Steal Me (Haunted Roads Book 1)

by India R. Adams

  A rush of agony tore into me and stole my breath. I hit my knees. My mom abandoned me. My mom abandoned me… I could barely swallow through the pain. Suddenly, my mom was on the ground with me, crying, trying to hold the little boy whom she’d almost destroyed. She was gasping for air also. “I’m so sorry, baby. Oh God! I can never tell you how sorry I am. I love you so much!”

  I fell into her, finding the mom I had once had. My hands grasped any part of her I could reach as I cried, “Where did you go?”

  I’m a guy. I play sports. I love girls. I don’t like to cry… but that cry was one of the most therapeutic moments of my life. My mom and I sat there for hours, bawling through it all. The anger. The pain. The loss. We wanted to go back in time and change everything, including the night my father died. But we couldn’t stop him from dying, and we couldn’t change how we’d fallen apart with the loss.

  That was the thing: we’d all fallen apart, but we’d handled it in different ways. My mom went into seclusion and pills. I dove into Bailey. I covered my anguish and loved that little girl like I so desperately wanted to be loved myself. My mom and I were not able to fool ourselves any longer and had to face our future together—united. So we did.

  Later that day, while Bailey sat in the Wards’ den, watching TV, I told Delilah and her family about what had transpired. I was surprised when John hugged and congratulated me for my success. I thanked him but stopped when I saw Delilah looking stressed. “What’s wrong?”

  She rubbed her chest, something I recognized from my own actions. I had done the same as I tried to fight feelings I didn’t want. “Nothing,” she said. “Nothing’s wrong.”

  I went to her, but she kept me from her with an extended arm, still rubbing her chest. John and Tucker stood back and watched as if they were completely aware of what was transpiring and were letting Lilah and me find our way. I touched the hand grasping at her chest. “Don’t understand what that is, do you?”

  She was distracted. “What?”

  “That ache that keeps nipping at your heart and won’t stop,” I told her, pointing at her hand.

  She growled, “Maverick, please make it stop.”

  “I can’t, baby. But you can.”

  She started hitting her chest. “Help. Me.”

  John and Tuck looked away. Seeing her suffer was just too gut wrenching for them to watch. I understood but loved her too much to look away. I spoke from my heart. “You must help yourself. As soon as you’re ready, you will.”

  When my anger rose with my mom again, we sat and talked. Counseling taught us to stop bottling it all up and to release it immediately. We didn’t let it fester because that just prevented healing.

  Bailey had taken it all in stride. I didn’t know if her age hindered her or whether she simply accepted the tragedy with poise and an understanding beyond her years. She just seemed to get that her daddy had an accident and passed away. She was right. It was as simple as that. My father was in a horrible car accident and had to leave his family. He didn’t want to, but it happened. All we could do was keep breathing and living and accept it as a part of our lives.

  Once Mom and I began to pull our lives back together, Bailey’s speech impediment miraculously began to fix itself. Funny how those things worked. It wasn’t my dad’s death causing her stress—it was Mom and I.

  Delilah was having a hard time with my new insight. She said it didn’t pertain to her and Kenny. She just repeated that she knew Kenny best and insisted we drop the subject.

  Bailey went right back to her relationship with Mom. Once I was on board with Mom being in charge, she followed suit. Mom never tried the whole curfew thing with me or tried to become an overbearing, controlling parent. Yet again, I never gave her reason to. I remained levelheaded and concentrated on finishing high school and getting into college with boxing.

  Mom was extremely pleased with our finances and the decisions I had made for her. She was shocked not only with how deeply she’d hidden in a cave, but also with how I’d learned to stay on a budget and not touch investments. I had allotted a modest amount of money each month for us to live off, and because of it, my mom didn’t have to rush to work once she was on her feet again.

  With her doing so well, I was able to find a gym and begin boxing again. Delilah couldn’t believe how much training it took to stay in top shape. Between boxing and finishing house repairs before I planned to leave for college, I didn’t have much time for Lilah, and she missed me, so she began to join me on my daily run. Nothing said good morning like Lilah in spandex running pants. Damn! The new distracting topic of conversation was not helping me either: sex.

