Junk

by Komal Kant

  Knowing that I was in control of my own life, I eased up and made it to my sister’s bar with a clearer head.

  When I pulled into the parking lot, there was a whole lot of noise by a red truck that belonged to the CEO of the Dick Trio. Catching a flash of my brother’s blond head, I threw my truck in park and jumped out with the keys still in the ignition.

  Gravel crunched under my feet as I advanced, trying to make sense of the situation.

  Blair, Delilah, and Cole stood on one side, facing down Hunter who stood in a defensive stance, his fists curled like he was ready for a fight.

  My insides shrank. This couldn’t be good…

  My feet pounded the ground as I started running towards them, loose gravel flying out from under my boots.

  Where was the bouncer?

  Usually, Delilah had ol’ Eddie Mann doing security. He’d patrolled the local bank for four decades until Hunter’s dad had bought it out and replaced everyone.

  At the sound of my footsteps, Delilah whipped her head in my direction, relief sinking into her eyes. “You came!”

  “Not voluntarily,” I grumbled, coming to a stop beside them. “What’s going on?”

  “What’s going on is this asshole came onto me!” There was a slur in Blair’s voice and her face was red, making it clear she’d been drinking.

  Clad in only a short, multi-colored dress, Blair’s tight, little body was exactly what a sleaze like Hunter was after. Hell, it was exactly what I wanted too.

  Shit. Snap out of it.

  Hunter appeared unfazed by her accusation. He had a reputation for getting handsy with women, but because his father had so much money, his accusers never reported him to the police.

  Edgars was impatiently waiting for the day when he could finally bring this scumbag in.

  “You seemed to like it when I was doing it.” A smug smile settled on Hunter’s pugnacious face as he leered at Blair. “I don’t know why you’re lying in front of everyone, baby.”

  Baby?

  A tremor of rage shook my body at the way he addressed Blair so nonchalantly. From the look of murder on her face, I knew she wasn’t feeling him at all.

  Gritting my teeth, I asked Blair as calmly as possible, “What did he do to you?”

  When Blair’s glazed eyes locked with mine, I could see a glimmer of hope in them. We had our unresolved issues, but I could tell in this moment, she was grateful I was here.

  “H-he groped me and tried to kiss me,” she answered, the anger in her face shifting to shame. “I’m so stupid. He said he was sorry and I believed him.”

  H-he groped me and tried to kiss me.

  The thought that this asshole had the nerve to touch Blair without her permission sent me into a spiral of rage I didn’t know I was capable of. No woman should be subjected to being felt up by some pig, but the fact that it was Blair—my Blair—was what enraged me.

  “You have nothing to feel stupid about,” I told her, and some of the lines of stress on her face faded. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Something about my words rubbed Hunter the wrong way. He ran a hand through his fading hair, eyeballing me at the same time like he was considering pulling a punch.

  Asshole could try.

  “This has nothing to fucking do with you, Wade,” he growled at me. “Get the fuck out of here with your elitist bullshit. You don’t matter in this town as much as you think you do.”

  Confusion clouded Blair’s face at his insult. No doubt she couldn’t understand why Hunter would call me “elitist” when I was a simple junk yard owner.

  “No, you don’t matter in this town as much as you think, you scumbag,” Delilah snapped, stepping in. “Now, apologize to Blair before I call Edgars and have him drag your ass to lockup.”

  Hunter’s smile twisted at my sister’s words. “Watch it, you little cun-”

  All I saw was red and black as anger churned in my stomach like a storm. No one spoke to my sister like that. No one.

  “I’m going to rip your tongue out.” The low, menacing growl threw me off guard, and it took me a second to realize it belonged to me.

  “What the fuck did you just call my sister!” From beside us, Cole switched into protective big brother mode and tried to run at Hunter, but Delilah grabbed his arm before he could do any damage.

  “Stop it, you guys! Stop!” she pleaded desperately. “He’s not worth it!”

  “Like they could do anything even if they tried,” Hunter snarled. “Bunch of pussies.”

