Blake steps in closer to my back. “Your knife?” he questions in confusion.
Slade ignores his presence as though I’m all he sees. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Fury grips me as he throws the words back in my face that I had used on him when he questioned me about the blue ink. I step into him and slam my hands against his hard chest, pissed off that it doesn’t seem to have even the slightest effect on him. “Where the fuck is it?”
“Oh,” he chuckles, digging into the pocket of his loose-hanging jeans. “You mean this knife?” Slade carelessly dangles the knife between his fingers and as my hand shoots out to steal it from him, he curls it safely into the palm of his hand.
I hardly have a chance to scream at him before Blake grabs me and tosses me behind him as though I’m as light as a feather. “You stole her fucking knife?” he demands, slamming his hands into Slade’s chest in the same way I had, though this time, Slade is forced back a few steps.
“Chill the fuck out, man,” Slade says with a laugh, looking at Blake as though his outrage is a huge overreaction, but he couldn’t possibly understand. “It’s just a fucking knife.”
Blake’s fist rears back and slams hard against Slade’s jaw, sending him back into the locker and making the crowd around us burst into excited cheers and chants. “Just a fucking knife?” Blake roars, getting in his face as Damian desperately tries to get between them, knowing this couldn’t be good. After all, nobody gets the drop on Slade Cruz. “That’s all we’ve got left of our dad and you fucking took it like it was trash?”
Slade’s eyes widen in horror before they flick toward me, but Blake isn’t nearly finished and demands his attention. “How the fuck did you get it in the first place? Were you in my house? In her room?”
Blake slams his hands against Slade’s chest again and he attempts to push Blake back but with the crowd and Damian hovering awkwardly between them, getting him far is near impossible. “Get the fuck off me,” he roars.
Blake doesn’t dare move, making me so fucking proud it ain’t funny. “You keep trying to make her life a living hell, but guess what? Skylah’s already been to hell and back. So, back off and leave her the fuck alone. What’s your problem with her? We came here to get away from dick’s like you.”
Oh, no. There he goes with his big mouth. If I don’t stop this, he’s bound to tell the whole fucking school what brought us here. I step in between Blake and Slade, getting real close and personal with Damian.
Blake scrunches his hand into the back of my shirt, preparing to tear me out of the way but stops as I glare up at Slade and let him see my absolute desperation. “Give me my knife.”
His jaw clenches and I try to ignore how damn sharp it is. He watches me for a long second before letting out a breath and offering me his hand. He uncurls his fingers and there sitting in the palm of his warm hand is my knife.
I scoop it out of his hand as though it’s my only lifeline but sensing this shit is far from over, I turn and look up at my brother. “Walk away,” I tell him, knowing I’m the only voice of reason that he’ll listen to. “Please. It’s over. I’ve got it.”
Blake’s eyes flash above my head to Slade before dropping back to mine. Anger pours out of him in waves. “We’re going to talk about this,” he warns me before stepping away and turning his back.
My eyes close for the briefest second as relief rushes through me. This isn’t good. When Blake wants to talk, he means business and I’m sure that he’s going to have a lot to say about this. But despite Blake being safe right now, I still have Slade and Damian at my back. Sensing they’re not going to do anything right this minute, I look back over my shoulder and narrow my eyes at Slade.
His are already there, waiting for me. Not a word gets said but the message is clear. This isn’t over.
With my knife safely in my hand and my world feeling somewhat normal again, I walk away, needing the day to calm down.
The noise of the excited students fade to a distant hum as I push my way out into the fresh air. Why does it feel so hard to breathe?
I expect Maze to come tearing out of the school right behind me but when nothing happens, I realize she must have missed the whole thing. Despite how much she seems to be growing on me, I’m kind of thankful to have this moment alone.
I start making my way toward the back of the school to where there’s a good size hole cut into the fencing, prepared and ready to make my escape. The fence is covered by trees and brush but the familiar smell of smoke has me changing direction.
