Forbidden: A bully romance (An Academy Twin Rivalry Series Book 2)

by Taylor Blaine

  We faced the wall. When the lights came on in the back, we took a deep breath and pressed tighter against the siding. I leaned my head closer to Stephanie. “What should we do?”

  “Do we make a run for it?” She stared at me in the dim light coming from the front and now the back.

  We had no idea what we were up against. If there was a group out there or just Staci, what was she doing? Was she staring at the yard? I shook my head, patting Stephanie’s arm. “Just a second. I’m going to crawl over and see what we can see.” We were already in that far. I would hate to start running and draw attention to us when Staci was just turning on the lights.

  I rolled to my knees and crawled the twenty feet to the corner of my old house. Slowing down, I poked my head around the corner just enough I could see the majority of the rear yard.

  The lights had been turned on in the pool and Stephanie walked in all her naked brazenness from the house to the water. She lifted her arms and then dove gracefully into the water, slicing through until she came up on the opposite side of the pool. Her hair trailed down her back, wet and stuck to her head, but only making her look more like a model than not.

  “I think we should go inside. She’s going to be out here a while. You can tell she’s enjoying the heated pool.” Stephanie’s soft whisper carried from behind me and above.

  I nodded, because clearly Staci’s languid motions gave away her love for the water. She was an accomplished swimmer. She moved through the depths with more elegance than I thought she would be able to manage with what I’d just witnessed in the living room.

  “Let’s go inside.” Stephanie pulled back from above me, motioning toward the front when I turned to look at her.

  Inside. We were really pushing things. We had no idea when the mother would be home, if Staci was expecting another carful of sex partners, or even when Staci was going back inside.

  If we were caught, they would have every right to call the cops. I might have gotten lucky earlier at the café, but there would be no one to back up my story when I said I was lost and looking for my keys. Or whatever stupid story I would be forced to come up with when we were caught.

  What would happen, if I was arrested for trespassing? I’d never been arrested before.

  I looked carefully at Stephanie as I approached her quietly. Keeping my voice hushed, I spoke, moving my hands between us. “Are you sure we want to do this?”

  “Do you want to figure out what is going on?” Stephanie tilted her head my direction.

  Yeah, I did. Was sneaking into the house the only way I would be able to find out anything? Maybe. I licked my lips, nervous at what we were both proposing and considering. “Maybe we should just Google it.” I sounded like a coward. And maybe I was, but I had a feeling I wasn’t worried as much about the cops showing up or even getting caught so much as I was about actually finding out what I feared might be the truth.

  Was I strong enough to find out my dad had an affair? Maybe the woman had taken on his name or something. Or, what it most likely was, Staci was a niece or something and I was too scared to find out because I automatically believed the worst about people.

  Dad wouldn’t have done that to me or Mom. He loved us. He wouldn’t have hurt us intentionally. I ignored the fact that he’d sold my legacy, sold Mom’s company out from under her and so much more to hurt us. He wouldn’t have cheated on Mom, though. I was certain of that.

  I nodded, smiling. “Yeah, let’s go inside. She’s most likely a long-lost niece or something. I didn’t even think that could be a possibility before now.” That would make sense, too. Staci’s mom was probably Dad’s sister. I’d heard about his family, but we’d never gone to family dinners or anything because he’d reported them as having a racist attitude toward Spanish people.

  Our last name didn’t inspire confidence, no matter what my family had done with the name. Mom hadn’t cared since she’d been too busy working and raising me.

  Most likely, they were in the area because they were looking for Dad’s family. They just didn’t know it was us.

  Staci and I were supposed to be good friends as cousins. Maybe we could get to that point. Most likely not, but one could hope.

  “Yeah, that sounds like a good explanation. Let’s go find out.” Stephanie turned and limped toward the front.

  I followed behind, a little more hopeful that things were more likely than not trivial when I’d thought it was traumatic. We walked softly up the stairs to the front door, watching the driveway in case Staci’s mom returned while we stood there.

  Ready or not, we were going inside.

