by Sweet, Izzy
The van had Maryland plates, maybe that’s where she was livin’…
She’s so fucking beautiful though, so beautiful it hurts to look at her with this black eye and sweaty, dirty face.
Someone put her in this position, someone hurt her enough to put her on run. Now that I think about how she reacted, she seemed positive we were sent to get her, like we were working for someone else. That means it’s got to be an outside player not from around these parts. No one runs or does shit in this city without us knowing about it.
Lifting Allie up into my arms, it feels like she never left them as I walk out to the van. It’s been years but I can still smell her faint scent. One that’s uniquely hers. One that would drive me insane at times.
And I’m bettin’ once she’s awake it’s gonna cause me all kinds of trouble.
* * *
My house isn’t the best of houses to be doing this shit at. There are too many other houses close by. Low on crime neighborhood though, it’s got that goin’ for it. It’s also got an attached garage, which is good since I don’t want the neighbors to see me carrying a passed-out chick into my house.
Darlene, Pappy’s wife, has been around the club long enough to know not to ask any questions and to keep her mouth shut about anything she sees.
That being said, she’s got enough expressions on her face to fill a fuckin’ dictionary with words. I’m pretty sure I could deal without the eyerolls she gives me when I walk into the house with Allie in my arms.
“Shut it,” I snap at her, but she just smirks.
“Better than kicking a naked girl out of your office, I guess,” Darlene chuckles as I walk by her.
Ah, fuck. Shoulda guessed shit like that would spread around.
Goddammit.
Fuck letting her get the best of me though.
Casually, I ask her, “Hey, when’s the last time you babysat?”
“What?” she says, confused, then she must see little Levi following in behind me.
“Coy, what the fuck did you do?” she hisses.
“That’s my kid, since you’re so interested in my life. Surely you won’t mind babysittin’ every now and then,” I say with a grin. “Come on, Levi, let me show you to your very own room.”
Voice trembling, Levi says, “I don’t want my own room. I want to be with mommy.”
“Right now your momma needs rest, and to do that she needs to have some privacy,” I say firmly to him.
“But!” he starts but I don’t stop walking.
“You can see her all you want, but you will have your own room.”
“O… okay,” he says to my back as I walk us through the house with Allie in my arms.
Fuck, I never thought I’d be carrying her through my house in the marriage kind of way. I thought she was dead and gone. I got her back… but she sure as fuck doesn’t seem too alive right now. I swear this better not be some kind of fucking drug thing. I’ll fucking skin her alive if she’s doin’ drugs around my boy.
Nodding my head to the room directly across from my own, I say, “That one’s yours, right across from my own.”
Kicking my door open, I head directly to the bed. To be honest, I don’t think it’s a drug thing, unless she’s shootin’ up between her toes or doing pills. She doesn’t have the meth scratches all over her or any of those other telltale signs.
Setting her sweaty body down on my bed, I wanna slam my fist against the wall. How the fuck is it the first time I get her in this bed, she’s passed the fuck out?
Levi comes up to the side of the bed and frowns at me. “When she going to wake up?”
“Soon,” I say to him and then gently grab him by the hand.
Fuck, his hand is so damn small compared to mine, it’s like a little doll or somethin’. Pulling him as gently as I can from the room, I tug him to the living room where the thermostat is for the house.
Dropping the dial down to low as shit, I breathe out a heavy sigh.
“Fuck, it’s hot as hell,” I say.
“Mommy says you shouldn’t say those words,” Levi says.
“Yeah, probably not,” I laugh and then all but drag him to the couch.
“What are we doing?” he asks as I hand him the cable remote.
“You’re gonna take charge of the remote control. I’m gonna order some Hometown Pizza and check on your momma.”
Levi frowns. “I’m not allowed to have pizza.”
“Why the hell not? You allergic or somethin’?” I ask him, and fuck, I don’t know anything about kids and shit.
“No, Mikhail says it’s for pants,” he says with a bigger frown.
“Pants?” I ask, confused.
He struggles with the word. “No, pa… sants.”
“You mean peasants?” I ask.
“That’s it! Peasants!” he says now that he’s heard the word right.
“Well, fuck Mikhail, he’s a moron. We eat pizza in this family.” I shake my head as I head into the kitchen.
“Peasants?” Darlene asks me as I walk over to the fridge to grab a cold beer.
“Fucking must be a joke, right?” I ask her.
Looking from me to the doorway, she quietly asks, “Is he royalty or something?”
Laughing, I start to shake my head then think about it. “Well yeah, he’s a future Royal Bastard.”
Finishing off my beer, I toss the empty bottle in the trash and start to walk out of the kitchen.
I gotta keep an eye on Allie and make sure she wakes up.
Because if she doesn’t…
Shit.
Turning back around, I grab another beer out of the fridge and nearly finish it off as I carry it into the bedroom with me.
Chapter Ten
Allie
Slowly, almost gently, awareness begins to creep back in.
