The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories

by Brina Courtney

  I looked at Ethan. He came back to sit by me. His body seemed tense and ready to spring up into action if necessary. But he smiled reassuringly at me and said, “So you stayed in a foster home for a while? I’m impressed you decided to pursue college. Not many people in your situation would do that.”

  “Jan... my adoptive dad, made me promise that I would make something out of myself. He wanted me educated and never again on the streets. I owe to him everything good that ever happened in my life. He left me money, his car, and the house. As soon as I turned eighteen, I was able to use it as I pleased. Before he died, Jan hired Jessica Leothon, an attorney to help me with all the necessary legal stuff.”

  “That’s the lawyer you called?”

  “Yes, she’s always been helpful. So when all this mess with the gang started, she was the lifesaver.”

  “What will you do when this is all over?” he asked.

  “If I get out of this mess alive, I’ll go back to Florida, I suppose. To finish college. I still own Jan’s house. It’s been locked up and sealed by the FBI, more for my own protection than anything else, I think.”

  Ethan pursed his lips and looked away. He nodded a few times, stood up, and said, “Stay here. I’m gonna see what’s taking Jack so long.”

  And that’s when I got scared. Really scared. I didn’t know why exactly, but there was something ominous in the air; something dark and dangerous. I grabbed Ethan’s wrist. “They found us, right? They’re here?”

  A muscle in his jaw jumped, and his eyes flicked to the front door. “I don’t know. But let’s be smart about this. Here’s Jack’s other gun.” He opened a small drawer in the built-in cabinet by the fireplace and pulled out another 9 mm. “You know how to use it? Here’s the safety button.” He pointed.

  “Yes, don’t worry, I can manage,” I tried to sound braver than I felt.

  He took some handcuffs and something else out of that drawer. He saw me eyeing it curiously and said, “Jack brought a few necessities with him. These are night vision goggles. He’s got a pair too.”

  Ethan turned the gun around, holding it by the barrel so the muzzle faced him, and offered it to me. “This is a Magnum MR9, a good, reliable pistol. Hold it and tell me how it feels.”

  I gripped it with confidence. “It feels right; like it belongs in my hand.” I removed the magazine. It dropped down onto my waiting hand. It was fully loaded. “What it is? Ten? Fifteen rounds?”

  “Fifteen, plus an extra clip.” He shoved a spare magazine at me. “Keep it in your pocket.”

  I did as told. I put the other magazine back in.

  “Lisbeth, don’t be a brave heroine, okay?”

  “What does that even mean?” I scoffed.

  “Don’t go Rambo out there.” He grinned, but then the smile disappeared from his face. “Hide, stay down, and don’t go looking for trouble. Shoot only if you need to protect yourself—three bullets to the heart, bam bam bam.”

  “Got it.” I slid the gun into my pants pocket.

  He shook his head and sighed. “I can’t believe I’m instructing you on this.”

  “Ethan... thanks.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

  He stiffened for a moment, but then he pressed me to him. It was a fierce hug, as if he let go of some thick barrier. I sensed his desperation, but I didn’t completely understand it. Maybe with time, I would. If we had any time to explore that...

  Chapter Twenty Six

  ETHAN

  I walked to the front door and very slowly opened it a notch, peering outside through the crack. Jack wasn’t there. I closed the door, moved to the garage, and took my radio out of my pocket. “Jack.”

  He answered right away in a low voice, “Nothing yet. That fucking party boat is getting on my nerves.”

  “They should shut up soon or the neighbors will call the cops on them,” I said. “I’m coming out. Where are you?”

  “In the back.”

  “Okay, bro. Over.” I put the radio back in my pocket, took the gun out, and released the safety. It was ready; just needed to be cocked. I was ready too.

  I opened the garage’s side door and carefully checked the perimeter. Stooping, I went outside and plastered my back to the wall. My eyes were focused on the surroundings, and my ears trained on any sound that wasn’t coming from the party boats. All seemed ordinary out there, but I wasn’t letting my guard down.

