Smoke

Prologue

The color red follows me everywhere. From the gloss on my lips, to the nickname that stuck since I was a child, to the blood stains on my hands. Red was what I saw when the Kensington boys violated me. And it’s red that paints the walls and stains the shag carpet with their blood now.

I could’ve stopped at poison. Stabbing them after they were already dead might have been excessive.

But I always have to take it a step further. Show me the line, and I’ll leap all the way over it. Some say I’m like this because I don’t have a momma. But my daddy says it’s because I got a little bit of the devil in me. And daddy knows best. He is the town preacher after all.

He says the devil likes dancing with me, or maybe I like dancing with him. Either way, the Kensington boys won’t be sticking their unwanted fingers and cocks inside any more girls again.

“Their parents will be back soon,” Roxy whispers as if the dead can hear us. My best friend isn’t just ride-or-die, she’s a who-do-I-need-to-kill and where-do-you-want-to-bury-the-bodies type of bestie.

But as I glance into the living room’s floor-to-ceiling mirror, the glimpse I get of myself scares me. So I don’t blame Roxy for being spooked. I lost control tonight. They deserved it, but I went too far. That can’t happen again.

I charge into the kitchen and turn on the water in the sink. It’s hard not to fixate on all the blood and bits of flesh falling into the drain. Fuck. I start to panic, afraid to leave anymore of my DNA inside this house.

A whiff of peaches wafts to my nose, calming me a little. Roxy wraps her arms around my waist from behind. “They got what they deserved,” she murmurs. “But we have to get out of here before Mr. and Mrs. Kensington come back.”

I shake my head. “No, Rox. You have to get out of here. You’re eighteen now and on probation. If you get in trouble again, they’ll send you to federal prison this time.”

She spins me around, her eyes watery. “I’m not leaving you, Cherry. No fucking way. We’re in this together.”

This part of the plan was never supposed to include her. I just didn’t tell her that much because I knew she’d fight me on it. But time is ticking and I need her to fucking go. I would never forgive myself if she got locked up again.

I grab her hands. “Listen to me. In about two minutes, Hawk and his crew are going to walk in here and help me clean this up. And they made it really fucking clear that no one else better be in here except me. So I need you to go, for both our sakes. They’ll make sure that this ends tonight.

No bodies, no evidence, no suspects. Okay? ”

Roxy huffs, realizing I held out on her again. But she has her secrets too. “You should’ve told me… about all of this.”

I look down at the remnants of dried blood in my fingernails, disgusted with myself.

“I know. But you have your own shit to deal with. After that whole mess with your stepdad… I just didn’t want to burden you with my fucked up problems. Sometimes being best friends means embracing the unspoken shit as well as the deep, dark confessions. ”

She pulls me into an embrace. “You’re right. I’ll slip out the back. But you better text me as soon as you’re clear of here. And if anyone asks, we were playing pinball all night at Level Up. I’ll go down there now and make sure everyone sees me.”

There’s an eerie feeling on the back of my neck. I shudder as we pull apart. This fierce girl has been riding with me since we were in diapers. She’s the right amount of unhinged to match my mine. But I’m scared that this might be the last time we ever see each other.

I blink back tears. “Promise me you’ll leave here tomorrow and never look back. This town will destroy you. You’re too good for Crimson Valley, Roxy. You always have been.”

She doesn’t hold her tears in. They stream down her cheeks, casting lines in her makeup. “You could come with me. You’re better than this shithole too.”

My sweet Roxy… This girl is going to have a good fucking life. I can feel it. But that won’t happen if she stays here. And I don’t deserve shit except the bed I fucking made for myself. “You know I can’t leave my daddy. I’m all he’s got. Someday, maybe after he’s gone, I’ll come find you.”

Roxy throws her arms around my neck. I bite my lip hard to keep from bursting into tears. “You have to go now,” I whisper.

She grabs my shoulders. “Remember, text me when you’re in the clear.”

I nod. “See ya around, Rox.”

As soon as I hear the back door close, I’m tempted to lose it right here on this bloody floor. But the sound of the front door creaking open reminds me that this night is far from over.

He walks in like a tall cool drink of water. Like a movie star. My breath hitches when we lock eyes. It’s been two years since I’ve seen him. He still looks the same, his expression curious. Tortured. Conflicted. Tragically beautiful…

You got this, Cherry. I repeat these words to myself, running them through my head as I take deep breaths.

“Hawk,” I murmur. I let his name sit in my mouth, rolling each letter against my tongue.

He scrunches his nose. “Jesus, Cherry. What the fuck did you do?”

My lip quivers. The tears threaten to fall again as I stand here shivering, drowning in the sight of him.

I can’t help but want a new emotion from him.

Something other than apathy and disgust. It’s the same way he looked at me after the night I took his car.

He didn’t care that I stole it. I was young and drunk and foolish.

