My Number One: Kasha & Knox

by Ross, Janice

  “Kash, what the hell’s going on?” Tea called out from behind. I was lost and couldn’t stop myself. Neither could I stop the teardrops that were landing on a now weak guy who had meant to take me out.

  “Teagan . . .” I cried out low.

  “How? What?” For once Tea was at a loss. This was never her. She always knew how to handle situations. But this time, I turned to comfort her as we waited for the police to arrive and claim the intruder.

  ~

  Kasha

  ~

  “Are you sure that boyfriend of yours doesn’t have anything to do with this?” This guy must’ve had a direct line to my problems. Just to think, I’ve never had an issue here, but now this asshole cop showed up each and every time I had a problem. “Where is he?”

  Two other cops had come earlier, before these arrived. Those had already gotten the intruder out and off to the station. This one wouldn’t budge, even when his buddy made it clear that they needed to follow through with the guy that had attacked me.

  “I’m sorry, but was this called in for you?” Teagan approached him, then slid in between the extremely short distance he stood from me. “You were at my friend’s place earlier, but somehow managed to end up at mine, fifteen minutes away? Furthermore, those other guys got here before you two. They got the asshole out. They took notes and asked all the damn questions in the world. Now what?”

  “Young lady—”

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong. I’m not a lady.” Tea wrapped both sets of fingers around my upper arms and moved me from out of the line of fire. “I will call 9-1-1 if there’s an issue.”

  So I stood off to the side as the bravest girl in life went toe-to-toe with Officer Joe. All this while Office Rich swooned over her. And with each passing second, my bestie’s voice grew to match the troublemaker cop.

  “Okay guys . . .” His buddy finally spoke up when we noticed the guy’s fingers twitching at his sides. “This has been a stressful day for these two.”

  “Depends on who’s really causing the stress,” Officer Joe blurted out.

  “Ladies, we’ll be going.” Just as Officer Rich redirected his partner for the door, Rory stepped in.

  “Excuse me, who are you now?” Joe, yes, no longer Officer since he was pissing me off, gripped his waistline.

  “He’s good. He’s a friend.” I leapt forward.

  “That’s debatable,” Tea prompted with a wicked grin. She then winked at Rory and paved the way for the others. “Wait, how—”

  I knew what she was about to say, but her questions would’ve kept the cops there longer. Only after they left out did we talk freely.

  “How did you know we were here?” I asked ahead of Tea.

  “Knox texted your number. I didn’t see the phone right away, but when I tried reaching back out, it went to voicemail. Couldn’t understand why he did any of that. So I went to your place.”

  “Yeah, the same guy that did that followed us here,” I interjected.

  “How did you know to come here?” Tea rolled her eyes at him. She didn’t hide her disdain for Rory.

  “Where else would she go?” Rory threw at Tea. Her eyes formed slight lines to match the less than friendly way her lips relaxed. “I’ve been taking shit from you for years now, Teagan, all over some bullshit misunderstanding.”

  “So?”

  “So? So, get over yourself. Hate me for all I care, but set that shit aside. I need to figure out what’s up with Knox. That’s where my energy is going now.”

  Tea’s mouth quivered. The center portion of her lips stuck out. Knowing my hotheaded bestie Teagan Boone the way I did, she had to be getting ready to rip into him. So we stood almost perfectly still. My attention shifted from Tea to Rory to an empty space with an invisible question mark representing Knox.

  “Wait, why would something be going on with Knox?” It only now set in, making me instantly regret my earlier attitude.

  “His truck’s at his house. He’s not.” Rory took time with the words. They were meant for me, but the room stood in attention to Tea. Not once did he shift those incredible blues away from her. “Him sending your number and not answering now, that shit’s out in left field.”

  “Why the hell are we standing around?” I panic. “That jackass tracked us down. What if . . .” Tears formed in my eyes. I slipped out of touch with everything all at once, just when my vision blurred. “No . . . No . . . No!” I rush in circles. I’m heated, instantly soaked with a mixture of sweat and tears.