I realize I’m lying on something soft, something that smells clean.
I’m not too hot or too cold, and it’s tempting to fall back to sleep. To let everything go on without me.
I’m so tired.
I’ve been tired for such a long time…
I deserve a break. I need a break from my life, from everything.
I start to drift off again, strangely feeling like I’m safe. Like someone is watching over me…
Then Coy’s words suddenly replay in my head.
“He’s mine and so are you, Allie.”
I come fully awake with a gasp, my heart racing.
And the first thing I see is Coy’s dark blue eyes staring back at me.
Confused, it takes me a moment to figure out where I am, and the second I realize I’m in a strange bed, with him, true panic begins to set in.
Where am I?
How the fuck did I get here?
I start to roll over, intending to get out of the bed, but as soon as I roll onto my back Coy appears above me.
“Where do you think you’re goin’?” he growls as he positions his body over mine.
His hands come down, sinking into the mattress besides my shoulders. Tattooed arms trapping me in a cage.
And I can’t breathe, not with him above me…
Not with the way he’s looking at me.
He looks like he wants to rip out my throat with his fucking teeth.
I stare up at him, at his stupidly handsome face, and wonder if this is what the gazelle feels like when it’s pinned by the lion.
One wrong move and it all could be over…
Yet, even knowing that, a little thrill of excitement courses through my body.
Oh my god… what the hell is wrong with me?
Beyond disturbed and more than a little freaked out by my reaction, I lick my dry lips and ask, “Where’s Levi?”
Coy’s eyes drift down, locking on my mouth. “He’s safe.”
Fuck… it looks like he wants to kiss me now…
And that possibility terrifies me more than the thought of him killing me.
Resisting the urge to squirm, I take a deep, calming brea
th, and say, “I need to see him.”
His gaze drifts even lower, brushing against my breasts as I struggle not to pant. I swear I can feel the heat of his eyes burning through my shirt, and my damn nipples tighten.
Then his attention snaps back up to my face.
I watch his nostrils flare and his breathing deepen. I don’t know what it is about it, but an unwanted flare of confused arousal hits me right in the stomach.
He’s not touching me, but I can feel the weight of him pressing down on me.
His huge presence alone sending tingles of expectation across my skin.
Expectation of what, though?
This doesn’t make any damn sense.
Voice deep and heavy with accusation, he says, “You’ve been able to see him every day for the past few years, Allie. Where I…”
Trailing off, his right hand lifts, and I flinch as it nears my face.
Jaw tightening, his expression becomes downright murderous as his fingers wrap around my throat.
And that damn thrill of excitement is back again as his thumb strokes against my skin.
God help me, I’m fucking losing it…
I’ve been through too damn much these past forty-eight hours and now the wires are crossing in my brain.
I should be disgusted and repulsed by this man.
Not getting fucking turned on by him.
Leaning down until his nose is nearly touching my nose, Coy grits out, “He’s my son and I’m a fuckin’ stranger to him. Hell, he’s a stranger to me.”
I press back against the pillow beneath my head, trying to put some space between us, but there’s no fucking give.
Staring into his eyes, into the dark blue that’s slowly blackening into an abyss, I don’t know who’s crazier…
Me or him?
How can he believe Levi is his?
Yes, in the heat of the moment, I was almost convinced there was a possibility. Yet, here and now, I can’t believe it.
I agree and accept that they look alike, almost eerily alike.
Staring back at Coy, my heart and breathing racing, there’s no denying it.
They have the same hair color, the same color of eyes, and maybe their bone structure is similar…
But does that really prove it?
Besides the fact I truly have no fucking clue who he is and I can’t recall ever meeting him in my life, in order for me to believe that Levi is Coy’s, I’d have to believe I somehow met him during the time I don’t remember.
In order to believe that I’d also have to believe my parents lied to me.
My parents would never lie to me.
Why would they?
What would they have to gain?
My parents were upstanding Christians and worked for the very church they worshipped in. They devoted their lives to improving the lives of others and spreading the faith.
To think they would purposely deceive me, that they would keep Levi from knowing his father…
It’s inconceivable to me.
No, all my life, all my parents have done is love me and try to protect me. They even tried to protect us from Mikhail…
And it cost them in the end.
I can’t sully their memory or what they sacrificed by thinking the worst of them.
Not for a second.
Coy doesn’t strike me as a stupid man though. Big, intimidating, and brash, yes. But not stupid.
And given everything he’s done, I’m pretty damn sure he’s not lying to me.
No, there must be a reason or an unfortunate coincidence causing him to believe what he believes.
The only thing I can think of is that there must be another Allie out there somewhere, another Allie who looks like me.
They say everyone has a doppelganger… She could be mine…
Ugh, it all seems so bizarre and far-fetched, but it’s the only explanation I can come up with at the moment.
Coy is scaring the crap out of me, but I get the impression it’s because he’s hurt. Beneath that angry look on his face is pain.
