Taunt Her

by Caitlyn Dare

  “You need a drink and to lighten up,” she complains. “Find me later when you need some action.” She winks, but it’s not appealing in the slightest. Her lifeless blonde hair is doing nothing for me right now. I’ve got my sights set on a certain brunette.

  Music booms as more people flood into my uncle’s house, and, after a few moments, I join them.

  Falling down onto the opposite end of the sofa to where Conner has some girl grinding on his lap, I lift my bottle to my lips before pulling out another blunt.

  Now this is a much better way to use this house.

  Something smashes out in the hallway, but like fuck if I care enough to go and check it out.

  “Donny is really missing you, man,” JJ says, dropping down beside me and thankfully cutting off the view of my brother’s tongue delving into that hussy’s mouth.

  “So I’ve heard,” I mutter, thinking of the messages I’ve had from my boss asking when I’m going to come and do another run for him.

  I fucking need to. I’m skint, and like hell am I going to use a cent of the money James has given us.

  I was building up a nice little nest egg for the future until a fucking ghost from my past turned up and used my one and only weakness against me.

  “Give me what I want, or I’ll go about it another way.” Even the memory of his voice sends a shiver down my spine.

  Our father. Cunt of the century, and a man we all thought was fucking dead. Turns out he was just lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to ruin my life.

  “I’ll be back,” I promise JJ. “Just got some shit to deal with here first.”

  “What the fuck kind of shit could you need to worry about here?” He looks around at our lavish surroundings as the sound of something else breaking fills the room “Well, maybe aside from that.”

  “Fuck that. I don’t give a shit about this place. It’s the motherfucker who owns it that needs my attention.”

  JJ’s brows furrow. He’s probably thinking the same as everyone else in Sterling Bay: James Jagger is an upstanding citizen of the community and a prestigious businessman. If any of that means liar and master manipulator then yeah, that’s good ol’ Uncle James all right.

  He’s covered his tracks well, I’ll give him that. But he seems to have forgotten one thing.

  Me.

  And I’m out for his motherfucking blood.

  I’m not entirely sure how it happens, aside from the fact that Conner is involved, but sometime after midnight, the house begins to empty as everyone stumbles their way across James’ perfectly landscaped yard and towards the beach beyond.

  Flowers get trampled, and bottles and half-smoked cigarettes and blunts get thrown every which way as we descend. No one gives a shit, and I fucking love it. I’m already pumped to see his face when he gets back to this disaster. I only wish I could be a fly on the wall when he gets the inevitable phone call about the out-of-control party in his beloved mansion.

  The last thing I’m expecting when we eventually get down to the shore is to find another party in full flow. Only this one is a little different.

  They’re drinking out of solo cups instead of bottles of liquor and, as far as I can see—or smell—there’s nothing illegal going on. It’s just a group of kids hanging out around a bonfire like a bunch of fucking boy scouts. Oh, and one more thing… they look preppy as fuck.

  All heads turn our way as we come to a stop before them. Some guy wearing a blue and white Seahawks team jacket stands. I know his type immediately: privileged jock asshole. The one who thinks he’s hard. The one who thinks he can defend his school’s honor or some shit.

  He’s got perfectly slicked-back blond hair and blue eyes. He’s such a fucking cliche it actually hurts my eyes to look at him.

  “What the fuck do you want?”

  I step forward, not because I don’t think anyone else will, but because it’s high time I made my mark. I’ve been to—or crashed—plenty of Bay parties over the years, but I’m fairly sure I’d remember this preppy fucker if I’d seen him before.

  “For you to get out of my fucking face,” I taunt, closing the space between us.

  Hunger for the imminent fight filters from behind me, whereas when I look over the douche’s shoulder, all I see are terrified wide eyes.

  These fuckers need to be taught a lesson.

  Ace Jagger is about to take over the motherfucking town, one rich douchebag at a time.

  My fingers twitch. It would be so easy to pull out my knife and do this properly.

