a sense of restlessness and urgency. It’s when the spirits are most alive and willing to speak with us. The full moon brings adventures into the unknown.
The full moon came the night before the dance. I had requested money from Jacob to dye my hair and find a fitting dress, which he had been happy to give me. I kind of enjoyed being the date of the local gang boss. It had its perks.
I dyed my hair the night of the full moon, slipping into something comfortable to sleep in and packing my bookbag with blankets and food for my night by the river. I felt calm and in control of my life, even though I was slowly slipping deeper into Jacob’s lair of trouble.
There was a small window in the bathroom that I left unlatched. It would be the easiest way to sneak out of the house unnoticed. I didn’t want to be bothered by Sarah or Mary on my way out. This was my night to seek answers, and I wasn’t too keen on following rules anymore.
After everyone had gone to bed, I slipped down the side of my bunk bed and landed softly on the carpet, already fully dressed, including shoes, for my adventures in the woods that night. I tiptoed to the bathroom, waiting until I was inside with the door closed to turn on the light.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I had to admit that I looked sexy as hell wearing all black, my hair thrown back in a tight ponytail. I looked like I was going to rob a bank. I would have made a hell of a career out of my thievery had it not been for my knack of getting caught. That’s the tricky part.
I pushed the window open and tossing my bookbag out first, having to squeeze it through the narrow opening. It was stuffed with blankets, so it compressed easily enough. Next, I had to go through. I turned the light off and pulled myself through the window and onto the grass outside.
It was after midnight, but it looked more like early evening with how brightly the moon shone in the sky. I was afraid of getting caught with how bright it was. There was no cloak of darkness that I could hide in. The best I could do was to hide my pale skin in black so that I didn’t glow like a beacon in the night.
My eyes darted from side to side, scanning the perimeter for any sign of life. There wasn’t a soul in sight. I slung my bag around my shoulder and jogged toward the side of the housing complex. There was a hole in the fence that led straight into the woods. I would be able to leave through there without attracting attention. There were usually police prowling around the entrance, waiting for someone to break curfew.
I weaved between the identical gray buildings, changing direction every once in a while to avoid detection by any that may have heard my feet against the soft earth. I spotted the hole in the fence, but I would have to run across a large expanse of open field to get to it.
I stopped at the edge of the house grouping, leaning against the last building before the clearing and catching my breath before the final sprint. I found myself wishing that I had brought a bandana to put over my face so that I wouldn’t be recognized if anyone saw me, but it was too late for that.
I peeked out from between two buildings, keeping one hand against the wall as I craned my neck to look left and right. There were no flashlights or movement as far as I could tell. I took a deep breath and sprung out in the open space.
I had done some pretty stupid things in the past, but I never learned from them. Sneaking out and risking everything just to sleep under the full moon was among the list of the stupider things that I’ve managed to get involved in. Most of the illegal things I had done before had been out of necessity, like stealing or hiding away in the woods to make sure that Jacob didn’t kill me in my sleep.
Now, I was breaking the rules for the hell of it. What had I become? I was doing so well when I began at Lakeshaw and now look at me. I was a mess.
I ducked down and squirmed through the hole in the fence. My bookbag got caught for a second, but I got it unhooked after a brief second of panic. Today wasn’t a good day to go to jail.
I stood up straight, looking at the surrounding trees. I was safe now, or so I believed because I was off the main road. You could never be sure of anything in life. I knew that better than most people.
I did my best to silent, keeping my location unknown to the police. It was difficult because of how many leaves there were on the ground, crunching obnoxiously beneath my feet. The insects were out in full force, singing into the night to cover the noise that I was making. Nature was on my side.
I was on the far side of the woods and would have to cross the road to get to the river. A quick dash when there were no cars in sight would be fine. It was another risk to take, but once I had done it, I would be home free. No cop would be done by the river at this time of night. People just didn’t go that deep in the woods.
I came upon the roadway in under five minutes, moving fast through the trees. It was light out because of the moon, so it was surprisingly easy to navigate the woods. Normally I would have to feel around a bit to make sure I didn’t run into anything, but tonight I could run through without a care.
There was a slope leading up to the road. I hit the soil and crawled up it, keeping my body as flat as possible. I heard a car go by, headlight flashing against the bark and leaves behind me. I stopped moving, waiting and listening for any more cars. I didn’t hear anything.
I lifted my head, peering over the slope. The road was quiet again. This was my chance. I pulled myself onto the road and stood up, but froze when I spotted a police officer standing just a few yards away from me on the same side of the road.
