“Damn fucking straight,” he says. “You were mine the second you walked through the doors.”
I roll my eyes at his cockiness. We both know he’s exaggerating. There may have been an attraction on that first day, but to say that I was his is a big leap. “You wish,” I say, finally taking a chance to look around his room when a familiar leather jacket catches my eyes. “Is that my jacket?” I ask, indicating to his desk chair that has my jacket carelessly thrown over the back of it.
“Yeah, I think your bra is there too,” he says, reminding me that I’d run out of Damian’s room so fast that I’d left all my things there. “You know, I’m still pissed that you went to Damian that night instead of me.”
“You weren’t pissed enough not to join in.”
“Would you have preferred I sat back and watched my best friend fuck my girl?”
“I wasn’t your girl then, and no,” I say with a grin spreading wide. “I’m definitely glad you joined in, but I don’t get why you did. Most people would have just walked out.”
“You said you wanted to forget, and Damian, he would have just fucked you and you would have walked out of there regretting it all and not having forgotten a damn thing. Besides, I wasn’t going to miss a chance to see what you tasted like.”
My cheeks flame as I recall the memory of his head between my legs and the way he licked his lips afterward. I’ve never seen anything so erotic. The image still flashes in my mind every single night before bed.
“You’re an idiot,” I tell him, attempting to throw the blankets back, only to have him stop me.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Home,” I say. “Where do you think I’m going? It’s the middle of the night.”
“Stay here tonight. I’ll drive you back in the morning.”
“You’ll drive me all the way back up the street?” I grin, teasing him. “My God, I’ve hit the jackpot.”
“Shut up. I don’t want you walking down the street in the middle of the night, just stay here with me and sleep.”
My lips pull into a tight line as I think it over. “I don’t know,” I tell him. “My knife…”
He lets out a breath and I sense the understanding rock through him. “You don’t need that knife anymore, Virago,” he promises me. “You’ll be safe here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I consider him a moment and realize that no matter what, I can trust him. I don’t understand why or how that even happened, but at some point, he went from being the one guy in Aston Creek that had the potential to hurt me, to being the one who never could.
“Okay,” I tell him, sliding off his big chest until I’m curled into his side. I push up and gently brush my lips over his in a soft kiss. “I’ll stay.”
Chapter 23
I slide out of Slade’s arms peeling the blanket up just a sliver, not wanting him get cold. What was I thinking spending the night here? Shay is going to be beside herself, Blake’s going to be tearing down people’s doors while Ben is probably down at the police station filing a missing person’s report.
I duck around his room, grabbing my clothes and trying my best to get dressed without waking him. He looks so peaceful, nothing at all like the tough, intimidating guy that I’ve come to know him as.
Last night was incredible and I find myself excited to do it all over again, yet I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance. I don’t know where we stand. I’m a little shaky on the details due to my post-sex fog, but I’m pretty sure I admitted that I was into him. Things were said and I know he called me his girl, but how did he mean it? Are we together or was it just one of those things you say to the girl who just made you come?
I don’t know what kind of Slade I’m going to get next and the thought has nerves creeping in. I hate it. I like being strong, I like knowing what I’m up against, and right now, there’s a whole lot of confusion. Hell, I’m not even sure what I want from him myself.
Do I want to be his girlfriend? I don’t know, but do I want to be the girl he calls, the one who’s supporting him at his games, the one who knows him best? Damn fucking straight, I do.
Shit. I’m in a world of trouble.
I get myself dressed and grab my jacket and bra off his desk. Opening his door, I stick my head out and peer up and down the hall. I know he said his sisters were at a sleepover, but his parents were just out for a business dinner and are bound to be here. After all, it’s a Sunday morning and the birds are chirping, what else would they be doing right now?
With the coast clear, I sneak out into the hall, peeking behind doors until I find the bathroom. I quickly freshen up but don’t put too much effort into it seeing as though I live a shitload closer than I ever imagined. I’m still baffled by how oblivious I was to the fact that he was so close all this time. That weekend of no sleep without my knife could have been so much easier had I known it was just a few houses down. I could have raided the place and had it back in my hand in mere seconds.
The question of my knife is throwing me off though. Slade said I’d be safe with him last night and after fooling around a little more, I fell into a peaceful sleep, curled into his warm arms. My hand didn’t go searching under pillows for a weapon and my brain didn’t take me to places it shouldn’t go. I felt safe just like he said I would be and what’s more is that I trusted he’d take care of me. I don’t know whether that should frighten me or not. Putting trust in someone only opens me up to allowing them the chance to betray me.
I try to put it to the back of my head. This shit only just happened, I shouldn’t be thinking so hard about it, I should relax and try to enjoy the journey. The Lucien bullshit is far from over but I shouldn’t let that hold me back from enjoying other aspects of my life.
I walk out into the living room and come to a startling stop as I come face to face with Slade’s mom. Her eyes bulge out in surprise and my mouth drops open, horrified that I was just sprung by my possible boyfriend’s mom doing the walk of shame. How freaking humiliating.
“Oh,” she says in surprise. “This is different.”
