Chapter 2
PRESLEY
I’d always considered myself to be reasonably smart.
I made good grades in school, worked hard, and minded my own business. I had a steady job, loyal friends, and a small apartment that was all my own. I didn’t smoke and only drank on special occasions, excluding those glasses of wine I’d down after a bad day. Those don’t really count.
I wasn’t one to run my mouth or cause trouble of any kind. I was a good girl who followed the rules. I would even go so far as to cross the street to avoid anyone who simply looked like trouble. It wasn’t because I thought I was better than them. It was because I was afraid.
Afraid I would disappoint my parents.
Afraid I would get distracted.
Most of all, I was afraid I would like it. The thrill, the danger, and even the drama. So, I avoided it at all costs.
And yet, here I was, staring straight into the eyes of the biggest troublemaker I’d ever had the misfortune of knowing.
Davis Crenshaw.
Growing up, I’d done my best to avoid him and Luke—his conceited, mouthy, arrogant, cocky, bullheaded brother.
Yes, conceited and arrogant are basically the same thing, but if you knew Luke the way I did, you would know it was justified.
Davis and Luke didn’t always get along, but they had one thing in common.
Trouble followed them like the air we breathe, and I wanted no part of anything they were involved in. Ever. But due to circumstances beyond my control, I was Davis’s new girlfriend.
Yeah, you heard that right.
Girlfriend.
I should probably clarify things. This was all for show. I had no idea who this show was for, but I was told to play the part, and I had no choice but to play it.
It had only been a few hours since we’d come to this unlikely agreement, and I was still trying to make sense of it. He’d driven me over to his father’s house, and I wasn’t sure why. I should’ve just sat there and kept my mouth shut, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. “What are we doing here?”
He didn’t answer.
He just kept glaring at the front door like he was trying to work up the courage to actually get out of the truck and go inside. He sat there for what felt like an eternity, then opened his door and demanded, “Wait here.”
I didn’t argue. The last thing I wanted to do was go into that house with him. I had no clue who was inside, and I was fine with that. It meant less time with Davis, and I was all for that. I looked out the window and groaned as I thought about how I’d ended up in this predicament.
It was a huge mess.
There was no doubt about it, and it started with my younger sister, Lila Kate, showing up at my door looking like she’d been hit by a truck.
I was about to crawl into bed when the pounding started. Not knocking. Pounding. Frantic and continuous, like someone was fighting for their life. I rushed over and opened the door, and Lila Kate stumbled inside. I caught her in my arms, and my stomach dropped when I saw her face.
One eye was black and blue and practically swollen shut, her bottom lip was split open, and there was dried blood on her chin. She was clutching her ribs and struggling to breathe. I helped her over to the sofa as I gasped, “My God, Lila. What happened? Who did this to you?”
“I’m okay,” she gasped.
She was far from okay. The poor girl was barely holding it together, and the handprint on her throat quivered with each breath. “No, you’re not. We’re going to the ER, and…”
“No! No hospital!” she burst out with her voice full of desperation. “I can’t.”
“Why the hell not?” I pushed. “You’re hurt. You could have internal bleeding or something.”
“I’m fine. It’s not that serious.” I gave her a stern look, and she let out a breath. “I’m in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
Lila Kate was a good kid. She was smart and worked hard, but there were times when she acted impulsively and put herself in precarious situations. Clearly, this was one of those times. Her voice quivered as she started, “I owe some people money… some really, really bad people.”
“Is he the one who did this to you?”
She shook her head. “No, but I think he might be connected.”
“Connected? Oh, God. Just tell me what happened.”
“It’s all so dumb.” She sucked in a breath and winced before explaining, “I was trying to make some extra cash. I needed it to pay for next semester's class. Tips at the bar have been shit for weeks, and I thought this was the answer.”
“What was the answer?”
“I was just supposed to make a delivery. There’s this guy who came into the bar a couple of nights ago.
We got to talking, and he said he might have a way for me to earn some quick cash.
I asked him about it, and he said all I had to do was take a package across town and drop it off, and I’d make two grand. ”
“Come on, Lila. You had to know that was too good to be true.”
“Yeah, maybe, but I really needed the money.”
“Why didn’t you just come to me?”
“Because I always come to you. I didn’t want to hassle you.”
“You’re never a hassle, babe. You’re my sister. I’ll always help out when I can, but that’s a conversation for another day. Tell me about this package.”
“I don’t know anything about it.”
“You didn’t know what was in it?”
“No. He never told me.” Tears started to fill her eyes as she told me, “And I didn’t open it. I swear.”
“So, what happened?”
“When I got to the place where I was supposed to drop off the bag, some guy came up to my car and dragged me out onto the ground and started hitting and kicking me like I was some animal.” Tears streamed down her face as she continued, “I didn’t even fight back.
He just kept hitting me. I finally passed out, and when I came to, the bag was gone. ”
“Did you call the police?”
“No. I mean, how could I? I had no idea what was in that bag.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right, but we have to do something about your car.”
