Peaches (The Izzy Quinn Series Book 1)

by C. Penticoff

  “Izzy, I know. You know I would never do that sober.”

  More apologies for his druggy behavior. I can’t worry about that now. “So, what does this have to do with Kent?”

  “That story’s a bit longer.”

  I gestured around me. “Well, as luck would have it, I’ve got lots of time.”

  “So, I met Kent on a dating app a couple years back.”

  “Please don’t tell me you fucked him.” He awkwardly laughed again and I shook my head. “Awesome. We just love sharing dicks, don’t we?”

  “I guess.” He rubbed his neck.

  “So, I guess he’s bisexual. Or is he straight up gay? Did he not even enjoy me at all?”

  “I dunno. We fucked a handful of times, but we were mainly friends.”

  “Okay, so what about the part where he kidnapped us?” I didn’t want to hear about them fucking anymore. Thank God I didn’t get around to actually having sex with him.

  “Well, I borrowed a ton of coke and meth from Kent. I sold some of it, and used some of it...okay, a lot of it...”

  What’s with my dumbass brothers and stealing coke?

  “I told him that I had a settlement from our dad coming to me,” Grayson continued. “I took the original letter from the lawyer and doctored it.”

  I shook my head again. “He’s kidnapping us for twenty thousand dollars? That seems pretty steep for someone who has a designer murder door.”

  “Well, that’s the thing. You know how I said I doctored it?”

  “Yeah?” I said this with aggression in my tone.

  “Um, well... I made it look like we had two million dollars from dad.”

  “Grayson...how much money do you owe Kent?”

  “A hundred and twenty thousand dollars.” He scrunched his face up and tilted his head, bracing for impact.

  “How in the fuck did you do over a hundred thousand dollars worth of meth!” I shouted, pulling my hair on the sides of my head.

  “It was also coke, and I sold some of it.”

  “What did you do with the money, Grayson?”

  “Spent it mainly on the hotel I was living in, food, and a nice ass Bentley.”

  “Where the fuck is the car?”

  “My dumbass left in a shady part of town and it was stolen.”

  “Did you call the damn cops?”

  “Yeah, they found it totaled--like badly wrecked--and couldn’t do anything about it.”

  “And let me guess, you didn’t have insurance, did you?”

  He shook his head.

  “Unbelievable. I don’t even know what to say right now. We’re probably going to fucking die, Grayson! This is.... I don’t know what to say." I dropped to my ass and tucked my face into my knees. "What’s the point?" I lifted my head and looked him right in the eyes. "We’re going to fucking die.” Tears were streaming down my face and I didn’t even care.

  “Oh my God.” I could see the look of severe realization on Gray’s face. He knew he had really done it this time. He knew he had done it so bad, that it was probably going to kill us.

  I tucked my face into my knees again as my cries grew hysterical.

  “Izzy.” Grayson wrapped his arms around me. “Isabelle, I’m getting us out of here. Okay? Do you understand me? We’re going to get out of here and I’m going to spend the rest of my life making this up to you. Okay?”

  My tears subsided a bit. For a moment, Grayson’s voice reminded me of someone. It was a familiar voice that instantly brought me security. A voice I couldn't recall for a few moments, but when I did, it brought a smile to my face in a time where I didn't think smiling was possible.

  "Dad," I muttered.

  "What?"

  "You just sounded like daddy."

  Before that, I wanted to kill Grayson. I felt anger so deep inside me, I knew there was no coming back from that one. I mean, come on, how many times had he hurt me? And now his stupid, reckless choices had brought us to the situation we were in. But--and I don't know why--in that moment, when his voice sounded exactly like our father's, I knew everything was going to be okay. It was like my dad was speaking through him to tell me everything would be fine if I just believed in him for once. Suddenly, I knew I needed to let everything in our past go and start fresh.

  Click.

  Kent was coming.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kent walked in. The same Kent who I'd spent the last month with. The same Kent who I almost slept with twice. Suddenly he looked like an entirely different person. I couldn't believe this man was beneath the facade he was putting on for me.

