Sinister Kisses (SKALS #1) (5 page)

She collided with a solid wall
of muscle without warning. Grunting, she fumbled to keep both balance and bags in check. Hands reached out and gripped her arms, preventing her from falling over at the last minute. Grateful, but embarrassed, Taylor lowered her parcels and flashed a sheepish grin.

“I’m so sorry!” Her awkward smile turned to one of genuine surprise and she half gasped, half laughed as she gaped at the familiar face.
The bright blue eyes, rusty auburn hair, and square chiseled features were ones she knew all too well. Her heart swelled at the sight of her childhood friend.

“Taylor McAvay, is that you?”

She burst into a full laugh and nodded. “Daryl West! How are you? I haven’t seen you since graduation.”

He grinned and rubbed the back of his head, his broad shoulders rolling with a lazy shrug. “Eh, you know. School and football are keeping me busy. Same old story, different day.”

She giggled. “How do you like it up there? I hear things can get pretty wild in college.”

“It’s great!” he said, laughing. “You should totally head upstate and visit sometime. I could give you the good old campus tour.”

“Yeah,” Taylor said, nodding. She tilted her head and grinned. “I’d like that.”

“You should have been there, too. I mean, that was always the plan growing up. We’d graduate, get the hell out of dodge, go to the same college, and
end up being rich and successful members of society.”

She blew out an exaggerated sigh. “I know, but it didn’t really work out that way for me. Uncle Roy
’s health is questionable at best, and someone really needs to stay behind and keep an eye on Bryce. That boy might be grown, but he’s still as wild as ever.”

Daryl nodded. “
He always was. You look great, Tay. You really do. We should grab some lunch. We have a lot of catching up to do, and I would love to hear what you’ve been up to lately.”

Taylor blushed as h
er stomach released a low, painful rumble as if on cue. She glanced down in surprise, her shoulders shaking at Daryl’s boisterous laugh. Several midafternoon shoppers paused to look their way. Her color deepened as she offered them a sheepish smirk and shrugged, smiling up at him. He hadn’t changed at all. His shoulders were a little wider than she remembered, and his build a little thicker, but he was still the same sweet, down-to-earth guy.

“Yeah, okay,” she said, nodding.
“That sounds great. Just let me stick these bags in the tru--”

The words died on her lips as a car squealed around the corner. Her eyes widened as the sleek black sedan barreled down the street and jumped the curb of the sidewalk. She staggered back, almost falling in her haste to escape as the squat tires barked to a stop
inches away from her booted feet. Daryl shouldered his way in front of her, his broad body stiff and bracing for a fight when the driver’s side door swung open. Rearing up on her tiptoes, she peered over her friend, her eyebrows knitting upon seeing Josh.

He
marched toward them quickly, and her heart sank when she realized he hadn’t even taken the time to shut the door. A million scenarios played through her mind, none of them pleasant. Had something happened? Was Sebastian okay? She swallowed, the lump in her throat growing tighter with each step he took. Determination stamped the rugged planes of his face, as well as his quick, angry stride.

“You,” he growled,
jerking his head at Daryl. “Get out of the way.”

“I’m not going anywhere, buddy,”
the linebacker argued, folding his arms and widening his stance.

Josh sighed and snapped his fingers, pointing at Taylor. “Get in the goddamn car.”

Fear and confusion battled for control. He leveled her with a fierce glare that left no room to argue, and the aggressive glint in his blue eyes was nothing short of terrifying. Taylor took an uncertain step back. Her breath left her in a shaky exhale; her blood roared in her ears as her mind scrambled, searching for the cause of his displeasure. She hadn’t said anything about that day in the woods, not even to Bryce, and they had no secrets between them.

Josh’s face hardened. Her legs threatened to crumble as his lethal gaze bore into her. He sprung without warning, his sturdy six-foot-one frame unfurling with an unnatural amount of speed. She gave a petrified squall as his hand locked around her upper arm and he hauled her out from behind the shelter of Daryl’s body. The packages tumbled to the sidewalk.
She watched in horror as the myriad of gifts she’d spent the afternoon purchasing spilled across the broken concrete, some of them bouncing clear out into the street. Fighting to pry herself loose, Taylor stumbled while the deep boom of her friend’s voice thundered in her ears.