  There was a rushing in my ears.

  Delilah was yelling.

  Cole was swearing.

  Hunter was taunting us.

  The anger in my chest was seconds away from being unleashed.

  Then out of nowhere, Blair sprang up in front of Hunter, swung her leg back, and kicked him right in the groin.

  “Uuuuuuuuuuurgh!” Hunter’s face contorted with pain and he let out a guttural groan as he dropped to his knees.

  “Y-you…little…bitch,” he whispered, tears springing to his eyes.

  “Right back at you,” she spat, tossing her head and walking away from him, stumbling a little.

  Damn, that woman was on fire.

  That’s what I loved about Blair—she didn’t need someone to rescue her. She rescued herself.

  The darkness in my chest lessened as we left Hunter and followed Blair. She had stopped by my truck and was slumped against the side of it, looking defeated.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, leaning down to study her face.

  “Yeah.” She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. “I just want to forget this ever happened.”

  “What were you doing here by yourself?” I asked her.

  Guilt trickled onto Blair’s face. “I wasn’t by myself. I was with Cole.”

  With Cole. That hit me hard. Was she already moving on from me and getting with my brother?

  “Oh.” What was this weird feeling taking over me? It felt like jealousy, but that couldn’t be it, right?

  “None of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t kicked me out,” Cole was saying to Delilah.

  “Why did you kick Cole out?” I questioned in an attempt to distract myself from the fact that Blair was here with my brother.

  “Because he brought Blair to the bar and Mom said you and Blair are, um,” Delilah trailed off, like she wasn’t sure how to describe what Blair and I were.

  Hell, I didn’t even know what Blair and I were.

  A groan from Hunter reminded me he was still lying on the ground, somewhere in the dark parking lot.

  “Wait, what the fuck? You kicked me out because Wade and Blair are starting something?” Cole spun on Delilah, his expression livid. “I guess I know who your favorite brother is.”

  “Stop being so self-absorbed, Cole,” Delilah snapped in a no-nonsense tone. She was becoming more and more like our mom every day. “Wade’s been through enough already. He deserves to be happy and I didn’t want you to ruin whatever was happening between them.”

  “What about me? Why can’t I be happy?” Cole glared at the two of us like we were in cahoots together.

  Maybe one day, my brother and I would finally see eye-to-eye, but for tonight, he was still as immature as he was any other day.

  “You can, but it doesn’t have to interfere with Wade’s happiness,” Delilah snapped, irritation on her face. “I’m going to take Blair home, okay? You guys can figure out what to do with douchebag over there.”

  “No,” I said, turning back to where Blair stood. “I’m taking Blair home.”

  This seemed to rub Blair the wrong way, and she tried to take a drunken step back before realizing there was nowhere else to go.

  “You didn’t even call me after what happened.” Every word dripped with disappointment. “Why are you even offering to take me home?”

  A wave of guilt rippled through me. Drunk or not, she was right. I hadn’t called. I’d been horrible to her. I’d wanted to punish her, to hurt her, s
purn her. I wasn’t any good at this whole relationship thing. Especially not with her. Not with the way our pasts were connected.

  But now wasn’t the time to bring that up. Two wrongs didn’t fix the gaping hole in my chest.

  “I know, I fucked up.” I meant every word. “But at least let me take you home.”

  My siblings stared on in stunned silence. Neither of them had ever seen me be this candid with a woman since my ex.

  “You don’t decide for me,” she said firmly, pushing me away as I tried to wrap an arm around her. “You don’t own me, Wade Welsecky.”

  The sweet scent that normally hung over her was tainted with whatever she’d drank. Vodka. Tequila, too. But at least she was safe. I had her. I had her.

  “You’re right. I don’t own you,” I began slowly. “I don’t deserve a chance to make things right.” Speak! Tell her how you feel! “But if some part of you thinks about me as much as I think about you, maybe there’s something worth holding on to.”

  The silence stretched between Blair and me, and I honestly wasn’t sure how this scenario would’ve ended if she wasn’t intoxicated.

