Identity

by Brandy Slaven

  Alejandro was next. Another one of Trenton’s deals gone wrong, this time somewhere in Columbia. Poor kid was a mess when he first came to us. Didn’t know any language other than Spanish, and he had the worst nightmares out of all of us. To this day, I can’t even imagine the hell he was put through.

  Last, but not least, came Atlas. Trenton tried to claim he was legally adopted from the system, but after Aric and I snooped in his office one day, we found out the truth. Atlas was purchased through a human trafficking ring. If there was any ounce of respect left in my soul for Trenton, it died in that moment. Even though, I was grateful that fate had put Atlas in the right place at the right time because he was the piece that we didn’t even realize we were missing. Barely a year older than me, we’d bonded instantly, making him one of the hardest to leave behind.

  With all of them coming from difficult backgrounds and Anderson stepping up into the older brother role so easily, it took no time at all for the boys to adjust to life with us. We had private tutors. All the designer clothes and expensive cars. Trenton had six heirs to his throne built on deceit, lies, drugs, and murder. I thought I was there to be daddy’s only little princess. When I turned sixteen, the rug was yanked out from under that naïve little girl still inside of me, and I became one of Trenton’s biggest bargaining chips.

  Running a hand through my hair, I give it a sharp tug as my feet keep pacing like a caged tiger in this tiny room. The memories I’ve refused to relive try to resurface, but I can’t let that happen. It feels like there’s a mountain sitting on my chest, and the small amount of air I’m able to suck through my lips comes and goes in short pants.

  “I’ve got to get the hell out of here,” I mutter to the empty room.

  I pretty much made a promise to my friends across the hall, so I’m not going to bail on them just yet. I’ve just got to take a breather. Slipping a pair of jeans over my legs, I snatch my keys and phone off the table and grab my jacket on the way out the door. Thankfully, no one is waiting for me across the hall as I walk out. They probably wouldn’t believe me if I told them--

  “Going somewhere?” Orsam’s voice says, bouncing off the walls of the stairwell.

  Knew I shouldn’t have counted my chickens before they hatched. I flip him a gaze over my shoulder. “I’m not running. I just needed to get out of that room. Taking a ride down the beach, but I’ll be back in a little while.”

  His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t try to stop me. Bracing his forearms on the railing, he watches me descend, teasing, “You spend so much time over there, I’m thinking I need to start calling you sea witch instead.”

  With him almost directly above my head, it’s easy enough to lift my chin and catch his eyes as I smile. “Seems more fitting anyway, yeah?”

  The smile on his face grows, and that's the way I leave him, lights casting a small shadow down his face. I skip work to spend the day on the beach since it's not a big deal if they fire me or anything. I'll be leaving soon, and it breaks my heart to think of leaving the ocean. There's more than enough money in my go bag that it would be easy enough to set up somewhere else on the coast under my new name. Perhaps too easy if they've found me already. A risk I can't take again.

  A salty breeze caresses my face, and I allow it to taste the tears I refuse to repress. This feels like leaving my boys all over again. It hurts down to my very soul. Maybe moving inland, away from the ocean, wouldn't be such a bad thing. There's always the chance that it'll help me finally get over them. I made it no secret how attracted I was to the six of them. But, I knew as well as they did, nothing would ever come from it. Just not possible when there's six to one odds. Innocent flirting never hurt anyone until hearts started getting involved. Well, one heart, to be exact. They never professed love to me or anything.

  You never saw them with any other girls either.

  I take a deep calming breath and let it out slowly. That inner voice isn't wrong, but it's too late now to worry about the things that are out of my control. I'll never go back to Trenton, which forces me to let his princes go too.

