by Alla Kar
I closed my eyes. “I’ll just have to prove my worth to him.”
Shelly grinned but backtracked out of the room when I turned to Neveah. “Have you heard from your sister,” she whispered.
I shook my head. “Dante text me this morning and said mayday but he won’t answer my phone calls now.”
Her face turned pale. “Do you think he found out?”
I guided Neveah toward the couch and sat her on my lap. “I don’t know. I’m going to give him a day to call me back and if I can’t get him, I’ll have to go to his house.”
She touched my cheek. “You can use my car when you need it.”
Lowering my forehead to hers, I took in her sweet scent, feeling high from her breath hitting my mouth. “We’re going to get through this, ya know. Your dad just needs some time. I’ll explain everything when it calms down and we can focus on us.”
“And your sister.”
A deep ache lit my chest. I wanted to find my sister. That’s what I had set out to do, but she’d made it difficult. I had to make her understand that I loved her and that it was an accident. I’d never let something like that happen to her. And I wanted to protect her like Wes wanted to protect Neveah.
“We’ll get my sister back. I don’t know how or when but we will.”
Neveah rested her head against my shoulder and relaxed into my arms. “No one at the gym knows. Chase hasn’t told anyone,” she whispered.
I chuckled. “Chase’s been knowing for a while. I’m surprised everyone didn’t know before.”
Neveah smiled into my neck. “He’s good people. We’ve been friends since we were ten.”
I pushed my fingers through her hair. “Any signs of anyone following you?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t seen the SUV since yesterday. Maybe it was just a coincidence.” We both knew that wasn’t true. I could see it in her eyes.
“Maybe,” I whispered. “But keep an eye out in case. I can’t lose you too, Angel.”
She pulled back to look in my eyes. “I’m sorry about the gym. You’re really good. You deserve to be there, and my dad knows that. I could get you a spot at another gym in town.”
“Boxing isn’t my main focus right now, Neveah. You are. Let’s get us on the right track before we think about boxing.”
She nodded. “I wish I could stay the night, but Dad will be back early in the morning. He took some of the boys to watch a match in Dallas.”
I pressed a kiss to her mouth. “It’s okay, you can call me. We can talk like teenagers all night long.”
She blushed. “Maybe I’ll send you some sexy pictures. If you promise to keep them to yourself.”
I rolled my eyes. “You obviously don’t know me well enough. I’d kill anyone that saw the pictures. You’re mine, Champ.”
Her face softened. “I’m yours.”
She stayed wrapped in my arms until the pizza came twenty minutes later. I had never wanted to keep someone in my arms as much as I wanted her. She left the house with a wave and disappeared down the dirt road.
I had to fix the mess I’d made. There wasn’t any going back. Neveah was my life and the reason I was living it. I’d survived death once and something told me I could do it again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Neveah.
An entire week passed before I stepped another foot into the gym. Dad had done a great job at avoiding me all week. I was way past grumpy when Chase cornered me.
“You okay?”
His wide blue eyes were thoughtful, and his smile sweet. Chase had seen the entire thing and hadn’t said a word to anyone. “Better.”
He gave my dad a sideways glance before touching my cheek. “Want to spar for a bit? You can take out that built-up frustration on me.”
“That actually sounds like a really good idea.”
Chase handed me a pair of gloves. “Well then, follow me.” We made our way to the punching bag in the corner of the gym. The same punching bag Rage had used the day we were almost caught.
We fell into a rhythm. Jab, jab, hook. Jab, jab, hook.
“So, are you really okay? You talked to your dad about what happened yet?”
I sighed. “No, he’s been avoiding me.” I swung my arm, meeting Chase’s gaze from across the bag. “Thank you for your help the other day. It wasn’t pretty.”
Chase gave me a small smirk. “Your dad loves you, Neveah. Hell, I love your crazy ass, but I can also see that Declan loves you. I see it on his face. Where’d he end up going?”
