Resurrecting the Enemy

by M. E. Clayton

  He didn’t say anything for a bit, but when he finally did, I’d never felt more grateful to have a man like my father on my side. “Just let us know whatever it is you need, Ram.”

  I let out the deep breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding in. “Thanks, Dad.”

  Then he smirked. “Good luck, son.”

  I laughed. “Thanks,” I told him. “Because I’m going to need it.”

  Chapter 6

  Lake~

  It was Wednesday afternoon, school was out, and I just wanted to go home and eat my confusion and feelings away.

  My pictures haven’t been plastered all over the internet, nor has anyone attempted to kidnap me in a bid to ensure my silence. But my nerves were still pretty much frayed by this point.

  I didn’t like being at the mercy of Ramsey Reed, and that’s how I felt. As much as I was grateful to have my camera, it wasn’t worth the price of my sanity, and I was seeing that now. I could have easily gotten a cheaper camera or something to tide me over until I could afford better. Sure, this newfound realization was a few days too late, and that was what was grating on my nerves.

  I let Ramsey bully me and I shouldn’t have.

  “Hey, do you think you can borrow your Mom’s car Friday?” Eden asked.

  “For the party?” We never drove to parties. We either walked or hitched rides. A few times, we’ve called a cab or Uber’d our way around because, not only was drinking and driving dangerous, our families didn’t have the money or clout to get us out of drunk driving charges.

  “No, not for the party.” Eden smiled. “The drama department got a new donation, so they’re getting rid of a lot of old costumes and props and stuff. I wanted to grab a few things.” Eden wanted to be a producer, whether plays, movies, music, whatever, she just wanted to create from her imagination, so she was heavily involved in our arts program.

  “Oh, okay,” I replied, pretty sure Mom would say yes. “I’ll ask.”

  “Thanks, Lake. That’s so-holy shit,” she rushed out. “Is that…that Reed Jr.?”

  My head jerked around, and holy shit was right. Parked in a goddamn reserved parking spot for faculty was a shiny black Range Rover, and Ramsey fucking Reed Jr. was casually leaning up against its side with muscular, sinewy arms crossed over his chest.

  Goddamn it.

  While my hope was that he was here for something legitimate, my entire being screamed that he was here for me. But why? He’d secured my pictures and silence already, what more could he possibly want with me? Other to torment me, of course.

  And I hated how shitty I felt at possibly being ‘caught’. I hadn’t told Eden anything about how I’d met Satan 2.0 up close and personal on Sunday night, and that made me feel like the worst kind of best friend. I had really hoped I’d seen the last of the guy when he had let me go, but I guess I was wrong.

  “What in the hell is he doing at SC?” she mumbled quietly, like she was thinking out loud. And my stomach sank even further when she said, “He doesn’t mess with girls outside of Windsor, or so I’ve heard. And he’s not friends with any of the guys here, so what the hell?”

  And then, before I could comment or fucking turn around and head the other way, his chin lifted in challenge, and he crooked his finger at me. Beside me, I heard Eden let out a little gasp, and that was enough to ignite my anger. Sure, it was my fault I’d kept this thing with Ramsey from Eden, but him showing up here was uncalled for. Eden was right. There was no reason for him to be here.

  “Did he just…is he calling you?” she whispered in surprise.

  “I’ll explain later,” I promised her. “Just…don’t show any weakness, okay?”

  “Don’t show any weakness?” she squawked under her breath. “Why? What the hell is going on?”

  “I’ll tell you later,” I repeated, but before she could ask the millions of questions that were racing through her mind, Ramsey straightened to his full height, a clear indication that he didn’t like that I hadn’t jumped when he had ordered me to.

  I glance around and all thoughts of getting home vanished with the sight of Ramsey Reed Jr. standing in SC High’s parking lot. Students were slowing their gait or milling around, pretending to be busy on their phones. Or, hell, they probably were busy on their phones, hash tagging the shit out of Ramsey being here. And some students were just flat-out staring, not trying to hide their curiosity one bit.