  I sit on the beach until the sun rises in the east and sets in front of me. The water beckons to me and my board, but I never leave to meet it. Grumbles echo in my stomach, letting me know it's extremely angry with not having been fed today. It hadn't even crossed my mind until now. Doing a quick check on my watch reveals just how late in the day it's gotten. If I don't head out soon, I'll be late meeting Orsam and Ransam. With a saddened, resigned sigh, I inwardly blow a kiss to the ocean, telling her goodbye before getting my ass out of the sand and heading toward where I'd hidden my bike.

  During daylight hours, it had been warm and toasty on the beach. The absolute most perfect weather. Almost as if it had been giving me that much on this last day. Now that the sun is dropping, it's turning chilly out, making me sling my jacket back around my shoulders before donning my helmet. Baby starts with a low rumble that sounds like her mood matches my own. We ease out onto the street and head towards my friends and our last night together.

  “You sure you want to be leaving all of this behind?” Ransam asks softly as my side.

  Laid out on a blanket underneath the stars with a classic rock cover band on stage, it’s hard to remember why I am making such a clearly bad decision. I’m on my back, tracing constellations with my fingers in the sky. He and his brother are flush against my sides, sharing their body heat while we listen to the music floating through the air.

  This is the cure to heal any lonely soul, especially one that spent the day alone at the beach. I’m going to pretend they both haven’t tried every persuasion technique in their books to tempt me not to take off since I got here. If they knew everything, they’d understand. I just can’t endanger their lives any further by giving away too much information. Twisting my head to face him, I give him the smile that will always be his. The one that drives Orsam up the wall because it means we’ve got a secret and won’t share with him.

  He returns it freely. Watching his face so closely, I’m able to plainly see when it drops into a scowl, and a stranger’s mask drops into place.

  “Arsuilla,” a familiar deep voice speaks several paces from our head.

  I could pick that sound out of a crowd anywhere. It’s one of six that haunt my dreams each night. The one I most feared hearing. It makes my stomach clench in panic as I jump to my feet, leaving Orsam and Ransam to quickly follow. Breath freezing in my lungs, I’m at fate’s mercy.

  Anderson and Alek are standing six foot away from our pallet under the stars. Neither look happy to be interrupting. I still haven’t even taken a breath as my brain soaks them in. Alek’s dark hair is longer, curly and brushing his shoulders at the seam of his tight black shirt. His expression is tight and closed off even as his eyes find mine. Anderson looks exactly the same, only broader in the arms and shoulders.

  Milliseconds. That’s all it takes for me to eat that little bit of info before finally sucking much needed air into my lungs. Retreating backwards two steps, I have every intention of sprinting into the night. It’s Alek’s flick of his gaze over my shoulder that stops me. Following it, I find Aric and Atlas at my back. The only two I don’t see are Alejandro and Abraham, but with my friends at my sides it’s possible, they’re blocking them out.

  Shit. How could I be so stupid?

  Anderson advances on us, stepping all over Orsam’s thick blanket we’d been lying on only moments ago. I’d yell at him for the rudeness if I could find my voice. I can’t even bring myself to fight when his hand wraps around my wrist and starts to tug. It’s not until he turns to pull me with him that I plant my heels into the ground and yank for all I’m worth. Bringing him to a complete stop, I fall backwards as my arms slips from his grasp.

  He reaches down to grab me again, and Ransam steps between us. He brings a fist back and slugs Anderson right across the jaw. Orsam’s hands go under my arms and lift me to my feet as he whisper yells, “Run, Su!”

  Not having to be told tw
ice, I take off, tearing the gap Alek and Abraham left between them. One of their fingers closes around the collar of my jacket, but I simply relax my arms and let it be ripped away. There’s the sound of a scuffle and a few muffled grunts, leading me to believe Orsam took it upon himself to tackle the ones closest that are trying to come after me.

  All I need is a little bit of a head start. That’s it. Baby is fast. I’ve just got to make it to her before they catch me, and for once, luck is on my side. Not only do I make it to my bike, chest heaving and legs tingling, but I’d stuck my key in my pocket instead of my jacket tonight. I’ll thank the fates as soon as I get the hell out of here.

