by Lacey Heart
If I’d have known she’d still be here then I would have thought twice about coming back here. Plus, with no contact from Bryson it was hard to judge.
I can’t help it if she didn’t leave. I can only do so much—the rest is out of my control and now it’s game on. Let’s see if I can get her to hate me some more.
“Sweet baby Jesus. It’s true.”
I don’t have a chance to say anything when Hadley comes running across the room and dives on me and I almost fall backwards on the stool.
“It’s good to see you too, sis.” I smile into her big bouncy curls and they smell like home. She doesn’t move, instead she holds me tighter as though she can’t believe I’m really here and if she lets go, I’ll magically disappear into thin air. I guess I can’t blame her for thinking that way. I have been out of her life for five years.
“My god, I’ve missed you so much, you crazy son of a bitch.” She laughs when she pulls back, her hands cupping my face as she gives me a once over and to check I’m really here. “Colby, you’ve changed.”
“No, I haven’t.” I reply and the love bubbling in my chest is out of this world. I really didn’t know how much I’d missed her until right now. “I’m still me.”
“Hmmm, that’s debatable.” She muses while walking over to the coffee pot and pulling down an extra mug from the cupboard. “The Colby I know wouldn’t have left me without so much as a goodbye for five years. It’s been so long, Colbs. I was starting to think I wouldn’t see you again.”
Hadleys’ voice is playful, but it still cuts deep, like she’s taken a knife to my heart. Even though Hadley is the master when it comes to game faces, her eyes never lie. Neither did my mom’s. I know I’ve hurt her—more than she’ll ever admit and that kills me more than anything. Hurting Hadley, or causing her worry was never my intention. None of that was ever part of the plan.
I’m her big brother—her protector and I’ve made a crap job of that over the years, that’s for sure. But I’m back now and hopefully she’ll let me try and make it up to her.
“And who’s the rich chick out in our guest house, or don’t I want to know?”
Fuck. I’d totally forgotten about Tiff. My head had way too much bullshit spinning around in it yesterday and I know the added liquor didn’t help—Tiffanie had completely slipped my mind.
I’d love to tell Hadley I’d finally met a decent chick—one mom and dad would be proud of. A chick who could hold me down, but then that wouldn’t be me, and Hadley sure as hell knows it too.
“Trust me, the less you know about it, the better.” I sigh heavily and decide against elaborating on the issue.
Right now, Tiffanie is for show, not tell, and the sooner I can get rid of her, the better. A thought flashes in my mind and following on from that dreaded conversation with Bryson yesterday Tiffanie could become the perfect asset—perfect fucking leverage, and my mind goes into overdrive.
“Hey, Hads…”
“Yeah…”
I don’t manage to finish what I was about to say as Willow chooses that very moment to come walking into the kitchen, and my mouth clamps shut. My jaw clenches as tight as fuck, preventing me from saying exactly what I want to say, but this conversation I need to have with Hadley isn’t one I want to have in front of anyone—let alone Willow.
If it wasn’t for Willow and our fucked-up games, I wouldn’t have left Redlake in the first place. I would have had no reason to leave. I would have stayed here, right where I belong. I would have never gotten caught up with Deano, and I would never have met Tiffanie. No. I would have been right here where I was needed. I would have been with my sister when she needed me, and if I want to go really deep with this, maybe if I’d stayed then my mom and dad would have still been here and not caught up in a fucking car wreck.
I clench my fist around my mug, and I try to control my breathing to calm myself: one elephant… two elephant… three…
My eyes narrow and lock onto Willow as she walks toward the kitchen table without a goddamn care in the world, and when her eyes find mine, she’s quick to look away. Here’s hoping she knows what’s good for her. That’s when it hits me. As willow takes a seat opposite me, realization hits me like a bullet.
Everything that’s happened over the past five years: Deano, Tiffanie, my mom and dad, has all been down to her—it’s all happened because of Willow.
She’s the root cause of all my evil—she always has been—I’ve just been too blind to see it.
But I see it now. Clearer than anything.
Maybe coming back home wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Revenge is sweet.
Revenge will be mine.
I want to ruin her.
I want to destroy her, then watch her suffer.
Maybe then I’ll start to feel like justice is being served.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
WILLOW
I feel super awkward around Colby, but I know I need to keep up appearances around Hadley. No matter how hard it is being around him, I’m just going to have to ride out this shitstorm until it passes, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later.
Here’s to hoping he won’t be around for long and then he can scurry off back to wherever he came from—right along with his two-bit whore.
Hadley is so happy to have him home though, which is great, but now I suddenly feel like and intruder, and I know Colby won’t be welcoming me with open arms. But he’s the one who upped and left his family behind without so much as a second thought, and now here he is acting like he fucking owns the place—like the golden boy never even went away.
Fortunately for me, he was quick to leave this morning telling Hadley he had some important errands to run. Fucking errands my ass.
I’ve never been more relieved to go to work.
Now that Colby is back the house suddenly feels too small, as though the walls were caving in under the heat of his disapproving glare.
