“Honey,” Blondie said, “You’re just embarrassing yourself in that get up. What are you fifteen? I’m surprised your mother let you out of the house.”
“Hey,” Nate warned her. “Don’t talk to her like that. Understand?”
Her jaw dropped. “You were just talking to her the same way! I was just agreeing with you.”
He shook his head and looked back at me. “I thought you were working tonight. Why are you at some sleazy bar looking like you’re trying to sell yourself for money?”
I knew I looked like a prostitute!
“She’s with us,” Ashley said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder.
“We’re having a night away from you,” Tara added, wrapping her arm around mine.
Nate looked between them. “I should have known somebody put her up to this. She would never go out in public this way. I suppose you’re trying to get her drunk again too?”
“What’s it to you?”
“I’m just trying to make sure that her interests are in the best hands,” he stated firmly. He looked at Ashley and added, “Your party lifestyle isn’t exactly for Blair.”
Tara looked at me and said, “If he’s really a drug dealer than why does he care so much about your health? I mean sure dealers must have hearts to, but I don’t think he fits the profile.”
“Did she just call me a drug dealer?” Nate asked.
“You’re a dealer?” Blondie blasted. “Oh, my God, Nate! How could you do that to me? To your son? I thought I was ready to include you in our lives, but now you’re officially out.” With that, she walked away from us and out of the bar.
“Nate’s a father?” Ashley asked in shock.
“We’re learning a lot tonight,” Tara replied, looking at me.
“She’s the girl you got pregnant?” I questioned, pulling away from the girls. “Wow, you really know how to pick them, Nate.”
He brushed his hand across his face. “Can we please return to the fact that I was just accused of being a drug dealer? What the hell is that about?”
Ashley pointed at me. “It was her assumption.”
He gaped at me. “Why would you think I’m a dealer, Blair? When have I ever given you the idea that I was into bad shit?”
“Well it’s not the first secret you kept from me.”
“Telling you about my child was hard,” he argued.
“I’d imagine admitting you’re a dealer is harder,” I returned, moving to walk past him.
He stopped me again, wrapping his hand around my upper arm. It was a gentle touch, but he used enough force to stop me from leaving.
“Tell me what I did to make you think that.”
“It’s what Sam said.”
His brows furrowed down. “When did you see Sam, and what could she have possibly said that would make you believe her over me?”
“Not now.”
“Yes now.”
“At a bar? Really?”
“Then let’s go home, B. We need to talk.”
I looked back at Ashley and Tara, who were staring at Nate and me with blank looks on their faces. I waved them off in hopes they’d go sit back down, but they must have been too curious as to what was going to happen next.
Nate let go of my arm and faced me with a soft look on his face. “Please talk to me,” he pleaded. “I don’t know what Sam told you, but I’m not involved with drugs. I’m honestly not sure if I should be offended or flattered that you’d think I was.”
“Why would you be flattered?”
He nodded once. “Good point. I’m offended.”
I sighed. “Maybe we should go outside. The smell of alcohol is starting to give me a headache.”
He nodded again and put his hand on the small of my back, causing goosebumps to cover my body. He gestured for me to walk with him toward the door, and I didn’t feel like arguing. I just wanted to go and change out of the outfit that suddenly felt much more uncomfortable than before.
Once we were outside I could finally breathe again without feeling like I was going to barf. Nate took off his jacket and placed it over my shoulders. He must have really hated this outfit.
I stared at the ground to avoid conversation, but I knew he was looking at me. I just kept my hands at my sides and watched as ants crawled into the cracks of the sidewalks.
“Hey,” he said quietly, brushing my hand. “I don’t like it when you’re mad at me.”
I wasn’t mad at him, even though the way he treated me inside was embarrassing. It was nice to know that he cared enough to clear the air between us, but he did kind of sound like my brother.
“She thought we were siblings,” I told him, brushing my hands through my hair.
“Yeah…well…”
“We’re not though,” I reminded him. “You act like you’re the substitute brother for whenever Aaron isn’t around, but you’re not him. And for the record I’m not mad at you. I’m just…confused.”
He guided us to the bus bench. “Over what Sam said? If she told you that I was the one who gave her the drugs then she was lying. There’s nothing to be confused over.”
“Not about the drugs or Sam.”
“Then what?”
I leaned my elbows against my legs and covered my face with my hands. “I’m confused about us, Nate. I’m more than confused. I’m lost. You say that you can’t cross any lines, but then you cross a bunch of them when you act like you’re my brother. If people think we’re related it gets to me because…”
He put his hand on my shoulder. “Because why?”
I looked at him through teary eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? Do you not see how much it hurts when I have to see you go through all of those girls like they’re free handouts? Then when I try to get the one thing that I wanted…” I shook my head and let the tears fall down my cheeks. “You know that I used to like you, and after the wedding I figured you still knew since I tried to be with you. Then you rejected me, and it hurt. A lot. You never reject those other girls. Every time somebody assumes that we’re like brother and sister it just makes me feel stupid for wanting to be with you so badly.”
