First Time Lucky

by Chance Carter

  Paul cried out in agony and stumbled, falling back onto his ass.

  “Fuck,” he wheezed, screwing his eyes shut and holding his side.

  “When does the ass-kicking start? I don’t wanna miss American Idol.”

  Paul cracked an eye open in a vicious glare, but his lips curved into a grin all the same.

  “Alright, tough guy. You win. Preston’s just gonna have to get you another way.”

  I laughed and walked to Paul’s side and extended a hand down to him. “He can try.”

  Paul accepted my hand up but hissed in pain. “I’m gonna need another beer. Or ten.” He stood hunched for a moment and then straightened, walking stiffly toward the bar.

  “Good to see you,” I called after him.

  His laughter carried back to me.

  I grabbed my jacket and walked back over to my bike, feeling high on more than just another victorious fight.

  Finally, finally, I might have a way to help Dallas.

  Chapter 29

  Dallas

  A couple of days passed, but my mood stayed up in the clouds thanks to the memory of my perfect first time with Shane. It felt like a hundred pound weight had been lifted from my chest, and I breezed through my daily routine without the customary dark cloud hanging overhead. Even the fact that tonight Preston was throwing a party at the house didn’t bother me like it commonly did.

  Tomorrow I had plans to see Shane for the first time since that day in the meadow. I’d been busy with work and Wes, and it killed me that I couldn’t see him sooner, but the wait was nearly over. How could two days feel like a lifetime?

  I stayed up in my room for as long as I could with earplugs in, trying to read. After a while, I thought maybe Wes and Preston had forgotten about me, which would be a rare treat, but before I could get too comfortable, Wes burst through my door.

  “Whaaaydomee?” came his muffled voice.

  I dug the earplugs out. The screaming and hooting that had been blissfully muted before made me wince with its loudness. The music was bumping, but I already knew that. It had been rattling my bed for the last hour.

  “What?” I asked.

  Wes rolled his eyes. “What are you doing up here?”

  I lifted the book demonstratively. “Reading.”

  “You can’t read the night away. It’s a party, baby girl.” He walked over to the bed and snatched the book out of my hands, tossing it to the side.

  “Hey! You didn’t give me a chance to mark my spot.”

  Wes grabbed my hand and dragged me to my feet. “Who cares? You’ll figure it out.” He smacked my ass. “Come downstairs, I’ve got some people to introduce you to.”

  I sighed. “Okay. Lead the way.”

  Wes frowned and narrowed his eyes. He grabbed my arm and spun me to face him, peering down at me through thin slits.

  “I think we need to talk about your attitude before we go anywhere.”

  His breath stank of booze. I squished up my nose.

  “What attitude? I said to lead the way.” I gestured toward the door. “So let’s go.”

  Wes still hadn’t let go of my arm, and now he squeezed it harder.

  “That’s the problem,” he growled. “You don’t have an attitude. Something’s different about you.”

  “First I’m too sassy, now I’m not sassy enough?” I tried to yank my arm free, but Wes held tight. “What do you want from me?”

  He frowned, studying my face, and then finally let me go. “Let’s go.”

  I followed Wes downstairs, flattening myself against the wall at points to avoid bumping into people. Sometimes these parties were even more packed than Satan’s Perch. A lot of Preston’s friends from out of town would come and bring their whole entourages. You never knew what was going to happen.

  Wes introduced me to a few people downstairs, but none of their names or faces stuck. They never did. I wasn’t expected to remember them, just like they weren’t expected to remember my name or who I was, just that I was hot and I belonged to Wes. I endured it as long as I could before I got Wes to excuse me for a bathroom break. I didn’t need to pee, but I did need to sit down for a minute somewhere quiet-ish.

  I came back to find Wes finishing a tequila shot. He shoved one into my hand, and I did it without arguing. Being a little drunk wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if it would help me put up with him.

  “Hey! Hey!” Wes hollered across the room.

