by Erin Trejo
“It’s fucked up! All of our dad’s were worthless!” Fox snaps. His might have been worse than any of ours. He beat him and his mom. Killed his little brother when he beat him to death. That’s why the bastard is in prison too. I rest my hand on his shoulder letting him know that’s okay. He just shrugs me off and storms back toward the party. Cato huffs out a breath and sits on the old milk crates behind him. That’s when Clarissa walks up with Layla. Except they aren’t alone. Shadow has his arm wrapped around Layla’s shoulder, a smirk plastered across his face.
“Look what I found. Some of the sexiest things at the party,” Shadow slurs.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hiss each word until Clarissa speaks up.
“I’m not doing an-“
“Not you! Her!” I snap pointing at Layla. She smirks an evil smirk that pisses me off a little more.
Chapter 14
Layla
That look in Ace’s eyes is hot as hell just like the man himself. There’s something dark in him that chills me to the bone, but his hatred keeps me at bay. I like that better anyway. He can’t get to me if I don’t I let him, and I won’t.
“I’m hanging out with Shadow,” I say softly keeping the smirk in place. If I can’t wiggle my way into their crew, I will go above them. I need to know what Rico has on them and that sure as hell isn’t coming from Rico himself. In fact, this might be the best option for all. If I can get one over on Rico, I’ll do it.
“No, you’re not,” Ace hisses, that dark glint flickering in his eyes.
“I don’t think you can tell me who the hell I can talk to or hang out with.” I watch his eyes darken even further when Brody moves. He grabs my wrist and yanks me out of Shadow’s grasp, pulling me into his side. Shadow chuckles but doesn’t make a move to touch me again.
“What is your problem?” Brody’s loud voice vibrates in my ear. Shadow turns on his heel and walks away laughing and before I can answer Brody, Ace grabs my opposite hand and drags me away. I almost fight him but I’m interested to see what he has to say. So instead of saying a word, I let him drag me down the back alley. I move quickly, keeping up with his pace as heat courses through my body. Once we’re far enough from the party, he spins on me, shoving me against an old broken down garage. His hand comes to my throat, much like it has before.
“You like fucking with me?” He asks, leaning in closely. His breath dances over my skin, heating me from the inside out.
“I haven’t fucked you yet,” I tell him honestly. His eyes burn into mine as he rests his forehead on mine.
“But you plan on it?”
“What are you asking me, Ace?” There’s a challenge behind his gaze. A challenge I’ll accept with my arms wide open. He can’t win this. I won’t let him. I’ve come too far in my life to lose to him.
“Are you a fucking snitch? Are you working your way into our world for information?” His bluntness takes me by surprise. So much so that it makes me laugh. Right here in his face I laugh. His hand squeezes tighter but I don’t flinch. I stare back at a man, another man that wants to break me. No one can do that, not after what Rico has done.
“You want to know a secret?” I ask him licking my lips. He inclines his head and waits. “What if I told you that everything you think about me is true? That I am a whore. That I am out for information. What then?” Ace pulls his head back and stares at me not saying a word. He doesn’t need to. His eyes hold the conversation that his lips aren’t ready to have. When neither of us speak, he moves. His hands reach for my pants, yanking them down my legs. I kick them off with my shoes as Ace pulls his own down. When our eyes lock, heat stirs inside of me.
“Let’s find out,” he growls, lifting me and pinning me with his hard on. His cock slides inside of me as I gasp. His hips move, thrusting into me as I cling to his shoulders.
“Fuck,” I whisper as the feeling of having him inside of me takes hold. Ace grips my ass in his hands, squeezing tightly as he fucks me in this filthy back alley. I don’t care where we are. I don’t care that this is a hate fuck either. All I care about is that he doesn’t stop. His lips move to my neck, licking and sucking until he bites into my flesh. I clench around him, holding him tightly.
“Damn, Lala. You are good at this,” he growls and takes me harder, rougher. Each thrust has my legs going weak. Each flick of his tongue makes my heart leap into my throat until I can’t take anymore. My body trembles as a line of curse words fall from Ace’s lips when we both come. My body tightens, tenses as I explode around him. His teeth dig into my shoulder causing the most delicious burn as his seed hits me deeply. My head falls to his shoulder as I catch my breath.