  “We’re just hanging out down here. You’re the ones gatecrashing. But I hear that you Heights scum have a thing about crashing Bay parties. Probably because we can afford better alcohol.”

  “Nah,” I say with a laugh. My lips curl, but I’m anything but amused as I bare my teeth at him. “Your bitches have tighter pussies.”

  “Motherfu—”

  “Bexley, stop.”

  That voice.

  A slender hand lands on the asshole’s shoulder before familiar dark curls appear, followed by her huge, brown eyes and full, pink lips.

  I look between the two of them. Of course the princess would be with the captain. If I didn’t already want to take the motherfucker to the ground, then I fucking do now for having her touch him like that.

  Innocent little Remi might have no idea, but she belongs to me now, and no one touches what’s mine.

  “Move, Remi,” I warn, closing the space between us. “Rexley and I need to have a little chat.”

  “It’s Bexley, asshole. And you’d better fucking remember that.”

  “Is that right?” I taunt, “because I’m pretty sure the next name your girl there moans will be mine.”

  Remi moves just in time for Bexley to cock his arm back, ready to take a swing at me. Sadly for him, he’s not aware that I’ve fought guys like him almost on a daily basis back in Heights, and I’m faster. Much faster.

  My knuckles connect with his cheek before he even attempts his first punch. Girls scream, including Remi, and a few of his team members step forward, although as my guys move, they suddenly look like they could be about to run.

  Fucking bunch of pussies.

  Grabbing Bexley by his collar, I stare down into his panic-filled eyes. “The Jaggers are in town now. You’ll learn your place.”

  “Fuck you,” he spits seconds before my head connects with his nose, making him scream like a little bitch and blood cover his jacket.

  He comes at me, but he’s no match for my strength or speed. In only minutes, he’s on the floor, writhing in pain, bleeding and crying like a baby.

  A couple of his pussy ass teammates drag him off as my guys wait behind me to see if they’re going to need to get in on the action. But it seems that the rest of the Seahawks are a little more switched on than their captain, because they stay put.

  That doesn't mean I can’t see the need to fight back in their eyes, though. They want payback for this, they’re just not willing to when I have half of Sterling Heights standing behind me. Our reputation clearly precedes us, and rightly so, most of the motherfuckers standing behind me wouldn’t bat an eyelid at the chance to hurt a Bay kid.

  Turning my attention to Remi, I watch as she stares at me with wide, terrified eyes. I step toward her. She takes one back, and another, her pace quickening until she stumbles in the sand and ends up on her ass. I straddle her waist, her entire body trembling beneath me. I gather both her wrists in one of my hands and lift them above her head before dropping the other to the side of her head and gazing down at her. She refuses to hold my stare. Instead, she turns to the side defiantly.

  Taking her chin between my bloody fingers, I squeeze until I know it’ll pinch and turn her so she has no choice but to face me.

  “Look at me.”

  It takes her a second, but eventually she concedes.

  “You need to watch who you hang out with, princess.” I trail a finger from her rosy cheek all the way down her neck and to the swell of h
er breasts. Her breath catches and her skin breaks out in goosebumps. “Decide whose side you’re on tonight and either fuck off or come back to the house with me.”

  Her body trembles again, but this time it’s not with fear.

  I know what she’s going to say—it’s written all over her face before the words pass her lips—but I’ll give her this one chance. Next time, I’ll just take what I want, because a broken Remi is going to get me the answers I need.

  Chapter Four

  Remi

  Ace stares down at me, making my heart thump violently in my chest. My body is hot and restless beneath him, but it’s only anger.

  That’s all it can be.

  “Get the hell off me.” I buck against him, but he holds my wrists firmly in his grasp.

  “Say the magic word, Princess,” Ace taunts. Blood coats his knuckles and splatters his wife-beater. I can’t believe he just did that. Bexley’s nose is broken for sure, I heard the crunch.

  “Tell me you’re not with that preppy fucker?”

