Vagrant

by Gemma James

  Rafe wasn’t listening. His furious footfalls pounded behind us, and the only thing keeping him outside that room was Shelton and his men.

  “I swear to God, Alex—” The door slammed shut, silencing Rafe’s threats of retribution.

  Disquiet settled on the room like a blanket. Zach sat in a chair with his hands tied at his back and his feet secured to the legs. Letting out a breath, I took a cautious step forward, satisfied that he couldn’t corner me. I was safe, no matter how fast my heart raced. He couldn’t touch me.

  “You look good, Lex.” His hazel eyes lowered to my thighs, zeroing in on the tops of my stockings. “I’m surprised he let you in here,” he said.

  I jerked a thumb behind me. “If you couldn’t tell, he wasn’t happy about it. He didn’t have much choice though.”

  Zach nodded. “These guys can be very persuasive.”

  “It was my decision.”

  He sat up a little straighter. “What?”

  “I wanted to see you.” I leaned against the cold, gritty wall and tried not to wring my hands.

  “Why?” His voice cracked, and he stared at his feet for a few seconds. Was he feeling guilty? No way in hell. I couldn’t believe it.

  “He’s going to kill you, Zach.”

  “You’re worried about me?” He lifted a surprised brow.

  “I’m worried about him.” I stomped across the floor and halted a foot in front of Zach. If they hadn’t tied him to that chair, he could have touched me. He would have touched me. “Don’t force his hand. Please. If you ever cared about me at all, then don’t take him from me.”

  He probably thought I meant in the physical sense, but deep down I knew what little sanity Rafe held onto would shatter if he went through with this. All the shit he’d gone through, especially these past few months, had taken a toll on him. I recognized someone on the brink because I’d been there.

  Zach let out a bitter laugh. “You think I can take Rafe, do you? Is that what you’re worried about?” He gave a pointed glance at his tied-up state. “Do I look capable of going against Shelton’s underground champ?”

  “That’s not what I meant.” Of course, I knew Zach was a threat, but I didn’t believe Rafe would let him get the best of him. Not again. I believed him when he said he would come away from this fight the winner, if for no other reason than to keep me safe. But the what-ifs strangled me.

  “Rafe’s been through hell and back. If tonight ends in—”

  “I’ve been to hell and back,” Zach shouted, and to my utter shock, he squeezed his eyes shut to hide the tears threatening to spill over. “Lex, my hell started the day I saw Dad drive my mom away with his fucking fists. It started the day I saw you as more than my sister. It started the day you saw Rafe fucking Mason as more than my best friend.”

  Stumbling backward, I gulped. “It’s not too late to do the right thing.” But I realized something then—something that twisted everything around until the lines not only blurred, but they bent and broke. I needed Rafe the way Zach had always needed me. What an intricate web we weaved.

  “That’s not even the worst of it, Lex. Dad’s the reason your mom is dead.”

  A loud fist pounded on the door, and I jumped. “We’re not done in here!” I strode to the door and turned the lock on the handle. “If you come in here, he’s not fighting,” I shouted through the barrier keeping them out of this room.

  Commotion sounded on the other side, and the knob clicked back and forth. Voices escalated, Rafe’s especially, demanding that someone knock the door down.

  I whirled on Zach, my hands fisted at my sides. “What are you talking about?”

  “I wanted to tell you so many times…” He sniffled, blinked, and a wave of tears trailed down his scruffy cheeks. “She didn’t kill herself, Lex. Yeah, she saw us that night, but she was gonna do the right thing. She was planning to leave my dad and turn me in. She fucking loved you.” He jerked his head back and forth. “She would’ve done anything for you.”

  Something cold fisted my heart. “Why?”

  “Dad wasn’t about to let her destroy our lives. I’m telling you, Lex, he killed her and made it look like a suicide.”

  “No.” I gaped at Zach, my mind spinning, trying to make sense of this abstract canvas he painted. The torn masterpiece of hidden truths, rough around the edges with harsh clarity. I knew him well—too well. Better than any sister should know a brother, and I knew he was speaking the truth.

