“You probably couldn’t lap dance to save your life, and second, who says I’m going to protect you?”
“You’ll protect me. You can’t help it,” I smiled at him. “Your manly instincts will kick in. Especially since I’m so…cute.”
“It’s your eyes, okay? Can we drop this?”
“Why is this so uncomfortable? What about the other girls you’ve dated? Didn’t you have to tell them what was so appealing about them?”
“Ha! No,” he chuckled. “They were just grateful to be with me, even if it was only for a day. If anything, they were singing my praises.”
“Oh my,” I said putting a hand to my chest. “Poor baby. This must be so traumatizing for you then.”
“The day is heading that way.”
“Are you sure you want to continue? I mean, I don’t want to take you out of your comfort zone.”
“We’re beyond that now. Besides,” Lucas grinned at me. “As painful as some our time together has been,” he tapped the bruise on his face. “I never had so much adventure. Sticking around you has made my life interesting again.”
“You have no idea,” I laughed. We sat in silence for a few seconds. “So…what else is cute?”
Lucas couldn’t help himself. He just started laughing. And I did too.
* * *
“What’s cute about me?” Lucas asked as I parallel parked between two other cars that made mine feel right at home.
“Don’t be so vain,” I said as I applied the parking brake.
“So I can’t ask a question?”
“You’re not cute.”
“Ouch.”
“You’re handsome.”
“Sounds like something a mother would say to her son.”
“What do you want me to say? That you’re sexy?”
“That would be nice. Yes.”
“We’re not there yet,” I winked at him, and I heard him growl under his breath. I turned off the car and examined the street we were on. It was tight, and there was a steady stream of traffic pouring down it even though it didn’t end up on a major road. One wrong move and I would lose my door or worse, a limb. Lucas got out easily as he was on the sidewalk side. But like a true gentleman, he stepped out into the street and let his body be a shield, blocking the incoming traffic and letting me get out of the vehicle safely. We ran to the other side of the street as the cars honked at him and a few expletives were thrown our way.
“You have to do some crazy things to get around,” he assured me. “Reign and the boys live in his grandmother’s house. She can’t hear too good so don’t worry about the noise.”
“They all live here?” I asked in disbelief, staring at the two-story duplex house.
“My grandmother lives up top, the boys down bottom.”
“They pay rent?” He gave me a “yeah right” look and grabbed my hand. I was so taken aback by the gesture that I didn’t even fight it right away. Before I could protest, he reached out, clutched my hip and pressed my body against his. His breath was sweet and his lips were so close to mine that I was already pursing mine. Being so close to him…I suddenly didn’t care that I didn’t know everything about him yet. The attraction was too much. The wave of emotion flushing from my heart to my stomach was so quick that I was overwhelmed. He had me in his spell, and I was forbidden to break it.
“When we get up there,” he whispered. “Regardless of what’s going on between us, you’re my girl. You’re an independent woman. I respect that. But around here, we have to play like you’re mine. Otherwise, there’s going to be so many advances on you, it will make your head spin. They won’t touch you if they know you’re with me for sure. Got it?”
He had become so serious and commanding that it had thrown me off guard, but I wasn’t offended. I knew it was just for this situation, and though I wasn’t too keen on being showcased, I would play along for now.
“I got it,” I heard myself say, and then I grabbed his collar and pulled him closer. “Oh and by the way, that…was sexy.”
“You’re so strange,” he said with a smirk, and I nearly kissed him when I heard a shout from the porch.
“HEY! LOOK WHO ROSE FROM THE DEAD!” a teenager shouted from the steps. Lucas let his grip over me loosen and I pulled away as the mysterious young man ran over and practically jumped into Lucas’ arms.
“Alex, let me introduce you to Reign Konroy,” he grimaced through the tight hug. Reign was built like a linebacker for the NFL. He was enormous and he wasn’t afraid to show it. Wearing a wife beater and shorts, even in the chilly weather, he was proud to reveal his chiseled physique. It was almost too much to look at. I thought he was going to burst at any moment. His eyes were tired and his face was smooth and clean shaven. In all honesty, I didn’t expect this at all. I was thinking he was going to look more like the crackheads I see in the movies – bony and malnourished.
