The Right Kind of Love (16 page)

I took my hand and traced it down her cheek. “You okay?”

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “No, I just want to get this over with.” She stared at the guy, and he stared back at her from the corner of the room.

The volunteer walked over to us and explained that he had been sent to his room and that we could go see Dale. Then she went over to the asshole, whose name I still didn’t know and told him the same thing.

I looked down at my torn up knuckles. My hands got pretty jacked in that fight last night. My thoughts were taken up with Sydney and what was making her so scared about this guy.

Then it hit me. Could this be Wes, the guy who’d sent her the text? The one I assumed was her ex-boyfriend. But why would he be here? If they’d broken up, then Dale wouldn’t want to see him. Sydney was his step-daughter after all. There was more to the story, and I just couldn’t figure it out.

“Let’s go see your step-father, okay?”

She looked up at me with unshed tears glistening in her eyes. “Bu… But,” she stuttered again.

“Isn’t that why we came?”

I took her hand and placed it in mine. It was fucking clammy as hell. “Come on. We’ll go see him and then we can go.” I noticed the guy in the corner hadn’t taken his eyes off her and he hadn’t budged one bit. He would be lucky if he didn’t come near us.

Once we made it to Dale’s room, she immediately rushed to his side and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He had tubes everywhere and monitors beeping. This guy was in rough shape. She was a bit unsteady on her feet, so I walked over to her and held her around the waist.

“Dale, I’m so sorry you went through this. I love you and will be praying for a fast recovery.” He wasn’t awake, but she was still pouring her heart out to him. “I know we haven’t been close but I’ll try to do better. Just promise me you’ll get well soon.”

I heard a throat clear and looked over my shoulder to find the asshole.
Sydney’s body went tense again, and I noticed that she had goose bumps on her arms. Her breathing became erratic.

She peered up at me through her tearful eyes. “C… Can we go now?” She looked over at unknown guy and froze. He gave her a menacing look.

He chose that moment to speak. “You’re not going anywhere. The guy you’re with can’t protect you from me. I’ll find out where you live and make you mine. You can run and hide but just remember—I’ll find you.”

What the mother fuck? I started clenching my fist and my jaw started popping. “Listen, and I want you to listen carefully, motherfucker. You are damn lucky we’re in a hospital or I would wipe the fucking floor with you.” Sydney tensed up, and she looked at me with grateful eyes. “Clearly, there’s something going on between the two of you and quite honestly, I don’t like it. I suggest you don’t even look at her if you know what’s best for you.” I gritted through my teeth. I was seething, fucking pissed. This motherfucker needed to be put in his place. Her breath hitched as she looked between the two of us. Grabbing her tighter by the waist, I drew her body closer to mine making sure it was obvious he wasn’t going to do anything he had threatened to do if I could help. He would never find her.

“Is that a threat?” He laughed. And it wasn’t a laugh that reached his eyes it was a cold laugh one the held promise. Like he could take me out.

“Oh, it’s no threat. It’s a promise,” I spat out at him. The cackles on my neck were rising.

“Let’s go,” Sydney pleaded with me.

She quickly started walking on unsteady legs toward the door. Then she looked over her shoulder at me. I could see the fear in her eyes.

We were just approaching a cab when that motherfucker made an appearance again.

He walked up behind us and glared at Sydney. “This isn’t over. I will find you. And that’s my fucking promise.” He looked at her with crazy eyes.

Fucking crazy. This guy was jacked.

She opened the cab door and climbed in pulling me away from him. I was about to flatten him into the ground.

He grabbed the door as I was closing it. “You fucking bitch, you can run but you can’t hide.” He reached for her.

I’d had enough, and we weren’t in the hospital room any longer. I hopped out of the cab and gave him a look of determination and punched him, knocking him to the ground. He looked shocked when my fist connected to his face. It felt fucking good to lay this mother fucker out. He just stared at me while blood dripped from his busted lip. I was fucking furious as hell. This guy had hit every button on the radar today. “Stay down if you know what’s good for you, asshole. And that’s my fucking promise.”

