The General Store: Where Innocence Goes to Die

by A. L. Moore

  “Either you take the bedroom or make room for me,” he said standing, “I’m not leaving you down here by yourself. You are practically convulsing.”

  I glanced toward the stairs, chewing on my lip. They looked like they’d grown by floors since I’d sat down. "Only if you’ll walk me up," I said, my voice as shaky as my legs.

  "Afraid of the dark?" he smirked.

  "My luck hasn't been so good today," I said, taking his outstretched hand. "Besides, Robyn could be lurking in the shadows to take me out."

  Liam helped me to my feet, leaving his warm hand on the small of my back, guiding me.

  “Nah, if she were going to take you out, she’d have done it in the driveway. I thought she was going to burst into flames.”

  “Oh yea, with Jayson,” I said, flushing.

  “What was that about?”

  “He saved me tonight,” I said, finding Liam’s face in the dark hall. “I don’t know if we’d be having this conversation if Jayson hadn’t been there.” I was sure of it.

  “He was just watching his back,” Liam said evenly. “Another strike and he’ll be locked away for a very long time.”

  Watching his back or not, I owed Jayson. I owed him a lot. Not only had he saved me from the dark depths of Marco’s sickening eyes, but he hadn’t laid a finger on me. Had Tyler, or John for that matter, been the one to accompany me, I might have returned with less than I left with.

  We were at the bedroom now. Liam reached around me and turned on the light. It took a few seconds for the bulb to brighten the room. The bed was made with a floral bedspread that looked more suited for a cheap motel than a house. I walked over and opened the closet to be sure no one was lurking in the dark.

  “Should I check under the bed?” Liam smirked, leaning into the doorframe in nothing but worn jeans and his black riding boots.

  I managed a weak smile and shook my head. Liam gave the room another quick scan and turned to leave. “Good night, Justice,” he said, pulling the door shut behind him.

  The room was instantly quiet. Eerily quiet. Looking out the pink trimmed window, my house was so close, but it might as well have been a million miles away. Anyone could get to me here, and my parents would never hear me scream. No one would hear me. No one that cared.

  "Liam," I gasped, hurrying across the room and yanking the door open.

  He turned back, startled, instantly on alert again. “What’s up?”

  “Stay?”

  He hesitated, looking down the stairs and running his fingers through his hair, his other hand already on the bannister. “Justice I…”

  "Please, Liam. I don't think I can fall asleep by myself." I hated to beg but I couldn’t be alone. Not tonight.

  His eyes pinched shut for a short second, and then he turned back to me. I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, trying to ward off having a full-blown panic attack. I couldn’t shake the feeling of Deja-vu as he debated turning me down for the second time in this hallway. I didn’t breathe again until I heard him sigh. Whatever he’d seen in my face had thankfully been enough to make him reconsider. He nodded reluctantly and followed me into the room. The door closed securely behind us, and he turned off the light. The relief was instant and unexplainable. After all, he’d locked the door, same as Tyler, but I wasn’t afraid with him. Tyler was keeping the bad inside and Liam was locking it out.

  "Are you sure?" Liam asked, lying a black pistol and wallet on the nightstand.

  He’d already kicked his boots off. I wondered if he would take his jeans off, too. They were dirty from the scuffle with Tyler, mud around the fringed edges and knees. I couldn’t imagine they would be comfortable to sleep in.

  I nodded anxiously, answering his question and pulling the blanket away from the sheet. Liam stretched out next to me, staring at the ceiling, his hand tucked behind his head. I did the same, waiting for the trembling to stop. He was exceptionally quiet, but I’d gladly take quiet with him than without him. The only noise came from our breathing, and the growing rumble in my gut. Seconds turned into minutes, but despite the warmth that grew in my stomach, the trembling didn’t subside. Maybe he was right; it was the adrenaline. Since he’d come back, I felt like I could run a marathon.

  "Hey Liam, when you said Tyler read more into it,” I said, adjusting the pillow beneath my head as I turned on my side to face him. His eyes moved over to me, questioning. “You covering for me,” I clarified. “Was there more to it? I mean, you keep helping me, but I'm not sure why?"

