Addiction (6 page)

CHAPTER FOUR

TAYLOR

The following week went by extremely slow, and it wasn’t because it was my first week of summer vacation. It was because I spent most of my time in a state of panic. Every person who stared at me made me think he worked for Case. It didn’t matter where I was—the mall shopping or waiting at a stoplight. The man who helped me load my groceries. The hair on my neck always stood, warning me of danger. I even had dreams he sent someone to silence me, and I would wake up unable to breathe. My heart would beat wildly while my body was drenched in sweat, only for me to thank God it was just a nightmare.

I haven’t told Blane that I went to see Case, and I don’t plan on it because it would just cause even more trouble. I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard spot. What am I supposed to do? I feel like my hands and feet are tied. I can’t do anything to help this situation or my brother. And I just wanna bang my head against the wall and scream.

I’ve picked up my phone to call the cops over a hundred times, but then I stop myself as Case’s words replay.
There will be consequences
. Would Case kill Blane? How far would he go? I don’t know how deep this Case guy is in the drug world, but I do know how much it took from my father. I can’t live with that. What if he came after me just to prove a point to Blane? I can’t take that chance either so, like a coward, I’ve left it alone. I’ve tried to look him up online. I’ve tried to find out if the stories Savannah told me in the bathroom were true about him being arrested and what for. I’m not even sure that type of thing is accessible to the public, but it didn’t matter because it got me nowhere. All I know is his name is Cason, and he goes by Case. I don’t have his last name, and I sure as hell wasn’t gonna ask Blane for it. He hasn't spoken to me much this past week. He spends all his free time in his bedroom with Savannah.

Savannah acts as if nothing has even happened. She and Blane walk around this house laughing and kissing. I even heard them having sex this morning, and I screamed in frustration. Why am I the only one who cares so much about his safety and his future? I know she loves him, but they can’t have a future together if he’s on drugs. Doesn’t she understand that?

So in order to try to keep my mind off it, I’ve been working every day. I even pulled two doubles this week at the coffee shop. I don’t need sleep; even when I lie down at night, I can’t seem to sleep. The times that I do, I wake up in a state of panic. The neighbor’s cat outside my window looks like an evil monster from my nightmares. The sound of the wind makes me think someone is tapping on my window. Things that never bothered me before now have me on high alert.

I pull up to the house after another long double shift at the coffee shop and get out of the car. I go to place my key in the front door when I pause. The sound of something coming from inside the house has my heart rate speeding up. I turn and look back at the driveway. My car is the only one in the dimly lit driveway though. So it can’t be Savannah or my brother. I remember her saying that they were having dinner with her parents tonight. They live only an hour away, and they go over there often to spend time with them. They should be home already though considering it’s late at night.

I place my ear up to the door to listen, but this time, I don’t hear anything. I shake my head. “I’m losing my mind.” It could have come from the neighbors. They are always in the backyard working on something.

Opening the door, I step in and my heart stops as I take in the scene. The house is destroyed. Our sofa, turned over. Foam litters the floor from the cushions being ripped to shreds. I can see the kitchen from the front door and all the cabinets have been opened. Everything has been removed and then just thrown to the floor. Broken dishes and glassware everywhere.

I take off down the hall. “Blane?” What if he didn’t go with Savannah? What if he stayed? “Savannah?” I shout out in a panicked voice. What if they’re both here?

I come to their door and my body freezes as I try to take a deep breath. It feels like it takes forever, but it happens in a split second. I scream as a man covered in all black breaks the window with Blane’s lamp before jumping out of it.

I place my hand over my heart and force my shaky legs to run back into the living room. I dig into my purse that I had dropped by the front door and grab my phone. Breathing heavy and blinking, I try to clear the tears that fill my eyes. My shaking hands start to dial 9-1- …

“What’s wrong?”

I scream again and throw my phone down as I’m spun around. I let out a long breath when I see Blane standing there, staring down at me with wide eyes.

“Why are you screaming?” he demands as he looks around the house. “What the fuck happened?” He turns to me and looks me up and down to make sure I’m not hurt. “Are you okay?”

“Someone broke in.” My body shakes, and I hug my arms around myself. “They just climbed out your bedroom window,” I inform him. He takes off toward his bedroom, and a few seconds later, I hear him cuss.

