Luke: Rebels Advocate (Book 3)

by Sheridan Anne

  Fuck yeah.

  I let out a frustrated huff. “Fine,” I grunt as I walk through the door. I storm over to her place with her glued right to my back while she attempts to peek around me. It hits me that I don’t know her name yet, but I don’t ask. It’s better this way.

  I walk straight through the door like I have so many times before, but at least I was sort of invited this time. “Where is it?” I grunt.

  “Main bedroom,” she practically shrieks.

  I nod and make my way down there. “I’m going to need a pillowcase or a bucket that has a lid.”

  She frantically nods her head before running over to the side of her living room and ripping her pillow out of its case. She thrusts it right into my hands. “Here,” she says quickly before going back to her spot behind my back.

  I walk slowly to her bedroom, making a show of looking for her intruder.

  I turn the corner into her room and right there, in the corner of the room is my special little guy. “Fuck,” I gasp while jumping back. “That bastard is huge.”

  A low moan comes from her throat and I grin to myself, pleased that I have my back to her. “Wait here,” I say, putting my hand up and stopping her from creeping into the room behind me.

  I creep slowly towards Gerald who doesn’t have a care in the world. I mean, I kind of feel bad for the poor thing. He didn’t really get a chance to explore.

  Gerald moves and I pause while sucking in a loud breath, purely for her benefit. I look back at the bedroom door and find her hidden behind the wall with only the top half of her head peeking around into the room.

  “Good snake,” I say as I creep towards him while opening the pillowcase. Keeping my eyes on Gerald, I bend and put the pillowcase down in a position that would make it easy to put him in.

  I get a hold of Gerald’s tail and I lift him up. “Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” my irritating neighbor groans to herself.

  Due to his size, his head is still happily on the ground, so I slide my other hand up his body and get him off the floor. He stretches his body out in the opposite direction and I look down at the pillowcase. “Um… I’m going to need our help.”

  “Oh, fuck no,” she says. “Just toss him out the window.”

  “No,” I say with wide eyes, horrified at her suggestion. “He could get into my place.”

  “So?” he grunts. “At least he wouldn’t be in mine.”

  I give her a blank look. “Get your ass over here and help me get him in the bag.”

  She cringes but surprises me as she walks forward and slowly bends to grab the pillow case at my feet. She keeps her eyes trained on Gerald while holding the pillowcase with the very tips of her fingers, making sure to keep it as far from her body as possible. “Hurry up,” she begs.

  I put her out of her misery and expertly slide Gerald down into the pillowcase before twisting the top and grabbing it out of her hands.

  A world of relief comes over her. “Thank you,” she breathes.

  “Don’t mention it,” I tell her before walking towards the door. “What are you going to do with it?” she asks as she hurries after me.

  I shrug my shoulders. “Don’t know. I’ll probably find him a home.”

  She gives me a tight smile and quickly nods her head. With that, I disappear out the door and chuckle to myself as I head back to my place.

  Job well done.

  Chapter 5

  Lexi

  I look around the bare living room feeling very accomplished. My carpenter has been here all day today and yesterday and I feel like I’m getting somewhere already. He assessed the framing in the bedroom and declared it still good. All he had to do was put up the new walls, so after putting on the skirting and a little more sanding, I can start painting.

  Though, I still need to head out today and order a nice carpet for all the rooms which I’ll do as soon as I clean up all this mess.

  I get right on it, but I find I can’t go anywhere without searching for stupid snakes. I mean, what if it was a mommy snake? What if it had babies all over this place and I’ve just been too preoccupied to notice?

  I was happily dancing around the house. I had already messed with my neighbor for the day and was pretty proud of my achievement. I put a lot of thought into the song I chose to play for him, and I know it worked when the speaker thumped to the ground and I walked in there to find a roll of toilet paper had been thrown right at it.