Fuck! My heart immediately tripled its pace, intent on giving me a heart attack before the cops were able to take me alive. I didn’t think he saw me at first, and I considered ducking back down, but the second I moved, he turned his head.
There are three options in a situation like that – flight, fight, or freeze. Freezing didn’t work out too well for me and fighting a cop would likely get me shot. I fled at an inhuman pace. My entire future was sitting on this terrifying moment. If I got captured, I would have a crimin
al record hanging over my head for the rest of my life. Lakeshaw was my last chance at redemption.
“Stop,” the policeman shouted, his voice aggressive and urgent.
I had heard that so many times before that it didn’t phase me. Stop meant nothing to me. Who was he to dictate the direction my life took? I oversaw my own future, not the police.
I was faster than he was because I had a reason to run. He was just doing his job, while I was running for my future. Different stakes prompt different effort, and in this situation, I was the one with the frighteningly high stakes.
I leaped over the guardrail that separated the road from the woods, never slowing down as I tore through the trees. I could see the light from the cop’s flashlight flashing wildly on the trees in front of me. He kept yelling for me to stop running, but I didn’t heed his command.
Suddenly, the light from the flashlight behind me disappeared from the trees. I looked over my shoulder to see what had happened and was surprised to see a large figure clambering over the police officer, kicking and punching him frantically.
I slowed my run, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I didn’t know whether to run from, or to thank the man that was beating down the cop. I stopped in my tracks when the figure stood up and I realized who it was. I would recognize that huge frame from anywhere. It was Jacob!
Jacob waved at me to keep running, kicking the cop a few more times and ripping something off his vest. He took off behind me, catching up in seconds. Jacob was a very fast runner.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I gasped as he ran up beside me.
Jacob wore a silly grin on his face, thrilled by the action. “Fucking up that pig,” he replied. “I should ask you the same question.”
I was so confused. “How did you get here?”
Jacob laughed. “You think you’re alone in these woods, babe? I keep a close eye on people.”
I was beginning to wonder if Jacob had cameras planted around the neighborhood. It would explain a lot. I never saw a soul, but he seemed to know more about me than I did.
I took his hand and pulled him with me toward the river, but Jacob had a different idea.
“Come this way, to my truck,” Jacob urged, pulling me in the opposite direction.
I went along with him. He had saved me, after all.
“Did you miss me?” Jacob asked.
I looked over at him. “No,” I said, but I was lying. It was wonderful to see him again.
Jacob chuckled. “I’m not going to tell you roommates about us, if that’s what you’re worried about. It’s our secret.” His face glowed under the pale moonlight, illuminated by the adrenaline pumping through his system. The veins in his arms were popping from physical exertion. He looked like he lived for this kind of thrill, and that was sexy as fuck to me.
There’s something about a man in action that I found so incredibly sexy. He had a thin sweat on his brow and was breathing heavily as we ran together, hand in hand.
I squeezed his hand, giving him a smile. “Thanks for saving me.”
“You need someone like me to look after you. It’s a wonder you made it this far on your own,” Jacob replied.
I should have expected that sort of attitude from him. I could take care of myself, but it was nice to have a man like him on my side. He saved my ass, and I owed him one.
We came to a clearing, leading to the road. Jacob’s truck was parked on the side. He clicked his key fob to unlock the doors, and we hoped inside. I never thought I would be so happy to be back in Jacob’s truck.
Jacob peeled onto the road, booking it away from the scene of the crime. He tossed a small black object up and down in one hand as the other gripped the steering wheel.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Bodycam. Now they won’t know who either of us are,” Jacob stated. “Got to smash the thing and we’re home free.”
It sounded like he had done this before, but I chose to overlook that. Tonight, he was my hero, and I viewed him as such in the passenger’s seat of his pickup. He could tell I was fawning over him, and he basked in it. He loved that kind of thing.
“Elise, can I tell you something honest?” Jacob said, looking over at me.
I nodded, my eyes wide with innocence. “Anything.”
Jacob paused, trying to find the words. “I never really met anyone like you. I mean, you’re different than the other women that I’ve been involved with.”
“Well, I know that,” I said, sharing some of his arrogance.
Jacob breathed out of his nose in amusement. “I always thought women were pretty weak. I mean, my mother was, but you,” he waved a finger, “You’re pretty ballsy.”
I held up my arm and flexed. “Yeah, I would say so.”
Jacob flexed his arm in response, and I was amazed by how big it was. His muscles seemed ready to explode out of his t-shirt, ripping through the fabric straight to my heart. Oh god, I was falling for him, and hard.
