Chapter 13 #2
Rain rests her chin on her palm. “The movie poster was right there on the wall in front of me. Come to think of it, there were Star Wars posters all over the place.”
“You’re crazy.” I smile as I mop up the coffee. “One of these days, Malice is gonna go on a rampage and kill your trail of broken hearts.”
“Meh. What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”
Summer tucks her locks behind her ear. “You don’t think he knows?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Rain’s lips twitch. “My brother would burn every last one of them alive if he found out they’d gone near his little sister.”
“But how can he not know? You’re not exactly… discreet.”
“Wow. Mince your words.”
A fierce blush rises to Summer’s cheeks. Rain takes pity on her and tilts her head with a smile. “I’m only messing with you, babe. I like it when you’re direct. Keep it up.”
Her and me both. I always feel proud when my sister speaks up instead of blending into the background.
“My brother is fiercely possessive of things he believes belong to him,” Rain explains, “but he’s also up in his head a lot, thinking, scheming… doing whatever psychopathic shit gets him off that day. As long as I stay out of his way, we’re good. He’s easily distracted by shinier objects.”
“Like older, married women,” I tease.
Rain groans, burying her face in her palms. “He’s such a pig. I swear to God he’s a manwhore.”
“What did he do this time?”
Rain peers at me before straightening up and letting out a deep sigh. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s haunted by memories she wishes she could wipe away with a bucket of bleach and a sponge.
“When I entered the trailer the other day, I found Mrs. Cummings fucking a dildo that was suctioned to the floor. You should’ve seen her. She was wearing a leather harness and had one of those ball gags in her mouth. She even had nipple clamps.” She shudders comically.
“Where was Malice while she was riding the… dildo?”
“Lounging in the chair with his muddy boots crossed at the ankles on the table and a joint between his lips.”
“He wasn’t doing… You know? Anything?” Summer questions.
“Thank fuck, no.” Rain makes a face. “That’s part of the kink, I believe. To watch women willingly degrade themselves while he sits there like a god, fully dressed, flicking his damn Zippo and smoking his joint.”
“The dildo was suctioned to the kitchen floor?” Summer asks, eyes wide. Wow. That’s what she took from all that? Not that Malice was watching a married woman old enough to be his mother riding a dildo in his and Rain’s kitchen where they eat their takeout.
“So what did you do?” My sister hangs onto Rain’s every word.
“Turned around and walked back out.” A sly smile unfurls across her face. “Enough about that. What’s the story with Jess and Kane?”
And just like that, the spotlight is back on me. Honestly, I want to tell them. I’m dying to actually.
“Oh, I know that smile,” Rain says with a wink.
Summer’s eyes grow bigger by the second. “You do?”
“I do.” Rain slides her coffee closer and circles the rim with a polished nail and a knowing little grin that hides secrets. “The dick was good.”
It was more than that. Not that I have much to compare it to, but it would easily be an eleven out of ten if I had to rate my experience.
Rain looks at me from beneath her dark lashes. “Wasn’t it?”
Summer turns her awed expression toward me, and I drop my head back with a playful groan.
“Okay, fine. The dick was good,” I admit. “More than good.”
Rain whoops, pretending to ride her chair as she moans. Her crude display draws attention to our little corner. The boys across the room erupt, cheering and pounding their hands on their table. Welcome to the Falls. We’re all crazy here.
Summer giggles as I lean over the table to shush Rain, though I can’t help but laugh, too. How could I not? Rain has no shame.
“Oh fuck, yes baby, yes!” Rain’s hands are in her hair, tugging and pulling. “That’s the spot.”
“Oh my god.” I give up and hide my burning face in my hands.
Behind the counter, Mrs. Flores shakes her head at Rain’s antics while placing a latte on a tray, but she’s smiling too.
I don’t blame her for tutting. After all, my best friend is pretending to get off while poor Mr. Tucker—who’s been coming here every day since his wife passed away in ’97—seems about to suffer a cardiac arrest. Someone should check on him. Maybe offer him some water.
“We can’t take you anywhere,” I say once she finally calms down, patting her mussed-up hair.
“Damn straight.” She refocuses on me. “So tell us, what’s the deal with you and Kane aside from orgasms?”
Now that’s a good question. My first instinct is to play down these past few days and make up some weak excuse about how it’s nothing more than casual sex, but I take a deep breath instead. The truth is more complicated than that.
“I think I’m falling for him.”
There. I said it. The truth is out, and I can no longer pretend that my feelings aren’t real. That this is nothing more than a hormonal response to a good-looking hung guy. I mean, there’s that too.
