Hush (Pandora's Box Book 2)

by Liza James

  "You're insane, hold on here." She reaches behind her and grips my hands, firmly placing them on her waist before grabbing my legs and shifting me tightly against her back.

  I sigh in surrender but say nothing, allowing her to turn on the bike and kick the stand as we find our balance.

  Fuck, fuck. I'm nervous, but I dare not say another word and give her more ammunition against me.

  Fake it till you make it, right?

  We slowly pull out of the parking lot, and at first, I think this feels okay. I can handle this, it's slow and thankfully, K is steady as we move forward.

  But then we pull into the road and take a right, and before I know what's happening she's taking off, blasting down the street far faster than the limit allows. I launch forward, my arms wrapping so tightly around her waist that I swear I can feel her laughing against my chest.

  Her hair blows back and over my helmet, and I chance a slight movement by gathering it all in one hand and tucking it underneath my shoulder where I'm pressed against her.

  We fly through the streets, and suddenly I realize we're headed somewhere I'm not familiar with. I knew she didn't live with her father and brother anymore, but I haven't known where she moved to since she left them.

  It's on the twenty-minute drive when it feels like my head finally starts to settle. The hammering in my chest slows to something manageable, and my hold on her waist relaxes just a bit while the wind blows over my skin.

  This feels different. For the first time in weeks, it's as if I'm distracted enough by the feel of the bike swaying beneath me, the presence of K's body against my own, her skin under my touch. My migraine subsides momentarily and god, I can't even explain how liberated I feel right now. Right here.

  For the first time, I'm not thinking of Dom and The Nation and being a stripper. I'm not even thinking of music or drugs or my past.

  I'm just here. Present. Independent. This feels good.

  We move through the upper side of the city, and to a relatively nice area where a small apartment complex is nestled between countless other high-rise buildings. Pulling under an overpass, we enter the parking garage below her complex and she immediately drives to a lone space in the back corner.

  She kicks the stand down and turns off the bike, sitting back just a bit as her hand absently brushes over my own. I pull away from her, severing the tether I had to her energy by letting go and moving back.

  She sighs, and I don't even think it's because I'm no longer holding onto her—but I'd like to believe it was.

  I shift off first, climbing off the bike and pulling the helmet free as she turns to face me. For a moment, her gaze lingers on my hair as it spills out chaotically over my shoulders. But she meets my eyes and offers a distant smile before reaching her hand out and taking the helmet from me.

  "I'm on the fourth floor.” She walks away without another word, and I silently follow behind while taking in the space around us.

  It's clean and for some reason, that surprises me. It's not that she's ever been messy, she hasn't. But coming from where she grew up? This is a location my family would expect me living in, not her. Her home was in the run-down neighborhood directly next to mine, outside the gated community I lived in. The yard was trashed, filled with garbage bags that weren't picked up by the city, old tires, and broken-down rigs her family never fixed up like they intended.

  Everything fell apart when her mom died, much like mine did when I lost my sister.

  She's clearly made her own place though, finding a decent apartment in a much better part of town.

  I'm envious, in the sense that she's made a name for herself despite her past.

  I think I did the opposite somehow. I let my mistakes, my past, define my future.

  We walk through the glass doors and into the elevator, K punches in her key code and the number to her floor as we ride up in silence. It's tense in here, and I glance her direction to find her watching me from the other side of the small space.

  Her eyes are narrowed, but her pale green shade now flickers in the dim lighting and she shifts to rest both of her hands on the bar behind her. She kicks one booted foot over the other, and I square my shoulders and cross my arms before opening my mouth.

  "What are you think—" I start, but the quick ping of arrival sounds, and the doors slide open.

  She walks out without a word, and I follow close behind, observing the black and grey carpet, the white walls and pretty plants nestled in small corners as we walk through the narrow hallway.

  Her apartment. 407.

  We arrive in front of her black doorway, and she pulls out her keys before unlocking it quickly. She pushes the door open, and I step in behind her, closing it after me before finally looking into her space.

