by Janie Marie
“Yeah. She was with him once. Cute girl, I remember. She didn’t have the whole hoodie look going on then. I never would’ve put together she was the same girl you had here, but it was the name . . . Anyway, she’s his kid.”
“But he’s dead.” Logan was trying to figure out what Kylie was hiding. Usually family members were the abusers. “So Kylie just has her mom?”
“No, her mom is dead, too. For a long time, I think. Because I remember her stepmom. Every fucker in the room had a hard-on the moment she walked in.”
Logan narrowed his eyes at Mark. “So Kylie doesn’t have parents? What the fuck? Is she homeless?”
“Chill, bro.” Mark held up a hand, quieting him. “I said she has her stepmom. And hottie stepmom got married recently.”
“To?”
Mark grinned. “The lady married Mr. Blackwood.”
“You’re fucking with me.” This wasn’t good.
“Nope.” Mark chuckled. “Kevin Blackwood, the dude that signs our paychecks—owns this gym, arena, and practically the whole damn town of Blackwoods—is Kylie’s new daddy.”
“Shit.” Logan looked around the gym. Everything here belonged to Kevin Blackwood, including his contract.
“Do you think it’s him hurting her?” Mark asked, eyeing some girl who smiled at them as she walked by.
Logan watched lightning dance across the sky. “I don’t know. He doesn’t seem like the abusive type, but you never know.”
“Well, how bad is she?” Mark asked. “Like are you talking Stacy-type abuse?”
“I’m not sure.” Logan knew Stacy, Mark’s girlfriend, had been beaten badly. The guy she used to date was on his team, and everyone made sure Zack got what was coming to him after they stumbled on Stacy bleeding with a broken nose. It was awful; he’d never seen anyone beaten by a boyfriend before. Kylie didn’t have a boyfriend, and she didn’t have a busted face, but she was hiding under her hood. His thoughts drifted to that hood, but he shoved his rising feelings down.
“Do you want to go to the cops?” Mark nudged him. “I mean, I know you don’t trust cops to do right, but you know it’s not the same anymore.”
“Just keep quiet about it.” Logan’s memories of how the cops in their town dealt with that kind of shit made his heart burn. “I’ll handle things myself if I ever see her again.”
“You got it.” Mark started walking away but added over his shoulder, “Let me know if you need anything. I could always ask Stacy to talk to her.”
Logan’s mind went to a different girl, and he shook his head. “I gotta run.”
“Can’t beat yourself up forever, brother.” Mark’s voice trailed off as he got farther away.
“Yeah, I can,” he muttered, shoving the exit door open.
Seven
INTO THE WOODS
“But, Mommy, why did Little Red Riding Hood go into the woods? The woods are scary.” Kylie was probably five as she stared at her mom, who lay cuddled beside her.
Her mom closed the book she’d just read and set it on the table. “Because, Kylie, she was going to help her grandmother. But she didn’t listen to her mother. Instead of staying on her path, she listened to the wolf.”
“I won’t ever listen to the wolf,” said Kylie, yawning softly and shutting her eyes.
Her mom leaned forward and kissed her forehead, her tone soft like a lullaby now. “I hope not, darling.” She stood and arranged Kylie’s quilt, adding, “Because you might not have a chance to run. The wolf is not always what he seems.”
Kylie pried her eyes open, the action painful due to dried tears. The more she woke, the more distant her dream became. She knew it was likely a memory, but the contents of her dream already began to blur, making it impossible to remember what it was in the first place.
“Oh, good, you’re up.”
Kylie looked over to see Lorelei setting out her breakfast.
“Kevin will be back tomorrow,” Lorelei said as she walked around the room, gathering items, almost like a kind mother would. “Your face is almost healed, but you need to keep applying the cream I gave you. And ice that swelling around your cheek and ribs like I told you. It would have been healed by now if you had done as I instructed.”
“Yes, Stepmother,” Kylie whispered, trying to sit up. She bit her lip to not cry like she wanted to. Three days had passed since her incident with Maura. It was Friday, and while Maura got to carry on like nothing was the matter all week, Kylie had been confined to her room with Lorelei doctoring her wounds, feeding her and helping her to the bath.
