Runner

by A. J. Summer

  But South Africa is my home, and Bailey has nothing to offer me. Maria’s Square even less, except him. Not that it matters. He doesn’t really want me, he just wants her. I don’t know who she is, I hate her. I hate her with my broken little heart, because she made me do this. I was going to stay. I wanted to stay. I wipe the tears from my eyes and walk toward my boarding gate. This is it, I hope I never see Runner again, because if I do, it means he’s come to kill me and that I’ve failed.

  So now you’re wondering what the hell I’m doing on this plane. Did I steal Runner’s money? Did I plan this all along?

  No, of course not. Runner was not my target. Reno Parker was, and Ana made it all too easy. That drunk woman just couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Night after night at the bar, she would blab off about her dangerous boyfriend and how he was “in” with the mob. She’d brag about their money and the powerful man they worked for.

  At first I didn’t pay attention to her. I thought she was just blowing smoke up her own ass, but then she mentioned Reno, and I recognized the name from a magazine article I read about the Indigo casino. I knew Reno had money, and I needed money. A lot of it. I started hanging out with Ana, using her for all the information I needed. Then the wham-bam-and-no-thank-you-ma’am happened with Runner. Just one night. I never could resist a dangerous man. Blame it on my history or my conditioning, blame it on lust. God damn Demitri and his dark shit.

  I think I lost a little piece of my heart that night. I was just too focused on getting the money to rescue Christina to notice. Runner was dangerous, but he was also so very broken. I wanted to reach into his chest and fix his damn heart myself. I didn’t see him again for a long time. Even after I started dating Reno. Runner never came into Bailey. It wasn’t that difficult to get Reno’s attention. Reno likes a young beautiful woman with a wild streak. I think all these rich old men do. And that’s exactly what I gave him. A trade of sorts. I gave Reno the ride of his life, and he’d give me what I wanted. He just didn’t know it at the time.

  I always get what I want. I was very careful to keep our relationship secret, to not be seen in public together. Not even Reno’s housekeeper knew about me. I stuck to nightly visits, often using the excuse of modeling shoots during the day.

  And then one day, bam, there was Runner again. I knew I risked bumping into him when I went with Ana to the loan house, but I couldn’t just stop hanging out with her now that I got what I wanted. It would look suspicious. If I’m truly honest with myself, maybe deep down I was hoping to run into him again. Just to prove that he really existed and I didn’t just create him in my head. I didn’t think Runner would freak out like he did when he saw me at the loan house. And I definitely didn’t think my heart would react like a sixteen year old with her first crush. The run-in with Runner wasn’t planned. I was so close to getting what I wanted, what I needed from Reno.

  I had a date with Reno the night he died. We went to dinner. My nerves were shot after the scare I had with Mike and Jonah at the loan house. I just wanted to go home, back to Christina. Get her out of that hellhole. After dinner, Reno drove us to his mansion. He poured himself a brandy and a wine for me. I hate wine. Ironic for someone who grew up on a wine estate.

  We were sitting on the couch, talking about nothing important. I almost asked him for the money to buy back Nina. His phone rang. Reno wasn’t happy with whoever he had on the line. He left the room. He was gone for a long time.

  I was looking at the photos on the wall when he came back. He had a gun aimed at my head. He had lost his mind. Accused me of spying on him. I wasn’t spying. I was just trying to get some money. He was going to shoot me. I could see it in his eyes. The dark orbs were black with rage and suspicion.

  I told him my story. He didn’t believe me. I was going to die! Reno put down his gun and his hands closed around my neck. He stared into my eyes as he squeezed the life out of me. I wasn’t going to go down so easily. I stomped my high-heel covered foot onto his and he yelped in pain. We both reached for the gun. I got to it first. I pleaded with him to believe me. But like Runner, Reno is proud and proud men don’t trust easily. I made him give me his bank codes. He threatened to send Runner after me and my sister. I shot him. I killed Reno.

  I thought killing Reno would bother me, that I’d hesitate to pull the trigger, but once I had those codes and he threatened Nina, squeezing the trigger was so easy. The aftermath is hell; I killed a man. That’s something I’m going to have to live with.

