Split

by J. B. Salsbury

  “Bring us beers so we can play!” Cody’s harsh demand comes from across the table where he’s picking out sticks and scowling. “And pull your fucking skirt down! Shit!”

  She throws her brother the middle finger and I can’t fight the laughter that bubbles up from my chest. She’s speaking to me, which is more than I expected after Gage terrorized her last night. I haven’t been arrested and Cody hasn’t taken a swing at me, so she must’ve kept what happened a secret. My muscles relax and the knot in my gut unfurls.

  Her friendship, her smile, the way I catch her looking at me like I’m not something nightmares are made of? It’s more than I ever expected and enough to keep me going.

  * * *

  “Corner pocket.” I point with my pool cue to the pocket I’m readying to drop the eight ball in to win the fourth out of six games we’ve played.

  Cody seems to know every single person in this place; he’s been cool enough to introduce me to them when they come say hi. It’s a little awkward, bombarded with so many new faces, some I’ve seen before around town, but most total strangers.

  I’ve kept to our small corner of the bar, kept my hat low and my head down, and managed to have a pretty good time. I haven’t had beer in a while and never really enjoyed the act of drinking or losing control of myself—God knows I have enough of that without the help—but with the promise of Shyann coming and going, I’ve drunk more than I should.

  Leaning over the pool table, I blink in an attempt to clear my fuzzy vision and try to focus on the corner pocket. My body sways, as if someone tilted the floor without warning me first. I line up my shot, close one eye, and shoot.

  “I give.” Cody groans and drops his cue stick. “You win. Again.”

  I tuck my smile and drop to a high barstool that lines the wall around the pool table. My beer bottle is empty and adrenaline makes my stomach tumble with the knowledge of what that means. I get to order another drink.

  I scour the room for Shyann, a fiend looking for my fix. As the night has worn on and the bottles have been replaced with fresh ones, my inhibitions dissolved. I’ve managed to steal a few touches. When she leans against the pool table talking to Cody, I may have picked my next shot based on where she was so that I’d get to hook her around the waist and scoot her down the table. The first time she startled, but those light eyes conveyed something opposite of surprise. Relief. From then on it got easier. I’ve asked her questions about the band, questions I couldn’t care less about but needed an excuse to pull her close and whisper in her ear. At one point Cody went to the bathroom and she must’ve seen me alone, as she came to sit with me. She talked about something I didn’t hear because she sat directly across from me on a stool, close so that our knees were intertwined; her legs were slightly parted and for the briefest of moments I got a flash of black lace between her thighs.

  My heart pounded so hard in my chest I’d have sworn she could see it through my shirt.

  “Last call, guys.”

  My eyelids drop closed at the sound of her voice.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  I blink open heavy lids and smile. “I’m great.”

  She grins and shakes her head. “You’re drunk.”

  With one eye closed to bring her beautiful face into focus, I nod. “I am.”

  Cody throws an arm around my shoulders, nearly knocking me off my stool. “Come on, lightweight. I’ll take you home.”

  I shove his arm off me. “I don’t put out on the first date.”

  A laugh that’s half snort, half giggle falls from Shyann’s lips and seems to catch her by surprise.

  “After all those beers I bought you?” Cody feigns insult. “You’re a lousy date.”

  I laugh, and damn, but it feels so good to just…laugh. How long has it been since I’ve been so at ease?

  “Hey, baby,” a female voice purrs in my ear.

  Shyann’s eyes go wide and move between me and the unknown female.

  The heat and softness of a body presses to my side. Arms go around my neck like a python and the pungent scent of her perfume burns my nose. The scent is familiar but my booze-addled mind can’t sort it out. I study the woman’s face as she gazes at me with familiarity. Lust. Yeah, lots of lust, and a greedy need that makes me lean away from her touch. But she straddles my thigh, locking herself to me.

  “Sam, back off. He’s drunk.” Shyann’s on my other side, her lips pulled into a tight line as she shoots daggers from her eyes.

  So this is Sam.

