I eased my body over hers all the way and our eyes met for a split second before we kissed again.
The rush she gave me was like nothing I had ever felt before in my life.
My hands explored her sides as my body explored the rest of her.
She warmed up very quickly, which wasn’t a surprise to me at all.
We traded kisses and glances. A few quick smiles. She looked at the ocean again so I kissed her back again. Then I kissed down to her shoulder. And down some more.
Belle whispered my name as her nails scratched the back of my arms.
I gently kissed from her chest back up to her mouth.
Our lips touched but I didn’t kiss her.
We were just there. Together.
Together…
I moved in her and with her. Feeling the seconds falling away and the buildup between us. Like watching a wave way out in the ocean, wondering how big and amazing it would be once it got closer to the shore.
Our noses touched and Belle tried to kiss me but only got the air.
She exhaled a breath into my mouth.
I stole a kiss from her.
Her eyes locked to mine again.
And she nodded.
I gritted my teeth.
The crashing wave was always the best part.
* * *
Belle sat with the blanket around her shoulders.
I was in jeans and nothing else, sitting with my feet hanging off the back of the SUV.
“I had to fight Lizzy,” Belle said.
I looked back at her. “I know.”
“I just… when I saw her…”
“You don’t have to explain it to me, angel.”
“What she did to me was one thing. But then to Mara… you didn’t see it, Ash. I know Uly got pissed and everything. But Mara kind of hid it a little. She let it go. I couldn’t though. What Lizzy and those other two said to her.”
I turned and reached for Belle’s leg over the blanket. “Tell me about it.”
“Vera got so jealous of that girl dancing and singing at Hil,” Belle said.
“I saw that.”
“She wanted to fight that girl,” Belle said. “I reminded her that she had seen Uly and Hil play shows before. There was no difference. So then Mara decided to join us. We all walked down to the water as Uly and Hil played. I got Vera to calm down and then I heard someone laugh. Just that little snicker of a laugh. And I turned my head and she was standing there. With those other two.”
“And you lost your cool, huh?”
“Oh, Ash, I wanted to…” Belle swallowed hard. She looked ready to cry.
I touched her cheek. “It’s not easy sometimes. I know. But sometimes you have to do it.”
She nodded. “Yeah. I could just tell something was going to happen one way or another. And what she did just kept running through my head. So I had to swing first, Ash. I had to show her that I wasn’t going to play her games. I wasn’t going to be pushed around. Last time with Mara…”
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “You had to get out of there. At least Danica was around.”
“She was there tonight too.”
“I saw her.”
“I feel bad I don’t hang around her as much,” Belle said. “I’m just consumed by… you. Them.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
I wasn’t holding Belle back on anything in her life.
It was just busy.
We were silent for a few seconds and Belle wiped the corners of her eyes.
Then she smiled and looked at me.
“What?” I asked.
“It kind of felt good to do.”
“What did?”
“Hitting that bitch,” Belle said. “And I mean… hitting her.”
I laughed. “I mean, it looked like a fair fight for a second there.”
Belle leaned forward. “Bite your tongue, Ash. I punched her. She tried to slap me and then grabbed my hair. We stumbled into the water and I tripped. That’s the only reason she looked like she had me for a second. She slammed me into the water and I grabbed her and did the same.”
“You know… two girls in the water, fighting, wet… might have been Raza’s best party ever.”
“Shut up,” Belle said. “I was waiting for you to say that. Better yet, if Hil was here…”
“Oh, I’m sure Hil had a mild heart attack watching it. He whistled at Vera to tell her to fight. It was weirdly romantic. The way they looked at each other. Then when the fight was over, they started kissing. It was… they’re fucking psycho.”
Belle laughed.
My phone kept buzzing.
I finally reached for it.
“I guess I should find out where Uly and Hil ended up,” I said.
The missed calls weren’t from Uly or Hil.
It was from my father.
“Shit,” I said.
“What’s wrong?” Belle asked.
“My father called me. I’ll be right back.”
I climbed out of the SUV and called him back.
“Ashby,” his voice boomed through the phone.
“Sorry. I was-”
“I wanted you to hear this from me before it gets around.”
“What?” I asked.
“He’s getting out.”
“Getting out? Who? What are you talking about?”
“I’ll tell you who, Ashby… that piece of shit that killed your mother… he’s getting out of prison.”
Chapter 8
Belle was sound asleep in my bed.
In fresh clothes.
Dry hair.
Curled up in about fifteen blankets.
She slept like it was negative fifty degrees outside.
But she looked cozy.
Sleep wasn’t anywhere near with everything on my mind.
I just kept hearing my father’s voice yelling through the phone. The obvious anger that was mixed with hidden pain. I never got the chance to talk to him about his and my mother’s marriage. What was good and bad. What had her out on the road that time, with me in the back. When the accident happened and my mother gave her life to make sure I would survive…
I stood up from the bed and shut my eyes tight.