  But I couldn’t fall apart now. I had to hold it together long enough to get through this night. And that made me angry.

  “Why are you telling me this now?”

  “I’m not making it out of here.” The hazel in his eyes sharpened like always when he was passionate about something, usually me. “No matter what happens, stay away from Dad.”

  My jaw unhinged. I was speechless.

  “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything,” he said, “but you want him. And I’m not stupid. He wants me dead.”

  “He was your best friend! You don’t have a clue what our lie started all those years ago. People have died because of it. Rafe’s not the same guy you knew before we sent him to prison.”

  “I only know one thing for certain. Shelton got me out of that Mexican prison. He brought me here so Rafe could kill me inside that cage. The guy hates Dad’s guts.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “It’s true. I overheard his guys talking. This is about revenge, and we’re all playing into his hands.”

  “I heard what you told Rafe in that barn. You weren’t shy about your hatred.”

  “What else was I supposed to say? I hate his guts, Lex. He took away the only thing I care about in this world.”

  “I’m not a thing.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “No. I think you said exactly what you mean. You’ve always seen me as a thing, a piece of property.”

  He hung his head. “Then let’s get this over with. Let him have his shot at me.”

  Panic seized me. I didn’t know for certain that Rafe would kill him, and I had a hunch that Zach was feeding me a line of bullshit, preying on my vulnerability. He’d always been a master at manipulating me. Even so, I didn’t want Rafe to go down this road. Not if I could stop it. I’d witnessed how getting his hands dirty had affected him—it was the reason he’d bolted six months ago.

  And as much as I hated to admit it, even to myself, I didn’t want to see Zach dead either.

  Another fist rattled the door. “He’s got ten minutes, then the boss wants him in that cage. Make it happen.”

  “I’m working on it!” Footsteps faded, and my gaze darted between the only window in the room and Zach’s bound form slumped in the chair. I deliberated for a few seconds, my gaze swerving back and forth, indecision warring in my heart. As I hurried across the room and began working on the knots in the rope, a voice within screeched its objection.

  What the hell was I doing?

  Saving Rafe.

  “What are you doing, Lex?”

  I shot Zach a startled look. He’d grabbed the question from my mind and had spoken it aloud.

  “Something undeniably stupid.” I released one leg then went to work on the other. “You can get out through that window over there,” I said, pointing toward the rectangle pane of glass I prayed wasn’t sealed shut. “I’ll tell them you need a few minutes. I’ll lock the door to give you time, so don’t get caught.”

  “Why are you helping me?” I moved to his back and slowly worked the knots loose that trapped his wrists.

  “I’m helping him.”

  As soon as the rope fell to the floor, he sprang to his feet, rounded the chair before I could blink, and pulled me against his chest. In the space of five seconds, I realized I’d made a dire mistake, and I almost screamed for help, but his mouth crashed onto mine and muffled my protests. His arms held me in a vise, and he bit down on my tongue just enough to knock the fight from me.

  A
nd then he let me go with a tortured sigh.

  I shoved him until he crashed into a table. “Don’t you fucking touch me,” I said, my words a whisper of fury. I jabbed a finger in the direction of the window. “Get the fuck out of here, Zach. I swear on Rafe’s life, if you ever come back I’ll kill you myself.” I retreated, heading to the door, my heart knocking around in my chest.

  With a quick upward lift, he opened the window and let in the frigid winter air. He poked his head out, glanced downward, then pivoted to face me. “You’ve changed,” he said, his tone holding a note of surprise.

  “You mean I’m not the same spineless victim you screwed for years? Not bendable anymore?”

  He gnawed on his lip. “I’m sure you’re bending plenty. Just not for me.”

  “Better go,” I said, refusing to go into my relationship with Rafe.

  He hoisted himself through the opening, dropped to the other side, and popped his head up to give me one last look. “Tell him I said hi.”

  And then he was gone.

  “Calm down. It’s only been fifteen minutes. They’re family,” Shelton said with a shrug. “I’m sure they’ve got some catching up to do.”