  With my gun at the ready, I crouch-walked toward the front of the cabin. I peeked from behind the corner of the building. The driveway was well lit, but the woods past it were damn dark. There could be a dozen guns trained on me now. But I wouldn’t kill the lights, because that would make it too convenient for anyone to sneak up and deposit explosives by the cabin. There was no perfect option then. I had to work with what was given to me.

  Jack was in the back, keeping his eye on the water access and the woods on both sides of the cabin. I had to stay hidden that I could see from here. That left us with one blind spot: the woods by the front corner of the cabin opposite the one where I was crouched. I took out my radio and very quietly told Jack about that plan. He said he would move a few feet to the left to widen his angle of vision.

  Now, we had the perimeter covered much better, but the damned cabin was way too large. I knew we could be easily surprised. Although, if we were lucky, nobody knew about Lisbeth and me leaving so the gang’s focus was still on my cabin. If they were even notified by their presumed FBI informer. I would be pissed of course, if the cabin got damaged, but I had good insurance coverage and enough money in the bank to have it repaired. Unless it got blown to pieces, which, based on the gang’s previous performance, was a possibility. That would suck balls.

  On the other hand, if anything happened to Ryley’s cabin, Jack and I were in hot water. Ryley wasn’t easy to deal with, and he sure as hell would enjoy making our lives miserable. Either way I was screwed, but that wouldn’t stop me from protecting Lisbeth.

  The earlier gentle breeze changed to a much stronger wind. I looked at the sky. It was dark; no stars. The air was still warm despite the wind. It smelled of fresh sap, the pine trees, and something pungent.

  A loud, high-pitched whistling sound, a pop, and then bright light behind me made me jump. The sky was lit with fireworks. The idiots on the party boats were bent on a big ass celebration. These fireworks weren’t the puny ones designed for the general public use, but the heavy-duty stuff, most likely obtained from a reservation. The fireman in me cringed. If I was here on vacation, as I initially planned, I would have the local fire department running here in a jiffy. But now I had more important task at hand. Someone else would have to bring them over.

  I swore under my breath. This was fucking ridiculous. Jack and I had a zero chance now of spotting anyone who tried to sneak up on us. God damned party boat. Another firework exploded high in the sky, lighting the area with a cool-silver glow. Shouts and hoots of drunken approval followed, only adding to the madness.

  When I was scanning the woods, a movement to my left caught my eye. Someone was running between the trees, away from the water! I trained my gun on the figure, but I didn’t pull the trigger. That could have been anyone, even the neighbors’ kid.

  I half-stood-up and rushed into the woods, but trying to stay close to the cabin. I hid behind a tree and pulled my night vision goggles on. Now, I was in business. The little shit had no chance. I saw him crouching about ten yards to my left with a gun swiveling from side to side. He wasn’t sure where to point it. I did. I aimed for his thigh and pulled the trigger, just as another firework cracked open in the sky.

  He howled in pain and fell onto his side.

  “Drop the weapon.” I rushed to him with my gun trained on his head.

  He did, clutching his leg with the other hand. I kicked his pistol out of his reach. He was about my age, but even his loose t-shirt couldn’t conceal how skinny he was. No muscles to speak of. That didn’t necessarily mean the guy was weak, but I easily had
at least sixty pounds on him.

  He was panting and yelping in pain, his eyes terrified. There was a thick scar on his chin that looked like it was left by a knife. “Leave me alone. What do you want?” he whined in high voice.

  With the gun still pointed at him, I quickly searched him for any other weapons, but found none.

  “Who are you? What do you want?” he repeated, scared out of his mind. His eyes flicked all over me, unsure of what was to happen next.

  In my night vision goggles I must have looked like a real bad ass to him—prepared and ready. Good. Nothing worked better from the get go than the right image. I had skills to back up that image too.

  I pressed the muzzle of my gun to the side of his skull and said, “Shh. You’re too loud.”

  He didn’t know what to make of me, but he shut up.

  “Good. What’s your name?” I asked quietly.

  “Vince,” he squeaked, shaking.

  “How many of you are here?” I asked.

  His chin trembled, but he managed to say, “Eight.”