  My mind doesn't process everything immediately, it comes in pieces as my eyes gaze over the modern interior.

  It's a unique mix, but one that doesn't surprise me in the slightest. One black accent wall amongst the other white. Mirrors line multiple surfaces, black as well with bright art pieces scattered around the room.

  Small knickknacks, all symbolizing some form of darkness, are resting in corners or on tables. Plants. Plants are everywhere as well and strangely I like that we have that in common.

  Books. So many books. Fiction and non-fiction.

  Eclectic. That's the best word to describe the space. A blend of dark and light with little springs of color and life.

  "What? Not what you expected?" She asks as she turns around and walks into her kitchen. She pulls down a couple of glasses and fills them with water before walking back toward me and offering one. "I know it's nothing like what you saw when we were young."

  "I don't want to talk about that," I absently say as I step past her, not taking the glass and walking over to her books instead.

  Harry Potter. Lauren Kate. Stephan King. The Scarlett Letter. Dan Brown.

  "Quite the mix you've got here." I run my fingers along the books before pulling one out and twisting it back and forth in my hands.

  "Yeah, well, I try to keep busy when I'm not working or fighting."

  I slide the book back into place without another word and turn to face K. Suddenly, I'm in this weird place of not knowing what to say, what to do. Hell, I just had her on her back at the club, but I'm still stuck feeling confused and frustrated.

  Neither of us got off.

  There's that too. And all of this tension will continue building, exploding in either sex or death.

  Those are my options.

  My train of thought is quickly cut off when the sound of K's phone rings in the background. Shit, I should check my own phone. She turns and quickly walks to the kitchen and that's when I hear her answer the phone in a quiet tone.

  "Yeah, you guys are coming now, right?" She's asking, her voice strong, but wavering in something that sounds uncertain.

  I walk back over to my own things, reaching into my bag and digging around for my phone when I pull it out and find that it's dead. K and I have the same phone though, so when I see a lone charger dangling across her coffee table in the living room, I plug mine in and anxiously sit on the couch while it charges.

  K comes back into the room and instead of sitting next to me, she leans against the black stand that houses her TV. Her arms are crossed tightly in front of her chest and she's tapping her foot while she watches me.

  Nothing. No words. No conversation. We simply sit in silence while watching each other as my phone lingers in the space between us.

  It's like we're both anticipating the chaos that phone could bring. If Dom has been calling, texting—fuck, anything really.

  My heart is back to racing inside of my chest, my head pounding with a migraine and for fuck’s sake, I'm sort of craving riding on the back of her bike again if I can't get drugs.

  "Do you have a joint? Or Adderall or anything I can take?" I quietly ask. I almost don't want her to know I need it, so I play it off like it's nothing when in actuality, my blood is a
lready begging for it.

  She narrows her eyes again and steps forward, crouching down across the coffee table while she watches me. My hands are trembling only slightly, but it's enough to catch her attention when she snaps forward and grips my hands in hers.

  "No," she replies dryly. "I have Advil. That's all I'm fucking giving you."

  "You're lying, I know you have something here. You always do."

  "Did. Always did." She releases my hands and stands up, walking back to the kitchen before returning with two Advil and that glass of water from before. "Drink."

  My skin pulls tight at the realization that I'm going to have to sit in this discomfort until I get back to my apartment, who knows how long that will fucking be. And a spark of irritation bursts in my chest at the sight of fucking Advil.

  Everything is too heavy now, it's too real. I just want to escape again.

  As I'm throwing the pills back and drinking water, my phone lights up and chimes back to life between us. But before I can reach for it first, K's hand is already darting forward and ripping it toward her.

  "Hey!" I say, slamming the glass down and launching myself across the table toward her.

  She tsks several times and holds the phone just out of my reach. I surrender and lean back on the couch as she flips it over to face her. Suddenly, only two chimes come through in missed messages and for some reason, that sets an even bigger lump of uneasiness in my stomach.