“I….um….” I cringe, having absolutely no idea what to say to this woman. I mean, what is there to say? Thanks for letting me crash in your house after your son boned me until I screamed? No.
“Don’t worry,” she says with a heavy sigh. “I really shouldn’t be surprised when it comes to that boy. You don’t need to explain yourself. I was young once too.”
I give her an awkward smile and go to head for the door but as I get closer, something pulls at a memory within me. I find myself stopping and staring at the woman before me as she watches me back, wondering what kind of weirdo her son has brought into her home.
It finally clicks and I pull in a sharp breath as my eyes widen in shock. She’s the girl from the photograph, Daniella Peirce, the one with my mom and Lucien, though back then she would have known him as Lucas Valery. So many things come to mind of what I should say to this woman. She’s the one who could help nail that bastard, she’s been in my position, she knows what it’s like to have that man steal your innocence and leave you feeling ashamed.
I could say hundreds of things right now but what comes out of my mouth has tears springing to my eyes. “You knew my mom.”
“Excuse me?” Daniella says, tilting her head as she tries to place me.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Cruz, I know I must sound insane, but I found an old photograph of you with my mother, Rochelle. You were friends.”
Her hand flies to her mouth and she stares at me as though she’s looking at a ghost. “You’re Chelle’s little girl?” she questions with tears filling her eyes.
I nod, feeling a connection to this woman that I can’t even begin to explain. “Yeah, my name is Skylah.”
“Oh,” she cries, bounding through her living room to get to me. She crashes into me, throwing her warm, inviting arms around me. “Oh, sweet girl. I thought we’d never see you again.” I hold onto her with everything I’ve got as she s
queezes me tight. “Your mom was my best friend. I still think of her to this day. I miss her so much.”
“Me too,” I say, feeling the tears begin to stream down my face.
Daniella lets out a heavy sigh and takes me by the shoulders, pulling me back to get a good look at my face. “Oh, honey, you look so much like her.” I smile as she pulls me deeper into her living room. “So beautiful and all grown up. Can I get you something to drink? How about some breakfast? I can make you bacon and eggs. I know your mom loved that.”
“I’m fine, really. Shay is probably cooking breakfast as we speak.”
“Shaylee?” she asks with wide eyes. “Are you living with her now? How is she? It’s been far too long since I’ve seen her. We were years apart in age and unfortunately grew out of touch but I still see her from time to time in the grocery store or out for walks.”
“She’s doing really well,” I tell her. “Me and Blake moved in a few weeks ago.”
“Blake?” she questions, making the tears start all over again. “He’s alive? Oh, thank God. All these years we had no idea what had happened to you two. I’m so pleased to hear that you’re alright.”
“We’re doing our best,” I tell her.
Daniella pulls me in again, rubbing her hand up and down my back as though she can hardly believe that I’m standing here in front of her. “Where have you been all these years? I’ve hated thinking about where you two could have ended up.”
I pull back and give her a soft look. “Actually…do you mind if I talk to you about that?”
“Of course, darling. Anything you need.”
“You’re not going to like it,” I warn her. “It actually has something to do with Lucien Valentine.”
Recognition of his new identity hits instantly and her eyes go wide with fear. “How do you know that name?” she demands, trying to keep her tone soft but the fear wins out and has it sounding as more of a demand.
“Can we sit?” I question. “This probably isn’t going to be easy for either of us.”
Her brows furrow in confusion and I see her trying to mentally map it all together and work out how her monster could possibly have anything to do with me or my family. “Of course,” she says, her voice a little shaky.
Daniella takes my hand and we sit down on her couch. I take a deep breath, just as I’ve learned to do any time I need to explain something from my past and I give her a look, letting her know that she needs to prepare herself.
I don’t keep her waiting any longer than necessary. “Thirteen years ago, after my parents were…murdered, Blake and I were taken by Anton Mathers and sold to the highest bidder.” Daniella closes her eyes and nods, there’s no surprise and it’s clear she had already thought the worst. All I’m doing by explaining this is confirming what she already knew.
“Oh, honey,” she says, squeezing my hand, realizing that the rest of this story isn’t going to be good.
I go on. “Lucien and Maria Valentine were the ones who bought us.”
Daniella sucks in a sharp breath, unintentionally squeezing my hand. “Maria?” she questions.
I nod. “You knew her?”
“Yes, Maria went to school with us. She hated your mom. She was so jealous of her. Of her curves, of her beauty, of the attention she received. Your mom was the apple of everyone’s eye and Maria wanted it for herself. She was awful to your mom.”
Pain rips through me. She was that jealous that she took her children. There’s no way she didn’t know who our parents were when we were stolen. I swallow back the lump in my throat and try to continue on without breaking. “They raised us in their home and by the time I was seven it had become clear that Maria wanted us only for the sake of boasting to her friends about the good deed she’d done in ‘adopting’ us, whereas Lucien was only interested in keeping Maria off his back.”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“It wasn’t so bad until I was around thirteen and he started paying attention to the way I looked.”
