by Vi Keeland
That’s when I hear it. A bloodcurdling scream that makes my blood run cold. Except, it’s not my screaming that is roaring through my ears as I expected.
It’s the screaming of a woman. A very angry, hysterical woman.
The only thing I can decipher is, “Call 911. Somebody fucking call 911. There’s blood everywhere.”
I can hear bodies shuffling nearby, some of them even tripping over me to get away, but I can only process one thought. He’s gone. Please don’t let him be gone.
With force, I am yanked to my feet, a large hand smacking me across the face, causing blood to taste on my tongue.
I try to focus, but my vision is too blurred to make any sense of who has control of my body and at this point, I’m not so sure it even matters.
“This is your fault,” the deep voice growls as I spit blood onto his filthy boots. Narrowing his eyes, he wraps my hair securely around his hand and yanks my head back, hard, while his other hand tightens around my throat, squeezing. “You’re going to pay for this if it’s the last thing I do, you stupid bitch.”
He lets go of my neck and shoves me down to the ground so that my face is pressed into the gravel, his boot crushing into the back of my skull. Dirt and rocks dig into my left eye, making it even harder to see through the tears. I desperately look for the man that hasn’t only crushed then stolen my heart just to crush it again, but has also replaced a part of me that I thought was long ago lost.
Realizing that my search is pointless, I just lay there defeated, feeling half-alive, but mostly dead. “Go ahead,” I whisper. “See if you can hurt me anymore than you already have. I dare you.” My body’s trembling, but I look him dead in the eye anyways. I’m not scared of dying. Not after losing the biggest part of me, my heart. “Losing him will be my last regret.” I shift so that I’m looking at the deep scars that cover his face. They make me sick. He makes me sick. “That and not killing you when I had the chance.”
I close my eyes waiting for his blow, but it doesn’t come. Instead, he is yanked from me and slammed down to the ground, beside me. Scrambling to get away, I crawl backwards with my hands and wipe at my eyes, trying to see what’s going on next to me.
My heart beats wild in my chest and a burst of happiness surges through me when I see it’s Kellan on top of the man, beating the crap out of him. He slams his fist into his face repeatedly while growling out words I can’t understand.
The man seems to look surprised, just lying there taking his beating, without struggle. Kellan grabs him by the hair and puts his face inches from his. “If I ever hear of you coming near my woman or my family again, I will fucking kill you. You will be dead … like Cape. My family is everything to me.”
Shoving the guy’s head into the ground, Kellan stands up and walks over to me. He drops to his knees in front of me and cups my face, desperately bringing his lips to mine. “I love you so fuckin’ much. I’m so sorry,” he cries. “I’m sorry for letting them hurt you. I couldn’t let him do that to you. I can’t bear to see another man rubbing his hands on you.” He rubs his bloodied hands over my hair, looking me in the eyes. “I promise if you can ever forgive me, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I will never leave again and I will make sure no one ever hurts you. I promise, baby I swear I didn’t know it was a set up. I would have never left if I had. You have to believe me; I need you to believe me.”
I break out in tears, holding onto him as tight as I can. He’s alive. That’s all I can think about. I have no idea what happened in there, but he’s alive and in my arms. Just the thought of losing him made me dead inside; completely vacant of all feeling.
He pulls me closer into his arms and we both cry. He’s holding me as if he never wants to let go. I never want him to. I want him forever. He’s my life; my everything, but … I know I’m about to lose him. A man is dead because of him.
“Kellan,” I cry into his neck. “I thought you were dead.” I wrap my arm tighter around his neck and kiss him as if my life depends on it and it does, trust me it does. “I never want to lose you. I love you more than life. Don’t ever scare me again. Do you fucking hear me?” I look into his eyes, taking in his bruised and bloodied face, a sick feeling settling in my stomach. “We have to get you out of here. They’re going to come take you to jail. I can’t lose you; I won’t lose you again. We can run away together; leave the country, whatever it takes to keep us together.”