The night Maura had attacked her, Kevin and Lorelei had been in town having dinner together. Kevin was then dropped off at the airport. Apparently, his mother was ill, and he was going home for a few days to make sure all was taken care of.
So, while Lorelei was being pampered by Kevin, Kylie was fighting for her life. After Maura had bashed her across the ribs repeatedly, she slapped her on the same cheek Lorelei had bruised that morning. When Kylie fell unconscious, Maura must have decided that was enough and left to go to the movies with a few friends.
It was much later when Lorelei had come home and found her. And while a normal human being would immediately call 911, Lorelei simply dragged her upstairs and dumped her on the bed with a bottle of aspirin and an ice pack. Or at least, that’s the conclusion Kylie had made after waking up, crying because of the pain.
“Trevor asked Maura out again,” Lorelei announced as she dumped dirty clothes in the hamper.
Kylie nodded, not caring to hear news about Trevor or Maura.
“She’s thrilled about going out with him tomorrow.”
“Good for her,” Kylie muttered, trying to lift her spoon of oatmeal. She normally refused food from Lorelei, but she had nothing else. Lorelei wouldn’t let her have the food from Kevin’s chef, so she was stuck eating whatever Lorelei made her.
Bitch should eat her own slop.
Lorelei sighed loudly. “Kylie, you really should be happy for your sister. She must really like this boy.”
Kylie set her spoon down and glared as best she could. “Are you really telling me to be happy for her?”
Lorelei had the nerve to look shocked. “You should be happy that she’s happy. The boy broke her heart, and that was all your fault.”
“It wasn’t my fault. He forgot about her.” Kylie threw her spoon to the tray and leaned back, breathing harshly. Her chest hurt so badly. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like anything was broken. This time. The blood had been from hitting her head when she fell. Head wounds always bled like you hit an artery. And as far as her moving around, she had grown accustomed to hiding pain. Well, hiding everything.
Now Lorelei was giving her the dirty look she was used to seeing on her face. “Well, perhaps if you had not distracted him, he wouldn’t have forgotten. I recommended you to him so you could help him pass his classes. If he had less worries, he might see Maura is perfect for him. You know I want a nice strong boy to care for her.”
Kylie attempted to roll her eyes, but she couldn’t. It hurt too much, and she was starting to panic. If the bruise was still visible on her face, she’d have to really hide from Kevin. Normally, she went to the woods to sit alone or walk. Everything stayed hidden in there, which was where she needed to be. Except the weather hadn’t let up. Where was she going to go?
There’s always Logan.
She wanted to groan for thinking of him. He had been in her thoughts a lot while she recovered. Everything from replaying her time with him over and over—to, unfortunately, imagining him with Gloria, and to even envisioning herself pinned under him as he—
“Oh my God, Kylie. Stop it,” she whispered to herself, rubbing her flushed cheeks as she continued to picture her hands running across his mouth-watering body, tracing her fingers along his tattoos and down his pants. “Stop!”
“What?” Lorelei spun around, her surprised eyes matching her pitchy tone.
Kylie blew out a huge breath, fanning herself. �
��Nothing. I was just feeling a little queasy.”
Lorelei studied her before shaking her head as she made her way to the door. “Rest up. I want you walking without hanging onto the walls before tomorrow. You know very well it doesn’t hurt as much as you are making it seem.”
“It does hurt,” she snapped.
Lorelei gave her a long look. “You know what I mean. And you could hurt worse.”
Kylie nodded, closing her eyes as she pushed her pain—everything—away from her mind.
“Finish that food,” Lorelei added, shutting the door.
Kylie couldn’t help it, she giggled to herself and sank into her pillows because Logan’s smile suddenly popped into her head again. She wanted to go back in time just to see if more would happen now that she’d had the time to realize a bad boy giving you any attention at all was nice. “He hasn’t even touched me, and I’m already becoming a slut for him. God, I wish I could see him again.” She sighed as she remembered exactly why she had walked away from him. “He just wants to fuck me.”
