PRES: a bay falls high novel

by Kidman, Jaxson

  “I bet,” Sarah said.

  “I have a million questions.”

  “And Sarah has a million answers,” I said. “She loves to talk.”

  “Should I tell her the story of how you got scared when a lion cub ran toward you?” Sarah asked.

  “Hey, hey, hey,” I said. “I know nothing of that. And I was a little kid.”

  Tinsley looked at me, her eyes glowing with happiness.

  “I’m going to take Jenny back inside,” Sarah said. “But you can stay and help if you’d like. You can meet Bobby. Another tiger cub. And then you can meet Amra. She’s my queen of the jungle up here.”

  “Tiger?” Tinsley asked.

  “Lion.”

  “Lion… holy shit…”

  Sarah laughed.

  She scooped up Jenny and went into the house.

  Tinsley jumped up and started to dance her feet on the porch. “What the hell… was that…”

  I pushed from the railing and slipped my hands to her waist again. “I take it you like?”

  “Pres, that was amazing. I just fed a baby tiger!”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “I love you. I mean, not just for this. Not because you can make this happen. I mean, just… you know…”

  “It’s okay, sugar,” I said.

  I kissed her to steal the rest of her jumbled up words.

  Then we spent the next couple hours with Sarah and a few of her other animals.

  When it was time to leave, Sarah and Tinsley hugged like they had known each other their entire lives. Which was just the effect of Sarah on everyone that she met. She was infectious and cool as hell. In fact, when I was little I had a crush on Sarah. I dreamed of growing up, being rich, and traveling the world with her as my wife.

  I held Tinsley’s hand as we walked to my ride.

  I nodded to Barr and Kip, who were still sitting in the SUV behind us.

  They had been up here many times.

  Today was for Tinsley.

  A chance to be free. To get away from BFH.

  Because I knew what hell was waiting for all of us.

  I’d let her have her day, her pictures, and her story to share.

  But tomorrow morning…

  I’d have to let reality sink its claws hard into her.

  I was going to fight my father… and make it so he could never hurt anyone I loved ever again.

  Chapter 8

  I stared into her eyes right before she arched her back. When she did, my hand slipped and moved along the perfect curves that made up her body. She knew that was the move that ended me. Seeing her hair sprawled across the pillow. Listening to noises she made under control and noises that just happened no matter what. The taste of her skin, gently laced with sweat. The way she dug her nails into my back.

  Everything about Tinsley wanted to end me.

  Both good and bad.

  My fingers spread wide across her back and I dipped my head down to her chest. I grunted as I ran my nose across her left nipple. She let out a yelling cry as my mouth closed over her skin. I pulled back and kissed. Releasing my hold, moving to the other side of her chest.

  Her hands race from clawing at my back to pulling at my hair, wanting me to stay at her chest.

  Forcefully pushing me to the edge, knowing there came a time when I wouldn’t be able to hold back from finishing any longer. And Tinsley was a fucking master at fucking with me over it.

  My left hand was balled up tight into a fist and pressed against the bed.

  Together we were perfect. Every desire and need showing itself without hesitation. Which made me love Tinsley even more.

  I kissed up to her neck and then looked down at our bodies coming together. Over and over again, her nails digging harder into my hair as I moved harder at her.

  I lifted my head as her back crashed down to the bed.

  I bent my left elbow and pressed my chest to hers.

  Our lips touched but we didn’t kiss.

  Goddamn, sugar…

  That’s when I could no longer hold myself back.

  Tinsley bit at my bottom lip and sighed into my mouth.

  I began to kiss her against the wild rush of our bodies.

  She broke the kiss and buried her face into my neck, making noises that sounded like words from a different language.

  I guided myself away from her body with ease and care.

  She was on her left side, me behind her.

  Under the covers together, our bodies touching, knowing damn well that temptation wasn’t far from gone and far from being quiet.

  I kissed her shoulder and wrapped my arm tight around her.

  I made a fist and she began to run her pointer fingertip across my knuckles.

  “Are you sure?” she whispered.

  “Yes,” I said. “I’m more than sure.”

  “It sounds crazy, Pres.”

  “Because it is crazy.”

  She stopped at my middle knuckle and pressed. “He’s your father.”

  “Are you a fan of his now?” I asked. “Do you secretly want him and Claire to get married. If that happens, would we be step-”

  “Stop,” Tinsley said. “Don’t finish that sentence. Ever.”

  I laughed. “What’s your worry, sugar?”

  “I don’t get it. He’s doing this to get back at you?”

  “Power, Tinsley,” I said. “And plus… there’s a lot of history there between me and him. Things that happened my entire life. Things he had done to my mother all her life.”

  “But it was her decision.”

  “What is this?” I asked.

  Tinsley turned her head. “I’m scared right now, Pres.”

  “You think I’ll lose the fight.”

  “No. The opposite. I think you’ll do something crazy to him.”

  “I’m going to prove a point, sugar,” I said. “That’s it. I honestly don’t give a shit what he does with that land. It’s not about that.”

  “It’s about your mother.”