There, it was out. My desperation. My feelings. It was out in the open and vulnerable just like I was. Even though it was hard to actually say, it felt great. A part of me was relieved that I said it, because the pressure that was building up inside of me suddenly released, easing the pain.
He stared at me with those intense eyes searching my face, and my heart froze in my chest. Silence wasn’t a good thing right now. Silence was bad. Very, very bad.
I stood up and zipped up his coat so I was covered.
“If you want me to move out then I will, but I needed you to know that. It’s embarrassing to feel something for a guy that clearly doesn’t know what he wants. I mean, how long do I have to wait for something to happen? Then when something starts to happen you decide to get a conscious and you stop it from happening. What do you want, Nate? And why isn’t it me?”
Nate stood up and swiped his hand through his hair. That wasn’t a good sign either. He only did that when he was thinking about something serious, and if I was freaking him out then I was failing at this talk.
How did we even get here anyway? If I just told him what Sam said then I could have avoided the word vomit that was spewing from my mouth. He would have told me that he wasn’t a dealer and that Sam was crazy. We’d be on our way by now, but no. I had to tell him that I wanted him, and not just wanted him on a regular be-my-boyfriend-level, but a desperate I-need-you-badly-level. I sounded like a crackhead.
“You know what, maybe we should just talk about the drug thing because it sounds less crazy than all of my constant babbling, and—”
Nate stopped me from talking by backing me into the brick wall of the bar and locking his lips with mine. The motion was gentle as he tasted my lips once, twice and then three times. When his lips found their way to mine again he was much more aggressive. Hungry, even.
I wrapped my arms around his
neck the same time he moved into me, pressing my body against the wall with his. He nipped my bottom lip, making me moan, then slipped his tongue inside my mouth. I grabbed a hold of his shoulders, digging my fingernails into shirt when he rolled is hips into mine. I could feel his erection against my thigh, which sparked a new hunger inside of me.
I weaved my fingers through his hair and pulled his face down to mine to claim his lips. He growled when I bit his lip like he did to me, and his hands went straight to my hips.
Just as things were getting heated, my nightmare came true.
“Oh, fuck no!” Aaron growled, dropping the bag of food he had and barrelled toward Nate.
Nate backed away from me, holding up his hands in surrender. That didn’t stop my brother though. He bolted toward Nate, raised his white-knuckled fist and swung like his life depended on it.
I stood there screaming as soon as Aaron’s fist connected with Nate’s jaw, which made Nate stumble backward until he lost his balance and fell. If it were possible, Aaron’s head would have spun around and steam would have come out of his ears.
“We’re leaving,” Aaron informed me, grabbing my arm and yanking me past Nate laying on the sidewalk. The look he shot me made me feel guilty, but to be honest I was more embarrassed that my own brother caught me making out with somebody. The fact it was his best friend made it worse.
“Let go of me, Aaron!”
He let go of me and stopped walking. “What the fuck were you thinking? And you better be wearing something under that jacket.”
Who did he think I was? “Of course I am! And I’m not going with you.”
I walked over and helped Nate off the ground. He was rubbing his jaw where there was no doubt going to be a bruise in the morning. He brushed off his jeans and kept his distance, which alarmed me.
Stand up for yourself! For me!
Aaron stalked over and prodded Nate in the chest, saying, “If you ever fucking touch my sister again, it will be the last time. Do you understand me, asshole?”
Nate’s eye twitched. “Yes.”
No!
“Aaron, stop being stupid—”
“You stop being stupid, Blair! What the hell is the matter with you? You go from one asshole to another? How many times have I warned you about Nate?”
“Clearly I don’t care,” I rebutted angrily.
“Blair,” Nate said quietly. “Just go.”
My heart shattered. “What?” I whispered.
“This is what he does,” Aaron informed me, yanking on my arm again. “He acts like he gives a shit and then throws the girl away after he’s done with her. You don’t need that in your life.”
“You don’t know what I need!” I yelled at him, whipping my arm away from his grasp. “Quit acting like you run my damn life! You know nothing about what I need or what I want.”
“Maybe so,” he agreed. “But there’s one thing that I will never let you have and that’s Nate. He isn’t good for you, Blair. Now let’s go. I’m taking you back to my place.”
“I’m not going.”
“Blair just go with him, okay?” Nate told me, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“No, it’s not okay. You—”
“I’m not going to argue with you two. Good night.”
He turned around and walked away.
“Let’s go,” Aaron said quietly.
This time I cooperated.
7
“Blair,” Mom cried over me as I sat on the floor from where she pulled me down from my bed.
I stared at her through teary eyes, seeing the blood drip down her wrists. The gashes looked deep, and she looked paler the longer I stared at her. She grabbed Teddy and ripped one of his arms off.
“Mom, stop!” I yelled, standing up and trying to tear him away from her.
She pushed me backward, making me slam my back into the corner of the nightstand. “You don’t deserve having this! I don’t have anything left of him. Why should you?”
Tears flowed down my face.
Aaron came running in and pushed her away from me. Blood trickled to the white carpet, leaving a pool next to my bed. Aaron grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room.