  My palms were sweaty, but it was the most fun thing I’d done in a while. Time to step it up and add more excitement to my life. Leave it to Stephanie to spice things up. We’d done the dancing, or tried to, and now there we were breaking and entering. She definitely had interesting ideas.

  I put my hand on Stephanie’s back and tapped twice to let her know it was clear.

  The door swung open and Stephanie stepped inside.

  Time to explore.

  Chapter 15

  Jaxon

  Braddox drove us around for a couple hours in what had to be the most uncomfortable car ride, I’d ever endured.

  We didn’t speak. Not a word. Neither of us willing to break the silence out of pride. As far as either of us was concerned, we still hated the other.

  Braddox’s phone dinged as we turned the corner toward DeGuido’s for the third time in an hour. Pulling the cell from his pocket, he swiped the screen and pushed the piece to his ear while he steered with his other hand. “Go.”

  Unintelligible murmuring reached me in the silence. I waited.

  “Got it. Let me know if he moves in the next five minutes.” Braddox hung up and flipped a bitch in the middle of the road. Not that it mattered. It was quiet for a Friday night. No one was around, even on the main streets of town. Maybe they knew something I didn’t.

  The tires peeled as Braddox revved the engine while we were in the middle of pulling out of his turn. He’d installed oh-shit handles above the windows and I gripped one as he tore through the streets. We were on a collision course with a warehouse on the east side of Shores.

  I stomped my feet on the floorboard as Braddox careened the car crazily down the middle of the road. I gritted my teeth, refusing to mutter an exclamation or even grunt when he screeched to a stop in front of Linda’s café. The infamous scene where Ryan had been stabbed.

  Why would he return to the place he’d been attacked?

  Stepping from the front seat, Braddox held his hand out, as if telling me to stay. My nostrils flared and I squinted at the dashboard. I’d do what he said for right now, but only because he had something planned for Ryan, even though I had no idea what it was.

  I settled back in the seat, tempering my anger that Ryan had enraged Olivia enough that she’d struck out, putting herself in danger.

  A black car pulled up behind the Nova. I studied the limo tinted windows through the side mirror on my right. The driver side door opened and a man in black jeans and a black t-shirt left the car and moved to stand beside the café’s entrance. He knelt down like he was tying his shoe and then took a seat on the bench nearby.

  He kept himself nonchalant, but I could see he was observant enough to be on edge. His finger tapped his leg where he rested it, other than that, he was still.

  The door to the café opened. Braddox and Ryan spilled out, laughing like the best of friends while Braddox held his arm around Ryan’s shoulders.

  They moved slowly as Ryan limped with a crutch on the side where Braddox wasn’t. Ryan paused when he saw me in the car, his eyes growing round. He glanced at Braddox who shook his head, grinning like a jackass. His lips moved as he said something to Ryan.

  Ryan’s doubt didn’t decrease as he looked at me and then back at Braddox. He held up his hand not on the crutch and his lips moved, then he stared at me.

  Braddox gave me a look as if telling me to s
mile or something. Not what I wanted to do. I bit my tongue as I lifted my hand and waved at Ryan and Braddox. That didn’t seem to appease him.

  The man on the bench stood, staring at Braddox and Ryan as if to step in. That alarmed me more than what I was dealing with regarding Ryan.

  I cracked my door open. “You guys ready? Come on, Donnie’s party is only private tonight.” I was pulling crap out of thin air. Hopefully, Ryan bought it. I had no idea what story Braddox was pushing off on him, but I hadn’t met a teenaged boy within a hundred miles of Shores who wouldn’t kill for an invite to Donnie’s parties. The things that went on there weren’t a secret.

  Ryan’s suspicion seemed mollified as he stepped closer with his crutch. I stepped out of the front and slid the seat forward and climbed into the back. Ryan wouldn’t be able to get in with his crutches and maybe I could lean forward and choke him out.

  That mental image alone was enough to make me move easily.

  In the car, I glanced behind us, taking note of the man moving back into the black sedan and pulling onto the street behind us, falling behind, but tracking us.