  “It’s about everything. Before my mother really got sick I told her I would take care of things. And I believe she knows sometimes you have to do shit that looks crazy.”

  “Well, this is beyond crazy.”

  “Crazier than feeding a baby tiger?” I asked.

  Tinsley smiled. “That’s why you did that. You rotten prick. You did it to have something to throw at me. Nothing can compare to that.”

  “Do you really think I’m that shallow?” I asked.

  “Not sure…”

  “Ouch, sugar.”

  “I’m just playing,” Tinsley said.

  She wiggled her hips at me and quickly moved my hand down to her hip. I engulfed her hip and slid my right leg over her.

  Her cheeks turned red. She swallowed hard.

  “Tired yet?” I whispered.

  She just grinned at me.

  “Change of subject,” she said. “Sarah… with the tiger… how does that happen?”

  “Told you. Because of my mother. I think she wanted a way to get away from the rich life. And then at the same time, she wanted to use the rich life to help. It’s really cool what Sarah does up there. She cares about the animals. And my mother being the beach bum she was, they fit together. I was always up there.”

  “Playing with baby tigers,” Tinsley said. “This tough and brutal guy playing with baby tigers.”

  “You know what happens to baby tigers, right?” I asked.

  “What?”

  “They get bigger and stronger. It was a good place to find fear, face it, and get rid of it. Knowing that at any second one of those animals could tear me apart.”

  “Well that just ruins the experience for me,” Tinsley said. “I imagine them as little cuddly pets forever. Or even if they get big, they’re still cuddly. Like imagine coming home from work and a tiger comes to the door to say hey.”

  “Tigers don’t talk, sugar,” I said.

  “Oh, god, no shit,” she said. “I didn
’t… you know what, never mind.”

  “I love when you get annoyed with me.”

  I lowered my lips to hers.

  Tinsley hurried to touch my cheek. “Yeah, you’re really fucking annoying me right now, Pres. So you better do something to fix it.”

  I pressed my body tighter against hers.

  “Don’t worry, sugar, I think I have a way to fix it…”

  * * *

  I finally put Tinsley to bed.

  I sat on the edge of the bed wearing nothing but jeans when the bedroom door opened.

  As I jumped up, I cocked back a fist.

  “It’s just me,” Kip whispered.

  I lowered my fist.

  This living arrangement is not fucking working.

  “Need to talk to you,” Kip whispered. “Where’s your fucking phone?”

  My phone was on the dresser next to the TV. I had no desire to deal with my phone or anything on it when I had the chance to be alone with Tinsley.

  I swiped my phone off the dresser and I followed Kip out of the bedroom.

  He went right to the front door and outside the guesthouse where Barr was waiting as he smoked a cigarette.

  “Half naked,” Barr said. “Fully pleasured?”

  “Is that why you’re here?” I asked.

  “Since you don’t read texts anymore,” Kip said, “I’ll fill you in. Cole is on the beach looking for you.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I asked.

  “Nope,” Kip said.

  “Got a call about it,” Barr said. “I’m sure Cole got in touch with you.”

  I finally looked at my screen.

  I had more than one text from him.

  Looking for a swim. Looking for a wave to ride.

  “We should beat the shit out of him,” Kip said. “Then drag his half dead ass over to Mac so he could deal with it.”

  “I’ll go talk to him,” I said.

  “Play into this?” Barr asked.

  “We need to protect Tinsley,” I said.

  “And we do it the right way,” Kip said, cracking his knuckles.

  “And we will,” I said. “He’s trying to get us pissed. If we attack him, it looks like we’re attacking BC. Cole wants BC to get involved in our shit again. Think about it. It makes sense. And all he wants is Claire to back off. We can bury that way.”

  “Damn,” Barr said. He dropped his cigarette and stepped on it. “This is too much grown up shit now. I miss the days of fighting first.”

  “We’re not punk kids anymore,” I said. “We’re not the Rulz anymore either. It’s all different now.”

  “Because of Tinsley,” Kip said.

  I looked at him and he stepped back, showing his hands.

  “You know it’s the truth, Pres,” Kip said. “And I’m not saying it’s a bad thing either. At all. It’s just reality. You have a lot to lose. You never did before. Think about it.”

  “Yeah, I don’t need to think about it,” I said. “I need to make it all work.”

  I took two steps and Barr blocked the way.

  “Take it easy there, Pres,” Barr said. “You’re not going alone.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “No, you’re not,” Kip said.

  “You two are going to stand right here and watch the guesthouse,” I said. “Just in case this is another trick from Cole. And if anyone from BC shows up here, I expect to find them floating in the pool when I get back.”

  Barr grinned and grabbed my shoulder. “You got it, Pres.”

  I walked away, this time for good, and this time alone. I went back into the guesthouse and snuck into the bedroom to get my shirt. I stared at the silhouette of Tinsley under the covers and nodded.

  I knew what needed to be done.

  * * *

  I cruised through the streets way too fast, but it felt good. It was the only sense of relief I had for what was building up inside me at the moment. And everything Kip had said was right. If Tinsley wasn’t around…

  I hated myself for even thinking it.

  She was here. And she was here forever.

