Slay (Storm MC #4) (6 page)

Her use of my real name jolted me back eight years.  Ashley used to insist on calling me that. 

I stood abruptly.  “Thanks for the drinks.”

She looked up at me.  “Thanks for sorting Mario out for me.”

“You’re welcome,” I murmured, giving her a long, last look.

Layla Reed could be dangerous.  I savoured the deliciousness of that knowledge because danger always attracted me.  I’d be back, but tonight, the ghosts of the past haunted me and I needed to be alone to deal with that.

Chapter Five

Layla

My cousin, Annie, lived in squalor, and as much as I tried to help her, she wouldn’t help herself.  Ever since that fateful day nine years ago when I’d discovered her shocking secret, I’d been scrambling to help her make changes in her life.  Hell, I’d fucking committed a crime for her in amongst everything else I’d done, and yet she still couldn’t pull her head out of her ass. 

I stood in her kitchen, assessing the mess of dirty dishes and rubbish strewn everywhere.  Annie sat at the table, her head in her hands while she sobbed.  The desperation of her life clung to the air around us and my skin crawled with the need to escape.  But Annie needed me, so I stayed.

“Do you want some tea?” I asked.  Tea always made me feel better.

Her tearstained face looked up at me and she nodded.  “Yes,” she choked out her answer in between sobs.

I had to wash dishes and clear space to be able to make tea.  That pissed me off, and when I placed the tea in front of her, I did so with a little more force than necessary.  Tea spilt over the edge of the mug, and Annie looked up at me apologetically.  She knew how furious I was.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, her eyes avoiding mine.

I sat at the table with her and sighed.  “Annie, you know I love you.  I mean, I almost fucking killed a man for you, I took you in, I paid for you to go to college...I’ve done every-fucking-thing I can to help you have a better life, so why the hell do you throw it in my face and continue to accept shit in your life?” My voice grew louder, more forceful.  “Your boyfriend is an asshole who doesn’t love you, and he treats you like you’re the shit on his shoes.  He does
nothing
for you and expects you to do everything for him.  Fuck, look at this place.  It’s disgusting.  You were doing better before you hooked up with him, and now you’ve taken so many steps backwards.  I find it heartbreaking to watch.”

She stared at me with wide eyes and listened to everything I had to say before starting to cry again.  Her body heaved with sobs and I let her get it all out without saying a word.  A very fucking hard thing to do.  Eventually she said, “It’s my fault.  I don’t want to have sex with him . . . I can’t do it . . . and it upsets him . . . ” Her voice trailed off as more tears fell.

My skin heated with anger and my shoulders tensed. 
How fucking dare he
!  “Annie, look at me,” I demanded.

She didn’t do what I said so I repeated myself, louder this time, “Annie, look at me!”

She jumped in her seat and quickly moved her gaze to mine.  The hopelessness I saw there made me want to rip the balls off her boyfriend.  I softened my voice.  “You’ve done nothing wrong.  Your father fucked you up, Annie, to the point where you have major issues with sex.  That is not your fault.  If you had a boyfriend who loved you and actually cared enough about you, he would help you through that.  It’s not your fault he chooses, instead, to screw around on you and emotionally abuse you.  Do you understand that?”

She stared at me.  It was an almost vacant stare.  When she slowly nodded, I knew she didn’t mean it.  Annie had no self-esteem. 

Fuck
.

I shoved my chair back and stood.  Looking down at her, I said, “We’re leaving.”

Her eyes turned frantic and she madly shook her head.  “No . . . I can’t leave . . . where will I go?”  Tears began falling again, and I moved to her so I could place my hand on her shoulder. 

I squatted so I was at her eye level.  “Annie,” I said in a gentle tone, “you can stay with me.  I will look after you and help you get back on your feet.”  I should have made her come live with me years ago, but I was always focused on helping her gain independence.  What I should have focused on was getting her mind to a good place before sending her out into the world on her own.  I’d do that this time.  She needed to see a psychologist to begin working through the shit weighing her down.

She didn’t seem convinced, but nevertheless, she stood and nodded.  “Okay.”

