by Bella Jewel
“Honey, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”
My wailing is now quiet but constant sobs.
It hurts so much.
“It hurts,” I cry, my voice crackly and soft.
“I know it does,” Avi says, taking my hand. “I know.”
“Ambulance is on its way,” Cohen says. “I’ll go and get her momma.”
He disappears, and I close my eyes, the pain almost too much to bear.
“Don’t close your eyes,” Flick says. “Stay awake, baby.”
Baby.
That’s nice.
So nice.
Why does it take me getting hurt for him to see that there is something here?
Why does he keep fighting it?
Fighting me?
Oh, look ... I’m drifting into darkness.
Bloody finally.
10
NOW – BRIELLA
“Could be an old key and someone else is stayin’ in the room,” Cohen murmurs as we walk up the steps of The Inn and toward the row of doors with numbers on them.
“If that’s the case we’ll just play dumb and pretend that we’re in the wrong place. Nobody will be any wiser.”
Cohen shrugs and we walk to the room number we found on the key. With trembling hands, I swipe it and the door unlocks. I look to Mykel who is standing to my left, his eyes scanning the area before coming back to mine. He nods and Cohen pulls out his gun, bringing it around to the front of his pants just in case he needs it quickly. Then we push the door open and step inside.
I flick on the light and at first glance, it looks as though nobody has been here. Though the bed isn’t made, the room is quite clean. Judging by the musky smell, it has been a few days, maybe a bit less, since the doors and windows have been opened which tells me that no one is staying here right now and we’re not about to walk in on someone in the toilet or something horrible.
“Do you think she was the last one to stay here?” I ask, walking into the room and over to the bed.
“Depends if that key is new or not. It’s possible,” Cohen murmurs, walking into the bathroom.
Mykel goes over to the television stand and starts rummaging through a heap of stuff that’s on there. I pull the covers back, but I don’t find anything. No clothing or anything to indicate anyone has been here for a bit.
“Recognize any of this?” Cohen asks coming out of the bathroom with a heap of toiletries in a bag.
He places the bag on the bed, and I rummage through it. Mostly, it’s just basics like soap and hair products, but there is something that catches my eye. A brush. I know that brush because I have the exact same one. Mom got them for us when we were teens and we both kept them after she died, sort of like we couldn’t part with that memory of her. I bring the brush out and my heart aches. “This is Magnolia’s.”
“Dammit,” Cohen mutters.
“Why would she leave this here, but she had her bag and it looked untouched, like she had only just packed it but never actually taken anything out of it. If she was staying here, and left in a hurry enough to forget this, which is special to her, her clothes would have been messed up.”
“Maybe she packed all her things and was leavin’ here, but somethin’ happened and she was forced to leave the rest of it,” Cohen suggests.
He could be right, if she had been staying here for a while, she may have washed and repacked all her clothes in order to leave but something happened that stopped her from finishing it and she’s rushed out leaving these last few things behind. It’s probably the most logical explanation. Now the problem we have is wondering why the hell she suddenly left and where she was going when her car was stopped.
“This is interesting,” Mykel says, walking toward us with a note in his hand.
He hands it over to me and I unfold the paper and read the contents, it’s a handwritten note, with a very neat and well-presented style. It reads,
Magnolia,
I came by but you weren’t around.
I need to speak with you urgently.
Call me when you receive this note.
I’ll come back later if I don’t hear from you.
L.B
“Who is L.B?” I wonder out loud. “And the note really isn’t that interesting, it’s not threatening or cruel. It just sounds like a friend dropped by.”
I look to Mykel and he studies me a moment before saying, “Could be a long shot, but remember how we were discussing an officer of the law possibly having involvement earlier? It just so happens that there is a cop in the mix that we’ve had a few run-ins with before, and he goes by the name Constable Bennett. Now, that could be a complete coincidence, or it could have somethin’ to do with it. Either way, I think we need to take this to the club because it’s gettin’ pretty deep and we’re goin’ to need extra hands.”
A police officer?
How is Magnolia involved in all of this?
Nothing is making sense, and the more I think about it, the more confused I become.
I have a feeling though that this has absolutely nothing to do with drugs, and that’s all a cover up to throw the club and anyone else off.
This is something more sinister.
I can feel it right down to my core.
“Okay,” I agree.
We finish scouring the room and then I pop into the reception clerk and ask her when Magnolia is expected back and tell her who I am. She tells me she has been staying there for just over a week and is due to check out in about three days. I thank her and leave, telling her to call me if Magnolia comes back.
It’s all getting a little twisty, and I’m starting to wonder just who Magnolia has gotten herself involved with.
I climb into the truck and sit in the backseat, again pondering all the theories rolling around in my head.
One thing is for certain, Magnolia is in trouble.
Someone is playing a very clever game.
And I’m going to find out who that someone is.
Before they hurt my sister.
I WALK OUT OF MY BEDROOM, bleary eyed, half naked, hair a mess, in desperate need of some water.
I don’t know what time it is, possibly early morning, maybe late night, hell, I have no idea. All I know is I went to bed without my usual bottle of water and now I’m parched, half asleep, and a little disorientated.
