by S. M. Shade
“You’re something else, Ayda Brooks.”
“Besides, it goes well with my side job as a bounty hunter slash vigilante.”
Laughing, I play with her hair. I’ve never given a squirt of piss about a girl’s hair before, but my fingers can’t seem to resist hers. “Yeah, do you take down the bad guys with your ballet moves?”
“Then tie them up with my leotards.” She peeks up at me and dissolves into giggles. “Would it be weird if I said this has been the best Christmas I’ve had in a long time?”
“Me too, darlin’. Me too.”
* * * *
Ayda knows everything and she didn’t run away screaming. Saying I feel relieved would be a huge understatement. I talked to the guys, prepared to deal with their anger since I didn’t exactly get their okay to tell her about ISH, but they aren’t concerned. I trust her, so they trust her.
The dance competition is today. Holding Ayda’s small, soft hand in mine, I let her lead me into a sea of pastel hell. Leotards and tutu clad children and adults are everywhere, stretching and warming up. “Wait here, I’ll be right back,” she says, disappearing into one of the dressing rooms.
I get a few wary looks, but I’m not surprised. I stick out like a dick on a cake among all these dainty, graceful people. Ayda returns with a boy in tow. A man I assume must be his father follows them.
“I’ll be right there in the front row beside Ms. Lisa,” she tells him, pointing to a few empty seats. “You’re going to be amazing.”
His face is tight as he nods, forcing a smile. “I’ve got this.”
“Yes, you do.” She gives him a quick hug, then leads me to our seats.
“Hey, Lisa,” she greets the woman just taking a seat beside us. “Ryan’s pretty nervous.”
The woman smiles and shakes her head. “I know, but he’ll be fine once he gets started. I have a sixteen year old student that looks like she’s going to puke any minute. If anyone is going to lose it or freeze up, it’ll be her.”
“We’ve all been there.” When Lisa smiles at me, Ayda exclaims, “Oh, sorry, I’m being rude. Dare, this is Lisa. She owns the dance studio where I’ve been giving lessons. Lisa, this is Dare, my…”
She pauses, unsure what to call me, so I stick my hand out. “Ayda’s boyfriend.”
“Nice to meet you. Good God, woman, where have you been hiding this guy?”
Ayda laughs, a cute blush pinking her cheeks. “I like to keep him to myself.”
“I don’t blame you.” She turns to me. “So, do you have any brothers?”
Ayda laughs aloud as I shake my head. “You’re the third person to ask that.”
Lisa turns to talk to someone on her other side, and I slide my arm around Ayda’s shoulder, settling back in my seat. “So, who else asked?”
She rolls her eyes. “Like I need to make your head any bigger.”
“It only gets big for you, babe.”
The audience quiets as the first dancer takes her place on stage. I came today for Ayda, as a show of support, and I really didn’t expect to enjoy the experience. But these kids are amazing. It’s not all boring ballet numbers set to classical music like I expected. There are teams doing hip hop and routines that tell a story, which Ayda tells me is called Lyrical.
The boy Ayda has been teaching finally takes the stage, and she grabs my hand, crushing it in hers. She is surprisingly strong for such a little thing. I don’t think she takes a breath through his entire routine. Her eyes are bright and excited, and she murmurs to herself. In her mind, she’s up there with him through every step, jump, and turn, living it with him, as invested in his success as his parents.
The passion and love she feels for dance glows on her face, and I can almost feel her yearning to be the one gliding across that stage. I wish I could’ve seen her then. Her hand relaxes a little in mine when his performance is over, but tightens again as they announce the winners.
“Yes!” She cries, turning to hug Lisa, and then me when he wins in his division.
Ayda grabs my hand and I accompany them backstage where she wraps Ryan in a bear hug. “I knew you could do it!”
His face is flushed with joy as his dad follows suit, hugging and congratulating him. Ayda is in her element here, laughing and talking with the dancers and parents backstage, happier than I have ever seen her.