I quickly packed some clothes in a bag for her.  I didn’t want to risk her changing her mind, so I worked fast to get her out of there.  For a twenty-five year old woman, she owned very little so it didn’t take me long.  Fifteen minutes later, I bundled her into my car and made the half-hour drive home.  Annie sat next to me staring out the window, not saying a word.  I prayed like hell she would run with this plan and not slink back to her boyfriend.

***

I lived above the bar.  It had been my home for six months.  The decision to move here had been made in desperation when the house I rented was sold and I had nowhere to go.  My intention had never been for it to become a permanent home, it had just worked out that way over time.  I liked it, though, and couldn’t see myself moving out anytime soon.

It was three o’clock when Annie and I arrived back there.  Jess was working and she gave me a sad smile when she saw me follow behind Annie.  She knew Annie’s story, and also knew I’d spent years trying to help her to no avail.  “Hi Annie,” she greeted her with kindness in her voice.

“Hi Jess,” Annie replied, so softly I doubted Jess would have heard it. 

“I’ll meet you upstairs soon, hon,” I said to Annie.  “You unpack your stuff and get settled, and I’ll see you in a couple of minutes.” 

“Okay,” she murmured before giving me a small smile and heading upstairs.

With a heavy heart, I walked over to where Jess was at the bar. 

“She moving in?” Jess inquired.

“Yeah.  Her boyfriend is a dick and has been cheating on her and treating her like shit.  I need to find her a psychologist and get her head sorted.”

“You take too much on, Layla.  She’s a grown woman.  Maybe it’s time she started looking out for herself rather than relying on you to always swoop in and fix her problems.”

I perched on a stool and rested my elbows on the bar.  Blowing out a long breath, I said, “I know what you’re saying, but I feel like I’ve never given her the tools to do that.  And god fucking knows her parents didn’t either, so she’s almost like a child just floating aimlessly through life with no idea how to be an adult.  I think if we can work with a professional, Annie might finally be able to gain the belief in herself and the skills she needs to move forward, you know?”

Jess considered what I’d said.  “Maybe.  Promise me, though, if you do this and put the time into it, and it doesn’t work, you need to stop putting yourself through that.  Annie’s not only hurting herself here.”

I knew she was coming from a good place, but she didn’t have anyone in her life that needed her like Annie needed me, so she couldn’t understand why I would never give up on my cousin.  “I can’t promise that, Jess.”

We were both quiet for a few moments.  Then she said, “I’m here if you need anything, okay?”

I smiled.  Jess had worked here for a couple of years and we’d become good friends.  We were the same age, twenty-seven, but where I had no family around me, except for Annie, she was surrounded by loving parents and five siblings.  She’d taken me under her wing and introduced me to her family when she discovered I had no one.  They’d welcomed me and made me an honorary member of their family.  She always came through for me, even if she didn’t agree with the choices I made.  “Thank you,” I said.

“Always.”

I jumped off the stool.  “I’m gonna head up and make sure she’s okay.  Just call if you need me.”

She nodded.  “Will do.  What time is Damian coming in?”

“Seven, so I’ll make sure I’m back down by five unless you call.”

“Okay, boss,” she said, waving her hands to indicate I should leave her to it.

I climbed the stairs slowly.  Dealing with Annie was weary work, and while I never resented it, I didn’t necessarily look forward to it.  I found her in my spare bedroom, curled up on the bed, asleep, so I left her and headed back down to the bar.

Jess frowned as she caught sight of me.  “Why aren’t you upstairs?”

“She’s asleep so I thought I would help you get the bar ready for tonight.”

“Thanks.”

I began helping her stock the bar and she asked, “Have you heard from Dale at all?”

“No.”  Anger swirled in my stomach just at the thought of him. 

I’d hate to see my reaction if he walked back in here.

“Do you think he’s gone for good?”

I put the bottle that was in my hand down and contemplated her question.  “I wouldn’t be surprised.  That’s a lot of cash he owes and I can’t think of anyone he knows who could lend it to him.  If I were him, I wouldn’t come back.”

“Yes, you would,” she stated, matter-of-factly.  “You’re too good of a person to do what he’s done to you.”

“Yeah, but if a bookie had me in his sights for that much, I think I’d run.”