CASE

I lean back on the white leather couch as I lift a longneck to my lips. I take a swig and then place it on my thigh. The coldness from the bottle seeps through my jeans. “I was surprised to see that Blane has a sister,” Brecken says from the recliner beside me.

“Me too,” I say truthfully.

“I was even more surprised at how hot she is. Those tits …” He whistles. I look over at him but don’t respond. “You sure you want to do this?” he asks before he starts to pick at the label on his beer bottle.

“I don’t really have any other choice.” I shrug carelessly, looking back at the TV. “A deal is a deal, and I won’t go back on it because of a woman,” I say. But if I had to be truthful with myself, I should shut the deal down right now. I’m not only putting Blane in danger, but also his sister. The fact I can’t get the image of me fucking her out of my mind means I’m the biggest threat to her.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” He sighs heavily.

“Always,” I say refusing to take my eyes away from the TV but not really seeing the game that is playing. All I can do is remember the way her blue eyes begged mine to let her brother go. The way she gasped when I gripped her in my hand. I hate that terrifying her made me hard. And I hate that I can’t wait to see her again.

He chuckles. “I’ve heard you say that before.”

I look back over at him. “And when have I been wrong?”

He pauses, the beer halfway to his lips, and gives me a smirk. “Do you really expect me to keep count?”

“Jackass,” I mumble.

He takes a quick drink of his beer and then speaks again. “Miller told me the conversation you and Blane had after she caught you guys.”

“And?” I ask not even turning to look at him this time.

“And I know that you want her,” he adds.

I roll my eyes. “So what? I’ve seen many hot women who I never laid my hands on,” I inform him. That makes me want her even more. The fact that she’s off-limits and she hates me. I wanna win her over. Conquer her in every way possible. Bring her to her knees while I smile down at her in satisfaction. That would be the cherry on top.

He snorts. “The only thing that will keep you from touching her is what we have at stake. If you touch her, everything that Blane does is worthless.”

“I fucking know that,” I snap, looking over at him.

He places his hands up in surrender, and I let out an aggravated huff. I lift the bottle to my lips again and take another swig.

“What are you two arguing about?”

We both turn to look over our shoulder when we hear Rachel’s voice. I look her up and down as she holds a white bed sheet around her body under her arms. She closes her eyes as she yawns.

“Nothing, babe,” Brecken tells her. “Go back to bed,” he orders, looking back at the TV.

“Come with me,” she whines as she leans up against his wall as if her legs are too tired to hold her up.

“Go ahead. I’ll be right there,” he says before taking another drink.

She looks over at me. Her brown eyes still heavy with sleep and her bright red hair has that freshly fucked look I know Brecken caused only hours ago. Brecken had invited me over after the club closed down, and I couldn’t say no when Rachel offered her services. “What about you, Case? When are you coming to bed?”

I look away as my phone vibrates in my back pocket. Reaching behind me, I pull it out to see it’s a text from Blane. Now, what?

Blane:
Need to meet up you tomorrow. Important.

I sigh and type back a time to meet me at the club. I place my phone back in my pocket. Bringing the beer to my lips, I stand up from the couch. I down the rest of it as I walk over to her. Rachel likes to be used. And tonight that is exactly what I plan on doing with her. But this time, I’m gonna pretend that she is a petite brunette with blue eyes.

TAYLOR

I spend most of the night cleaning our house but not much is salvageable. Dishes were broken. The couch carved like a pumpkin. It looked as if a bomb had gone off. When I first started to clean, I cried. I cried so hard that I couldn’t see what I was doing. Now, I’m just pissed. I hate that someone thought they could come into our home and destroy our stuff we have worked so hard for. And the second thing was we couldn’t report it. Blane was persistent in not letting me call the police. He said he would go to jail, and then who would be here to protect Savannah and me? No one. I had locked myself in my bathroom and started dialing them anyway; he knocked my door open and took my phone from me. I had never seen him so mad in all my life. It scared me, but thankfully, Savannah settled him down.

“I think it was that Case guy.” I walk into his room, not able to keep my opinions to myself anymore.

He shakes his head as he places his cell down. “Case wouldn’t do this!” comes his clipped answer. I hate that he’s mad at me for wanting to do the right thing.