Leaving him on the ground, I gave him one last look, and this time I glared at him and shot fire through my eyes. I slid into the cab to find Sydney holding her head in her hands while her body shook from crying. I pulled her into my arms. “I’ve got you. That motherfucker will never find you.”

She removed her hands from her face and threw her arms around me. My shirt became soaked with salty tears. I didn’t give a fuck though. She could saturate my entire shirt and I would still hold her.

After we were on the road for a few minutes, I felt her body start to relax. She pulled away from me. “Th… thank you. I… don’t know what I would have done had you not come with me today.”

“You know I’ll always have your back. I don’t like him, not one fucking bit.” My pulse quickened just thinking about the things he has said to my sweet Sydney. “Are you going to tell me who he is, and why he was even there in the first place?”

“I already told you no. Will you just hold me? I’m completely shredded after today.”

I would let this go. But it would be in the forefront of my mind. It was important to me to find out exactly what I was dealing with. The only conclusion I could draw was that he was an ex-boyfriend. “For now.”

We didn’t stay the night at the hotel like we’d planned to. We ended up taking a red eye out that night. Once we were back in Vegas, Sydney finally relaxed.

It had been one hell of a day. I vowed to myself that I would never let him near her again.

Sydney

I
looked at the clock as I was getting ready for The Fade’s Friday night show at the Rum Runner. Seven o’clock. It was almost time to see them and excitement buzzed under my skin. It seemed like every week when I saw them, I became an even bigger fan. The only problem was my black-eye, but after several applications of make-up, it was concealed.

Thankfully, my step-father was out of critical care and was doing much better. I’d been talking to him every day. He told me that he was set to go home the following week. I wouldn’t be going back to take care of him or visit him. He had other people who could handle that.

I could tell that Damien was still really curious about Wes, but he never said anything. He had been my savior when I needed it, and I knew I could never repay him for what he’d done for me. He made me feel safe. I never expected to feel safe with a man again, but Damien had proven that he wasn’t going to hurt me.

My phone chirped alerting me I had a text message, so I grabbed it off the nightstand, unlocked it, and opened it up.

My stomach sank, my throat got tight, and I felt the hairs stand up on my arm. It was a text from Wes. He had been sending nasty texts since we had seen him at the hospital. They weren’t the nice ones like before.

Wes: You fucking bitch. Where are you, you little cock tease? I hope you know you can’t escape me.

I threw my phone down on the bed and ran to the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach. My body was trembling, and I felt a light sheen of sweat covering it. God forbid he would find me. I truly wish I had put a restraining order against him. But then I remembered how much drama that would have started and how upsetting it would be for my step-father and retracted that thought. I just didn’t understand how he could go from sending me apologetic texts and then turn into a devil dressed in ordinary clothes. He needed a pitch fork to complete his ensemble.

Going to the sink, I tried putting myself together again. Turning on the water, I splashed my face and gathered my wits.
You are strong, Sydney. You are not going to let him get to you. There are several hundred miles between you and he can’t hurt you. Pull yourself together.

I looked in the mirror. “You are strong.” But I really didn’t feel strong. I felt damaged and a bit broken. I would never have thought this could have happened to me, especially since it was Wes.

Time to text my bestie.

Me: Hey, girl. What’s up?

Bee: Just missing you. It’s Friday night, and I really wish we could be hitting the bars together.

Me: I know. I couldn’t agree more. You need to come out here and visit me.

Bee: Well, I was going to surprise you, but since you asked, I’ll tell you. I plan to come out next month.

Me: Squee I can’t wait!!! I’m so excited. You are going to love it here. I can’t wait to for you to meet everyone. Damien is really great. Wait until you meet him. Oh, and he has some brothers that are just as hot.

Bee: You’re starting to fall for him, aren’t you?