Opening her eyes, Kylie looked down at herself. Her tank top was stretched tight over her bandaged chest. “I wonder what Logan would do if he saw me like this.” Her eyes stung. “He’d tell me I was weak. Then maybe go get a blow job from Gloria.”
She tried to hold back her tears. Every time she let herself think of Logan, she had to wake up to the reality that she was nothing to him. Logan had sex with whoever he wanted. Kylie struggled to keep herself together, but eventually, she sobbed out loudly and held her face, crying more from the pain radiating throughout her body then the fact she was nothing to him. Nothing to Trevor—to anyone.
Her shoulders continued to shake as she played out all sorts of scenarios of seeing him, of never seeing him—of him not even remembering her.
“Oh, Daddy,” she cried, her voice hoarse and muffled. “Why?”
So much came out right then. She’d kept her sadness in for years. Now it was all coming out because her damaged heart was breaking over a boy. And she had no dad or mom to hold her while her heart was crushed for the first time.
Eight
DATING
Rain pelted the glass, leaving chaotic, glittery streams as the world passed by.
“Remember,” Lorelei said, putting the car in park, “wait until after ten to come up. I’ll make sure he’s in bed by then.”
Kylie breathed out of her nose slowly, trying to calm herself as she looked at the clock. It was only six. “Okay,” she whispered, pulling her hoodie tighter as she prepared to open the door. It was raining hard now. She was going to get soaked.
“Here.” Lorelei grabbed her shoulder as she turned to leave. Kylie looked to see she was being handed ten dollars. “For dinner.”
Kylie took the money without saying thanks and exited the car. When she reached the awning, she turned, only catching a glimpse of Lorelei’s taillights leaving the parking lot of the small shopping center.
Already, her teeth were chattering from the cold. Her hoodie was soaked, but she was happy she’d at least avoided the huge puddles. It would be awful to have wet feet the whole time.
She sighed, trying to warm herself as she walked to the food market she’d been left in front of. This wasn’t her normal routine, but even Lorelei agreed that she should go somewhere indoors. Her reasoning was she could catch pneumonia, and with Kevin home, he’d notice and take her to the hospital. That, of course, wasn’t something Lorelei could allow. So Kylie had to try to keep herself healthy.
“Thank God,” she said, sighing as the heat blasted her cold skin. Kylie didn’t let it soak in though. The market looked busy, so she walked inside, going nowhere in particular. She just had to bide her time until it was close to ten.
Roughly forty-five minutes had passed, and Kylie was enjoying herself. The smell of different foods, perfumes, and cleaning items were so different from the damp woods. It even pleased her to people watch. Being forced to not have friends, she’d grown fond of the quiet sport.
“Hood?”
Kylie gasped and looked away from the different shampoos she’d been smelling and right into a pair of dark eyes. “Logan,” she said, shocked. Her shock quickly morphed to happiness, then anger and sadness. Then fear.
He was glaring at her. “What happened to your face?”
Kylie trembled from his angry voice. He had managed to keep it low so no one but her would hear him. “Nothing. I just fell.” Her eyes watered as panic set in. She frantically darted her gaze around him, trying to find an escape.
“Fell?” He was now right in front of her, hot rage radiating from his entire being. “Don’t give me that shit. Who did this?” He reached up to touch her face, but she shoved him back.
He stumbled a bit but quickly recovered, balling his hands before he seemed to register her fear. “Shit, Hood,” he murmured, stepping close. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Her heart was so happy to see him, but sad all the same.
He slowly raised his hand to cup her cheek. “Tell me what happened.”
“I can’t,” she mumbled, struggling not to lean forward and hug him.
“Why?” His thumb caressed her bruised skin. “I’ve been trying to find out how to get in touch with you. I wish you stayed.”
“I can’t see you, Logan,” she whispered, but stayed right where she was. “I—“
He cut her off. “I know what Chris told you. He’s an asshole. He just thinks”—he shook his head—“never mind.”