“Aunt Shelly’s. We’re keeping it on the DL until my dad calms down. I’m not sure how soon that’ll happen. He doesn’t look like he’s budging.”
Chase steadied the bag as I assaulted it, letting all my frustrations out. “Maybe you should try talking to him. Tell him everything you know. We all know Declan’s hiding something.”
It’d crossed my mind. Hell, it was all I had been thinking about. But how do you tell your father you’re in love with a person he swears isn’t right for you? How do you tell the person that raised you that you’re going against everything they’ve asked?
Chase swung the bag to the left and caught my wrist. “Grow some balls, Nev. I know there is something special between the two of you. Don’t miss your chance because you’re scared to hurt Wes’ feelings. He’s a grown man that will get the hell over it.”
Grinning, I grabbed the bag and swung it at him. “You know Chase—you’re okay.”
He barked out a laugh that any girl would be lucky to be the cause of. “It only took you eleven years to figure it out. About fucking time.”
***
I miss you.
The text sent my heart soaring. Maybe I looked too much into it, but I didn’t care. Rage had texted me every day and it meant he thought about me as much as I thought about him.
I miss you too.
I shoved my phone into my back pocket and turned the stove off. The chicken and rice casserole smelled great, and I hoped it’d play in my favor since it’s my dad’s favorite.
The door clicked shut, and Dad’s footsteps drew closer. I met him in the dining room. Just one look at him and I could tell he’d lost plenty of sleep this week. Dark half-circles hung beneath both eyes that were narrowed in exhaustion. “Smells good in here.”
I nodded. “It’s the casserole you like. You staying to eat?”
He drew his chair out and plopped down. “I’m starved. I haven’t had a good meal in a few days.”
Whose fault is that?
Dad scooped a helping onto his plate and dug in. His fork scraped against the plate several times before he made eye contact. My stomach tightened at the sadness in his eyes. “Look, Neveah—I’m sorry about the other day. I shouldn’t have fought Declan.”
I took a cautious bite. I needed to watch what I said. “I’m not sure what to say Dad.”
He interlocked his fingers on the table. “There isn’t anything else to say. I’m sorry for how I handled the situation but we all three had a deal. You promised me you wouldn’t get too close to him, and he promised to stay away from you. Those rules were for your own good, kid. Everything I do is for you.”
I swallowed the angry scream in my throat. “Dad, I’m not sixteen-years-old anymore. We didn’t mean for anything to happen. Hell, you basically left us alone all the time. What did you expect?”
“For adults to keep their word, Neveah, that’s what I expected. You basically shot that idea to shit. I trusted you, and I trusted him.”
My hands shook against my thighs, anger boiling under my skin. “Tell me why we can’t just be together, Dad? It happened. We’re sorry we went behind your back. But what do you want us to do now? Just forget about each other? How selfish can you be? I love him, Dad. More than I’ve ever loved a boy. You’ve got to understand it. Please.”
I knew he saw the desperation in my face. How could he have missed it? There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t have said or done to make him understand. “You don’t love him.
This is what I wanted to keep you from. He isn’t the right person for you, baby. You deserve someone else. Someone that doesn’t have secrets. We found him near death, Nevaeh! Someone tried to kill him for God knows what? You’re making poor choices.”
No. No. No. I grinded my teeth to keep back the tears. “No,” I rasped. “I do care about him. And I don’t have to stay here. I can go stay at Aunt Shelly’s for the rest of the summer. Or get myself a place—,”
Dad flew upright, his chair slinging backwards. “You’re already doing it, Nev. What about Phoenix? You’d give up your schooling to date him?”
I hadn’t even thought about Phoenix. Everything back there hurt deep. The internship, Heath and our place together. But I’d put in three years of school, and that’s all that ever mattered to me—until then. Until Rage.
Dad’s gaze was heated. “Where is the smart girl I know? The one that’s strong and makes good decisions.”
The taste of blood filled my mouth. “She fell in love, Dad. She’s still here, but she’s in love.”