I know I’m being irrational and not thinking, but I can’t help it. I won’t lose him again. He means everything to me. I stand up and pull him to his feet. I try pulling him away, but he stops me.
He nods his head towards the door of the warehouse as the woman steps out the door and falls to her knees. Leaning in, he grabs my face and presses his lips next to my ear. “I didn’t shoot him, Phoenix.” He pulls away and looks at the woman crying on the ground. “It was Maxine.”
I throw my hands to my face as more tears stream out. I know I should feel relieved, but I’m sad for the woman and very confused. She was here with Cape, not Kellan. I was right when I thought she didn’t look as if she wanted to kiss him, but still, why would she shoot her own boyfriend? “I don’t understand,” I whisper.
“She saved my life. She’s the woman I saved from Nate that day at the bar.” He pauses and swallows hard. “It was self-defense. She made a decision knowing what the outcome could be. I don’t want you to be a part of this though. I have Tyler on his way to pick you up. I called him while I was looking for you. You’re going to leave with him and let us talk to the police.”
I shake my head and grip his arm. “No. I’m not leaving you. I won’t go.” I grab onto him in fear of losing him. “I need to be here. What if someone hurts you?”
He waves his arm around for me to look around us. Maxine is still down on the ground crying and no one else is in sight. They all took off after the gun fire. “I will be okay. I will come home for you. I promise.”
I look into his eyes. “Promise?” I whisper.
He smiles weakly. “I would never lie to you.”
Realizing, I have no choice in the matter, I nod my head and agree. I just hope this isn’t goodbye …
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kellan
Three months later …
Grabbing her by the hips, I boost her onto the first step of the ladder that leads to our special place and close the distance between our bodies. Damn, her body still feels good beneath mine. I want her to always feel safe in my hands. She’s my woman to take care of. We’ve been through a lot together, but each day I love her more than the day before. “Do you think you can handle this?” I whisper into her ear with a smile. “This is much simpler than the things we do in bed.” I lean in closer to her ear. “And far less dangerous.”
Laughing, she reaches back and slaps my arm before looking up the steps to the roof. It’s so dark outside, I’d be surprised if she can even see anything ahead of her, but she keeps staring anyways. “I’m positive I can handle this. If I can handle you in bed,” she smiles, “I can handle anything. I did do this once without you so I’m good with you behind me.” It pains me to hear of the time that I was gone and what it did to her, but it’s done. All I can do is spend the rest of my life making it up to her and that’s what I intend to do.
I press my mouth to her neck and nibble as I push her up the steps, by her ass. She squirms in my arms but doesn’t scream as I bite her. She just maneuvers her hand enough to grab my cock. Mmm … she’s good, but not now. My dick instantly reacts to her touch, stiffening against my tight zipper. I take a deep breath and whisper in her ear, “There will be plenty of time for that later. Right now, I just want to see you smile.”
She takes another step, getting closer to the top. My heart races with anticipation the closer we get. “Oh yeah. What is up here that’s going to make me smile?”
“The first spot we had sex,” I answer honestly. “I’m offended I have to remind you. I’ll have to teach you a
lesson later.” I love teasing her. “I kind of figured it’s our new special place and since it’s your birthday … well …”
We reach the top and I give her a quick boost to make sure she’s safe before everyone screams, “Surprise!”
I feel her jump back a bit as she screams, in surprise, but I push her forward as I step onto the roof behind her. Her laugh surrounds me as she takes in the sight before her and my heart swells.
I love this woman with every beat of my heart. She stuck it through with me even after what I put her through. That night, I thought I would lose her forever. Somehow, it only brought us closer. We chose not to speak about what happened with the police after she left with Tyler. Maxine had a lot of dirt on Cape and his men; enough to get her out of any real jail time and put his idiot goons in jail for a long time. We have both moved on from the past and I couldn’t be any happier. That incident will stay in the past forever.