  I was going to leave town right after that, but then Ana caused that fight at the party we went to, and the next morning Daniel Migelli showed up. My plan just wouldn’t stick together. I wonder if karma was throwing me at Runner the whole time.

  When I finally got to checking the codes I got from Reno, the damn things wouldn’t work. Reno lied to me. He gave me the wrong codes on purpose. I guess he was trying to protect his son. How messed up is that? Runner is Reno’s son? Reno wasn’t a bad man, but I couldn’t risk him coming after me. He knew who I was. I told him about Nina. I thought he’d help me, damn it. I had no choice.

  After I discovered that he gave me the wrong bank codes, I really thought it was all over. Then I got caught up in whatever shit Runner was involved in with Daniel, and my plan slowly slipped away. I even stole that cell phone for him, but not without my own motives. LaVaas had money too. Not as much as Runner, but he was an option I was willing to explore. I’m not a whore, I don’t sell myself for cash. Besides my back would be scuffed to hell and my body broken if I had to go that way for the amount of cash I needed.

  After LaVaas’s men chased us from the bar, I knew I’d never get close to him again. It might have just been a cell phone I’d stolen, but I’ve seen men killed for less. I was resigned to my fate, I was giving up. I was slowly running out of options. But most of all, I realized I’d fallen in love. It wasn’t just the few days I spent with Runner and seeing all the guilt and anger he carried in himself that made my soul reach out to him. It was because I was the same damaged goods as him. Bound by blood and responsibility, we carried the same cross, just searching for the forbidden comfort, but never finding it.

  When I saw the codes on his laptop, the responsibility bore down on me until I couldn’t keep my head up. I knew his codes would work; he was busy making a payment online. They had to be right. All I had to do was wait to find a way out.

  That’s why I went with him to Warehouse 9. I wanted to help Runner before I ruined his life and stole his money. He would find a way to bounce back. Men like him always do. They fight and they win. I didn’t know Reno was Runner’s father, and when I heard Daniel use his surname, I almost confessed. I wanted to tell Runner everything. My whole fucked-up story, maybe he would help me, be able to forgive me. But there was also the side of me that wondered if he’d react the same way as Reno. What would he do when I told him I shot his father because he wouldn’t give me the money? Jonah and Mike would’ve already had my grave dug before I finished explaining myself.

  And then I got shot at Warehouse 9 and Runner changed. I could see Runner cared about me when I woke up after the shooting. I was going to tell him, I just needed the right words. I could still give the money back and ask him for help. But when he called out that girl’s name in his sleep, I knew I had to get out of there. My jealousy was so thick it threatened to smother me. I was a fool to even think he cared. To entertain the thought that I was more than a one-night stand to him was ludicrous.

  And now I’m on my way to South Africa to claim my responsibility. To buy my freedom and to pay for the freedom of my sister. Why would I need to do that? Because my dad was a lousy businessman. He was a good father, but he loved to drink his wine instead of selling it.

  There’s a light tap on my shoulder and my head whips to the side. I didn’t even see the hostess standing next to me.

  “Would you like something to drink?” she asks politely.

  “Coke please.” I would kill for a vodka right now.

  I
take my Coke from her and stare out the window. I wonder what Runner is doing right now? Does he know I took his money?

  So my dad was a lousy businessman. NaturaGold has been in our family for years, passing from Blake to Blake, dating back to my great-great grandfather. But even though Christopher Blake loved his daughters, he hated being away from his wife. Our mother, Katalonia Blake. Deported only a few months before my father lost everything. I think my mother liked being back home so much she never bothered trying to get back to South Africa. She hated it there. Hated the weather, hated the crime, hated that her sisters and parents were back in Russia, while she was stuck there.

  I know my parents were happy once. They met while Dad and his family were on holiday one year. Dad said he knew he was going to marry her as soon as he laid eyes on her. So he kept going back to visit her until it was his turn to take over the farm. She came to South Africa and they got married. But Mama was homesick, and Dad wouldn’t leave his legacy behind to go to Russia. He said there was nothing there for him, that his life was on the farm.

