by Raven Scott
“When those grease monkeys threw you in that room, I thought, ‘you didn’t deserve this’. I’d grown up in an environment where being kidnapped was a reality I had to face, but you were just snatched on your way home from working at a damn supermarket. How do you get more innocent than that? But the last time I talked to my dad at the hospital, he said something that took me a while to understand.” Trailing off, I licked my lips heavily as my mouth dried from my confession, and Lucy watched me with big, glistening eyes. “I don’t deserve it, either.”
“Oh, Mateo.” Her sharp, sad smile closed my throat, and Lucy wrapped her arms around me to hold my head against her chest. Slithering around her waist, I hugged her tightly, and my heart thundered against the bars of its cage. Stroking my hair, she kissed my crown, and I closed my eyes to focus on the soft feel of her body against mine. “Have you talked to your family since then?”
“No.” Mine was a lonely, sad existence, pining for her because I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t call my dad or Oran, and I really didn’t want to for fear of being dragged back in. Lucy made a distressed noise, and she threaded her long, nimble fingers through my hair as we sat in a comforting silence.
But everything would be better now. The one person I knew outside of the Syndicate was here, single, and willing. Despite knowing what she knew, Lucy wanted me with the same ferociousness that burned in my chest, a constant flame that never flickered out.
“I’m your family now.” My throat closed completely, my heart sputtering, and I lifted my head as Lucy pursed her lips in tender determination. She was so beautiful and kind and gentle, and I blinked as the brightness of her light threatened to blind me. Locking my arms against her back, I tensed as her soft features distorted from the closeness, and her palms framed my jaw, drawing me closer.
Lucy’s kiss was feathery, tentative, and shocks rippled down my neck and sternum as her palms flexed against my cheeks. Cupping the back of her head, I couldn’t keep the air in my lungs, and she shivered against me. Goosebumps blanketed my body, all the hairs on my arms and legs and chest standing straight up. Pulling back, I blinked hard, and her face tinged pink as she panted lightly below the happiness sparkling bright in her eyes.
I was speechless, and Lucy cuddled up against my chest to tuck her head under my chin. Tightening my grip on her, I buried my nose in her hair and sucked in a huge breath.
This was peace. Having her in my arms, where nothing else existed . . . Lucy was my peace.
“Do you want to take the dogs to the beach?” Lucy was still for a long moment, and I savored the feel of her before she nodded against my sternum. Her soft hair tickled my cheeks when she pulled back, and I rolled onto my back to watch her sit up. Stretching her arms above her head, she could’ve sprouted white wings in that moment, and I reached to palm between her shoulder blades.
“I’m gonna go get a bathing suit and my sandals.”
“Do you know how to surf?” She shook her head before scooting off the king-sized bed, and I sat up to throw my legs over the side. “You’re gonna learn. I have to take Sriracha out first, though. He’ll get mad if he doesn’t get his turn.”
“What? Really?” Nodding firmly, I rubbed my jaw and neck and rolled my shoulders before glancing at the clock. The time flashed seven-nineteen a.m. in bright green, and I ran both my hands through my hair as Lucy chuffed a laugh. “You taught them to surf?”
“Yeah. I had a lot of time on my hands. How long are you staying in Hawaii?”
“Uh, this is day three, so . . . today. Tonight, really. My flight leaves at eleven p.m. What about you?” Surprise rose my brows, and Lucy shrugged lightly as we made our way into the sitting area. “I didn’t plan any of this, remember. It was mostly Meredith that made all the arrangements, and then my mom did a lot of talking. She didn’t even tell me about this until three weeks ago and the tickets had been bought months ago.”
“Wow, she really did take over your wedding. I didn’t book a ticket back. I figured I’d just leave when I got tired of this place.” This time, Lucy shot me a quizzical look and I was the one who shrugged carelessly. What else was there to say? I had no one waiting for me, no job I needed to get back to, and I rented a room monthly.
My dogs were already at the door, waiting, and I rubbed the back of my neck as I went through yesterday in my head. I’d taken them out some time in the night, but Marshal refused to come with us. Sriracha was going to be a problem until they got used to each other.
Not to mention Marshal wasn’t a traveled dog, which complicated things a bit.
