Keep It Sexy (KIS Series Book 3) (13 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Billie

I slept like a baby. I was warm and toasty and I knew it had to do with being in Christian’s arms. I didn’t want to feel like this with him, but it was hard not to. He was sweet in the small gestures he did, like sweeping my hair behind my ears or kissing the tip of my nose. I loved how he cradled my face in his hands when he wanted to say something meaningful. But somehow, even though I pushed reasoning to the side, I was always reminded of my past and my family.

They’d already shown interest in him and I wasn’t quite sure what they were planning on doing. I knew Don wanted me back in the family business and God only knew to what extent he’d go to bring me back. This morning, the warmth beside me all night was gone.

I stared at his empty side of the bed for a few minutes, trying to listen into the silence of his apartment. It wasn’t until fifteen minutes later I heard the front door open and close. When his footsteps got closer to the bedroom, I sat up, well aware my hair looked like a rat’s nest and my eyeliner and mascara were smeared all over my eyes. Christian appeared in a pair of jogging pants and nothing else. His skin glistened with sweat, giving his tattoos an extra pop in color.

“Morning.” His tone wasn’t the cheerful one I was so used to hearing.

“When did you go jogging? I didn’t feel you wake up.”

Christian’s dimples appeared and I felt a little better.

“Your snoring woke me up.”

“What! I don’t snore.” I could feel my cheeks burning. He laughed.

“Yes, you do. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I went for a jog instead.” I plopped back down on the bed, pulling his pillow to my face, and I groaned into it. I probably did snore last night. I hadn’t been sleeping very well lately. I was always waking up in the middle of the night with an anxious feeling in my stomach.

“I’m going to take a shower then I’ll drop you off at Jade’s. Okay?” There it was again, that tone.

“Sure.” I hadn’t bothered to move. I heard him open and close some drawers before the sound of the bathroom door shutting. There was something up with him. I was getting the feeling he was distancing himself from me and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

***

He drove without a word. I was beginning to learn Christian only spoke when he had something meaningful to say. That, or he spoke to make a fool of himself in front of me. The entire way, I felt nervous and somewhat scared he was going to end our friendship. Christian parked outside of Jade’s house. Pete’s truck was parked in the driveway. I waited for him to say something but when he did speak I felt my stomach dip.

“I’ll see you later tonight, ’kay?”

I smiled tightly and nodded. He stared at me like he wanted to say something, but didn’t. Opening the door, I hopped out of the SUV and grabbed my backpack.

“See ya.” I closed the door and hurried to the front door. I wanted to turn to see him one more time, but scolded myself for the thought. Jade and Pete were snuggled on the couch. They jumped up when I came through. I really needed to get my own place.

“Hey,” Jade said sweetly. I could tell by the look on her face she had a ton of questions for me, but she knew me better than to ask right now.

“Hey, guys. Can I use your laptop?” I asked.

“Yes, of course. It’s in the kitchen.”

Bowing my head, I went directly to the kitchen. With the money I earned from working at Blush this past week, and the money I still had from Vegas, I had enough for a deposit, but because I had to buy new tires for the Frog, I had less in savings than desired. Still, I had to leave; Pete and Jade needed their privacy back.

I searched for an apartment close to Blush. I wasn’t sure if I would work there for a long time, but that area had caught my attention. I loved how busy it was and the diversity of the people. Which also meant higher rent. Luckily there were several people looking for a roommate, it being so close to the university and all. I found an ad with a girl needing a roommate right away. Her name was Abby, and she was a student at the university. I emailed her to let her know I was interested. While I searched for more ads, Abby wrote back asking if we could meet. I let her know she could stop by Blush later today and we could chat there. She agreed, telling me she would be the one with pink hair. I smiled at her email, already knowing we would get along quite well.

“So?” Jade asked, pulling out a chair to sit. I closed the laptop and told her how yesterday went. “You spent the night with Christian
without
sleeping with him?” She leaned in and flicked my head. “Are you stupid?” I smacked her hand away.

“We’re just friends, Jade, and how do you care more about that than my bike? Someone slashed my tires.”

Jade rested her cheek against her closed fist. “Because we both know who did it, the question is why?” I told her I didn’t know, and I explained how Don came into the bar and seemed pleased to meet Christian, which didn’t make sense, and how he invited him to dinner. “That’s really strange.”

“I know.” I sighed, rubbing my forehead. Just as I opened my mouth to tell Jade about meeting with a potential roommate, my phone buzzed in my hand alerting me of a text. The number was from out of the country; I wasn’t sure what zip code it was. I swiped it open and only had a few seconds to see Christian’s car windows broken before I called him. From my grief stricken face, Jade frantically asked if I was all right, but I couldn’t answer because I was too busy calling Christian. The phone didn’t even ring twice before he answered. I jumped off the chair at the sound of his voice.