  Rather than justify that asinine comment with a response, I continued my pacing outside the cage. Shelton’s goons wouldn’t let me near that fucking door because they knew I’d bust my way through it.

  But fuck if I didn’t take my eyes off it.

  When it finally opened, and she stepped out, I was crawling out of my skin. I shoved two guys out of my way and went straight to her. “I’m so fucking pissed at you right now.”

  “I’m fine.” She pointed at the door. “He said he’ll fight, but he needs a few minutes.” She wouldn’t meet my eyes, and that was the first clue something was wrong. The second was when Shelton tried the door and found it locked.

  “Someone get me a key yesterday!”

  Alex whirled, her eyes wide. “I must’ve locked it on my way out.”

  I grabbed her shoulders¸ alarmed by her rattled tone. “Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “He told me some upsetting things. I’ll tell you later.”

  Shelton stomped toward us. “While they’re taking care of this snafu, let’s get the show started. People are getting antsy.” He waved a hand in Alex’s direction. “Strip her and chain her up over there,” he ordered, pointing to a set of chains dangling a few feet from the cage.

  “Excuse me?” I asked with a dangerous edge.

  “You ain’t deaf. I said strip her. I want her on display.”

  The dark cloud that passed over Alex’s face alarmed even me. She wrestled from my grasp and popped the buttons on her top before sliding the shirt down her shoulders, then she unzipped the skirt and let it pool around her feet.

  “Is this good enough?” she asked Shelton. “Or do you expect me to get naked for your perverted friends?”

  “It’s just business, honey.” Shelton’s mouth twitched into a grin. “She’s got spirit. I like her.” He walked away, muttering how this night was going to be a lesson in entertainment.

  I trapped her arm in a painful grip and hauled her toward those fucking chains. “That was stupid.”

  “I’m a human being, not an object. If he wants my skin on display, I can do it myself.”

  “I meant going in to see Zach.”

  We stepped onto a platform a few feet from the cage, and I positioned her underneath the chains. Her gaze settled on that damn door Zach hid behind. He must have known how this was going to end. With quick, jerky motions, I buckled her wrists into the cuffs and stretched her arms above her head.

  My mouth was a hard line, my touch rough and unforgiving, but when our eyes met and held, the angry beast inside me went into hibernation. She had me so fucking whipped. I slid my palms along her arms and brushed the sides of her heaving tits. Her matching black and red bra and panties were made of lace, barely there—meant to entice and seduce. Those scraps of fabric did a hell of a job tantalizing me, but I hated how every other fucker in here saw what I saw.

  It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

  I leaned close enough to taste her lips, and the steady racket of voices receded. Only Alex and I existed in that moment, standing on the precipice of simmering hell. I think we both knew it was coming. Unable to resist, I pressed my mouth to hers and breathed her in.

  “Before you know it, we’ll be in my truck driving to God knows where. Maybe we won’t fucking stop, but at least it’ll be you and me together.” I inched back and stared into her eyes. “I meant what I said at your house.”

  “What was that?”

  “About marrying you. Eventually, we’ll make it there. We’ll find a space that’s ours where the only struggle we’ll face is keeping our hands off each other.” I couldn’t help but smile. “Though I think that’s a fight we’ll never win.”

  Her worried eyes veered to that locked door again. “I don’t wanna lose you,” she whispered. “Zach can torture me every day for the rest of my life, and it won’t break me like losing you will.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. Everything’s gonna be okay. Do you trust me?”

  “Of course I do, but…” She drew in a jittery breath.

  “What is it?”

  “Please don’t hate me.”

  A heavy sense of dread took root in my stomach. “What happened in there?”

  “Something you’re not going to like.” She lifted her head just as Shelton and Nate approached the door, keys jingling. “Get me out of these cuffs!” she said with an alarming note of urgency.

  Fuck. This did not sound good.

  As they went through the various keys on that ring, I unbuckled Alex’s wrists, and we stepped down from the platform. They kicked the door wide open, and obscenities filled the air. I pushed Alex behind me as they marched in our direction.