“I’ll wait for you downstairs.” Her lips parted, but whatever Lucy was going to say never breached before she thought better of it. Nodding, she turned down the hallway, and I gnawed on my lower lip as I scanned her. Long, golden locks the color of the sun swished, and I clenched my hands into fists by my sides. I despised that she was getting farther and farther away, even though I knew where she was going and that she’d be back. My plain, gray t-shirt on her shoulders bunched up slightly around her wide hips, but I liked long shirts- even then, the fabric barely covered her butt completely.
And then, she disappeared into a room, and I inhaled deeply as my heart started to beat again. Stuffing my fists into my jean pockets, I sucked my teeth absently as I turned on my heel to head for the elevator. Sriracha was already waiting impatiently, and I reached to rub his head and cleared my throat roughly.
“What was that about?” Of course, he couldn’t answer my question, and Sriracha gave me that big grin of his as I punched the button. “Was she gonna tell me to brush my teeth? I’ll do that when we get back.”
“Hold the elevator!” Twisting at the call, I clenched my jaw absently as a guy came jogging over, and he cast me a grateful smile even though I hadn’t done anything. The elevator wasn’t up here, yet. “Thanks. Sorry for yelling.”
“No problem. You in a hurry?”
“Not anymore. I was supposed to leave an hour ago, but I just woke up. I’m going outside to smoke. No one ever told me vacationing was so damn stressful.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at that, and he reached down to pet Ketchup with an impressed grunt. “Are they from the same litter? They’re pretty hearty, huh?”
“Yeah, they are. They’re only ten months old. They’ll get bigger.” The elevator gave a shrill ping, and I gestured the guy to go first. “Do you like dogs?”
“Ah, not enough to get one myself, honestly.” The conversation fizzled, and I didn’t try to revive it as the elevator stuttered to begin its descent. Glancing down, Sriracha was giving this guy the eye, his lips puttering every so often, and Ketchup was just lavishing in his attention. This hotel had, maybe, a hundred and fifty rooms on prime beach real estate, and I couldn’t wait to get outside and breathe some fresh air.
19
Lucy
“Say ‘condiments’!” Grinning broadly as Mateo threw his head back and laughed, the deep timbre resonated against my bones, and I tilted my phone to get a better angle. He stood on the beach in his shorts, his dogs sitting on either side of him and his board stuck in the sand. It was a ridiculously cliché photo. “I like that one.”
“Come here.“ Stepping through the hot sand, I clutched my phone tightly, and Mateo wrapped his arm around me securely. He was dripping ocean water, smelled of salt, and I bristled with happiness, like a dog getting pet in just the right spot. Holding my phone up, I couldn’t stop smiling, and the device trembled slightly before Mateo reached to grab it.
I wasn’t a real fan of selfies, but Mateo took a few good ones before nodding to himself and handing me back my phone. I just wanted . . . no, I needed to immortalize the rest of this trip. I needed him and me- documentation that I wasn’t hallucinating or something. That I didn’t die in my hotel room, and this was the minutes before I was revived. Marshal came up between my legs, and I reached down to pet him as the ocean breeze caressed my back.
“Are you procrastinating because you don’t want to surf, Lucy?” Pausin
g, embarrassment flooded my cheeks, and Mateo squeezed my hip comfortingly as he wrapped his other arm around me. Rocking side to side, he kissed my cheek, and his breath rolled down my neck to draw a gasp from my throat. “There’s nothing to be scared of.”
“I know. I just . . . I don’t like deep water where I can’t touch the bottom.” Surprise rose his brows at my grumble, and my chest tightened when he leaned back with questions in his eyes. “Yeah, so I’d just rather . . . not . . . go that far out.”
“Okay. I can still throw you in the swell, though, right?” I nodded before I really registered the question, and Mateo tossed my phone on the blanket to hoist me into his arms. Alarm bells rang, my heart leaping into my throat, and I squawked like a dying parrot in shock. He chuckled as I grappled his shoulders, and my body tingled as he wadded back to the ocean.