  BC… Cole… wanted to try to take a stand. They were waiting for me to throw a punch and start a war. But I could see beyond it. Way beyond it.

  When I got to the spot where Cole said he’d be, I walked down to the beach and he was there.

  This time he was alone.

  Even still, I looked over my shoulders a few times to make sure it wasn’t a trick.

  Better yet, if Cole was dumb enough to send Ado and Bain to the guesthouse, Barr and Kip were going to make them pay.

  “I never understood the point of it,” Cole said to me.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “The beach. Why it matters. Why people give a fuck. It’s just fucking water. Nothing ever happens.”

  “Stick around and see what happens,” I said. “I almost drowned someone in the ocean once.”

  “Yeah?” Cole asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Too much of a pussy to finish the job?”

  “No,” I said. “Facing death changes a person. Better to be alive and know how easy it is to die.”

  “That’s not a bad answer,” Cole said. “I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe make a few beach trips.”

  “What the hell do you want here?” I asked. “I’m very interested in it. So much so I came alone. Told Barr and Kip to hang back.”

  “I just felt like a stroll on the beach,” Cole said.

  “Go take a stroll back to BC. Because I’m not going to keep letting you show up here without leaving bloody. No matter what that does here.”

  “You still haven’t heard what I wanted,” Cole said.

  “You made your point clear.”

  “But you don’t know what it means,” Cole said. “How important this is to me.”

  “To you,” I said. “Not to the rest of BC?”

  “I guess that was a slip on my part. Oops. I meant to say this is what BC needs to have happen.”

  I rubbed my chin. “Amazing that you don’t have all of BC showing up to talk. Or better yet, just do what you need to do with Claire. You’re going in the wrong direction, Cole.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m taking down the Rulz along with Claire. To make it very fucking clear that a couple letters don’t define me. Or define what I do.”

  I laughed. “So you’re turning on BC. You want to do your own thing. Which means you’ve gotten yourself into a little bit of trouble. That tells me all I need is time.”

  “Time?”

  “Let shit work itself out,” I said. “You won’t do anything to Claire. You’re trying to shake me up, figuring by now I would have jumped you. Or at the very least have me, Barr, and Kip show up to toss you around. Not going to happen. So enjoy the beach. Enjoy the view. Take in the sights. The sounds.” I grabbed Cole by the shoulder and pulled him toward me. “But let me be very clear to you… I don’t need BC to take you down, Cole. I don’t really know what you’re doing or not doing for them. This is BFH. I am the Rulz. And I take it since you don’t know much about the ocean, you’ve never really swam in it before. Which could work out. But I’ll make it so the ocean is the last place you take a breath.”

  I pushed away from Cole and walked away.

  “It’s not going to end the way you think,” Cole called out. “Just letting you know, Pres.”

  “I actually agree with that,” I called out without looking back.

  I had no fucking reason to look back at Cole.

  My eyes scanned the beach just to make sure nobody was waiting to come out of the shadows and jump me.

  Nothing happened.

  When I got back to my motorcycle, I noticed something on my ride.

  A cellphone.

  Sitting on the seat.

  I picked it up and looked around.

  It was some cheap phone.

  Some crappy burner phone.

  The background of the screen was of me and Tinsley.

&n
bsp; I went into the images and saw a video.

  Myself and Tinsley.

  Walking along the beach.

  Hand in hand.

  Talking and laughing.

  I slammed the phone on the ground and stepped on it.

  I walked to the edge of the beach but I couldn’t see Cole anymore.

  So he didn’t come alone.

  I rubbed my jaw and played things out in my head.

  The ‘new side’ of Pres… it was about to give way to the ‘dark side’ of Pres… for good.

  * * *

  Tinsley was asleep.

  She had no idea what had just happened.

  Her phone screen lit up and I looked to see it was a message from Iris.

  A picture of an eggplant emoji and the hand emoji giving the okay sign.

  I grinned.

  I moved her hair out of her face and kissed her cheek.

  She deserved to be lost in a sweet and sexy slumber.

  Out in the kitchen of the guesthouse, I jumped up on the counter and sat there.

  My phone next to me.

  I wasn’t exactly sure who Claire was or what her reach or power was. But a little heads up could squash this entire thing. Unless something happened to her. Of all the shit Tinsley had to go through in life, Claire was the one person that always seemed to show up. Even if she wasn’t exactly the best person in the world, she still mattered to Tinsley.

  I gave Cole props for having something in place that looked good.

  But he stepped into BFH. Onto the beach. He had his guys sneak around to take pictures and videos of Tinsley.

  It was all fun and games and looked cool. Like some kind of fucking TV show.

  Except I was the one who was going to write the ending.

  I grabbed my phone and called my father.

  “Little late for a phone call, son,” he said, answering the call.

  “Tomorrow night,” I said. “Just us.”

  “Father son bonding time,” he said.

  “That’s right,” I said.

  “Will, who is it?” a woman’s voice asked.

  I knew it wasn’t my mother because my mother could no longer fucking speak.

  So my father was in bed with some random woman.

  That’s why he took my call so late.

  Just to try and get to me even more.