Dad ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t let you throw your life away. He’s got too many things he’s hiding.”
From you. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to find the energy to argue with him but it all drifted away. What Dad said didn’t matter, and it hurt that it didn’t. He’d been my best-friend, my rock, for years. What he said always made sense to me, but this time it didn’t.
“I’m finished eating,” I whispered.
“Neveah,” Dad whispered. “Please don’t do anything crazy. Give it a day or two. Think about your future and about what you want with your life.”
I already had. “Okay, Dad. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m going to head to bed. Can you clean the kitchen?”
Dad’s face fell but he nodded. “Go ahead.”
I nearly raced to my room and locked the door. Lucy’s tail thumped against the floor, and I was thankful for her company. I stripped out of my clothes and took a warm shower, trying to rinse all the bad vibes off of my skin.
My phone lit up as I exited the shower in a long T-shirt. “Hello.”
“Angel. You didn’t text me back. I was worried.”
I smiled at no one and slipped underneath my covers, relaxing into the sound of his voice. “I haven’t check my phone since earlier. I had dinner with Dad.”
He hesitated. “What happened?”
I sighed, pressing my cheek against my pillow. “It didn’t go very well. He thinks I’m being naïve and that we don’t truly love one another. He doesn’t want me to throw my life away in Phoenix.”
A door slammed on his end, and I listened to his footsteps down Aunt Shelly’s porch. “Where are you going?”
“Just outside. Your aunt is watching some bullshit Lifetime movie, and I’m not going to get suckered in to watching it with her. I’ll take my chances with the wildlife.”
I giggled.
“What do you think about what your dad said? Had you thought about Phoenix? What’s gonna happen when you move back there?”
Tugging on my comforter, I watched the stars from my bedroom window. “I’m not sure. I was going to ask you what would happen.”
“Angel,” he whispered. “I’d do anything to be with you. If that meant packing up and moving to Phoenix, or you transferring closer to home and me driving every goddamn day to see you. No distance can keep us apart.”
I sniffled a cry. Knowing he’d follow me, comforted me but something still weight heavy on my shoulders. “What about my dad? I can’t not see him again, Rage .He’s all the family I have.”
Rage cleared his throat, and I could tell he was thinking. If I had to bet his brows were furrowed and his teeth gnawed on his bottom lip. “Your dad will come around. We’ll both talk to him soon. He loves you and once he knows I’m trustworthy and dedicated to you, he’ll understand.”
I hoped. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For sticking through this with me. If this hasn’t showed my dad how amazing you are, I’m not sure anything will. You haven’t turned your back on me, or gave up, I’ll always remember that.”
“You’re getting mushy on me, Champ. What happened to that smartass mouth of yours?”
I heard the smile in his voice. “She’s here wondering why you’re not living up to your promises of fulfilling me sexually. I mean—I’d hate to go find Cooper to handle my lady bits.”
Rage groaned into the phone. “Didn’t I tell you no one else would ever be between those legs again?”
I grinned into my pillow. “He could always hit it form the back, and then technically he wouldn’t be between my legs.”
“Thin ice, Champ. Thin ice.”
I laughed. “He’d never make me feel the way you do,” I said. “I can’t wait for you to hold me again. I miss seeing you.”
“Hold on.”
The silence on the other end stretched on for a few minutes before I heard my phone buzz in my ear. I checked my new message and my panties dampened at the picture staring back at me. Rage was shirtless in my Aunt’s shower, water dripped down his shoulders, and his hair dipped low over his forehead.
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
“You like that?” his voice awakened on the other end. “Now imagine me over you, kissing your mouth and neck. My fingers tugging on your hair and zipper. Can you feel it?”
Oh holy shit. I’d never done this before. “Yes,” I whispered, my fingers sinking down my belly to the drenched folds. “I can feel it.”
Rage groaned into the phone, and I could imagine him touching himself, his huge palm stroking his cock. I wanted to scream at the pain of not touching him. “Tell me what you’re doing.”
