by Maree Green
His lips were against my jaw, so tender and careful. He would be so easy to kiss from this position. If I just turned my head a little…
That little voice of reason that had been trying to tell me it was wrong to be attracted to Mitch was nowhere to be heard. Maybe she knew there was no point. It was obvious there was some kind of magnet between us.
When Mitch’s hands slipped down to my waist, his fingers brushing softly over my naked flesh, I gave up completely. My mouth met his with caution.
It was just like our last kiss, soft and unsure, but this time the tension between us was insurmountable. His fingers tightened against my back, and my lips parted in resignation. I felt so safe when I was with him. I wanted to feel that all the time. I pushed my body against his, and ran my hands over his short, prickly hair. I wanted to lick the piercing he had in his bottom lip. I wanted to suck it into my mouth and taste it. He groaned deep in his throat and moved his hands over my body, caressing every part of me.
A foreign sound escaped me. I wasn’t sure what it was. It was somewhere between a moan and a sigh. Whatever it was though, it made Mitch’s hands tighten, pulling me harder against him. But almost immediately after that, he pulled away, stepping back and turning his back on me. I watched him run his hands over his head, lacing his fingers together behind his head and clamping his head between his arms. He growled deeply, as though he was in pain.
I stood against the wall, feeling very vulnerable in just my bra and panties – somehow my shirt had fallen to the floor while we were kissing. I didn’t know what was going on, why he would pull away from me when I was obviously very willing.
The see-saw of my conscience abruptly swung, tilting away from my attraction and taking me back to feeling ashamed. I had no idea what was going on with me. No wonder I felt so exhausted lately.
Eventually he turned back to face me with a troubled gaze. I noticed this time his eyes were brown. I didn’t know how I hadn’t seen them when he was looking at me before. I guessed I’d still been too shaken, but I was amazed by how much the brown changed the whole look of his face.
His eyes softened a little when they met mine, then he picked up my skirt and walked over to hand it to me. I took it without saying a thing. I was way too confused to use words. He didn’t say anything either. He just gave me a strange look then went over to his chest of draws, and started rifling through the top one.
I shakily stepped into my skirt, then slipped my shirt back on, trying to work out how to best keep myself covered now all my buttons were missing. I pulled it together as best I could and tucked it in to my skirt.
Mitch stepped in front of me and held up a safety pin. “Here,” he said.
I looked at him steadily before taking the pin off him and threading it through my shirt, between my boobs. He watched me until I’d finished, then held out a small black cellphone.
“I already have a cell,” I said, a little confused.
“Yours is monitored.” He handed me a tiny piece of paper with a number written on it. “This is a spare. I want you to take it. Text me when you know you’re coming here. That way I can make sure I’m always here when you come. Memorize the number. Don’t program it in the cell.”
He watched me, making sure I understood what he was saying. “Okay,” I said.
“Don’t text words though. It’s too risky. I know the number. I’ll know it’s you.”
I stared at him for a little while. He confused me so much. He seemed like such a good guy. I didn’t understand how he could’ve gotten himself mixed up in this mess. I wanted to ask him, but I knew it wasn’t my place to say anything, so I just nodded to show him I understood.
Gently, he reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. We both knew something had changed between us now, but what was going to happen from here on out, was anyone’s guess.
“You ready to go?” he asked quietly.
Was I? I took a deep breath. I knew I didn’t really want to go home, but I had to drop the damn bag off to Ken. I didn’t have to stay though, did I? I thought about the ticket Aiden had given me and made up my mind.
“Do you have a mirror?”
He nodded and stepped over to the wardrobe, opening the door to reveal a full length mirror stuck to the inside of it.
I tried not to cringe at my reflection too much. At least I wasn’t wearing any mascara. I desperately wanted to fix up my hair, put it into a pony or something, but I knew it was beneficial to leave myself looking that way. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to draw too much attention to myself on my way back to my car.
Mitch came to stand in front of me, his fingers softly brushing against my palm before slowly sliding up until his hand was gently circling my upper arm.
He swallowed and glanced down at his hand. “Sorry...” he said regretfully. It wasn’t a question, but he made it sound like he wanted me to answer. I nodded.
Slipping on my shoes, he led me downstairs. Thankfully, I didn’t have to pass a single soul on my way out the door.
Chapter 30
Noah
I watched Kaeli walk out the door with a burning sense of unease. I hated that I couldn’t drive her home, but TJ wanted to see me and I hoped it had something to do with the delivery. Regrettably, I had to put that first. It was the only way out for either of us.
Knocking on TJ’s office door, I waited for the muffled sound that told me I was good to go in then pushed the door open. The other guys were already in there. Vinnie and Pock in the seats in front of TJ’s desk, Davo lazing against the wall, and Mac sitting on one of the boxes in the corner.
TJ gave me a curt nod of approval, for what I wasn’t sure, then gestured for me to close the door. I quickly complied and found a seat on an old chest near Davo. TJ inhaled deeply as he took each of us in, then leaned back in his chair.