“You know him so well?” I question. “I’ve never heard you even mention his name until I met him last week. I wouldn’t put it past him.” I can’t tell him that this might have been a warning to me. To keep my mouth shut or there will be consequences.

“Stop,” he growls. “Case wouldn’t do this.”

“The guy was wearing all black. He was wearing all black at the club.” I try to think of an excuse other than
hey,
he threatened me last week when I went to see him behind your back.

He looks up at me from where he sits on his floor as he goes through some of his broken belongings. “Go to the cops and explain that.” He snorts. “They will laugh you out of the station. People wear black every day. Maybe you should drop out of school and be a detective.”

“Don’t be such a dick. It’s your fault our home got broken into in the first place,” I shoot back.

“My fault?” He jumps to his feet, towering over me. “How is it my fault?” he demands. “Maybe it was someone you know.”

I laugh, but it holds no humor. “Yeah, because I associate with drug dealers and thugs,” I retort.

“Fuck you!” he shouts.

My mouth falls open as I gasp. He has never spoken to me like this before. “Are you on something right now?” I demand. “Is that why you’re acting like such a dick?”

He shakes his head, his hands gripping his dark hair as he lets out a curse. “You’re such a little ….”

“Stop.” Savannah interrupts him as she walks out of their master bathroom. A towel wrapped around her chest. Her blond hair looking darker, due to it being wet.  “You guys quit fighting. We need to stick together. What if they didn’t find what they’re looking for?” She walks over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. “What if they return?”

He wraps his arms around her and releases a long breath. “I told you both once, but I’ll tell you again. I’m gonna take care of it.” His voice has softened.

“Sorry if I have trouble believing that.” With that statement, I turn around and go to my room, slamming the door behind me.

CHAPTER FIVE

CASE

I sit at my desk in my office at the club when a knock comes on my door. “Come in,” I say loudly, knowing that it is Blane.

“Case?”

I look up to see him walking in and closing the door behind him. “What is so important?” I ask, leaning back in my seat. He looks like shit! He looks like he has been wearing the same black t-shirt for a few days now and his jeans look as if they could stand to be washed. His blue eyes are puffy, and his face is tight with stress.

He makes his way to the seat in front of me and sighs heavily. “Someone broke into my house last night.” My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline in surprise. “And Taylor got a glimpse of the guy.”

“Taylor, your sister?” I pretend I don’t really know her. That she wasn’t just in my office a week ago begging me to let him off the hook. I sit up straighter. “Do you live with her?” No one has mentioned that part. There’s so much that I don’t know about them. How could I let his sister get in the way of doing my job? I need to know everything about the situation in which I have found myself.

He nods. “And she thinks that it was you. I tried to tell her there is no way it was you, but she won’t drop it.”

“Why does she think it was me?” This could be bad, very bad. First thing, the fact that anyone broke into their house is a cause for concern. That fact that she suspects I did it ... is worse.
How long will she be able to keep her mouth shut about the threat that I made?

“She said the guy she saw was wearing all black, and you were wearing all black the other night when she saw you.” He rolls his eyes at that thought.

I smirk. “I can see the comparison,” I muse. Of course, I know it’s because of my threat. What are the odds someone breaks in just a week after I threaten her?

He narrows his eyes at me. “She called the cops.”

“Blane ...”

He holds up his hand. “I did whatever I had to do. I busted down her bathroom door and took her phone from her,” he growls. “I called her a bitch, and I threw some stuff around myself. Hell, I even told her I had illegal drugs in the house, and if she called them, then I would go to jail.” He hangs his head in shame. “It was awful. And now she refuses to talk to me.”

“Was anything stolen? Was there something in particular they were looking for? Have you pissed anyone off lately?” I ask the most important question that comes to mind trying to ignore the fact I can’t help but feel sorry for Taylor. She is truly lost at the moment. I can only imagine what she must think of me right now. I was already planning to redeem myself, but I guess it’s gonna have to be sooner rather than later. How am I going to do that?

“Yes, they stole some money from Taylor that she had saved in her nightstand. I don’t know if they were going for anything particular. And no, the only person I have pissed off is my sister.”

“They stole from her?” I wonder out loud.

“Over five hundred dollars.”

I tilt my head to the side. “And nothing else?”

“No. Not that I can find.”