I bit my lip and screwed my eyes closed. “I’m fingering myself, imagining it’s you inside of me.” Adrenaline soared through my body. Despite the heat surfacing on my cheeks, I increased my pace.
“Goddamn, Angel. I can’t wait to be inside you. Inside that tight pink pussy, stretching you as wide as you can go. I want to eat and suck you until my jaw breaks.”
Oh my …
Warmth engulfed my body, and my stomach clenched. His filthy mouth sent me soaring over the edge, and I didn’t even care about the unladylike sounds coming from my mouth.
“That’s it, Angel. Come for me,” he cooed, right before his voice hitched, and I knew he released.
“I’ve never done that before,” I whispered into the phone.
“Well, you’re not alone. It was my first time too.”
“You did a good job to be your first time. Are you bad at anything, Rage Cohen?”
He chuckled. “Obviously making good impressions on fathers. I haven’t figured that one out yet.”
I snorted. “You’ll get there. We all have our faults, and mine is blushing while having phone sex.”
“I imagined you blushing just now. I knew those cheeks were pink.”
I relaxed my head, and stared at the ceiling. “Come home quick to me, okay?”
He groaned. “I love you Neveah.”
“I love you.”
***
A thump woke me up.
I sat straight up in my bed, my head dizzy and my eyes blurry from sleep. The darkened room slowly came into focus, and the first thing I noticed was the opened bedroom window.
A humid breeze blew into the room and despite the sweat trickling down my face, I shivered with fear. I clutched my covers and whistled for Lucy but she didn’t come.
Carefully, I sat up and my heart stopped. Lucy laid beside my bed, her chest still moving but clearly unconscious. “Oh God,” I whispered.
“God can’t help you now.”
I whipped around, coming face to face with a man I’d never seen before. His eyes were so dark that I saw the evil. He wore a black beanie and gloves. I went to scream, but he pressed a handkerchief to my mouth, and everything became hazy. His chuckle was the last thing I heard before everything went black.
Twenty-Five
Rage
I didn’t sleep the night before. I couldn’t after all Neveah had said. After hearing her come over the phone, and knowing how much she trusted and loved me. I had to fix our situation. I had to grow some balls and take control.
“You’re going over there?” Shelly asked from the kitchen table.
I grabbed an apple and plopped down a fifty dollar bill. I didn’t have much from working for Wes but enough to show some appreciation for her help. “Here is some money to get some food. If I’m staying here, I need to contribute.”
Shelly eyed the money. “I don’t need your money.”
I narrowed my gaze. “But you’ll take it.”
She smiled and watched as I slid into my boots. “You still didn’t answer my question.”
I lifted a brow while lacing up my boots. “Yes, I’m going over there. I can’t sit around and not see her.”
Shelly smiled over her cereal. “You really love her, huh?”
I didn’t answer. It was obvious that I did. I was acting like a little pansy ass bitch, because I was so scared to lose her. But something clicked the night before. Neveah needed a strong man, and I’d be that for her. I’d make her father understand that I loved her.
“I’ll see you later.”
Shelly frowned and rolled her eyes. “You don’t talk much. I thought having a roomie would be more fun than this.”
I grinned. “I’m not watching movies or gossiping with you. But if you need a helpful hand that involves something manly—I’m your guy.”
She laughed, and shook her head. “Be careful. Wes isn’t the nicest of guys when his family is at stake.” I could relate.
“Thanks, Shelly. I’ll be back.”
“If he doesn’t murder you.”
I walked toward the door. “Thanks for the reassurance. I’ll be sure to haunt your ass when he does.”
***
The house was virtually quiet when I walked onto the porch. The only sound was the porch swing creaking in the wind.
Grow some balls, Rage. Get it together.
I knocked three times on the door and waited. Several minutes later, Wes came to the door without a shirt. It was seven-ish, but he was normally up and ready for work.