  "Did your bro fill you in?" He pulled his gun out and had it hanging by his side.

  "Yes."

  "He owes me over a hundred grand."

  "So I heard." I swallowed as I watched his finger on the trigger.

  He switched his attention to Grayson. "Word on the street is you spent all your money. I figured since you like to run from me, I'd be able to get some answers from your sister, but this bitch lied to me too."

  "I didn't know about the inheritance, Kent." My voice was shaky and grumbly.

  He pointed the gun at me, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

  "She didn't know, Kent,” Grayson protested with his hands up in front of him. “I never told her. You know we weren't on speaking terms. I was mad at her so I never told her about it."

  "That's not what you told me,” Kent growled. “You told me she just needed to sign the paperwork so you could get your money."

  "Yeah, I know what I told you."

  "So, you lied to me then?" He was now pointing his gun at Grayson.

  "Only because I planned on telling her when the time was right. I-I just didn't want you to stress."

  "So, where's my money?" He cocked his gun and my stomach about fell out of my ass.

  "It's--" Grayson started to speak but I cut him off.

  "It's in a safety deposit box in our names at the bank. Tomorrow, when the banks open up, we can go there and I'll get you your money. If you take it and leave us the fuck alone, we won't say a thing to anyone. Grayson really fucked you over. If I was you, I'd be doing the same thing." Obviously, I was lying. I wouldn't kidnap anyone. Only psychos do that. "You deserve to get paid. We'll get you your money and call it square--like it never happened."

  Kent ran his tongue across his top teeth while he pondered my suggestion. "You'll get me the money and I'll decide what I'm going to do with you."

  Whatever, prick. "Okay."

  He walked out the door backwards, so he didn't have to turn his back to us, and locked the door. I could hear the distancing footsteps, reminding me we were all alone down here.

  "Izzy, you hate me, don't you? I don't blame you if you do. I would hate me."

  I sighed. "I don't hate you. I really really really hate the decisions you've made, and yes I'm mad, but I could never hate you."

  "That means a lot, Iz."

  I stood up because my nerves were starting to get to me, so I had to move around. "If we make it out of here, you've gotta take this as a lesson to never go back to that life. Look where it's brought you. And you dragged your family into it now." I said this in a calm manner. I didn't want to punish him with criticism. I just wanted to know he understood what he'd done.

  "We are going to make it out of here. And I can promise you, everything is going to be different for me. I already felt that coming out of rehab. After all this, I'll never even look at a drug."

  "I believe in you, Gray."

  We hugged each other and it felt like the first time I'd connected with him in years. My twin brother and I were inseparable growing up. We did everything together, we had the same friends, and we even dressed alike at times because we were that unbearable. Nothing could've come between us...until it did. For a moment, I felt like I finally had my brother back...until I remembered where we were, and I realized having him back didn't matter if we'd die down in that dungeon.

  "So, how'd you meet lover boy?" Grayson ask
ed.

  "At a restaurant. Some douche I was sitting with made a bet with his friends that he could get me in bed that night. Kent overheard him and came and ratted him out." I paused for a few moments. "And now that I think about it, that was probably planned."

  "It was definitely planned. So, what, you've been screwing him for a while?"

  "Actually, we never got around to it, thank God. There were a couple opportunities, but it didn't happen."

  "Really? Miss horny hoochie mama didn't hop on that?"

  I chuckled. "Well, don't get me wrong. I tried. The first time, I had the worst gas in the world and was one wrong move away from letting one go."

  "I've so been there!"

  Both of us roared with laughter as I told the story, but the glee quickly escaped the room. It's like both us forgot where we were for a moment while we laughed, then had the wind knocked out of us.

  "We need a plan," Grayson said.

  "Yeah, but what?"

  "I don't know. We've gotta brainstorm."

  "It would have to be while we're out going to the bank. Maybe we jump out of the car at a stop light."

