Flawlessly Flawed

by Amelia Shea

  Stone’s cell beeped and he looked down. “He’s here, out back,” Stone said while texting.

  T opened the driver’s side door and slipped out. He walked around the truck and looked up to the fifth floor. The lights were on but no one was near the windows. Stone came up next to him and they crossed the street and headed inside.

  The rank smell of the stairwell turned T’s stomach. This complex was disgusting and unsafe. He held his breath as they passed the third floor landing. T quickly double-stepped the next two floors with Stone quietly following close behind. They reached the fifth floor and stood in front of Tina’s door.

  “How ya wanna play it?” Stone asked quietly.

  “I’ll tell her we’re here to take her up on her threesome offer.”

  T watched Stone’s eyebrows quirk up and his eyes widened as T knocked. They heard rustling and a few seconds later Tina opened the door a bit disheveled.

  “Hey, lover!” She smiled nervously and glanced over at Stone. “Mmmm, you changed your mind.”

  She opened the door wide and they walked past her. T and Stone both looked around the apartment but saw no one else.

  Tina draped a hand down Stone’s chest. T watched Stone’s face turn hard and he knew Stone was seconds from flinging Tina’s arm away. He allowed no woman to touch him except for his own, Sadie.

  “Get over here,” T ordered Tina. She happily sauntered over and wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned in to kiss him but he swiftly turned his head and backed away. He needed to get her brother and get the fuck out of here.

  Stone wandered down the hall. T grabbed Tina’s hand and led her to her room. He must be hiding in one of the rooms.

  “Hey, wait, why are you guys looking around like this?” Her voice got louder. “It’s like you’re looking for someone.”

  He let go of her hand and knew they had been made. For a stupid bitch, she was pretty smart. Fuck! T followed Stone into Tina’s room and just as they passed the threshold they heard the sound of glass breaking from beyond the wall. Motherfucker was in Cassie’s room. T turned fast and slammed into Tina, who was purposely blocking the doorway.

  “What the fuck, T?” she shouted.

  T gripped her arms and moved her aside. He darted to Cassie’s room and threw open the door. He scanned the small room. He rushed over to the broken window and saw nothing. He scanned the fire escape and the dark alleyway and saw nothing. Where the hell did he go?

  He turned around to find Stone with the cell up to his ear, shaking his head. “You didn’t see anything, man? He had to pass you.”

  Stone listened and said to T, “Bogs saw nothing, man. Like a fucking ghost.”

  “Shit!” T yelled and paced in Cassie’s room, which was now a complete fucking mess. He walked out past Stone and down the hall to the living room where Tina stood, arms folded, a bitchy smirk on her face.

  “Where is he?” T demanded.

  “Who?” She played innocent but T knew better.

  “Bitch, don’t fucking play games with me. Where the fuck is he?” T was angry.

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “Tell me. Now!”

  Tina stared at T and he watched her eyes change, realization setting in. She looked between T and Stone, who was now standing a few steps back from him.

  “Are you cops?”

  “Bounty hunters.” T watched her face pale. She knew they were after her brother to take him to jail. She also knew that once he went to trial, he would be convicted and go away for a very long time. However, T knew her concern wasn’t for her brother but for herself. If he went away then so did her coke, because he was her dealer.

  “Get the fuck out of my place, you piece of shit!” She charged at T but he was quick enough to anticipate it and spun her around and gripped her chest, constricting her arms to her sides. T held her and she thrashed in his arms.

  “Get your hands off me, you motherfucker!”

  Stone’s cell rang. “Yeah?”

  Stone’s eyes flashed to T. “Shit!” He listened again and nodded. “Apartment five-oh-three.” He tapped his phone and let out a breath.

  “The roommate is walking down the street.”

  “Fuck!” T gritted.

  They had to get out of here. T released Tina and lightly pushed her onto the couch. She scowled at him and started to get up when he stalked to her with a look that had her bowing her head.