This other Allie, she must have meant a lot to him. They were probably lovers. Yes, they were definitely lovers if he believes Levi is his.
“Look… I think there’s been a misunderstanding…” I say softly and Coy instantly stiffens above me.
“Oh?” he grits out, his fingers flexing around my neck.
I swallow nervously and pray he believes what I’m about to say, because if he doesn’t…
Fuck, I don’t even want to think about what will happen if he insists on believing this craziness.
“I’m not your Allie and Levi isn’t your son,” I say quickly before I lose all my nerve.
When he just stares at me, I feel the need to add, “There’s been a mistake. I swear I don’t know you, and Levi’s father died in an accident.”
Coy closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, his nostrils flaring again as he releases it.
I can’t tell if he’s coming to terms with what I said or if he’s trying to keep himself from strangling me to death.
When his eyes finally do open again after a few breaths, it’s clear it’s definitely the later.
“You’re not my Allie? You don’t know me?” he asks harshly. “That’s how you want to play this?”
I frown, not liking what he’s implying. “It’s not a game—”
“You’re damn right it’s not,” he snaps, cutting me off at the same time his hand squeezes around my neck.
Deprived of air, I grab at his hand and try to pull him off me.
Grabbing my hand with his other hand, he pins it to the bed. “But if this is how you want to play, I’ll fuckin’ play.”
I’m not trying to play a game, I want to yell, my eyes pleading with him.
Desperate to be free, I try to use my left hand to yank him off, but he pushes forward, using the very arm he’s choking me with to trap it.
My lungs scream for oxygen and pressure builds inside my head.
A slow, wicked grin stretches across his lips as his knees push between my knees, spreading my legs open.
“You don’t know me? You don’t remember me, baby?” he practically purrs, clearly getting off on this.
Fuck. I should have lied, I realize too late as darkness begins to close in. I should have milked this misunderstanding for all it’s worth.
This bastard is going to kill me for being honest with him.
“Then let me remind you what it means to be mine,” he growls so low all the little hairs on my body stand on end.
His grip around my throat suddenly eases, but before I can draw in a full breath, his mouth comes down on my mouth in a crushing kiss.
I try to turn my head, try to break away, but the fucker is relentless. He chases me, not letting me get away.
And still, my lungs are fucking screaming.
My body begging me to find a way to get more air.
What I’m pulling in through my nose isn’t enough to make up for the deprivation.
With no other choice, I open my mouth against his, hoping to get a little air from him.
His tongue immediately sweeps in, tangling with mine.
I try to fight it off, try to push it out, but he must take it as me kissing him back.
He groans into my mouth as I gasp against him and his weight starts to come down on me.
His hips touch my thighs, and even though I feel like I’m fighting for my fucking life here, that thrill of excitement is back, tenfold.
God help me, I don’t know why my body is responding to him like it is. I don’t know why the damn thing is betraying me.
I try one last time to shove his tongue out of my mouth, but when he shoves his back so hard it nearly goes down my throat, I give up.
This is madness, utter fucking madness.
One moment he’s strangling me to death and the next he’s kissing me like he’ll die if he doesn’t.
I don’t know what to make it of it, and I don’t know what will h
appen next.
All I know is that I have to get away, I have to find a way to get free.
There’s no reasoning with someone like him.
He’s fucking psycho and he still might kill me.
Twisting, straining, gasping, I struggle to get free of him and these damn tingles overtaking my body.
“Fuck, Allie, you taste even better than I remember,” he rasps, giving me just enough time to finally take a full breath before he attacks me again.
But the more air I get, the more aware I become of his taste.
He tastes familiar, like something both salty and sweet I’ve eaten in the past, and it’s starting to fuck with me.
I focus so hard on trying to place it, on trying to figure it out, I don’t realize he’s yanking both of my hands over my head before it’s too late.
He shifts both of my wrists into one of his hands and tightens his grip.
Then he slides his free hand up my shirt and grabs my breast.
I gasp into his mouth and feel the unmistakable twitch of his cock against my thigh.
“Goddammit, your tits are bigger too,” he groans as his fingers squeeze around me.
“That’s…. because…” I pant into the kiss between hard pulls from his lips, “I’m… not—"
Suddenly he grinds his cock into my pussy at the same time his fingers pinch my nipple, cutting off what I was going to say.
My words strangle into a moan as he scrapes my bottom lip with his teeth.
It’s a clear warning not to finish that sentence.
And fuck, I don’t know what to do.
Once again, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.
I just can’t win.
Especially as he begins to roll his hips against me.
With each hard, grinding rub, I feel myself sinking deeper into his insanity.
The force of his power over me is sucking me in and the need to fight this is slipping away.
What’s the point of fighting? I wonder as something dark and hungry starts to grow inside me, something that wants to be free.
The longer he kisses me, the longer he moves against me, the more I’m losing my grip on reality.