  “Fine,” she finally agreed, swaying into my arms, and now I wondered how much of this she would remember in the morning. “We can try again.”

  SOMEONE WAS KISSING MY ARM.

  Hot, wet kisses that roused me out of the sleep coma I’d been in.

  Forcing my heavy lids open, I found myself in an unfamiliar bed, gazing up at an unfamiliar, timber ceiling.

  Panic shot through me.

  Where was I? Had I drunk so much that I’d stumbled right into someone else’s bed? I recalled drinking with Cole before an irritated Delilah had taken him away. No idea what that had been about. Then…then Hunter had-

  My stomach turned.

  Oh, no. No, no, no! Hunter and I had drunk together. We’d talked. Then he’d come onto me and-

  Wade. I remembered Wade had showed up. He’d defended me; then I’d kicked Hunter in the balls.

  Schluuurp. Schluuuurp.

  There was the disturbing kissing again, no, it wasn’t kissing. It was something else, something that made me sag with relief.

  Rolling over, I was greeted with reeking, hot breath that made me gag. I’d recognize that stinky breath anywhere.

  A dark grey head, much larger than mine, stared back at me. When I blinked, Achilles came into focus, his long tongue rolling out of his large mouth.

  “Man of my dreams,” I groaned, sitting up and being met with a painful throbbing in my head that heralded a wicked hangover. “I won’t lie, I’m kinda happy to see you.”

  If Achilles was here, then his owner probably wasn’t far away. Which was a both a relief and a curse. After all, hadn’t my binge drinking been a result of Wade’s rejection?

  Stretching my arms, I focused on the unacquainted room I was in. A bare wood and timber interior met me, filled with few personal effects. Aside from the lamp on the bedside table and a book sitting on it, there wasn’t anything else in sight. It was then that I realized something unsettling.

  I was not wearing my own clothes. Instead, a deep red, flannel shirt that smelled of earth and pine, like Wade, had been buttoned over my bra and underwear.

  Achilles chose that moment to plant me with more slobbery licks, and now I was sure I would throw up. A combination of booze and bad breath could do that to a person.

  “Stooooooopppp,” I wailed, waving him off. “Ugh.” The pounding pain in my head continued to beat at me.

  “Down, boy,” Wade called out from somewhere close by.

  When I glanced around the small room, I found that Wade was now leaning against the doorframe, his broad shoulders almost the eclipsing the entire doorway.

  Oh, great. He’d been watching me struggle with the beast this entire time. So nice of him to help.

  The big lug bounded off me, and I heard the thud of his weight hit the floor as he padded off into the next room.

  “Where are my clothes?” I asked in a whisper, almost afraid to know the answer.

  “In the dryer,” he grunted in response, not taking his eyes off me. “They smelled like vomit and cheap vodka.”

  The guy answered questions in a way that offended. Maybe that wasn’t his intention, but that’s how it always came across.

  “Why didn’t you just take me home? That wasn’t your decision to make,” I snapped, realizing that I sounded like a complete brat.

  Wade pulled away from the door, taking two strides towards me so he was now at the foot of the bed, his six-foot figure towering over me and making me feel small.

  “I’m pretty sure you didn’t want your mom to see you incoherent with vomit all over yourself.” His tone was as grim as his expression. “She’s been through enough without having to worry about you going on a bender like an irresponsible teenager.”

  I bristled at his choice of words. Who the hell did he think he was calling me an irresponsible teenager?

  “How dare you!” I shrieked, sending a pang of pain shooting through my head. I stood up on the bed, at eye level with him, as I shook my hand in his face. “I am not irresponsible! I’ll have you know that I have a very important career as a reporter in Chicago that I bust my ass at! Not like you, with your small-town job that’s going nowhere!”

  The words turned into bitter regret the second they left my mouth. What the hell was wrong with me? I was so fucking mean. It was a defense mechanism. I had been rejected by him, and I wanted him to hurt as much as I did.