  Nelson’s head poked up, and he nodded toward Wes. Wes gestured for him to come over.

  When Nelson reached us, Wes slapped him on the back. “Have you noticed anything about Dallas lately?”

  He was slurring his words a little now, and he swayed where he stood. Nelson was shit faced too, and they made quite the pair, squinting at me.

  “You mean that she’s been in a better mood?” Nelson asked.

  “Exaaactly,” Wes hissed. “She’s been so fucking cheerful. That ain’t like her.”

  He stepped between Nelson and me, towering over my head. I felt dizzy just from the fumes of his breath.

  “Shane’s back in town,” he said. “You must’a heard that.”

  “Everybody has.”

  “But have you seen ‘im?” Wes hunched over to get closer to my face, nostrils flaring. “Is that why you’re in a good mood alluva sudden? You seen your old boyfriend?”

  “I haven’t seen him,” I replied. “Maybe I’m just in a good fucking mood.” I shoved him back. “I’m being nice, and you’re being an asshole.”

  “Oh, you’re being nice now?” Wes grabbed my chin and pulled me toward him. “How about a nice kiss?”

  Before I could stop him, Wes’s slobbery mouth descended on mine. His lips were cold as a fish’s and moved with about as much dexterity. I pushed at his chest as hard as I could but he was stronger, so I did the next best thing. Using all my strength, I swung my fist up and caught him in the ear.

  Wes staggered back a little, letting me go. I wiped my mouth and glared at him, trying to keep a hard front even though I was shaking on the inside. He looked downright murderous.

  “That’s no way to treat your boyfriend!” His amber eyes, bloodshot and cold, flared open. “You’re such a fucking tease. Always teasing me.”

  He stepped forward, and I stepped back. People were staring, but none of them would help me, and that thought alone was enough to make my heart clamber up my throat. This could be it. This could be the time when Wes snapped. Who knew that the thing that would push him over, in the end, was me being less bitchy? The irony was almost amusing.

  I was trying to interpret his intent from the anger in his eyes—was he going to beat me up in front of all these people? Would he drag me away?—when Sasha stumbled in through the doorway, spilling a little of the beer from the plastic cup in her hand. She seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere and giggled.

  “Whoops.”

  Wes ground his teeth. “Sasha!” he barked, eyes on me.

  She stood a little straighter. “Yeah?”

  Wes finally looked away. He gestured for Sasha to approach him, and when she did, he slid an arm around her waist and dug his fingers into her ass.

  “Let’s go.”

  Sasha’s expression morphed quickly from confusion to delight as Wes led her out of the room. I didn’t take a breath until they disappeared.

  Time started flowing again, and the people who’d been gawking returned to their conversations and dancing. I closed my eyes and forced several calming breaths. Then, before Wes had a chance to change his mind, I pushed through the crowd and made my way outside.

  I grabbed my bike from the open garage and roared out of sight before anybody could stop me. I might get in trouble later for leaving the party, but at this point, it seemed like everyone was too drunk to notice. I hadn’t even seen Preston tonight, which meant he was probably locked up in his office with a menagerie of drugged up women to amuse him. But whether my absence was noted or not, I needed to escape.

&nb
sp; As far as I knew, Shane was still staying at Rowland’s Hardware. I parked around back and texted him to say that I was outside. He came down a moment later.

  “Dallas...” Shane’s forehead creased with concern. “What’s wrong? You look...”

  I threw myself into his arms. His scent enveloped me, warm and spicy and all his, and I snuggled in as deep as I could in the hope that maybe I wouldn’t have to come back out again.

  “Let’s go inside.” He spoke in a gentle voice, rubbing my back in comforting circles.

  I nodded against his shirt, and we walked in together. He led me up a staircase and into a small, plainly decorated office. I stood awkwardly by the door as Shane cleared a blanket and pillow from the couch, then beckoned me to sit.