I follow it until I find a group of guys. I recognize a few of them from my Math and History classes, but the third looks like the go-to guy Maze told me about last week. The three guys watch me through narrowed eyes, trying to work out if I’m friend or foe, but I honestly couldn’t give a shit what they think I am.
“Are you Robbie McDowell?” I ask the guy.
His head raises. “Yeah?”
“Can you hook me up?”
He watches me for a long moment before letting out a sigh. “Yeah, what do you need? I’ve only got joints on me but I can get you something else after this,” he says, indicating to the joint in his hand.
“It’s cool. I just need a smoke.”
He nods. “It’ll cost you.”
“Wouldn’t expect anything else.” I laugh as I pull the bill out of my pocket that Shay had just given me to get myself something for lunch. I wonder what she’d think of me trading it for a joint? I hand it over and before I know it, I have the joint firmly between my fingers. “Can I have a light?”
Robbie rolls his eyes as though I’m some sort of novice trying to live on the wild side, but nonetheless, he holds out his lighter and an orange flame appears before my eyes. I lean into the fire and light up the joint, breathing it in deeply.
Seeing that I’m not about to break into a coughing fit, the irritation in Robbie’s eyes quickly morphs into dollar signs as he tries to work out exactly what he can make out of me, but I’ve got bad news for him, I’m not a frequent flyer.
“Where can I go to be alone?” I ask them.
Robbie lifts a shoulder in a shrug as the guy from my Math class points through the trees. “Head out that way and you’ll hit an old dirt road without being seen. No one ever uses that road anymore.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
The guys leave me to it and just as they had said, I follow the trees out onto the dirt road as I hear the bell in the distance, starting the school day.
I walk until I find a patch of grass that doesn’t look as though it’s about to cover me in dirt and plonk my ass down. I lean back onto my elbows while puffing away on my joint. It helps to relax me but my head isn’t really in the relaxing mode.
Shutting off seems impossible. I just want to go home, lock and deadbolt the fucking door, close my bedroom door with a chair under the handle and board up my windows, only then will I climb into bed and let myself forget about this day.
I sit for half an hour and am just about to get up and start walking home when my phone buzzes with a text. I let out a deep sigh knowing it’s Blake checking in on me. I grab my backpack and start rifling through until my fingers curl around the cool metal of my phone.
I pull it out but as I glance down at my phone, my heart begins to race. An unknown number stares back up at me. Please don’t tell me he’s got a hold of my new number. I hesitantly open the text and my nerves begin to calm as I read over it.
Unknown – Babe, it’s Roman from the Rangers. What are you doing? Wanna ditch with me?
Well, well. A smile spreads over my face, remembering the blinding grin he gave me during the game. Damn, he’s certainly hot. I could definitely have a little fun with him before asking him to drive me home.
Skylah – Only if you bring coffee.
I save his number to my phone as I wait for his response, though I don’t have to wait long.
Roman – Done. Be there in twenty.
Maybe my day i
s looking up after all.
As promised, twenty minutes later, a silver sport car comes down the dirt road with a cloud of dust billowing up behind it. The car comes to a stop beside me and I get to my feet, dusting off my ass before stepping up to the car. The window is down and Roman grins at me through the window. “Your chariot awaits,” he says, leaning across and opening the door for me. “Though just so you know, you’re paying for my car to get washed after this. You said nothing about a dirt road.”
I help myself in and drop down into his car. “You agreed to bring me coffee and my thought process went into meltdown mode.”
“Fair enough,” he laughs, reaching into the center console and grabbing the coffee that sits in a takeaway cup. Roman hands it over as though he’s my savior and looks me up and down. “You look like shit.”
Well, I can’t fault the guy for being honest.
“Thanks, you would too if you hadn’t slept in three days.”
“No shit?” he says, hitting the gas and taking off down the road. “Why not?”