  “I can handle this. What exactly happened with these break-ins?” Rory slowly peeled focus from Tea. She extended her arms to hug me as I recalled the drama of the past day. Once everything came full circle, I began sobbing.

  “Aw sweetie, we should stay at a hotel for the night,” she comforted. It reminded me of the day we met and the way she’d tried to protect from any further harm. Though that was different, this wasn’t debatable. There would be no walking away or hiding.

  Rory starting pacing, while he swung into the air off and on.

  “You both need to calm down. Stressing isn’t gonna magically lead you to him.”

  Rory spun on his heel, and then stomped over into Tea’s space. We were in the living room, standing in front of a brown leather love seat to the left and matching chaise to the right. Only then did I realize we had yet to sit or calm down. Honestly though, how could we?

  “I’ll find Knox,” Rory stated as a fact, in a deeper tone than he’d used previously.

  “I can’t let you go after him alone,” I said clearly and precisely. Tea would fight my decision, and so would Rory. “I won’t be able to rest if I’m not a part of this.” This was my choice. From one to the other, I studied them. How could anyone truly understand the love I felt for Knox? We’d only just made things click, but we were “here” all along. “There’s nothing you can say to—”

  “Sweetie, you don’t know this sort of life.” Tea reached for me. Her pupils had widened and mouth corners dipped. She pitied me, like I was a weak link . . . like I was liable to get taken out . . . like I would make things worse.

  “I’ve had it with you dropping warnings that mean shit. If you’re so tough, prove it; otherwise, get the hell out of my way.” The sting of more tears loomed right there. At any moment I was bound to explode—not with anger, but sadness and frustration. I didn’t mean to take things out on her. She just happened to be there.

  “Kasha, I know you’re pissed.” Tea reached for my arms.

  “I’m going to be brave,” I stated under my breath, though my insides were sliced up with worry. “I’m going to be brave.” The problem with that mantra was that the minute her fingers rested against my skin, I caved.

  “Aw, sweetie, don’t cry.”

  “I’m scared, Tea. What if he’s not okay? What if—”

  “Shit!” Rory yelled right before his boot landed at the edge of the wall. Between the red hair and the sparkly eyes, he developed a devilish glow.

  “What’s this all about?” Tea looked up at his. I followed the trail of her words. “What are you guys into? I hope it’s nothing illegal.”

  “Knox is a good guy,” Rory replied in a distant manner.

  “Screw the good guy talk. Are you guys on some illegal shit?” She redirected me into a nearby single-seater then stormed over to where he’d started pacing the floor.

  “I don’t need to answer to you or anyone else. I just need to deal with this issue. Got it?”

  But Tea wouldn’t let it go. That wasn’t her style. The wilder, the more wicked, the tastier, the riskier the opposition, the more determined she became to jump into the fight. It wasn’t that she was a troublemaker; quite the opposite. She just believed in making things better when they didn’t seem quite right.

  “Can you guys take it easy? We don’t have time for a fight. Knox is somewhere, and I need to find that somewhere. Whether you like it or not, I’ll find him.”

  “Wait, has Erika called?” Tea sud
denly asked, snapping her fingers.

  “Called me?” I shook my head, unable to stop the smirk from capturing my face.

  “Do you think I’m an idiot, Kash?” she flashed my way before flinging her neck and sending a wave of hair fluttering around as she turned back to Rory. “Did she call you?”

  “Why would she call me?”

  “Looking for Knox. Duh?”

  Even in the midst of their fussing, I saw the very present sparkle in Tea’s glare. Her lips puckered and she slipped into a more relaxed stance with her leg off to the side. I hadn’t seen that behavior toward him since the night they’d first met.

  “I don’t think she has my number—”

  “And where’s the third wheel? He seems to get in the way of your bromance with Knox,” she added.

  Rory snarled. A light bulb appeared to have gone off in his mind.

  “You think it has something to do with Bash?” I quizzed, getting an inkling of sorts.