“Who are you?” He whispers into my neck.
“I’m the dead girl,” I whisper back. He doesn’t let me go right away but once he slides out of me, I grab my jeans and pull them back on along with my shoes.
“This changes nothing,” he reminds me as if I didn’t already know that.
“Meant nothing to me either.” Liar. He held onto me. He gave me something that no one else has given me. He kissed my neck. None of the other guys that have touched me have made me feel so alive. Turning on my heel, I start to walk back toward the house when Ace calls out to me.
“Hey!” Glancing over my shoulder, I stare at the dark eyes. “I’m going to find out who you are.” I smirk.
“I look forward to it.”
Chapter 15
Acen
The pen flicks between my fingers as I tap the end on the desk. The teacher is pissed but what the fuck is she going to do about it? Not a damn thing. My heads been off since the weekend.
“She kicked that ball for a reason,” Brody says annoying me further. I don’t need to hear his theory on things. I don’t care to know them, so I ignore him.
“She saw everything. What the hell would she do that for?” Fox asks this time. The pen keeps clicking. Click. Click. Click.
“I don’t get it either,” Cato adds.
“Enough!” I roar when I’m sick of hearing them talking. I’m tired of them trying to analyze why Layla does anything she does. She’s irrational and does stupid things. I don’t think she has a reason behind them either. She’s just impulsive. The teacher looks over her shoulder at me and I flip her off before shoving out of my desk. I grab my bag and storm through the room. I know the guys will follow and as soon as we’re in the hallway, all hell breaks loose.
“What the hell is with you?” Brody is the first to ask. I figured it’d be him.
“There’s nothing happening with me. I’m just sick of hearing about her!”
“Why?” Fox pushes.
“She’s off, man. She isn’t one of us so why the hell are you trying to talk about her like she is?” I look between the three of them waiting for an answer I never get.
“She could have saved our asses that night, Acen. Don’t down play that,” Cato says looking me in the eye.
“So what? You want to throw her a party? Buy her a damn cake? What difference does it make?” I boom looking between them once more.
“I think we need to see why the hell she did it.” My head snaps to Brody’s, our eyes locking.
“You want to fuck her, admit that.”
“What?”
“That’s why you want in with her so badly. You just want a piece of our little toy,” I repeat myself crossing my arms over my chest.
“You’re mixing things up in your head, Ace.”
“Admit it. Admit that you want her.” I shrug my shoulders waiting on him to say it.
“I don’t need your shit, Ace.” In seconds, Brody turns and storms down the hallway not bothering to look back. I chuckle under my breath when Fox punches me in the shoulder.
“What is with you? You sleep with her? That why you’re busting his ass over this?” I pull my gaze from all of them and look off into the distance. Whoever I fuck is none of their concern. Never has been.
“Damn it, Acen! That’s it isn’t it?” I flip them
all off and storm down the hall until I get to the doors. I can hear one of them punch the lockers but I don’t stop until I’m outside. That’s when I see her. She’s talking to some guy that I’ve never seen before around here. I don’t know him and that pisses me off slightly. Either way, I stand back and watch. Her eyes are sad, tears leaking down her cheeks. His hand is on her shoulder as he talks to her. There’s an itch in the back of my mind that doesn’t sit well with me. A nagging that won’t go away. The guy grabs her and pulls her into his arms. She willingly goes, her head resting on his shoulder. Anger and fury fight inside of my stomach. I don’t like this feeling she evokes in me. I don’t like seeing someone touching her but I don’t really want her for myself. Or do I? Is that what this is? The guy slowly pulls his head back, his eyes locking with mine. My feet move, my cock thinking before my head. I’m storming toward them when Layla turns her head to look at me. My breath catches in my throat from the look in her eyes. She shakes her head and turns back to the man that she’s been hanging off, reaching up to grab his face in her hands. My body practically vibrates, ready to explode.
