Before she could get a word out of her mouth, Sky heard the footsteps of someone else running up to them.
"Dad, that’s not her, that’s not Skylar," a young man pleaded.
The man holding her loosened the pressure he had on her head. But that was only a short-lived reprieve because he yanked her around so violently that with one hand to her chest, he knocked her back into the wall with a force that took Sky’s breath away.
"David, I told you to wait in the car. You have done enough damage. Don’t add to it by trying to protect this piece of trash," the uniformed man barked.
"But Dad, you’re not listening. That is not Sky. I don’t even know who this woman is. Look."
The kid, a gangly looking teenager, was holding up his cell phone and showing the jerkoff that was currently manhandling her, a picture on his phone. Sky’s face hurt. The strain from her cuffed hands being bent unnaturally against the unforgiving wall and the fuzziness she was experiencing from the blow to her head were all taking a toll. She was having a problem figuring out what was going on. That was until she got a glimpse of the picture the kid was holding up. No other than her lovely cousin Shelby graced the surface. The teenager had his arms wrapped around her chest and shoulders, and Shelby was smiling for all she was worth, holding up some purse with little letters all over it. Son of a Bitch!
"Give me that damn phone and go back to the car, David," The disgruntled cop yelled at the kid.
"But Dad. . ."
"No, get moving."
Yanking Sky's arms once again, the cop released her from the way too tight cuffs. Unfortunately for Sky, the man stayed within her personal space, crowding her body. The cop was so close to Skye's body and face that she could smell the coffee on his breath and see the remnants of his breakfast still plastered on his chin. He gave her a small reprieve by leaning back just enough to shove the cell phone in her face.
The man asked, “Do you know this woman?”
Sky knew better than to say anything. She was in town working for the Ruthless Bastards, an Outlaw Motorcycle Club. Bringing any unwanted attention to them was a death sentence. She had been around the MC life long enough to know that you kept your shit straight and your head down. She didn’t know what Shelby was up to and she didn’t care. All Sky knew was that she needed to get out of this mess and get her cousin out of town before everything blew up in both of their faces.
Trying to sound respectful, truthful, and confident, she lied her ass off and said, "No Sir, I have never seen that woman in my life."
"It seems we have a problem, Ms. Thomas. Someone using your name is going around town using underage boys, promising them sex and other favors for expensive gifts. I don’t know about you, but I have a major problem with women that prey on little boys in my town. Especially when it just cost me $2500. Those things further piss me off when I’m going to have to explain those charges to my wife. So, if you know this person, Ms. Thomas, or if you are in on this little scam she is pulling, I suggest you get the hell out of my town. If I see you again, you will not be treated as nicely the next time we meet. Do you understand me, Ms. Thomas?"
Sky wasn’t going to give this man anything.
"Understood, Sir. If there isn’t anything else, I will just be on my way."
"See to it that you stay out of trouble, Ms. Thomas. Bad things can happen to pretty little girls when they bite off more than they can chew."
"I’ll keep that in mind, Sir." Sky said as she walked away.
Maybe small town life wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. That man had assaulted her right on the street in broad daylight, and not one of those people lifted a finger to see what was going. Sky was pretty sure they all watched. Something was sincerely wrong with the people in Defiance Kentucky.
Sky walked as fast as she could without running and drawing any further attention to herself to get out of there and away from the irate police officer. Her first instinct was to go straight to the apartment and ream Shelby a new one, but the cop was still watching her. Deciding her safest bet was to walk into the diner up ahead, she did just that.
A little bell jingled when Sky walked into the diner, and every person in the place looked up to see who the newcomer was. Typical small town mentality at work here; always interested, but never involved. Where were they five minutes ago, when the cop was attacking her in the alley?
