Damaged and the Cobra (12 page)

The sound of a rumbling Harley wasn’t anything out
of the ordinary around Ellsberg. This bike roared its engine once, twice, again
and again as if attempting to gain someone’s attention. Or challenge a person
to a fight maybe.

A frowning Aaron looked outside and his expression
darkened. “It’s your fuckwad stepbrother.”

My stomach flipped and I backed away from the door
as if I might run. Returning to sanity, I sighed. “How would he know?”

“I don’t know. I’ll tell him to fuck off.”

Aaron walked onto the porch and Dylan turned of the
Harley. I watched Dylan stop at the front fence where he glared at Aaron.

“I know Lark’s here. She needs to come home.”

“Fuck off,” Aaron said, keeping his promise to tell
Dylan just that.

“She’s coming home.”

I heard the threat in Dylan’s voice and imagined
Aaron bloodied. While I had no doubt my guy could win, the idea of him hurt
because of my crappy family forced me onto the porch.

“I don’t want to go home.”

“Not your choice. Old man said I’m supposed to
bring you home.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“As compared to where you were supposed to be?”
Dylan growled.

“I’m not a child and I can do what I want.”

“Why lie then?”

Shrugging, I didn’t answer.

“He tracked your cell. Saw you weren’t at the
Johanssons’ place and it wasn’t hard to figure out where you’d run off to.”

“This is bullshit,” Aaron muttered. “Just fuck off
and tell your dad to stop acting like a damn dictator. Lark isn’t going with
you.”

Dylan ignored Aaron and focused his angry gaze on
me. “Lark, get your stuff. You’re coming home. If you think you’re a big girl
and can do what you want, explain it to Larry.”

Shaking my head, I glanced at Aaron who crossed his
arms and gave Dylan a look that startled me. I had never seen him look so
intimidating, but I still feared he might get hurt over me.

“She’s an adult and she wants to stay,” Aaron said.

“I know all about you, but I doubt she does. She
thinks you’re a nice guy. She doesn’t realize you’re just using her. Fucking
her until you’re bored.”

Aaron stepped closer to the porch stairs. “Get the
fuck off my property.”

“Lark, get your stuff.”

“No,” I said, finding my voice again. “I want to
stay here.”

“He’s just using you.”

“No.”

“You can’t do this shit, you know? Shacking up with
some fuck then coming home when he tosses you aside. That’s not acceptable. If
you want to live at the house, you need to get your shit together and come home
now. If you want to run the streets, tell Larry and deal with the consequences.”

“She’s not leaving,” Aaron said, stepping off the
porch. “Are you deaf?”

“I don’t give a shit what you have to say, pussy.”

“You better give a shit because I’m the one about
to crack open your fucking skull if you take another step on my property.”

Dylan looked ready to run at Aaron. Feeling the
tension building, I didn’t know what to do.

“Is there a problem here?” Deputy Dickhead said,
strutting over like the asshole he was.

“Fuck,” Aaron sighed.

“My father wants Lark to return home. He sent me to
get her,” Dylan explained, putting on his respectable citizen face.

“Why don’t you want to go home, hun?” Deputy
Dickhead asked me and Aaron stepped closer.

“She’s an adult,” Aaron said. “She can go anywhere
she fucking pleases.”

“Watch the language, Barnes.”

“Fuck off, Darling.”

“Your name is Darling?” Dylan asked, grinning now.
“Aces.”

“Shut up,” Deputy Dickhead barked. “Look the girl
either goes home to explain the situation to her family or I take her home and
stand there while she explains it to her family.”

“This is bullshit.”

“What’s it going to be?”

“You can’t…”

Placing my hand on Aaron’s arm, I smiled tightly.
“I should just get this over with. Tell them I’m seeing you and they can accept
it or fuck off. I don’t want to live there anymore anyway.”

“You can move in here.”

Unsure about the offer, I turned to Dylan and
Dickhead. “I’ll get my shoes.”

Once inside, I assumed Aaron was going to bitch.
Instead, he kissed me gently.

“I should come with you.”

“It’ll just make things worse. I need to show this
is my decision and Larry can fuck off. He thinks women are weak. If you come
with me, he’ll think you’re making me say stuff. Just let me handle it. Once I
have some stuff packed, I’ll call you to pick me up. Is that okay?”

“I want you to move in here.”

“Bailey said I could stay in Coop’s old apartment.”

Aaron’s angry expression flattened into something
I’d never seen before. As if he was hiding his feelings, leaving behind only
the mask he wanted me to see. Finally, he sighed.

“Why there and not here?”

“We haven’t been dating long.”

Running a hand over his head, Aaron sighed again.
“We’re not fucking dating, Lark. Why play games when we know what this is?”

“What is it?” I asked softly.

“Forever. What we have is forever. It’s not about
tomorrow or next month. We’re in this for the long haul. I love you and you
love me. Let’s not pretend we’re silly kids having fun. What we have is forever
and you belong with me.”

Hearing those words from him, I realized many of my
dreams were lies. School, my dream job, finding acceptance from a shit family
weren’t what I wanted in my heart. Aaron was the truth and he offered me a
future full of love and acceptance. I said the only thing I could think to say
with my whole life unfolding before me.

“Hell yeah, I do.”

Aaron grinned and I nearly leapt into his arms. The
world outside the little house and this amazing man’s arms faded away until
Deputy Dickhead Darling pounded on the door.

“Don’t make me call backup!” he yelled while trying
to see in through the shades.

“Fucker.”

“I’ll be back soon,” I said, slipping on my tennis
shoes. “We’ll be able to sit on the front porch and go out together and stop
hiding.”

Aaron smiled. “If he gives you shit, call me and
I’ll fuck him up. I’m sick of this asshole and his turd son.”