“
Get your fucking hands off of her!”

The blunt end of a pistol
greeted the tip of his nose and brought him up short.

“You might want to rethink that bravado,
kid. It’s about to get you shot,” Josh warned.

The
low, menacing snarl of his voice sent a shiver racing down Taylor’s spine. Whimpering, she lifted a shaking hand to her mouth. Her body shuddered with her efforts not to get sick. The empty cavern of her stomach churned dangerously, and an acidic scald splashed the back of her throat. Glancing at Daryl, her heart broke. He looked even more terrified than she felt. His expression was forlorn, pleading, as he glanced around in a frantic search for help.

“It’s okay,
D,” she muttered. “I know him.”

“Taylor?”

“He’s—he’s my boyfriend’s partner. It’s okay, Daryl, really.”

Josh’s snort did nothing to bolster her confidence. Maybe it wasn’t okay after all. Struggling to keep up with the man’s rapid stride, Taylor tipped her head back and cast an imploring glance to the heavens. It had never worked much in her favo
r in the past, but if ever the Big Guy was going to listen, she prayed now would be the time. Her heart skidded to a stop in her chest as Josh marched her over to the car, ripped open the back door, and shoved her inside. She flinched when he slammed it shut with enough force to rock the vehicle. Shifting, she watched him round the trunk. Nervous laughter threatened. At least he hadn’t stuffed her in there.

The heated leather did nothing to thaw
her fear. Her eyes met Josh’s in the rearview mirror as he slid into the driver’s seat. His gaze narrowed slightly, and Taylor flattened against the backseat of the car as he whirled around to confront her.

“What the hell are you thinking?” he snapped.

“Me?” She blinked, unable to stop the indignant laugh that bubbled from her throat. “You are the one acting a like a madman and waving a gun around in public!”

“I was doing you a favor, princess.”

“You pointed a gun in my friend’s face!”

Sebastian’s partner regarded her with a slow shake of his head.

“He shouldn’t have interfered.” His voice was soft and disturbingly calm. “If you want to be mad at someone, sweetheart, take a good look at yourself. You’re the one running around making lunch dates with other men. You can be glad it was me who checked in on you and not Sebastian. Had it been him, your little friend back there might not be breathing.”

Her mouth opened and snapped shut. Taylor’s fists balled. She pressed them deep against her thighs as a staggering amount of anger and confusion swept through her. “First of all, it wasn’t a
date
. I went to school with Daryl. We grew up together. For fuck’s sake, he’s like a brother to me.”

Josh’s eyebrows shot up at her choice of words, but he said nothing.

“Secondly, how exactly is it that you know what I’m doing and saying? What did you guys do, bug me?”

His gaze hardened. “We don’t need to, though with that attitude, maybe Sebastian should. Let me fill you in on a little something. One push of a button and
your government can zero in on anything, and our reach extends even farther than theirs so now would be a really good time to cut the crap. Sebastian’s a very possessive man. He doesn’t share, and he will take out anything he sees as a threat.”

Taylor tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry, her throat too constricted. All she managed to accomplish was an awkward squelching sound that echoed throughout the car. “Take out?”

“You seem like a smart girl. Figure it out. Look, I’m trying to tell you in a nice way that this little arrangement would make him very unhappy. When Sebastian is unhappy, I’m unhappy. Do you see how this works? If you’re going to be with him—be with him, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too.”

Her gaze darted to the window. Frowning, she watched Daryl gather the spilled contents of her bags off the street.
The poor guy had just had a gun shoved in his face, and here he was, still trying to help her. She sighed. Nothing was making any sense. A low throb was starting to bud behind her temples. She just wanted to go home. Taylor hung her head with a sorrowful shake.