A little old lady with cat eyeglasses said, “Have a seat anywhere you want honey.” Sky said, “thanks” once the waitress came over to her, offering coffee. Sky asked where the bathroom was. Her cheek burned and she needed to see how bad the damage was. The lady directed her to the back of the building and Sky walked that way, finding the small bathroom. Sky entered and realized that maybe she should have waited to check out the damage. The bathroom was beyond gross, and it smelled like the entire football team had just had a bad case of food poisoning. Holding her breath, Sky walked up to the dingy little mirror above the sink. Damn, she was a mess; her hair was wild, and her cheek was bright red with the scraps. Feeling the hot surface of her abused cheek, Sky knew she would be sporting a fresh bruise under the scrape in no time.
Turing on the faucet, Sky scooped some water into her hands and brought them to her battered face. The cold water felt good, but she didn’t want to spend too much time in that bathroom because she was finding it physically impossible to both hold her breath and not touch anything while still doing what she needed to do. Turning around to look for some paper towels, she wasn’t surprised when she didn’t find any. Not wanting to risk using toilet paper, Sky opted for the cleaner option and lifted the bottom of her t-shirt and wiped the remaining water away from her dripping face.
Walking out into the diner, Sky didn’t want to stay, but she also didn’t want to lead the cop straight to Shelby. Shit, maybe she should let the man follow her. It was time for Shelby to pay the price for her wrong doings instead of Sky. But Sky knew, even if she wanted to, there was no way she would ever lead the cop to Shelby because that would mean Sky would have to break her promise. That wasn't going to happen. Sky drank the coffee that the waitress had poured for her all while watching the cop in the mirror above the counter. After he had pulled away and Sky watched as he turned off the main drag of the town, she still waited, not wanting to risk him hiding just out of sight. Nursing that god-awful brew might do her in and then she wouldn’t have to deal with any of this, but she wasn’t that lucky.
When Sky started to get looks and the waitress had come over no less than five times, Sky decided it was time to leave. Walking out the door of the diner, Sky decided to do some evasive maneuvers just in case the cop was still lurking around the bend. Those tactics consisted of walking over to the gas station and buying a pack of gum and then staring in the window of a little thrift shop for an exorbitant amount of time. She spent that time looking at the 1970s-polyester lime green atrocity in the window like it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. She knew she wasn’t fooling anyone with her interest, but she had to be sure the cop wasn’t still following her. Subtle she was not, but livid and on the verge of fury, on the other hand, she had those emotions in spades.
Finally making her way to the building that held the apartment, Sky stormed up the back stairs and grabbed the familiar doorknob. When the knob turned without Sky having to get her keys out of her pocket, it further irritated her. She shouldn't be surprised because Shelby didn't value the apartment or anything in it, so why the hell would she bother trying to protect anything in it? An average person would also think about his or her own personal safety. Guess that was beyond her cousin as well.
Slamming open the door, she screamed, “Damn it, Shelby, I swear to God, if you tell another one of your conquests that your name is Sky, I’m going to kick your ass. If it weren't for your Dad and my promise to him, I would have kicked your ass to the curb and been done with all this bullshit a long time ago. Do you have any idea what happened to me today when your shit once again landed in my lap?”
Looking around the room and seeing the filth only fueled Sky’s mood. The little studio apartment they had been staying in for the last couple of months was a pigsty of epic proportions. Beer and booze bottles were littering every available surface in the apartment. That was bad enough, but there was also overflowing ashtrays, greasy pizza boxes, and other fast food wrappers containing rotting, half-eaten food in various stages of decay, adding to the mess. There wasn’t even a fast food place in town where that shit came from; Sky had no idea. What pissed her off the most was that she had just been here four days ago, and had just cleaned the whole place and now it looked like hoarders had moved in.
The little wench couldn’t be bothered to raise a hand to pick up and put anything in the surprisingly empty trash can sitting right next to the kitchen island. Shoot, maybe she should just be happy that someone thought to take out some garbage and replace the bag. It had been days since Sky had been back to the apartment. She was trying her hardest to finish the job she was being paid to do so that they could move on before everything blew up in their faces like every other time she and Shelby stayed in one place too long. This job was personal. It meant too much to Sky to half ass it because Tuck was a friend.
