Redd

by Leah Holt

  Throwing her body forward, she wrapped me in a big hug. I was taken by surprise, so I didn't hug her back right away. Her head pressed into my collarbone, arms squeezing tighter. “Thank you, Bijou. I hope I always have you here.”

  My eyes began to water, heart warming and full. Curling my arms around her, I held her. And that hug, that single hug from this young girl meant the world to me.

  After everything she had been through, she was still able to love, to be happy, to go on living.

  This family might have been small, but it was complete. That was what counted, never having to feel like you were alone.

  It wasn't about having a mom and a dad, it was about having people around you that loved you unconditionally.

  I loved this little girl.

  And right then I knew. . .

  I loved her brother too.

  Chapter Twenty

  Redd

  “She likes you.” Laying across the bed, I watched Bijou tie back her hair into a messy bun.

  Pieces flew around her face, falling with precision against the soft curve of her jaw. Dipping down, she tugged the socks Vicki had given her off, snuggling her toes into the carpet.

  “What?” she asked, looking up at me.

  “Vicki, she likes you.”

  “Good, I like her too.” Wriggling her toes, she looked back down at the floor.

  “Why are you doing that?”

  Shrugging her shoulder, she tilted her head. “I don't know, it feels good.”

  “It's just a rug, it's nothing special.” Pushing up on my forearms, I arched a brow in wonder.

  “Yeah, well, tell that to my feet. They weren't exactly given this type of comfort. It's like crack to them.”

  Chuckling, I reached my hand out towards her. “Come sit.” Taking my hand, she walked with slow strides. “You know I'm serious.”

  “About what? The rug?”

  “No, about Vicki. She really likes you, and that makes me happy. I haven't seen her smile like this in a long time.”

  Bijou sat down next to me, falling against my side from the divot my weight created in the mattress. “I'm glad, Redd. She deserves to smile.” Kicking her legs back and forth, her feet skimmed the tight coils of fiber, unable to stay still.

  I kept watching her. I couldn't help myself. There was this freshness to the way she was experiencing life again. Noting the smallest things and giving them appreciation. I never once stopped to think about where my feet were placed or what it felt like.

  Maybe I should. It couldn't hurt to appreciate the small things in life.

  Trailing a single finger up her arm, I caught a loose strand of hair and swirled it into a spiral. “She's not the only one you know, I like you too.” Tugging the lock, I smirked. “If you haven't noticed.”

  Giggling, she twisted her head, anchoring her attention on me. “This sounds like you're about to ask me to prom, Redd.”

  Sitting up straight, I twined my fingers into hers. “I'm serious, I really like you. I wanted you to know that, you know in case. . .” My voice trailed off as I put my foot into my mouth.

  No, don't do it. Don't give her anything to worry about.

  “In case what?”

  Leveling my gaze on the floor, I drew circles over her knuckle with my thumb. “Nothing, I just wanted you to know, that's all.”

  “No, that's not all. In case what? What do you think is going to happen?” Her grip tightened on my hand, squeezing it like I was about to jump and run away.

  I couldn't lie to her. Even if I tried she'd probably see right through me.

  “If anything happens to me, can you make sure Vicki is alright? I need to know that she won't be alone.”

  “Redd—”

  “Bijou, Please, just promise me that you'll make sure she's alright. Don't let the state take her and ship her off to some fucked up family that only cares about the monthly check.”

  Her eyes scanned my face, confused, unsure, and aware all in the same instant. “Of course.”

  “I need to hear you say it.” Struggling to keep my composure, I stared into her eyes, waiting for her to say the only two words that mattered.

  “I promise.”

  Lifting her hand, I kissed the back of her palm. “That's all I needed to hear.” My lips kept stealing her skin, kiss after kiss.

  She tasted and felt like heaven against my mouth. Sweet and luscious, soft and hot, all I wanted was more.

  I didn't want to think about what I was doing the next day. Every inch of my body was tight and uneasy, unsure of how my meeting would go with her father. Deep down I knew it was a huge risk, and that risk could kill me.