“I’m sorry, Layla. I don’t know what else to say. I’ll see what I can find out for you, sweetheart,” the guy says before leaning down and kissing her cheek. That’s all I can take. I move in, grabbing the guy and throwing him away from her. My fists are clenched when he catches himself and comes back after me. His fist comes up to slam into my jaw, knocking my head to the side.
“Knock it off you asshole!” Layla screams but I don’t listen. I know that’s directed at me. Instead, I move in on the guy. I swing, catching his jaw. His next hit bashes my ribs. Shit, that’s going to leave a bruise. Anger flares in my chest. This time, I don’t stop. I swing until I can’t see straight. I swing until my knuckles hurt and I’m being pulled away from him.
“Get off me!” I roar shaking the hold the guys have on me now. They release me as Layla drops next to her little friend. Fire races down my spine and they all feel it. Brody moves first, grabbing Layla off the ground and shoving her back a few steps. She immediately looks at him about to say something when he nods toward me. Murder. That’s what I feel. I’m murderous right now over a girl that isn’t even mine. But she is. In my head, she is and that’s the fucked up part. I take one step toward her friend when she’s in front of me. Her hands are pressed against my chest as my heart beats erratically inside of me. I lower my eyes to hers for one second and that’s all it takes. Something inside of me settles. My anger subsides slightly. What the hell is she doing to me?
“Back off, Acen,” she growls low in her throat.
“Can’t do that, Lala.”
“You can and you will.”
“Who the hell is he?”
“He’s none of your business. Back. Off.” Each word is a slap to the face. She’s right. I need to back the fuck off. I need to step away but I can’t. I won’t do it, not right now when everything else is so up in the air. My nostrils flare as I watch the guy wiping his busted lip on the back of his hand. That is until her hands grasp my face and force me to look at her. I lower my head, eyes locking when she shocks the hell out of me. Pushing up on her toes, she crashes her lips to mine. It’s a punishing kiss that I didn’t expect from her. I kiss her back, nipping her lip and dragging it between my teeth. She moans when I bite down, tasting the metallic blood as it dances between our mouths.
“Fuck!” Brody roars from next to me but I don’t stop. I can’t, not with her. Her tongue runs along my lips and I part them. Sucking her tongue into my mouth, they dance in a world of their own. My hands move around her waist, pulling her body against mine. Her softness calls to me. Her body begs for this but is it going too far?
“I’m out, Layla. I’ll call when I get something,” the guy says. Layla tries to pull away then but I don’t let her. I kiss her harder making her whimper into my mouth. Only when her lips are swollen and bruised from my kiss do I let her go. She steps back breathlessly as I run my hand through my hair.
“Damn it. Damn it!” I roar spinning on my heel and stomping off toward my car.
“You’re going with us,” I hear Fox tell her. I don’t hear her argue when I jump into the driver’s seat and slam my door shut. The guys all climb in but I can smell her. Her fucking scent drifts through the air tugging at my senses. Shoving my key into the ignition, I throw it in drive and haul ass out of the parking lot. I don’t know where the fuck I’m going, I just need to go.
Chapter 16
Layla
Confused doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel right now. Sandwiched between Brody and Fox on the couch at Ace’s makes me uncomfortable. My knee bounces up and down as I watch Cato pacing the floor, his hand tangled in his hair. The feeling is intense in this room.
“Can you sit down?” I snap when I can’t take anymore. It isn’t just his nerves that are on edge. They are sending me spiraling.
“Could you shut the hell up?” He snaps back over at me.
“Your pacing is making us all crazy,” I tell him.
“Speak for yourself,” Brody adds in a pissed off tone.
“What the hell is your problem?” I snap looking to my left where he sits.
“Don’t have one.”
“All of you shut the hell up. Why is this even a fight?” Fox asks.
“He’s making it one,” I muse, rolling my eyes and pointing at Brody. “Why do I need to be here anyway?”