She closed her eyes, not sure if it was better to look at his handsome face or keep it from her mind. He wasn’t calling Chris a liar, and that killed her. “I have to go.”
“No, you left me once, and now look at you.”
“It’s not your problem, Logan,” she said, reminding herself he only wanted to protect her with the payment of sex on her end.
“Don’t say that,” he said, giving her just as nasty a look as she was giving him.
She tried her best to not weaken under his angry stare.
“I offered to help you, and you’re being stupid by not thinking it over.”
“I have thought it over! All week.” Her chest rose and fell quickly. “Your plan won’t work.” She hated herself for implying what she did. She didn’t want Trevor anymore. She knew now he was a silly crush, because Trevor was not the Grimm on her mind. No, the Grimm boy she’d been imagining herself with all week was the hot, conceited man-boy in front of her.
“It will work, Kylie,” he said, keeping his voice low. No longer did he have anger in his eyes. “I’ll keep you safe. I’ll help you get stronger for when I’m not there.”
She didn’t want this. She wanted him, but he would never put her in any category but the one he’d already placed her in. “And what about Trevor?” Her heart felt like it had caved in. She couldn’t make out his reaction.
His face was blank as he responded. “He’ll want you when he sees that I do. And when he does, and you’re ready to accept him, I’ll leave you to him and be on my way.” He looked around, then back at her. “Like I told you, I just want to hook up. I won’t force you, but I still want you. I know you do, too. You’re just afraid.”
Kylie’s heart was being cut all over again.
“We’ll go as slow as you want,” he added softly. “I’ll always stop when you say.”
Her eyes burned from fighting her tears. She didn’t want him to know he was hurting her. She didn’t want him to know he’d already broken her heart. “I’m not a whore, Logan.”
“I didn’t say you were. You know protecting you is my priority.” His voice gave no indication on whether he meant it or not. “Will you tell me what happened, at least? You look terrible, baby.”
Her sad heart fluttered at the simple term of endearment, but she quieted its hope as she remembered him calling Gloria ‘beautiful,’ then pointed out she only fell in his apocalypse category. “I’m fine. I really just fell down.” When she peeked up at him, he looked ready to l
ose it. He looked the same way he had before his fight. Like the Big Bad Wolf.
“Kylie?”
She gasped and spun around to see Kevin standing at the end of the aisle.
Fuck my existence.
“Hi, Kevin,” she said, trying to make sure her hood covered most of her face.
He smiled and walked closer, darting his eyes to Logan, hardening a bit as they did so. “What are you doing out here, sweetheart?”
She could practically feel Logan’s body tense up the closer Kevin got.
“Is Lor with you?” Kevin glanced around as if Lorelei would pop out somewhere. “I got an earlier flight. I was going to surprise her.” He held up a bouquet of roses.
She shook her head, lowering her gaze to the floor. “No, I’m alone. I just came out for a while. She should be home. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”
Kevin nodded, trying to look at her before focusing on Logan. “You are?”
Logan stepped up behind her, and she stifled her gasp when his hand pressed against the small of her back.
“Logan Grimm,” he said, extending the other hand for Kevin to shake.
Kevin shook his hand, eyeing Logan’s possessive posture. “Kevin Blackwood. I’m Kylie’s stepfather. Your name is familiar, but I’m sure it hasn’t any association with my stepdaughter.”
Kylie shook as Logan’s hand slid and hooked around her waist, settling there as if he had always held her in that position.
What is he doing? Her mind was frantic, but she didn’t dare move or speak.
“Well, we just started dating this week,” Logan told him. “Kylie wanted to wait a while to tell anyone, but I guess now is as good a time as any. Right, baby?”
What? she screamed internally.
Kevin looked at her at that point, and she almost peed. His surprise was clear, and he didn’t look happy.
She was more afraid of Logan though, so she leaned against him and nodded. “I guess so,” she whispered, “seeing as I can’t get rid of you.” Her hot cheeks likely made her look as though she was only embarrassed, but really, she was furious and terrified.