  The woman with overly done eye makeup and bright red lips glares at Shy. “Think I can handle a man who’s had a few drinks.” Her gaze swings to mine and she rubs herself against me. “Handled him just fine the last time we were together.”

  “Damn, Lucas.” Cody laughs and smacks my back in manly pride. “Not bad for a guy who never goes out.”

  Everything seems to move in slow motion, and my body is heavy along with my mind.

  “Did you miss me?” Sam’s hands move up my shirt to my bare chest.

  Her fingers feel like bugs against my skin. I go to pull them away, but she’s so close I end up gripping at her waist. “Miss you?” I don’t even know you.

  “Sam, leave him alone.” Shyann’s voice is laced with anger and maybe even fear.

  “Stop cockblockin’, Shy.” Cody grabs his sister and pulls her away for what looks like a heated conversation.

  Sam pulls my chin back to her and with my gaze firmly set on Shy, my eyes are the last to track so I’m helpless to avoid her lips when they swallow mine.

  The sticky smear of gloss and taste of cigarettes threatens to empty my stomach. I rip my mouth from hers. Panic flushes the liquor from my veins, replacing it with adrenaline.

  I don’t like this. I don’t want this.

  She shoves her hand between us and palms the heavy length between my legs. “Mmm…”

  Nausea curls in my stomach and black flickers in my peripheral. I push back and try to stand but unsteady I fall back. “Please.”

  Her mouth moves to my neck and she grips my dick so hard it hurts.

  The veil falls.

  Twenty-Two

  Gage

  This bitch again?

  I roll my eyes at her ridiculous attempt to jack me off over my jeans. Hell, my cock deflates with every pump of her desperate little hand. As entertaining as her efforts are to seduce me, I don’t have time for this shit.

  “Oh my God, Sam! Get off of him!”

  The little slut dry-fucking my thigh falls backward with a yelp, and I almost fall forward along with her. Luke’s drinking has my head foggy and my equilibrium all over the damn place.

  I blink and focus. Aah, what do we have here but our own little Shy Ann. And from the expression on her face I’d say she’s pissed.

  Her chest heaves, drawing my gaze to her full cleavage flushed red with anger.

  “What the fuck, Shy!” Slutty Girl pushes herself to her feet.

  I sit back, cross my arms over my chest, and settle in for a good chick fight, only wishing I had a vat of Jell-O to throw them in and was sober enough to enjoy it.

  They face off and I place my internal bets. My money’s on Shyann. The woman is stronger than her five-and-a-half-foot frame lets on.

  Shyann places her tight little body in front of me. Ha! Like I need this bitch’s protection. “He’s drunk.”

  Slut balls her fists. “Since when did you become his bodyguard?”

  Shyann’s back stiffens, but she holds her protective stance. I’m about to shove her forward into Slut just to speed up the process, get to the good stuff, when that Cody kid stands between the catfighting girls.

  “Sam, don’t!” He presses her back gently. “Walk away, all right?”

  Party pooper.

  “Fuck you, Cody!” She points at me. “We were hooking up and Shy went nuts!”

  I hold up my hands in surrender, a gurgle of laughter rumbling in my chest. “In my defense, you were hooking up with me.” Damn,
it’s been a long time since I’ve found something genuinely entertaining. I must be drunker than I thought.

  “You wanted it.” She holds up the hand she was groping me with. “I felt it!”

  “Oh…” I stand up, try not to wobble, and advance toward her, but Shyann’s in my way. My front hits her back, stilling my progress. I grasp her waist to steady myself. “You misunderstand, Sam. That hard-on wasn’t for you.” I flex my hips, rubbing my dick against Shyann’s lower back.

  No one seems to notice, but she hisses and tugs against my hold.

  “You’re an asshole!” Sam spits through clenched teeth.

  I reach over Shyann to take the little bitch’s throat in my palm and crush her fucking windpipe.

  Shyann whirls, pressing both palms against my chest. “Gage…” she whispers. “Don’t.”

  Slowly, I peer down at her.

  She should be afraid of me. Terrified. I tried to kill her last night and now she’s gazing up at me with those fucking witchy eyes and all the trust in the world.

  “You fuckin’ prick!” Sam rushes.