Why would she ask that? I had to think about it. Yes, I liked him as a friend, and he had started chilling out with his whoring around. He was nice and attentive to me. We got along great. He had been my savior when I needed him most. And hell, any guy who would paint my toes and fingernails was a good guy. Was I starting to like him as more than a friend? I think my heart was beginning to soften toward him. Hell, yeah, it was. Way more than softened. But I couldn’t tell Bee that.

Me: No, we’re just friends.

Bee: Yeah, I bet.

Me: No, seriously.

Bee: Whatever you say, Syd.

Time for a serious subject change.

Me: So I need to make sure you haven’t told anyone where I’ve gone?

Bee: Nope, I told everyone you moved to Texas.

Me: Good. That is what I told my step-father, too. I felt bad for lying to him, but I just couldn’t risk anyone finding out.

Bee: You eventually need to tell him, babe.

Me: Yes, I know. I just can’t risk Wes finding out.

Bee: What is it about Wes finding out that you are scared of?

Me: Nothing in particular.

Bee: I think there is more to the story than you are letting on.

Me: Hey, I need to get ready to go watch Damien’s band play tonight. TTYL

Bee: You aren’t going to be able to get away with not answering that question for long. TTYL

I put my phone back down on my sink and resumed getting ready. As I was putting on the last touches of my mascara, my phone chimed with a new text. I picked it up and swiped the screen. It was another text from Wes. I didn’t know if my stomach could take it.

Wes: Where the fuck are you? I will find you.

Bile rose in my throat again, but I was actually able to keep it at bay. I couldn’t help the hairs that rose on my entire body, though. Maybe he was drunk. But the text he sent at the hospital was just as bad and so was he. It was like he was a completely different person than the Wes I knew before he raped me. More bile rose in my throat at the thought. He needed help. Serious mental help.

I needed to contact my step-father to see if he still believed that I was living in Texas. He was the key to this entire charade. I flipped through the contacts and found my step-father, Dale.

Me: Hey, Dale, how are things today?

I looked at the time on my phone and was pretty sure I had timed it just right.

My phone instantly chimed.

Dale: Doing pretty good. Just taking it day by day. How’s Texas treating you today?

Oh, thank God!

Me: Texas is great. I’m doing really well at my job, and I’m starting to make lots of friends. I’m so glad you are feeling better. Every day you seem stronger and stronger. But I will tell you like I tell you every time I talk to you. You scared me half to death.

Dale: Yes, I know. But I’m getting better now. That’s great. I sure do miss your face.

Me: You are too sweet. I miss you as well.

Dale: Wes has been asking about you. Says he wants to come see you.

Hmm, how to respond to this.

Me: Well, I would appreciate it if you could discourage him from coming to visit. I’m really trying to make a fresh start here and don’t really want any visitors until I’m more settled.

Dale: All right. I’ll do my best.

Me: Thanks, Dale.

Dale:  Well, I need to go rest. I’ll call you on Sunday.

Me: Sounds good. Love you, Dale.

Dale: Love you, too, sweetie.

Things were better than I thought. Dale still believed me and so did Wes. I couldn’t be happier. Not to mention that I was already happy that he was feeling so much better.

I placed my phone back on the countertop and then went to my closet to hunt for something to wear. It was hot outside so it left my choices kind of limited. Looking threw my dresses I spotted the perfect one. It was sexy just like I liked, showing off some skin. It was a slightly above the knee white strapless dress. Not trying to be vain, but I totally rocked that type of dress. It put my cleavage front and center. My boobs weren’t overly large, but they were a pretty decent size for my height. I was a C cup. Looking down on the floor, I inspected my shoe options. I wanted something comfy for when I danced. I found my patent pink, peek a boo toe pumps. Not only would they look stunning with my outfit, but also, they were actually comfortable enough to dance in all night. I threw the shoes on and went to my dresser to get some jewelry to adorn my neck and ears with. I went for bling and in a minute had everything strategically placed, diamond earrings a matching necklace and some silver bracelets. The diamonds were my mom’s and I got them when she passed away. They were simple but beautiful. Walking back to the bathroom, I assessed my outfit in the mirror and spritzed on some of my perfume.