Giving him a quick kiss, I walked to the porch
where I ignored the deputy. Instead of respecting the dickhead’s authority, I
headed straight to Dylan and climbed on the back of his Harley. A wave at Aaron
later, I sped off to face the latest asshole in a long line of my mom’s loves.

When we entered the house, Larry stood next to the
fireplace like he was posing for me. The angry father so very disappointed in
his daughter and ready to give her a lecture. At the glass door overlooking the
backyard was Glenn who I suspected was there to intimidate me. I assumed they’d
start boxing up my stuff soon and use the same old threats.

In the kitchen, Mom sat at the table, cutting
coupons because Larry told her it was her job to save them money. Every fifty
cents off a can of soup was a step closer to his retirement and them enjoying
cruises. My mother was a little obsessed with the idea of cruises.

I should have been more afraid, but a weekend with
Aaron gave me courage. As his muse, I felt fearless. Even when Larry turned and
glared at me, I held my head up high.

“I opened my home to you and my thanks is finding
out you’re whoring around town with a thug.”

“Thug? You’re the one monitoring my cell. I pay for
that phone and you have no right to track me.”

Larry walked casually towards me. “I have every
right. You live in my house and represent me in the community. We both know you
wouldn’t be able to afford the phone and school if I didn’t allow you to live
here rent free.”

“Well, we’ll see about that. From now on, I’m not
sneaking around. If you say I can’t be with Aaron and live here then I’m moving
out.”

Still at the door, Glenn was grinning in the nasty
way he was prone to grin when a woman stood up for herself and he thought she
was about to lose. Dylan stood very still, arms crossed tightly while glaring
at me. Behind us, my mom kept cutting coupons like nothing was happening.

“No,” Larry said in a soft voice. “I have invested
too much time and money into your upbringing to have you whore up the town. I
forbid you from seeing him.”

“Forbid?” I snorted. “I’m almost twenty.”

Larry sighed as if tired then took a step forward
and backhanded me. I had no time to react or even brace my fall. The sting of
his hand was followed by me crashing into the kitchen table. My back screamed in
pain at the impact and I lay stunned on the ground for a minute. Only Dylan’s
yell kept me from passing out.

“Motherfucker,” he hollered, running at Larry.

Glenn met him halfway and Larry helped his brother
knock Dylan to the ground. Even after Dylan slugged Glenn, the older man
wouldn’t back off. He stomped down on Dylan who tried rolling away and ended up
with Larry kicking him in the gut.

“You’ve always been an idiot where that slut’s
concerned.”

Stumbling to my feet, I glanced at my mom who still
sat at the table. She looked at me then Larry then lowered her gaze and
returned to her coupons.

The logical choice for me was to run from the
house. I was so much smaller than these three battling men and the smart thing
was to run. Yet, Larry and his bullshit family were why Raven left. They were
always telling me what to do and making me feel like shit. Now, he’d hit me and
I wasn’t running.

Grabbing a chair from the table, I swung it at
Glenn and hit him at the back of the neck. As he went flying forward, the
bastard tripped over Dylan and toppled hard to the ground.

Before I could celebrate, Larry ripped the chair
out of my hand then came at me. I backed away and grabbed one of the millions
of bear figurines. Throwing it at him, I nailed Larry in the chest with the
first one. The second one caught him over the eye, leaving a gash. As Larry
chased me around the room, I grabbed more bears and flung them over my shoulders
at him. While most missed, a few made contact and he finally hollered in
frustration.

Having recovered from the blow, Glenn tried to block
me in. However, Dylan shoved the older man outside then locked the door.
Unfortunately for Glenn, Larry’s stupid fluffy dog hated him and proceeded to
attack his leg.

“Dylan, this is your last chance,” Larry said, his
face red and blood dripping down his face. “Give me that girl or you’re done.”

“Fuck you. I was done the minute you put your
fucking hand on her.”

Watching the two men glare at one another, I
exchanged the bears in my hands for heavier ones.

“I’m leaving,” I said more to Mom than Larry. “If anyone
messes with me, I’m cracking their heads open with Picnic Bear.”

“Margo, call the police,” Larry said, regaining his
cool. “I want Lark arrested for assault.”

As my mother reached for the phone, I nearly threw
a bear at her. “I’ll press charges too. We’ll both end up in jail then the
Johanssons can sort it out.”

Larry’s confidence flickered. “If you leave, you’ll
never come back.”

“Not much of a threat, old man. I’ll be back for my
shit later. If any of it is missing, I’m going to get Bailey over here to show
you her gun. I don’t care if you disappear, Larry. Mom will have your life
insurance and the house and she’ll do just fine. You’ll be gone, but your money
will live on. Do you understand?”

Larry swallowed too hard to pretend he wasn’t
worried. He should be worried because I was pissed and my back hurt so much
that I could barely walk. Yet, I pretended to be at the top of my game. Like I
learned in roller derby, never let your opponents see your weaknesses.

I didn’t even back out of the house. Instead, I
walked out with those bears in my hands until I was on the driveway and Dylan
stood next to me.

“I’ll drive you into town,” he said, wiping his
bloody mouth. “I’m sorry he hit you. I hope the Johanssons do kill him.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I can’t believe those old fucks jumped me. I
thought I was better than that.”

“I was very disappointed in you too,” I teased,
limping now. “Where will you go?”

“I’ll stay at a friend’s house until I find a
place. I assume you want to go to your boyfriend’s house.”

“Thank you for helping me,” I said, standing next
to his Harley.

“I’ll never been able to think of you as a sister,
Lark. I just can’t.”

“We’ll be friends then.”

Dylan smiled before grimacing and touching his
bloody mouth. “Are you taking those bears with you?”