Rebel: Enemies to Lovers Bully Romance

by Savannah Rose

“What happened?” I ask, confused by her mother’s reaction. Confused by how much she sounds like Rick. Confused by how two people from different ends of the pond can inflict the same kind of pain.

  Janey slams the book down on the table and turns away from me.

  “I put up with it silently for months. My mom and I…I’m just…I’m not her favorite kid, you know.” She tries to say the words like they don’t matter, but it’s hard to miss the undertones with the tears pooling in her eyes. If there’s anything I know, it’s how not pry when someone isn’t fully willing to open up and so I don’t pry. “So anyway, one day my sister overheard my mom and talked back to her and she hit her. My dad found out and things just spiralled out of control from there. Well, more out of control than they already were. It didn’t matter what I did or said or didn’t say or do, I could never win. My clothes were either too tight or too short. My face too similar, but not familiar enough to…” She pauses and clenches her jaw so hard that I fear it’ll snap. “But none of that topped the day she took me to the doctor to get my hymen checked. When my dad found out... Let’s just say, I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much name-calling or obscenities in my life. The fight moved through all four stories of the house. She wanted dad to choose. Me or her. She threatened to move out. Threatened to take him for everything he had.”

  “Wait… what the fuck? Four stories?”

  “Really, Kace? That’s what you’re taking from this? The size of my house?” She sounds irritated, her voice gradually getting louder. I nod and motion for her to go on.

  “Sorry,” I offer and I do genuinely feel like an ass.

  Thankfully my apology seems to settle her enough and she shrugs. “There isn’t much else to say,” she starts again, reeling her voice in. “My circle shrank and I started keeping everyone at a distance.”

  “I can’t imagine that made you very popular with the guys,” I comment, and she snorts.

  “I was never going to be popular with guys. Guys don’t like girls like me.”

  “Did your mother tell you that, too?”

  I stand and slowly start to close the gap she’s put between us and I can see the uncertainty written in all the ridges of her body as I get closer to her.

  “I’m itching to hear about how you rebelled,” I say to her and she shakes her head.

  “I didn’t.”

  “What?”

  She shakes her head again and blushes deeply as I sit on the table right across from her.

  “What do you mean you didn’t rebel? Who the fuck puts up with all that crap and doesn’t rebel?”

  “I found outlets for my frustration, but I didn’t rebel,” she whispers, and I want to grab her shoulders and shake some sense into her.

  “Were any of those outlets human?” I ask and she shakes her head again. “That’s the one place you went wrong in this story. Somebody calls you a slut and you decide not to throat punch them. You slapped the shit out of Sam tonight so that’s great, but you clearly haven’t gotten over that whole bullshit mom thing. She sounds like a cunt, by the way,” I snarl, and she laughs.

  “She is!” Her laughter ripples through her and fills the bookroom in a contagious way that makes me smile.

  “We could do the tutoring session at your house,” I kid, and she surprises me by nodding. “I’m joking,” I say dryly, and she shrugs.

  “I’m not. Consider it my first rebellion.” She raises an eyebrow and the corners of her lips kick up into a half a smile.

  “Your mother would probably pitch a fit if she saw me lounged out on her couch pretending to study.”

  “It wouldn’t be a rebellion if she didn’t.”

  “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve never brought a guy home. Starting with you seems like it’d make up for all the years I didn’t,” she confesses, and I’m once again surprised by her.

  She blushes deeply and tries to turn away from me, but I stop her.

  “You really should stop trying to hide,” I hear myself saying and there’s a part of me somewhere bent over in a corner puking at all these kind gestures.

  “No boyfriends,” she mutters, her pearly teeth worrying her bottom lip again. “I stayed away from guys after the shitfest mom put me through.”

  “Completely?” I ask, my curiosity piqued, and she nods. “So… when I kissed you...” my voice trails off and her blush intensifies, stirring something deep inside my gut.