  "He's definitely going to have our hands tied, or the car locked in some high-tech way. Trust me."

  "Maybe we can somehow write help on the window."

  "Whatever we do has got to work because this man isn't someone to fuck with. You know he's in the mafia, right?"

  "You serious?"

  "Fuck yeah. His dad was a mob boss before he died."

  "I didn't even know there was a mafia out here."

  "Oh, there is. I've sucked a few of their dicks."

  "That's how he got my money for me," I realized.

  "What money?"

  "My old boss tried robbing me of my final paycheck. I think I mentioned that to you. Well, one day, Kent showed up at my house with a check from the guy and he was being all shady about how he got the guy to hand it over. Now it makes sense. That's also probably why the coke dealer who kidnapped me and Tyson was so submissive to Kent. He probably knew him."

  "Back up. What happened?"

  "Oh yeah. I've been kidnapped twice with two different siblings--both because of my brothers stealing coke."

  "Damn, Iz. You've had a hell of a month."

  "You have no idea." I sighed. I didn’t even want to remind him about the strip club burning down, or Bailey’s drama. "So, are we gonna try to escape when we're at the bank?"

  "No. He'll just kill us. We've really only got one option."

  "What's that?"

  "We jump him when he comes in."

  Just as he said this, we heard footsteps.

  "Not now," I whispered. I figured he knew that but I just wanted to be sure. The last thing we needed was an attempt to attack with a half-baked plan. He'd be sure to beat our heads in.

  The door clicked, opened, and some items were slid onto the ground before it shut and locked again.

  It was two sandwiches in baggies and two water bottles.

  "At least the asshole is feeding us," Grayson said after he walked away. He opened his sandwich baggy and went to town.

  I did the same. "Tuna," I said, unenthusiastic.

  "Now's not the time to complain," Gray said with a full mouth of fish. "So, about this jumping--"

  "Wait." I put my hand over Gray's mouth and I scanned the ceiling, looking for cameras. Gray must've known exactly what I was doing because he did the same.

  He got down on all fours so I could reach the light to check it for cameras. "I think we're good," I confirmed.

  "So anyway." Grayson picked his sandwich up and took a bite. "I think jumping him when he comes in is the only way."

  "He's got a gun," I reminded him.

  "Sure, but if I wait right here and jump him the moment he comes in, maybe I can get the best of him."

  "There's no way he hasn't prepared for that. You'll get shot the moment he comes in here."

  "So maybe we need a distraction. A way to frazzle and confuse him. You know, throw him off his game."

  "Like?"

  He pointed to me. "You."

  "Me what?"

  You sit in that spot right there." He pointed to the spot on the wall directly across from the door. "You'll be naked. I know it sounds ridiculous, but think about it. He'll walk in and he'll see you sitting there naked. He'll be shocked and confused and I'll jump out and beat the fuck out of him."

  "That's actually kind of genius. He'll be so confused to see my naked body, he won't know what's coming to him."

  "When he's come in before, does he have his gun in hand right away, or does he pull it out later?"

  "He comes in with it in hand, so we've got to be so careful."

  "Should I be waiting right here, or behind the door?"

  "Right there. You don't want to have to come around and attack him from the front. It's better for you to attack from the side."

  "Yeah, good thinking. Where he can't see as well."

  Grayson and I decided to take shifts staying awake in case Kent came in while we were sleeping. This also meant I had to wait here naked, which was kind of awkward and cold, but draping myself with my clothes helped a little.

  Even though we were supposed to be sleeping, neither one of us could really sleep at all because of the stress and nerves. I think each of us fell asleep for thirty minutes total from pure exhaustion. I wondered what Prissy, Tyson, and Coyote were doing. Did they even know I was in trouble at this point? Or did they think I was just off with Bailey? They might not suspect anything until tomorrow. I felt slightly better knowing they probably weren’t worrying at that moment, but I knew it was coming. I didn’t even want to think about what would happen to them if Gray and I didn’t make it out of there, but of course the thoughts came rushing in. I pictured CPS storming into my house and removing them. Tyson would probably end up in a teen group home, whereas Prissy and Coyote might stay together in a foster home. Maybe my mother would step up and attempt to take care of them, temporarily, but I wasn’t sure that would have been better. Stop thinking this way. You’re not dead yet Izzy.