“Thought you weren’t coming back, bro,” he laughed, letting Lucas go from the bear trap and giving him a slap on the back.
“We all come crawling back, don’t we?” he replied. I could tell he was choosing his words carefully. Was this Reign guy that dangerous? I thought they had talked all the time.
“And who is this mamacita?” he asked, turning to me. I was still in my little black dress from my earlier transformation and I was considerably smaller so I’m sure some things were showing that probably shouldn’t have been. I pulled up on my shoulder straps.
“This is Alexandra,” Lucas said for me.
“The girl ain’t mute, is she?” he asked, examining me from head to toe with such boldness that my jaw dropped. It was like he was inspecting meat at the butcher shop.
“I can talk,” I said finally, and he gave me a slimy smile.
“You’re a cute little thing,” he said. Suddenly I didn’t care for the word “cute” anymore. “So this is the best Casper’s got over there, Luke?”
“She’s the best, period,” he said firmly. Reign nodded and then turned back to his friend. “Well, the boys would love to see ya. Both of you. Come on in. Just made a batch of lemonade. You like lemonade, cute thing?”
“Don’t call me that,” I said to Lucas’ horror. Reign was simply amused.
“Don’t call you what,” he challenged.
“Don’t call her ‘sweet thing,’” Lucas stepped in for me, putting his body between us. “She’s my girlfriend. Not just some throw-away, so you show her the same respect you would show me.”
“Hmph,” Reign replied. “Acting like I have a whole lot of respect left to give, brother. I call you every night, and you hardly pick up your phone. And when you do, it’s just me doing all the talking. What respect do I have to give?”
“If that’s how it’s going to be, then we’re not going inside. We can leave right now.”
“Oh c’mon, Luke. You know I’m playing,” Reign laughed, slapping him on the back again. “No need to take off yet. The boys would love to see ya.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Reign didn’t reply. He headed back up the steps and inside the house. Lucas followed and I stayed right behind him. It wasn’t until we were entering the stained wooden door that I realized that I might not have been protected as I thought. My body might change if I was in danger, but I would probably go unconscious first. The last thing I wanted to do in a house of strange guys. I was sure Lucas would defend me, but what if they all didn’t see him as the friend they remembered?
“This might not be –“I began to say when I heard a chorus of shouts.
“Lucas!” three boys said in unison, leaping up from one of the two large green couches in the center of the living room. Two other boys sitting in lawn chairs glanced our way, but they didn’t say anything just yet. They were too busy engaged in a football video game on the television.
The three boys ran over and began hugging Lucas as I took in my surroundings. There wasn’t much. Old pizza boxes, bongs, sleeping bags and empty soda and beer cans. The walls were plain with only a faded beige
paint finish and the corners were covered in cobwebs. From where we stood, there was a living room, a kitchen in the distance, and what I assumed to be a bedroom or closet beyond that.
“I knew you’d be back,” one guy wearing a basketball jersey said to him.
“Yeah, you know how it is,” Lucas chuckled. He turned to me. “Guys, this is my girlfriend, Alexandra. Been together for a while. Alexandra, I’d like you to meet the boys. This is Dave (guy in the basketball jersey), Keith (the guy with the beard), John (the albino guy), Prince (stone-faced guy playing the video game) and Charming (other stone faced guy playing the game).”
“I get it,” I laughed. “Prince and Charming.” No one thought it was funny.
“Surprised at you,” John said in a deep voice. “Girl don’t seem like your type.”
“The wifey is always different than the throw-aways,” Reign said, taking a seat on the empty couch. Keith and Dave followed. “You guys want a seat?”
“Nah, we’ll stand,” Lucas said.
“I was asking the lady,” Reign said, looking over at me. Keith and Dave, each sitting at his sides glared at me as well.
