I bring my car to a stop in her driveway and let out a long breath. I accepted her offer to dinner. I wasn’t going to pass up any chance of seeing her, even if it makes it harder to go without her tomorrow.
I exit my car and walk up to her door. Knocking twice, I wait for her to answer. I’m nervous. For once in my life I’m ashamed of who I am. But I know I can be better. For her. For us. I just need the chance to prove that to her.
The door opens, and she stands before me, her purple hair down and straight. Her makeup done how I like it with black lining her eyes and dark lips. She wears a pair of denim shorts and a black T-shirt that reads Always and forever across the chest.
It feels like it’s been years since I’ve seen her. It hasn’t even been a full two weeks.
“Hey.” She gives me a soft smile, and my knees almost buckle at the sound of her voice. She’s the best drug I’ve ever tasted. The best high I’ve ever reached.
“Ready?” I ask, unable to get out a full sentence.
“Yeah.” She steps forward, and I match it, taking one back to allow her space. She turns and locks her front door. The simple movement has the smell of her vanilla shampoo filling my nose.
I have to close my eyes and think of anything but her to try not to get hard.
Walking her over to my passenger side, I open the door for her, and she falls inside.
I go to the driver side door and remind myself. This is like that motorcycle I crashed. When I go down, it’s going to fucking hurt like hell and leave scars as reminders, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
APRIL
He’s acting different, and I hate it. I wish we could go back to that first day when I didn’t know who he was, and he didn’t care who I was. This is why I don’t date. Why I don’t allow anyone to help me or get close.
My mother always told me—you will get your heart broken, baby. It is inevitable. Part of life. It’s how you handle it that either makes you a woman or a child. I didn’t want to be the bigger person. I didn’t want to put myself out there again to him. But he did something that no one has ever done before—listened to me. And it felt good. So here we are.
I look out his passenger side window, avoiding eye contact with him. It hurts. There’s so much that I want to say but can’t get the words out. Emilee hung that picture I drew up in the shop, and I find myself just staring at it. Wondering if I was that April, would I be stronger? Would he love me covered in ink like him? He’d see me differently.
“I have to run by my house,” he speaks, and I jump in surprise.
“Oh, okay.”
“I need to grab something,” he goes on.
I nod, looking over at him. He has his left hand on the steering wheel of his Zenvo STI. The car starts at a little over one million. I Googled it after I first saw it. I had never even heard of this kind of car before. His black leather with gold stitching interior tells me he had it custom made just for him to match Kingdom. His right hand on the shifter. He wears a white long-sleeve shirt with holey jeans and black Chuck Taylor high tops. His face is freshly shaven. His long hair is slicked back away from his face. At first glance, he looks relaxed, but I see the tic in his jaw. His tight shoulders and the lack of his carefree laughter further proves my suspicion.
I hate that he’s hurting. And I hate that I care.
All I keep thinking is when was he high last? Or has he been with Lucy since I walked away from him? Of course he has. What man would pass on a sure thing?
I turn, looking back out the window, and let out a long breath. This was a mistake. Because it’s going to hurt even worse when the night ends and I have to walk away from him all over again.
_______________
We pull through the gate at the Kings compound. It’s black iron with a gold K in the middle of it. The place is just as extravagant as their hotel and casino. Four houses sit in a cul-de-sac like structure. But they’re not close enough that you could throw a rock at each one. A huge clubhouse sits in the center with a state-of-the-art outside kitchen, bar, fireplace with outdoor furniture and hot tub. I have a feeling that no one ever uses it.
He comes to stop in his driveway and parks in front of his four-car garage. Lifting his right hand, he presses the button and opens up one of the garage doors. “I’ll only be a minute.” He doesn’t wait for a response and exits the car.
I lean my head against the headrest and close my eyes. They sting. “Don’t do it,” I growl, trying to keep the tears from falling.
I open them up and let out a little scream of frustration. This is crazy. I should just get out and start walking back home. I look over at Titan and Emilee’s house. I can see the lights on through the front of their floor-to-ceiling windows. Maybe he’ll take me home. He’s done it before. Maybe …
A phone vibrates in the cup holder. My eyes drop to look down at it. It’s Grave’s.
It vibrates again.
Giving a quick look at the house, I see he’s still inside. I pick it up and go to open the screen, but it’s locked.
I know the code. I’ve seen him open it a hundred times whenever he gets a text.
It vibrates in my hand again, and I make up my mind. I punch in the four-digit code, and the screen pops up. His background picture is of his Charger sitting out on the tarmac at the Airport.
I click on the text message icon and open it up.
Lucy: I miss you, baby. I’m sorry for what I did.
My eyes shoot to the house again to check on him. Still no sign. What did she do? Is that why he’s mad? At her?
My hand tightens on the phone. Is that why he agreed to this date? Because she stood him up this time? I’m just a backup plan? That’s why it took him so long to say yes to me.
“That motherfucker …”
It vibrates in my hand again, and this time it’s a video. I hit play.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
GRAVE
“WHERE THE FUCK is it?” I growl, while on my hands and knees checking under my bed for my extra phone charger. The one I have at the hotel isn’t working properly, and my phone keeps dying. And I haven’t felt like going to buy a new one. My house just happened to be on the way to dinner, and I thought I’d stop by and get it.
Standing up, I open my nightstand again. Shoving shit around, I dig for it but no luck. Where did I have it last …?
“Grave?” I hear April scream bloody murder.
I run out of my bedroom and to the banister just in time to see her charging up the stairs. “What the fuck, April?” I snap, trying to calm my racing heart. I thought she was dying, for fuck’s sake.
“Grave.” She comes up to me, crying.
“What the fuck happened?” I demand, looking over her. We’re in a gated community. No one can get in and out except for us Kings. She’d only been alone for about five minutes.
“We have to help her,” she says, tears running down her face.
“Who?” I ask, looking around the second story of my house. “We’re the only ones here.”
“She messaged you.” She shoves my cell into my chest. “A text and … video.” She sniffs.
I take my cell from her hand and look down at it. Whatever she was watching was paused. I press play.
It’s Lucy. My jaw tightens. She’s standing in her penthouse apartment in the middle of the bathroom. Naked from the waist up. Someone is filming her. She’s crying. Her makeup from days ago runs down her face. Her hair a bleached, tangled mess. “I’m sorry, Grave. Please forgive me. I love you. I miss you …” She hiccups. “I want you. Come and save me.” She reaches out, grabs a bottle of pills and pops the lid. Opens her mouth and tips it back, swallowing a countless number of pills.