  Cody snags her by the waist. “Get ’im out of here, Shy.”

  Shyann grabs my wrist. “Come on.”

  I allow her to drag me through the bar, down a hallway, and into some kind of a back room. She pushes me through the door, clicks on a light, then locks the door behind her and leans against it.

  A slow grin curls my lips. “I’m your prisoner now, is that it?”

  She juts up her chin, but I don’t miss the way she presses deeper back against the door. Aah, little Shy Ann, all alone with no one to hear you scream. “Let’s just wait until Cody calms her down; then I’ll sneak you out the back door.”

  I take a step toward her.

  “Don’t.” She holds up a hand, her fingers shaking.

  “I scare you.”

  “You almost drowned me, so yeah, a little.”

  “Yet you lock yourself in a room with me.” I tilt my head, studying her, as if it’ll help me understand. “Why?”

  She swallows hard but keeps her gaze to mine, refusing to show the fear she’s so desperately trying to conceal. “For Lucas.”

  Her resolute answer sends me back a step, my booze-lazy thoughts trying to keep up. “What?”

  “I’m protecting Lucas. Last thing he needs is you making trouble for him, Gage.”

  My eyes grow tight and the fire of anger flares in my gut. Who does she think she is? “You’re protecting Luke now?”

  She throws her shoulders back and nods.

  “Weak, stupid, stupid whore.”

  Her hands ball up at her sides. “Call me whatever you want. You won’t scare me away that easily.”

  Shyann

  I can’t breathe.

  Being stuck in this tiny room, surrounded by boxes and cleaning supplies, he could do anything to me in here. I’ve had a taste of what he’s capable of; he warned me then not to underestimate him, which is exactly what I’m doing.

  Maybe he’s right. Maybe I am stupid.

  I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stay away. Watching Lucas play pool tonight, his head thrown back in laughter, it all seemed so unfair. He deserves to live a normal life filled with friends and the possibility of love.

  Every time he brushed against me or whispered something in my ear, my whole body warmed and butterflies exploded in my belly.

  I tried. I really did. But when Sam forced herself on him, I snapped.

  Gage is the obstacle that stands between us and I can’t let him screw everything up for Lucas. No one can find out about him. The people in this town wouldn’t understand; they’d alienate him, ostracize him, make his life so difficult he’d have no other choice but to leave.

  And I don’t want him to go.

  A little voice in my head screams that I’m selfish, that I’ll be leaving soon anyway so I shouldn’t care. I push the voice away and focus on the predatory stare of the man in front of me.

  He stalks toward me, his head tilted, chin dropped. He looks like something out of a horror movie, but I force myself to see Lucas behind his cold stare. Strain to see the broken boy I’ve come to care about.

  “You’ve got balls. I’ll give you that.” He steps so close the toes of his boots hit mine, and the smell of beer is thick on his breath. His knuckles run up my inner thigh, dipping beneath my skirt. “I think I better check.”

  I smack his hand away and he groans, his eyes practically rolling back in his head.

  He presses the palm of his hand to the door behind me, leans in, and traces my hairline with his calloused fingertip. It’s gentle, and for a moment I pretend it’s Lucas. His touch glides along my temple, slides down my cheek, and I shiver under the barely-there caress. He cups my jaw, his thumb running along my quivering lower lip. “Scared, Shy Ann?” He purrs my name and it’s like fire and honey dousing me in gooseflesh.

  “No.” My voice cracks on a whisper.

  His hand moves to the front of my neck and he tilts my head back, holding me so my lips are just a breath away from his. “You really are one beautiful bitch.”

  “Stop it.”

  “Stop what?” He runs the tip of his tongue along the seam of my lips while his hand grows tighter around my throat. “This is what you want, isn’t it? What I found you begging Luke for?”

  “You’re not Lucas.”

  He frowns and anger flickers behind his molten-gray eyes. His grip tightens.

  “Lucas would never hurt me.”

  He pulls back, his eyes flaring with heat. “You sure about that?”

  My mind scrambles for something to say, anything that will remind him I’m human and not a source of torture for Lucas. That I’m worth protecting.

