Divine Hart

by Heather Shere

  Divine Hart

  Heather Shere

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Heather Shere

  Copyright © 2018 by Heather Shere

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design: Rebel Graphics

  Photographer: Wander Aguiar

  Models: Andrew Biernat & Desiree Lynn

  Proofreader: Mandi Gibala

  Editor: Virginia Tesi-Carey

  Developmental Editing: Kerry Heavens & Shaina Abbs

  For my love,

  You are the leap to my year, my perfect holiday.

  Prologue

  SPRING 2012

  “Sleep well, Detka,” I whisper to Skye’s sleeping form.

  I slip silently from her window and reach for my skateboard tucked out of view behind the patio furniture. When I find that it’s missing, I wheel around in fear, scanning the property in the pre-dawn light. I freeze, rooted to the spot as eyes as cold as ice fix on me from their vantage point across the deck. I feel the chill of their disdain even through the burning desert night.

  I turn to fully face him, a stone cold blank look plastered on my face, not wanting him to see I’m terrified inside. I don’t want him to punish Skye and I don’t want him to come between us. I don’t want him to do so many of the things I know he is capable of to hurt us. We are so close to being together away from him that it would kill me to blow it all now.

  The silence is stifling. He holds my board in one hand to prevent my escape while the other clutches a fat smoldering cigar. He looks like he has all the time in the world.

  I glance across the property. Beyond the glistening pool is a fence, I know all of the properties’ weak spots. If I sacrificed my board I could be gone before his ass is out of that chair. I glance back at the window. Skye. She’s fast asleep with no clue we have been caught. She doesn’t deserve this. She deserves a man who will protect her, not leave her to face the punishment alone. I can’t bail on her now.

  I look back at Bob and even though I can’t see his features clearly in the pre-dawn light, his eyes gleam with satisfaction. He knows I just reached the conclusion that I’m screwed.

  He waits, surely enjoying the moment, and the silence stretches on. Then he places his hand on the armrest of his chair and heaves his giant frame up to standing. I will myself not to flinch, not to show any sign of fear and for a moment we just face each other with a dozen feet between us.

  Once he’s let the anticipation build, he speaks. “My office. Now.” It’s said with a chilling note of finality before he turns toward a door at the other end of the sprawling house. I wait for him to disappear inside. He has no concern I will bolt at this point, so he doesn’t even look back. He knows he has me.

  I've avoided getting stuck alone with him for so long, always knowing a man like him would try to wield his power over me. Now my fate seems sealed. With heavy feet I follow his path and when I reach the door to his office, I find it open.

  I step inside.

  The light from a desk lamp flicks on and I wince.

  “Close it,” he demands.

  I do as he says, careful not to make a sound. He eyes me judgmentally and makes no move.

  I know he doesn’t approve of me and I really don’t care, but I know he’s a crooked player. People in this town fear him and I love his daughter. I don’t want him to have power over us. I wipe my hands on my shorts hoping my nervous gesture will go unnoticed.

  “Have a seat,” Bob instructs, his tone oddly polite. It sets me on edge, but not wanting to worsen my already dire situation, I obey and sit in the plush chair across the desk in his grand home office.

  He skirts around his desk, sitting in his chair and leans forward, steepling his fingers and tapping them against one another.

  “What are your plans for the future?” he begins abruptly.

  I’m caught completely off guard. “Uhhh… like work?” I stutter, running my hand through my hair.

  He leans on his desk moving forward slightly. “College? A job? My daughter?”

  I open my mouth, attempting to speak and then I close it again, gulping. I’ve got nothing. I know which school I’m hoping to go to, but it all depends on whether I get a scholarship and if I don’t, I won’t be going. I don’t have any plans beyond that. I know I should, but I don’t, so I stare blankly at him.

  “Exactly what I thought.” He gives me a look of disgust. I should be used to it since he wears it whenever I’m around. Sitting back in his chair he studies me for a minute. “I have a job for you.”

  I’m at a loss for words, especially since I know he doesn’t care for me. Hate is a better word, he hates me.

  “You speak Russian, right?” He narrows his eyes with an eyebrow raised.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I have some business I need taken care of in Russia, I need a man on the ground.”

  “Trying to get rid of me, Bob?” I know he hates the fact that his daughter and I are in love.

  He smiles an unsettling smile. “There are a hundred different ways to get rid of you, boy. I’m a business man and I don’t get rid of people I have a use for.”

  What happens to people he no longer has a use for seems implied and I swallow.

  “Think of it as me giving you a chance to become something other than the desert rat you are,” he says it like it’s an insult but when you’re a desert rat you embrace it, wearing the title with pride.

  I don’t have to listen to this shit, so I get up and without a word, head back toward his office door. But as my hand makes contact with the door handle, his words stop me cold.

