“We’re going to have to agree to disagree.” I turn from him, walking into the small kitchen, and grab a beer from the fridge.
“I saw her today, Jax. She’s not good, man. You really should see her.”
“Not fucking interested,” I say, my nostrils flaring. And I wasn’t.
“You’re a fucking fool,” he growls, ripping the can from my hand. “How did the deal go today?”
“Good,” I say, appreciating the subject change. “I gotta collect the goods and drop them off tomorrow.”
“What are the goods this time?” he asks, narrowing his eyes.
“I didn’t ask,” I lie, hoping he won’t press further.
“You didn’t ask?” he presses further.
“No, Ryder, I didn’t fucking ask. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow,” I say, grabbing another beer.
“So you need my backup or have you got this?”
“I got this, bro. But thanks,” I say, my hand landing heavily on his back. This was a deal I couldn’t let him get involved in, one I know I have to keep to myself. The truth is I’m just the paid heavy hand. And the money I make pays the bills and keeps a roof over my head, but one day, I plan to be top dog, and I just know that Eric is the guy who will help me get there. He’ll make sure that when the time is right, I will be making the big deals and earning the big bucks.
“So you taking that hot ass out tonight, bro?” Ryder asks, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Seems like more hassle than it’s worth,” I say with a sigh, kicking back in the seat.
“She’s so fucking hot, though, man. Shame she’s so young.”
“I’m just trying to keep her sweet for Eric, and sure, she’s easy on the eye, but I’m not sure I’m overly fucking bothered about being her damn babysitter.”
“Why does Eric wanna keep her sweet? What’s the real story with this chick?” he presses.
“You know the real story,” I throw back. “Jack is one of Eric’s street rats, a small-time dealer. That was until he stepped on another dealer’s toes. He wasn’t smart enough. He was careless, and now, he has to pay the price.”
“Didn’t like that fucking douche from the minute I laid eyes on him. Anyway, I gotta go get ready to sort some shit down at Ernie's.”
“Why? What’s going down?”
“He’s got a group of bikers coming in that keep causing trouble with the bar staff. He called earlier, asking if I could come tonight to ‘have a word’ with them.”
“You going alone?” I ask, concerned he could be in way over his head.
“I’ll have Smith and Wesson with me.” He chuckles, but it’s lame.
“I’m not talking about your damn gun, Ryder. I was talking about backup. As in someone to make sure you get outta there in one piece.”
“You just concern yourself with the girl. I will be fine. I got this.”
“So be it, bro. But don’t leave a mess or a trail that leads back here. You know the fucking score.”
He nods before making his way to the bathroom. I sit, downing what’s left of the can as I contemplate whether I should really go and make an effort with Kailee. I have to admit that spending a night with her, doing normal teenage kind of things, seems appealing. Even if it’s just for the night, I’ve never stepped away from this constant life of crime. I never had a normal or typical high school experience. We tried to attend high school but got expelled more times than I care to fucking remember. The only thing we were ever good at was committing a crime and getting away with it. Sure, the cops suspected us and were constantly knocking on our mother’s door, but they never really had any hard evidence to link us to the actual crimes. A couple of times, we both did short stints in prison. The last time we were in there was the time when I met Eric. He saw the potential we had and agreed to put us up; our mother no longer wanted the cops constantly at her door.
I’ve never looked back since.
I decide to go over.
Making my way over to Eric’s trailer, I notice a car just outside that doesn’t look familiar. I knock on the door, and slowly opening the door, I peek inside. I’m not surprised at what I see.
Eric has a young woman, who looks no older than about nineteen, straddling his lap and gyrating on him, topless. My eyes fall from them to the table in front of them. Lines of coke separated in front of them as the music plays quietly in the background, and despite my presence, the girl doesn’t stop. She keeps working her barely covered body, grinding down on Eric’s dick like her pathetic, drug-filled life depends on it.
“What the fuck you doing, man,” I whisper-shout, not wanting to draw attention to the floor show happening right in front of me.