  There was no way to avoid a scene, but maybe I could work it to minimal damage by just walking over to see what the hell the guy wanted.

  “Follow me, but don’t say anything, okay?” I didn’t wait for her to answer. I started walking towards Ramsey, and I knew-I just knew-all eyes were on me.

  It also sucked that he was so damn good-looking. The guy was beautiful like I imagined Satan was. His beauty was blinding, but the aura around it shimmered with evil. Angels brought hope. Demons brought despair. And Ramsey Reed Jr. was a demon, if I ever saw one.

  I stopped only a couple of feet away from him. “Are you lost?” I asked, remembering those same words he’d spoken to me on Sunday night.

  The corner of his lip curled. “No,” he replied. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

  I hiked my backpack up higher over my right shoulder. “Doubtful,” I retorted. “Or else you’d be strolling through the golden hallways of Windsor right about now.” Eden choked on a bit of horror behind me. No doubt she must be thinking I had to be insane to be talking to Ramsey like this.

  He chose to ignore my bullshit and said, “Get in the car.”

  “Don’t think so, Reed,” I scoffed.

  His stance still looked casual, but the tick in his jaw told a different story. “Call me Reed one more time and see what happens,” he threatened.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, wanting to get this-whatever this was-over with as soon as possible.

  And in a voice that almost shook me to my toes, he said, “I’m here for you.”

  I shook my head. “That’s also doubtful,” I replied. “And even if that were true, I’m not interested.”

  Before he could say anything, I could feel Eden step closer. I knew she thought she was whispering, but the silence all around us made it possible for Ramsey to hear her clearly. “Uh, Curt’s watching.”

  My eyes still on the lion in front of me, poised to attacked, I whispered back, “I don’t care.” Which was true, but I could see that Ramsey cared.

  With those whiskey-colored eyes regarding me, studying me, taunting me in front of everyone who had stayed back to be nosey, Ramsey reached out, grabbed me by my shirt, and yanked me forward. I collided with his chest, and when my hands slapped his chest for support, his left arm came around me and anchored me to his body.

  I wanted to kill him.

  “What are you doing?” I hissed between my very clenched teeth.

  He released my shirt, but it wasn’t to do me any favors. His free hand slid upward until it was cradling the back of my neck, and I knew he’d done it on purpose to make it look like there was something between us.

  “You should have just gotten in the car like I told you to, Lake,” he chuckled darkly.

  “Get your hands off me, Ramsey.”

  He leaned forward and his breath was warm against my ear when he said, “Good girl.” His thumb started rubbing back and forth behind my ear. “I like the way my name sounds on your lips.”

  “Stop it,” I growled. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but it stops now.”

  Ramsey leaned back, so we were face-to-face again. “You’re out of your fucking mind, baby, if you think you’re calling the shots here.”

  “Lake? We’re going to be late for the bus.”

  I took a deep breath at Eden’s voice and that was a big mistake. Ramsey was holding me tight enough that my chest rubbed against his body when I inhaled.

  And I hated that his body felt good up against mine.

  I turned my head back to face Eden, and my heart sank because
she truly looked worried. But I also didn’t miss how Curt was standing behind her, a few yards away. I also didn’t miss how Erica Chambers was also standing around, though she was a few cars over and nowhere near Curt.

  “It’s fine, Eden,” I lied. “You go ahead. I’ll be right there.”

  Just as she was about to say something more, her eyes widened at the same moment I felt a pair warm lips dance up and down my stretched neck. My entire body broke out in shivers, but I wasn’t sure if it was from anger or lust.

  I wanted to push Ramsey off me. I wanted to make it clear he didn’t have permission to touch me. He was trouble I didn’t need or want. But with both Curt and Eric watching, I couldn’t do it. While I no longer had feelings for Curt, I couldn’t deny that a part of me hoped it bothered him to see me in another guy’s arms. I also felt slightly vindicated in front of Erica. She might be able to get any guy she wanted at SC High, but I was the one wrapped up in Ramsey Reed’s arms right now.

  Unfortunately, I also knew the price for my pride was going to be high.