Looking at the apartment, all Sky could do was shake her head. The floors and couch had mounds of what looked like a shopping spree gone wrong. Latex, spandex, and sparkly shit of every color covered the formerly clean hardwood floors. Not getting the reaction or the fight Sky was looking for when the room remained quiet, she stomped to the bed and the noticeable bump beneath the covers. Sky knew Shelby was passed out from a night of hard partying and still too drunk to wake up and face her. Or worse yet, the little bitch was just ignoring by her playing possum. Sky wasn’t sure which of those two scenarios ticked her off more.
Grabbing the blanket and yanking hard, she should have been shocked by what she uncovered. But Sky wasn’t; this was typical Shelby. No, finding her anything but sweet cousin in bed naked with two other naked people, one man and one woman, was nothing new. Shit, at this point in her life it was just like any other Thursday. The only thing that did cause her a little concern was that fact that none of them seemed to move at the abrupt removal of the blanket once covering them or the screaming Sky had been doing.
Sky debated for all of two seconds on what she needed to do next. She wasn't exactly quiet and although a small part of her couldn’t help but wonder if maybe this time Shelby had gone just a little too far and OD’d or something. Noticing the rise and fall of her cousin's insanely endowed chest alleviated that thought. What did surprise Sky was that she was the momentary relief she felt at the thought of finally being rid of Shelby once and for all. Shit, what kind of person did that make her?
Sky screamed, “Shelby Ann Thomas, get your ass up right fucking now!”
Now most people getting so rudely awakened would startle or even jump when coming out of a deep sleep by someone else bellowing their names, not Shelby. No, Shelby just stretched like a lazy cat, cracked her eyelids, opened them a millimeter and said, “Go away, Sky, I don’t have the time or the patience to deal with you today.” And the bitch tried to wave her off with a flick of her hand.
The other two people in the bed started to stir, and thankfully the guy of the pair had the presence of mind to realize things were about to go bad and started grabbing his stuff from the floor. Yeah, leave it to Shelby to find a willing pair to have a threesome with in rural Kentucky. Damn, maybe she should be happy that only the cop was looking for them right now. Being deep in the Bible Belt, this shit probably brought along lynching’s.
Sky looked at the guy and said, "I think it is time for you to go and make sure you take your friend with you!" Sky said this all while pointing at the still, semiconscious women on Shelby’s other side. She wasn’t sure if it was the psychotic look she was sure currently painted on her face or what, but the man took the hint and started scrambling out of bed. He moved faster than Sky had expected him to be able to do right after being rudely woken up after a night of debauchery with her cousin and the other nonresponsive woman. He even took matters into his own hands and got his partner moving as well. She wasn’t as graceful or hospitable. The chick started to put up a fuss but wisely stopped after the dude indicated Sky’s presence non-verbally.
Without saying a word and only half dressed, the two fled the apartment. Sky vaguely heard the woman say something on her way out like, “What a bitch” or something along those lines, but she was too pissed to care. She had bigger problems at the moment. Shelby just continued to ignore Sky, choosing to sleep rather than acknowledge Sky or her departing guest from the night before.
Once the room was devoid of Shelby’s guests, Sky couldn’t take it anymore. She took a cup from the nightstand and threw the contents right in her cousin’s face. Springing up and sputtering, Shelby looked shocked at what had just gone down. " What the hell, Sky!" She screeched. "Bitch, how fucking dare you!"
"No! How dare you! Look at my face, Shelby, notice anything different?" Shelby just sat there crossing her arms over her naked breasts, glaring. "No? How about the fact that I don’t usually go around sporting bruises and scrapes on my face on a daily basis. Or how about the fact that you are going around town using my name when you could have used just about any other name to pull your crap off. Huh, any explanation for that? "
"Whatever, Sky, I have no idea what you’re into or what you do when you’re not here or in that grungy little garage working on those stupid bikes. Just put my allowance on the counter and get out of my apartment. I don’t know what you are talking about why would I tell anyone I was 'you’."
