Chapter 22 Solana
SOLANA
You’d think finding a severed head on his doorstep would traumatize me so much it’d keep me from staying over at Silver’s.
Instead, it has the exact opposite effect.
As crazy as it sounds, Silver’s house feels like the safest place on planet earth for me right now. When I’m with him, my mind quiets. My heart settles. The anxiety that usually claws at my chest loosens its sharp nails, and I can actually breathe.
I trust him implicitly—with my secrets and fears and my body.
With everything.
I can’t bring myself to sleep in my old bedroom anymore.
Every time I’m there, I think about Kel.
I’m forced to remember how he invaded even my most private space.
He showed up that night with rage in his eyes and hands ready to hurt me again.
The walls feel like they’re closing in. The shadows feel like they’re watching.
I lay in that bed and stare at the ceiling and all I can see is his face, twisted with anger, coming for me.
So I make staying over at Silver’s a nightly habit.
It’s not as though Uncle Eddie or Moses notice a thing. On the few nights one of them is actually home, I lie and say I’m spending the night at a friend’s place.
…which is technically true.
Silver is a friend—and so much more.
He’s become a confidant. A protector. He’s become my lover.
We’ve explored together in ways I never imagined, and he’s awakened a desire in me I never anticipated.
Before Silver, I thought sex was an act you did with a guy when you wanted him to like you. After what Kel did to me, I worried I’d never be able to be with a guy and not be reminded of what happened that Saturday night.
But Silver has rewritten everything I thought I knew about intimacy and pleasure, showing me what it’s like to be truly wanted.
Tonight is no different.
We’re tangled up in his sheets, only a single table lamp lighting up the room as we fool around.
Silver kisses his way down my body like he has all the time in the world. His lips trace a path from my throat to my collarbone to the valley between my breasts, and by the time he reaches my stomach, I’m already trembling with anticipation.
“Silver...” His name comes out breathlessly.
He looks up at me, his blue eyes tinged with lust, then smiles like the tormentor he is.
“Patience, baby.”
His head is between my thighs in the next second, his mouth on my pussy.
His tongue traces my folds, teasing and tasting me. I gasp at the warm, wet sensations he inflicts on me. He’s learned exactly what I like—the pressure, the rhythm, the way a flick of his tongue against my clit makes my hips jerk off the mattress.
He slides a finger inside me, then two, curling them at an angle that stimulates yet another pleasure spot.
I squirm against his mouth, barely able to resist humping his entire face. My fingers wind up in his hair as my pleasure reaches a breaking point, and I can’t take it another second.
He sucks harder on my sensitive bud, his fingers stroking inside me, dragging me over the edge.
“Oh fuck… oh god—” I cry out as I come. My whole body writhes like I’ve been electroshocked.
Silver works me through it, lapping away at my pussy and then placing kisses on my inner thighs.
It takes me several minutes to recover before I decide to get a little payback.
I push myself up on shaky arms and press against his chest, easing him onto his back. He goes willingly, his mouth half quirked in a smile.
I crawl over him with a confidence I’m still getting used to. His dick is hard and ready, glistening at the head and making me lick my lips.
I wrap my fingers around him, stroking slowly, watching the way his jaw clenches and his breath hitches.
“Solana...” he grunts.
I’m still learning myself, but one thing I do know is that when he groans like he is, it’s a good thing.
I lower my head and take him into my mouth.
His grunts and groans deepen, low and guttural sounds as my head bobs and I suck away. His hand finds the back of my head, and he helps guide me as I go.
I take him deeper, hollowing my cheeks, working my tongue.
I want to make him feel as good as he always makes me feel.
When he finally comes, he spills inside my mouth with a gravelly groan and my name on his lips. I’ve never felt more powerful as this alpha male’s dick throbs inside my mouth and I taste his cum.
Once we’ve sated our needs, we lay in his bed and talk about whatever comes to mind. I tell him the latest about the play as he attentively listens and occasionally offers input.
“Mr. Davies says I’m really capturing Magnolia’s essence. Whatever that means.”
He chuckles. “It means you’re talented as hell, baby. But I already knew that.”
I trace lazy patterns on his chest with my finger, following the outline of his skull tattoo. “What about you? How are things at the club?”
He’s quiet for a moment. I’ve learned that silence from him means he’s deciding how much he should tell me. I don’t push though, aware there are things about his world I can’t know. Probably things that would only put me in more danger.
But he always gives me some morsel of info. Some small piece as he lets me into his world. Enough to make me feel like a partner, not just a bystander.
“We’ve gotten into some hot water,” he finally says. “With a cartel.”