I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”
He nods, clearly seeing this topic is forbidden territory and as he drives, I take a moment to look over him a little closer. He’s just as I remember from the game, though perhaps even better. I was a little distracted with Slade during the game but right now, he gets my full attention.
He’s definitely the golden, rich boy type, but there’s a darkness in his eyes and I can’t work out if it’s there because he’s trouble or because he’s dangerous. Either way, I’m down for a little fun.
My eyes travel down his arms that are toned with the most delicious muscle but it’s not quite doing it for me, not in the way that looking at Slade’s does. His gets me hot and bothered while Roman’s is just something nice to look at.
Damn it. I don’t want to be attracted to Slade like that. I want to hate him. I need to hate him.
“Like what you see, baby?”
I glance up to his eyes to find them on my body. “I know you do.”
He looks back up at me and grins. “You’re not wrong,” he says with a sly grin. “I caught what you did to Cruz at the game. That was a risky move.”
I shrug my shoulders as I take a sip of my coffee and enjoy the heat on my tongue. “It was nothing he didn’t deserve.”
“You’ve got balls,” he commends. “Have you got beef with him or something like that?”
“Or something like that,” I tell him, not willing to go into the details with this complete stranger. “What about you? I saw the way you were going against him on the court. The both of you made it pretty damn clear. What’s your beef with him?”
“The guy’s a fucking prick is all.”
Yeah, right. It’s so much more than that. “Is that all?”
“He may have also fucked over my sister.”
“Really? I heard your sister has no issue fucking things over. She’s pretty close with her dean, isn’t she?”
His eyes narrow as he looks across at me. “Wow. I’ve been asking about you and the people at your school told me you had a nasty bite, but I wasn’t quite expecting that.”
“Oh, yeah?” I ask, starting to work out his game plan and not liking it one bit. “What else did they tell you about me?”
“That you’re Cruz’s little project.”
“Really, now?”
“Mmhmm. I can take you away from that, you know? Just say the word and I’ll handle it.”
I bark out a sharp laugh before telling him to take a right. “And what’s in it for you?”
“You get me the information on Slade that I need and you’ll have my protection.”
It’s just as I thought. “Pull up over here,” I ask, pointing toward the big tree outside Shay and Ben’s place, pissed off realizing that he’s trying to play me. His only goal is to destroy Slade and this prick wants to use me to do it. Well, that ain’t going to happen. I fight my own wars and this guy has done nothing to earn my loyalty. Besides, I want to take Slade down, no one else. He’s mine…or at least, I think so anyway.
Why does the idea of someone else trying to destroy Cruz make me want to stand in front of him and protect him from whatever’s coming his way? Fuck, I’m so screwed up.
“What?” Roman asks, his brows dipping low as he looks out toward the tree. “Why?”
“Just do it.”
I wait patiently as he pulls up outside Shay and Ben’s home and I turn in my seat to face him straight on. “First of all,” I start. “I’m not some pawn you get to use in your war against Cruz. If you want to take him down, then that’s on you, but when I do it, he’ll know it was me. All me. Nobody takes my credit. I fight my own wars and besides, I’ve got my own shit going down. I don’t have the fucking energy to listen to your bullshit issues. You’re a snake, Roman and secondly, I don’t need anyone’s protection. I protect myself. Always have, always will.” I push the door open and grab my bag. “Next time you go asking about me, make sure you hear them correctly because I’m the fucking boss bitch around here and the next time you come sniffing around, looking for handouts, you better be ready because I won’t be holding back.”
With that, I step out of his car and bend down to see through the window. I give him a sickeningly sweet smile. “Thanks for the ride, Roman. I really appreciate it.”
Chapter 11
Four Weeks Ago
I lay in bed, struggling to sleep. That’s been happening a lot lately. Whenever Lucien is home, my fear cripples me. Things have been different ever since that day three years ago when he walked in to find Marcus Mahony’s hand down my pants. He’s watched me with hunger and it’s only gotten worse.