  He sighed heavily, “I’m not that guy, Justice.” His eyes were intense even in the darkness. “I can see what you are doing and don’t. Don’t peg me for the good guy in this. There is no good guy here.”

  "You are a good guy, Liam. You brought me home when anyone else would have..." I couldn't bring myself to say it. I shuddered just thinking about what would've happened to me if Liam hadn't come back to the cabin the night Tyler drugged me.

  His hands resting behind his head, he glared at me. "Why, because I didn't screw you? I'm not into necrophilia; I like a girl to be conscious...on all levels," he smirked. It'd be a shame if she couldn't remember the experience."

  "I'm sure," I rolled my eyes. Though, I didn't doubt him for a second.

  His face turning serious he added, "That doesn't change who I am. Where I come from. If you knew half the things I've seen and done in my life, you wouldn't be sitting in front of me right now."

  He stared at me intensely as if hoping I'd heed the warning and take off. I stared back just as hard. There was no doubt in my mind he was telling the truth. Just like the rest of the guys, there was a darkness in his eyes that read like the warning on a firecracker. It was clearly the product of turmoil I'd never experienced. That I didn't care to experience, but there was something else, too. Unlike Tyler and the others, Liam's eyes still held a light, though fleeting, that made me wonder what he was like as a boy. What he was like at my age when all hope wasn't lost. That made me think maybe a little hope was buried there.

  I don’t know if it was the overload of emotions or simply the dark that made me braver, but I reached across the space and slowly trailed my finger along his coarse cheek. He didn’t blink, watching me intently. Without his shirt, I could see every tiny detail of his tattoo. I knew little about tattoos, but this appeared exceptionally done. The razor-edge on the thorns looked sharp enough to cut. I couldn’t help myself from touching it. His skin pricked with small bumps in the wake of my fingers, but he didn’t move to touch me. He didn’t move at all.

  "I’ve had the good guy," I mused, shakily trailing my hand down his arm. “That’s why I’m here. That’s why I keep coming back. You are why I keep coming back, Liam.” The words came out brazenly, to the point where I barely recognized my own voice.

  I tried to keep still. If I moved, even an inch, he would see how nervous I was, and the moment would be over. His eyes were cautious but there was something else there too, something that made the warmth in my stomach move deeper. Turning to his side, he laced his fingers into my wind-blown hair and grasped the back of my neck. His eyes gauged my every breath until I stopped breathing altogether. My heart beat wildly as he pulled my face closer by inches. His lips brushed mine softly and then pulled away slightly.

  “This is what you want?” he whispered against my mouth.

  I couldn’t speak. My lips wouldn’t move to answer. They were frozen like the rest of me. He was inches away, and his shirt was but a preview to the heady scent filling my senses at his closeness. It was intoxicating, making my head spin. I closed my eyes, breathing him in. His stomach was tight against my sweaty palm, and I wasn’t sure which of us was hotter. It was unnerving the way he looked at me now, his eyes filled with anticipation, waiting for a response I couldn’t deliver. My nerve had vanished with the gentle touch of his hand. He ran his thumb across my parted lips.

  “I need to hear you say it, Justice?”

  All I could manage was a sigh.

  Kissing me ev
er so lightly again, he breathed, “You can do better than that.”

  So could he. I’d been kissed by him before, and he was holding out in a major way right now. Silencing the small voice in my head that trembled and cowered in the corner, I met his melted chocolate eyes and managed the faintest, “Yes.”

  His lips pressed together as he stared intently into my eyes. I wasn’t sure he’d heard me until his mouth found mine. This kiss was different, deeper, bypassing even the sweet memory of the first. It felt amazing and terrifying all at once. I braced myself as he pushed my shoulder to the mattress. There were no second thoughts, only nerves holding me in the shallow end where fear of the unknown swam. His hair hung like a dark curtain skimming my face on either side. His jeans pressed firmly against my middle and my whole body tensed. It was only his taut lips that kept me silent. His mouth moved down, his tongue tracing along my collar. This was it. There would be no turning back unless I spoke up now. He was giving me an out.