  I hoped he wasn’t lying. I looked at his leg. The blood seeped through his pants fabric and glistened on his fingers. But it wasn’t an artery. He would live.

  “Where are the rest of your friends?”

  “What? I told you—everyone is here... the eight, including myself. We drove in two trucks. Left them by the road.” Vince was scared out of his mind.

  I kept at it, “How did you know where to come?”

  “I don’t know anything,” he cried.

  “Shh,” I said in a soothing voice. “If you tell me all I need to know, I’ll let you live. If not... the choice is yours.” I wondered if this was the fucker that killed Lisbeth’s friend Helen. I could rip him apart with my bare hands.

  Vince cowered away from me, but I grabbed his hair and pulled him back so his cheek touched the muzzle of my M9. “I’m a patient man, but even my patience has limits, and you’re testing them. I would be careful if I were you,” I whispered.

  “Okay, okay... I know a little. Not much. They don’t tell me everything. I overheard Ed and Max talking. It’s about some girl. They said she has to be dealt with, this time for good. No more fuckups.”

  “Who are Ed and Max exactly?”

  “Ed runs the club. Max is his right hand.”

  “The club, you say, eh? More like a gang, isn’t it? What do you do in your club?”

  “We just... hang out.”

  I hit Vince over the face with the back of my hand. His head bounced to the side, and he cried out in pain.

  “I told you about certain limits to my patience?” I made a show of cocking the gun. “They are officially stretched. You talk, or I pull the trigger.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut, wailing. “No, no, no! What do you want to know? Please!”

  I pushed the gun into his cheek. “Where are you from?”

  “Florida. Tampa.”

  “When did you come here and why?”

  “We’ve been in Portland for over a week. Ed’s contact gave him the location. We had everything arranged—a place to stay, the trucks, the weapons. Everything. I don’t know how. They don’t tell me nothing. I just hear it here and there. The other guys who work for them don’t know much either. We are just told what to do and we go in.”

  “Go in and do what? Kill an innocent girl?” I hissed through clenched teeth. “What do you know? What happened in Portland?”

  “The explosion? It was our job. We were told to blow that warehouse to bits, so we did. But then they told us to come here,” he gestured around, “and do it all over again.”

  “Why? To blast something else?” Fuck, they did want to level Ryley’s cabin. Over my dead body. Dealing with my brother was worse than hell. And of course there was Lisbeth to consider. I told her to hide inside. I couldn’t let those monsters get to her.

  “No, not here. Ed said it was more complicated now. We were to get inside the house and kill everyone there, then leave quickly,” Vince’s voice trembled as if he was about to cry.

  “Is Ed here with you?”

  “Yes. And Max is too.”

  And five other criminals. That means four for each of us, Jack and myself. That was nothing, unless the other members of the club, as Vince cutely called it, were much better trained than he was. “Where are the others?”

  “Back by the trucks, waiting for me.”

  “Did they send you here for reconnaissance?”

  “Yes.”

  So if he didn’t come back soon, all hell would break lose faster. Or maybe it wouldn’t. I had a plan, but first there was something else I needed to ask Vince. “Who killed Helen?”

  His eyes went huge, and his mouth opened in a silent “O”. I was done with playing nice. I stuffed the barrel of my pistol in his mouth, although I kept my finger off the trigger. He couldn’t see that though; it was too dark in the woods. “I’m gonna count to three and then I’ll remove the gun for exactly three seconds. If you don’t tell me the truth, I will kill you.”

  He shook so badly that his teeth clattered on the metal of my M9. I pulled the pistol out of his mouth. “One. Two...Thr—”

  “Wait! Wait, wait, wait.” Vince’s hands went up in a mollifying motion. “I wasn’t there. I swear to God. I wasn’t. But the guys talked... most of them are college kids, very rich, spoiled, dumb assholes. There was a party in some dormitory. They got totally messed up on booze and drugs. Some girls were there too, but they took off on them. So the guys went to look for more fun off campus. It was all over the news. Max didn’t go with them, but Ed did. Max got really pissed. He punched Ed in the face, broke his nose. They fought until we separated them. Ed yelled for everyone to fuck off. He said that his father would take care of everything.”