“I’ve just gotten word from Paulie that a number of people have ended up in hospital after taking a little blue pill with an X on it. Now, I know it’s not our fucking pills putting these people there, so I need you all to take care of whoever the fuck is trying to sell these piece of shit drugs as our brand before we start losing some major business. If this gets back to Mr. X, we can kiss this next shipment goodbye.”
A couple of the guys grunted their agreement. I just scowled. We were going to miss this next shipment over my dead fucking body. I was ready to go out and personally take out every fucker that was getting in the way of this nightmare of an assignment ending.
“I can’t have Mr. X catching wind of this,” TJ continued. “If he thinks there’s any threat at all, the shipment’s off. I really need you all to step up your game. These fuckers need to go down.”
We all nodded in agreement and looked to TJ for instructions. We all knew we’d be on the job tonight. Time was seriously against us.
“I know I don’t need to tell any of you how important it is for us to find out who the fuck is behind this. Vinnie and Mac, I want you to head down to Frank’s and get the feel of the situation there. If Bryce is there, get him to keep his ear to the ground. Davo and Mitch, I want you to go riverside. Check out the clubs. Find out what the word is. Pock, you’re coming with me. We’re going to pay Mono a little visit.”
We all nodded our confirmation and split up to do our jobs. I had no doubt someone was going down tonight.
And it was going to feel fucking good.
Chapter 31
Kaeli
I stared at the line waiting to get into The Crypt, the club Fighting Fate were playing at that night, and sighed. It almost ran half a block. Looking down at the ticket in my hand, I wondered for the tenth time if I really could be bothered at all, but then I thought about returning home and my resolve strengthened.
It was an odd thought, considering leaving home had always been my Achilles heel, but Ken had left on an overnight trip not long after I’d returned with his bag, which meant Mom was safe at home on her own.
Taking my place at the end of
the queue, I tried to blend in as much as I could. More people stepped in behind me, then even more. I discreetly watched them interacting with each other. They were high on anticipation.
“I’m so excited,” a girl just in front of me said.
“I know! Me too,” said another. “Dean is so hot. I hope we can get up the front. I want to tell him how much I want him.”
“Oh god! I want Jace. Did you see those pics on Rock Tonight? His body is to die for! I want to lick it all over.”
“No way. Aiden is the hottest. He has the best fuck me eyes I’ve ever seen. Mark my words. I’m going home with him tonight.”
My mouth popped open a fraction as I listened to the girls continue to tell each other exactly what they wanted to do to my friends.
A tiny girl with short, spikey blonde hair shook her head with bored eyes. “While I agree with Luce about Aiden’s fuck me eyes, Matt is definitely the hottest. You girls just don’t bother looking past the eye candy gyrating on the front of the stage to appreciate what a fine specimen the drummer is. I mean, he trumps all those guys’ six packs with a very panty wetting eight pack.”
They all nodded their agreement. I blinked, feeling the irritation starting to rise up in me on my best friend’s behalf. I mean, these girls were talking about trying to score with not only her boyfriend, but her brother too!
I was just thinking about telling them they were all cheap, slutty groupies, when I heard someone say my name. I looked up to see Amber walking towards me.
“What are you doing waiting in line?” she asked, a little incredulous.
I frowned, not quite understanding what she meant. A couple of the girls I’d been listening to looked up at the small commotion.
Amber tugged on my hand. “Have you got the ticket Aiden gave you?”
That did it. The two girls elbowed their friends and they all turned to watch. I made sure not to make eye contact and held the ticket out as discreetly as I could to show her I did, indeed, have the ticket. “Yes.”
“Well come on, silly. They’re all access passes. You don’t have to wait with everyone else. Didn’t Aiden tell you that?”
I let her pull me along, mostly because I didn’t want to stand next to those girls anymore. The security guy gave us both a hostile look when we approached, but when Amber flashed the tickets, his expression turned to more of a bored scowl before he unhooked the rope and let us through.
The guys were already on stage. Dean was talking to the crowd, thanking everyone for coming, so I assumed they’d only just got on. The horde of screaming fans was mind blowing.
“Everyone’s on the other side of dance floor,” Amber said into my ear. She had to yell for me to hear her over the noise. “Jace managed to get the club to section off an area for the band.”
She smiled knowingly and I nodded. We both knew the section wasn’t for the band. It was for Mia. He didn’t want to risk another anxiety attack.
We stood there for a while, looking up at our boys on the stage. “I’m glad I didn’t miss the start,” Amber said. “I had a shoe emergency and had to run home.”
I looked down at her glittery high heels and smiled. Amber was like no one else I’d ever met. She was like a chameleon. She could go from a high fashion diva one minute, looking every bit the upper class socialite she was born to be, to a sweat wearing, adrenalin junkie, bungee jumper the next.
To someone who didn’t know her, it would seem like she had schizophrenia or something, but everyone in our close circle of friends knew the real reason she lived life to its fullest was because she’d already faced death. Twice. The first time when she was barely a teenager, when she had pneumonia, and then a couple of years later when she was in a horrific car crash. Amber had joked once that she must’ve been too much of a handful for the afterlife.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd. Mia was the first to see me, and squealed before enveloping me in a massive bear hug. Just that one small act had me relaxing instantaneously.
“I was worried you weren’t coming,” Mia shouted over the music.