Her hand hovers over her mouth in surprise as she looks around at our closest friends. Jen, Tyler, Zoe, Luna and even Kade decided to join. Kade, I wasn’t too sure about. We have our moments, but it’s far from perfect. We’re not where I’d hoped to be by now, but we’re slowly getting there. We can stand to be in the same room together now and I even catch him laughing at my jokes sometimes. That hard-ass, always trying to play it off.
Jen throw her arms around Phoenix and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Happy birthday, love. You look so beautiful tonight.”
I asked her to wear one of her favorite outfits, but nothing too fancy, because I wanted to be sure she’d be comfortable making it up the ladder to the roof. She chose a pink silk low-cut blouse with ruffles and a pair of white skinny jeans. At least, I believe that’s what they’re called. What do I know? I’m a fucking man; a hard man and not a fashion savvy one. I know nothing about fashion, unlike pretty body Kade and I say that with love. The boy has mad style.
Kade walks over and hesitantly wraps his arms around Phoenix and places his face into the crook of her neck, squeezing her. “Happy birthday, gorgeous,” he whispers.
As much as I hate to see them that close, I set my feelings aside for the night and try to make the best of it. This is her night. She’s the fucking queen of my world and she gets whatever she wants tonight. In the end I know her heart is with me and in my bed she will be. Plus, after Kade came clean to her about Adric, she didn’t speak to him for weeks. Poor Bastard. That would kill me.
When they pull away from the hug, I lean in and kiss her on the mouth out of instinct. I need to show the world this is the love of my life and I am never giving her up to anyone. Even if that someone is still giving me dirty looks, like now.
She kisses me back with a smile. “What is all this? You didn’t have to throw me a party?” She kisses Tyler on the cheek as he gives her a quick hug. Then she turns back to me with a tear in her eye. “This is freakin’ awesome. I love you for doing this.”
Damn her. I almost have to stop myself from crying. She has my heart in the palm of her hand and I’ll let her hold it for as long as she’s willing.
“I love you,” I whisper against her mouth. “Now go enjoy our family and the overflowing buckets chicken.” I place my lips to her ear as she turns away. “Just save some for everyone else.” She slaps me and joins our friends by the food.
Damn! I love it when she’s rough.
There’s a table set up with drinks, food and my personal favorite, cupcakes. There is no party involving Phoenix without cupcakes. Dammit, now I have to adjust myself from the growing erection in my jeans. Cupcakes have changed my life. Soft music is playing from the stereo I brought up earlier. In the corner, is the same blanket we made love on, with Adric’s guitar resting on it exactly as it was that night. What she doesn’t know, is I have a little surprise for her. One that I have been working on for a few weeks now, with the help of Zoe. I’m not very romantic so I have no idea how this will go. I will probably make a fool of myself, but I’d do it over and over for her.
I turn on the white rope lights I set up around the ledge of the building and smile to myself when I notice Phoenix grinning at Jen, Zoe and Luna. Seeing her happy makes me happy. Now she has a little light to chow down on that chicken leg. I love her more than she loves that damn chicken. Damn, that’s a lot.
“Hey, bro.” Tyler comes to stand next to me. “Let me know when to grab the gift and I’ll bring it up.”
I pat him on the back and give him a hug. I owe so much to this person for helping me out. Tyler is one of the best people I know. I will never forget that. “Thanks, man. You can bring it up in about ten minutes. I’m about to check with Zoe.”
I pull Zoe away from the girls and over to a quiet area out of Phoenix’s earshot. “Are you ready, tail?”
She laughs and places a hand on my shoulder. “Of course I am. Don’t be nervous, big guy. You will do great.” She smiles; a real genuine smile and not her usual smart-ass one. She must really know how much this means to me. I love this little girl as if she were my little sister. She has a good heart under all that sass.
Jen notices me and Zoe walk over to the blanket, so she turns off the stereo and guides Phoenix over to sit in front of me as I reach for the guitar. Zoe takes a seat next to me, bouncing with excitement. She takes a second to scowl at Kade from across the roof though. I’m not sure what that’s about. They seem to have this love hate relationship that is more hate than love.