Her eyes suddenly darken and she takes my hand. “I’m ready to go, okay?” She pulls me toward the exit.
“Hey.” She pauses reluctantly when I stop. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she mumbles, glancing behind me. “I just want to get out of here.”
“Our coats are in the dressing room. I’ll grab them.”
“I’ll be at the stage door.” Releasing my hand, she rushes off. What the hell was that? Ayda can be a bit eccentric sometimes, it’s part of her charm, but something obviously freaked her out. It’s not until I grab our coats and make my way toward the door that I understand. Victoria Towne stands backstage, watching the dancers who are still competing.
This is the woman who stole Ayda’s chance to be a professional dancer. The bitch who got her boyfriend to throw acid in her face and got away with it. Fear streaks through me. If she’s here, Talbot may be as well. As much as I want to confront the woman, Ayda’s safety is my first priority, and my heart jumps when I see she isn’t waiting at the stage door.
I open the door and red blankets my vision. Talbot stands across from Ayda, wearing a hateful grin. She backs away from him, her face as white as the snow on the ground, her hands rubbing her bare arms for warmth. “Get away from me!”
“Like I want to touch you,” he sneers. “God, I really fucked you up, didn’t I? Not even a mother could love that face.”
Her wince makes him smile. He has no idea how close to the bone that hit. There’s no one else in the alley to see what I’m about to do, but I wouldn’t care if there was. The fear in her eyes tears a strip from my heart and I’m going to make sure she never has to be afraid again.
“Dare! No!” she calls as I slam my fist into his jaw, but I barely hear her. My ears are filled with the sound of rushing blood, and his jeering voice gloating over what he did to her. I don’t feel the cold or the one punch he manages to land before I get him to the ground and start pounding his face. I’m not trying to kill him, but I won’t be satisfied until his face bears scars as well as hers. Since I don’t have any acid handy, I do the best I can with my fists.
He gives up trying to hit me and instead uses his hands to block his face, attempting to roll over, but he isn’t getting me off of him. Straddling his chest, I throw punch after punch, breaking his jaw and sending teeth skittering across the pavement. This isn’t like when I beat up my uncle. I’m not blind with rage, and I can aim my punches where they’ll do the worst damage.
“Oh my God!” a female voice screams. “He’s killing him! Call the police!”
A few seconds later, sirens ring out from a distance and Ayda’s pleading reaches my ears. “The cops are coming, Dare! Please!”
Finally, I get to my feet, leaving the now unconscious Talbot bleeding on the pavement, his face resembling ground beef. Victoria must have been the one who screamed about police. She’s standing outside the stage door in a leotard and skirt, tears pouring down her face. She flinches as I regard her. “Say one fucking word to Ayda or come near her again and your face will match his.”
The only other person present is Lisa, who urges me to run, but I know better. I beat a guy half to death…again. I don’t need evading tacked on to the charges I’m sure to face. “Make sure Ayda gets home okay.”
Lisa nods, and Ayda throws her arms around me. “I’m sorry, darlin’, but I had to.”
“H-how did you know it was him?” she stammers.
Shit. There’s no quick answer for that since I haven’t told her I’ve been cyber-stalking her attackers. “I’ll explain later. I need you to call Landon and tell him what happened.” I hand her my phone and car keys. �
��The password is Ayda. Now, stay back,” I order as the first cop arrives on the scene. “Everything will be all right.”
I hope she can’t hear the lie in my voice.
Chapter Twelve
Ayda
This can’t be happening, but there’s no denying what my eyes are telling me. Dare sits in the back of the squad car, his hands cuffed behind him as the cop receives very different statements from Lisa and Victoria. Lisa approaches me before the cop can question me and hisses, “Talbot swung first. He followed you out here and grabbed you, and Dare was defending you.” There was no need to remind me since I heard Dare tell the officer the same thing.
I nod and wipe the tears rolling down my face at the sight of Dare headed back to jail because of me. An ambulance scoops up a moaning Talbot from the street and carts him away, siren blaring, while I lie to a cop for the first time in my life.