“Because Ace said you need to be here,” Cato chimes in. These guys are all too intense for me today. I don’t want to be here. After the shit with Ace the other day at school, I wanted to be left alone. Fat chance of that. They’ve been on my ass the last two days and I hate it. A door opens behind us and we all turn at the same time to see Ace’s mom stumbling out of her room.
“Hey there boys! Who the hell is that?” Her happy eyes move from them to me. I narrow my eyes at her trying to gauge her, read her but she’s just as washed up as my mom. I roll my eyes and spin back to face Cato once more. Suddenly, a hand is wrapped in my hair and I’m being yanked over the back of the couch. My feet flail as I try to regain some balance. I twist around and I’m about to unleash on someone when I see it’s her. His mom has me by the hair, her hands slapping and clawing at my face. I want to punch her so badly but this is my friends mother. I can’t hit Clarissa’s mom! Instead, I try to shove her off me to no avail. She keeps slapping my face, hitting me until my lip bleeds.
“You are a troublemaker! You little bitch!” I’m not sure what I did to her exactly but the guys rush in and pull her off me. I’m catching my breath when I hear his voice. It’s so dark and deadly it sends a chill down my spine.
“You ever put your hands on her and I’ll make sure the next vial of shit you push into your veins is the last.” We all turn to see Ace walking toward us. He saw that?
“I’m your mother!”
“You’re a fucking junkie! You aren’t my mother!”
“Yes, I am, Acen!”
“Not according to dad.” Gasps fall all around me but I’m a little lost. Her eyes widen as she looks at him shaking her head.
“When did you talk to him?” She asks scratching at her skin. Her nails dig into her own flesh as she moves toward him.
“Today. Seems you’re not only a junkie but a damn good liar too. Why? Why lie about it?” Confusion seeps into me. I start to back away from the scene since it’s a family issue but Fox grabs me from behind and stops me. He leans down and whispers in my ear, “Stay. He’s going to need you after this.”
“What can I do? He hates me,” I hiss over my shoulder. The silent laughter vibrates through Fox as he holds me against him.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s a liar. I’ve taken care of you, Acen. You and Clarissa!” his mom has tears in her eyes and I almost feel badly for her. No, not really. I’m sure this was her own doing.
“Have you?” He asks stepping closer to her. “I have taken care of me. I have taken care of
Clarissa. Not you. You have done nothing but shoot that shit into your body. I get it, I do. He started this shit all those years ago and you’ve had to do what you had to do. But when does it stop? Huh? When does Clarissa get her mom back?” His voice has dropped to a level that people should fear. The devil dances in his tone as he steps closer and closer to her, I hate seeing the look in his eyes. I know that feeling. The uselessness. The pain. I know what that feels like.
“You don’t know anything.”
“Who is my mom?” He asks through clenched teeth. I can see his jaw grinding as he waits. Glancing over at Brody, he watches in awe of what’s happening too. Turning to look at Cato, he’s lost. None of them know what to do here. None of them have had to do this before.
“Me!”
“You’re not!” Ace roars before grabbing her around the throat. He slams her against the counter as she cries, tears leaking down her cheeks. I shrug out of Fox’s hold and walk closer, needing to feel the energy of him. It’s a strange connection that I feel toward him but it’s magnetic.
“Who is it?” The closer I get the more I feel. I want to reach for him, pull him into my arms and make him forget. Make him realize that he doesn’t need to know because why would it matter?
“She knows,” I whisper seeing the look in her eyes.
“Get out of my house!” His mom yells but Ace tightens his hold, looking at me as I move closer. I smirk, a sickly dark smirk as it all shines in her eyes.
“She knows who your mom is. Look at her. Look in her eyes,” I say softly as I watch her. Ace stares at the side of my head but I can’t look away from her. She hurt him. Clarissa is no doubt going to be devastated when she hears about this too. She hurt my friend.
“You know,” Acen whispers. I look over at him to see who he’s talking to. His gaze fixed back on hers.
“She was a whore! Your dad was with her. He cheated on me with her and brought you home when she overdosed.” Her tears fall harder, faster. Shock hits Ace like a ton of bricks. He drops her to the floor as he takes a step back, scrubbing his hand over his face.