  As soon as we were both on the couch, I curled back up in his arms, resting my head against his chest. There were no tears. I couldn’t be sure what to cry about. Was I upset about what happened with Wes tonight? Was I upset about my life in general? I was miserable for so many reasons, but somehow they faded into the background when I was with Shane. His presence was a shield to my woes and, even though they still hovered menacingly at the fringes, for a moment, I indulged in a bout of calm.

  “What’s the matter?” Shane’s lips brushed against the crown of my head.

  I closed my eyes. “Wes accosted me tonight. It’s the kind of thing he’s done a hundred times, but tonight it felt different.”

  “What was it about?”

  I hesitated. “You.”

  Shane’s grip on my arm tightened.

  “He doesn’t know we’ve been seeing each other,” I rushed to say. “But I think you being around has made him more desperate. Either that or things are just finally boiling to a head like I always knew they would.” I choked on the next words. They were hard to say aloud, hard to acknowledge. I’d been living in a danger zone for years and had survived only by telling myself I would escape before this day ever came.

  “For the first time, I fear for my life. For my dad’s life too.” I pulled in a shaky breath. “Shane, I don’t know what to do.”

  Shane pulled me across his lap. He cradled me in his arms with a sweetness I’d never seen before.

  “I’m going to get you out of there,” Shane murmured. “I swear. I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep you and Randall safe.”

  I didn’t believe him. How could I? There was no getting out, and maybe that was why my hopelessness had compounded into bleak despair.

  I knew that someday soon I was going to have to make a choice, whether to try to escape or take my chances with staying, and that scared me more than anything. Dad and I would have to leave with nothing, and Preston would spare no expense in finding us. I could manage that risk if it were just me, but how could I put my dad through that?

  Shane didn’t need to know any of this. He wouldn’t hear it even if I told him. So I kept it to myself, and I huddled closer to his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

  “What do you want to do once you’re out?” Shane asked.

  A good question, one I tried never to think about. But hell, I could use a little fantasy right now.

  “I still want to make it on Broadway,” I told him. “Preston doesn’t want me singing in my shows because he’s worried someone might discover me or something. I still practice all the time though.”

  “That’s good.” Shane smiled down at me, true admiration in his gaze. “You’ll love New York.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Well,” he said, leaning his head against mine. “There’s a lot of people. More people than you could imagine. They flow like ocean currents around the city, changing direction based on the day or the time, but always flowing. Some of the buildings are so tall that they blot out the sun, and it’s the only place I’ve ever felt truly lost.”

  I sighed happily. “That sounds wonderful.”

  I would love to get lost in a sea of people, an ocean of faces.

  “My apartment is small, but it’s close to a great deli. They do the best Reuben. They even make their own sauerkraut.”

  “Can we ride bikes together in Central Park?” I asked, tilting my head to look up at him. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

  Shane smiled. “We’ll do anything,” he said, kissing my forehead. “We’ll do everything.”

  Chapter 30

  Shane

  I rechecked my phone and frowned. Still no message from Dallas. I wouldn’t worry if she were only a few minutes late, but she was supposed to be here half an hour ago. Was she okay?

  I paced back in forth in front of Jake’s desk, a storm cloud above my head. If something happened to her, it would be my fault for not figuring out how to save her sooner. I’d spent a lot of time with Dallas over the past few days, but the second Preston or Wes called her back to the house I would go straight back to brainstorming. Sometimes during the day, Jake would help me, but he couldn’t figure it any more than I could.

  I’d concluded that I could bet on something with Preston to secure Dallas and Randall’s safety, but what? I didn’t want to leave it up to chance, and I didn’t have anything to pump up the stakes to entice him into making such a bet. Jake jokingly suggested dueling him, and that was about as close as I’d come to an answer.

  I felt useless. And now Dallas was late, and she hadn’t replied to my latest text. Something could have happened to her.