After taking all our information, he returns to his car and drives away, taking the first man I’ve ever loved with him. It’s a hell of a time for such a realization, but I can’t deny it’s true. I’m in love with Dare. And now, it could be years before I see him again.
“Do you need a ride home?” Lisa asks softly.
“No, go back in and tend to your dancers. I’m fine. I’m so sorry this happened here, Lisa.” She took a chance on me and I brought this mess to her door in the middle of a competition.
Her lips thin and she glares at Victoria, who quickly retreats inside. “It isn’t your fault. I didn’t know she’d be here, but apparently they invited her to do an exhibition solo.” A grin tilts her lips as she faces me. “You’ve got a good man there, Ayda. Don’t blame him. That guy had it coming.”
“I know. I have to go and let his friend know, probably call a lawyer.”
“Be careful, and call me later.” She gives me a quick hug and heads back inside, stepping around the blood on the ground.
Shivering, I make my way home in Dare’s car, not even thinking to turn on the heat. As soon as I get in my apartment, I enter my name in his phone to unlock it, and tears well up again at the sight of his wallpaper. It’s a picture of me, asleep with my curls spread across the pillow. When did he take that?
Landon answers on the second ring and assures me he’ll handle everything. “There’s nothing you need to do,” he assures me. “I’ll get the lawyers on it and see if Mason can intervene.” I have no idea who he’s talking about, but I don’t want to keep him on the phone. Every second he spends talking to me is time better spent helping Dare.
When I hang up, silence closes in around me and I pace the apartment. I’m tempted to call Sadie, but there’s so much I can’t tell her. I don’t know what to do with myself, and I have to fight the urge to call Landon back and demand to know what’s going on. Oh hell. Has it really only been an hour? I’m never going to make it through this night.
It started out so well. My life has been getting better and better, and like a recurring nightmare Talbot and Vicky show up and destroy everything again. This time it isn’t just me they’re screwing with, and I can’t let them fuck up Dare’s life too.
My heart leaps at the sound of a knock on my door. I expect Landon, but it’s Zoe who walks through the door. One look at my face and she wraps me in a hug. “I thought you might need some company.”
“Do you know what’s going on?” We take a seat on the couch.
“Landon’s meeting with Mason and the lawyer. They expect Talbot to press charges, and they’re hoping to get Dare out on bail in the meantime. With his record, it might be hard.”
“Who is Mason?”
“Mason Reed. He and his brothers run a domestic violence shelter for women and children called Striking Back. He’s a powerful guy, with judges and cops on his side. ISH and Striking Back often help each other. If anyone can dig Dare out of this mess, it’s Mason.”
“So, all we can do is wait,” I remark, laying my head back and closing my eyes.
“Pretty much. I’m sure Mason and Landon are dragging judges out of bed as we speak. We should know something soon. In the meantime…” Zoe produces a bottle of wine from her bag. “Let’s have a glass and watch a movie, try to keep our minds occupied.”
It’s nearly dawn when Zoe leaves. “Landon should be getting home. He can’t be out in the daylight.”
“Dare mentioned that, some kind of condition that makes him burn instantly in the sun?”
“Yeah, I hate it for him, but he handles it well.”
I give her a hug. “Thanks for coming.”
“Get some sleep. I’m sure we’ll know something today.”
Sure that I won’t sleep a wink, I stretch out on the couch, keeping my phone nearby in case Landon calls. The wine and the extremely long day overwhelm the worry and anxiety pulsing in my brain, knocking me out almost instantly.
Shouting wakes me late in the afternoon. “I said I’d get her! Fuck! Go clean the sand out of your vagina!”
Rolling off the couch, I jerk open my apartment door to see Justus, his fist raised to knock. “Hey, tiny dancer. Will you please get next door before Dare completely loses his shit?”
“He’s home!” I turn and grab my coat, rushing out behind Justus. “What happened? They let him go?”