  T leaned down and put his face to hers. She was getting the idea that he was not someone to fuck with. She sat deeper into the couch and looked nervous, just the way he wanted her to be. “You have two choices. You go to a safe house, get clean, get your shit together, and move on with your life. Or we can take you in with your stash of coke and you can spend the next five years in jail getting clean. Your choice. Choose, bitch!”

  Tina stared at T, her eyes on the verge of tears. She looked over his shoulder at Stone and then back at T.

  “You can’t do this.” Her voice was almost a whisper.

  T snorted. “I just did. Choose.”

  Tina looked around the room. She was scheming, T could see it in her eyes. She looked up to him with an anxious smile. “Maybe we can work something out.” She looked to Stone, and Bogs, who had just come through the door. “The four of us?” She gripped the hem of her shirt and slowly started to lift it. T reached out and grabbed her wrist.

  “You have nothing any of us want. Now, fucking choose.”

  Tina took a defeated breath and said, “Safe house.”

  T backed up as Bogs stated, “She’s close, man.”

  “How we gonna get her out of here without the roommate seeing?” Stone asked

  “Service elevator in the back,” Bog answered.

  T grabbed Tina’s arm and rushed her over to Bogs, who took her arm and dragged her out the door. He slammed the door behind them. T needed a plan B to explain to Cassie. Her room was completely fucked, with shards of glass everywhere. He needed a story. T opened his mouth to talk to Stone when the knob turned and in walked Cassie.

  * * * *

  Cassie froze in the doorway of her apartment. T and another huge guy were standing in her living room staring at her. Cassie quickly glanced around the room; there was no sign of Tina. She let the door close behind her.

  “Hey,” she said warily with a small smile. She was hoping to see him again. After him being so nice and waiting for her this morning, she realized maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe he wasn’t a dick after all.

  “I told you not to be here.” T’s face was hard and his temple twitched.

  Nope, still a giant dick! Cassie took a breath and shrugged. “What do you want me to do? I finished work hours ago and I could only sit at the café for so long before management kindly asked me to leave because they needed to close. Do you know how embarrassing that was for me?” She snorted. “Not that you’d care, but it was, so here I am. Home. Mine, not yours. Don’t worry, I’ll get out of your way. I’m going to bed.”

  Cassie walked to the hallway but T stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

  “God! What?” she screamed. She was so tired of this guy. He frustrated the hell out of her—one minute he was being nice and the next he was an asshole. He was like a devil and an angel wrapped in one.

  T inched forward. He towered over her small frame. She knew he did it to try and intimidate her. This time she was just too tired for it. She looked up at him; his face was void of any emotion. He kept his eyes on her as he spoke.

  “There was a situation here tonight, and things got fucked up. Tina’s in jail for possession of coke and probably won’t make bail. There was a lotta fucking snow; she’s gonna do time, no doubt.”

  Cassie’s jaw dropped. “Oh, my God, is she okay?”

  T flinched, looked at the dark-headed guy before looking back to Cassie. “Why the fuck would you care? She was a fucking cunt to you.” He snorted. “Thought you’d be fucking celebratin
g.”

  Cassie frowned at T and stepped back from him. “Why would I celebrate someone going to jail? She’s probably scared and freaked out.” Her eyes softened. “I may not like the things she does or how she treats me but I wouldn’t wish jail on anyone.”

  T sighed and ran his hand over his shaved head. He turned to his buddy and they seemed to be having a silent discussion. Cassie watched closely. T’s friend was really good-looking in a dark, dangerous way. His body was muscular and he was really tall, taller than T, with dark, shaggy hair and piercing green eyes. His features were strong and the only mar on his face was a thin scar from the corner of his eye down his cheek, disappearing into his stubble.

  Cassie turned her attention back to T, who was now scowling at her.

  “What?”

  “Stone’s practically married and his woman would fuck you up if she saw you checking him out, so fucking stop.” T glared at her, his tone nasty.

  She flinched in surprise and gasped. She looked over at “Stone,” who was looking down, and Cassie noticed the small smile playing on his lips.