“I like standing,” I muttered. He laughed and shook his head.
“Why’s she scared, Luke? Tell her too much about us?”
“Nothing to tell,” Lucas replied.
“Uh-huh. Yeah, okay. I know you. You get talking like you’re hosting an auction once we get a few shots in you. I’m sure she knows everything, don’t she?”
“Not that it would matter if she did. We don’t bother you guys and what you do.”
“Yet you’re here,” Prince replied, his eyes focused on the game. “Bothering.”
“Alex wanted to see where I grew up, who I hung with. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. Especially with us being boys and all.”
“We haven’t been boys since middle school,” Charming said, his fingers moving in a flurry on the Xbox controller. “You know that.”
“I didn’t ask my Mom to take me away.”
“Guys, we’ve already been over this,” Reign said to everyone. “Not his fault he left. Not his fault he got out. He wouldn’t be able to do much where he’s at anyways. Why you so upset? You want him to come back? Take a piece of your cut?”
“No,” Charming said.
“Then shut up and try to win a game for once. Prince is so bored with your play that he gave you that last touchdown.”
“I earned that.”
“You earned embarrassment. That’s it. Now pay attention. I’m surprised I’m the only one happy to see Lucas.”
“I’m happy to see him,” Dave said.
“So what up, Luke?” Reign continued. “What we doing tonight? Or you’re only here to stop by for a second?” Lucas hesitated to answer.
“Only for a few minutes,” he said, and Reign shook his head.
“Wrong answer, bro. Wrong answer. Says a lot about what you think of us.”
“No disrespect, but I have to get Alex back tonight. She has somewhere to be.”
“Why don’t she leave with the car and she come pick you up tomorrow? You can stay the night like we used to.”
“Don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What if I’m no longer asking you?” Reign replied, his jaw clenched. The smile had faded. “What if I’m telling you…as your master. As your king.” A strange smile crept upon his face.
“You’re none of those things,” Lucas said flatly.
“Aren’t I?” he said, rising to his feet. “Do I not have your life in my hands right now?”
Prince pressed pause on the game and both he and Charming stood to their feet, staring Lucas down.
“What are you doing?” Lucas asked with a sigh.
“Been trying to make you come back for a while now. But I guess I was…” he looked at me with that creepy smile of his. “…the wrong persuasion.”
“You know too much, man,” Charming said. “Way too much about how we operate. We have to move forward, get bigger, but not without cutting loose ends.”
“It would be different if you still took a cut,” Reign said. “But you’re not only out, you look down on us now, like you’re actually somebody.” I noticed Dave and John going through the kitchen and bedroom/closet in the back. It didn’t take a genius to realize they were going to cut off our exit.
“Let’s go,” I said to Lucas but he ignored me.
“You could have gotten me in Casper,” he said to Reign. “You knew where I lived.”
“Kid gets killed around there, it draws too much attention. Couldn’t do it there. But here in Blaketon? No one cares.”
“So what happens now? You going to shoot me? Stab me? After all we’ve been through and started together?”
“Depends,” Reign said as I heard John and Dave ascend the steps behind us. “Depends on how much you plan on fighting us.”
“And what happens to Alexandra?”
“Same fate as you.”
“Wait,” I shouted, catching all of them off guard. I tried to make my voice as shaky as possible. “I have another proposal. You won’t turn it down. Trust me.”
“Alright,” Reign laughed. “What is it?”
“I have a house,” I said. Lucas tried to grab my arm, but I dodged his attempt and pushed him aside lightly. “A big house. And my parents are dead. I own it. All to myself. I could give you the house, the deed – you could set up a new headquarters there and start making your way through Casper. All you would have to do is just let me have a room there. I don’t care what you do otherwise.”
“Oh yeah? That’s it?” he scoffed. “You’re just going to give us a house? Just like that?”
“If that’s not enough…” I began to cry fake tears. “I could…I could be yours. Your Queen.”