  There’s something heady about knowing that I’m her first kiss. No wonder she’s been following me around like a lost little puppy. That much makes sense. The thing that doesn’t quite make sense, however, is the pattering of my own heart in my chest. Or the fact that inch by inch, I’m closing what’s left of the gap between us. When there’s barely a breadth of space left, I lock my gaze on hers, knowing full well that sooner or later, I’m going to regret not walking away.

  “Well, Janey,” I whisper, staring down at her, “I’d say you’re owed at least one rebellion.” The smile on my lips is one forged from nervousness. All of that fades away the minute her lips touch mine. They’re soft and filled with uncertainty, but when I deepen the kiss, she doesn’t pull back. Doesn’t stop me. Doesn’t shy away from the sparks that have no business flying between us.

  My hands slip down to her legs and I hoist her up, wrapping them around me. The intensity in her gaze is almost too much to bear.

  “Don’t think about it,” I whisper against her lips. “Just do it.”

  I spin her around and rest her on the table, pushing away those fucking books she spent the last half an hour sorting through.

  She giggles and it feels like praise to me. The kind of praise that riles me up in the best way possible and makes it stupidly easy to forget the world and all the chaos in it.

  One hand on my chest and one at the nape of my neck, Janey pulls me down to her. I slip my hands easily underneath her oversized flannel shirt and I’m greeted by cool, smooth, soft skin.

  When I undo the first hook of her bra, she pulls away from me with a frightened look in her eyes. She wasn’t lying. Holy shit. Janey Bradshaw is a virgin. It’s not my place to take that away from her. Trust me, I fucking know it. But not touching her right now feels nothing short of impossible.

  “I won’t if you don’t want to,” I pant, feeling my cock swell furiously in my pants.

  She glances around the bookroom, nervously biting her bottom lip.

  “Here?” she squeaks, and I chuckle at her.

  “I’m pretty sure we’re the only ones here.”

  “What about the Council?” she whispers as if they’re right outside the door.

  I shrug. “They should be gone by now.” I’m itching to kiss her again, but I don’t. I wasn’t lying when I said this is fully up to her. If she wants me to stop, I’ll stop. But fuck, if she’s even remotely in for all the things that I want to do to her, then the both of us are in a lot of fucking trouble.

  Janey sucks in a deep breath, her eyes hooded as she reaches out to trail a hand down my chest. When she looks back up at me, all the caution she had only moments ago is thrown to the wind. Her lips are on mine in an instant, her tongue dancing a wicked melody against mine. Even through the thickness of her shirt, I can feel the hardness of her nipples as I crush her against my body. This is wrong on so many levels, putting merit to the fact that all the best things in the world usually are.

  My hand trails down her body, stopping at the button on her jeans. She gives a slight nod and I’m so fucking close to ripping the material from her body when my phone dings.

  Reluctantly, I pull it into my hands. The words on the screen cause a different – a more dangerous – kind of fire to blaze in my chest.

  Where the fuck are you? You’re late! Get here now!

  “Shit!”

  I can almost hear Cain’s voice in my head. ‘No fuck-ups, Kace’.

  “Shit!” Panic sets in and I’m off Janey quicker than she can bat an eyelash at me.<
br />
  “What’s wrong?” she asks, dropping her hands to her lap.

  “Shit!”

  “Kace, what’s wrong?!” Her eyes are full of concern and I mentally kick myself for how this entire day played out. What the fuck was I thinking?

  Damn it!

  I check the time of the message. It was sent about an hour ago. A whole fucking hour ago.

  “Fucking hell. I’m dead. I’m really fucking dead.”

  “Kace, wait!”

  “I can’t,” I hiss, pulling away from her to cross the room and grab my bag.

  When I glance back at Janey, the only thing left on her face is humiliation. Unfortunately, I can’t stop to address that now.

  “I’m sorry, Janey,” I offer instead. And for the first time, I really do fucking mean it.

  21

  Kace

  My heart is in the back of my throat as I climb the last step to my house.

  This morning’s warnings come flooding my mind as I scan the main room. Empty. Maybe they’re still out?