Excitement did all sorts of things to me as Mateo jostled me around, and my glee burst from my lips before he really did throw me. The water reached his waist, and I held my breath as I was engulfed in the ocean’s cool embrace. Squeezing my eyes shut, I let the sensation of being underwater, with my heels digging into the sand. There was something about being totally submerged that was so comforting and peaceful, and I planted my feet on the sand before pushing myself up.
Taking a huge breath, I wiped my eyes and swept back my hair, and Mateo smiled broadly with happiness shimmering in his brown eyes. Behind him, the dogs were waddling into the ocean, but Marshal was much more wary— he’d never seen the ocean before. Walking over to me, Mateo sloshed heavily through the water, and I stood up as exhilaration flooded my veins.
I pushed him, not very hard, but in the water and not expecting it, Mateo flopped and flailed as he lost his balance. Giggling wildly as his splashes streamed against my mid-section, I started hustling back to shore, and he swam after me to grab my ankle. Squeaking as goosebumps swept up my legs, I couldn’t stop myself from flailing back, but he caught me with warm, strong palms on my shoulders.
Holding me to his chest, Mateo leaned back into the ocean, and I closed my eyes as he crawled backward slowly. Caressing my belly and neck as I sprawled atop him, his heartbeat steady against my back, and the sun streamed down to warm my face.
“So, what happened to all your party guests? They just disappeared after yesterday?” Humming softly in acknowledgment, I reached to cover his hand with mine just below the top of my two-piece, and Mateo sighed. “What about your bridal party?”
“The only person in my bridal party was Mickey, and Seth’s two sisters, but they really hate their mom. They’re both married, and I guess she tried to pull the same stuff with them, so the younger one, Jessie, who got married first, had a disaster of a time. She had a second wedding because Meredith just destroyed the first one. The older sister didn’t even let that happen. She warned everyone involved that if Meredith did anything to any arrangements, she’d sue them until they went bankrupt, and she’s also a lawyer, so . . . ” Sniffing as I fought a frown, I tilted my head up as Mateo lifted his to arch a brow quizzically. “I think Seth is only in law school because his mom made him, and now he’s in too much debt to get out. When we were in high school, all he talked about was being a wildlife photographer and seeing the world.”
“That’s very sad.” Slowly walking us back to shore, Mateo and I sat in the swell, and I leaned against his chest as I crossed my legs. High school, when Seth and I got together, seemed so long ago, and he rubbed my shoulders and neck as those memories drudged up from the very back of my mind.
“We were together for eight months when I told him I wanted to break up. I went to his house, and we sat on his porch while I worked up the courage to get to that part of the conversation. His mom was eavesdropping the whole time, so when I finally said I didn’t think it was working out, she came out and invited me in for dinner. It was, like, not even three p.m.- we just got out of school. She wouldn’t let me leave, and spent all day talking about how great Seth was.” Discomfort glued my tongue to the roof of my mouth, and I fiddled with Mateo’s leg hairs absently as I scrunched up my nose at the memory. “The next time I tried was about two years later, right at the start of my sophomore year of college. I was commuting, and Seth needed a ride, so I told him I wanted to break up. He was all like, ‘yeah, I think this went on long enough’, and that was that. Then, Meredith found out. Seth was really upfront about it. He’d already hooked up with some girl in his program who he liked, but Meredith showed up at his dorm and made her cry, and that was the end of that.”
“Then, the third time was nine months ago. I broke up with him over the phone, and gave him back his ring the next time we saw each other by chance. His mom came to my house every night and banged on the door all night long. When I called the cops, she’d run away, but then came back. Seth was starting to miss court dates because of her shenanigans, so after two weeks, we got back together. He passed the bar a month ago, and we were going to break it off again, but lo and behold . . . ” Gesturing in the air absently, I ducked my head as a scowl darkened the sun. “It just happened so out of control. Even if Seth and I did get married here, the marriage certificate is a fake. We never applied for it. In order to get one, both people need to be present and have an ID, so it was the one thing his mom couldn’t do behind our backs.”
“What about your mom?” I made a face, and Mateo squeezed my shoulders as I smoothed the dark hairs down his calves. “You’re an only child, Lucy. You’d think she’d be invested in your happiness.”