  Rory shrugged. I didn’t trust it because his mode, including the energy he’d been giving off, shifted. “He was supposed to head up to the city.”

  “Which city?” Tea asked. “For a house?”

  “Honestly, I couldn’t answer that.” Rory reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. His thumb ran up and down the screen. I made note of how Tea hung on his actions, much similar to me.

  As soon as I heard the echoed sounds of ringing, I whispered, “Don’t mention Knox.” Saying his name just about did me in. I clutched for my chest, to rest the palm of my hand over my heart. Suddenly images of a bloodied Knox flashed before me. I saw him as the officer that Van had beaten, maybe even killed, early that morning, years ago. A gush of air escaped my lips. I clutched my arms tighter to my chest, squeezing my clothes.

  No, I refused to believe Knox’s fate would match that guy’s. Not my Knox. Not now. Not ever. I had to hold out hope for our future. Regardless of how things now seemed, I needed to believe in us, in his safety and in our love conquering all. Especially where uncertainty loomed.

  ~

  Kasha

  (A Day Later in NY)

  ~

  Who couldn’t help but notice the way Rory took in Teagan? His fixation wasn’t subtle either. And for her part, I believe she felt the same. I’m not sure what kept either from pursuing the other. Ironic, since Knox and I had fallen into the same trap. This wasn’t the type of thing I should’ve been focused on, though it was the type of thing I needed to keep my mind occupied.

  “Tea, I know you see the way he looks at you.”

  The left side corner of her lips twitched. She was either holding back a smile or trying to avoid showing how uncomfortable my observation made her feel.

  “Smile,” I encouraged.

  She did, only to shake her head and grunt out, “Ughhh, he’s no good for me, girl.”

  “And you’re good for him? You’re better than him?” I thought they were safe questions. “He has a bit of dark allure, don’t you think?”

  “Sooooo, you feel that’s what I need?” Tea made fish lips, leaned her head against mine and blew out heavily.

  “You prefer boring?”

  “How do you know I haven’t had my share of all types of men, Kash?”

  “I guess.” Then, shoving her from off me, I spun to the side. I’d always wondered about her. Sure, I understood the need for privacy, but it had been about five years since she’d rescued me from Van. Today, I didn’t know how or why she’d just dropped into my life that way, yet I’d followed like a mindless idiot. No regrets now, but . . . “You’ve gotta be the oddest person alive.”

  She giggled. “Me?” A squeaky type of sound escaped. Standing to her feet, she headed for her purse.

  “Teagan Boone, you saved my life on the day we met. You helped me get away from a situation that might’ve turned deadly. Granted, I came blindly, but you never once asked much more; I thought it was your way of keeping me in the dark about your drama at the time.” I waited for some sort of rebuttal, yet all she did was clutch the purse to stand over by the window. Her gaze extended out into the open sky. It was massive, clear and perhaps freeing; freeing since it probably didn’t make her feel constricted in the way I was now doing.

  “Kash, there are certain things you don’t get to know, shouldn’t want to know either,” my elusive friend spat.

  “Like what?”

  No response, though I noticed a slight glistening of moisture escape down her cheek. I prepared to stand. She dropped her purse and extended a palm up.

  “Like what?” I asked once more. I never once questioned her motives; figured that she’d someday explain. Actually, it had gotten to the point where I didn’t care to know, but this present drama with Knox had me thinking. What if our past had tracked us down? What if whatever it was she’d escaped that day in Miami had come looking for her? What if, God forbid, Van and Axel decided to finish me off after all this time? If I turned up missing or dead or vice versa, there wouldn’t be any closure. “Like what? Teagan, that day—”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring up that day or that life. We’ve got something safe here in Delaware.”

  The room grew cold; her expression, with her forehead tipped forward on the window, made me want to know. To hell with warnings.

  “After all this time, if our skeletons haven’t found us yet, then I don’t think they’re coming.”

  “I can’t imagine yours are nearly as bad as mine.” When she faced me, her face was smeared up with tears. Her pupils were terrifyingly huge. “My past is a whole lot worse than some tired-ass club owner with issues.”