  The thought of leaving my sister to fend for herself, the mere idea of it broke my heart. Bijou had her family to hold her up, she had shoulders to cry on and arms to comfort her.

  Without me, my sister had no one.

  “Redd, don't think like that. You can't, it's going to kill you.”

  “It's not just her, Bijou, it's you too.” I couldn't bare to think about my life without this woman. And now I had to face the harsh reality.

  I was walking into a lion's den, and I didn't know if I'd be walking back out.

  “Stop—”

  “Shh,” I said, my voice made of nothing but oxygen as I stopped her from talking with a forceful kiss.

  Her body bowed into my chest, lips accepting and delivering with equal passion. I didn't want to discuss it anymore. She unfurled me, leaving me bare, leaving me open and exposed to feelings that had no place in my world.

  I had tried to resist them, and now I couldn't live without them.

  Bijou would be safe, I was going to make sure nothing would ever hurt her again. But that left uncertainty, it shed light on the idea that I might not come back. The chance was there, the risk more than just a thin sliver in a pie chart.

  This could be our last night together. . . The thought tore my insides up, it carved my heart and left me wounded.

  Capturing her jaw, my tongue traced her bottom lip, teeth nibbling and plucking the skin. Exhaling, Bijou purred as her lashes swept up with a blink.

  Our eyes met, holding and steadying in a locked trance. She knew it too, it was all there; the fear, the pain, the need and determination, it rested behind the glassy surface.

  Her eyes started to fill up, tears balancing on the thin edge of her lids. The glass was about to crack, giving way to a torrent of water that I couldn't bear to see her shed.

  With firm hands, I drove them into her hair, raking her scalp. I let my eyes talk to her, my voice a forgotten talent I didn't even want to use. There were no words left to speak, nothing I could tell her would be good enough.

  I needed her to feel me, to know that I would do anything for her. Her hands came up and wrapped around my wrists, eyes flicking back and forth searching for something she could control.

  Bijou couldn't control what would happen to me, she couldn't control what I would do or how this would end.

  Scratching her scalp, I pressed my forehead to hers. Our lips brushed, igniting and surrendering to each other.

  Jerking her body around, she slipped her hands down my arms and around my neck, keeping us trapped together. Tongues licked and flicked, dancing and swirling. Hips rolled and rocked, releasing a savagery between us.

  We were no longer just two people, we were two souls combining, two lives wrapping around each other in one final moment.

  Tearing at her shirt, I lifted it over her head. Her nipples stiffened into hard pebbles as goosebumps broke over her skin. Gripping her ribs, I pushed my swelling cock against her pussy and growled.

  This won't be the last time.

  I won't let it be the last time.

  The tips of my fingers dug into her sides as I drove my mouth onto her neck, forcing her head to fall back. Bijou moaned, eyes snapping shut as her back arched into my chest. Her moan grew louder as I bit her throat and blew hot air across the surface.

  Fucking music to my ears.
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  Her nails raked down my chest, groping and feeling. She touched every muscle, every thick cord and ripple.

  Grinding my hips up, her mound pressed down and rolled against my cock. A wave of fire spread up through my chest, heating me to the core.

  This was my woman, mine and only mine.

  I could feel her in my body, in all my bones, in every vein and nerve. I couldn't stop thinking about her, I couldn't get her out of my fucking head.

  And I tried.

  I tried to talk myself out of what I was about to do. I tried to convince myself that my sister was more important than this one woman. I rationalized the idea of running, just picking up everything and disappearing like I had always done.

  I couldn't. Everything about it was wrong.

  My inner voice was weakened, it was snuffed out and smothered. Bijou was worth my life just as much as Vicki.

  Love was a fucked up thing. It gave you choices and ultimatums. It had tried to put both of them on a scale and force me to see who had more value.

  There was nothing fair about it, but life wasn't fair. It was my turn to even everything out, to right all the wrongs in our lives.