  I refused to push the issue and never asked for more than Delilah offered or requested. Maybe that was why Delilah was hinting around at being ready for our next physical level.

  God bless her! No way in hell was our first time together not going to be special for her. I threw ideas around in my noggin until it hit me: Delilah had once shown me a rundown old country barn that she, for some reason I could not fathom, loved. The decrepit barn was abandoned, private, and perfect. With a plan in place, I set the rest into motion.

  It was dark as we headed down the dirt road in my truck. Lilah asked, “Maverick, why won’t you tell me what’s going on?” I couldn’t stop smiling. I was much too proud of myself.

  When we pulled up and my headlights shined on her ancient barn, Lilah asked, “Mav?”

  Opening the big barn doors, we could hear my iPod already playing music. Delilah’s jaw dropped when she saw the strings of lights hanging all over, bringing on the romantic setting I was going for. There was an air mattress with new sheets, pillows, and blankets and, of course, rose petals scattered about. I had seen that in a movie once, and thought, when in Rome…

  Speechless. My Lilah was speechless.

  Score!

  As I lit the candles, which were strategically placed, I looked up to see Lilah… crying? Believing there was a tragic error somewhere in my well-thought-out plan to seduce Delilah, I froze—until I felt the lit match burning my finger. I yelped and threw the match from my singed thumb to the ground, which started a fire with the leftover—very crisp—hay.

  “Oh shit!” I yelled in a panic.

  As if on cue, my iPod switched to Nelly’s song “Hot in Herre.”

  The lyrics brutally hinting at the removal of clothing echoed in the background as smoke quickly started filling the barn, causing Delilah to cough. I stomped my boot repeatedly, attempting to snuff out the flames, which were fortunately contained to only a tiny area.

  With the new blanket, Delilah rushed over to help smother the fire. Unfortunately, that was at the same time that I had decided to bend over and make sure the fire had stopped.

  Bam! We ended up smashing our heads together so hard I saw stars. After we both screamed in pain, grabbing our throbbing heads, I opened my eyes to see Lilah half-conscious on unsteady feet. Of course, I quickly tried to rescue the young woman I seemed to be trying to murder, but I stood up too fast. Between that and having smacked my head so hard, I got dizzy and fell into the already spinning Lilah.

  Still trying to save the epic train wreck, I managed to wrap my arms around her. That was pointless because the unseen rock in front of my boot tripped me, and instead of saving Delilah’s fall, I caused her descent to pick up speed. I fell backward, dragging the poor, stunned, injured girl that I was trying to bang—apparently into submission—down to the air mattress, which exploded into smithereens on impact.

  All the while, Nelly’s song implied things that I epically and sorely missed.

  Lying on my back with Delilah on top of me, I did what any guy would’ve done. I said, “I see I have swept you off your feet.”

  She choked on laughter—and smoke. “The girls are going to love this story!”

  Not only did I not get laid that embarrassing night, but I also had to hear that fucking song sung by Cole, Hu, Bryce, and the brothers for weeks afterward in the school hallways. L
ilah told the girls, the girls told the guys, and Tucker gave me a black eye, either for trying to rob his sister of her innocence or for trying to murder her in the process. Maybe both?

  It wasn’t until one unexpected night alone, when my mom and Bailey had gone to the movies, that Delilah and I finally had sex. There were no candles, nor was there a seduction scene in place, just one kiss that led to another in my bed, which led to touching and soon to clothes coming off. Waiting so long for Delilah, I thought I would have ravaged her body with my pent-up needs, but that wasn’t the case. My hands slowly roamed every curve of her naked body. My tongue knew every part of her before I even went for the condom.

  I didn’t need to ask if she was ready. The way her hands explored told me she wanted and needed that moment as much as I did. Delilah was more beautiful than ever, sprawled out naked underneath me. Sweat beaded over both our bodies as she opened her heart to me. The moment I slid inside her was the very moment I knew I’d never let her go.