  I didn’t like being followed by someone I didn’t know. I glanced forward, catching Braddox’s knowing gaze in the rearview mirror. He didn’t say anything as he drove us the rest of the way to his house. Neither of us cut Ryan off on his verbal stream of consciousness. He didn’t seem to care or notice that we weren’t responding to his off-color jokes about girls he’d banged and groups he’d orgied with. I didn’t care.

  Listening to his conquests where I suspected they were more like rapes and gang rapes made me sick. I tried my best to tune him out.

  We pulled into Donnie’s driveway and I narrowed my eyes. I had to stay on guard. I wasn’t at the house of someone who liked me or who I could trust. I needed to keep my eyes open and stay alert. Braddox wasn’t on my side either.

  We all climbed out of the car after Brax parked. I hung back, following them reluctantly into the house. The more they ran the more control I lost. I couldn’t let them pin me anywhere I couldn’t get out of.

  I leaned forward after we walked down a long hallway and tapped Braddox on the shoulder. “I need to use the bathroom.”

  Braddox glanced at me, but didn’t take his focus off Ryan. He motioned down the hall. “Third door down. We’ll be in the room on the right with the door open.”

  He clapped a hand on Ryan’s shoulder and motioned toward the room. “We’re going to get something to drink while we’re waiting for the chicks to show up. Don’t worry, buddy. They’ll make that leg of yours feel all kinds of better.” He grinned, leading Ryan further down the hall.

  I turned back, ducking into the bathroom and counting to one hundred. What did I do? Did I follow along with whatever game Braddox was playing? I hadn’t seen Donnie yet, but I had a feeling he’d do whatever Braddox wanted.

  The guy in the car worried me. Braddox hadn’t seemed concerned, but that didn’t make me feel any better. Braddox had a habit of thinking other people wouldn’t touch him because of his money, but he didn’t realize that also put him in a precarious position.

  I stared in the mirror. What was I doing? I could almost talk to my reflection and pretend I was speaking to Braddox like I used to do when I was younger. It had helped stave off the ever-present loneliness.

  What was I going to do? I couldn’t stay there. Donnie and Braddox weren’t people I could trust.

  I had to remember that. Just because we looked alike, didn’t mean we were similar.

  I left the bathroom, treading down the hall quietly. I could clearly hear Donnie, Braddox, and Ryan’s voices from two doors down. I opened the door right next to the room I’d been told they were in and ducked inside the door, leaving it ajar. I pressed my ear to the wall between the rooms and listened as close as I dared.

  “Did you drink all of that, Ryan? We want to make sure you have a good time.” Braddox’s voice carried clearly through the wall.

  “Yeah, I got some. Can I have some more, or should I wait ‘til the girls get here?” Ryan slurred his words.

  “He’s almost out.” Donnie laughed, his voice further away sounding as if he paced on the other side of the room.

  ‘What do you expect? He’s probably on pain meds, too.” Braddox laughed, something thudding against the wall. Maybe he leaned against it as he did whatever he was doing.

  “Are we drugging Jaxon, too?” Donnie asked as if it were so matter-of-fact. How many people had they drugged in the past? They had obviously drugged Ryan. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I think I was fine with it until they started talking about drugging me.

  “Sh. He’s in the bathroom still. Hell, Donnie.” He fell silent and then his smug tone laced his following words. “But yeah, he’s definitely getting roofied. He’s in my way, too much lately. Even Olivia is fooled by him.”

  My brother would seriously drug me? To do what to me? I closed my eyes as I considered what that meant.

  Mostly it meant there was no sense of family or loyalty left in Braddox. He’d opted to turn on me because I’d left with Mom. Fine, but was that fair? Didn’t I deserve a second chance? That only seemed fair. But hadn’t I been told I’m too forgiving? Too lenient.

  I couldn’t be lulled by Braddox.

  “What are we going to do with Ryan?” Donnie this time. His voice sounded stable, like he’d stopped moving.

  “I’m not sure yet. He’ll get what he deserves, though. One thing Jaxon was right about, I can’t be seen as soft or like I’m not paying attention.” At least Braddox gave me credit while planning something for me.