  Straddling my waist in a pair of panties, Bijou's hands swept in and held my cheeks, forcing me to look into her eyes. “I'm right here, Redd, and this is where I belong. You know that right?”

  Her eyes flickered, saturated with truth. I wanted to tell her I knew that, I wanted her to know that I would never let her leave.

  But my voice was gone, my brain unable to create words. If I said one more thing to her, I knew I'd fucking lose it.

  Pushing my lips back to hers, I said everything I had to in that kiss. It told her that I knew, it told her that I was here, and it told her she was worth it all.

  Holding her waist, I flipped us over, laying her on her back. Her legs curled up, crossing over each other as her hands fell up above her head.

  She was stunning. An angel that had been dropped into my life to save me. I needed this woman as much as she needed me. There was no denying it.

  Tearing at the button on my jeans, it broke free and my cock exhaled in relief. Biting her lip, her waist shifted, saturated in sweltering desire. I could see the heat growing between her legs, creating a dark wet spot in the center of her panties.

  Pulling out my cock, I stroked it from base to tip. Her eyes watched me as I touched myself. And I fucking loved it.

  Flicking her panties to the side, her pussy was wet, glistening under the soft glow of the lamp. Running my finger up her slit, her body contorted as she groaned. Her hands tangled into her hair, loosening the bun, her skin flushed and muscles quivered.

  The sweetest scent of temptation engulfed my senses, turning me into a feral animal. My cock had a heartbeat, throbbing against my palm as I stroked up and down.

  “Come here,” she breathed out, tongue tempting the opening as her lips parted. “Come closer.”

  Lowering my chest to hers, her hard beads tickled over my skin, making my cock ache with unbearable need. Pressing my length to her entrance, her body sucked me in.

  Soft and warm, her walls milked my hard muscle, sending my stomach into knots. Grunting, I slid in further, savoring every second of pleasure. Bijou arched her back high, groaning and inviting me in as her thighs butterflied open, falling onto the bed.

  The only sounds between us were lips suckling and flesh on flesh. Speech had transformed from audible to physical.

  Sucking her tit, I gently rolled her nipple between my teeth. Driving her head back. Her nails found the back of my skull and clutched my hair.

  It was fucking hot as hell to see her lose herself this way. Her chest expanded in rapid bursts, her skin was hot and slick from sweat, shining like she had been painted with oil. Bijou glistened like porcelain, she looked breakable, like a thin sheet of glass.

  She's not broken, she's glowing.

  This wasn't the same woman I had found anymore. Her pieces were mending, her life taking shape. And I was handing it all back to her on a silver platter.

  “Mm,” Moaning, she clamped her legs against my hips and met my pace, thrusting her body against mine.

  I could feel her getting closer to reaching that high. Her thighs had begun to shake, chest rising and falling with spastic breaths. Sharp teeth tugged on her bottom lip as she did her best to hold in the scream that was building in her vocal cords.

  My balls pulled up tight, muscles tensing and shattering as sparks shot through my body. Bijou cooed, mouth open wide as her hips lifted and she rubbed her clit against my lower belly.

  I felt a shiver run through her body, dressing her skin in more goosebumps. Dropping my head against her shoulder, I bit her hard. I couldn't hold it in anymore, my cock let go, filling her with pump after pump of come.

  The tension in my body released, the anger and hatred I had kept bottled up, it all dissolved and left me at her mercy.

  I had forced her into my world, a thoughtless choice I wouldn't change. But all of this, everything that was about to go down. . . That wasn't a decision made without hesitation.

  I had finally allowed myself to see beyond everything I thought I wanted.

  Whatever tomorrow brought, whatever shit came my way, I knew. . .

  Love was the best thing worth fighting for.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Redd

  “Hey stranger.” The scratchy voice called out from behind the bar, before the door even had time to close.

  “You remember me?” I asked, tucking my hands into my pockets and walking towards the long counter.

  Tammy let out a chuckle, stuffing a towel into a glass and drying it out. Turning it upside down, she sent me a half smile. “I never forget a face, that's part of my appeal.”