  I remember picnics on our front lawn, horseback rides through the vineyards. I remember them smiling. I also remember my mother crying after every letter she received from back home. Mama was deported because some of her documents were illegal. My father yelled at her for days before they came to take her away. Did I blame Mama for leaving us behind? Yes, everyday. Christina cried herself to sleep for weeks. It made father angry and he’d throw stuff and curse, and then the wine would take its toll and he’d pass out.

  After that, there was no more smiling, just drinking. Father was always drunk, and then the drought came and wiped out the harvest. We sold the kegs stored in the cellar and planted again, but the cash was just too tight to get a decent harvest. Father had to get a business partner, Devrin. For the first time in over a hundred years, NaturaGold didn’t belong to just a Blake. That was his first mistake. Christina use to say he angered the old ones and they were cursing us from the grave. Christina listened to too many of Mama’s stories. But she was right, the farm never recovered after that.

  Father had to sell the farm, and Devrin bought it with eager grabby fingers. We were allowed to stay on and run the farm, but Father drank more and more when it became apparent that Mama wasn’t coming back.

  Just before my eighteenth birthday, Devrin showed up like he always did when we were in a pinch, but this time I knew something was different. It was right there in his eyes. But I was young and too stupid to recognize it for what it was. Opportunity. Devrin played on every opportunity he could get. Always watching, patiently waiting.

  After dinner I cleared the plates and he grabbed hold of my arm. Father was already slumping in his chair. “Go pack your bags and Christina’s,” he ordered.

  “Where are we going?” I asked. I was confused. Father didn’t mention a trip. “You’re coming to stay with me for a while,” Devrin said. “Why?” I didn’t want to leave. This was our home. Devrin stood up and slapped me across the face. I didn’t cry, but it stung really fucking bad. Father didn’t do anything, just slumped in his chair and stared at the table. He knew! And yet he did nothing. He wouldn’t even lift a finger to save his daughters.

  Christina ran upstairs to pack her bags, afraid that she would suffer the same fate by disobeying. My little sister just didn’t know that by doing this she was setting herself up for something so much worse. That night, instead of Devrin giving Father a check, he collected and we were the payment.

  I don’t remember much about the trip down to Devil’s Peak, but I do remember that the first time I saw the estate I knew the name fit it perfectly. The massive white mansion had hundreds of lights mounted on the sides, casting dangerous shadows among the looming trees. The perfect place for monsters to lie in waiting. The black fencing was high, with sharp devil-forked heads, barring anyone from getting in or out. There were guards everywhere, high on the roof and low in the gardens. Father told us once that Devrin dealt in diamonds and that he is very rich.

  We were escorted to a nice room with a big, white canopy bed. It wasn’t much different than our rooms back home. I remember the bed, because for a long time, that was the only place I felt safe at Devil’s Peak.

  We weren’t poor, we had a lot of nice things until Father started drinking. So the opulence of Devil’s Peak wasn’t anything we weren’t used to, but it wasn’t home, and the dark corners whispered of untold secrets and terrifying nightmares. Christina fell asleep right away on the massive white bed. I made a promise to my sister that night. I would always look out for her, no one would hurt her as long as I had breath in my lungs. I didn’t know what Devrin’s plan was with us, and I didn’t trust anyone who would collect girls as a debt payment.

  The next morning, Christina and I met a guy, Demitri. His face was covered in bruises. His hair was shaved close to his skull. He had a long scar behind his ear running almost to the back of his head. Demitri was in the stables tending to the horses. I later learned that he was two years older than me. Lean and fit, with the most beautiful blue eyes framed in long black lashes. He was quite easily the most handsome guy I’ve ever seen. At first, he wouldn’t talk to us, told us to get away from him. That he was the master’s slave. I didn’t understand that, but I would learn soon enough. Fuck, I wish I could’ve remained that innocent and naïve.

  A guy coughs next to me on the airplane, and I turn my head in the opposite direction. I’m happy I got a window seat. The plane was slowly descending, taking me closer to my destination. I sat and day dreamed through the whole flight. I suppose it’s better than worrying about Runner and what he is doing.