  I didn’t take it.

  ***

  The sun was low in the sky when I woke to find Liam under a cloud of smoke.

  "Morning," he smiled a crooked grin that made me want to hide my face in the blanket.

  "Is it really?" I asked, peeking out from the thin sheet.

  The sun streamed through the plastic blinds in dull streams, highlighting the damp strands of Liam’s hair that dripped to his bare shoulders. He looked freshly showered, having pulled on his jeans from the night before.

  "It is for you," he said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "It's actually after one.

  It was after one! I hadn’t been home! I struggled to keep the sheet around me as I quickly crossed the room for my clothes. Everything from the night before flooded my mind, causing me to wobble on my feet. Liam was quick by my side with a steadying arm around the waist. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve got to get home,” I said panicked, trying my best not to break down again. “You should’ve left already, at least gone downstairs. Tyler is going to go insane.”

  "I can handle Tyler.” He wrapped both arms around my waist and towed us back to bed. Tucked close to his side, he kissed my forehead and sighed contently. "I heard Robyn and Jayson in the hall earlier if you want to borrow some clothes."

  "I left my clothes downstairs!" I said, covering my face. Could this scenario get any worse?

  Liam chuckled, propping on his elbow and peeling my fingers away. “You worry about everything.”

  “And you worry about nothing.”

  He reached for his shirt from the nightstand and handed it over. To Liam’s amusement, I managed to get it over my head without dropping the sheet. It was a little too late to be modest at this point, but I couldn’t shake the feeling this was wrong.

  "They're going to know. My bike is still in the garage.

  “Are you worried about that?" he asked, tilting his head as I hugged my knees.

  "It's just going to cause more trouble for you,” I sighed.

  "I’m a big boy, Justice. I don’t need you worrying about me.”

  “You’re allowed to protect me, but I’m not allowed to return the favor?”

  He rolled his eyes and smirked. “There’s no one I need protection from. Besides,” he said kissing my knuckles before retrieving his stuff from the nightstand, “it’s your virtue they are after, not mine.”

  “Too bad I gave it to you,” I said instantly mortified. “Please tell me I didn’t just say that out loud.”

  A huge grin on his face, he took my hands and pulled me across the bed on my knees. “Imagine their disappointment,” he said, giving me a tight squeeze.

  “Wait here. I’ll run and grab your clothes,” he said, kissing my head.

  I combed my fingers through my tangled hair as I followed him to the door. He started down the stairs at the same time Robyn came up.

  "Nice shirt," she smirked when she saw me hesitating in the archway. "I think Tonya has one just like it." Halfway to her room, she added, "You might want to change before you go downstairs. “Everyone's here."

  "Tyler's down there?" I asked panicked. "Do you think that's safe?"

  "They've fought before," Robyn said dismissively over her shoulder. "They'll work it out…or die trying."

  Robyn was still dressed in the same grey shorts and tank top she’d been in the night before. I wished desperately I had my shorts. I tugged the shirt on both sides, holding the hem as far down my legs as it would go.

  "Is that supposed to be funny?" I asked, following to her room.

  She dug through the dresser and tossed me some clothes.

  "No, it's just a fact, Justice. The guys fight. You being involved doesn’t make it special.

  "Leave Liam's shirt on the bed,” she instructed, pulling her dark hair into a high ponytail. “I'll get it to him later.” I raised my brow at the suggestion in her voice. “Unless you want to hand to him in front of Ty."

  I scowled, "I might as well. You’ll probably tell him anyway. If you haven't already."

  "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, closing her door.

  "Liam told me you planted ideas in Tyler's head. What happened to minding your own business?"

  "You running off to the cops is my business,” she said firmly.

  I dropped the hairbrush back to the dresser. “I would never do that.”

  “You say that now,” she said skeptically. “We,” she said as if she were one of the guys and not just a traded around girlfriend, “needed insurance. I never thought Tyler would take it so far.” The regret on her face was no help to me. Where was her sympathy last night when she was chomping-at-the-bit to hand me over to Tyler?