  I turned back towards Ramsey, but before I could say anything about him taking liberties, he looked over at Eden and said, “Get in the car. I’ll drive you both home.” And what did Eden do?

  She got in the fucking car.

  Chapter 7

  Ramsey~

  Lake was beyond pissed, and even her friend it the back seat knew it, therefore, making the drive uncomfortable as hell.

  Mom and Dad had stayed through dinner last night, but the moment they had taken off for Port Lucia, Maddox and delivered all the goods on Lake Warren to my room. He’d handed me four folders, one labeled, Lake Warren, one labeled Randal/Bethany Warren, one labeled Eden Rudolph, and the final one labeled Curt Metcalf. Maddox had gotten everything on Lake, her parents, her best friend, and her ex-boyfriend.

  After spending all evening pouring through everything Mad had gotten me, I found out that Lake lived a relatively normal life with photography being her only real passion. Her parents were normal, and they worked normal jobs, and their lives were blessedly normal.

  Going through Eden Rudolph’s file, she lived pretty much the same existence as Lake. Only Eden’s passion was entertainment as in music, movies, plays, etc. Her parents were just as normal as the Warrens, and Eden was between boyfriends at the moment. I also found out Lake and Eden have been best friends for most of their lives. They were a tight duet.

  As for what Maddox had dug up on Curt Metcalf, other than being a cheating asshole, he led a pretty normal life, as well. He was a Sands Cove High soccer star, and up until his lapse in judgement where Erica Chambers was concerned, it appeared as if he’d really been committed to Lake. However, that didn’t win him any points with me. If I’ve learned anything from my family, it was that cheating was a cardinal sin. It was one of The Ten Commandments for a reason.

  There were many things a woman might forgive, but choosing another woman over them, wasn’t one of them. Nothing damaged the fairer sex like another woman in the picture. Cheating was one of the most humiliating things you could do to a female because, unlike men, we weren’t raised with the same social pressures as women were. Men reach the age of fifty, with greying hair and potbellies, and the world doesn’t blink an eye. Women reach the age of fifty with greying hair and weight from childbearing, stress, or just life in general, and that’s unacceptable. Her husband ends up trading her in for a younger model, and no one says shit. It was a crappy deal, if you asked me.

  Pulling up to Ryland Street, Eden piped up from the backseat. “My house is-”

  “I know,” I said, interrupting her. It was all for Lake’s benefit, of course. She was probably stewing with resentment that I knew where her best friend lived.

  The car was silent when I pulled up next to the curb in front of Eden’s house. Nothing was said as sounds of Eden getting out of the car filled the uncomfortable silence. But as Eden shut the door behind her, Lake reached for her seatbelt, and my fingers flexed around the steering wheel.

  “Well, it-”

  “Put your seatbelt back on,” I commanded. “I’m not dropping you off here.”

  Just then Eden tapped the passenger side window and Lake lowered it for her. “You…uh, are you getting dow-”

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  Eden wisely kept her mouth shut, but the poor girl looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. She clearly had no idea what to do.

  Lake took a deep breath before looking over at me. “I can get a ride home from-”

  I leaned in a bit, not caring if Eden could hear me or not. “Do you honestly believe I went to SC to give you a ride to your friend’s house?”

  “I don’t know why you went to SC,” she fired back. “And I really don’t care.”

  “Well, you should,” I informed her. “Especially, since I went there for you.”

  “So you already said,” she replied. “But I can’t see any reason why you felt the need.”

  I arched a brow. “Oh, you don’t?”

  Lake shook her head and reached for the door handle. My hand snaked out and grabbed her upper arm. My eyes pinned to hers, I said, “I hope you do try to get out of this car, Lake.” The look she shot me would have leveled a lesser man. “Take your fucking hand off that handle and put your goddamn seatbelt back on, Lake. Or, so help me God, you’ll regret it.”

  And points for Eden, she came to her best friend’s defense. “Oh, hey,” she jumped in. “You can’t force her to go with you, if she doesn’t want to.”