  “I can promise you enough money to get your mother out of that trailer and keep my daughter happy.” His tone is smug.

  I grip the door handle, taking a deep calming breath. He knew exactly what to say to get me to stop and turn to look at him with hope in my eyes.

  He sneers in satisfaction when I do, then motions for me to sit back down.

  He has me by the balls right now, how can I refuse? I sit down to listen to what he has to say. I mean shit, what do I have to lose?

  One

  GRADUATION 2012

  “Krasavets,” my mama says as she straightens my tie. Her eyes sparkle like the Pacific Ocean.

  “Mama, girls are beautiful, not men.” I puff out my chest.

  She makes a loud humph. “If I say you’re krasavets, then you are. Your Papa would have been so proud of you.”

  Seeing her eyes tear up, I pull her closer into my embrace. "Don't cry, Mama, he's watching over us now." I can't stand the sight of tears in her eyes.

  “Preston Sasha Hart, you mak
e your mama proud.” Her words are muffled by my shirt.

  She doesn’t use my full name often. Only when she's sad or mad. Today she’s sad my father isn’t here with us. My father died of a massive heart attack when I was in grade school. Times were tight after that, but one thing there was always plenty of was love. I kiss the top of her head, no longer the young boy that had to reach up on tippy toes to kiss her cheek.

  “We’d better get ready, Preston. They will be here soon, and we don’t want to be late for your big day.” She pats my cheek and collects her handbag, stopping to check herself in the hallway mirror. Always so prim and proper, her gray hair is in a perfect bun and her clothes are neat and immaculate.

  My parents had me later in life; I was their miracle baby. After years of infertility, one day in their 30’s they discovered mama was expecting. Not a day went by that I didn’t feel like their dorogoe ditya, their precious child. She always smiles when she looks at me and I’d do anything to keep that smile on her face.

  I turn to look at myself in the mirror over her head. I’m a clear foot taller than her and make her look so small. My dark chocolate hair is artfully blow-dried up and away from my face and I smooth it again for good measure. Papa would be so proud of me right now, if not badgering me for a shorter haircut. My eyes are a darker shade of gray-blue than my mama's, and my lips are full like my papa's. I’m the perfect mix of them both.

  “Enough admiring yourself, Preston. We have to leave,” Mama scolds.

  We hear a horn honk outside. “They’re here!”

  We step out of our trailer and see Skye walking around Lea's white Audi to my front door. Skye is my girlfriend, we've been together since forever. She's my everything. She’s got this wild curly hair that is as dark as mine, but with strands of caramel that frame her perfect face.

  "Preston! You look incredible" Skye stops in front of Mama and kisses both her cheeks. "Good morning, Mrs. Hart. Are you ready for the ceremony?"

  "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Liliya?"

  “You know I can’t do that.”

  “Where’s Craig? I thought we all were driving together,” I ask Skye.

  Skye opens the front door of the car for my mom and whispers over the hood, "Shaina's bringing him, she just got into town."

  “Oh! Right.” I waggle my brows at Skye, making her cover her mouth to silence the giggle. We both know what they are probably up to.

  The drive to the convention center where the ceremony is being held is less than five minutes. If it weren't for the stifling heat, we would be able to walk. When I imagine what hell is like, I picture this town in the summer. Hotter than the devil's breath and twice as dry. I couldn't think of anything worse than putting on a suit in this heat, even if I had one. This is probably the only graduation where you can get away with wearing board shorts and a polo under your cap and gown.

  I sling my arm around Skye. “Will your parents be there?”

  “Who knows? I guess they’ll probably pop in to save face.”

  I will never understand them. They have the most amazing daughter and they act like she’s just a thorn in their side. Every day that goes by since my impromptu dawn meeting with Bob, I thank my stars that I had the balls to tell him no. The money was more than tempting, but then what? Be in Bob’s pocket for the rest of my life? No thanks.

  Even if I could handle that and look past what illegal deeds he would almost certainly put me in the middle of, I couldn’t do what he was asking of me. He wanted me to leave for a month and not tell my mom or Skye. Just disappear and leave them clueless. I couldn’t figure out why that part was so important to him, but if I ever needed proof that he was crooked through and through, that was it. He wouldn’t budge on it either, so I was left with no choice but to grow big enough balls to refuse him.

  I had thought he would make life hell for me after that, but the last few weeks I have not seen him once. He hasn’t tried to stop me seeing Skye or tried to make contact with me again. It’s a little unsettling, but I’ll be out of here really soon.