“Does she have a boyfriend?” I’ve been wondering this. If she does, it will make it even harder for me to get close to her. “Maybe it was someone who was stealing from her. Maybe it had nothing to do with you,” I offer. It would be better if it had nothing to do with him. If it’s a problem with her, well, I can fix that with no problem.

He laughs, tossing his head back. “You should call and tell her that. And let her bite your head off.” Then his face hardness once again. “But no, they destroyed everything in almost every room. It was as if they were just destroying shit for the fun of it and maybe just got lucky and came across her cash.”

I sigh heavily as I think of this situation. I didn’t miss the fact he didn’t answer my question about her having a boyfriend or not. “This could be bad, Blane. We don’t need extra attention brought to you.”

“I know,” he growls.

“Do I need to offer you security?” I have several guys who work for me here at the club. You can never have enough security when you run a business where over fifty percent of your customers are not only intoxicated but also possibly high.

“No.” He snorts. “It’s nothing I can’t handle myself,” he sneers as if that offer was absurd.

“And your sister? How are you going to handle her?” I ask truly concerned for her. He may have kept her from going to the cops for now, but what will happen when he’s not around? I’m not worried about her giving them my name; they wouldn’t touch me anyway. I have a reputation, and they know it very well. You fuck up enough cops, and they tend to stay out of your way. Plus, I’m very careful how I run my business. That’s why I have men like Blane—an errand boy. They’ve tried before but can’t pin anything on me. I’m just concerned about what that would do for Blane. He’s no use to me if word gets out on the street he’s working for me.

He looks up at me, head tilted to the side. “That sounded as if it was a question, but I have a feeling you’re gonna handle her for me.”

I feel a smirk grow across my face.

TAYLOR

I softly knock on the door to my boss’s office in the back of the coffee shop. “What?” he growls.

“Mr. Binsen?” I ask, opening up the door to peek my head in. “May I speak with you?”

He doesn’t look up at me but lifts his hand and motions for me to enter. I push the door open just enough to enter. I look around and frown at all the stuff he has stacked in his office. Even more than what he had last time I was in here. He has an addiction to buying junk off the internet. Amazon, Craigslist, or eBay—it doesn’t matter where it comes from, he has to buy it. I once asked him why he stores it all in his office at the coffee shop, and he had said, ‘
My wife won’t let me put any more in our house, and our storage is full,’
and then shrugged. If I were his wife, I would suggest he quit buying junk and spend his money on therapy for his addiction.

“What do you need, Taylor?” he asks without looking up from his computer. “Make it quick. I have an auction ending in less than two minutes, and I can’t miss this once in a lifetime chance at this luggage set.” He rubs his hands together excitedly.

Luggage? The man never travels, and his wife is afraid of flying. But that’s not why I’m here. I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “Okay …” I clap my hands together to get his attention, at least to get him to look up at me. He doesn’t. “Well, remember how I took off the last few weeks of school to get ready for finals?” He nods once, but I’m not sure he heard what I asked. “I was wondering if I could do the opposite now.”

“Which is?” he questions impatiently. His dark brown eyes scan his computer screen quickly.

“I want to add more shifts to my schedule. Maybe doubles on the weekend? I’ve been picking up every shift I can for the last week, but I wanna be on the schedule, not just take the ones that need to be filled.” He starts to shake his head, and I speak again. “I will take whatever you will give me.” When he just continues to stare at his computer, I start to ramble. “My house got broken into last night, and I had some money stolen. Almost everything in the house is gonna have to be replaced …” His computer makes a beeping noise, and he lifts his hand to quiet me.

“Noooo,” he shouts fisting his hands in the air. “You little bastard,” he hisses before he starts running his fingers over his keyboard as he narrows his eyes at the screen. “Whatever you want,” he says to me not taking his attention from his computer.

I smile. “Thanks, Binsen,” I say as I reach behind me, grab the door, and open it before turning around and walking out. Well, that went easier than I had expected. He knows he can always count on me, though. I’m always here early, and I never have a problem with staying late. If we had an employee of the month, I’m sure I would get it every time.

“Taylor.” My co-worker Shanna comes running down the hallway toward me. Her brown hair pulled up into a tight ponytail bounces behind her. “There is a really hot guy here asking for you.” Her dark brown eyes light up.