  “So, you and Liam, huh?” I didn’t answer, wetting my finger to remove smeared mascara from my face. She stepped close behind, watching me in the mirror. “Brave girl. Good thing it was me and not Tonya coming up the steps. Otherwise, my day would’ve been busy cleaning up your blood.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Robyn.”

  She smirked, her hands on her hips. “Oh, I’m sorry. That must’ve been your doppelganger coming out of the bedroom with Liam.”

  “We slept in the same room,” I said, glaring at the mirror. “My clothes were soaked; he gave me a shirt. That doesn’t mean anything happened.”

  She chuckled humorlessly, shaking her head as she started for the door. Knocking on the doorframe as she passed through, she said, “Thin walls.”

  I blanched. There was no way she'd heard us. We were rooms away. Unless she’d gone to the bathroom. Thinking back, I didn’t remember hearing anyone else. Then, I was preoccupied.

  Robyn went straight to Jayson when she walked in the living room. I hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. Walking into a war zone wasn’t how I wanted to start my day. Tyler was going over the shipment that was expected in at the end of the week. It still blew my mind that they discussed drugs as if they were trading stamps. There was no talk of the fight or of what almost happened to me last night. The mood wasn't tense at all. Everything seemed to be back to normal. I wished it felt that way for me. The whole scene was a surreal nightmare I couldn’t escape. Even Liam looked relaxed, leaned back next to Tyler with his arms crossed over his bare chest as if he weren’t the cause of Tyler’s swollen lip. Did nights like last night happen so frequently that they were immune to them? I couldn’t do this. I had to get out. Now. Away from the insanity, I would be able to think. I needed normalcy, not multiple personalities. At least at my house the bad guys could be turned off, and drug use was just a warning on a video game. I desperately wanted to see my own room and sleep in my bed. I needed my dad down the hall.

  I made a beeline for the door without a second glance at any of them. The room fell silent as the door opened, and I ignored my name being called by more than one voice as I closed it. I resisted the urge to run. I had to keep up appearances but at the same time, the fear of being dragged back inside pushed me forward. I could almost see my front door whe
n someone grabbed my arm. I jerked away, on the verge of screaming. It was Liam.

  "You just going to take off without saying goodbye?"

  It was harder to look at him in the light of day. Every ounce of his rugged perfection was free from shadows. I couldn’t truly appreciate him because I was also on full display. His brown eyes would miss nothing here in the bright sunlight. They would see every flaw.

  Inside Robyn’s world, flaws were overlooked, accepted. Not just my own but everyone’s. It was easy enough to pretend the party was real, and that we were all one big group of friends getting together for a good time. Even when an ugly truth reared its head as it had last night, the mask was seamlessly put back into place when it was all over. That’s what they were doing now, denying the affairs and drug addictions. Their world effortlessly sucked me inside.

  On the inside, I was special and wanted. Innocence in a world of sin. At least I had been until last night. In the light of day, I was afraid Liam would see the truth. See me for the hypocritical fake I was. Robyn didn’t like me because she already saw it. A spoiled girl who had everything but still wanted more. I didn’t have absentee parents or a history of abuse to blame for my bad behavior. In truth, I’d always chastised Robyn because she was doing exactly what I wanted. Now that I had a taste, and it was a delicious taste, I was changed forever. That scared me to death.

  Looking at Liam, I was struck with the realization that my adolescent fantasy to take Robyn’s place was more than just wishful thinking now. This was real life, and I was literally standing where she had stood.

  Liam was shirtless and barefoot, his hair just touching his shoulders. I’d seen him like this before, though I hadn’t known him at the time. I’d been on the phone with Anna, analyzing his tattoo and debating whether or not I’d get one at eighteen. Things were so much different now that I’d traced the bristled vine with my fingertip. Now that I knew the ink transformed into a set of intense eyes on his shoulder blade. It was those eyes that triggered the memory from years ago.