“I’ll tell you what I’m fucking doing,” he roars at me, pushing the girl unsuspectingly from his knee. She lets out a squeal as she falls heavily against the seat. “I’m getting off my fucking head. Then see this pretty little thing?” He points at the girl now lounging on the sofa, cupping and caressing her plentiful tits. “Well, I’m going to fuck her like she’s never been fucked before. Not that it’s any of your goddamn business.”
“The girl, Eric. What about the fucking girl?” I point toward Kailee’s bedroom. I couldn’t believe he was doing this. Here and now.
“Take her out.” He glares at me. “But don’t fucking touch her,” he says. His words are menacing, and I know this is a warning.
“This is careless of you, Eric. What if she’d walked out and seen all this? You’re not exactly making this easy for me.” I sigh heavily, aggravated by his carelessness. Rule number one. Being a good criminal requires being smart.
“I don’t give a fuck about the girl,” he retorts, waving his hand in my direction.
“You know that’s not true,” I say rushing toward him, my teeth clenched together. “We need her; you know this. Don’t fuck this up, Eric.”
“You’re right, you’re right,” he repeats, holding his hands up in surrender. “We’ll take this in my room until you’ve gone. But make sure she’s out until at least midnight. Or take her to your trailer. It’s time big E had some fun.”
“Got it,” I snap. “I’ll go in there now. You get this fucking cleaned up and out of sight.”
I storm off, making my way to her room. I knock lightly, pressing my ear close to the door, and wait for a response. I watch Eric and the girl making their way into the room next door but still no answer from Kailee. I knock again, this time a little louder. After a minute of waiting, I slowly open the door. Kailee’s sitting up, her back against the wall and earbuds in and head swaying from side to side as she mouths the words of the song, holding a book tightly in her hands. Her eyes dart to me at the door, her hand held flat against her chest.
“Sorry” —I grimace— “didn’t mean to scare you.”
She pulls out the earbuds, a shy smile appearing on her face.
“That’s okay; you just surprised me, that’s all.”
I stand at the door, leaning against the frame. “So I promised to take you out. Not because I’m trying to keep tabs on you but because I’d love to see more of that smile and those dimples that follow.”
“Stop,” she says, trying to cover her face in embarrassment.
“Come on; it’ll be good just to get out of this shitty trailer park. Whatever you want is on me. Food, movies, bowling… the possibilities are endless.” I smile, hoping she’ll agree.
“I’m not sure.” She shakes her head.
“What do you plan to do for the evening?” I say, looking around the empty bedroom. I walk over, sitting beside her and nudging her playfully with my elbow. She smiles; the cutest kind of smile that tugs at the corner of her mouth as though she’s trying to fight it. “Is that a yes?”
“You’re not going to leave me alone until I agree, are you?”
“I’ll wait outside for you,” I say, leaning in and kissing her lightly on the cheek. Instantly, they redden, and I’m pretty sure she just shuddered. I leave her room, closin
g the door behind me. I bolt over to the table, making sure the mess from earlier has been cleaned up. Sure enough, it’s gone, but there are still traces. I grab a cloth and wipe the table, ensuring not a single trace of coke is left on the table.
Fucking asshole. I check around, making sure there are no traces of the girl or the mess Eric made.
Within a few minutes, Kailee emerges from her room. Her hair is half up, half down, and she looks hot—really fucking hot. I can’t help but feel my dick stir at the sight of her. She hands down has the best set of tits you’d ever seen on a seventeen-year-old, so plump and ripe, yet so innocent. The combination was a concoction for an instant boner. I swallow down hard, trying to clear the lurid thoughts from my mind.
“Wow,” I mouth.
She lets out a sweet chuckle. “Wow, yourself.” She smiles back. “I can’t quite get over your tattoos,” she says, running her hand down my arm. “They’re pretty damn impressive.”
“Yeah, I guess the boys at school don’t have tats like this, huh?”