“Teddy!” I cried, reaching out to grab it from Mom.
“You don’t need it, Blair. It’s Teddy or you.”
“But Daddy—”
“Daddy’s dead!” Mom screamed from my room.
Aaron kept pulling me toward the stairs, and sirens blasted from down the street, getting louder the closer they came.
Mom had never been this bad before, but Aaron told me it was only a matter of time before she lost it completely. I never believed him, because I only saw her as the woman who tucked me in every night or read to me before bed. Whoever was tearing apart the only piece of my father I had left wasn’t my mother.
Aaron managed to get us outside when the police pulled into the driveway. It wasn’t until the headlights hit his shirt that I saw blood all over it. One officer took us in while three others stormed into our house. The paramedics parked at the end of the driveway, rushing into the house with medical bags. There was screaming coming from my room, then silence.
We were put into the police car when they got Mom out of the house. Aaron held my hand the whole time, trying to distract me from watching her be restrained on the gurney.
That was the last time I saw my mother.
I sat up to see the sun shining through the broken blinds in the living room. Sweat dripped down my forehead as my brain slowly came back to reality. I never stayed asleep long enough to remember my mother being taken away from us. Somebody always heard me screaming way before then, but from the silence in the house I assumed I was all alone.
I rubbed my eyes and threw the itchy wool blanket off of my body. There was a note on the coffee table from Aaron saying he was taking Katie to the doctors for a checkup. Since that was an hour ago, I needed to move before they came back.
I had the day off from the motel and worked at five at Walmart, which meant I had all day to relax. The question was, where was I going to go? Staying here would probably mean I’d get a lecture from Aaron about how Nate was a player and not worth my time, and Katie would just sit and agree with him. If I went to Nate’s, he’d probably tell me to leave. So where was I going to spend my day?
Katie had lent me some pajamas last night, so I just slipped on a pair of her sandals and headed out the door. The only place that was in walking distance was the library, and Aaron would easily find me there. The bus could take me across town to the college, but I doubted that Ashley and Tara were awake yet.
That only left me one place to go, and it was the one place I went whenever I needed to talk. Now seemed like a pretty good day for somebody to listen to me vent, so I suppose it was the best bet rather than sticking around here.
So I walked down the street to the nearest bus stop and waited for the eight o’clock shuttle. There were two men sitting on both sides of me on the bench, both wearing all black and staring at me until I became uncomfortable. I squirmed where I sat until I finally got up and waited by the street. One of the men got up and stood beside me, glancing down every now and again.
“You’re Blair, aren’t you?” he finally asked, giving me a half grin that showed crooked yellow teeth.
I cleared my throat. “Uh…yeah.”
He nodded once. “We heard a lot about you.”
The second guy stood on the other side of me. My hands balled together in fists, like something bad was going to happen where I’d have to fight. If I was honest with myself I’d probably end up hurting myself more than them, since they were gigantic compared to me. In the moment though I wanted to pretend like I had a shred of hope at winning if I did have to fight.
“Do I know you?” I asked quietly, keeping my eyes straight ahead toward the street. It was early, so nobody was really walking around yet. Even the traffic was light, which didn’t make me feel entirely safe.
The black haired bru
te on my right chuckled. “No sweetheart, but you’re our main topic these days.”
What?
“I think you’ve got the wrong girl.”
“We don’t,” the blond of my left said.
I shook my head. “Listen, I think—”
“Blair Summers, twenty-one years old and friends with Samantha Hill, twenty-three.”
I gulped.
This wasn’t good.
“Uh…”
“We don’t want any trouble,” the same man said.
I saw the bus down the street and felt a sense of relief.
“Good, neither do I. So if that’s all…”
The bus got closer, and so did the two creeps next to me. One of them brushed against my hand, shoving a piece of paper inside, then stepped back as the bus pulled up in front of us.
“We’ll be in touch, Ms. Summers,” Blondie said quietly, walking away with his friend.
I quickly got on the bus and sat down near the bus driver in case the men came on. Once I knew that they weren’t going to follow me, I let out a heavy breath. The bus took off and the two men waved me off as I stared out the window.
I looked down at the piece of paper in my hand.
I stared at the handwritten note in awe. What was that supposed to mean? I stuffed it in the pocket of my pajama pants and tried to relax. They knew who Sam and I were, which meant they were connected to the drugs that I found in the apartment. I doubted they were the actual dealers. In most movies I watched, the dealers had goons go out and do their dirty work for them.
Would they really keep finding me though? I mean how did they know I’d be at the bus stop? To think that they’d been watching me made my skin crawl, but there was no other explanation. Nate’s apartment was over half an hour away, so they had to know I was at my brother’s.
I shivered.
I needed to tell somebody, but I knew that if I did they would freak out. Aaron already worried day and night about me. He didn’t think I could handle situations on my own, and hadn’t since I told him I could handle it the last time. That ended with an arrest and a fist fight between him and Zach. Nobody really liked to let that go, even if it was six years ago.
A Safe Place to Fall (Places Book 1) Page 9