“Please don’t talk about my brother that way,” I beg. It’s sickening how much all the women love him. All he does is bat his eyes, and the girls fall to their knees for him. And I can’t even stand to look at him right now. I’m still pissed beyond belief at him, and he hasn’t even tried to apologize to me for the way he treated me and the words he said.

“It’s not your brother,” she says with a frown, “But I wouldn’t tell this guy no either if he tried to get me to bed.” She winks at me, and I have an urge to vomit, just thinking of her asking my brother to sleep with her.

“Who is it?” I ask not really caring who the guy is. No one comes to see me at work. Or at home. And if it was my ex, she would just tell me.

“Weren’t you listening? Some hot guy.”

She places her arm in the crook of mine and starts to drag me down the hallway. She shoves the double swinging doors open at the end of the hallway and I take in the light from the front bay windows of the coffee shop.

“I found her.” She giggles, pulling me behind one of the registers.

As the man standing on the other side of the counter comes into view, I pause as my mind momentarily goes blank. It’s
him
. Case is standing in the coffee shop, staring at me as a smile tugs at the corners of his full lips. He’s wearing a black tight fitting t-shirt and worn-out jeans. He has a black hat on backward making him look even younger than I know he has to be. He reaches up and runs his hand over his facial hair that lines his defined jaw. And my heart rate speeds up in terror.

He knows where I work?

Has he been following me?

“Case.” My voice is high from the shock. “What are you doing here?” I take a quick look around to see if his big sidekick is here with him. Would Case kill me himself or would he have his security guy do it? “You need to leave,” I demand as my eyes continue to dart around in panic.

Shanna looks over at me as if I’ve lost my mind talking to him like that. If only she knew what kind of man he truly is. She would be running from him, not drooling over his wide chest and tatted arms.

“I came to check on you.” The words sound harmless, and Shanna even sighs at that explanation, but I’m not gonna fall for his shit.

“Sure, you did,” I mumble.

His smile just widens, and it makes his face light up with mischief. “Can you take a break?”

I’m about to say no when Shanna shoves me to the side. “Of course, she can.” I stumble but am able to stay upright. I shoot her a glare, and she nudges her head over in Case’s direction as if I didn’t know the idiot was standing right there.

“I’m not leaving with you,” I inform him as I walk around the counter cautiously.

He chuckles, but nods his head in understanding. “Of course. A seat?” He gestures to one of the tables behind him sitting up against the window.

I take a deep breath as I walk over to the table that he’s now standing by. I eye him skeptically when he pulls the chair back for me to sit in. “Trying to be a gentleman?” I ask when he comes around to sit in the chair across from me. I take a quick look around to see how many people are in here. He can’t kill me if there are witnesses, can he? Would he just kill them too?

“I have my days.” His deep voice is full of amusement.

I place my forearms on the table and lean over. I hate that the smell of him has me taking a deep breath. He smells delicious and all man with a hint of spine. It’s good enough to eat.

I feel like I’m a fly stuck in a flytrap. Or a kid who has been brought to a candy store. What kid wouldn’t want a taste of something so sweet? “What do you think you’re doing here?” I try to keep my voice down and take shallow breaths so I don’t inhale him. “How did you even know I work here? Spying on me?” Get answers! That is my main goal.

He lets out a chuckle to indicate that my question and accusations don’t alarm him. “Your brother told me where you work. And no, I’m not spying on you. I just came to check on you.”

I roll my eyes. “And why would I need checking up on?”

“He also informed me about the break-in.” His dark blue eyes search my face and his lips turn down into a pout. I hate that it makes my heart speed up. He doesn’t care about you, Taylor. Don’t buy the act.

“Of course, he did,” I hiss, getting mad at myself. “But you already knew about it, didn’t you?” Turn the table on him. Make him confess.

I hate to admit that the smile he gives me is very charming. It’s one of those slow and sexy ones, showing off his perfectly white teeth. If I didn’t know he was a drug dealer and had been arrested, it would melt my panties. But since I do know all of that, I ignore the way my legs tighten. “No, I didn’t know about it until he told me that I am your number one suspect.”

I lean back in my chair and cross my arms over my chest. Play it cool. “And you have come to try and convince me otherwise?”

“Something like that.” He shrugs carelessly.

Now, my heart is racing for a different reason. Alarm. “What is the
something
?” I ask slowly.

He waves me off. “I’m not here to convince you I didn’t do it when you already know …”