5. Roxy
Roxy
Pulling the blankets tighter around me, I’m vaguely aware of how pathetic I’m being. I’ve never been one to wallow. Never been one to cry in front of someone else.
But here I am.
My makeshift nest is made out of blankets so soft and so warm, that I’ll never unwrap myself. A perfect place to drown my sorrows. I bet the price tag of these blankets would make me cry even harder.
Just like the rest of this absurd but gorgeous bedroom.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you,” I sniff, gripping Maddy’s hand tighter.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, she blinks back at me with concern. Not a shred of judgement in her expression.
Her brows draw in tight.
“Don’t be sorry,” she murmurs. “We all have our secrets.”
A lump forms in my throat and I struggle to breathe around it. Thoughts scatter in every direction at once, all of them tripping over one another, and nothing makes sense.
“Am I going to be arrested?” Is the first one that reaches my tongue.
“No, Roxy,” she says, fighting a smirk, glancing over her shoulder at Ash, who watches from the doorway. His dimples pop at her reply, wild eyes flashing as he leans casually with arms crossed. Turning back to me, she grumbles, “The police in Havenport are almost as corrupt as him.”
Her words do little to settle the rattling of my heart and the way my hands shake. I’ve been like this on and off since, you know...
“Maybe I should go to jail,” I whimper through tears. “I killed him, Maddy! Like, really fucking killed him.”
Maddy grips my hand harder.
“It’s going to be okay...”
My head shakes frantically, every breath whooshing in and out of me is strained.
“He’s dead!” I gasp, the vision of him with his non-existent face that me and Kitty created flashing behind my eyes. “More dead than any other dead person has ever been!”
Both of our attention cuts to Ash, who chokes on a laugh, trying to cover it up with a cough.
My eyes narrow on him, and his lips form a tight line, fighting the grin he very obviously wants to let loose.
“I thought I could outrun my family. That if I kept my head down and did everything right, things could be different; that I could be different.” Tears well in my eyes again, falling in hot, heavy drops down my cheeks. “But I’m no different to them. And I feel stupid for even trying.”
Maddy climbs to her knees, hands gripping my cheeks.
“You listen to me,” she grits out, though she still sounds so sweet and soft.
“I know first-hand that we can’t choose the monsters who haunt the houses we lived in.
Trust me.” Her tone makes my tears pause and my chin lift.
“You can’t choose your blood. You can choose what you do with it.
And last night, you made the right choice. ”
My bottom lip wobbles as I stare into the eyes of my best friend. She doesn’t even realise how much she means to me. Growing up with a baseball bat as your best friend... Yeah, the real thing is fucking amazing.
“You think?”
Her face hardens as she nods. “I know.”
A long exhale falls out of me. “Who knew you were such a fan of murder.” I giggle through tears. My eyes land on Ash. “The signs were there, I guess. My fault for not noticing.”
Maddy huffs a laugh before diving into the nest of soft blankets and wrapping her arms around me.
“I love you, Roxy,” she murmurs into my hair.
“I love you, Maddy baby,” I whisper back.
Pulling back, she smiles.
“Did you get enough things from your house? I know it’s inconvenient, but Ash thinks you should stay here, just until we figure some things out.”
My face heats as I glance at the box full of everything I own.
“You’ve done enough for me; I can’t take your home as well.”
A sad smile curves her lips as she looks around the room.
“This house never was a home,” she murmurs. “Not to me. It’s yours as long as you want it.”
A fresh wave of tears burns behind my eyes.
I murder someone, and then I get to stay in a penthouse apartment that literally sparkles. Is karma even real? If so, I’m racking up a hell of a debt.
“Thank you,” I choke out, clearing my throat of the emotion that’s lodged there.
She smiles, pushing her blonde hair behind her ears. “You’re safe here. Kai will keep watch. No one can get through him.”
My mouth falls open, cheeks warming.
“I don’t need him here,” I blurt out. “Please...”
Silence stretches, Ash shifting in the doorway as Maddy glances back at him.
“My brothers don’t even care about me,” I continue, my voice cracking. “Jacob was just taunting me. That’s what they do. But I’m fine, I swear.”
Ash saunters towards us. Gritting my teeth together, I crane my neck to meet his gaze.
“Roxy,” he purrs, before his eyes darken, and the face of the club leader appears.
Goosebumps crawl over my skin. “You know as well as I do, if anything were to happen to you, then my angel would be beside herself. Not to mention that your safety directly correlates with hers. So, forgive me if I decide not to pander to your little fear of men like me and Kai. Are we clear?”