I was finally done. I just needed to call a cab to take me to The Rum Runner. I was meeting Shaina there. We had thought it was just going to be the two of us, but Shaina had just texted me and told me Luka and Brooks had decided to join us. I planned to make this a night full of fun. I couldn’t wait to party with everyone and shake my ass. We were all taking cabs so that we could drink our fill.

Arriving at the bar, I paid my cab fare before hopping out. I didn’t live too far away from the club, which was nice. I walked through the door and spotted them at a bar height round table toward the dance floor.

“I’m here!” I said to them cheerfully.

“Hey, girl, what’s up?” Shaina leaned over her chair to give me a sideways hug.

“Sorry, I’m late.” I hoped they wouldn’t question why. If I had to, I would lie and blame Zeus. No one needed to know about my past, and I certainly didn’t really want to think about the texts when I was supposed to be having a good time. I grabbed the chair….

“Sydney, every time I see you, your hot little body is rocking another glorious dress. You look dashing,” Brooks said while taking a sip of his cocktail.

Luka looked under the table and then back at me. “Girl, you are rocking those pumps. Patent pink, I like.”

“Thanks, guys. You make me feel so good.” The waitress came over to our table with a shot in her hand and set it in front of me.

I looked down at the shot. I didn’t order this, for Christ sakes, I just got here. “This is from Damien Blue, it’s a Blowjob shot. He’s asked that I put all of your drinks on his tab.”

I wasn’t going to allow him to pay for me all night. I was a person who paid my own way. Plus he had done so much for me lately that I wouldn’t allow him to do more. “Absolutely not. I can’t accept him paying for all of my drinks tonight.” I reached into my clutch and grabbed out my card. Hmm, maybe two could play at this game. “Here. Please charge all of both mine and Damien’s drinks to my card.”

“But...” She looked at me confused.

“I’m not trying to be a pain or cause any problems. Can you please just do that for me? I promise to leave you a fifty percent tip.”

The confusion washed off her face. She took my card from me. “Now that I can do. Thank you in advance for the more than generous tip.”

“No, thank you. And when you come back, will you bring me a vodka Redbull?”

“Absolutely.” She headed straight to the bar. I guess you get good service when you tell your server they are going to rake in fifty percent.

“Well, that was an interesting twist on things,” Shaina said with a mischievous look on her face.

“Yeah, I couldn’t help myself.” I took the shot off the table and tossed it back.

“Love me a blowjob shot! That was freakin’ delicious. Let’s get this party started!” I smiled at my friends.

Our waitress came back over with my drink, and I took a sip. Looking down at my phone, I checked the time. We had a half hour before they went on at nine.

I looked over my shoulder toward the front door and saw Damien’s siblings. Waving to them, they made their way over to our table. “Hey, what a surprise see all of you here.”

Reeve spoke first. “Well, Justice and I are both off tonight and Destiny didn’t have anything better to do, so here we are.”

“That’s awesome. It’s great you came out tonight to support your brothers.” I took a drink of my cocktail. Damn, it was going down nice and smooth. If I had to guess, it was top shelf vodka. I’m sure she was getting me the best since she knew I would be paying her a fifty percent tip. I knew how this industry worked.

Destiny walked around her brothers and came up to me and gave me a hug. “It’s so good to see you, Sydney!”

“I know. It’s awesome to see you, too, sweetie.”

“Hey, why don’t you guys join us?” I could tell by the way Shaina and the guys were eying the brothers that they wouldn’t mind one bit.

Shaina moved over a seat to let Destiny sit between us.

Justice was sitting to my right and nudged me with his elbows. “So what’s it like living with my little brother?”

Reeve chimed in. “Oh, I can tell you exactly what’s it like. After all, I lived with him for a year. His bedroom is a revolving door of sex.”

Yes, his brother knew him well. We all started laughing. “Well, Reeve, you would be surprised. At first, when I moved in, you might have been right, but he’s toned it down a bit over the last few weeks.” I took a sip of my drink. “And let me tell you that shocks the shit out of me.”