  “I was not checking him out. Excuse me for looking at the strange man standing in my living room. Excuse me for being cautious. God, you are such a friggin’ jerk. I can’t even stand it.” She huffed and stomped down the hall to her room and flung open the door. All she wanted was to go to sleep and forget this whole little scene ever happened. She flicked on the light and stopped.

  Cassie walked to the middle of her room and turned around in a circle slowly. She couldn’t even grasp what she was seeing. There was broken glass everywhere from the gaping hole in her window. Her bed was messed up and the sheets were pulled off. Her nightstand, by the window, was toppled over with a picture frame broken on the floor. The flower vase she kept on the table was dumped over and water soaked her carpet. She could hear slow footsteps from down the hall until they stopped at her door. “What the hell happened?”

  “Yeah, so, when I said things got fucked up,” he reached behind his head and scratched the back of his neck, “your room took the brunt.”

  Cassie stood in shock. All her stuff was ruined, everything destroyed. She looked over at T and Stone, who both stood in the doorway watching her and glancing around her room. She was horrified at the scene; they, on the other hand, were not affected. Of course they wouldn’t be, it wasn’t their stuff.

  She dropped her handbag to the ground and let her head drop. Her heart pounded and she felt her eyes burn as the tears formed and streamed down her face. Her body slightly shook from her crying. She raised her head to the floor by the window and walked over the glass. She bent down and picked up the frame with the broken glass and crinkled picture inside.

  The picture was from Christmas years ago. Her mom insisted they all take a family picture. She wanted to get it enlarged and hang it up. It was far from a perfect family photo but it was her family. Her dad was in the center with one arm over her sister Becca’s shoulder hugging her close and his other wrapped around Cassie in front of him. Her brother, Charlie, was next to her dad with her mom hugged into his other side. They were all laughing, only her mom looking at the camera. It was a photographer’s nightmare. Cassie sighed. She loved that picture.

  She sniffled. Everything was ruined. Tears spilled down her face once more. She moved her hand to wipe her cheeks but a hand lightly clasped her wrist. She looked over to find T next to her and very close.

  He stared at her, lifted his other hand, and wiped her tears from her eyes.

  “You might have glass on your hands from the frame.” He stepped back and in a soft voice said, “C’mon.”

  Cassie was shocked by the situation and T’s sweetness and allowed him to pull her out of her room and walk her to the couch where he sat her down. She continued to stare at him.

  “We’ll clean up all the shit in your room but ya can’t sleep in there tonight. Let me see your hands.”

  Cassie put out her hands, palm up, and T bent down to his knees and took her hands into his. He closely inspected them while she watched his face. She could see the opening of his collar and a glimpse of the tattoos that covered his chest. She looked back up to his face and his eyes were on her.

  “It looks okay, don’t see any glass.” His voice was gravelly. His face was hard but his eyes were soft, heated, and she stared back at him. She turned her hands over, clasped his, and leaned forward. Her face was directly in front of his just inches away.

  “Thank you.”

  He watched her and said nothing. This was a side to him she had doubted existed. He was looking at her with compassion and concern. Something else was in his stare. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was desire. Her heart started to pound as she inched closer. T remained where he was. All thoughts of what just happened diminished and she was left with the urge to move closer. Cassie turned her head slightly and leaned in further. She could feel his breath on her face. A spark of need shot through her. Her heart raced and her hands tightened the grip she had on him. Still staring into his eyes, she licked her dry lips and watched his eyes smolder as he eyed her mouth. With her heart pounding and lips aching for his, she leaned an inch closer.

  “Don’t mean to interrupt.” Stone’s voice from behind T had Cassie lurching back into the couch. T remained where he was, completely calm and unaffected. Cassie watched him and wondered if he would have let her kiss him. She’d been so close. God, you idiot, your place is a wreck, your roommate’s in jail, and all you can think about is kissing a guy who is not only a prick but has been banging Tina! Dumbass!