  "Only two. One text. One call." K replies as her gaze briefly rises to meet mine. She sucks her lower lip into her mouth as she scrolls and then clears her throat before speaking again. "Come home. You'll be forgiven. It's from an unknown number, I'm assuming that's Dom?"

  "Yeah," I say as my hands begin shaking a bit harder and I absently lift my fingers so I can chew on the edges of my nails. "He, uh, he gets a new phone every few days."

  K watches me for a moment, her eyes lingering on my hands before she sets the phone down without another word and stands up. Walking toward me, she suddenly sits and grips my hands tightly in hers as she forces them away from my mouth.

  "Breathe," she says quietly, and honestly, I'm surprised to even see this side of her. It's confusing, the way this feels somewhat warm and caring.

  It's a mistake. And every word she's said earlier about not caring comes flashing back to my mind as I pull away from her.

  "Don't," I scoff as I stand and begin pacing back and forth in her living room. I pause in front of her, pointing a trembling finger and then sighing and turning back around. "Don't do whatever the fuck this is."

  "Fucking Christ. All right," she growls in frustration before leaning back and shifting so her legs are wide in front of her. She lifts her hands and runs them through her hair in clear irritation.

  In the same moment, there's a knock at the door and it's being opened before we have a chance to do it ourselves. That's when I realize it's Ruby and Aura, both hurrying inside before glancing over their shoulders and locking it behind them.

  K instantly stands and walks toward them, greeting each in a quick hug before they all turn to me.

  I'm a mess, probably. Shaking in need of a release and a fucking hit, my skin smattered in bruises from Dom and left over make up from the fucking club earlier.

  But they all look good, if not exhausted. Ruby and Aura are the same as always, except now, Ruby wears a shorter hair cut than she did before. But covered in tats, tight ripped up black jeans and a distressed red crop top. Aura's comfortable in a pair of blue skinnies. An oversized sweatshirt hangs off both of her shoulders.

  "Hey, Calypso." She's the first to acknowledge me. She steps forward and walks toward me, pulling in for a hug that feels inviting and genuine. I'm almost surprised, I've never been wildly close with either of them. But I feel connected to Aura differently than I do Ruby and K.

  Aura knows pieces of my past in the experiences she's lived through as well.

  She pulls back, her hands still resting on my shoulders as she offers me a kind smile. Ruby comes up behind her, dropping her arm around Aura's shoulder as she nods in hello to me.

  "Hi," I reply, my hands fidgeting in front of my waist as K walks past Ruby and Aura to stand behind me.

  It's awkward at first, this tense silence floating around us, and I glance back to K in hopes that takes the lead.

  Her eyes meet mine and it's as if we pass some sort of open communication between each other, like she feels my discomfort and uncertainty in this situation. So, I'm thankful when she steps forward motions toward Aura, offering the two of them something to drink in order to break the interaction.

  The three girls are all moving toward the kitchen, and I decide to sit back down on the couch by myself. That's the hardest part about whatever is happening inside of me, even though I know I'm physically not alone, even though I know Aura has experienced things I couldn't imagine—I still feel lonely. Hopeless. As if I'm out of options.

  So, I reside to being by myself.

  She's sitting on the couch by herself while Ruby, Aura and I gather in the kitchen. I don't even know how to handle this situation correctly, but I'm doing the best I fucking can.

  There are countless theories, potential outcomes, fucking feelings, that are spiraling through my head. Part of me wants to kick Lyp out and tell her to fend for her fucking self, but the larger part of me refuses to let that happen.

  So much for proving I don't fucking care, right?

  But when we get through this, when Dom and The Nation are handled, Lyp and I can go back to being the nothing we were always meant to be.

  "What's going on?" Ruby asks quietly. I can hear the hesitation in her voice, her eyes glance toward where Lyp is sitting. She’s already on edge, I can see it in her tense frame and hyperawareness.