  I had a little giggle to myself and retrieved my speaker before putting it in the living room and getting stuck into my work. What I’d forgotten was to close the damn window and that ginormous snake slithered right in, probably wondering what the hell was going on in here.

  I mean, have I been living with that big bastard over the past few days? I walked in there and I swear, my heart leaped right out of my chest. The snake was huge, like really huge. It just looked at me as I backed out of the room and screamed for my life. The neighbors down the street probably heard me.

  I’ve never been so terrified in my life, but I don’t know what possessed me to go to him. Maybe it’s because he’s the closest person and his truck was still there, or maybe it’s because he’s some kind of alpha man who probably couldn’t resist playing the hero. Either way, it’s another thing I owe him for.

  Maybe I’ll knock off the music tomorrow and let the guy sleep in. Who knows? But he saved the day and managed to get rid of the thing before it ate me in my sleep. I swear, I should have just burnt the house down. At least that way, I’ll stop peeking around every corner when I walk through the place.

  I grab a pile of rubble off the living room floor and stack it as high as possible so I don’t have to make a second trip. Unable to see very clearly, I crash into a few corners as I attempt to make my way out the front door to dump this crap in the big dumpster.

  I step out and trudge through the massive mud puddle that’s been left after the rainfall the other day which seemed to last forever. I try to look around the rubble to see where I’m going, but it’s near impossible. So, I take each step with caution, right up until I slip out from under myself.

  I go crashing down into the muddy puddle with the pile of rubble coming down on top of me. “Shit,” I gasp as I hit the ground with a hard thump.

  I cringe as the pain rocks right through my ass and deep within my body.

  “Fuck,” I hear from the house next door. I look across to see Mr. Asshole staring at me in my puddle of gooey mud as I make an absolute fool of myself. Great. Of course, he was there to witness it.

  He dashes across his lawn and over the pebbled garden that separates our homes before he’s right there taking me by the arm and helping me to my feet. “Are you alright?” he questions in a rare display of kindness.

  “Yeah,” I cringe as I look down at my mud covered clothes. “That’s going to bruise.”

  “Nah,” he says with a scoff. “It didn’t look that bad. It’d probably hurt for a while though.”

  “No,” I tell him with a knowing sigh. “It’ll definitely bruise. I have a blood disorder. The factors within my blood that help it to clot are extremely low, so I bruise really easily,” I explain.

  I’ve been living with hemophilia B since before I can remember, and usually it’s pretty manageable with a drip that delivers a concentrate of the missing factor from my blood straight into me. I’m able to do it myself at home a few times a week and only takes about twenty minutes. It’s frustrating, but it’s just a part of life.

  Other women wash their hair every few days while I hook myself up to a drip, and after not having done it yet this week, I should probably be heading inside to get it done now, otherwise, this bruise is going to be really nasty.

  “Seriously?” he questions. “I’ve heard about that. It’s pretty dangerous, huh?”

  “It can be,” I tell him. “If I don’t look after myself or I take a serious fall, it could be life-threatening.”

  “Shit,” he grunts.

  “Yep,” I agree. It’
s something I know all too well. Say, like four miscarriages so far, each one of them harder than the last.

  “Alright, well, if you’re ok, I’ll get going,” he says as he starts to back away.

  “Hey,” I find myself calling after him as I pick up the rubble off the ground. He turns back with a raised, questioning eyebrow. “I um… thanks for the whole electricity and snake thing. I know I didn’t deserve that.”

  “It was my pleasure,” he says with a secretive grin that leaves me wondering what he could possibly mean by that.

  Unable to figure it out, I get back to picking up the rubble as he gets in his truck and pulls away. I toss the rubble and head inside to get a look at the damage I’ve caused to my ass.

  “You all good?” my carpenter, Mick, asks as I head down the hallway. “I saw you take a bit of a tumble.”

  “I’m fine, thank you,” I smile at the old man who has become a great friend over the last few years. “Just need to sit with my drip for a bit.”