I grinned and glanced up at the stage where Fighting Fate were pumping out one of my favorite songs of theirs. Their rise in popularity was amazing. I mean, just listening to those girls out the front told me exactly how popular they were getting. I had no doubt they were going to be big. They already had people travelling hours to come see them play, as well as people rushing to buy tickets to The Dark Hybrid’s concerts, purely to see them. To say I was proud was a massive understatement.
“They sound great,” I yelled to Mia.
Mia grinned widely, her gaze finding its way to Jace as he ripped it up on his guitar. “Yeah, they do.”
I laughed. She was so head over heels, but then again, so was Jace. He’d really been a dark horse, that one. We all thought Dean was the soft one, but after watching Jace with Mia, and the way Aiden had been looking after me, I was beginning to think they all had a soft side. Well, maybe not Matt. He was definitely a wild one.
A drink appeared in front of my face and I glanced up to see Corey smiling at me. Worry spiked before I noted the relaxed set of his face, and I quickly saw the action for what it really was. A peace offering.
Returning his smile, I accepted it without fuss. “Thanks.”
He nodded and stepped back, allowing me to look around the small sectioned off area. I laughed when I noticed Corey was the only guy in there - with Amber, Jess, Amy, Mia, Lila, her friend, Carli, and the new girl, Sarah, for company. If the guys on the other side of the ropes weren’t jealous, my name wasn’t Kaeli Williams.
“You’ve got quite the harem going on here. Where are all the guys?”
Corey laughed. “Ryan and Cain are backstage, helping out.”
The guys started their next song and Amber, Jess, Amy and Sarah jumped up to dance. With a quick grin in Mia’s direction, we put our drinks down and joined their huddle, the five of us laughing and moving our hips to the music.
Aiden smirked down at us with a slight shake of his head. It was obvious he found us incredibly amusing. Well, they were entertaining the whole club, so we might as well entertain them.
We didn’t stop dancing the entire time the guys were playing. We were breathless and sweaty, and probably looked a little disheveled, but we were having a blast. Every now and again, the memory of being in Pock’s grasp would appear, causing the panic to rise up again, but then I thought of how Mitch saved me and the closeness I’d felt with him in his room, and calm returned.
The cell he gave me was tucked safely in the back pocket of my jeans. It was my safety blanket. It wasn’t quite as good as having him there beside me, but it was the next best thing.
When the guys’ set was finally over, the house music came on and we all took a few minutes to hydrate ourselves. About twenty minutes later, I saw the guys pushing their way through the crowd. It was amusing to watch. For every two steps they took, they were approached by a different group of girls. Occasionally a guy would sweep in, asking for an autograph, but it was mostly girls.
“God, how do you stand that?” I asked Mia quietly.
She sighed. “It’s hard sometimes, but I know he’s not interested in any of them.”
Just then Jace looked up and met Mia’s gaze. He gave her a grin and winked, making Mia giggle a little. “Yeah, I’m positive you’re the only girl he’s interested in too.”
The guys finally made it into our little area, and I was surprised when each of them greeted me with a little hug. Even Matt. Aiden hugged me last then tucked me under his arm like he used to do with Mia before Jace came along. That act in itself reassured me his actions were purely platonic.
I squeezed him back and smiled before looking out across the crowd. The group of girls I’d overheard while I was waiting in line were looking at me, their expressions ranging from hatred to sadness. I flinched a little, quite taken aback by the hostility I saw. I didn’t care what they thought about me because I knew they had it
wrong. What I was worried about was Mia facing this shit every time she was out with Jace. She didn’t deserve that kind of crap.
My gaze slid past the girls in an attempt to ignore them, and I froze.
Standing on the other side of the dance floor, looking directly at me, was Mitch.
Chapter 32
Noah
Seeing Kaeli at The Crypt was the last thing I’d expected when Davo and I arrived to do some digging around.
She hadn’t been hard to spot. That little VIP area was like a second stage when you put eight hot chicks in there with one guy. Especially the way they were all swaying their hips to the beat of the music. It had taken me a second to realize Leah was in there with them. She looked completely different to how she normally looked. Younger.
I hadn’t heard whether they’d put detail on Kaeli yet so, even though I was confused as to why Kaeli would be at the club, I was relieved to see Leah had her back.
It wasn’t until I saw the band go in there after their set, and each of them give her a hug that the relief turned to something else entirely. I wanted to know why the hell they were hugging her. Did she know them, or was she a groupie?
The idea of her being a groupie didn’t sit well with me. I wasn’t sure if it was because I couldn’t see her gushing over a guy just because he could play an instrument, or if I just didn’t like the idea of her giving herself to anyone but me. I knew I shouldn’t think like that, but it was the truth. I wanted her, and I wanted her to want me.
I watched the bass player tuck her under his arm as they all laughed and joked, and I felt my jaw tighten. I had no idea why I’d feel so suddenly violent. She wasn’t mine and I had no right to her, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to march right over there and rip his arms off.
Kaeli glanced out across the club, a tiny crease forming between her eyes as her gaze stopped on someone on the dance floor, but then, just as quickly, she glanced away.