  Swinging a leg over the side, I don’t even bother with my helmet before getting her cranked and spinning tires. I’m thinking I’ve made it when Alek steps out in front of my bike about ten yards away. He folds his arms across his chest, expecting me to stop. Something these guys don’t realize is that I'm not the same girl anymore. I’m not the rabbit stuck in their daddy’s claw trap.

  Instead of stopping, or even slowing down, I speed up with a flick of my wrist, playing a dangerous game of chicken with him. I’m relying on my faith in him not willing putting me in harm’s way, and I’m not disappointed. He steps to the side at the last second, preventing the head-on collision.

  The tears don’t start falling until I’m on the open stretch of highway road leading out of downtown. How could I leave my friends behind like that? They’d stood up to the Trenton brothers to give me more time then I’d just run like a spooked little rabbit without even hesitating to see if they were okay. If Trenton finds out they helped me slip through his son’s fingers, there’s going to be hell to pay.

  A long, anguished scream tears from my throat and is ripped away by the wind. Blazing through the night like the devil himself is riding my coattails, I make a promise to myself that I’ll do whatever I can to help them. Even if that means walking straight to hell, killing the devil, and pulling my friends back out.

  By the time I make it back to our apartment building, it feels as though the weight of the world is literally on my shoulders. Considering they tracked us down at the show, it’s a safe bet to say they know where I live, work, and all the other smaller details. This is the last place I need to be, so I’ve got to make this a grab and dash. I could leave without my go bag, but I truly don’t want to. I’m confident enough in my head start on them.

  Parking half a block away, I wish I had a hoodie to hide in, but I don’t even have my jacket now. Walking as fast as I dare down the side of the street, I head for the side entrance to the building. No one ever uses it because it’s beside the dumpsters and stinks worse than a decomposing body in the summer. Popping the lock, I hurry inside, taking the stairs two at a time up to my floor.

  I’m nothing less than sprinting down the hall to my apartment. With the adrenaline pumping and blocking everything out, it takes me two times to even get the key in the door. Once I do, I rush head first into a room filled with six very large, very angry men. Well, only some of them are radiating anger.

  In my haste, I’m three steps into the room before I realize it’s too late. The door shuts quietly behind me, and I don’t have to look over my shoulder to know it’s Aric that closed it. Three of his brothers are propped against the small counter to my right. Anderson leans against the wall directly in front of me with his arms across his chest. In better lighting, it’s definitely easier to see he’s spent our time apart in the gym. His biceps bulge at the seams of his grey long-sleeved shirt, and his neck looks to be as thick as my thigh now. Alek sits on the edge of my bed with his forearms braced on his thighs, refusing to meet my gaze. He always did that when he was frustrated with me, so there’s no doubt just how upset he is at me for the chicken stunt.

  “It’s time to stop running and come home, princess,” Anderson states like it’s the most obvious thing in the room.

  I grind my teeth at the pet name. With them still clenched, I warn him, “Don’t call me that.”

  His eyes narrow as I add, “And I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “Su,” Atlas pleads from my side.

  One word. One fucking word, and I’m almost ready to give in to the ache in my chest. That’s why they came together. It was their only chance at bringing me back willingly.

  “I can’t,” I whisper to him without taking my gaze from Anderson in front of me.

  Alek finally looks up, bringing my attention to his face as he asks, “You prefer living like this when you know we can give you the world?”

  “You’ve definitely been slumming it,” Anderson mutters. “House and company.”

  Taking two steps closer to him, I poke him in the chest with each word, “You. Better. Not. Touch. Them.”

  He closes the rest of the distance between us, forcing my chin to lift to keep our eyes locked.

  It’s an intimidation tactic. He does it to everyone, but it’s never worked on me. Not then, and most certainly not now.

  “This place may be beneath you Trenton boys, but at least I’m free,” I say through my teeth. “I’ll be damned if I give that up. I’m not going back to him, so you’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming.”

