by Eden Rose
“Are you ready for me, Bella?” He asks me each time.
Each time is always the same answer and that’s no. How could I be ready for something I don’t understand or could begin to understand? I’m only nine and this is… I don’t know what this is but it’s bad. Real bad.
Like always, I try to hide my fear. He told me this is natural and if it’s natural, why am I so scared? I’m so scared.
“Yes,” I mumble, tugging the blankets up around my neck. I look over at the night light in the corner and focus on that through everything.
Tonight, is going to be bad. I can tell by how mad he looks in the face. He looks very mad at me, but I didn’t do anything.
“Did I do something wrong?” I ask as I pull the covers up around my neck like it would help save me.
He chuckles. “You’re a bad girl for teasing me. You know what you did. You always tease me.”
He starts to undo his pants then drop them to the floor. This is something new and I’m not sure what he’s going to do with this. Why is he taking off his pants? I’m about to ask him when he interrupts me.
“Take off the blanket, my bad girl.”
“No,” I cry.
“Take off the blanket!”
“I’m scared!”
“No need to be scared. Let daddy make you feel better!”
“Bella! Bella!”
I wake with a start, grasping at the body in front of me. I squeeze strong arms trying to root myself to the bed. If I don’t move, everything will be over sooner rather than later. He would get what he wants and leave me alone until tomorrow night. “Who… What?” I beg.
“Bella? Are you okay?” A man asks.
“Just do it and leave me alone!” I scream still in the middle of my nightmare.
“Do what? What am I doing? Bella, you have to wake up!” He yells.
As always, when I fall out of my nightmare, I feel catatonic. Glued to my bed. I can’t move my limbs no matter how hard I try. I try to kick off the blankets but my body won’t listen to me as I yell at my legs to follow my directions.
“Bella, baby. Wake up. You are okay!”
My eyes snap open, focusing on the gorgeous man’s floating head in front of me. I grip his shoulders to push him away for me to sit up and get some air. “What are you doing in here?” I ask embarrassed he caught me in a nightmare.
The thing about this nightmare is, I always wake up before I see his face. I don’t need to see his face in the dream because it’s always in my mind’s eye. It never fails.
“I heard you screaming in my room. What the fuck was that about?” He questions me with worry.
I shake my head. “I don’t remember.” I’m a liar; how could I forget something like that? “Let me go,” I hiss and shake him off. Having him be nice to me is too much right now. I need to have some space since I was already dangerously close to letting him kiss me.
Beast shakes his head. His gorgeous hair flops from each side of his head while he stares at me. “All right. I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do.”
I watch him slide off the bed walking towards the door. “Wait!” I cry not ready to be fully alone just yet. I’m a mess and I can’t help it. “Please don’t leave me alone just yet.”
He turns slowly looking at me with a smoldering look. “You want to tell me how a nice girl like you had a dad who became a rat?”
I shake my head. “Not particularly.”
Beast chuckles. “I do love your smart mouth.”
I can’t help it and crack a smile. “I love yours too.” I let the tension fill the air for a few seconds before moving over in the bed to let him in. I pat the bed trying to be seductive, my nightmare has been long forgotten. “Come sit with me.”
I can see his mind trying to process what I’m asking and if it’s a good idea. “Uh, are you sure? Guys like me don’t share beds with girls like you. We fuck in a bed and then leave the bed.”
I feel a stab in my chest. I’m just another piece of ass to him… well, I would be if we were having sex. He won’t even touch me!
“Please,” I ask him again.
“Fuck. What are you doin’ to me? Sittin’ in bed with a woman… Only if my brothers could see me now!”
I giggle. “You really are a comedian.”
His big body sits on the bed before swinging around so he’s sitting up next to me. He places a big hand on head and shakes me. “You know you shouldn’t get used to this.”
Even though I know he’s right, I can’t help but want this. I like the way he makes me feel. “I know.”
Beast takes a deep breath. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen to you or anything. But you need to be careful. Those guys will be quick to sell you on the market and once you’re gone, you’re gone. We won’t be able to find you.”
As he says the words, I feel a shift inside me. I know what he’s saying is right; that doesn’t mean I have to agree with it. “Yeah.” What more could I say?
“Bella, you don’t know how pissed people are because of what your dad did.”
“Are you mad at my dad, too?” I don’t really care if he’s mad at him. I know he’s a bad man who deserves whatever is coming to him. I don’t know if I would be as much of a target if they knew how my dad didn’t want me. Or care about me. By kidnapping me, that wouldn’t hurt him at all.
He nods his head. “Yeah. He sent a couple brothers to prison. Some of those brothers aren’t getting out in a long time. Your dad really fucked us all over in the community.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumble while stifling a yawn.
Beast shrugs as he slides off the bed. “Night, Bella,” he murmurs before leaving the room.
I do sleep for real this time. No monsters hiding in the depths of my dreams.
Beast
My mom would have killed me if she saw how I’ve been ignoring Bella the past two days. Sitting with Bella two nights ago on her bed, further cemented my attraction to her and I can’t have that. I can’t have any form of attraction to that woman as I will break her.