“Are you okay?” I asked, adrenaline pumping through my veins. “Were you in the car when it happened?”

“How…how do you know?”

“I got a text with a picture of your windows all busted.”

Christian mumbled some curse words. I could hear the sounds of cars passing by through the phone. He was outside, possibly inspecting the damage.

“I’m sorry, Chris, see I told you—”

“Hold on,” he interrupted. I heard him pull his phone away from his face then he swore, again. “Billie, where’s your bike?”

“In the garage, why?”

“Check to make sure.”

“Why, what’s going on?”

“Just check the fucking garage!” he yelled, startling Jade and I. We ran to the garage door in the kitchen. I flicked on the light. It was empty. My Frog was gone.

“What the fuck.” I was frozen from the inside, walking aimlessly to where I had parked it.

Jade snatched the phone from my hand and spoke to Christian, but I was blocking them out. Why would they do this? Why was Don acting one way and doing something else entirely? What did he have to gain by punishing me this way? He knew how much I loved my bike; it was like another piece of me. Like an extra pair of lungs I needed to breathe.

Tears began to pool in my eyes, then instantly rage took over. I was kicking their fucking asses. I stormed out of the garage through the kitchen. Pete stood right outside the kitchen archway with keys in his hands. He handed them to me with a wicked smile. I nodded, and then ran out of the house, knowing Jade would try to stop me. I heard her yelling at Pete, and then her thundering footsteps coming after me. But she was too late. I was already pulling out of the driveway when she threw open the front door. I saw her get back on the phone through the rearview mirror, waving her hands dramatically at whoever she was speaking to. That person was probably deaf by now.

Chapter Twenty

Billie

Harden was fifteen minutes from Jade’s house, but the way I was driving it felt like I arrived in five. As I passed the green sign that welcomed me to the small city, I felt a sense of belonging, although torn at the same time. Since developing a mind of my own, there was a constant battle within myself. I felt like I had to be this, Billie McAllister, daughter of the Grifter, con man extraordinaire, but then another part of me wanted something more, a different life, a different path. I was endlessly torn between proving myself and
being
myself.

And when I was hanging by a thread, Don always swooped in and reminded me who I was. But this time I wasn’t desperate yet. He’d made small attempts to try to bring me back. One time even flat out asking me if I wanted in on a score. When I declined, he wasn’t upset. Come to think of it, the whole Joey thing might not have been about Don forcing me back home to work, but for me to leave Joey’s cheating, stealing ass. Then why steal my bike and bust Christian’s windows?

I knew LCD never made a move without Don’s orders, they were loyal soldiers. I slowed down as I entered the street I grew up on. Instantly a wave of nostalgia hit my chest. Nothing had really changed in the past year. Truthfully, nothing had changed…period. That’s why Don was so successful here. Nobody in Harden liked change. And everyone followed the rules. There was no dealing in these streets, no outside gangs permitted, and no calling the cops if something went down. If there was a problem, people went to Don.

After years of conning, he’d made a lot of enemies, but a lot more friends. Don detested violence, and he felt things could always be handled in a civilized manner. Growing up, he’d tap my temples and say, “
This
rules the world, wee girl, not this.” He’d grab my fisted hands. With the McAllisters staying out of the violent part of
this
world, he had people like Big John to get their hands dirty.

I always thought their arrangement was a little shady, but B.J. always made sure nothing could come back to him. These streets were always eerily quiet; the sun never seemed to beam directly into Harden and the dark bricked homes made it even duller. It was clean enough; if an outsider came here without knowing the history of the city, they’d think it was a normal lower income family neighborhood. No one could imagine how deep Harden’s criminal veins ran or for how long.

The brightest part of Harden was the one and only church, Saint Mary Magdalene’s, where criminals went to confess their sins. Strange how Mary Magdalene was chosen for this particular church, in a neighborhood that was scary enough even the police stayed away. Where the devil seemed to thrive. I passed the white stone church, gazing at the beautiful and intricate designs of the stained glass. There was one in particular that always caught my attention.

Mary Magdalene was on her knees in a red dress with a blue cloak resting on her shoulders, her hands clenched against her chest. She read a book that lay at her knees. The backdrop was a bright blue sky with green pastures. She seemed mournful, almost disappointed, and that look always made it hard to swallow. Growing up I always evaded that side of the church. I tried my best to avoid her disappointed face. As I neared my childhood home, the rage I felt earlier reignited. Slamming on the breaks, I rammed the truck in park and threw the door open.