  I paced one more lap, then I turned on my heel and marched out the door, grabbing my helmet and my keys on the way.

  If Dallas was in trouble, it was my fault, and I would be the one to fix it. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t have a fucking clue. But I knew she’d be at Preston’s place, and I’d kick down the front door if I had to.

  I took the stairs two at a time, but just before I could reach the door, someone banged hard on it. Dallas didn’t usually knock. They banged again.

  It looked like I didn’t have to go searching for trouble after all. Trouble found me.

  I adopted a neutral expression and swung the door open.

  Fuck.

  Rob grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and hauled me through the doorway, tossing me onto the pavement as carelessly as if I were a doll. I took the hit on my shoulder and rolled, jumping back to my feet.

  “Shane fucking Kelly,” Rob growled. “When they first told me you were back in town, I thought I was fucking dreaming.”

  Rob’s barrel-chested body now reached to a sturdy 6’3”. His hair was cut short enough to see a thick roll of fat at the back of his neck, and his arms were as thick as hams. It was the first time I’d heard him speak since I broke his jaw, and his voice was lower than Barry Manilow’s.

  Most intimidating of all, however, was the wooden Louisville Slugger he carried in his right hand. My grip on my helmet tightened.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure?” I inquired.

  Rob pointed the bat at me. “You’re fucking lucky. Preston’s willing to let you leave if you go now.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  He laughed, deep and low. “Then you’re an even bigger dumb ass than I thought you were,” he said. “You’re fucking with the wrong people for the second time. If you don’t leave, I’m going to use this bat to rearrange your face. And I’m going to break that jaw of yours, see how you like eating out of a straw. Then I’ll bring you to Preston, and he’ll do what he should have done three years ago.”

  “Hire better muscle?”

  Rob’s nostrils flared. “Better make your decision quick before I make it for you.”

  “Oh, my decision’s already been made,” I told him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  The flood of adrenaline in my system was making me twitchy, but I tried to ignore it and focus on Rob’s movements. He was dangerous enough without a weapon. With a baseball bat, one misstep and he’d be hitting a home run on my skull.

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” Rob grinned, but the effect was more like a snarl.

  He stalked t
oward me but I stayed put. Both hands on the bat, Rob suddenly lunged and swung toward my ribs. The swing was too low to duck in time, so I flung myself backward, catching my balance and then lurching forward while he reset his stance. I gripped the mouthpiece of my helmet and swung it as hard as I could. It cracked him on the side of the head and Rob stumbled back.

  He let out a furious yell and came at me again, swinging back and forth like an inexperienced t-baller. I avoided some of the blows and blocked the others with my helmet, but I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. Rob’s strength far outmatched my own, and right now my only protection was a piece of fiberglass that I was having more trouble gripping with every hit.

  Rob lifted the bat above his head and arced it down. It clipped my shoulder as I jumped out of the way. I cried out in pain but pushed through it, slamming the helmet against his head again and switching hands to get him on the other side too.

  Rob blinked. His hands loosened on the bat. I rolled up for an underhand blow and hit him just under the chin.

  Rob’s head snapped back. The rest of his body followed. He fell backward, and the bat clattered to the ground. I snatched it up and stood over him, keeping a cautious distance.

  When he didn’t stir, I poked him with the bat. Sure enough, Rob was out cold.

  I didn’t waste any time. I tossed the bat inside the door and raced over to my bike, then sped all the way up to the bottom of Preston’s driveway.

  I stashed my bike in the bushes, just like I did the night of that awful party when I found Dallas in Preston’s office. Things were different now. She had a bedroom, and I knew it overlooked the back deck. It couldn’t be hard to figure out where it was from there.

  I snuck up along the driveway but kept under cover of the trees. The house was quiet, with only a few lights on inside. A dark figure lounged on the front porch, partially illuminated by the glowing orange end of his cigarette. I made sure not to make any noise as I passed by and rounded the back of the house.