“I don’t care about the car, Pres.” She wiped the tears from her face as she said, “I have to come up with a hundred grand by the end of the month, or I’m as good as dead.”
“Says who?”
“The guy from the bar.” She was crying and talking so fast it was hard to understand what she was saying.
“He said this whole thing was my fault. He said I should’ve been more careful, and it’s all on me because someone stole the package from me.
He didn’t even care that I was attacked.
He said he would buy me some time and convince them to give me until the end of the month to come up with the money, but if I was even a day late, they would come for me. ”
“Who is they?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Whoever he had me do the delivery for.”
“How could you be so…”
“He told me it was easy money. I never thought it would turn out like this.” She started sobbing as she told me, “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t have that kind of money.”
“We’ll figure it out.” I pulled her in for a hug, holding her carefully so I didn’t hurt her. “First, I need to know more about this guy from the bar.”
“I think you know him.”
I leaned back, looking down at her as I asked, “Know who?”
“The guy from the bar.” She grimaced as she said, “His name is Davis… Davis Crenshaw.”
And just like that, a man I’d always, at all costs, tried to avoid had his hands wrapped around the noose that some stranger had put around my sister’s neck.
I tended to her wounds, and with an ice pack and plenty of Tylenol, I put her to bed.
I lay down next to her, watching her whimper in her sleep, and my heart broke for her.
I had to do something. It wasn’t like our parents could help her out of this mess.
They barely had two nickels to rub together, much less a hundred grand.
I grabbed my phone and started asking a few old friends if they’d seen Davis and where I might find him. A couple of hours later, I was standing at his door, pleading with him to help me. I hated every second of it, but I had no choice. I had to save her.
Even if it meant selling my soul to the devil himself.
Davis looked completely unfazed when I said, “That guy beat the hell out of her.”
“Yeah, that was a real shame.”
“He could’ve killed her.”
“Don’t see what this has to do with me? I’m not the one who jacked her.”
“But you’re the one who set this thing up! You have to help her.”
“I don’t gotta do shit,” he snarled. “She knew the risk she was taking.”
“Did she?” I pushed. “Because I don’t think she had a clue what she was getting into… I think she believed you were a good guy who was giving her a chance to pay for her college. And now, look at you! You’re practically spitting in the poor girl’s face.”
“Look, I don’t know what you want from me.”
“I want you to help me find a way out of this.”
“The only way to do that is to come up with a hundred grand and come up with it fast.”
“There’s no way that’s going to happen.” I shook my head. “We don’t have that kind of money, and we don’t know anyone who does.”
His expression softened. It was only slightly, but it was enough for me to know I was getting to him. “Please. I’ll do anything.”
That got his attention.
His head tilted, and his eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down. “Now, that is something I can work with.”
He stepped into my space, so close I had to press my back against the porch railing. “I may have a way for you to get your sister out of this mess. It’ll take some maneuvering, but it can be done. You’ll have to do exactly what I say. No questions. No attitude.”
“Do I get to know anything about this plan of yours?”
“You get to know what I tell you. So, are you in or out?”
I should’ve thought about it. I should’ve at the very least questioned him about it. I should’ve done anything but nod. But that was exactly what I did. “I’m in.”
“Good girl.”
God. Just remembering the way he said it made my skin crawl.
The man was a true sociopath, and now, I was stuck with him.
My attention was drawn back up to the house when the front door flew open, and Davis came storming out. He climbed inside and slammed his door hard enough to make the entire truck shake. “Everything okay?”
He didn’t answer. He simply took out his phone and started texting someone. His fingers tapped on the glass like they were fighting in a war only he knew about. The screen lit up with a response, and after he read it, he tossed the phone into his console. “Damn it.”
He was clearly pissed, and even though it went against my better judgment, I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Then, what are we doing here?” I let out a steady breath before asking, “Isn’t that your parents’ house?”
His eyes cut over to me, but he didn’t answer.
He just grumbled something under his breath, started the engine, and backed out of the drive.
I didn’t really know much about Davis since we had been out of high school, but I didn’t think he was an actual threat.
That was a mistake. It was an even bigger mistake when I pushed, “You have to tell me something. Like, seriously. Why am I here? What do you want from me?”
His jaw flexed once.
And then again.
Then, he turned his head slowly, and the look in his eyes made my blood run cold. “I want you to do what I fucking tell you, and I want you to do it without any fucking mouthing off or our deal’s off!”
My breath caught.
He leaned towards me as he snarled, “And then you’ll be on your own, and your sister will be as good as dead. Just try me!”
Everything in me froze.
The air in the truck suddenly felt thinner, like I couldn’t get enough oxygen to my lungs. I sank back in my seat and tried to settle my racing heart, but I was too far gone. I was terrified. I thought Davis was helping me. I didn’t expect him to throw out a threat like that.
I stole a quick glimpse at him, and I realized he was the same troublemaker I’d seen strutting through the halls of our high school, only worse.
He might’ve looked the same, but that boy was long gone, and a more dangerous man had replaced him.
And now I was stuck in this situation where he was in total control.
He held Lila Kate’s life in his hands.
And that meant he held mine, too.