  The blue top of Devil’s Peak, the mountain that Devrin’s vineyard is named after, comes into view as the airplane glides down slowly. His vineyards follow, spreading green and wide. Devrin will have a good harvest this year. My head bobs a little as the plane finally touches down, and I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. I have nothing to worry about yet. They don’t know I’m coming to get her today. They knew I’d be back. The time for running is over, now I’m here to collect.

  When the taxi finally pulls up in front of Devil’s Peak Estate, I’m shaking, and a light sheen of sweat forms on my neck. I’m nervous. I don’t know if my sister is alive. I haven’t allowed myself to think about that possibility the last few months. I kept telling myself she has no worth to Devrin if she’s dead and she’s safe until she’s eighteen. Devrin might be a monster, but he has rules. Rules that he never breaks, and one of those is no underage girls were sold, ever. Human trafficking is a big problem in South Africa, children as young as two years old get snatched from their preschools and sold over the borders. Devrin doesn’t do business with those people, or so Demitri told me when we were still friends.

  Devrin has some of his own demons hiding in his closet, and I’m grateful that they at least keep him human. I’m not agreeing with what he does; selling anyone against their will, like they are a piece of property, is disgusting, inhuman, and just plain degrading. I suppose that’s why I stayed at the estate so long. No one wanted to buy me because of my stubborn ways. While Christina was picking grapes in the vineyards, I was learning about money. Counting money, making money, transferring money. How to make sure no one steals your money.

  I’m smart, and that’s what kept my ass out of the strip clubs and whorehouses. And Devrin liked my smart mouth. A little too much for my own good, because look where it got me. First on my knees in his study and then in the shed sucking off my best friend.

  “Miss, miss? Hey, are you getting out or what?” the cabby finally asks. Am I? I’m not sure. But I suck in my breath, pull up my steel panties, grab my single bag from the seat next to me, and climb out. I hand him a couple of notes and press the intercom button on the gate, not giving myself chance to chicken out.

  A throaty laugh sounds over the intercom, and my body goes cold—Demitri.

  “I thought that was you. What did you do to your hair?” he taunts me from the oth
er side of the little speaker. I raise my middle finger up to the camera on the gate and smile, big and snarky. Screw him. I’m not letting him mess with me anymore. I like my hair. When I first came to the vineyard, I had it cut into a short bob. It was a phase I was going through after Mama left. An attempt to look more mature. Now my hair is long, almost to the middle of my back, and I leave it wild, reminding myself that I’m free. I’m my own person.

  After that time in the shed, Demitri is no longer my friend. The shit he made me do would have made a weaker girl run to the top of Devil’s Peak and throw herself off. If Devrin knew, he’d have his balls. The only thing that stopped me from spilling all his nasty little perversions to his master is the fact that he was my friend. He wasn’t always a sick, twisted devil. Devrin broke him, and I realized long ago that the little scene where Demitri saw me blowing Devrin was set up to do just that. To break him. There’s no place for love in this business.

  I walk up to the front door on shaky legs, but I won’t let them see me scared. I keep my head high. I’ve got my plan all worked out. I don’t need to deal with Demitri, I need to speak to Devrin. Business is business. And I’m here to do business. Money speaks so much louder than a girl with a wise mouth and I have plenty of money. Runner’s money.

  Demitri opens the front door, looking dangerous in a black suit. His thick black hair is gelled straight back, and lust gleams wicked in his blue eyes. He is still as handsome as always, but just as lethal.

  “Talonia, my siren, missed me so soon?” he says in his smooth-as-liquid-honey voice. Yes, he is very dangerous, devastating on the senses, if you don’t know what you’re dealing with.

  “Fuck off, Demitri. I’m here to see Devrin.” I don’t dare look up again. My old friend is gone, no need to rub my own face in it. The boy who once beat a guard within an inch of his life because he snuck into my room doesn’t exist anymore. I know what that guard wanted to do to me, so I’ll always be grateful to Demitri. Does that excuse the way he has treated me in the past? Not even close.