I gulp, nodding my head. Being followed by a member of his club makes me feel sick, even though I might have already slept with said member. But the look in Ash’s eyes leaves zero room for debate.
In a second, his face changes again, a grin curving his lips and deep dimples popping into his cheeks.
“I thought you’d see it from my point of view,” he winks.
“Now, if you’d excuse us, we’ve had a long night doing criminal things.
So, I’m going to steal my Angel now and take out every bit of my stress and frustration out on her perfect little body. ”
Without looking back, he saunters out of the room.
My eyes round, darting to Maddy whose cheeks blush a bright red.
“Sorry,” she mouths, turning to follow him. “Call me if you need anything!”
“Insane fuckers,” I mutter to myself, although I can’t hide my grin.
The door shuts behind them, and suddenly, I’m all alone.
Everything falls silent. From up here, all the way in the penthouse suite, even the sounds of the city can’t reach me. Not a horn from a car, not a grunting fight from drunk people.
Peaceful...
There is something comforting about it. Something I'm not used to. Everywhere around me has been constant noise. For a second, it feels nice to have none.
But it only lasts for that second.
Because in the silence, the rattle of the door handle explodes through the apartment. Such a quiet sound, amplified enough to make me jolt.
My heart stops; a terrified squeak escapes before I can swallow it down. I scramble from my nest of blankets, the cocoon I’d built around myself falling in on itself. The comfort vanishing in a second.
Struggling to find my footing, I stumble to the corner of the room where Kitty rests against the wall.
My fingers wrap around the worn handle of my baseball bat so tightly my knuckles blanch.
Each breath is shallow, blood pounding through my ears so brutally it drowns out everything else.
Aside from the beep as the electronic lock disengages.
It could be Maddy and Ash returning.
But something tells me it isn’t.
The thud of a slow, confident footsteps echo down the hall.
Bat in my hand, I hide around the corner, ready to strike in an instant.
Kitty is ready to take her death toll to two.
A sharp gasp flies from my lips when a large body rounds the corner, my knuckles cracking around the wooden handle.
Kai doesn't flinch. His imposing form looms in the doorway, eyes scanning over me and Kitty.
“Fuck! You scared me half to death,” I sigh, still gripping Kitty high over my head.
He doesn't reply.
The way he regards me, with a stillness that feels otherworldly, makes me clutch the bat harder. Doesn’t matter that we fucked not even twelve hours ago. Men with leather vests like his don’t need a reason to strike.
He remains motionless, expressionless. But something is different.
Last night, his dark eyes were endless black pools. Empty and void of anything warm.
Now... violence sparks in them.
It has my heart thumping and my clit throbbing.
Finally, his gaze falls off mine, landing on Kitty. A dark brow cocks, just slightly, just enough to show an expression.
“Are you going to hit me, Roxanne?” he purrs, voice a low, melodic rasp.
Finally, I lower my weapon, leaning her against the wall.
“It’s Roxy,” I correct him.
No one calls me Roxanne, not anymore.
He hums softly, eyes boring into me in a way that feels like he's cleaving my soul open.
I fidget on the spot. I said I liked the quiet, but not this kind. Not the kind that's filled with intensity and tension.
I've never been one to be awkward after a one-night stand. One-night stands are actually my MO. There's something sexy about having a raunchy, dirty night with someone and never seeing them again.
Unfortunately for me, or fortunately for my eyes, I don't have that luxury, seeing as I've been appointed a bodyguard.
My heart begins to settle, and my eyes rove over him. Today he’s in a short-sleeved T-shirt, and I unashamedly drool over his arms. Fuck, they’re beautiful arms.
Deep olive skin painted with ink. Veins wrapping around his forearms all the way up to thick biceps.
Why are the arms of men who could ruin my life always so damn delicious?
Taking a deep breath I try to settle my wired nerves. Everything's making me jump lately.
When I finally look up, his dark eyes slide down my body. It doesn't feel like an appreciative glance.
It feels like he's looking for something.
The ghost of a smirk tugs the corner if his lips. “Are you scared?”
I frown up at him.
Yes, I’m fucking scared.
I don’t say that, of course. Instead, I shake my head.
It doesn’t seem to be the answer he wants to hear. With slow, mechanical steps, he advances. Although the man barely speaks, everything about him is so fucking loud. The energy wafting off him is so intense and all consuming, it forces me backward, until my back hits the wall.
In an instant, he's on me. His hand whips out before I can even blink, closing around my throat, squeezing as his body cages me in.