  "I don't know exactly, just that Lyp has been living with Dom. I've seen the bruises, and he keeps mentioning cleansing sessions, so I know she's been through some shit. She hasn't told me the details though," I try to explain while Ruby and Aura listen intensely.

  I can see the physical reaction from Aura, the flinch in her eyes when I mention the cleansing. Ruby's already there though, slipping her hand around Aura's waist and tugging her against her chest.

  Aura's a fighter and seeing who she has become over the last several months is both amazing and inspiring. Her shoulders are already squaring over her straightening spine and it’s as if she's accepting and preparing mentally for this.

  "Yeah, that would be imperative to Calypso's ascension if she's a member of The Nation. Do you know if she is?" Aura asks, and my heart immediately sinks at the thought of it. I want to say fuck no, but I don't actually know the answer to that.

  I think that's what scares me the most.

  "Yes," Lyp's voice suddenly speaks out from behind Ruby and Aura. She walks into the kitchen, keeping herself separate from the rest of us and moving a few steps farther away. "I am. I—" She pauses, and already my skin is itchy, and frustration is building in my chest at whatever made her fucking do this. "I had too. Now, I'm working with him on my ascension while he gathers money and people for The Nation."

  We all stay silent.

  I look to the girls in order to see the reaction on their faces, but damn, Aura is good at keeping everything under wraps.

  Ruby on the other hand, is practically vibrating as a red wash begins working up her chest and neck.

  Aura speaks first, her tone kind and calming. "Calypso, I know it seems like this is it. Like you can't get out of this. But that's not true, you absolutely can get away from Dom and The Nation if we—"

  "No. I can't." Lyp's voice is strained, and I can already see tears brimming in her lashes while she confronts this. "My sister—" She pauses and closes her eyes, and suddenly my own memories of what I know of her sister are flooding my mind. I knew her sister passed away, and her family seemed like they anticipated it. I assumed she was sick, or something along those lines.

  "Wait, Lyp." I start, stepping forward when she immediatel
y lifts a hand to stop me from coming any closer. "What are you saying?"

  Her chest rises and falls in heavy breaths, and her skin is flushing as she visibly struggles to voice her thoughts. "You don't fucking understand, okay? You could never understand." She grinds the words out in frustration, and I move to step toward her again. But instantly, Ruby's heated voice snaps out in the space.

  "We don't understand? Are you fucking insane?" She bites out angrily. Aura twists at the same time I do, pressing her hands against Ruby's shoulders in hopes to calm her down.

  Ruby looks at Aura, her eyes wide in irritation as she pushes forward. "No, no." She addresses Lyp again and I instinctually straighten my spine in front of her. "You don't get to do this. Bring Dom and The Nation back into our fucking lives because you're what, afraid? Fuck no. You aren't putting my girlfriend at risk because of your fucking past. So, you're going to tell us exactly what's going on, where Dom is and what the fuck he's planning."

  "Fuck you," Lyp quickly growls behind me. "You don't get to tell me what the fuck to do with my own life." My head whips back to Lyp, absently reaching an arm toward her in some kind of support or something. I don't even know what I'm doing, or what I'm thinking until Ruby suddenly flies across the small space and toward Lyp.

  Before I even know what I'm doing, my back is smashed against Lyp's chest. One of my hands is jammed up against Ruby's collarbone while my other hand wraps tightly around the side of Lyp's thigh. For a moment, I think she's afraid because I can literally feel her trembling under my hold. But her voice proves otherwise.

  "Let me go, K." Her cold and detached tone reminds me of the club earlier, and I know better than to fucking push this. But I'm not letting her and Ruby have at it. No way.

  Aura is at Ruby's back, her hands sliding around her waist as she tries to pull her away from us.

  "Yeah," Ruby scoffs, pushing herself even tighter against me when I shove her back another inch. "Let her go, K. I'd love to see how she could ever fight me—"

  "Don't even fucking think about it," I grind out. My lips pulling back over my teeth when Ruby's eyes meet my own.