  “Of course,” he says, before getting back to work and giving me a bit of privacy. I duck into the bathroom first as I can’t help but take a look at my ass. There’s already a nasty bruise forming so I get myself hooked up to my drip and do my best to get out of my muddied clothes, though, with the drip, it’s not the easiest thing to do.

  Half an hour later, I’ve got myself sorted and say goodbye to Mick as I head out to go chose a nice carpet.

  I haul myself up into my truck and try to get myself comfortable on the seat but it’s an impossible task, one that I’m just going to have to deal with for the next little while, but after dealing with it for a lifetime, it’s something I’m easily accustomed to.

  I find the carpet store and after consulting with the salesman for about twenty minutes, I walk out feeling pretty good about my choice. As I climb back in my truck, I can’t help but notice the hair salon directly across the street from where I’ve parked, but it’s the sign out the front advertising a special on a shampoo and blow dry that catches my attention.

  After getting mud all through my hair with the fall and feeling completely and utterly dirty after the last few days of demolition, I decide a little pampering sounds like a great idea.

  I hop back down from my truck and head across the road. I look up at the sign, declaring this place Charli’s Salon and take a look around. It’s a beautiful little boutique with an area dedicated to makeup and beauty.

  The place is busy and looks welcoming, instantly making me feel like I want to spend the rest of my life here. I’m hit with that familiar smell of being in a salon and I breathe it in. “Hi there,” a chirpy brunette says from the front desk. “Welcome to Charli’s Salon. How can I help you?”

  Her smile is intoxicating and I glance down at her name badge. Zara. “Hi,” I smile in return. “Just wondering if you have time for a shampoo and blow dry?”

  “Of course,” she says. “Come straight through.”

  I follow Zara deeper into the salon and she ushers me into a chair. I cringe as I take a seat, but I find the chair extremely comfortable and I don’t even notice the pain in my ass. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but we’re having a special on shampoo’s and blow dry’s today.”

  “Yes,” I smile. “I saw your sign out the front.”

  “Beautiful,” she responds. “Charli will be with you in a moment, she’s just finishing up a style cut.”

  “Oh, no problem,” I say. “Tell her to take her time. I’m in no rush.”

  “Sure thing,” Zara says. “Can I get you a drink of water while you wait? Coffee? Tea?”

  “No thanks,” I tell her.

  “Ok, great,” she responds. “I’ll leave you to it.”

  Zara disappears back to the front counter where she carries on with whatever task she was in the middle of before and I grab a magazine off the table in front of me. I’m busy flicking through the pages of a hairstyle magazine when a gorgeous woman comes and stands behind me. “Hi,” the woman smiles. “I’m Charli. You’re here for a shampoo and blow dry?” she questions.

  “Yes, I am,” I tell her. “I’m Lexi.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lexi,” she says as she pulls the elastic out of my hair. “I don’t think I’ve worked on you before?” she muses. “Is this your first time here?”

  “It is, actually,” I tell her. “I just moved here a few days ago. I’m flipping a house and needed to get away from all the dirt.”

  “Oh yeah,” she says as she reclines my chair so my hair falls into the basin. “So, you’re here with your family then?”

  “No,” I say with a tight smile. “It’s just me.”

  “Just you?” she questions. “Flipping a home by yourself? Wow.”

  “Yeah,” I grin. I’m not surprised by her reaction. I get it from lots of people. They’re always shocked to find a woman doing a job that so commonly is done by a man. They assume it’s me doing it with someone else. That I just go and buy the pretty things while a man does the heavy lifting. But not here. I mean, sure I have Mick, but he tends to do the things that I simply just can’t. like hanging doors. I can’t believe how impossibly hard it is to hang a stupid door. It’s ridiculous.

  “That’s incredible,” Charli says while she turns on the water and checks the temperature. “How long does that usually take?”