“Ah, that’s the thing, though. Seth’s a good guy. He’s respectful and charming and all that, and my mom was always telling me I wouldn’t get better. When I was younger, I believed her. When I refused to let Seth move into my house, my mom switched to attack mode and started doing the same stuff Meredith did, which was weird because they really don’t like each other.” Honestly, it was so liberating to get this off my chest. Mikayla was my best friend, but she’d seen a lot of this firsthand and had her own opinions. I just wanted someone to sympathize with me without telling me what he or she thought. “I know how it makes me seem, but Seth was a huge part of my life for a long time. I don’t hate him, and I’m not bitter even though I hate his mom. We were engaged, but we weren’t in a relationship. It’s strange.”
“I hope he grows from this, so it doesn’t infect his next relationship. Me, I’ve never had a girlfriend in the traditional sense. I mean, my dad is Forbes’ eighth richest person in the world. It makes dating difficult. I’ve done some stupidly reckless things as a result.” My heart ached for him, the disgusted lilt in his tone directed at himself, and Mateo rested his chin on my shoulder to wrap his arms around my mid-section. “Thank you for telling me these things, Lucy. It’s up to you if you want to continue being friends with him.”
“Thank you for listening, Mateo.” The odyssey of my relationship with Seth had officially ended, and, this time, there was no way Meredith was going to start it up again. It was a shame that things had to come to this, but Seth and I had learned and were friends, and I wasn’t going to just let that go. “I want to do something nice for him. I was thinking, when we get back, maybe I’ll buy him a really nice camera.”
“Speaking of going back, I’m going to book a flight when we go back upstairs. I think it’s about time I left paradise behind.” Smiling as he squeezed me to his chest, I caressed Mateo’s forearms and savored this moment. What would happen at home was something I’d just have to experience when we got there.
20
Lucy
“Lucy-y-y!” Lifting my head to find Mikayla running along the beach, I sat up to take off my sunglasses, and she puffed slightly as she slowed to stop to drop under the huge umbrella. “So, I was wondering if you and Mateo wanted to come to lunch with me, Seth and his sisters, and Roger? We were thinking of going to this sushi place, and I’ve been sent to get your opinion.”
“Oh, I can’t exactly ask him right now.” Turning to the ocean, I crossed my legs as I spied Mateo and Srirac
ha paddling to shore. “But I guess I can in a few minutes.”
“Cool. We got time to gossip. So, apparently, Meredith has called everyone here and no one is willing to go get her. Seth said that he talked to the officers who arrested her when they bumped into each other earlier at a strip mall, and they’re holding her until her flight and escorting her onto the plane.” A harsh bark of laughter escaped me, dribbling in disdain, and my brows rose high at the lengths those officers went to. Mikayla practically beamed in devilish glee at these events, and I shook my head slightly as she leaned back on her arms under the shade. “We’re heading to the airport at nine, by the way. What’s Mateo gonna do?”
“He’ll book a separate flight, he said. Where’s my mom? Have you seen her at all?” Mikayla shook her head, flipping back her curls, and I huffed slightly as irritation tightened my chest beneath my white bikini. “She can’t take responsibility for anything. This disaster is her fault just as much as mine or Meredith’s.”
“I mean, at least she’s leaving you in peace right now. Who knows what’ll happen when we get home . . . ” Trailing off, my best friend straightened to pick at her flowy, light blue blouse out of the corner of my eye, but I only shrugged. “At least you can’t get guilt tripped into getting back together anymore since you’re with Mateo. No more ‘oh, well, Seth’s as good as you’re gonna get’ nonsense.”
“The last thing she said to me before we went downstairs yesterday was that I’ll fall in love with Seth eventually. That I may be overwhelmed now, but it’ll get better. It was like she was acknowledging that this was a mistake and trying to pretend it wasn’t at the same time.” I inhaled deeply as Mateo reached shallow enough water to climb off his board, and he pushed Sriracha until the dog, too, hopped off into the ocean. “I told her that I hated her, that I was unhappy, that she wasn’t allowed in my life anymore. So, maybe she’s just sulking, waiting for this trip to be over so she can act like nothing’s wrong like usual. The only difference now is that I’m not breaking up with Seth to be single, and that can’t be used against me.”