Marcus has been here at least ten times since that night and every time, it gets worse and every time, Lucien sits back to watch. His last visit was only two months ago. He claimed he needed to see how my body was developing.
The worst is yet to come, I can feel it.
I’ll be eighteen in a little over six months and then I can finally get out of here. I need to get out of here. I need to be free, but Blake…how could I leave him?
Blake loves his life here. He’s sixteen and the star of our basketball team despite only just starting his junior year. He’s going places in life and Lucien knows it. He treats him like a king, he showers him with gifts, girls, cars…anything he wants, he gets. Don’t get me wrong, Blake is a smart kid, he knows something isn’t right, he knows the Valentines aren’t good people, but he has no idea just how bad it can be.
I see the light in the hallway under my door turn off and I throw my blanket off, running to my door to double-check it’s locked. I’ve been locking it a lot, every night because I know he’s coming…I just don’t know when. I feel it in my bones.
Have you ever had to be terrified in your own home? It’s not a great feeling. Always looking around corners, always hiding out and staying out to the latest hours of the morning before coming home and leaving as early as possible. It’s not something I’d wish upon anyone.
Fear has never gripped me like this before. Maybe it did when my parents were killed, but I can’t remember as all I seem to think about is making it through the night without being touched. I used to think about my parents all the time, the good and the bad, but he’s stolen those memories and replaced them with nothing but fear.
It’s sickening. I’ve never felt so alone.
I hear the door handle jiggle and I suck in a breath as I sit up straight in bed, wide-eyed and panicking.
No. This can’t be happening.
Please be Blake. Please be Blake.
With the door locked, whoever stands on the other side doesn’t get far and I’m just about to let out a breath of relief until I hear what sounds like a key slipping into the lock. There’s a soft click that I hardly hear over the sound of my blood pumping in my ears and I panic.
My hands begin to sweat and I stare into the dark, watching the door like a hawk. There’s nowhere to go. I don’t have
a walk-in closet to hide in. There’s no under-bed space. Nothing. Not even a window low enough to jump out of. I’m trapped.
The door pushes open and I see the outline of Lucien Valentine stepping over the threshold and slipping a silver key into his pocket. What the hell was I thinking? How could I be so stupid? Of course he has a key to my room.
He reaches over, not once taking his eyes from mine and hits the switch for the light. A blinding brightness fills my room and I squint against the light.
I gather the blankets around me as though they could somehow protect me. “What are you doing?” I ask, my voice cracking with the crippling fear rocking through me.
“Taking what’s mine.”
“No,” I shake my head almost violently. “You…you can’t.”
“I can and I will,” he confirms, stalking forward like a predator. “Don’t you get it? I bought you, all those years ago. You’re mine for the taking. I gave you a home, I gave you clothes, food, somewhere to lay your head. Just think where Anton would have put you if I wasn’t there. This is your debt and now it’s time to pay up.”
I scurry back on my bed, still gripping the blankets as tight as I possibly can. “No, don’t touch me.”
“I’m sorry, Skylah but you didn’t think you were going to reside in my home rent-free? You didn’t think I was keeping you here for nothing? Your time has come to fulfill your end of the deal. You’re lucky I’ve waited this long, but with your wedding in six months, I need to take you before it’s too late.”
Bile rises in my throat. “You were supposed to be like a father to me.”
A sickening grin crosses his features. “Oh, no. Don’t complicate this with your father/daughter bullshit. That’s never been the case but you can still call me daddy if you want.”
I scramble for something to say, something to prolong the inevitable as he reaches the foot of my bed. “You can’t touch me. Marcus Mahony said I had to be a virgin,” I rush out, despite my virginity being long gone.
He barks out a sharp laugh. “And how’s Marcus going to know. That old fool will be too busy trying to get his dick wet to even notice. Besides, girls’ hymens break over the smallest things. Tampons, horse riding. You’ve been riding since you were a little girl. Trust me, that’s not something we need to worry about.”
Ugly Girl: Aston Creek High (Book 1) Page 9