No. It was what I did after that put that look in his eyes…

“I… don’t know what came over me.” The blood stains on the carpet seem to mock me.

“So this is your badass sister?” A man with blond hair steps around Hawk. “She don’t look like much of a threat to me.”

Hawk grinds his teeth, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “Stepsister. And I never said she was a badass. Just a threat.” That familiar darkness still haunts his expression. That same indignation when his gaze flits over me.

A second guy stomps in. His black hair is cropped short, almost buzzed, revealing tattoos on his scalp.

He smirks but his brown eyes look dead inside.

“Cute. Let’s have your family reunion some other time.

Where are the dead white boys at?” Dressed in all black, he wears a button down shirt, stiff slacks, and leather gloves.

Black ink peeks out from underneath the hem of his sleeve.

My stomach knots. He’s told them about me.

Two men whom I’ve never met. And yet he’s told them I’m trouble.

That we used to be family. And probably that he hates me.

“In the living room,” I rasp. I point toward the sunken sitting area, my fingers trembling.

“There’s so much blood. How are you going to… ” My head is spinning, my mouth dry.

Hawk nods toward the blond one. “Scarrow will get rid of your prints, fibers, and DNA. Omen will take care of the bodies… we’ll make it all disappear, Cherry. The blood, the weapon, everything.”

I nod and hug my own chest. Goose pimples flare across my skin. “What if their parents come home?”

His eyes darken. “That’s all you need to know. Now get the fuck out of here, Cherry. Go out the back, and take the long way to town through the woods.”

Scarrow snickers. “She’s going to need an alibi too, dawg.”

“Roxy’s down at Level Up. I’ll just go there.” I hug myself tighter, the sound of his voice making me shiver.

Hawk shakes his head. “Nah. You need to find a dick to suck. Give some dude the best fucking blow job of his life. One he won’t ever forget.”

I feel my cheeks heat. I’d forgotten what it was like to be slut shamed by a man I used to look up to. “Is that all you think I’m good for?”

He looks away as the other two stifle their laughter and start to get to work. “You called so I came. But this time, it ain’t for free. You’re gonna owe us. And someday, I will be back to collect.”

His words sound like venom. The disdain he has for me is thick, contagious, weighing heavy in the air between us like strangers. “What, no family discount?” I can’t keep the snark out of my tone. My self-pity is turning into bitterness the longer I stand here and soak in his degradation.

Hawk stalks toward me, the closest he’s been to me in years. As he glares down at me, I can’t help but want to touch the scar I gave him. It’s deeper than I remember, longer, as it stretches from the corner of his eyebrow to right underneath his cheekbone.

“Sweetheart, you’re the farthest thing from family that anyone could ever be,” he growls.

Butterflies swim in my stomach. And not the fun kind. No. These feel more like rotting flies. Owing a debt to Hawk Riley is not something I’d wish on my worst enemy. “Fine. I’ll pay you then. I’ve been working all summer at the fair. Name your price.”

He cracks his knuckles before taking off his leather jacket. “Oh, I will. But you can save your ice cream money for now. We’re about to clean up three dead bodies for you. There’s going to be a much higher price to pay down the road. This is intimate shit, Cherry.”

I swallow hard and try to look anywhere but at his corded biceps. They’re slick with sweat, giving a smooth sheen to his black tattoos. “Just tell me what you want, Hawk.”

Scarrow and Omen both look up. It seems like they want to hear what my payment is going to be too. Seeing as I will owe it to all three of them.

Hawk takes another step toward me and breathes in a deep mouthful of my scent. His lip quivers. “I haven’t decided yet.”

A familiar tinge of shame tickles my belly. My traitorous body wants to lean into him. I take a big step back instead. “When?” My heart races.

He shrugs as if he’s uninterested, but the primal hunger in his eyes is bolder than it’s ever been before. “We gotta go away for a while. So take care of yourself, sister. You better be in mint fucking condition when we come back.”

I fight the urge to cry. I vowed I’d never let him bring me to tears again. But he’s getting way too fucking excited about me having to look over my shoulder for the foreseeable future.

Scarrow and Omen undress me with their eyes as if they all of a sudden have permission to. Hawk tenses and I take another step back. “Thank you for coming. I didn’t know who else to call.”

He nods. “Back door. Woods. Blowjob. Go. Now.”

“See ya, asshole.” I blow out a deep breath and flip him off with both hands before shoving through the rickety screen door. I don’t have to turn around to know that he’s returning the gesture. He always does.

I charge through the woods and don’t look back. I do exactly as he tells me. And then I wait. Every day. Every month. Years… I wait until I give up thinking he’s ever gonna step foot in Crimson Valley again.

But deep down I know better. I know he’ll never let me off the hook. Hawk always collects on his debts. Especially from the preacher’s daughter who ruined his life one summer.