The way she said "you" was like a curse word. One that tasted awful on her lips, but Sky knew better. This wasn't the first time that Shelby had tried to pass herself off as Sky. No, if Shelby thought for one second she could get in trouble for one of her schemes, she used Sky's name.
"Oh, hell no! This is it. You have finally pushed me too far, Shelby. I’m done with you and all the crap you pull. You have the nerve to look me straight in the face and lie after all this time and all the shit I have had to put up with from you? No fucking way, sister. The free ride is over; you have finally accomplished what I promised I would never do. I give the hell up. I refuse to take your shit anymore."
Sky continued, "You don’t like me and I sure as hell don’t like you. If it weren't for your Mom and Dad, we wouldn’t even be standing here right now. And for your information, those stupid bikes pay the bills and make it possible for you to have a roof over your over privileged head, but the gravy train is stopping and you’re at the end of the line. And just so we are crystal clear, this apartment,” Sky gestured by throwing her hands out to emphasize her point, “is MINE. You don’t have anything, Shelby. You didn’t contribute a fucking dime to any of this."
"We can’t even stay in the same place for four months without your shit coming to knock at our door, and I, for one, am sick of it. I’ve given you every chance to change and clean up your act, and you have done absolutely nothing. Now you are using my name in your scams. And what is worse it that you are using my name to hit on little boys. How dare you! You, worthless little cunt!"
"This," Sky said gesturing to her face, "is because you decided it was a good idea to fuck with the Sheriff's kid, his still underage kid. Got him to go gonzo on his daddy’s credit card and then dumped his ass. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Oh, Shut Up!” Shelby snapped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Davey isn’t underage, he is se
venteen, and in the state of Kentucky, sixteen is the age of consent. Shows how much you know, Skylar."
"Oh, my Lord, the fact that you even know that shit is beyond messed up,” Sky responded. “What is wrong with you? You are twenty-five years old. On what planet is it okay to bang a seventeen-year-old that isn’t even out of high school? Christ, he still has pimples and braces. Don’t you have any morals or damn self-respect? He is a kid. That is just wrong! Any way you look at it."
"Shows how much you know. I didn’t bang him, just said I would if he got me a few things. I’m not completely stupid, Skylar,” Shelby said, sarcastically.
Sky felt her mouth drop open. She couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of Shelby’s mouth. Christ, the woman couldn’t even control her own lies. She also had no conscience or any sense of right or wrong. Sky had been taking care of Shelby for far too long out of obligation to two people that were no longer walking the Earth, and she couldn’t take it anymore. Sky was going to break her promise, something she had never done before in her entire life, but Shelby had gone too far this time. Sky hated it, but she didn’t feel like she had any choice.
When her parents died, her Uncle Frank came and got her at the airport and said she was going to live with them from now on. Sky loved her Aunt and Uncle. They were good people, but they only had time for their own child. Sky was the outsider, the obligation. They never said it, but Sky always believed actions spoke louder than words.
Uncle Hank and Aunt Betty were older than Sky's parents had been. Through the years, she had learned that they had tried for years to conceive without any luck. So, when it finally happened, Shelby became their world. There wasn't any room in that world for anything or anybody else. They doted on her gave her everything she wanted and never once held her to the same standards a typical parent or guardian would hold a child to.
When they were in school and Shelby didn’t want to do her homework, they did it for her. Sky, on the other hand, was expected to carry her weight. She had chores, expectations, and obligations to the family that took her in when her parents died unexpectedly. Mainly keeping those things consisted of Shelby safe and happy. It sucked, but it was also the life she lived from the time she was five years old.
Sebastian: NAC & The Holly Group (Alpha Team Book 4) Page 2