It’s weird because although he hasn’t changed one single bit since the last time I saw him, he seems more serious, edgy and dangerous than I remembered.
I don’t know why he’s back and if I’m being honest, I don’t really care. But I know Colby better than most and I know there has to be a reason for his sudden appearance and I’ll bet my life it won’t be a good one.
Sinner’s is quiet when I walk through the doors. I was kind of hoping it would be busy so I could keep my mind focused and occupied instead of overthinking about all things Colby.
“Hey, Ryder.” I spot him behind the bar and decide my next move. If anyone’s going to have dirt on Colby the who else would know but his best friend and partner in crime?
It’s no secret that Ryder and I had a sticky start to our friendship—we physically hated each other, and everyone knew it, but when Colby left, he started to grow up and we decided to put our differences aside and start again. Apparently, Colby would have wanted that. Like I gave a damn about what Colby wanted, but I was fed up of arguing with Ryder, so I agreed.
One thing I’m not is a fool, and I’m not stupid enough to believe things will stay the same now Colby is home. The tables will definitely turn, and everything will go back to how it was before—a fucking nightmare.
“Hey.”
“Where’s everyone else at?” I ask. On closer inspection I see there’s only Ryder out front and even on quiet days we always have at least three people scheduled to work the bar.
Ryder walks over to me and offers me a weak smile, and a sense of unease ripples through my body. “You haven’t heard?”
“Heard what?”
I notice a look of concern wash over his face and whatever’s going down, I can tell he doesn’t want to be the one to enlighten me. “I thought Bryson might have called.” His hand runs through his black hair and he puffs his cheeks out. Fuck. This isn’t good. This is getting worse the longer he stands in front of me. “All right, listen. Just promise you won’t go crazy, okay.”
“Ryder, if you�
��re telling me not to go crazy then chances are that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.”
“Just quit messing and tell me. I know it’s quiet but believe it or not I don’t have all day to stand around and wait for you to tell me what’s going on.”
“I guess you’ll find out soon enough. Just don’t shoot the messenger.” Ryder sucks in a deep breath and then says, “Colby’s back.”
I can’t help but laugh and he looks at me like I’ve just grown two heads. “I know.”
“You do?” He sounds shocked and I wish I was quick enough to take a picture of the look of shock on his face. It’s priceless.
“Of course I do. He’s staying at Hadley’s. I left Seb the other day and moved back in. The next thing I know, Colby’s turned up out of the blue. I didn’t plan it well, did I? But hopefully he won’t be around for too long. The only things he brought with him was his truck and a two-bit whore who he must have picked up on the way.”
“That two-bit whore would be me.” I spin around and sure enough Tiffanie is looking back at me, smug as anything. God, she sure loves herself. “I’ll have a wine soda when you’re done gossiping.” She snarls and I have a strong sense to slap the arrogant look from her face. Either she was born a bitch, or she’s spent far too much time in Colby’s company.
Ryder must sense the tension building between us as he’s quick to step in front of me, a protective barrier between me and the blonde diva stood before me. “The name’s Ryder,” he flashes his dazzling smile at her before continuing, “how about you go take a seat over there and make yourself comfortable and I’ll bring it over for you? This one’s on me.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes when I look at him. Ryder must want an ass whooping. Bryson doesn’t give out free drinks for anyone, so he better be digging deep in his pockets.
Tiffanie looks me up and down as I continue to give her the death stare but she’s totally unfazed. What a bitch. Colby needs to hurry up and leave, and he needs to take her with him. It’s bad enough I have to see her face when I wake up in the morning but now I have to deal with her while I’m working too?
I quickly look around the bar for Colby, because if Tiffanie’s around then I’m sure he won’t be too far behind. Relief floods through me when I don’t see him anywhere. “It’s a shame Colby isn’t here.” I spit out, unable to hold my tongue just as she turns away.
“What can I say? He’s a busy man who likes to keep his woman happy.” She’s so fucking up herself it’s unreal.
“Clearly.” I tell her, mirroring her confidence, “but not too busy to stop by room last night.” I want to bottle up her expression and keep it for all eternity. Obviously, she doesn’t know Colby as well as she likes to think.
“Willow.” Ryder’s voice is stern and full of warning, but I don’t care. Bryson isn’t going to say shit to me for standing my ground, and even if he does then I’ll just tell him she made an aggressive pass at me. I know Bryson won’t stand for that kind of behavior and he might bar her on sight.
“You really shouldn’t have done that,” Ryder continues as Tiffanie saunters over to the table.
“Oh, yeah. Come on, what’s Bryson going to do? Fire me for standing my ground with a difficult customer?” Ryder and I both know Bryson always looks after his own first.
“Bryson wouldn’t, no, but it’s a whole different ball game with Colby.” Ryder shrugs back at me, unapologetically.
“What? Colby can’t sack me. He doesn’t even work here.” I scoff, but I don’t feel all that confident anymore.
“He does now.” Ryder tells me, and his face is void of any emotion. “That new business partner he’s been banging on about—it’s Colby. He’s in the office right now with the rest of the guys giving them their brief.”
