I trusted JP and his boys to keep me safe, no question about it. But showing up in Compton in the middle of the night with a flashy car? That was the kind of attention I didn’t need. Nor did I need to bring that kind of attention to JP.
There was no way every eye on the streets wouldn’t be watching that car the moment I crossed into town. And while I knew JP wouldn’t hesitate to watch my back, the car would have the eyes of every rival gang on him, and after everything he’d done for me, I didn’t want to put that much pressure on him.
But I had to do something if I wanted to keep sane. Jogging was the first thing that came to mind. In this ritzy neighborhood, even a girl running by herself at night would be safe. But I didn’t quite feel like going out for a run right then, especially since I was only somewhat familiar with the neighborhood. If I was going to get lost on a jog, I’d rather it be during the daylight, at least.
Then, I remembered the pool. Grinning, I hopped up off the bed. If I was going to live in a mansion with an Olympic sized pool in the back yard, then I might as well use the damned thing! This late at night, I doubted Wes would be bringing over any of his wrestling buddies either, so I would actually be able to enjoy it without feeling like a piece of steak tossed out in front of a bunch of hungry wolves.
Chapter 4
No one was downstairs when I went back down, dressed in nothing but my bikini. I had considered throwing something on over top of it, then figured I was being silly. It wasn’t like I was going out anywhere and anyone at the house would be able to see me in it once I got into the pool.
The backyard was dark, with just small, ankle-high, lights around the perimeter and the lights inside the pool itself. They were set on a color-changing pattern, alternating through all the colors of the rainbow. It was by far the nicest pool I had ever even laid eyes on, much less swam in.
The water was heated all the time too. So while it wasn’t kept boiling like the hot tub, when I slipped into it, the warmth washed right through my body. I let out a groan and just floated there for a minute. Closing my eyes, I let the water guide me. For those moments, I was able to forget all of my problems, all the bullshit that had been going on in my life over the years. It was like magic like I had been transported to a whole new world.
When I came back to my senses, I had a whole new energy coursing through me. Those moments were like an out of body experience, one that had shattered the tension building up inside me. But all that tension had to go somewhere, and it was pumping through me like a shot of adrenaline.
Moving back toward the wall, I took a deep breath and braced myself. Then, I launched off of it, propelling myself through the water. Not many of my friends had known how to swim growing up, but Mom had made sure I knew how when I was just a toddler. Looking back, I was pretty sure the only reason she’d dated the guy she’d been with when I was two was because of the big round pool he had.
Even though I had only just been a toddler and it’d been a long time since then, I could still remember being in Mom’s arms, looking at the swirling blue water below as we stood on the wooden deck. I didn’t remember wearing the pink tutu one-piece bathing suit I’d been wearing, but she’d had a picture of me in it and I could still remember that.
What I did remember was being in Mom’s arms one minute, a splash, and then bobbing up and down in the water the next. She’d tossed me in there without warning. According to her, I’d flailed around for a few moments while Mom perched on the edge, waiting to jump in if I needed her. But then, I had figured out I could float in the water and then I was happy as a clam.
We spent quite a bit of time out in the pool that summer as Mom made sure I could swim well enough in an emergency. And while she had broken up with that guy a couple of months later and I hadn’t had a chance to swim very much after that, I was still like a fish any time I did get to dive in again.
The adrenaline kept pumping as I swam lap after lap, feeling my muscles burn. It had been far too long since I’d done this, and while my muscles hadn’t forgotten how, they sure weren’t used to it anymore. I really needed to get out here and swim more often and spend less time holed up in my bedroom.
With all the delicious, rich food Stella constantly made every day, it was a wonder I hadn’t already doubled in weight! It was a wonder Sebastian was able to stay as lanky as he was. At least Wes and Chuck had wrestling and all to keep themselves fit. But Sebastian was like a black hole when it came to food and yet you could still see his ribs whenever he walked around shirtless.
Lucky little bastard, I thought as I slowed. As much as I wanted to keep going, keep pushing myself, I didn’t want to risk pulling a muscle. It was going to take my body a while to get used to swimming laps like that, and I wasn’t going to rush it. The pool wasn’t going anywhere.
When I came to a stop near the edge, I grabbed onto the concrete and held myself there, taking slow breaths to bring my heart rate back down. God, that swim had really helped push everything else out of my mind. I wished I had thought of it sooner.
“So, I guess you’re just going to ignore me from now on?” Wes’s sudden voice made me jump as I let out a squeak. Whirling around in the direction the voice had come from, I was just barely able to make out his shadow in one of the lounge chairs on the opposite end of the pool.
Christ, had he been there the entire time? Had I really been so lost in my own little bubble that I hadn’t noticed him sitting there? I hadn’t bothered to turn on any of the exterior lights when I had come out, so the only illumination in this part of the yard was the colored light from the pool itself and what little bit of light spilled out from the kitchen.
“I didn’t even know you were there,” I said, honestly. Part of me had wanted to ignore him, but ignoring a direct question like that was just a bit ruder than I was comfortable with.
What could I say? Momma had at least tried to raise me as a lady, even if she’d only had limited success.
Wes snorted. Metal ground against the concrete as he stood, the chair sliding a bit. As he walked around the edge of the pool, clearly heading in my direction, I cursed myself for having answered him. Of course, he’d take that as an invitation to keep talking. But he didn’t say a word until he sat on the edge of the pool, his feet in the water.
He had a joint in his right hand, which clued me in on why he’d been hiding out here in the dark. No doubt he’d needed to relieve a bit of tension as well, and after the argument, he’d had with his father before dinner, I doubted he wanted to get caught smoking pot.
And damn if I didn’t want to take the joint from him and take a hit myself. I hadn’t smoked any since before Mom had died. I’d been stressed as hell, but when I was staying at JP’s, it hadn’t seemed right, getting high right after her death. And once I had moved in here, I hadn’t wanted to risk getting busted by Lucas and tossed back out onto the street.
It was sure tempting though, now more than ever.
“So, are you gonna tell me why you’re so pissed at me? Because I told you I would talk to Dad for you.”
“Yeah, well, I figured I would do it myself,” I said with a shrug. “Doubt it would’ve gone much different if you’d been the one to talk to him anyway.”