  I leaned in farther to make sure Eden got a good look at my face. “Who’s going to stop me? You?”

  Lake looked back at me. “That’s enough,” she bit out.

  I jerked my head towards her friend. “You better get that shit under control if you don’t want her becoming a Reed casualty.”

  Lake’s blue eyes fired with anger and a good amount of hate. “Do not threaten my friend,” she seethed.

  “Don’t make me threaten her,” I shot back. “Play nice, Lake, and Eden will be safe.”

  “Whatever you’re up to, leave Eden out of it,” she demanded. “She has nothing to do with this.”

  “Well, now, her role in all this depends entirely on you.”

  “Lake, don’t worry about me,” Eden said through the window. “If you don’t want to go with him, just get out of the car.” The girl wasn’t a coward, I’d give her that.

  When Lake turned to look back at her friend, my hand on her arm tightened. If Lake got out of this car, shit was going to get ugly. Well, ugly for her, not me.

  I already knew I was fucked when I couldn’t stop thinking about her. And I knew my dick was fucked every single time I thought about how she fought back. But standing in the SC High’s parking lot, watching her walking with Eden, unguarded and casual, had added a whole other level of crazy to what I’d already been feeling. Especially, when Eden had mentioned how her ex-boyfriend had been watching us.

  It had been a gamble when I had leaned forward to kiss Lake on the neck, but it had paid off. With her ex-boyfriend watching, I’d felt pretty confident that she wouldn’t push me off. Pride was a motherfucker, and Lake Warren had it in spades. She might be over her cheating ex, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still a bit bitter about it all.

  Lake let out a deep breath. She looked at her friend, and said, “It’s okay, Eden. I’ll call you tonight and explain everything. I promise.”

  Eden started chewing on her bottom lip. “I don’t know, Lake…”

  “It’s not as bad as it looks,” Lake lied. “I swear. It’s okay.”

  She didn’t look convinced, but said, “Call me as soon as you get home, okay?”

  Lake nodded. “I promise.”

  Then Eden Rudolph impressed me more when she looked over at me and said, “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but if anything happens to Lake, I won’t care who you are.”

  I arched a brow. “Careful who you talk to like that, Ede
n,” I warned, regardless of how impressed I might have been. “Lake’s a big girl. She can take care of herself. You might want to remember that before you put everyone you love on my shit list.” I wasn’t winning any points with Lake by threatening her friend, but I couldn’t have her thinking I wasn’t serious about this shit. About her.

  Lake’s head jerked back towards me. “I said that’s enough,” she snapped before turning back to Eden. “I promise it’s okay,” she repeated. “I’ll call you, okay?”

  Eden nodded her head, but the girl was pissed. “Okay,” she finally relented, and with that, she turned and walked towards her house.

  Once Lake had refastened her seatbelt, I let go of her arm. However, she was quick to light into me. “Don’t ever threatened Eden again,” she hissed. “I mean it, Ramsey.”

  I pulled the car away from the curb. “I already told you,” I replied. “That’s entirely up to you.”

  “You’re a bastard.”

  “I know exactly who my father is,” I chuckled darkly.

  Her voice was low when she remarked, “We all do.”

  Ignoring her comment as I drove us more towards the upper hills of Sands Cove, I said, “Open the glove compartment.”

  “Why?”

  “Just fucking do it, Lake,” I snapped, not used to people challenging me.

  She did was she was told, opened it, and pulled out the folders. I didn’t say anything as she sifted through them, the point I was making obvious.

  Outrage was plain as day in her voice. “What in the hell do you want from me?”

  “I don’t want anything from you,” I told her.

  “Then what is it you want?

  “I don’t want anything from you, Lake,” I told her. “What I want is you. Just you. All of you.”

  Chapter 8

  Lake~

  I could hardly breathe.

  His words were like an anvil on my chest, and I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to push it off.

  ‘What I want is you.’

  What did that even mean? So what? He wanted to sleep with me? But that made no sense. The guy could have any girl he wanted. And if he was in the mood for slumming it, Erica Chambers could be in his car with him right now. It made no sense that he’d want me.