  I glance at the clock on the wall and sigh. There’s no way around it. 8:15 p.m. is a far cry from 7:30 p.m. The blood rushing in my ears is drowning out my thoughts as I go from room to room looking for Cain.

  Empty.

  Maybe there’s still time. Maybe I can get to the location. No biggie.

  As I pass mom’s bedroom door, I hear the gun cock.

  “Where the fuck were you?”

  I look up and it’s Cain standing in the main doorway with blood on his shirt and his gun pointed at me. My thoughts are much louder now.

  “Sc...school,” I manage, even though my tongue feels like it’s been stapled to the roof of my mouth.

  “Oh, brother. You should have stayed there,” Cain snarls and there’s a loud explosion, causing my heart to jolt and my ears to ring. The painting on the wall beside me falls and shatters against the wooden floor.

  “Cain man, I’m sorry!” I scream, ducking the second bullet.

  Shit!

  “Sorry?” He wields the gun around like an extension of his hand. “What does that even mean? You’re sorry? You’re fucking sorry?” The third bullet falls right by my feet and I drop to the ground, backing away from him.

  “You don’t get to be sorry tonight, bitch. Not tonight.”

  Shit.

  The plan didn’t work.

  “Was it you, brother? Do you actually have the balls to betray your family?”

  “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, Cain. Stop!”

  Is Abby in the house? How can Cain be this damn reckless? She could wander out into the hallway at any second.

  “Are you the fucking rat, Kace?”

  Shit.

  So there really is a Nark from the D’C clan? Shit.

  “No! I swear I’m not, Cain! Just…just put the damn gun down.”

  “I don’t care about your swearing, Kace. You’re a worthless two-timing piece of shit and it’s you who should be dead.”

  Cain staggers deeper into the house, and I notice that he’s wounded. Who died? Why are so many people dying?

  “Let me help you, Cain,” I offer, seeing his limp as he slowly approaches me.

  “I don’t want your fucking help!” he bellows, and the walls shake at the impact of his voice.

  I can hear mom screaming from her room. She’s been screaming since the second bullet landed in the wall.

  Jesus. Cain really doesn’t give a fuck.

  There’s an acidic silence looming in the air as he grabs the edge of the couch to get his balance and move toward me.

  He’s closer now.

  Much closer.

  There’s no way he’s going to miss. I squeeze my eyes shut, my chest heaving, tears pouring down my face. Fuck. This is it. I brace myself for the final bullet.

  “Stop. Please. Pleeeaasssee!”

  I hear mom’s voice and I fall to my knees when I see her crawling on the floor, using the only part of her that still obeys to drag herself out into the hallway, into Cain’s line of fire.

  Cain has pretty much avoided seeing her ever since she got shot by the cops who were chasing him and Rick. The remnants of his conscience never allowed him to face her and here she is, once again in the line of fire with tears streaming down her face.

  “If you insist on shooting anyone tonight, Cain, you just go ahead and shoot me!”

  “Get out the way, mom.”

  “Go ahead, Cain. Finish what you and your father started. Shoot me!”

  “Mom stop!” I call after her.

  Cain is a fucking psycho. I’m scared he’ll actually do it.

  “Move mom.”

  “I can’t go much further, Cain. My elbows are raw and my shoulders hurt,” she sobs and my heart breaks. It fucking breaks. Shatters. A million pieces of hate and want throwing daggers inside my chest.

  Mom is fully in between us now, using her limp body as a barricade. Cain can easily shoot me from where he is without hitting her, but I see him shaking as the gun falls to his side and he falls to his knees.

  “Josh is gone, mom.” It’s a half sob, half curse. “Your boy over there? He could have saved him, but he wasn’t fucking there.”

  “So, you want to lose two brothers tonight instead of one?” she asks with a broken voice.

  “He’s no brother of mine,” Cain snarls.

  Gabriel staggers into the room, out of breath like he’s been running for miles. “We got him, Cain!” he yells and Cain sinks to the floor chuckling.

  I hadn’t noticed the blood pooling by his leg until now.

  “Good. Very good,” he huffs.