“Or muscles, for that fact,” she says, raising her brows.
I let out a light laugh. “So… you ready to go?”
“Let’s do this,” she says, inhaling deeply, her tits expanding as she does. I try not to stare, but it’s damn near impossible. Those beauties were on display, and she knows full well what she’s doing to me. My tongue darts out, wetting my lips as I just about manage to tear my eyes away. A year older and I would’ve bent her over in an instant, fucking her pretty ass until she couldn’t walk. But the truth is she’s seventeen and out of bounds. Totally. I have to be careful. No matter what.
Kailee
I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. I don’t want to admit it, but I’m actually having the best time. I’ve laughed and smiled so much that I almost forgot about all the shit I’ve got going on. I’ve laughed so hard my stomach hurts and my cheeks ache. It’s been so good just to forget for one night, and Jax has been the perfect gentleman. If this were a date, it would be perfect. But I know that’s not what this is. However, I did see him checking me out once or twice.
I check my watch, my jaw dropping a little when I realize the time. It’s way past midnight.
I’m sitting in the seats of the theater entrance, waiting for Jax to return from the toilet. I see him approach me, so I step up to join him. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he smiles at me with bright eyes. I can’t help but feel a little excited just at the sheer sight of him. My heartbeat picks up a little as he holds his arm out to me. I don’t hesitate to link my arm through his, resting my head against his muscly upper arm.
“You guys must work out, a lot…” I laugh, nervous that he would think it was some sort of lame come-on.
“We do. I work out pretty much every day.”
We continue to discuss their workout regimes, and he tells me how his dad was an underground boxer who died of a heart attack when the boys were just sixteen.
“What about your mom?” I quiz, curious to know more about the notorious brothers, and why they ended up the way they are.
“She’s still around,” he says evasively.
“Around?” I ask, drawing in my brows questioningly. I want to get to know the real Jax who hides behind the violence and the big muscles and scary ass tattoos.
“Let’s not spoil the night,” he says with a forced smile. “Bit of a sore point for me.”
“Got it,” I say with a nod as we arrive at his car in the parking lot. He presses the key fob, unlocking the doors. We both slide in the car, Jax starts the engine, and we make our way home. We sit in comfortable silence, his head occasionally turning in my direction.
“You should come back to my place for a while. The night is still young, after all,” he suggests. My eyes flicker to his, and I see excitement lighting his face.
“Huh, it’s quite late,” I state, bending my arm and making a point to look at the watch on my arm.
“I have no dishonest intentions if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I wasn’t suggesting you were—”
He cuts me off. “I think Eric may have company, and I wasn’t sure whether that would make you feel kinda uncomfortable.”
“Really?” I ask, sinking into the seat a little at the thought of hearing moans and banging coming through the wafer-thin walls of the trailer. I shiver under his intensive back and forth gaze.
“Where would I sleep?” I ask, lifting just one brow.
“You can take my bed; I’ll sleep on the couch. I don’t mind.”
“I really don’t want to put you out,” I say, giving him a sideways smile.
“You’re not, honestly,” he says, reaching for my hand. I feel the tingles of excitement as his touch meets mine.
“Okay,” I say, reciprocating his hold and squeezing his hand tighter. We continue our drive home, and I look out the window, taking in our surroundings.
“What the…” Jax’s words trail off as he leans forward, craning his neck to get a better look at the scene playing out in front of us.
I squeal, holding my hands in front of my face. Parting my fingers ever so slightly, I peek out to clarify what I originally thought I saw. There is a gang outside what looks like some seedy bar, and a fight has broken out. Five men on one. One man I recognize.
Ryder.
Shit.
I’ve never seen a fight like this before. Sure, some of the guys at school fight, but nothing like this scene I see before me.
“What are you going to do?” I shriek; my whole mind and body are in a panic. I can feel myself shaking, fear oozing through my veins as the thud of my own heartbeat can be felt in my throat.