Phoenix laughs nervously and looks around as everyone joins us on the blanket. “What is all this?” She looks back at Jen and Luna who are staring at her with huge grins. “Stop looking at me!” She laughs. “I hate all the attention on me.”
I swing the strap of the guitar over my neck and set my eyes on hers. “You’re the only place my attention has been since I laid eyes on you four months ago. You’re my life now; the very air that I breathe,” I say seriously, stunning her silent.
Her eyes start watering and she takes on an admiring look as I start strumming away at the guitar, playing one of her all-time favorite songs. Linger by The Cranberries.
She watches me with a smile before everyone starts laughing. She used to play this song so much, she wore out the damn disc, driving me and Adric crazy. The other surprise is …
“If you, if you could return …” Zoe sings the lyrics to the song, silencing everyone’s laughter.
The girl’s voice is stunning and beautiful. We practiced this song for days straight along with another one of her favorites. The last song though, will be the toughest. My surprise for the one thing she dreams of. The one thing that will melt her heart forever; the ultimate unexpected.
Phoenix transitions to her knees as she reaches for Zoe’s hand and squeezes it. She looks back and forth between me and Zoe with tears in her eyes and I know that in this moment, we made her proud. That makes me the happiest man on the planet.
I even see a little something in Kade’s eyes as he sits down in the back and stares out into the sky. There’s just something peaceful about this night and everyone being together.
Tyler comes creeping up behind Phoenix and sits next to Jen with Phoenix’s gift behind his back. She’s so into the music that she doesn’t even notice. She just keeps her eyes straight ahead, watching us.
I give my guy a head nod as I notice him pull Jen into his lap. Those two aren’t fooling anyone. They’ll both cave in soon. He whispers something in her ear and they both laugh, forgetting the moment for a second. Good for you bro. You deserve a good woman.
Everyone whistles at the end of the first song and Zoe stands up giving a playful bow. I nudge her in the side and she sits back down next to me with a huge smile as I instantly start on the next song we practiced. Don’t Speak by No Doubt.
Again, Zoe sings the lyrics causing Phoenix to get all teary eyed and zoned in on our performance. Seeing her reaction to this has me so nervous, my fingers are starting to shake. I have no idea if I can pull this next song off. It’s way out of my league. I plan to giv
e her gift to her first. Then we’ll see if I make a fool of myself.
Phoenix
I can hardly keep the tears from flowing as I watch my baby sister and the love of my life playing my favorite songs from my childhood. Zoe probably has never even heard these songs in her entire life, yet here she is singing them for everyone. The gesture simply amazes me. I had no idea she was this talented.
Her passion reminds me so much of Adric, it’s hard to keep my emotions in check. I could just close my eyes and stay like this forever; here with them, and my closest friends. I’m in complete awe of them both. This is a birthday I’ll never forget.
As soon as the song starts dying out, Kellan stands and nods his head at someone behind me. He kisses me on the cheek as he plays the last of the melody. “I have something for you,” he whispers. “Close your eyes.”
Trying to keep from freaking out with excitement, I close my eyes and wait patiently. My heart is pounding so fast, it almost hurts. He always does this to me. He works me up like no one else in this world has the ability to do.
I feel both of Kellan’s hands cup my face before his lips press against mine. He pulls away and a few seconds later he says, “Open your eyes.”
I throw a hand over my mouth to hold back the small sob as I look down in front of me to see a guitar almost exactly like his and Adric’s; except this one is finished with silver and blue, Adric’s favorite colors. Kellan has been teaching me to play guitar lately, but I would have never expected this. It’s amazing.
Tears blur my vision as I throw my arms around his neck and pull his face to mine. Our eyes meet and my heart melts all over again for this man. Every day feels like the first, even though I have known him for years. “It’s the best gift anyone has ever given me. This is so beautiful. Now I really need to step my game up and keep up with you and Zoe.”