  “Let him help you, Cain,” mom pleads.

  “No.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Cain. Let him fix your leg. We’ll deal with him after,” Gabriel growls, picking him up from the floor.

  “Leave him there,” I advise Gabe, and he eases Cain back down and takes the gun from him as I approach with both my hands raised.

  Cain is looking up at me with pure hatred in his eyes, but I ignore him and tell Gabe what to get from the kitchen. He brings the overused first aid kit, a leather belt and a bottle of whiskey. I rip Cain’s jeans open, exposing the spurting wound.

  “Fuck.”

  I grab a pair of scissor and completely remove the pants leg, making thick strips to tie his leg.

  Cain flinches as I knot the cloth above his wound and growls when I douse it with whiskey.

  “Mom,” I call back at her.

  “Yes, Kace.”

  “Where is Abby?”

  “She’s staying with Emily tonight.”

  I nod at her. Okay, that’s good. It’s about to get loud and I don’t want her to wander out here and see this. Hell, I’m just fucking happy she hasn’t been here to hear any of this.

  “Hold him,” I say to Gabe and he pushes the sofa away and takes its place, putting the belt strap between Cain’s teeth.

  “Ready?” I ask. The look on Cain’s face tells me he cares less about what I’m doing now and more about what I hadn’t done.

  Josh is dead?

  I haven’t even had a chance to fully process that.

  How the hell did that happen?

  And they caught the Nark?

  Who the hell was it?

  “Okay great.” I take a deep breath and steady my hands before going in to fish out the bullet. Cain groans into the belt as I push his flesh back to get a better grip on the round. It doesn’t take long for it to pop right out.

  I pack Cain’s leg with gauze as I string the needle with plastic thread. We’ve been down this road before. I’ve stitched up these idiots many times over. I always hated stitching Rick. Even hurt to the teeth, he’d find the strength to call me a nurse, say I aspired to be nothing more than a bitch. Never mind the fact that in some instances I wasn’t just patching him up, I was actually saving his fucking life.

  When I snip the last stitch, Cain spits out the belt and looks up at me. “Pack your shit,
get out and don’t come back.”

  I look back at mom and she quietly nods. She doesn’t have the courage or the strength to meet my eyes though.

  “Mom,” I whisper.

  “I’ll be okay, baby bird. If you stay, he’ll kill you,” she sobs and we both know it’s true. If I stay, it’ll only be a matter of time before Cain puts a bullet between my eyes. Even knowing that, it’s still harder to leave this place than it ever should be.

  I slowly stand and walk over to my mother, wiping Cain’s blood on my jeans. Reaching down, I pick her up and bring her back to her bed before patching up her elbows.

  “I’m sorry mom,” I sniffle, fear strangling my heart.

  “I’ll be fine, Kace. This is a good thing. I’ve always wanted you out of here. Make the best of this opportunity, okay?”

  Opportunity. The word hangs in the air, losing meaning the longer it lingers. Reaching up, mom squeezes my cheek and it feels like I’m being crushed.

  She kisses my hand and it feels like she’s taking a sledgehammer to my soul.

  “Tell Abby I’ll come to see her, okay?”

  “Go Kace. She knows you love her.” Mom smiles. I don’t smile back.

  I head to my room where I stuff my duffel bag with essentials. A toothbrush. Jeans, shirts, underwear, the bum starter pack, I guess.

  I can’t believe Cain’s really putting me out.

  22

  Janey

  Why must everything with Kace be so anticlimactic?

  This isn’t the first time that he’s left me high and dry after getting me all hot and bothered and I cannot stand it.

  I didn’t even know I wanted to be kissed by him. Or to be kissed like that. He opened up that can of worms and then ran away from me without an explanation.

  ‘That’s what you get for falling for the wrong guys!’

  Ugh! I am such an idiot!

  Of course this keeps happening to me. Say what you want about my mother, but nobody has proven her wrong in the romance department.

  Romance.

  Such a strange word.

  How did we even get to looping Kace and romance in the same sentence?