  She blinked and shook her head, trying to focus on the situation.

  T straightened his legs and got up. He walked over to the counter and Stone came toward her.

  “Cleaned up the glass, just be careful of anything I missed. I covered the window but you need to call the landlord to fix it. You good?” He squinted at her. He probably thought she was going to break down again.

  Cassie nodded. “Yep, thanks for cleaning up.”

  Stone nodded back and walked to T. They whispered to each other and then T faced her.

  “Do what Stone said, call the landlord.”

  Cassie nodded.

  T took one last long look at Cassie before heading to the door with Stone behind him. Cassie watched them walk out, neither one of them turning or saying bye. The door closed and Cassie sank back into the couch.

  What the hell just happened?

  Chapter 4

  “ARE you stupid, is that it?” Beverly shouted from her office.

  Cassie’s boss was currently ripping into Evie, her coworker. Poor Evie. She tried to jump in but Beverly was having none of it. She ordered Cassie out while she reamed Evie. Cassie loved event planning, but working for Beverly had her seriously contemplating a new career choice.

  She walked into the conference room to clean up. They had a staff meeting with the Hillard Group. They were throwing their annual benefit. This was a huge event; everyone in Houston came out for this cause. How could they not? The Hillard Group was responsible for putting families together. They had thousands of success stories, lots of children who were saved because the Hillard Group stepped in and found them families. They focused on older children, usually five and up. The kids people generally didn’t adopt.

  Cassie grabbed the garbage and cleared the table of plates and napkins and empty coffee cups. She was tying the bag when Evie walked in. Her eyes were glassy. Evil B strikes again. Damn her!

  Evie sniffled. “Need any help?”

  “Aww, Evie, you can’t let her get to you.” Cassie walked over and pulled her into a hug. Evie was taller than Cassie by a few inches. Evie’s body was stiff. She was definitely not a hugger, Cassie thought. Cassie loosened her embrace and gave her a sympathetic smile.

  “You’re awesome, Evie. Don’t let her convince you otherwise. Okay?”

  Evie nodded. “Thanks.” She walked to the chairs around the table and started to straighten them
. Cassie grabbed another garbage bag and finished cleaning. They worked in silence. Cassie knew Evie was extremely quiet to begin with, and now, with the embarrassment of being yelled at, Evie was a mute.

  “So, are you bringing a date to this shindig?” Cassie asked.

  “No. Are you?” Evie’s voice was quiet. Cassie was pretty sure Evie didn’t have anyone. She never talked about guys and the few times they worked events together, she never paid any mind to the men. Evie had the look of a Plain Jane with her thick glasses, tight bun, and drab clothes. Cassie always wondered if she dressed like that on purpose or if she just had no sense of style. Either way, Cassie knew behind all of it, there was a beauty hidden deep. But for her own reasons, Evie tried to hide it.

  Cassie shook her head and giggled. “Not unless a hot guy in a tux shows up at my door.”

  Evie smiled and gave a small laugh. It was a nice sound, something Cassie didn’t hear too often.

  Beverly shrieked from the other office. “Evie, get in here.”

  Gone was Evie’s smile as she looked over at Cassie. Her face looked tense again.

  “Hey, you got this. Remember…you’re awesome!”

  Evie snorted. “I’m awesome.” She gulped and walked to the door but stopped and looked back at Cassie.

  “Thanks, Cassie, and for what it’s worth, I hope Prince Charming shows up.” She turned and left the room to face the dragon.

  Turning off the light and closing up the conference room she headed out the back door to the dumpster.

  “Prince Charming, yeah right!” she said to herself. No princes for her. Just big scary jerks that make her feel stupid one minute and completely aroused the next. Damn him.

  She had spent the better part of Saturday night tossing, turning, and thinking of T. The guy was an anomaly. He was rude, arrogant, and downright mean. He had total disregard for her—he ate her friggin’ brownies without apology. Men like him were meant for girls like Tina. They deserved each other.