  “It depends,” I say. “My last few homes weren’t nearly as challenging as this one is. I’d say it could take me anywhere from six months to a year. It basically just needs new walls and a major facelift. The bones of the house are still really good.”

  “That’s cool,” she says. “I love doing stuff like that. My fiancé owns a gym and we built it from the ground up. It was so much fun.”

  “I bet,” I grin as she runs the water through my hair.

  “So, you’re completely new to the area then?” she asks me.

  “Sure am,” I smile as she squirts a dollop of shampoo onto her hand before massaging it into my hair. “Except for having an asshole as a neighbor, I don’t know a single person here.”

  “What?” she gasps. “Not even a girlfriend to complain to?”

  “Nope,” I laugh. “Not even.”

  “Geez, that won’t do,” she tells me as she massages her fingers over my scalp. “I have plenty to share with you,” she says. “What are you doing on Saturday night? My friend, Rylee owns The Dark Room, it’s like the most popular club in the city. She’s having a black and white party. Why don’t you come?”

  “Are you serious?” I ask. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your night.”

  “Don’t be silly,” she says. “We’d love to have you come along. It wasn’t so long ago that I was new to the city and had to do it all on my own. It would be my pleasure to have you come along.”

  “That would be incredible,” I say with a beaming smile. “I’d absolutely love to.”

  Zara walks past us and Charli calls out for her to come over. “Did you meet Zara earlier?” she asks me. “She’ll be coming on Saturday night.”

  “Hey,” Zara says looking a little confused. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re adopting Lexi,” Charli grins. “She’s new and doesn’t know anyone here yet, so she’s going to come to Rylee’s black and white party with us on Saturday night.”

  “Oh really?” Zara asks with excited eyes as she looks down at me. “It’s going to be so much fun. Rylee throws incredible parties and all the guys are coming too. You’ll love it.”

  “I can’t wait. I’ll have to find something to wear. It’s been a little while since I’ve gone out,” I tell them.

  “Oh, well if you need something, you should go down to ‘Style Me Crazy’, our friend Cami owns that store and has everything you could need. She’ll be at the party, actually, she’ll most likely be working it too.”

  “Oh ok,” I say, feeling more excited than I have in a long time. In the four years since I left my husband, I’ve never found people who have so easily taken me in. These g
irls hardly know me, yet here they are instantly inviting me into their lives. “Thanks,” I say with as much sincerity as I can possibly give.

  “No problem,” Charli grins before she starts rinsing the shampoo out of my hair. She starts telling me about her fiancé Xander and I realize what they share is a true, deep kind of love. One I wish that I could find for myself, but I’m damaged goods and nearly twenty-eight. I’m pretty sure that ship has already sailed.

  As she finishes my hair, we chat about my renovation and she throws out all her suggestions, some of which I think I’ll actually go with.

  Once we’re done, she gives me directions to Cami’s shop and we exchange numbers.

  I walk out of Chari’s salon feeling like for the first time in nearly four years, that I’ve found somewhere that I could maybe find a home. I’ve never felt a connection to a place like the way I’m starting to feel about this town. The people have all been incredibly nice and welcoming, all except one, and I feel like just maybe, this could be my forever home.

  Chapter 6

  Luke

  What the hell am I doing here?

  I stand out the front of my neighbors house trying to convince myself not to knock on the stupid door. I don’t know why I feel so compelled to come over here, but after she hurt herself this morning, I just had to come and check on her.

  I mean, she went straight down like a sack of potatoes. I swear, I could practically hear her ass protesting with the impact of the hit. Then she had to go and tell me that she has some weird blood clotting disorder, and now, here I am.

  I watched while my friend was tortured for nearly three weeks. I watched him suffer through incredible amounts of pain then suffered through the very same. After going through something like that, I can’t bear the thought of another person’s pain.

  The fact that a slight excitement goes through me at the thought of seeing her, doesn’t occur to me. I’ll check on the nameless girl. Make sure she has what she needs to get better. Then I’ll leave.