I lift my head to look at him. “A cartel?”
He exhales a deep breath. “Yeah. It’s a deal gone bad. That Tom only exacerbated by having us go on the offensive against them. Now they’re likely out doing the same. It’s... complicated.”
“Is that who left the head?”
“It’s possible. But it could always be somebody else. I’ve got no shortage of enemies.”
I chew on my lower lip, the anxiety creeping back in. “Do you think... do you think somebody’s onto us? About Kel?”
He goes still beside me. Then his arm comes around my shoulders and pulls me firmly up against him. “We covered our tracks. Nobody’s ever gonna find out, Solana. I made sure of it.”
“But what if—”
“Hey.” He tilts my chin up so I’m looking at him. His blue eyes steady on mine, certainty swimming in them. Certain. “I’ll always protect you. No matter what. You’re never gonna be in trouble. Not while I’m breathing. You understand me?”
I search his face for any hint of doubt, but there’s none to be found. He means every last word.
“I believe you,” I whisper.
And I do. I know Silver will find a way out of this. He always does.
The theater lights are bright and hot on my face as I stand center stage, script in hand.
“I don’t need your pretty words, Moonshine,” I say in my best Southern drawl. “I need you to show me. Show me you mean what you say.”
Mr. Davies claps from his seat in the third row. “Excellent, Solana! That’s exactly the energy I want. Magnolia is fierce but vulnerable in this scene. She wants to believe him, but she’s been hurt before so many times. You’re capturing that beautifully.”
I smile, pride warming up my chest. Acting has always been my escape, my way of becoming someone else for a little while and actually proving I have talent and am somebody.
In a lot of ways Magnolia feels like a kindred spirit—a woman who’s been through hell but refuses to let it break her.
Derek, the guy playing Moonshine, clears his throat and holds up the prop flowers “Magnolia, I—” he falters, glancing down at his script. “I, uh... I brought you these... um...”
Mr. Davies sighs, rolling his eyes. “It’s ‘I brought you these magnolias because they reminded me of your beauty,’ Derek. We’ve been over this.”
Derek flushes bright pink. “Right. Sorry. Can we go again from the top?”
“Actually, let’s take a break,” Mr. Davies says, standing up. “Everyone hydrate, use the restroom. We’ll pick back up in ten.”
The cast disperses in different directions. I walk down the stage steps to the first few rows of seats where I left my stuff. I pull my phone from the side pouch of my bookbag and check my messages.
One from Silver:
Thinking about you.
I smile and type back a quick heart emoji.
“There she is. Pretending nothing’s up.”
I sense their presence at the same time I hear their voices.
I turn to find Shay and Yvette approaching from behind, their expressions sharp with malice. Shay’s got her arms crossed, her long nails tapping against her bicep like she’s been waiting for this moment. Yvette flanks her with a glare that can only be described as openly hostile.
“We know you’ve done something,” Shay says, stopping a few feet away. “First Kel goes missing. Now Spencer. Both of them just... mysteriously disappear. But you’re still here, practicing for your little play, thinking you’re gonna be the next Halle Berry or some shit.”
I keep my face neutral, forcing myself to stay calm. I’ve gotten good at wearing masks—Silver advised me how to keep my cool when the topic of Kel or Spencer comes up.
Never let them see you sweat. Never give them ammunition.
Keep answers short and sweet and simple.
“I thought we were on the same page the last time you came around,” I say calmly. “Stay away from me. Leave me alone.”
Shay’s eyes narrow as she steps closer. Close enough that I can smell her cloyingly sweet perfume.
“We’re never gonna back off, Solana,” she hisses. “We know you and your motorcycle club boys have done something. We just can’t prove it yet. But when we do find out what, we’ll expose you in front of everybody. Your little acting career, your perfect reputation, all of it—gone.”
She holds my gaze for a long, tense moment. Then she turns on her heel and stalks away, Yvette trailing behind her like a loyal dog.
I watch them go, my heart pounding against my ribs.
They don’t know anything. At least not yet. Silver said we covered our tracks. We took care of any potential evidence and even created our own evidence that points to things like Kel skipping town.
Yet as I stand by the rows of seats and watch Shay and Yvette storm off, I can’t shake the cold tendril of fear wrapping itself around my insides.
What if they actually do find out? What if they discover the secrets we’re keeping?
I shove my phone back into my bag and take a deep breath, forcing myself to be cool and unaffected. I won’t ever let them see me crack.
Mr. Davies calls us back to the stage, and I plaster on my best Magnolia smile, reminding myself I can do this. For both my sake and Silver’s.