“I’m going to fix this. Don’t you worry,” he says, bringing the car to a skidding stop. “I told him,” he roars. “I told him not to go alone.” He growls, reaching across me and into the glove box. He pulls out a handgun before reaching for the door.
“Get down. Stay down,” he whispers to me before finally emerging from the car. Just like that, he’s gone. He doesn’t give me a chance to react, to say anything. Damn, given the chance, I would have told him what a bad idea this is. I have no other choice but to slide down until I’m kneeling on the floorboard. My whole body shakes as the fear rages through me. I strain to hear what’s going on and have no idea how this is playing out. I can hear voices but can’t make out exactly what anyone says.
Then, all at once, everything inside me stops as I hear gunfire. I flinch at the metallic sound echoing all around me. My hands find my ears, covering them as I cower lower, hoping the shots aren’t coming my way. I freeze, terrified by the sound surrounding me. I can’t think. I’m too scared to do anything other than stay here frozen, hoping that Jax comes back for me. Shit, what if he doesn’t come back?
Seconds feel like hours; my hands remain over my ears as if to shield me from the deafening sound. But it doesn’t help. My head whips in the direction of the door as it opens unexpectedly. My eyes land on Jax’s blood-covered body. Still in my crouched position, I sit up a little but not enough for anyone outside the car to see me.
“Oh my god, oh my god,” I repeat, my mind freaking out as the blood drips from Jax’s face. “A-are y-you o-okay?” I stutter, not sure what to do.
“We gotta go and fast,” he instructs, his hands working fast to start the engine and get the vehicle moving. “Hold tight,” he yells as the wheels spin beneath us, and we race down the road.
My nails dig into the leather seats, desperately holding on as the car swerves from side to side. I can’t stop the one question repeating over and over in my mind. But I’m too scared to ask, too scared to find out exactly what happened. I anticipate the journey home to be short, but it feels like we’ve been driving for ages. We haven’t stopped, not once, in the last ten minutes or so.
“Get in the seat,” he says, finally breaking the silence. The car’s still moving but significantly slower. I flick my eyes to him, indicating that I understand, and c
limb up from my crouching position. I swallow down hard as my eyes roam his body, all his clothes blood-stained.
“W-w-where are we going?’ I ask, knowing that we should be back at the trailer park by now.
“Just got to let the dust settle,” he says with a sigh.
“What happened? I mean is Ryder… uh… okay?” I inwardly cringe at my words, sinking a little further into my seat.
“He’s fine. He’s following us to Marco’s.”
“Where’s Marco’s? And why aren’t we going back to the trailer park?”
“So many questions.” He smiles sympathetically. “I’m sorry you got caught up in this whole fucking mess, but I couldn’t do nothing. He’s my brother. You understand, right?” He stretches his hand out, hovering it over my leg. I swiftly move it out of the way, not wanting his blood-stained hands anywhere near me.
“No.” I shake my head frantically. “I don’t understand any of this. The whole violence and way of life. I never asked for this,” I say, my voice beginning to sound throaty as I garble out my words.
He raises his voice ever so slightly. “You think this is a choice? A fucking lifestyle choice?”
“I don’t see you guys working a nine to five somewhere,” I snap, slamming my hands against the seat beside my legs.
“This is survival,” he says calmly.
I snatch my head away, staring out of the window, trying to figure out where we are. But all I see is darkness. It’s too dark to make out my surroundings. I ponder the meaning of his words. Had life really dealt them a hand they had to constantly fight to get out of?
“Marco, by the way, is a friend of ours. He lives far enough away and will act as the perfect alibi, should we need one.”
“Alibi for what?” My words rattle in my throat as I force them out.
“I’m not sure you’re ready to know any of the details, Kailee.”
I let my eyes fall shut because he’s right. I’m not ready for him to tell me the gory details of what went on back there. Between my imagination on overdrive and the state of Jax’s clothing, you don’t have to be a genius to work out that something serious went down.
The edge of life: Official cover - coming soon Page 5