Daniella’s face drops as she reads into my story and sees where this is heading. She shakes her head. “No, please don’t tell me he hurt you.”
“It started with just a bit of touching here and there. He had a business partner who he had promised me to so it came from the both of them, but it wasn’t until two months ago when he came into my bedroom.”
Daniella crushes herself against me, holding me tight with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Skylah. I’m so, so sorry.”
I nod, unable to get words out for a few long, drawn-out moments and when I speak, my voice is barely a whisper. “I know Lucien Valentine is Lucas Valery,” I tell her. “And I know he changed his name after he did the same awful thing to you.”
Daniella doesn’t pull back but I feel her sigh of resignation. “He did,” she confirms. “And it was terrifying.”
I nod into her shoulder. “It was.”
Her hand comes down on the back of my head as she holds me close. “Oh, sweet girl. I so wish I could take the pain away or tell you that one day it will get better, but it doesn’t. The memories will always be there but you have to learn to push through it otherwise it will cripple you.”
She pulls back as I think back to Slade sleeping peacefully in his room. “I think I’m starting to do that,” I tell her.
Understanding flashes in her eyes and a fond smile brightens her eyes. “Chelle and I always joked about you and Slade getting married and having a bunch of kids.”
“Woah, let’s just take it one day at a time. I still need to work out if I can stand his bad attitude enough to allow him in.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” she laughs. “That boy of mine is persistent.”
“I’m starting to learn that,” I laugh before letting out a deep breath and meeting her eyes. “Did you know that Lucien has been here? That he threatened Slade?”
Terror grips her and she clutches onto my hands. “What?”
“He wanted Slade to run me out of here so I’d go back home. He wasn’t going to do it but he threatened your family. Said he could get to you, your husband or your kids. I want to put him away. He deserves to be behind bars but I can’t do it alone. I don’t…I don’t even know where to start. It’s my word against his.”
She shakes her head in fear. “No. No, I can’t do this again.”
“Again?”
Her brows crease as a tear rolls down her eyes and she takes a heavy, shaky breath. “As you know, Lucas Valery raped me after high school. I was only eighteen and I thought he was a friend, so I trusted him. He took me to a party, slipped me some drugs and then raped me in the bushes. I still have a scar from when I cut my wrist on a branch. It was violent and terrifying and he said that if I was to tell anyone, he’d do it again, and again, and again. I’d met Slade’s father shortly after, we fell madly in love and got married and had our first child. It took me five years to build enough courage to go to the police.”
“What happened?” I whisper, sensing that so much more is yet to come.
“The night the report was filed, there was a knock on my door.” She pauses for a beat, gaining control of her emotions. “He came back. Lucien raped me in my home, right here in this very room and he reminded me of what he had said, that he would do it again and again. There was a lot of police attention on him and that’s when he disappeared. I found out years later that he had taken on the alias of Lucien Valentine and, I’m so sorry, I should have been strong enough to go to the police with what I knew, but I was so scared he’d come for me again. I could have saved you from all of that years ago. If I had known about you two…”
“Don’t,” I say, squeezing her hand. “You did what you had to do to protect yourself. You couldn’t have known that he had us.”
She lets out a breath and watches me for a second, but that second of pause is enough for me to start piecing together the puzzle. Did she just say that she’d already had her first son? She was eighteen when he first hurt he
r and five years later would have her at twenty-three. My mom had me at twenty-three and Slade and I are only six months apart…
“I hate that you had to go through all of that,” Daniella continues, not realizing the inner screaming currently going on inside my mind.
It couldn’t be possible…
I meet Daniella’s eyes and she realizes something is going on. “How…how old were you when you were pregnant with Slade?”
Her face falls as her eyes slowly widen with realization and just like that, I have my answer. She shakes her head, her eyes growing waterier by the second. “Please,” she whispers, “you can’t say anything. This would kill him.”
I stare at this woman in horror. It can’t be true. Slade is Lucien’s son. I find it impossible to speak, to even move. Daniella squeezes my hand. “Please, Skylah. I’ve never had him tested because I didn’t want it to be true, but I see it in him. I see it in his mannerisms, in the way he smiles, his dark hair and jaw. It’s all there.”
My heart shatters for her but more so for Slade. She’s right, how will he feel finding out that he shares the same blood as the monster who repeatedly raped his mother and years later, the girl he likes?
My eyes drop to my lap and we sit in a deep silence as I consider the possibility of not sharing this with him. How could I not? But at the same time, this is so much deeper than me, so, so much. For me to tell, would mean betraying Daniella’s trust and sharing her shame with the one person she’s desperately tried to keep it from. I’m thrown back to that party, to where Blake shared with the world that I’d been raped and in that moment, I realize that I could never do the same to a fellow survivor. It has to be Daniella and it has to be when she’s ready.
I look back up at her and let her see right through to my soul. “I’m terrified that he’s coming back for me and Slade. He told him that if he follows through with what he wants, he’ll give him anything he’s ever dreamed, but if he doesn’t, he’ll make sure that he never plays basketball again. I can’t have that on my conscience.”
Ugly Girl: Aston Creek High (Book 1) Page 20