  “What are we going to do with your brother once we get him down?” A test in Donnie’s voice had no problem making itself known.

  I held my breath. For some reason, I still hoped Braddox had some semblance of emotional attachment to me. Something. Anything.

  Was it really possible for him to hate me as much as it seemed he did?

  “I’m not sure yet. Like I said, he gets in the way.” There was no added rancor in Braddox’s voice, leaving it hard to read. Fine. He could be like that if he wanted to. I could adapt.

  “Why is he here, anyway? I thought you were getting rid of him.” Donnie’s voice reeked of accusations. What was his reasoning for hating me as much as he seemed to? What did that mean getting rid of him?

  “Look, let’s just get through this, okay? I’ll get him to drink his stuff and then we’ll have them both crash somewhere. I’ll figure out the goal after that, alright? This was kind of sprung on me, too.” Irritation bit the consonants of Braddox’s words. He was getting pissed. Donnie backed off as they fell silent.

  I could tell I’d passed the point of gone too long. I poked my head out past the doorway and looked both ways before stepping into the hallway and striding toward the door next to where I’d hidden. I couldn’t let on that I knew they wanted to drug me.

  No. If I wanted to know their plan, I had to make sure I stuck with whatever they were doing so their guards would be down.

  I pushed on the door to the room I knew they were in, pushing it from ajar to fully open. Where I’d pictured a bedroom, I was looking at more of a den style room. I took in the scene, pointing at Ryan who was sprawled across the couch in the sitting room. “What happened? Did you punch him or something?” I moved to stand over Ryan like I was actually wondering what happened. I took note of an empty cup on the coffee table in the center of the couches and chairs set up around the periphery of the room.

  Ryan’s head hung at an awkward angle to his shoulders with his mouth slightly agape.

  Was it bad that I wanted to dig my heel into the bandaged area at the top of his leg? I was going to say no, it wasn’t bad at all.

  “He had a drink and passed out. I think he’s still on pain meds. Alcohol and drugs are not a good mix. We’re planning on a party. You staying?” Donnie moved around the room, pacing again with a determined glint in his eyes. He wasn’t a fan of mine. That much was obvious.
Did he have any idea just how much I did not care?

  Probably not, judging by the way he waited for my reply which I wasn’t even sure should be an option.

  I cleared my throat. “Parties are my thing. What are we serving up?” I pointed at Ryan. “Don’t give me what he had. He’s going to miss all the action.” I laughed and held out a hand to take the glass Braddox handed over.

  Not only was Braddox encouraging me to get drugged, he was actually delivering the medium to me. My own brother. Could it be any more messed up?

  “To be fair, I’ll probably crash. I better not drink too much. Last time I had a full drink was about two years ago. I fell flat on my face. I never lived it down. You guys can’t tell anyone, if I pass out early, got it?” I sipped the glass, grinning at them as if we shared a secret and they were my friends.

  I tipped the cup, pressing my lips shut as the liquid hit my flesh. I pretended to swallow, ignoring the glance between Braddox and Donnie. I had to wait a few minutes before I could start acting affected. Judging by the way Ryan had gone down, I was supposed to get tired.

  Tired. I could be tired.

  I yawned, shaking my head as I set the cup down. “Man, Braddox, I better get going home. I’m already tired. I’m so embarrassed. I can’t believe this. I’d hate to fall asleep in the middle of some fun, you know?” Would that be enough for them to let me go?

  Braddox moved closer, a hand out, his smile firmly affixed to his lips. “Nah, you don’t want to try driving or walking or anything, if you’re already feeling the alcohol. You’re probably just tired. Girls won’t be here another hour. Why don’t you try taking a nap? Donnie, can he stay in the green room?” Braddox glanced at his friend as if Donnie had any choice in the matter.

  “Of course, man. Whatever you need.” Donnie grinned at me, eyeing my cup as if I wasn’t drinking enough.

  I faked another drink, then held the cup out and studied it. “Wow, this is good. What is this? I’m used to only beer. Alcohol is expensive on the east side.” Had to remind them of where I’d been. That might lull them somewhat.