“I wasn’t trying to do anything…”

Josh rubbed his chin and nodded. “I believe you, but I doubt Baas would see it that way. I’m going to do everyone a favor here and keep this incident between you and me.” His gaze locked with hers in the mirror. “I’m going to let you out now. You can get your stuff, but then you are going to walk away. For both our sakes, see to it that we never have this talk again.”

Stepping out of the car, Taylor shut the door behind her and closed her eyes with a shiver. The man was nuts. If he wasn’t certifiable, he was at the very least bipolar. Rubbing her arm, she crossed the sidewalk and approached Daryl. Tears threatened to blind her as she offered an apologetic smile. He stepped forward and tried to comfort her, empathy and concern riding his face, but all too aware of Josh’s stare, she twisted out of reach.

“I’m so sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. Are you
all right, Taylor? What’s going on?”

Taking the bags from him, she shook her head and backed away. “I’m really sorry. I have to go.”

“At least let me walk you to your truck. I don’t know what kind of people you are mixed up with, Tay, but this is some scary shit. What the hell did that guy want with you anyway?”

She couldn’t even look him in the eye. She was too ashamed, to
o humiliated, and confused. Right now, she couldn’t even say if those feelings stemmed from the situation she’d just been placed in, or her own actions. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt or upset Sebastian, but her heart also wrenched for Daryl. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Forcing a swallow, Taylor blinked against the scalding burn of her tears. With her arms full, she couldn’t even reach up to wipe them away.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t need your help, D. I got it.”

“Can I at least call you later?”

She winced. Was this what thirteen years of friendship was going to boil down to? It hardly seemed fair. Casting one last look over her shoulder at Josh, she shook her head.
“I’d rather you didn’t, and unless you want that man to get out of the car again, I need to go. Take care of yourself, okay?”

He nodded mutely, thrusting his hands into the pockets of his faded Wrangler jeans. The hurt on his face was something she would carry with her for a long time, and as Taylor made her way back to her truck, she
started to cry.

Taylor sat huddled in the center of the plaid couch, idly picking the tattered hem of her jeans. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but daylight was starting to give way to dusk on the other side of the blinds and the skin beneath her eyes was chapped. Guilt continued to gnaw at her with gnashing teeth, the pain festering and raw. Maybe it would eat away the person she was becoming. Whoever this new woman was, she didn’t like her. She didn’t like the secrets and lies, and this chilling newfound ability to turn her back on her friends. The shrill ring of her cell phone made her jump. Glancing down at the caller ID, Taylor dashed away her tears with the sleeve of her sweater and hit mute. She wasn’t in the mood to talk right now. Not to her uncle, not to Bryce, not even to Sebastian. Right now, she just wanted some space and time to think.

Combing her fingers through her hair,
she abandoned both phone and couch in favor of feeling quasi human again. She padded into the hall and rummaged through the slatted linen closet, pulling out a plush towel and bath beads. A few minutes later, the sound of roaring water rolled through the apartment, along with the sweet aroma of mango and pineapple. Her stomach cramped as she peeled off her clothes, and she rubbed her belly in confusion before remembering that she’d forgotten to eat. Shrugging, she stepped into the tub and sank into its scalding depths with a sigh.

Her gaze roamed around the cramped bathroom for a minute, taking in the rust and lime saturated porcelain sink and odd stucco walls. No amount of CLR managed to make the
battered basin look any better, and she’d given up long ago. Even the shaggy burgundy bathmat was in sore need of replacement. Taylor snorted to herself. After seeing Sebastian’s house, no amount of five-and-dime purchases was ever going to cut the definition of beautiful again. She could buy out the entire store and still not come close.

Bathing was a bit more exhausting than she remembered, even though her last one
had been less than ten hours ago. By the time she’d scrubbed and conditioned her hair, washed, and shaved, it was all she could do to keep her heavy eyelids from drifting shut. It had been a long day. The crisp spread of her sheets and the rhythmic whir of the fan had never sounded so appealing. If she could just bring herself to move…