“Wow,” Reign said, stepping forward so that he was only a few feet in front of me. “Now I see how Lucas fell for you. You’re just in a relationship for the benefits, huh?” He punched Lucas in the arm. “She’s not your girlfriend.”
“Lucas is great,” I said, trying to imitate the sultry voice my body had produced when it had transformed. “But you’re definitely better than him…stronger.”
“Just trying to get a seat on the throne, huh?”
“That’s it.”
“And I take it…sparing Lucas is part of this equation?”
“Yeah. He might have known a lot about your operation in the past, but not anymore. Even if he said something, no one’s going to believe him.”
“Yeah, maybe,” he said, staring at Lucas. “I’ll think about it. But what say we all go and check out this house of yours?”
“That sounds like an excellent idea,” I said to Lucas. I gave him a stern look to let him know that everything was alright. He was doing everything in his power to hold himself back.
“Whatever,” he said. “But I’m riding with Alexandra.”
“Sure,” Reign said. “I mean, even if you’re planning on some kind of trick, we’re the ones with the firepower. I will take your phones though.”
We handed over our phones to John behind us and then we began our journey. I wouldn’t be able to warn Elliot and the others of our arrival, but it didn’t matter.
I wasn’t afraid one bit.
TRACK 12 – Didn’t See That One Coming, Did Ya?
“So I guess this is our last time together,” Lucas said as we closed the doors, and I started up the car. “Whether you like it or not, if I don’t manage to take out all six of them, you’re going to become Reign’s mistress.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“He’s done things like this many times before. The moment you’re done giving him the tour and you sign over the deed, he’s going to try to shoot us both in the head. He’ll definitely kill your roommates on sight. Right now, he’s in his car making plans.”
“First of all, it’s not like I have a deed to the house lying around. Handing over property like that is a lot more
complex than a piece of paper. Second of all, it doesn’t matter,” I pulled the car out onto the street. Reign’s Cadillac, with the other five boys inside, were riding with him. Of course, Reign wasn’t driving, but from the rearview mirror I noticed that he sure was talking a lot.
“This isn’t a game, Alex.”
“I know.”
“Then why aren’t you getting the fact that we’re most likely going to die tonight.”
“Lucas…” I said, turning to him for a second. “You…did you know that Reign and the others were going to do this?”
“It wasn’t impossible. But I was hoping our history was enough to keep things peaceful.”
“But even with the risk, you went through with it. Why?”
“Part of it was because I knew you wouldn’t let it go. With how stubborn you are, I knew you had to see some of where I came from so we can move on. Part of it was because I wanted you to see that I’m not like that anymore. But the real reason? What really made me go through with this? It’s because I decided last night to go all in with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought a lot about what you said when we were at the restaurant. How I might just turn on you and go back to those other type of girls…I got why you were scared. I realized, that if I wanted this relationship to even start, I had to go all in. I had to do what it took to show you that I care about you, even if it hurts, even if it’s a little dangerous.”
“But why me? You don’t know anything about me.”
“It’s because I can’t get you out of my head.” I turned to face him and he took my hand into his. Even as I faced back to the front, he kept talking. “That’s never happened to me before. Never, Alex. I’ve been with plenty of girls, but there was never any emotion involved. It was just business, or I was using them like they were an object, like a pencil or a stapler. I didn’t care about them. Up until I met you, life in general was a lot like that. I didn’t see anything worth fighting for. I was just a walking statue, but man, when we started talking, you made me feel things I didn’t even know were there!” He laughed.
“Embarrassment, frustration, uncertainty, fear, anxiety, that fluttering feeling you get in your stomach. That night when you mentioned the heart aching? I never felt that until this past weekend. Just being away from you hurt, and I was sitting on my bed, staring at my hands, and I’m like, how could this girl make me feel so many different emotions at once? It was like I was in the middle of a washing machine. You drive me nuts. I don’t know what to do with myself when I’m around you.”
My Immortal Playlist (The Siren Collection #1) Page 12