  Nodding, I smirked back. “Well, I'll have to remember that.”

  “What can I get for you? Scotch, no ice?”

  “No, I'm not here for that.” Leaning forward, I bent my chest over the bar. “I'm actually here to see Pierre. Is he around?”

  “Pierre? What do you need him for?” Her brows furrowed, jaw crooking as she eyed me curiously. “Are you looking to join? Because I can take care of that for you.”

  “No, I just need a word with him. Is he here?” I already knew he was, but I didn't want to concern her by getting pushy.

  Thinning her lids, Tammy wiped her hands against a dark blue towel. “He's in the back, I'll go grab him for you.”

  Slapping the bar, I stood up straight. “Actually, the privacy would be good. Can I go back and see him?”

  Rolling her lips around, something about her demeanor changed. She looked uncomfortable in my presence, as if I was suddenly someone she shouldn't be talking to. “Let me go see what he wants to do.” Starting towards the back door, she stopped short and cocked her head over her shoulder. “Who am I saying is here?”

  “Redd, you can tell him Redd is here.”

  “Redd, got it. Give me a sec.”

  Disappearing behind the old rickety door, I walked to the end of the bar and waited. I had no idea that night when I first came here, that this bar would be the center stage of what was coming.

  Owned and ran by Pierre Garrel, a French immigrant who moved here over twenty years ago. From what Bijou had told me, he lived an honest life. But when she mentioned this place, and I remembered the men that were here, I knew Bijou didn't have a clue. Those men hadn't been here by chance, this was a small piece of Diablo's empire. It was the connection between Diablo and her father, and I was ready to learn why.

  Pierre was holding up a thick veil, hiding this part of his life from his family. Who knew how deep this really all went.

  “Redd. . .” Tammy said, holding the door open. “You can go back, second door on the left.”

  “Thanks.” Brushing past her, I gave her one last look over my shoulder. Her face was stoic, an emotionless pit that pretended to not see the whole picture. She stopped looking at me, quietly going back to work as if I hadn't been
there.

  But she knew, I could tell, she knew exactly what was going on here.

  The tight hall was dark, illuminated under flickering bulbs. Walking down the corridor, I found the door she had directed me to.

  A small plaque sat in the center, the word 'Office' was written in faded, gold lettering. Grazing the wood with the back of my knuckles, a man's voice called out from inside. “Come in.”

  Pushing the door open, her father was sitting behind an old metal framed desk. The suit he had on was ash gray, with heavy leather patches cupping his elbows. His hair was brushed back, the white strands thinning so you could see the pink of his scalp.

  Straightening the trim of his jacket, he ran his hands down his chest as he watched me close the door. Clasping his finger together, his eyes stilled, motionless and cautious. Papers were piled around him like towers, the mess melting off his desk and spilling onto the floor.

  It didn't matter how calm and in control he wanted to appear—because he wasn't.

  Thick lines created paths around his face, mimicking the harsh world he was living in. His fingers kept moving, fiddling and stroking nervously over each other as his knuckles whitened. The vein in his neck pulsed with his heartbeat, growing faster and harder as I stepped up to him.

  He had no idea who I was or how concerned he should be with my presence. And I was more than glad to use that to my advantage.

  “Have a seat.” Holding out his hand, he edged me down with an open palm. “Tammy, she says you want to talk. What can I do for you, Redd.” The accent in his voice was thick, highlighting single letters and elongating vowels.

  Holding the back of the chair, I cleared my throat. My nerves started to skip, jumping and popping as a weird mix of adrenaline and uneasiness flooded my body. On the drive there, all I felt was anger, a bitter rage that made me hate her father as much as the man that had held her captive.

  Bijou had told me about how Diablo had insinuated that her father was the one to put her there to begin with. I couldn't understand it, and I didn't want to believe that a parent would willingly subject their child to that kind of torture.

  Then I thought of my father, and my beliefs changed. Maybe it was possible, maybe it all made sense when I put it together. The bar, the men. . . There was no other reason that fit.