She’s so vulnerable, mind and body. One night with me would be all it took for her to crack under pressure.
So, I do the only thing I know how to do and that’s run. I’ve been in a two day run getting the money from people who owe us for one thing or another. My back is pretty fuckin’ stiff from riding my bike through the whole state, but I needed the time away from Bella.
I ride through the neighborhood of Beto, an up and comer of a stupid street gang that no one recognizes. Turns out, the bastard is two payments behind meaning he owes us a total of four grand. You better believe I will be collecting that money today.
I’ve always hated this neighborhood where Beto lives. Actually, it’s not even a neighborhood. Most of the people who live in this city call it the Green Projects since it’s on Green Street. Nothing about this place is green besides the greed behind the wannabe gangster’s eyes. They are all hungry and I’m an outsider. Which means, they might try and cash in on what they think I have.
Coming up through the ranks of Diablo, I have had to get fuckin’ smart with the amount of money I carry on me. These wannabe thugs will be quick with knocking me out and taking my money. I don’t bring the money with me when I ride through Green Projects. I’m not asking to get fuckin’ killed over a couple grand.
I cut off my bike after it has been parked in front of Beto’s apartment he lives in with his pregnant girlfriend. The girlfriend doesn’t look much older than sixteen or seventeen and she’s pregnant with their second kid. No wonder he’s trying to rise through the ranks through his street gang. He needs the money to pay for his family.
“Hey, mister! Is that your bike?” A little kid asks me as he points to it.
I nod. “Sure is, little man. You like bikes?” I ask him.
We’re standing across from each other with about two parking spots worth of distance. I can tell he doesn’t want to get too close to me. A lot of the p
arents tell their kids to be careful around outsiders like me. I wouldn’t want my kid talking to someone like me.
He nods. “Yeah! A couple’a bikes was here earlier!”
The kid has to be between three and four years old with his hair slicked back and a bandana over his head. He looks like his parents watch a lot of old hip hop music videos while trying to tell their kid to dress up like one. I think he looks cool, however, he probably has no idea what look he’s going for.
“A couple of bikes?” I question. None of the gangsters ride motorcycles and they wouldn’t have driven them over here for no reason. “Did they have a vest on like mine?” I pull at the lapel of my cut. “See how it’s soft and shiny looking in the sun?”
I don’t want to scare him but whoever was here did not come for a happy reason. I think I’m being played.
“Yeah!” He nods his head excitedly. “They talked to that guy in that place!” He points towards Beto’s apartment.
“Did you hear anything?”
He shakes his head. “No! Can I sit on your bike?”
I nod my head considering what the kid is asking me. If I let him on my bike, he will probably tell me everything he’s heard from Beto’s apartment. “Sure, kid, but you have to do something for me.”
He nods. “Yeah! Whuh?”
“You can sit on my bike if you tell me everything you heard in that apartment. I know you heard something. Do we have a deal?”
I’m not going to tell the kid that bikers don’t let anyone on their bikes unless it’s a hot woman who opens her legs. If I caught any guy sitting on my bike, I’d make it so his face was unrecognizable. But the kid heard something in the apartment and that’s why he’s trying to talk to me. He’s scared.
He shifts on his feet. “My dad always says ‘snitches get stitches.’ I don’t wanna get stitches.”
I walk over to him and lean down in front of him. “That is true but I’m your friend now. I won’t let anything like that happen to you. My name’s Beast. What’s yours?” I stick my hand out for him to shake it.
“Kyle.”
The kid is a couple of years younger than what my kid would have been if Christal didn’t get an abortion. I bet my kid would have been cool like Kyle too. The only difference, I wouldn’t let my kid sit outside talking to strangers.
Especially not in this fucking neighborhood. Hell no. I wouldn’t live in this neighborhood, for one thing.
His little hand slides into mine. “Nice to meet you, Kyle. Do we have a deal? I’m a man and a man has to stay true to their word.”
“Okay. I’ll tell you.”
I move out of his way so he can try and climb up on the bike. Now-a-days, a person has to be careful picking up a kid in public. I’m not trying to get shot for this. Once Kyle is on the bike, he leans over to try and grab the handles which are a little too far for his body.
“I’m a super cool biker!”
“Yeah, you are! Check you out!” I encourage him.
His smile is genuine and I can tell this is the most interaction he’s probably had with a grown up in a long time. I wait a couple of more minutes for the shock and ah to die down before asking him what I really want to know.
“All right,” I murmur to Kyle ready to bust his bubble. Truth is, I have a job to do and I need to know what he knows. “What happened?”
“Can I still sit on your bike?” He asks with excitement lighting up his face.
I can’t help but wonder if my kid would want to be a biker like his daddy. Would I have chose this life if I had a kid? I’m not sure. There are so many different ways my life could have gone.
I nod. “Yeah, little dude. Go ahead.”
“Okay! Well, some guys came to his house and was yelling at him telling him he needed to pay something back to them for something. I don’t know what, but they weren’t in there for a long time.”
“Did you hear what it was?”
The little kid shook his head.
I nod. “Do you remember what color this patch was?” I point to the patch on my cut.