  “Jealous?” My lip curls. I don’t know why I omit the truth, why I even consider sparring with him, but he brings out something buried deep inside me.

  “Oh you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

  Something sparks in his eyes, flecks of silver streaking across his soulless blue gaze.

  “Shit, Ace,” a voice calls, but neither of us move, locked in this strange standoff. “What are... whoa, is that the princess?” It’s Conner. Ace glances over his shoulder and I use his distraction to my advantage. Shoving my fists into his shoulders, I dig my foot into the ground and slam my body upwards.

  “Motherfucker,” Ace grunts, rolling off to the side. I sit up, barely able to contain my laughter. I didn’t mean to catch him in his balls, but I can’t deny it gives me a strange sense of satisfaction.

  Conner moves closer, offering me his hand. I take it, letting him pull me up. “You might want to put some ice on that,” I say to Ace, who looks ready to kill me with his bare hands. Once he can stand again, anyway.

  I snicker again, and Conner explodes with laughter. “Shit, Princess, we sure underestimated you.”

  “Tell your brother to stay the hell away from me.” I don’t stick around to hear either of their replies as I march across the beach toward the path leading over the sandbanks to my house.

  Some party.

  I didn’t want to come tonight, but Mom ran into Bexley earlier and he mentioned it, and Mom being Mom hounded me until I finally gave in. Besides, I knew Hadley would be here, and she’s about the only girl left at Sterling Prep that I can stand to be around.

  “Remi, wait up,” her familiar voice drifts over to me, and I stop. She reaches me, a little breathless as if she ran over here.

  “You should go back to the dorms, Hads,” I say.

  “What the hell was that? Bexley is—“

  “Bexley had it coming,” I grumble.

  She smothers a snort. “Yeah, he did. God, he’s such a self-involved, righteous asshole.”

  And this is why I like Hadley Rexford. Despite being on the cheer team, she doesn’t buy into the whole school hierarchy bullshit.

  “So that’s Ace Jagger, huh?” There’s a lilt in her voice that has me frowning. “Oh, come on. We’ve all heard the news by now. The Jagger brothers have moved into town. Did you meet them already?”

  “Something like that,” I murmur.

  “And you and Ace are what, exactly?”

  “Nothing,” I deadpan. “We’re nothing. I barely know him. Besides, have you seen the guy?”

  “Oh, we all saw him.” Her brow quirks up. “He’s really something.”

  I glance back to where I left him sprawled out on the sand, clutching his junk. But there’s no sign of Ace or Conner.

  “It’s late,” I say, desperate to get off this beach.

  “I’ll walk with you, if that’s okay?”

  “Sure, why not.” The two of us walk side by side, the soft sand giving way under our feet.

  “Bexley will be out for blood once school starts up,” she says.

  “Something tells me Ace isn’t going to worry about a guy like Bexley.”

  “I still can’t believe he did that. And did you see some of his friends?”

  We’d all seen them. Tatted, pierced guys who looked like they belonged in some motorcycle club, not at a bonfire party in the Bay.

  “What’s their story, anyway?”

  “You care?” I throw back at her.

  Hadley isn’t a gossip. She doesn’t live for school cliques and classroom politics. She mostly keeps herself to herself. If it wasn’t for her being in the cheer team, she’d be invisible.

  “No, I don’t care,” she chuckles, “but you’ve got to admit, it’s the most exciting thing to happen in the Bay since Krystal Gavin had an affair with the vice principal.”

  “Scandalous,” I mock.

  Krystal is a girl a couple years older than us. She and the vice principal back then got caught exchanging dirty texts. He was fired, and she was shipped off to her grandparents in Pasadena to finish out senior year there.

  “You know, senior year is going to be a hell of a lot more interesting with the Jagger brothers around.”

  “Don’t remind me.” I press my lips together.

  We hit the path leading away from the beach. There’s a row of beach houses lining a quieter section of the Bay. Mom and I live in the end house. It’s by far the smallest, but it's ours, and it has the best views of the ocean.