  “Was it Ed who killed Helen?”

  Vince shriveled and started to tremble again. “Yes,” he whispered. “He cut her throat after they raped her.”

  I wanted to hit him so badly. I was both furious and repulsed. If I’ve ever had any faith in the goodness of the human race, it sure wasn’t now. I needed more information though. The crucial information. Besides, Vince wasn’t really involved in that nasty business with poor Helen. Unless the little fucker was lying.

  “Who’s Ed’s father?”

  “I... I can’t—”

  “Who is he?” I roared, shoving my gun back in his mouth. “Should I say three? I’m about to, and then your pea-sized brain will get fucking blasted out the back of your scull, you worthless piece of shit.”

  Tears ran down his cheeks. He nodded, and I withdrew the gun, but I kept it trained on his face.

  “Speak!”

  “Senator Kiersch.”

  Great. Just fucking great. A politician... a Senator for fuck’s sake, involved in covering a murder, a gang rape, and other multiple murder attempts, plus destruction of federal property. Nice.

  “How did Ed and Max get the location info? Who gave it to them?” I asked.

  “The FBI. Senator Kiersch has someone in there... a snitch. That’s how we knew about the safe house in Portland, and about here.”

  Just what Lisbeth suspected. One thought about Lisbeth alone in the house set my nerves back on edge. Jack was close by, but I didn’t know what exactly was happening inside. I had to get to her fast. I couldn’t let them beat me to it. Lisbeth needed me. And I needed her to stay alive. To stay...

  “Turn onto your stomach,” I commanded.

  “Why? What are you doing?”

  “Saving your life.”

  Vince lay down and obediently rolled over onto his stomach. I pulled the handcuffs from my pocket and yanked his arms back. When he protested, I told him to shut up. I secured his wrists with the handcuffs to the trunk of a nearby bush.

  Next, I ripped a piece of his t-shirt, grasped his hair, and pulled his head back to gag him. He was squealing in a high-pitched voice, shaking his head.

  “Stop that. It’s for your own protection. If your buddies find yo
u, they won’t hesitate to end your pitiful existence. So shut up and lay still.”

  That did him in. His eyes were huge. He was breathing shallow and fast through his nose.

  I took off toward the cabin. About thirty yards away, I radioed Jack in. “Jack.”

  “Yeah. Nothing new.”

  “One secured.”

  We didn’t elaborate, in case someone was using the same radio frequency as we were.

  “Good. I feel sorry for the subject already.”

  Jack’s sense of humor was ever-existing, even in times of high alert or otherwise fucked-up situations. I grinned to myself.

  “I’m heading your way.”

  “Okay. Over.”

  I put the radio back in my pocket and secured the flap. I walked toward the cabin, my ears and the night-vision-enabled eyes focused on the surroundings. At the edge of the woods I paused, waiting and observing. Walking slowly out into the open didn’t appeal to me in case Vince’s buddies were here and not waiting by the truck, as he said they were. Running full-speed toward Jack wasn’t ideal, either. I couldn’t be sure where he was exactly and he didn’t know what direction I was coming from.

  I whistled quietly—a long, single note. Jack whistled right back from the bushes somewhere by the water. I repeated the whistle, but this time twice. This was our code back from when we both served in the Marine Corps. It meant don’t fucking shoot me. I’m moving toward you.

  He answered with a single note. That meant he acknowledged. I slid my night goggles off, scanned the perimeter in front of me once again, and then, half-crouching, ran toward the spot where Jack was hidden. I found him behind some thick, flowering pink bush, squatting amidst the blossoms.

  “Looking pretty in pink.” I grinned. There were little petals stuck to his short, spiky hair.

  “Jealous?” He grinned back.

  “How is she?” I nodded in the direction of the cabin.

  “Quiet and still. Haven’t heard a thing. No movement either.”

  I told Jack about Vince and what I learned from him. I watched the expression on my best friend’s face morph into that of loathing and anger. Our reactions were so similar.