  “Where is he?” Shelton demanded, his mouth a thin, dangerous line. This was the most pissed off I’d seen him.

  Acting fast, and on pure instinct, I grabbed Alex, one hand clamped around her chin, the other gouging her shoulder, and forced her to her knees. My hand slid from her chin and wrapped around her neck. “What the fuck did you do?”

  The crowd spoke in hushed, excited whispers. Maybe, just fucking maybe, if I could give them a show and convince Shelton I’d had nothing to do with Zach’s disappearance—which was too fucking true to be funny—we could get out of here in one piece.

  “I asked you a question!”

  “I let him go!” she said.

  Shelton punched a crate, and everyone within ten feet of him jumped. Including me.

  “Find him. Now!” he ordered his guys, voice an echoing thunder through the warehouse. He glowered at Alex, his stature towering over her. Every muscle in my body was poised to protect her from him, but I held my ground, straddling the line between furious boyfriend and loyal fighter who was on his side in this.

  I lugged her to her feet by the hair, eliciting a sharp cry of pain. “I’ll deal with her,” I told Shelton. “Just find that fucking bastard, and tell me the instant you do.”

  Shelton took a deep breath and nodded. I led Alex to a corner of the room that wasn’t as crowded and forced her ass into a chair. Fingers curling around the hem of my sweatshirt, I yanked it up my torso and over my head, then tossed it to her.

  “Why’d you do it?”

  She pushed her arms through the sleeves before tugging the material over her face. “I couldn’t watch you kill him.”

  “You still have feelings for him.” I bunched my hands and barely kept myself from trying to plow through the wall of cement at her back. Probably not the best outlet for my rage.

  “Not in the way you’re thinking. He’s my brother, Rafe, or at least he was…at some point.”

  “He’s the fucker who raped you,” I growled.

  “I know!” She jumped to her feet and met me head on. “And you’re the fucker I’m in love with. You’re the fucker who’s not gonna k
ill ever again.” She grabbed my face, her fingers tight around my jaw. If the wild look in her eyes hadn't entranced me—if we weren’t surrounded by a bunch of people—I would have stripped her scant panties from her ass and fucked it.

  Hard.

  Until she cried from the pain then begged to come.

  As it was, I stood my ground and let her have this moment.

  “You promised we were getting out of this, Rafe. So do it. Keep your promise this time. Zach is gone. He’s not coming back.”

  “How can you be so sure about that?”

  “Because I swore on your life I’d kill him myself if he did. He’s not coming back.”

  Her words fucking pummeled me. She’d do anything for me. That much was true. If she’d used my life as a device to swear on, then she was dead serious. “God, I fucking love you right now.”

  She furrowed her adorable brows. “Because I let him go?”

  “Because you’re willing to kill him yourself if he comes back.”

  Shelton and Nate approached, and Alex and I cooled the frantic fuck-each-other vibes traveling between us.

  “Did you find him?” I asked.

  “‘Fraid not,” Shelton said. “I know you wanted a shot at him.” He sent a nasty glare toward Alex. “Get your woman in line, Mason. I’ll call you when I find him. This ain’t over.”

  “Fuck no, it’s not. I told you I can’t risk him on the loose.”

  He turned toward the people still waiting for a fight. “Listen up, everyone!” His voice bellowed through the warehouse. “We got a little situation, so we’ll have to do this another night.” A collective groan traveled through the room. Shelton raised his hands. “Hey, all bets stand. The fight will happen. I’ll send texts out when it’s time.”

  As the crowd grudgingly began to disperse, Shelton slapped me on the back. “Nate and…what’s-his-name will drive you back to the boat. They won’t be happy to deal with the shitty weather for another day or so, but I won’t let you be sitting ducks. Until we find Zach, you’ll have protection 24/7.”

  He meant we’ll be watching you 24/7. I was unarmed since Shelton had confiscated my gun while Alex was inside that damn room with Zach. How the fuck were we going to get out of here?