  “Well, this is me,” I say as we reach the spot where the path splits.

  “See you at school Monday?” There’s a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Like me, Hadley doesn’t fit in. But unlike me, she never has. And I’m not sure which one of us has the better deal.

  “I can hardly wait.” Sarcasm drips from my words, but it doesn’t faze her.

  “It’s senior year, Remi.” She gives me a weak smile. “Who knows, maybe things will be different this year.”

  I want to believe her, but I learned to stop wishing for things a long time ago.

  “Good morning, sweetheart.” Mom greets me with a mug of coffee as I pad into the kitchen. “How was the party?”

  “You should probably ask Bexley.”

  “And what is that supposed to mean, young lady?”

  “He and Ace got into it.” There’s no use in lying to her, she’ll find out soon enough. The Danforths are one of the most well-known families in Sterling. They live behind us in one of the houses lining what we locals call ‘Palm Tree Avenue.’ Technically we’re not neighbors anymore, but we were for my entire childhood. When my mom and dad separated, Mr and Mrs Danforth insisted on helping us. I think they secretly hoped that, one day, me and Bexley would fall hopelessly in love and ride off into the sunset together. But that was before.

  Now the Danforths don’t look at me and see their future daughter-in-law. They look at me and see a charity case.

  And I fucking hate it.

  “They were fighting? I find that hard to believe,” she scoffs. “Bexley is such a good boy.”

  “Bexley got his ass handed to him.”

  “Oh my... well, boys will be boys, I suppose. There’s going to be an adjustment period for everyone.”

  “Adjustment period… sure thing, Mom,” I grumble beneath my breath as I slide onto the wooden bench and watch the waves roll in from the window.

  “So, would now be a good time to tell you I invited them over for breakfast?”

  “You did what?” I gawk at her, sure I misheard, because there’s no way, no fucking way, she invited Ace Jagger and his brothers to breakfast.

  At. Our. House.

  Guilt fills her expression. “With James away for the weekend, I wanted them to feel at home, you know?”

  “Mom, really?” I let out a heavy sigh. “This is our house. After... I just thought you’d be more careful.”

  “Sweetheart.” Mom gives me a sad smile. “I know they’re a little ro
ugh around the edges, but they haven’t had it easy...” She hesitates, staring out at the ocean.

  “What happened to them, Mom?” I find myself asking. Because no way can someone be as angry and sadistic as Ace without some kind of deep childhood trauma.

  I should know.

  “I don’t know the whole story, baby. James seemed very distressed when he told me he was taking them in. But I do know that Ace... he found her.”

  My breath catches. “H-he found her?”

  Mom nods. “Overdose. Apparently Maria never really recovered after their dad died. She turned to drugs and alcohol and Ace was forced to grow up overnight to care for his brothers.”

  “Wow, I didn’t know...” My voice trails off. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for them. It’s no wonder he seems so... damaged.

  “So now you know why I want to make them feel as welcome as possible. Sterling Bay is like shark-infested waters.” Mom’s lips thin. “They’re already going to be swimming in uncharted territory without us making it more difficult on them.”

  “Nice visuals, Mom,” I chuckle.

  “I’m just saying, it wouldn’t hurt for you to try to be nice to them.”

  She begins plating up a stack of pancakes just as Ace appears at the French doors.

  Crap.

  I’m still in my oversized holey Rolling Stones t-shirt with untamed bed hair. But before I can make a run for it, Mom has opened the door and invited him in. “Ace, we’re so happy you could join us.”

  “Conner didn’t give me much choice.”

  Just then, Cole and Conner enter our small kitchen.

  “Something smells good,” Conner rubs his stomach, wearing that easy smile of his.

  “Yeah, it does.” Ace’s eyes darken on me. I grab the glass of orange juice Mom poured me earlier and drink it down.

  “How’s the hand?” I raise a brow, and he smirks.