“Layla, you wouldn’t.  You’re the kind of woman who gets shit done and finds a way when the rest of us think we’ve run out of options.  But this conversation is a waste of time anyway, because you wouldn’t get yourself in that kind of shit to begin with.  And you certainly wouldn’t steal from your friend.”

“Well, there is that.  You’re damn right I wouldn’t steal from a friend.”

Her eyes lit up as if she just remembered something.  “Have you heard from that guy?  You know, the one who helped you the other night.  The arm porn dude.”

“The what?” 
Arm porn
?  Jess really did come out with some weird shit sometimes.

She grinned.  “Did you get a look at his fucking arms?  They’re like looking at porn, babe.  Guaranteed to get you off on sight.”

I had to laugh.  “I guess that’s one way to think about it.  And yeah, I did get a look at them.”

“And?”  She had that excited energy about her which usually meant she was formulating plans in her head.

I put my hand on my hip and gave her a stern look.  “And what?”

“Oh god, Layla!  Do you even notice when men are interested in you?” she asked me, looking exasperated.

“He’s not interested in me,” I muttered, trying to ignore the flutter in my belly.  I may have been attracted to him, but to get involved with him could only be a bad idea.  The shit he seemed to be involved in wasn’t anything I wanted to be near. 

Jess pulled a face.  “He is. You’ll see.” 

Yeah, we’d see, but I had no interest in pursuing anything. 

Well, maybe sex.  That couldn’t hurt, could it?

***

He stepped through the front door of the bar at near midnight that night, and my tummy fluttered again.  Just at the sight of him. 

Dear lord
.

I stood at the bar and watched as he strode toward me.  He was wearing his standard outfit – jeans and black t-shirt teamed with his heavy boots.  Tattoos peaked out from under his sleeves, and they only served to accentuate his muscles. 

And turn me on
.

“You okay?” he asked when he met me at the bar.  Concern creased his face, and I wondered if I should be worried.

“Yeah, why?”

“Just checking.  You haven’t seen or heard from Mario?”

“No,” I answered him, and then added, “Should I have?”

He raked his hand through his hair.  Not that he had a lot of hair; it was cut quite close to his head.  I had a thing for bald men, so I loved that.  Pushing out a breath, he said, “Sorry, didn’t mean to worry you.  Been a long day with a lot of shit going down, so I just wanted to make sure Mario was keeping his end of the bargain.”

I relaxed and pulled out the scotch to pour him a drink.  It seemed he needed one.  “You looking for a reason to get those fists out?”

His brows rose.  “Am I that easy to read?”

I slid his scotch across the bar, our eyes fixed on each other.  “Just a little.”

He picked up his drink and held it for a moment while maintaining eye contact with me.  I couldn’t shift my gaze even if I’d wanted to.  And it seemed he couldn’t, either.  He finally drank some of the scotch, his eyes still on mine.  Placing the glass on the bar, he murmured, “Knew you were dangerous.”

What he said didn’t make any sense, but before I could ask him what he meant, he said, “I’m gonna take a seat.  Can you keep the drinks coming?”

“Sure.”

I watched as he walked away. 

What he hell did he mean by that statement?

I didn’t have time to contemplate it because Annie came down to the bar and distracted me.  She’d been crying again, and my gut seized with apprehension. 

Had that asshole been in contact with her?

I placed my hand gently on her arm.  “What’s wrong?”

“He rang me and told me not to bother coming home.”  She spoke through sniffles.

I checked my frustration and controlled my voice to keep the annoyance out of it.  “Annie, you don’t
want
to go back.  Remember?”

She nodded.  “Yes, but it’s hard.  We were together for ages, and, besides you, he’s all I had.”

I put my hand out.  “Give me your phone.”

“What?”

“Give me your phone so he can’t ring you and fuck with your head again.”

She stared at me with indecision.  The thing with Annie was I could totally control her if I tried, and while I hated what I was doing, it would be for the best when all was said and done.

I clicked my fingers and snapped, “Now.”

She quickly reached into her back jean pocket, pulled her phone out and gave it to me. It was better I controlled her for a while than some asshole only looking out for his own needs.

“Good,” I said, placing her phone in my pocket.  “Now, I want you to go up to bed because tomorrow you start work.”

She stiffened.  “Work?”