I didn’t see Don’s Impala or Lincoln’s Cutlass, but the front door was open. I could hear sounds from the television through the screen door. In the sunlight, the house looked the same except the windows were covered with a coat of dust and grime and the once green grass was now the color of hay, dry and brittle. I wondered how long it had been since it was watered. I opened the filthy screen door, finding Don napping on the couch, a soccer game playing loudly on the TV. The house smelled of men and stale cigar smoke. When the flimsy door banged behind me, he startled, waking up. His lips turned up into a loving smile, and then the expression disappeared as he drew in the furious look on my face.

“What’s the matter?”

“That’s a stupid fucking question.”

Don’s face flinched slightly at my words before standing slowly. He moved like a predator, stealthy and catlike.

“I’ve never had to slap you around for disrespecting me, Sybil, so don’t start now,” he said in a menacing whisper. His words alone almost knocked me over; he spoke to me like I was one of his cronies.

I felt a slice through my heart, but I had to remember why I was here and why he had done what he did. I grounded my feet and held my head high as screeching breaks and car doors slamming shut blasted through the screen door from the street outside. I skipped to the front door as LCD marched toward Christian and his friend Angel.
Oh, fuck
. Pushing the screen door open, I felt Don’s presence behind me.

“Where’s her bike?” I heard Christian growl, as we got closer. None of them looked in our direction. Connor, who was standing in the middle, smirked at him while he put his hands in his pockets. 

“Not sure what you’re talking about, bud.”

Donnie snickered, but Lincoln’s jaw clenched while he looked away.

“What the hell is this about, Lincoln?” Don pushed by me and stood in front of his first-born son. But no one said anything. Don’s chest began to rise and fall sharply; he was getting mad. He looked around at the group. “
Someone
better tell me what the
fuck
is going on before I lose my shit!”

My head was spinning. Nothing made sense. This was out of character for my brothers, and Connor never undermined Don. I stepped in front of Christian, and his eyes immediately found mine.

“Are you okay?” he asked, bending his knees so we were at eye level. I nodded, wanting so badly to step into his arms.

“Whatever the fuck happened, I want it over and done with, Connor.” Don glared at him, and then looked in Lincoln’s direction. “Now.” Lincoln nodded before Don stomped back into the house. With my back facing Connor, I could feel and imagine the glare in his eyes. It burned the back of my neck. I heard his sinister chuckled before he spoke.

“Just remember when you’re inside of her that I was the first one there. I fucked her first. I tasted that pussy first.” In a matter of seconds, I was pushed aside and spun around as Chris pounced on Connor.

It was unexpected. Nobody was prepared for Christian to react this way. Well, maybe Connor knew he would, and that’s why he said what he said. I turned around in their direction, witnessing limbs and arms flying and landing on faces and body parts. I couldn’t really see who was on whom or whose blood was spilling. With my heart in my throat, I yelled for them to stop, but they didn’t. I didn’t know what to do.

Suddenly, there was a gunshot fired in the air. Everyone froze and that’s when I was able to see Christian and Connor gripping on each other’s shirts with Connor’s eye bleeding and Christian’s nose spewing blood. Angel and Donnie were mid-punch on the asphalt as Linc stood off to the side looking at his shoes. Don stalked to Connor and Christian, then held the gun to Christian’s forehead. My stomach along with my heart sank to my feet. I was breathless; I felt the blood draining from my face. Christian didn’t let go of Connor and that’s when Don cocked the gun and I snapped. I jumped in front of Christian gripping the cold metal in my hands, and I lowered it to
my
forehead. Everyone stood in shocked silence. From the corner of my eye, I could see Angel and Donnie rising from the ground and Lincoln walking slowly in our direction.

“Billie,” Chris warned softly. He placed his hands on my waist and tried to move me but when he noticed Don’s jaw clenched, he stopped.

“What the fuck are you doing, Billie?” Don’s voice sounded like gravel. And Connor’s glare said everything. He was going to make sure I regretted my decision. Because I was choosing Christian over him, over my family.

I took in a deep breath, knowing Don wouldn’t shoot me, but I also knew Christian was now intertwined in this, with
me
. His life, his family, everything he held dear was now in jeopardy. It was the reason why I tried to stay away from him, but now it was past being too late. I never feared Connor, not until this very moment. He leaned in and whispered into Don’s ear. Don bowed his head, agreeing with whatever Connor said, then lowered the gun.

“Get off my street before I break
your
heart,” he said with remorse and disappointment.

Right then, I felt like I was looking into the stained glass of Mary Magdalene’s remorseful face. And I felt my heart crack just a little.