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
That motherfucker is going to walk on some fucking circumstantial bullshit, Ashby! When I get home, I’m going to fucking bury him! I told everyone… one fucking sniff from that asshole and we take him out… fuck…
There wasn’t anything I could say to him.
When Samson Rivers was pissed, you backed the hell away. You let him get it out. You let him do what he needed to do.
To make it worse, he wasn’t home.
He was in London on a business trip.
I didn’t understand much of the legal stuff, but what I knew was that the guy that hit us that night was found and charged with a lot of things. Not only did he hit us, he took off. The plan was to have him rot in prison for the rest of his life.
But that wasn’t the case now.
I wandered my way downstairs and went outside.
I liked how dark it got on the property.
It was like standing in an empty void.
Which was a good place to think.
Nobody knew it, but there were plenty of late nights like these where I’d sit out in that void with a little light and sketch some shit. Just to clear my mind. Because everyone thought I was some silent, tough guy with tattoos and nothing else. I didn’t mind the reputation, but everyone needed an outlet to let shit out.
I wasn’t outside for thirty seconds before the door opened behind me.
It was both Uly and Hil.
They each lit a cigarette and stood on each side of me.
Waiting for me to talk.
“It’s all fucked up, bro,” Hil said. “All of it.”
“Did you tell Mara and Vera?” I asked.
“No,” they both said.
“Did you tell Belle?” Uly asked.<
br />
“Yeah,” I said. “Put a damper on the night. That’s why we came back here. She went right upstairs as she needed to shower, but she was feeling like hell over it. Mostly because I didn’t show emotion.”
“What are you thinking?” Hil asked.
“I don’t know yet,” I said. “Just running through a lot in my head. Fuck it… what happened with Raza?”
“Oh, shit,” Uly said. “That was intense. And thanks for ditching us. Asshole.”
“Belle wanted alone time on the beach,” I said with a grin.
“No wonder she needed a shower,” Hil said. “All that sand in all those certain places.”
“Damn,” Uly said. “Nice.”
“It wasn’t like that. But whatever.”
“I knew one of the cops,” Hil said. “Go figure, right?”
“So you got out?” I asked.
“Took off,” Uly said. “We cut along the side of the house and out to the road. Walked a little bit and then Vera called for a ride.”
“I figured that,” I said. “That’s why I took off with Belle.”
“Mara was freaked out,” Hil said.
“No she wasn’t,” Uly said.
“Yeah, she was. Worried about her dorky ass getting arrested.”
“Fuck you,” Uly said. “She’s been to Raza’s before.”
“See how defensive he gets?” Hil asked.
“I’m sorry, man, that I don’t have a fucking looney bin like you do.”
“What’s that?” Hil asked.
“Oh, come on,” Uly said. “Vera is a psycho.”
“You’re both psychos,” I said to Hil. “You and Vera. And you know it.”
Hil smiled. “Yeah. True. I love my psycho.”
“And I love my dorky ass,” Uly said.
I looked at Uly. “Did you just call Mara an ass?”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Uly said.
“Vera got us back here,” Hil said. “So what the fuck does it matter?”
“It doesn’t,” I said. “I’m just glad nobody got arrested.”
“Raza is fucked,” Uly said.
“Good for him,” I said.
“Oh, and get this shit, bro,” Hil said, hitting my arm. “Cops grabbed Lizzy and her girls.”
“No shit,” I said.
Hil nodded. “I love it.”
“That’s a bright spot on the night,” I said.
We fell silent.
Uly flicked his cigarette off the porch. “So what happens now? This asshole just walks free?”
“I guess.”
“How?” Hil asked. “He killed your mother.”
The words ripped through me.
“Fuck, Hil,” Uly said.
“What? How else do you say it?”
“He hit the SUV,” I said. “It wasn’t like…”
I curled my lip.
That justification was the only way I got through it.
Convincing myself it was okay.
“Fuck that,” Hil said. “I know the story, bro. You’ve told me in detail.”
“Me too, man,” Uly said.
“That motherfucker hit us and left,” I said. “He just sped away.”
“And he’s getting out of prison?” Hil asked.
“There’s no way it can be true,” Uly said. “Not with your father, Ash. He’s probably already on a private jet back here.”
“That he is,” I said as I stared forward. “He’ll be here soon enough.”
“And he’ll do something,” Uly said. “You know it.”
“What if the guy actually gets out?” Hil asked.
I swallowed hard.
I knew the answer to that.
I’d known it all along.
I’d known it from the second he was sentenced to prison.
“If this guy gets out for real, I’m going to find him and kill him.”
* * *
I still couldn’t sleep, so I kept busy by sketching some shit and then made everyone coffee.
How adult of me, huh?
I heard a soft knock at the door and looked at the stairs.
Everyone was upstairs.
Uly and Mara crashed in a guest room. Hil and Vera in another. Belle was in my bed in the biggest bedroom.
It was beyond me why the fuck I grabbed this house when I did. There was no need for all the room. Hil lived in a little cabin. I lived in the biggest house besides the actual mansion. I think I chose it because it was the most distant from the mansion and from Hil. Tucked so far away, you couldn’t even walk there.