I walk into the living area and stop dead in my tracks, squinting, blinded by the bright light as all the men sit around on the sofa, watching something on the television. I had no idea they were here; I have no idea why they’re awake, but I just walked in and now they’re all staring at me. Every single one of them. How did I not hear the television? To be fair I’m completely out of it, but I honestly thought I was alone so I didn’t really pay attention, either.
I put my hands down in front of my groin, like that’s going to hide the fact that I’m basically naked. The panties I’m wearing are so tiny they only cover what they have to, and my top is cropped and short, sort of like a sports bra. I don’t like sleeping in much, I find it gets tangled and I prefer to just enjoy my blankets being the only ones that tangle me.
“Oh,” I squeak, staring at all five men. “I didn’t realize anyone was here.”
“We’re not complainin’ darlin’,” Mykel murmurs. “The view isn’t something we would have grounds to complain about. You filled out real nice.”
Alarick shoots Mykel a look, which he completely ignores. He’s too busy staring at me with lusty eyes. I’ve never seen Mykel look at me like that before, honestly, I haven’t. We’ve always been great friends, but I’ve never looked at him like ... well ... the man that’s returning my stare right now.
He’s gorgeous, and strong, and there isn’t a woman around that wouldn’t want him looking at her like that.
I flush and glance down at the ground. “I’m just getting some water.”
I turn and hurry into the kitchen, and I hear a low whistle as I do. I don’t know who does it, but it makes me smile
just a little.
I’m a girl, I don’t mind being seen as attractive to men, especially those men.
I grab a glass of water and go to turn around when I slam into a hard, bare chest.
Alarick is standing so close to me, and yet I didn’t hear him come in. Water spills all down the front of him and I squeal with shock, launching backward, eyes wide.
“I’m sorry,” I say, my voice a little light as I try not to laugh. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
He ignores the water currently dripping down his gorgeous chest, droplet after droplet of pure goodness. I try not to stare at the way his body has filled out, the way his tattoos make him look so much better, or the way his muscles move when he does. He’s so fucking beautiful. I glance back up at his face, and he’s staring down at me. His eyes drag slowly over my body before coming back up to meet mine. There, he holds my stare until I can feel the tension in the room build. Sexual tension. Tension unlike anything I’ve felt before in my life.
It’s in that moment I realize just how much I’ve missed this man.
I’ll never tell him that, of course, but deep down, life without him has been utterly miserable.
“What do you think you’re doin’ walkin’ around wearin’ that,” he growls, low.
My brows go up. “Ah, I was sleeping, and I didn’t know anyone was here.”
“You didn’t hear the television ...”
Oh.
He thinks I did this on purpose.
Douche.
I take it back; I didn’t miss him at all.
Nope, not even a little bit.
“I didn’t, actually. If I wanted to strut around and find some dick, I could do so at any point. I don’t, because right now, I have better things to do. So, think what you want, I’m going to go back to bed.”
I spin around and turn the tap on to fill my glass of water again.
Alarick’s hard body presses against mine, pushing me into the counter, his large chest molding against my back.
Everything in my world stops, and I have to try and smother my gasp, but I can’t. I catch my breath and my hand trembles. Alarick leans down, his breath tickling my ear, and it’s in that moment I realize he’s been drinking. I can smell the whiskey on his breath and it only amplifies the situation because it reminds me of how good he tastes when he’s been drinking whiskey. How his mouth feels against mine. How his tongue feels between my legs ...
Memories flood back, and I struggle to retain my composure.
“What is it you’re really doin’ back here, Briella? All these years, all this time, you come back and drive me fuckin’ crazy. You make me fuckin’ burn.”
His voice is a low, angry hiss but it only makes me want him more.
“I came back for the exact reason I said I did,” I whisper, my hand still holding the glass out, ready to fill it.
I seem unable to move.
“You’re a fuckin’ liar.”
Okay, it’s not the only reason I came back. I could have avoided it, found another way, but the truth is it was time I faced everything. Especially now I have Rupert, because I don’t know how life is going to go when I get him removed and I don’t want to leave anything to chance. I needed to come and try and mend all the things I broke.
Still, right now finding Magnolia is my number one.
When she’s safe, I’ll worry about the rest.
I’ll tell them about Rupert.
Just not right now.
Not yet.
“I’m here for my sister,” I say, and my voice comes out strained and way too lusty for my liking. “Then I’ll get out of your hair.”
He presses his body even harder against mine, and I can feel his hardening cock against my back. If he’s trying to get me aroused, he’s doing a fantastic fucking job at it. I want to turn around and kiss him even more than I want to slide his cock into my pussy right now. The overwhelming urge to taste him and feel him is out of this world and I need to get out of this situation right fucking now or I’m going to do something I shouldn’t be doing.
“Flick,” I murmur, my voice trembling. “Stop.”
“Don’t fuckin’ call me that,” he growls. “You lost that privilege when you fuckin’ left me.”
I shove back a bit and spin around. He doesn’t move off me completely, he still keeps me pinned against the counter, but at least now I’m facing him. “I left because you didn’t fucking believe me, Alarick.”