  When she started to cry silently, I stopped. I propped myself on my elbows, whispering softly, “Lilah?”

  Her body trembled underneath mine as she quietly spoke. “I was with him… once.”

  I was buried deep inside of my girl when she finally decided to open up to me in a whole other way. I lay naked on top of Lilah as she looked at me and whispered, “It was the worst.”

  Realizing something had gone terribly wrong between her and Kenny, I began to retreat so we could talk. Her thighs tightened on my hips. “No, don’t take this from me.”

  I settled back inside her, waiting for whatever she needed from me.

  Her palm cupped my cheek as she cried. “You just showed me how beautiful it can be.”

  I tried to stop my rage and began shaking. I was honored by her words yet completely enraged that someone who I couldn’t get my hands on had hurt my baby.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Mom?”

  She was at the stove, cooking dinner. “Yes, baby?”

  Bailey’s cartoons were making her laugh in the living room.

  “Something happened to Lilah.”

  She froze. “When? What happened?”

  I sat at our kitchen table. “I don’t know either answer, but… when we were…” I glanced at my mom, hoping she wouldn’t make me finish the sentence.

  “Oh.” She turned off the stove, abandoning her dinner.

  My shoulders slumped in relief. I needed this understanding side of her, not the judging, lecturing side that every mom had the right to have. She took a seat across from me. “You look worried for her.”

  “During,” I started, gesturing that she already got that part. “Lilah told me… she had done this once before and… it was… the worst.”

  My mom covered her mouth.

  “What?”

  She inhaled deeply, seeming to be searching for the right words. “Maverick, to a woman… the worst usually means—”

  I growled, “Don’t tell me my Lilah was raped. Don’t tell me I can’t kill Kenny because he’s already dead. Don’t.”

  Softly, my mom spoke, “Okay, breathe. She may have meant something else. What else has she said?”

  My breath was shaky, but I inhaled deeply, trying not to explode. I thought about my mom’s question. “Lilah says that she knew him better than anyone else.”

  My mom nodded in some sort of female understanding. “She saw sides of him no one else did. I think that’s what she meant.”

  “But Mom, Kenny was part of that family. He was Tuck’s best friend! Could she really be speaking of—I can’t even say it.”

  My mom touched my fist, which was clenched on our kitchen table. “The important thing here is that Kenny’s gone. She’s no longer in danger.”

  It sounded simple enough, but the haunted look in Delilah’s eyes that night had told me that she was in a different kind of danger: the mental kind.

  When I started with local fights, my old reputation quickly found me, helping spread word that I was back in the ring. My friends would attend fights when they could. Tuck and John found them exhilarating. I even got to meet Cole’s parents at one match. I was shocked that Diesel knew them and had brought them. Cole’s parents looked rather young for having a son already in high school, and I couldn’t help but wonder what their story was because the way Cole’s dad held his mom, I knew he felt like I did about Lilah.

  Lilah had a harder time with my matches. She supported me endlessly but didn’t like to witness me being punched. My mom had witnessed it for years and would hold Delilah’s hand as she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat.

  Momentum only picked up, and in a flash, I was soon heading to DC on a full scholarship. My mom and Bailey were solid, our home was in tip-top shape, inside and out, and I knew it was time for me to move on.

  DC had a consortium of universities and plenty of opportunities, so Delilah rushed in last-minute applications. Mr. Ward and Tuck were not happy when Delilah informed them she was not sticking to her original plan of going to a closer college but was now following me instead. We lucked out. With her impressive GPA and high test scores, Delilah was accepted with no problems. Grumbling that I was a daughter-stealing asshole, her daddy paid her first year of tuition out of the college fund he had been stockpiling.

  “We would like to live together, Daddy,” she told him one night.

  “Do not daddy me on this,” John growled.

  My knees shook under their dining room table while Tucker glared at me.

  Delilah continued, “I know this is a big step, but I really want to try this.”

  Tucker was shaking his head. “Lilah, college is a big step in itself, and you’re doing it so far away. DC is a rough place, girl.”