I opened the door and saw Vanessa standing there.
She was dressed casually. Or her version of it. Not a hoodie and ripped jeans, but far from a fancy suit.
She looked tired.
“Hey,” I said.
“Ashby,” she said. “Good morning.”
“Hil is upstairs,” I said. “If you’re looking for him.”
“No,” she said. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said. “Do you want some coffee?”
Vanessa smiled. “My stepson just offered to make me coffee. When I first met you, you couldn’t even cut your own food. Wow does time fly.”
“I still can’t cut my own food,” I said. “I pay someone to do it.”
Vanessa shook her head and sighed. “The attitude is still the same.”
“That will never change,” I said. “Coffee?”
“That’s tempting, but no, thanks,” Vanessa said. “Strange enough that I’m at your front door. And I know my son is upstairs. And I know Ulysses is there too. And you each have a girlfriend. And you’re all old enough for this kind of stuff.”
“You miss us as punk kids, don’t you?” I asked. “When we were… what… thirteen… raising hell…”
Vanessa smiled. “You know why I’m standing here, Ashby.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Is my father home?”
“Not yet. I’ve never heard him like he was when he called.”
“It’s a messed-up thing.”
“I’m going to do everything I can to help,” Vanessa said. “I don’t know what will be right from wrong. Somewhere along the way something happened. I’ve been up all night making phone calls and trying to get answers. To ease the burden for when Samson gets home. He’s not going to let this go.”
“Not a chance,” I said. “It’s in our blood.”
Vanessa nodded.
She looked a little lost.
Dazed.
“Are you okay with everything?” I asked her.
“Fine,” she said. “I just wanted to check on you. I know, you’re old enough to not be bothered by me. I get it. I just… you know, I care. It’s a family thing. Your father and I…”
“I know,” I said. “I get it. You two have each other. Nothing else matters. Hil and I always figure out our shit. Okay?”
“When things went bad with Lance…” Vanessa shook her head. “Philip’s father…”
“I know who Lance is,” I said.
“Right. Of course. When things went bad, I got so angry. And hurt. And down. And… there’s a line to walk and cross, Ashby. Okay? That’s what I’m trying to say. What we think and feel isn’t always what our truth is. Sometimes we have to be bigger than it.”
I nodded. “Is that why you pay Lance off?”
Vanessa’s cheeks flushed. “It’s better than what I really want to do. Again, you pick your side of the line and stay there. I always remind myself of what I have and what it’s worth. I hope you do the same. Your father, too.”
“He’s got you,” I said. “Believe me, there is nothing else in the world he wants more than that.”
“I’m sure you don’t need your girlfriend and best friends finding your stepmother lecturing you right now,” Vanessa said. “Might hurt that reputation of yours.”
“Now wait a second,” I said. “What have you heard about me?”
“Heard?” Vanessa laughed. “I lived it, Ashby.
I’ve seen it all. And don’t talk too big about yourself. You’re not that cool.”
“Thanks, Vanessa,” I said.
She offered a weak smile.
I knew she didn’t like it.
She didn’t like that we weren’t a super-close, real family. I knew in her heart she envisioned Hil calling my father Dad and she wanted me to call her Mom.
But some shit in life just wasn’t meant to be.
My father spoiled the hell out of Vanessa, and it honestly was good to see him find happiness.
Except now…
I could see it in her eyes.
Vanessa was nervous.
She had every reason to be nervous, too.
* * *
I opened the door to the classroom and saw Miss Whitaker sitting at the window.
A cigarette in her hand, the window open.
She put her other fingers to her lips.
Sshhh…
“Your secret’s safe with me,” I said. “Where’s Belle?”
“She went looking for you,” Miss Whitaker said.
“Shit. Okay.”
I started to turn and Miss Whitaker called my name.
She put out her cigarette and hurried to her desk.
“I want you to see something,” she said. “I don’t know how much you know about Belle’s current work.”
“She shares it when she wants,” I said. “I don’t push her to do it though. I know that stuff can be private.”
Miss Whitaker looked at me. “Because you’re secretly an artist too. Don’t think I don’t know that.”
“What’s your point?”
“She’s got some really good stuff here. Serious stuff too. I think she’s digging really deep. And I want to make this explode for her. Some of the meetings have been okay. But they could be great. With a little bit of help from you.”
“Me?” I asked. “What do you want me to do?” I snapped my fingers. “I’ll dump her. How’s that sound? I’ll break her heart and it’ll make her write really amazing stuff. Deal?”
“No,” Miss Whitaker said. “Are you being serious?”
“Fuck no,” I said. “I would never do that to her.”
“Okay,” Miss Whitaker said. “Here. Look at this one.”
“Belle is going to get pissed,” I said.
“So what,” she said. “I’ll take the fall.”
Miss Whitaker handed me a piece of paper.
ASH: a bay falls high novel Page 8