  Shit's finally about to get real. Our adulthood begins after graduation. I was able to get into UCLA with all scholarships. Otherwise, I wasn't going to be able to go away, there was no way we could have come up with the money. Skye and Craig will be there with me. Shaina is doing her residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Lea is going to Santa Monica College. She got into an ivy league school but it’s family tradition to go to Santa Monica. I'm stoked that we are all going to be so close together.

  Lea brings her car to a stop and that drags me out of my thoughts. She practically hops out of the car after she parks it and rushes around to help my mama out of the car. I see Craig walking through the crowd. His eyes crinkle with his huge smile as he sees me. I can almost hear him say, "S’up dude." Where I'm all stocky and muscular, he's lean and lanky. We all tease him that one day he'll grow into his head. He is walking side by side with Shaina and she releases his hand as soon as she spots us. I raise a brow at Craig and he just shrugs as he reaches us. Shaina and Craig have a relationship that everyone is aware of, they’ve just never voiced that they are a couple.

  “Mrs. Hart, you look stunning.” Craig grins down at my mom.

  “Craig, daragoy, you look so handsome today.”

  “Just today?” He winks at her.

  “Dude, stop flirting with my mom.” I walk over and pop him in the back of the head.

  “Hey! Watch the hair!”

  “You both need to knock it off.” Lea rolls her eyes in amusement.

  “Chill Lea, they’re just kidding. But we do need to line up, it’s almost time.” Skye winks at me.

  “Before you go inside, can I get a picture of you all together?” My mama pulls out a new disposable camera, standing back with a soft smile on her face patiently waiting for us to gather.

  I sling my arm around Skye and Craig stands beside us, pulling Shaina in front of him. Lea stands at the front, since she’s shorter than us all.

  "Perfect!" my mama says and snaps a picture, clicking the button to move the film forward. "Stay where you are, I want one more. Okay, smile." She looks through the viewfinder and clicks again.

  “Are we good, Mama?”

  “Can I get one of you and Skye?”

  “You heard her, Craig, she only wants her baby boy, not your ugly mug.” I playfully shove Craig out of way.

  Mama blushes. “Oh, I didn’t mean it that way.”

  Craig gives her a charming smile. “It’s okay, Mrs. Hart. He has a face only a mother can love.” He winks, moving out of the way.

  Mama shakes her head at us. “Okay, you both look at me and smile."

  I pull Skye just a tad closer, and she wraps her arms around my waist and smirks up at me.

  I bend down slightly so our faces are close together, smiling down at her. “Look at Mama, Detka.” The moment we both turn our heads toward her the camera snaps.

  “You kids had better get inside, it looks like almost everyone is in already.”

  “Oh crap!”

  “Preston! Watch your mouth,” my mama scolds me.

  “Sorry. Come on guys, we’d better jet.” I pull Skye closer to my side, and she wraps her arms around my waist and smirks up at me. “You ready?”

  “Yes, Shaina are you staying with Mrs. Hart?”

  God, she's fantastic, and I'm a jackass. I should have asked that.

  “Yes, we’ll be as close as we can get. Come on, Mrs. Hart.”

  I watch as Shaina takes my mom's arm and they begin the walk into the convention center. The good thing about them coming with us is that they're here before the doors open to the public, so hopefully they will be able to get a good seat.

  “Come on Preston, let’s go.” Skye gently tugs my hand.

  The four of us walk through the parking lot toward the side entrance of the building where they have us all lining up just inside the doors in alphabetical order. We would drop Lea off at the back since her last name i
s Roberts, but she is the valedictorian and gets to sit right up front. I wouldn't want to be her, that's for sure. Craig and I have been sitting next to each other in everything since we started pre-school together. His full name is Craig Hardington, and I'm Hart so at least we get to keep each other company during these boring ass ceremonies.

  “Okay, you both stay out of trouble.” Skye slips her hand out of mine.

  Lea raises her brow, then narrows her eyes slightly at Craig and me. “You guys aren’t planning any pranks like flashing everyone when they call your names are you?”

  Craig bursts out laughing. “Would we do that?”

  “Yes! You jackasses better not do anything to ruin our day.” She jabs a perfectly manicured nail at Craig.

  "We don't have anything planned Lea so chill out." She's a worrywart, like I would do anything with my mom in the crowd and Craig is just as close to his mom. "I'll walk you up to your spot, Skye."

  “Don’t be silly, I can walk the few feet to my spot with Lea.” She raises up on the tips of her toes giving me a quick kiss and walks off with Lea.

  “Dude, can you believe we are graduating?” Craig grabs my shoulder and gives me a quick shake, his goofy smile filled with excitement.

  "I know! It's so rad that we’ll all be going to school near each other." I don't know what I would do without my friends close to me. Craig is like the brother I always wanted, and Lea is that annoying little sister that grows on you like a fungus. And Skye? Well hell, she's the oxygen I breathe.