  It was my turn to sleep again, but instead I was carrying on half-awake conversations with Gray.

  Grayson yawned. "You ready to talk about it?"

  I knew he was referring to the abortion. "Gray, come on."

  "Izzy, you can't escape this forever. You can't pretend like nothing happened."

  "What do you want me to say?"

  "Tell me what happened. Walk me through it."

  "Well." I yawned. "I found out I was pregnant."

  "Were you scared?"

  "I went through this weird roller coaster of emotions. First I was shocked because I was on birth control. Then, after a thousand pregnancy tests, I was terrified."

  "I bet."

  "I had about a million crying fits until I finally started to feel...kind of excited. I had this big plan on how I was going to tell him. I was going to get him a father's day gift and have him be all confused. Like, why would I get him a father's day gift when he's not a father? But then he would open the gift and it would be my pregnancy test."

  "That's cute."

  "Pinterest."

  "Then you found out about my stupid, selfish act?"

  "Well, it was both of your selfish, stupid acts."

  "I'm more guilty. You're my sister."

  He wasn't wrong. "I found out about you and him, then I just lost it all over again. I went back and forth on what the fuck I was going to do. Ultimately, I chose abortion."

  "I can tell you regret it."

  "I do--I mean, I don't know if I do."

  "You were young, Izzy. You were already taking care of your three siblings. Can you blame yourself?"

  "I guess not."

  Grayson grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I'm so sorry."

  "It's okay, Grayson."

  "It's not okay. And I don't know if I'm more sorry about what I did or more sorry about not being there for you when you were going through that."
<
br />   "To be fair to you, I wouldn't have ever let you be there."

  We were quiet for a few minutes. I thought he'd fallen asleep until I heard him talk.

  "Remember that kid who used to make fun of me?" Gray asked.

  "Yeah. I cleaned her clock, as dad used to say."

  We laughed.

  "You member that time when mom had us living in that RV and you lit it on fire?" I mumbled.

  "Ha. Yeah." Grayson yawned. "And mom was so mad she chased me with a plastic hanger, trying to hit me with it."

  We both let out worn out laughs.

  "What's the first thing you're gonna do when we get out of here?" Gray asked.

  "Hug our siblings."

  "Same."

  "Eat a peach and remember to taste it."

  "That's random."

  I was too tired to explain.

  It was getting harder to keep my heavy eyelids open.

  ***

  The sound of heavy footsteps made my heart pump, especially when I realized both me and Grayson were supposed to be awake.

  "Gray," I whispered loudly. I threw my flip flop at him and stood up, naked and ready as I could be.

  Gray's eyes popped open. He looked like an actual zombie with his bloodshot eyes and his expressionless face. The door began unlocking, which snapped Grayson into reality and he hopped up like a jack rabbit.

  I tossed my clothes to the ground and spread-eagled my legs. This will really throw him off guard.

  The door opened slowly and I watched Grayson get into ready position.

  When the door fully opened up, I watched the eyes of the man grow large while he stared at my naked body.

  He looked shocked.

  The problem was it wasn't Kent.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Grayson leapt out from the door like an angry ninja, holding his arms up in a karate chop position while he jumped the man, not realizing it wasn't Kent. Grayson looked ridiculous.

  Grayson had the man on the ground when I noticed a gun laying two feet away from them and I sprung toward it, but when I tried to grab it, of course it just slid closer to them. That was my luck!

  I held my breath as I watched both Grayson's and the other guy's hand reach for the gun. I swear everything went into slow motion. It felt like it took 5 minutes for one hand to reach the gun. Thank God that hand was Grayson's.