  Wade’s eyes blazed. “Then, go back, Blair. If you think this town and the people in it are so beneath you, then leave.” Gritting his teeth, he turned and stormed out of the room, footsteps fading.

  Shit. Crap.

  Feeling like the worst human being on the planet, I climbed out of the bed and hurried after him down the hall where the walls shone with glossy, wood panels. Gold frames lined the walls, filled with old, family pictures of the Welseckys, but none of Wade that were recent.

  Strange.

  A few more steps took me out into an open living space that was comprised of the kitchen, dining room, and living room. Despite appearing simple from the outside, the inside of Wade’s cabin was brand new with lustrous wood finishes and rustic décor that had no doubt cost a pretty penny.

  Along one side of the wall was a shelf filled with books, none of which I could identify at this point. Another triangular shelf was suspended on a different wall, filled with interesting souvenirs that seemed far too worldly for a man like Wade.

  A boomerang. A katana. A conch shell.

  The collection of items was far more diverse than what I had sitting on my miserable work desk back in Chicago. Had he done some vigorous online shopping? Had his parents taken trips to some cool places? Or were they items he’d picked up on his own travels? There was so much I still had left to learn about this man.

  It was in this interesting room that I saw Wade snatching up a newspaper and settling into an armchair that exuded so much wealth, I was sure his parents had to have bought it for him.

  Something about him reading a newspaper was so endearing that it made me feel even worse for being such an ungrateful bitch.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” I blurted out, rushing forward. “I do appreciate you taking care of me. I’ve never lost control like that before. I was just so mad.” I trailed off.

  “About what, Blair?” He didn’t glance up from his paper, but at least he was talking to me.

  “You. Us. What happened in Oak City.” I fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, relishing the way it felt against me, the way his scent engulfed me in a net of safety.

  Wade heaved a sigh, finally glancing up at me with those eyes that stole my breath. “What happened was my fault. It shouldn’t have happened.”

  Disappointment sank into me at his words. It wasn’t exactly what I’d wanted to hear. A part of me was swooning that he’d showed up to save my drunken butt from Hunter’s advances. A part of me had thoug
ht it was because he cared about me. Maybe I was wrong.

  “So, it was a mistake for you?” I asked, trying to stop my voice from breaking.

  There was no need to show him any weakness. Yet, pressing the situation was showing weakness. Damn it.

  Wade’s features tightened, and he cast aside his newspaper and jumped to his feet. “I don’t know what it was, Blair, I don’t know, okay?” He ran a hand through his thick hair, letting some loose tendrils fall into his face. “It was something I didn’t expect to do with you, with anyone, not for a long time, Blair.”

  When he said my name like that, I knew he was being dead serious.

  I gulped, staring down at the glossy, wood floor. “Yeah, well, I didn’t expect that to happen either, Wade. I didn’t expect to feel this way about a random guy in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Wisconsin, or to be rejected by him all in the same breath.”

  There it was. The verbal diarrhea. I’d said exactly what I hadn’t wanted to say. Being close to him opened the floodgates.

  Wade looked stunned, like I’d said something insane. Great. That’s exactly what I didn’t need after pouring my heart out to him.

  “I don’t know what to say.” His jaw tightening.

  It was the typical response of a person who had trouble committing to something serious. I should’ve expected it, and yet it still hurt.

  What was wrong with me? I barely knew this guy. Toughen up, Blair. Get it together.

  “You know what?” I lifted my head, meeting him with the fiercest look I could muster. “Don’t worry about it. Don’t even worry. Just take me home.”

  I turned towards the front door, furious, delirious, hungover, mad. I just needed to get out of here, away from this man who would mean nothing to me in a few days.

  “Blair,” he called after me, but I didn’t want to hear him out.

  Striding across his living room, I pulled open the front door and hurried outside. The twisted towers of metal leered down at me. The familiar glint of gold flashed at me, teasing me, wanting me to uncover its secret.

  “Blair!” Wade came out running after me.

  Go away, jerk.

  “Blair!” There was an edge to his voice that made me halt.

  “WHAT?” I spun around, hands on hips as I met him.