“You were runnin’ around town talkin’ about stuff that didn’t happen, Briella. You were runnin’ King down. You thought I wouldn’t defend him?”
“You didn’t even try to understand what I was saying,” I whisper hiss. “You didn’t even want to hear it.”
“Because it was bullshit. Because I knew it was bullshit. You didn’t understand and you didn’t try to.”
“If it was bullshit,” I whisper angrily, “then where the fuck is Aviana? Hmmm? Where the hell are they? King broke her and what she saw was real. I know it was. I believe her when she tells me. You didn’t even look into it. You didn’t want to believe me. Then after mom died, you didn’t want to believe me then, either.”
“Her family got themselves into fuckin’ trouble, they got knocked for their own wrong doings. Nothin’ to do with you. As for Aviana, I don’t know where she fuckin’ is. We looked, we couldn’t find her. As for your mom, don’t ever blame King for somethin’ you don’t understand.”
I shake my head and shove at his chest with my free hand. “Let me go. I’m not going over this again. I’m not having the same argument with you. You want to know why I ran? This is exactly why. You didn’t believe me. After everything we had, you didn’t fucking believe me. You still don’t. You’re just proving to me exactly why I stayed away for fucking five years. The man I loved didn’t fucking have my back, now let me the fuck go.”
His face changes, just slightly. I never told Alarick I was in love with him. Back then, I was young and lusty and we just had this connection that spoke for itself. He never said the words either, so I was always too scared to say it in case he didn’t feel the same. Plus, I was young and thought that’s how it all worked.
When I left, and my heart broke, I knew that my whole heart belonged to him.
Every single inch of it.
“Briella,” he tries to say, his voice low and husky.
I keep pushing him away.
For all the pain caused.
For the explosion I feel in my chest.
For the way my whole body hurts when I look at him.
I’ll lose it if I stand here another second.
“No,” I growl, shoving him until he steps back. “You do not get to come in here and act like a dick, you do not get to pretend like what we had never mattered to you. Now, leave me the fuck alone while I find my sister so I can get the hell out of here and never have to see you again.”
My words are angry and spiteful, but I can’t stop them and the way they flow out of my mouth like a violent whip.
“Stay the hell out of my life, Alarick.”
I turn and walk off, my hands trembling, my body shaking, my heart feeling like it’s going to beat out of my chest.
As soon as I get to my room, my eyes water and tears flow down my cheeks.
Damn him.
God dammit.
Fuck you, Alarick.
Fuck you.
Germy launches off the couch and follows me happily down the hall and into my room.
I sit on my bed and wrap my arms around the big German Shepherd and he wags happily.
“I love you, Germy,” I murmur, pressing my face into his face. “I’m glad you’re here.”
God only knows I need someone right now.
Everything feels like it’s falling apart.
11
THEN – BRIELLA
“I’m a cripple,” I whine to Aviana as we kick back on her bed, me shifting around all over the place because I’m so freakin’ uncomfortable.
&nb
sp; It has been four weeks since I fell out of that tree and broke my wrist. Luckily for me, I didn’t break anything else, though at the time, I was certain every bone in my body was broken when I landed on the ground. Turns out, it was only my wrist. I did, however, bruise my ribs, fracture my collar bone, and there were a good deal of cuts and scratches all over my body.
I was in agony for weeks.
I’m feeling better now, but I’m still uncomfortable. Going out with a bound-up wrist isn’t how I expected to enter my world as an eighteen-year-old, but, it could be worse. I’ve only got two more weeks and this cast will be removed, and I’ll finally be able to get back into the swing of things. I can’t wait.
“You’re not a cripple, stop your complaining.” Avi laughs as she checks her completed nails that she just decorated. “It’ll be over soon and we’ll be back out and at em’.”
“It can’t come soon enough, I swear.”
She nods. “Have you seen much of Alarick?”
I shake my head. “Nope, not after our little fight. He was really worried obviously and came to see me in the hospital a few times but after I gave him a few too many cold shoulders, he stayed away. It’s my own fault, but I was just so ... embarrassed.”
“Don’t be, Alarick is in a different place right now but I promise you he feels the exact same way.”
“I know he feels something, but all I feel is utterly stupid. I mean I told him I was a virgin and I hadn’t wanted to do it with anyone else.”
“Maybe you should change that.” Avi shrugs. “Why wait for Alarick if he’s not really comfortable? I mean, you’re young and you’re gorgeous, aren’t you curious as to what it’ll feel like? Maybe try one of the other guys in the club, I’m sure they’d be happy to oblige.”
I snort. “I’m not a whore, and those men aren’t the kind who would crack onto me. They never have, and I’m fairly certain they never will.”
“Firstly” —she wiggles her finger in front of my face— “you’re not a whore when you’ve never had sex and there is nothing wrong with wanting to explore your sexuality. I hate that women are called whores for the same thing men are called champions over. But, all that aside, you’re allowed to go out and see what you like. Also, Mykel would gladly take that cherry, I would almost bet on it. He adores you, and I’m sure he has some sort of feeling there.”