“Really?” Summer’s voice sounds so soft my heart pinches.
“Yes.” I reach for the spoon and stir the remnants of my cold latte. Distraction helps, especially when they look at me with pity. “It’s stupid, right? He’s from the Heights, and I’m…” I wave a hand around our surroundings as tears threaten to fall. “I’m just… I’ve got nothing.”
“Hey, hey, hey.” Rain slides her cup aside and takes my hand. “Don’t speak like that. Kane would be lucky to have you.”
I tilt my head back and blink away the tears. The last thing I want is to cry in front of a room full of people.
“Look at me.” Rain’s gentle voice pulls me back. “Our background doesn’t define us, not unless we let it. We’re from the Falls. So? What of it? Who cares? If he can’t see how great you are… well, babes, then he doesn’t deserve you.”
“If only it were that simple.” I wipe my cheeks because, of course, tears are escaping. God, I hate crying. I’ve done too much of that lately but never because of a guy. That’s a first.
Two hands slam against the window and we scream like idiots. I’m sure I shaved ten years off my life just then.
Windswept, Jackson laughs before jogging toward the door. The bell jangles as he enters the cafeteria and heads straight for our table.
“What are you doing here?” Rain asks when he joins us.
Jackson sits down beside me and rests his arm on the back of my chair. “Got a special request from a client.”
When he’s not messing around with my brother and their friends, he makes a living by custom-painting cars. I’ve seen some of the cars he’s worked on and he’s really talented. The metallic scent of aerosol clings to his hoodie, but it’s not unpleasant.
“What’s going on?” he asks, tapping his finger on the table. That’s Jackson for you. Never sits still, constantly tapping a finger or jiggling a knee like he’s doing now.
“How’s my favorite girl?” he asks me with a teasing smile.
Rain looks like the devil on her shoulder whispers scheming shit in her ear, so I shake my head before she gets any stupid ideas.
Of course she doesn’t listen. When does she ever?
“Our girl here was just telling us about her weekend.”
“What about it?”
“Yes, Jessica. What about it?” Rain teases.
One of these days, I’ll get her back. Don’t ask me when, but I will. And she’ll beg for mercy. I can almost hear the evil laughter in my head, drawn out and prolonged like a movie villain.
“Hang on. Has this got anything to do with Chris asking if we’ve seen you?”
“It’s nothing.” I wave him off. “Ignore Rain. You know how she likes to stir up trouble—”
The bell jangles over the door again before Kane’s friends, Noah and Maverick, walk in wearing expensive clothes and perfectly styled hair. I immediately tense up. What are they doing here in the Falls? The room falls silent as everyone quiets down, even the flirty boys a few tables over.
Noah spots us first and smacks his friend’s shoulder with the back of his hand to get his attention.
“What the fuck are they doing here?” Jackson mutters under his breath as they head toward us.
“Hi, ladies.” Noah pulls out the chair beside Rain before sitting down and manspreading like he owns the place.
His jaw tenses as he snags on Jackson’s arm on my backrest. I instantly feel uncomfortable, and I don’t know why.
It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong, but the disapproval is clear as day in his sharp features.
“What are you doing here?” Jackson’s tense voice sends a chill down my spine.
Noah ignores the question as he looks around. “Where are your friends?”
I know that if I don’t do something, this could escalate quickly. I reach under the table to squeeze Jackson’s leg, then feel eyes on me again. Noah’s watching me as if he thinks something is going on between me and Jackson. We’re just friends.
“Hands on the table,” he says to me, jerking his chin toward my fingers on Jackson’s leg.
“What the hell is your problem?” Jackson snaps, shooting to his feet.
“Sit down.” Maverick’s dark tone leaves no room for argument. He’s kind of scary, to be honest. I mean, he doesn’t have the tattoos or the don’t-fuck-with-me attitude most guys here in the Falls do. Instead, he has something else, something more intimidating.
Entitlement and power.
He doesn’t do the dirty work. Others do it for him. He knows he’s more powerful than everyone on this side of town combined. They both are, and it shows in his smug little smirk when Jackson finally sits down.
“Good boy.”
Jackson shoots back up and I put a hand on his arm. The point of contact seems to help because he slowly lowers himself back down, though he remains stiff.
One of these days, I hope someone punches Maverick in the face. He deserves to be taken down a notch for treating my friends like subordinates. Let’s be honest—if the others were here, this would go down differently.
“Why are you here?” I ask them.