“You want to know something else,” Jacob said, snaking a hand over to my leg and squeezing my thigh.
“What?” I asked, almost unable to speak. I felt small beside the grandeur of Jacob.
“I want you,” Jacob said, slowing down the truck and parking it on the side of the road, far away from the woods we had come out of.
I was stricken by his words. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Jacob had feelings for me after he kissed me and started giving me money for things that I needed, but this was a lot for me to process. I didn’t want to be involved with a criminal like him, but he was so damn alluring and powerful.
“Why?” I breathed as Jacob began rubbing my thigh, slowly working his way up to my pelvis.
“You’re beautiful. You’re strong. You’re different,” Jacob whispered, leaning toward me. His eyes glowed in the moonlight that entered through the window.
“Tell me about why you’re here,” I said, breaking the sexual tension. “I want to know.”
“Why?” Jacob asked, pulling back and frowning.
“I need to know more about you,” I said.
“It’s not that interesting,” Jacob insisted.
I crossed my arms. “Tell me, or I’m not doing anything with you.”
Jacob sighed. “Alright. You probably already heard the story of how I beat the shit out of some guy on the street. Broad daylight. I didn’t give two fucks about getting caught.”
“But why?” I asked, intrigued by his story.
“When I was younger, there was this guy that my mother started dating. He moved in with us, started ordering her around,” Jacob began, his face reliving his memories as he told them. “He used to beat my mother. She never stood up to him, not even when he started beating me too. He used to beat me so bad that I couldn’t go to school. My mother would just stand by and watch. She never protected me,” Jacob said, bitterness staining his tongue. “I was only a child then, but I swore that one day I would kill that man.”
“That was the man who you attacked? The one that got you sent here?”
Jacob nodded. “I almost killed him. He deserved to die, but the police stopped me. I beat some of them up too before they tased me. It took five of those fuckers to pry me off of that son of a bitch.”
I sat there speechless. I wanted to cry for Jacob. Nobody deserved to go through that.
“So, that’s how I got sent here. They gave me a choice to finish school here or go to jail.”
I nodded. “Yeah, they gave me the same choice.”
“I told mine, now you tell me yours,” Jacob said, playing with the body camera in his hand while he petted my thigh.
“I was stealing, as usual. My family never had money, and my mom taught me to steal. I had a bunch of stuff that I had stolen when I got caught. I had drugs and stuff on me.” I said. “The police officer searched me, made me strip naked for him, and he touched me.”
“I’ll kill that bastard,” Jacob interjected.
“I don’t even know who i
t was. I never found out his name,” I said, shaking my head.
“We’ll find him and kill him,” he insisted, squeezing my thigh angrily.
“Jacob, you can’t solve everything with violence,” I said, placing my hand on his.
“Says who?” Jacob snapped. “It’s worked for me so far.”
“Try something different,” I said.
“What?”
“Kiss me,” I said, the words exiting my mouth before I had the sense to stop them.
Chapter 23
Life looks a lot better in the movies.
Jacob didn’t hesitate or ask me to repeat myself. He lowered his head so quickly to mine that I thought our teeth would smash together and shatter in a magnificent explosion of white shards. Excuse my vivid imagination, but I was caught up in the moment and freaking out internally.
Jacob slowed down as his lips touched mine, but inside I still felt the explosion. It was a bright burst of a zillion colors, indescribably beautiful and raw. I felt like I was on a thousand uppers, my heart beating a fast tribal rhythm as he kissed me.
His lips were hot and urgent, and his touch was gentle at first. He lifted a hand to the side of my neck I tasted the hot passion that spilled from his mouth. In a second, he was all over me, pulling me deeper into his spell with his hand clutching a fistful of my hair from the back.
There was a hearty growl from the back of his throat as he nearly yanked me out of my seat toward him, pressing his body closer to mine. I was in a thousand places and nowhere at all, spiraling into a vortex of madness and love. Nothing could stop what I was feeling now. That damn cop could come up, banging on the window, and I wouldn’t even notice him.
This moment sucked me into Jacob’s world. I had never been there, but he had beckoned me in several times in the past. Now, I set foot on a journey that I could not turn back on. The exit was sealed, and so was my fate.
Lips as hot as flames traveled down my neck as Jacob took full control of me. I was met with shivers that make my body jerk and twitch uncontrollably as he sucked on the delicate flesh of my neck. It was to die for, and knowing how dangerous Jacob was, I wasn’t entirely sure I wouldn’t die for this.