Fuck.
At first I thought Ryder was winding me up, but then everything started to fall into place like a goddamn jigsaw.
Sinner’s is the reason Colby came back. Not Hadley, not me—fucking business.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
COLBY
“Any problems—any bullshit, you go directly to Colby, and then when he isn’t around you go to Ryder as usual.”
Bryson has been telling the troops about my new role and I already feel like falling asleep. I wish he’d hurry the fuck up and get the hell out of here already.
“I expect you to treat Colby with the same respect you’d give to me. He’s the one who’ll be calling the shots while I’m away. And, don’t be fooled—this guy also has the authority to fire all your asses.”
Jett, Miley and some scrawny dude nod their heads like a set of obedient dogs before forming a line and heading back out to the bar. “And the poles?”
“What about them?” Bryson turns to look at me, a look of confusion etched onto his tired and worn face. If anything, I think this little getaway will do him the world of good. Plus, I’d prefer him to be out of the scene when the proverbial hits the fan. He is family after all, and I don’t want him getting caught up in my new plan.
The game has changed. Colby Carter is back. These are my rules and mine alone.
“I’ve been thinking about a little reshuffle.” I tell him.
“Hey, kid. Do what the fuck you want. Just make sure this place is still standing when I get back.”
“All right.” I can’t make no promises, but I’ll sure try my best. “I want Ryder to oversea the poles and I want Willow alongside me.” Now, that gets his attention.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Bryson isn’t stupid. He knows mine and Willow’s history, and because of that I can swing this to my advantage.
“I’ve been thinking on it and it’s best I keep her close. Now she’s staying at Hadley’s I can keep an eye on her at home and work, you know.” I lie through my teeth, but I don’t give a damn. Honesty gets you nowhere in life—I know that better than anyone. Although I still want to watch her, but for my own personal gain.
“Does she know you’re back?” Bryson loves to get in on the drama. He pretends he hates it, but I know him, and I know it fuels his needy soul. I laugh and nod, and my dick twitches as the image of Willow laid in my bed last night flashes through my mind. I try to shut it down, but she’s there—always there, tattooed onto my eyelids for all eternity. “She doesn’t know I’m in charge of this place, though why don’t you do me a favor and send her through before you leave?”
I sit and wait not so patiently for almost thirty minutes before the door to my new office opens. I know it’s Willow before I see her. That girl’s never been one to use her manners, especially around me. But then with a mother like hers I’m not surprised. But my mom and dad did a good job of bringing her up, making her feel at home, and look how that turned out.
“What do you want, Colby?”
Willow doesn’t hide the fact she isn’t all too pleased to see me and her eyes burn into mine as she tries to stare me down. I know she’s not happy about my return and she shouldn’t be either. But twisted or not, I can’t help the excitement which pulsates through my veins at her displeasure.
Our wicked games are about to get a whole lot sicker, and she doesn’t even know it yet. Another twitch in my cock tells me I’m going to enjoy this new game of ours a whole lot more than I could have ever imagined.
“You, princess.” I tell her flatly, and I mean every word. My tone is void of any emotion and I watch her intently, my eyes fixed on hers as I watch the heat rush to her cheeks, and she bites down nervously on her bottom lip.
“I’m not here to play your games.” She warns me but I know Willow, and I know her threat is as empty as my soul. Willow couldn’t hurt me even if she tried.
But I could hurt her.
If I gave the right access to the right people, I could turn her whole world and everything she knows upside down.
“No, you’re here to do as you’re told, so for once in your life why don’t you give it a try?”
“Fuck you.” She hurls back at me. I knew she’d take the bait.
“It’s good to see you haven’t lost your spark. I have to admit, I kind of missed it while I was away.”
I step around the desk and close the space between us, and I don’t miss her breathing catching when I press my body flush against hers. It’s crazy, I know, but it’s always turned me on when I tower over her small five-foot frame—it’s empowering and adrenaline bursts through my veins. Actually, I’m a little surprised by how much I missed her.
Sure, Tiffanie has been on hand to fulfil my basic needs, but there lies the problem—Tiffanie is a basic bitch, no matter how much she likes to think she’s all that. Trust me, Tiffanie Melrose is all nothing.
“Cut to the chase, Colby. In case you didn’t notice, I have a job to do.”
“Ah, yeah. Now that’s what I wanted to discuss with you.” I feel her body judder against me and when I look down, her pert breasts rise and fall with each shallow breath and it takes everything I have to hold myself back.
“Wait. Let me take a wild guess. You’re the big bad boss-man now so you’ll cut me out of a job if I don’t do as you say? You’ve come back and you’ll continue where you left off—making my life a living misery?”
I look down and my nose almost presses against hers. I can feel the heat of her breath on my face and I’m struggling to keep my head together. “That all depends, princess. Do you want me to make your life more miserable than it already is?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
WILLOW
I don’t know what fucked-up game he’s trying to play, but I can feel myself caving just like I knew I would. Just like I always do. It’s not safe for me to be this close to Colby. I have zero control over my actions when it’s just the two of us. That’s always been our problem.