  Abraham snorts softly.

  I already know what he’s thinking because the same thought flashes across my mind at that sound. Some things never change. I’ve always been more stubborn than every single one of them put together.

  One of the others beside him opens his mouth to say something. I don’t see it happen; the only reason I know is because the pig-headed man in front of me waves an arm toward their side of the room as if to stop them from speaking.

  Anderson glares down at me, neither one of us making a move to call a truce. It doesn’t matter, though. There’s nothing he could ever say that could make me go with them.

  Breaking our stare-down, I finally face the three of them at the sink. Alejandro is in the middle of Abraham and Atlas. The exact spot I need access to. At least it’s him and not one of the others. He of all people should understand.

  Closing the small distance between us, I give him a soft smile. “Excuse me.”

  Taking his time to step to the side, I have a moment to fully appreciate how great the last couple of years have been to him. His shoulders fill out the light blue dress shirt like it was made just for him. Same goes for the dark slacks. He’s grown out his beard that’s sort of boxed in and trimmed close to his skin. It makes him look priceless and well out of reach of any woman. Those dark brown heavily-lashed eyes, never leave mine as he moves.

  I know without a doubt all of their eyes track my movements as I reach under the sink for the bag that’s duct-taped out of sight. It’s a heavy weight in my hand as I strip it out and bring it into the open. Without locking gazes with any of the others, I turn towards the door. My heart picks up pace as I worry if they’ll let me go or not. Aric isn’t making a move from his position.

  “You’re not leaving again, Arsuilla,” Anderson states at my back.

  That’s when I finally level a glare at Aric as though he’s the one personally offending me at the moment. His features match a lot of Alek’s with enough of a difference to stand out as his own person. Aric’s dark hair is shorter, clipped close to his head like Alejandro. And, I don’t know what it is that’s changed so much over the years, but they all seem to have adopted a fondness for facial hair. Aric’s is a slight dusting around his jaw that makes me want to run my fingers across it to see how it would feel.

  No matter how my stomach jumps to my throat when his eyes find mine, I’ll still punch him in the face if he doesn’t move out of my way.

  “Let me leave,” I demand forcefully.

  His expression turns sad, and I expect him to look to Anderson for permission. Instead, he studies me for a few more seconds before stepping towards the wall. It’s a tight squeeze between him and the door when it swings open, but I think it’s more of him doing it on purpose than it is the tiny apartment.
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br />   My shoulder brushes his chest, and it sends a shiver down my back. When he bends down to skim his nose across the side of my neck, I almost cave. It’s so tempting to fall into his arms and make me feel special like he used to.

  Unfortunately, going back is more than just handing myself over to them again. It’s sacrificing my freedom to Trenton. I will not be the victim nor the villain of my story any longer. I choose my fate.

  Walking, out of their lives ones again is very much as hard as it was the first time. I’m just surprised they let me. Surprised and hurt, if I’m honest. Yeah, they came back, but it was obviously under Daddy’s orders.

  At this point, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Tossing my bag over my shoulder, I dead sprint across the hall and down the stairs. There’s one last thing I need to do before I leave, and I know they’ll never find me there.

  I spent the whole night in one of my favorite twenty-four-hour coffee shops across town, not sleeping and downing the liquid mood booster like my life depended on it. The thought had crossed my mind to slip into our business place and crash on the couch, but I didn’t. Even if I wasn’t so keyed up, I didn’t want to leave any kind of breadcrumbs trailing there. Between the three of them, I’m sure the guys can keep helping people until they can find my replacement.

  At least that’s what I’m telling myself as I do up all of the buckles that strap across my thighs and chest. A few months ago, I had passed a billboard going down the highway, and I’d barely gotten my bike stopped before I called the number that was plastered across the bottom. Since then, me and Bry have become friends. This will be my third jump, and it’s no less adrenaline-fueled than the other two. Maybe a little more dismal considering I’ll be leaving town right after.