  “What exactly do you know about Van?” My fingers swooped up to hold onto my lips. That name rode my mind over the years, not too frequently, but enough. “And you never told me how you happened to turn up just as I needed you.”

  “Sweetie, some day, when and if the time is right, I’ll—”

  “No!” I jumped up. Within two steps, my hands prepared to reach out for her.

  She waved me off. “I don’t think you understand, Kasha. Our friendship is too important to me. I don’t want to drag you into my mess. Why do you think I never agreed to move into your house? Why do you think I try to stay off the radar? You think I enjoy living in Delaware?”

  “Tea, if anything were to happen to you, what then? They wouldn’t be any closure.” At the mere thought of the possibilities, I wept. I cried for the what ifs, the maybes, and all things that could ever be. “You’re my best friend, my sister.”

  “And I plan on keeping it that way. I promise you, I’ll explain things one day soon. Let’s just get over this Knox thing first.”

  I moved to reply, but she held up her hand. Before I could protest further, my phone rang. Teagan reached it a second before me.

  Unavailable.

  Teagan snatched it open, yanking from my direction to direct it to her ear. “Who’s this?” After pulling away briefly and switching to speaker, we concentrated on the screen. “Who?” she asked.

  “Kasha?” a deep voice asked.

  “Who’s—”

  “I ask the questions.”

  “What? I’m here. This is Kasha. Who’s this?” I pleaded, aware of the desperation in my tone. The veins in my temple flexed; there was a tightening in my chest. A wash of anxiety raced over me. I squeezed Teagan’s hand, while gripping onto the cell.

  “Where’s Rory?”

  Teagan elbowed me.

  “He-he’s—”

  “Look,” Teagan undid my grip as she spoke. “We’re not answering any questions until you fill us in. Where’s Knox? Why do you have him? What the hell—”

  “This is my show!” the guy yelled into the line and terminated the call.

  “What was that, Teagan? He’s gonna hurt him, or worse.”

  “Why do you think he called? He’s looking for Rory. If he was only looking to do away with Knox—” she paused to shrug off her insensitive words “—we would’ve found a body. Call R
ory.”

  Teagan didn’t bother to have me follow through. I didn’t fight it. My bestie was passionate enough for the both of us. She knew how deep my emotions ran for Knox. I think she might’ve wanted a Knox and Kasha even more than I did; believe me, I wanted it badly too.

  This whole thing with Knox being taken.

  Honestly, who takes someone anymore?

  Who kidnaps a grown man?

  Furthermore, what kinda crap is Knox involved in?

  Is his darkness worse than mine?

  “Rory just got to Erika’s family’s place, but there’s no Erika there. And guess what, no one knows an Erika either.” The eye that had just been sad and detached now brightened. I’m sure it was the challenge of solving this puzzle that got her going.

  “What do you mean?”

  As Tea explained the missing case of my Knox’s illusive fiancée, I couldn’t help but get angry over his choice. For whatever reason, he’d allowed himself to get suckered in like that. “How the hell could he get fooled like that?”

  “I don’t know, Kash, but don’t take it lightly. There has to be more to this.”

  “Tea, you thought life would be different in Delaware.”

  “It was. It is. Don’t worry, my BFF. Rory doesn’t seem like the type of guy to let things go.”

  We stood at the corner, waiting for Rory’s black mustang to pull up. Teagan wore sky-gray tights with a light pink, cotton tee. I’d thrown on khaki shorts and a green tank. I personally felt out of place, dropped dead smack in the middle a fashionista’s haven. Our surroundings were overtaken by women in high end designs with a world of class. While I got drawn in, Teagan drew others in with her nonchalant persona. This had to be one of the reasons I valued being around her.

  She reached for my arm, wrapping her fingers around my wrist and drawing me to stand beside her. “You stick out like a sore thumb.”

  “Really?”

  “You didn’t know?” She formed a wide O with her mouth as her eyes expanded.

  “Of course I do. It’s that darn pun.” I jabbed her with my forearm.