Justus grins and shakes his head. “I’ll let him explain.”
Dare pulls me into his arms as soon as I’m through the door. “Are you okay?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” I laugh, relieved to see he’s all right.
“Has anyone tried to contact you? Talbot? His father?”
Confused, I step back. “I doubt Talbot’s talking to anyone since you broke his jaw. And why would his dad? What’s going on, Dare? How did you even know who he was? I never told you who hurt me.”
Justus retreats to the door. “Yeah, I’m going to let you two sort this out. Call me if you need anything, Rockem Sockem.”
Dare doesn’t seem to hear him. His hand runs through my hair. “Let me get a shower and I’ll explain everything, okay?” He looks exhausted. I can’t imagine a night in jail is pleasant.
“I’ll make you something to eat,” I volunteer before bringing my lips to his. Tension drains from him, his shoulders relaxing as our lips and tongues soothe each other, washing away the events of the last twenty-four hours.
He leans his forehead against mine with a sigh.
“Everything will be okay,” I murmur, and he nods. We both know I’m lying. We have no way of knowing how things are going to turn out, but for the moment, we can pretend.
His fridge is only stocked with beer, water, and condiments, so I run next door to grab a container of chili from my freezer, a box of cornmeal mix, and a quart of milk. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from living alone, it’s to freeze the leftovers if you don’t want to be stuck eating the same thing for days so they won’t go bad. It occurs to me as I’m juggling everything while trying to open the door it would’ve been easier to have him come to my place, but I kind of want the option to escape, depending on what he has to tell me.
The chili is heating on the stove and the cornbread is in the oven when he returns, rubbing his hair with a towel. The warm clean smell of steam and soap drifts through the apartment. “What are you making? It smells fantastic.”
“Chili and cornbread. Do you ever keep food in your place?”
A noise escapes his chest, a cross between a huff and a laugh. “I will be now.” Sitting at his small kitchen table, he hikes up the leg of his sweat pants, displaying the tracking anklet fastened around his ankle.
“Shit. House arrest? For how long?”
“Until the trial.”
The chair scrapes the floor as I sit across from him and lean my chin on my hand. “I’m so sorry, Dare. I never would have had you come if I knew there was going to be trouble.”
He blinks, surprised. “I beat the shit out of a guy and you’re apologizing?”
“You’re in trouble because of me. Big trouble.”
His hand darts across and grabs mine. “First, you didn’t tell me to kick that psycho’s ass. I got myself in trouble. And second, I’d do it again.”
The timer beeps and I busy myself doling out bowls of chili and slices of cornbread. Dare grabs two bottles of water and sits down across from me. He tears into the food like he hasn’t eaten in a week while I pick at mine.
Dare sighs. “I’ve been watching them.”
“What?” My elbow bumps my water bottle and I catch it just in time.
“Talbot and his father, and Victoria to a lesser extent.”
My mind is stuffed with questions. “What do you mean watching? And how did you know who to watch?”
Leaning back in his chair, he gazes at me. “It wasn’t hard to find an article online about your attack, babe. Montgomery did a good job of burying everything, but not good enough. Once I had Talbot’s name it wasn’t hard to figure out the rest.”
“But…why?”
“Because they hurt you and they need to pay for it. I learned a lot more once I started digging around. Those two should be the ones in prison.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“I know. I didn’t want you to get involved. Nothing I did will ever get traced back to me.”
My eyes dart up to meet his. “What did you do?”
A small grin creeps across his face. “Victoria may have some financial trouble coming.”
“What did you do? Charge up her credit card?”
“I might have maxed them out, plus a few she doesn’t know she applied for. She also has recently borrowed a whopping amount of money from different lenders and cash advance companies.”
Maybe I’m evil, but I can’t help the joy I feel knowing she’s getting some kind of payback, no matter how trivial. I know people say revenge isn’t the answer, but it feels a fuck of a lot better than the alternative.
“Where did the borrowed money go?”
“Random charities.”