  “Even more reason for me to be with Maverick—”

  Her dad cut in. “Live in the dorm to start with. If all goes well, and you adjust to the transition, then you two can get your own place together.” He mumbled, “After you’re married.”

  Tuck said, “Listen, I know better than anyone how close you two are. Mav, you’re a brother to me, and I know you adore the ground she walks on, but hear us out. You both are just eighteen. Mature eighteens, yes, but—”

  Her dad anxiously interrupted again. “But eighteen nevertheless.”

  Tucker might have been only nineteen himself, but as usual, he spoke with wisdom beyond his years. “You are both moving to start new lives, in a huge way. Give your relationship a chance to survive this.”

  I inhaled sharply. “You really think living together is a mistake?” I would always trust Tucker not to lie to me.

  John looked hopeful that Tuck was getting through to me, and he stayed quiet. It was clear the two men had discussed this at length. Tuck said, “If anyone can do it, it is you two, but why push the envelope and rush things when you have the rest of your lives?”

  When Delilah and I both adjusted in our chairs, Tuck stopped talking, and her dad grabbed his mouth, mumbling, “You two don’t believe you have a lifetime together.”

  Lilah’s eyes watered. “We both have experienced loss. We know it can all end tomorrow.”

  Mr. Ward looked so touched that two young people had those kinds of thoughts. “Sweet Jesus… guys, ya know, I’m not going to pretend that you have paid your dues in the grieving department and say that never again will you know such heartache, but what I am going to tell you is that life is beautiful. I, in my heart, believe that you two will have many happy memories before you say good-bye to this world. Live! Be free! Try to let go of the fear of tomorrow, and enjoy today.”

  They were right. So, once again, I led by example. “Okay.”

  John and Tucker exhaled in relief, but Delilah began to panic. “No, no, Maverick—”

  I forced her chair to face mine as I grabbed her hands. “I can’t be without you. If us living together too soon can cause us to break up, well, I’m not willing to take that chance. Are you?”

  Delilah and I said yes to the dorms for one seme
ster but refused to promise more. Tucker and John said they would take what they could get. Delilah was eighteen and could legally do as she chose, but we trusted the elders in our lives and tried to listen when advice was being given. Tucker and John had always treated our relationship with respect and had taken Delilah and me, as a couple, very seriously.

  My mom was neutral on the subject. She felt that Delilah and I had good heads on our shoulders and would be fine either way. Maybe she had thought since she and I were still healing as a mother and child, she’d lost the right to tell me what to do.

  After graduation, everyone was enjoying a well-deserved summer break. I was getting in the best shape of my life. Many students from our high school were packing and getting ready for our big moves to colleges. Bryce was taking it the hardest, since he and Viola were headed to different schools. Cole and Hu were ready to take on the world—and as many females as possible at their college in North Carolina. Jaz decided to take a year off, and wouldn’t you know it, the twins did too. Delilah feared Jaz would stay stuck in our little hometown, though some didn’t find that a bad thing.

  Mr. Ward and Tuck insisted on being a part of Lilah’s transition into her new world. I expected nothing less from those two. We had a caravan experience from Georgia to DC. Mr. Ward’s truck took the lead, with Delilah following in her rumbling hotrod and me towing behind in Dad’s truck. I smiled behind the wheel, taking my next step in life. I knew he’d have been proud. Ya did it, Mavy. You’re going to college.

  So, there we were, the three males who loved Delilah more than life, carrying suitcases and boxes up to her dorm room. It was tiny, with two single beds and two desks that would only fit a lamp and a laptop. As Lilah pointed to where she wanted her boxes, her hands shook, and she looked completely tortured and terrified. I wanted to punch the Ward men and run away with my girl.

  We gave heartfelt good-byes to her brother and dad before their long drive home. The two grown men looked torn up preparing to leave Delilah behind. Then guilt crossed their faces as Lilah panicked when I tried to leave her dorm room. She clung to my clothing with pleading eyes. “Maverick, I want to be with you. This doesn’t feel right.” She whispered, “I’m scared.”