  Gage protects Lucas. I need for Gage to see me as safe. As an equal. Someone strong and capable, yet harmless. My weakness seems to fuel his anger. I have to be strong if I’m going to get him to bring Lucas back.

  “You never answered my question.” I gasp as my airway tightens. “Why did you save me from Dustin?”

  That seems to catch him off guard. He blinks. “Mistake.”

  “Liar.”

  He grips me tighter and my hands fly to his; fingernails claw his wrists to get him to release me. “Watch that mouth, Shy Ann, or I’ll fuck it.”

  I blanch at the harshness of his words. His gaze darts around my face, lips curled back over his teeth, as if he can’t decide to kill me or kiss me.

  My vision swims and darkness closes in. He won’t do it. He won’t. Whatever Gage is, at the heart of him he’s Lucas and he’d never hurt me.

  Please, Lucas. Please…

  He tenses. “Give in!”

  My eyes flutter. Pulse roars in my ears. “No.”

  His jaw ticks before he releases the pressure but leaves his hand on my neck. I gasp, sucking in precious oxygen and trying to stay on my feet. His thumb rubs circles on my throat, his attempt to soothe. “What did I tell you about underestimating me?”

  Victory washes over me. He’s had the opportunity to kill me twice, and he hasn’t. “You…are a coward.”

  His eyelids flicker and for a second I wonder if my insult was enough to send him away. “Yeah, well…I’ve been called worse.”

  He puts distance between us, an unspoken truce, even if only for the time being. I double over, bracing my weight on my knees. I breathe, allowing all the blood in my head to flow back into my body.

  “We need to get Lucas home, Gage.” I sound like a damn lunatic! “I can’t leave until my shift is up and—”

  “Not leaving you here with that crazy slut.”

  My head jerks up at the sound of his growled response and I catch him grimacing. His mouth twists in disgust as if the words were poison on his tongue.

  A slow smile pulls at my lips as sanity escapes me and leaves me with a strange, crazed pride. “Aww, Gage. Are you saying you want to protect me from the big bad scary girl?”

  “Hardly.” He pulls off his baseball hat and runs a hand
through his thick dark hair before popping it back on. “She causes trouble for you, it could blow back on Luke.”

  “Shy, you in there?”

  My brother’s frantic knocks sound against the door.

  My eyes dart to Gage’s, who seems totally unaffected.

  “Yeah, Code, we’ll uh…we’ll be out in a sec.” I rush to Gage, whispering, “If you’re gonna stay…here…you better put on your best Lucas mask.”

  He smiles, but this time it’s not the creepy evil kind but the amused kind. He nods.

  I give Gage one more stern look before I turn and unlock the door, opening it enough for Cody to slip into the room. He eyes us both, speculation dripping from his gaze. “Everything good in here?”

  “Of course.” I throw my shoulders back.

  He narrows his eyes. “Okay. I told the bartender lady that you got sick. She said you can take off. The mood Samantha’s in, I’m not leaving you here with her.”

  Gage chuckles but covers his mouth and keeps his eyes to the floor.

  “I need to get Lucas the hell out of here before he gets stripped and taken advantage of.” Cody grins and slaps Gage on the back. “Fuck, man. Who knew you had that kind of game. I thought Sam was gonna rip me apart to get at you.”

  I catch the hint of a sly grin, but luckily Gage only shrugs.

  “She was still fired up when I left her.” He motions toward me. “Bartender chick said settle up. I’ll drop your cash at the bar, and you can head home.”

  “But what about Lucas?”

  Cody scratches his jaw. “Shit, that’s right. You take him home.”

  Gage’s eyes meet mine. Great, alone in my truck with Gage.

  “Fine.” I pull out my tickets, do a little math, and shove a wad of cash at Cody. “There.”

  “All right. Get Casanova here home safely.” He pulls Gage into a playful headlock.

  His body goes stiff and his fists ball.

  Crap!

  I tug the sleeve of Gage’s sweatshirt, freeing him from my brother before Gage does something he’ll regret. “Come on, let’s get you home.”