Kyle shrugs. “Blue? I think. I think it was blue. The guy’s still in there.”
I walk over to him and hold my hand out for him to give me a high five. Which he does with a gigantic smile on his face. “Thanks, little dude. You’re pretty cool for a kid.”
He smiles. “Thanks, man. Thanks for letting me sit on your bike.” Kyle jumps off my bike and walks slowly to the grass area next to the parking lot.
I’m ready to meet with Beto and get our money.
Taking the few dozen steps to his front door, I see it has been kicked open. “What the fuck?” I growl under my breath.
All along the outside of the door is full of crow bar marks and boot footprints. Whoever got here first, kicked his door in so good that the wood trim around the door is splintered off too.
Jesus.
“Hello?”
“Help!”
“Beto?” I yell through the apartment.
“Help! Help me!”
I stroll through the apartment which is smashed to shit, until I get to the kitchen. I see Beto sprawled out on the floor with blood pouring out of a hole in his chest. “What happened?”
He’s breathing and alive even with the bullet wound in his chest. The wannabe gangster is going to be feeling this for a couple of weeks but he will live. “I don’t know!”
I crouch down next to him. “Look, this can go one or two ways. One, I could just kill you and get it over with. Two, you tell me what the fuck happened and I will get you help. Pick one.”
If being in the 1% has taught me anything, the other club kept him alive to tell me what happened. I know exactly who it is, but the why is something totally different.
He’s considering his options. The man has lived a hard life in his short amount of time on this earth. He’s young in the sense he’s probably eighteen or so, but his drug use and fights is what is aging the little asshole.
To further cement my demands, I reach behind my back and grab my gun. “Tick tock!”
“Fine, I’ll tell you!”
“Good.”
Beto’s sucking in air as much as he can before he launches into what I’m wanting to know. “I owe The Diablos money and another club money, too. I didn’t know I was going to get fuckin’ kicked out of a good deal. The deal would have given me enough money to pay you both off.”
I nod my head. “What club?”
“I don’t remember the name.”
I chuckle mirthlessly. “Yeah, fuckin’ right you do. Tell me. You are as good to me dead as you are alive. I don’t give two shits. I’m getting my money one way or another.”
Looking around his shit hole apartment, I focus on a table off to the side filled with coke in the process of being cut. “You’re cutting coke?”
Again, the temptation is almost too much to avoid.
He looks scared as he knows I could kill him right here for doing this. Part of our deal was you don’t fuck us over and we let you live. He’s trying to fuck the Diablos over and I don’t appreciate that very much. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” He murmurs.
I tug my phone out of my pocket to call Prince. He answers on the first ring.
“Prince.”
“Hey, we’ve got problems over at Beto’s. You need to come over here right now.”
“What’s going on?”
I growl under my breath. “You need to get over here now.”
“Do I need to bring back up?”
I know what he’s asking and he’s asking to see if I’m in trouble. “Nah. We need to handle some business.”
Beto’s trying to climb off the floor but he can’t do it. “Please! I’m so sorry! I need help!” He cries.
“Holy shit! Is that Beto? What happened to him?”
“Fuck. I don’t have time to talk to you. Get your ass here now!” I hang up before he can say anything else.
Bella
A woman knows when she’s being ignor
ed and avoided. I knew it from the day he left here without saying goodbye to me that he’s avoiding me. I knew I shouldn’t have been all “let’s hook up” with him while we sat on the bed he’s letting me sleep in.
He’s been gone for three days. For three days, I’ve been trapped in this house with nothing to do besides my homework and staring at the television. I’m so tired of watching reality television and all the other bull shit they play on it.
A knock rattles the front door and I walk cautiously towards it. I don’t know if Roman or Charger are here trying to go back on their plan of giving me as payment. I don’t know if they are here to take something that doesn’t belong to them. I have no idea.
“Who is it?” I call through the door.
“It’s Dragon. We met the other night.”
I look through the peephole to see the handsome medic who helped me at my dad’s house smiling at me. I throw open the door anxious to have human communication and interaction.
“Hi!”
He smiles at me. “How are you holding up?”
I growl. “I’m pissed that he left me in this house and didn’t leave me with anything besides a television! I’m so bored! I’ve managed to ask my professors to let me finish the classes online but I need to get out!” I didn’t realize I was pacing until I run into the bar in the middle of the living room.
He strolls through the living room and wraps a big beefy arm around my shoulders. “Look, Bella, I know this is hard for you and you’re going to feel pissed at him. That’s okay. He’s doing this to make sure Roman’s crew doesn’t go back on their word.”
I feel heat through my whole body. Hearing Roman talk about what he wants to do with me has me scared. I know that Roman would do everything he could to fuck with me and bring me down.
That’s when I burst out in tears.
I cry for everything I’m missing in my life and that’s school. I cry for my freedom that I lost for my safety and as collateral. I cry for it all.
Dragon tucks my face into his chest. I breathe in the scent of his cologne and the strong scent of man he smells like. My tears are soaking his shirt, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
“Bella, I know you’re going through some shit, but Beast won’t let anything bad happen to you. You have to know that.”