Tempted (10 page)

“Just asking some questions.”

“Well, since Raven is a minor, you won’t mind
me sticking around.”

“Of course not.”

Throughout the entire exchange so far, his
expression has not changed. Not even a twitch. He has one hell of a
poker face because I can’t tell what he’s thinking. He nods to
Millie then turns back to me.

“What did you talk about?”

I look to Millie in mock confusion and back
to Renley. “What’s this about? I know it’s not illegal to talk to
people.”

“It isn’t…but I know it was him those bikers
were after. And I believe you were with him.”

“Why would I have been with him?”

“You were seen leaving Chiquita’s
together.”

“We went out back, talked, and then went our
separate ways.”

Finally, I get an expression from him. He
raises an eyebrow.

“Really now?”

“Yes…really.”

“You’re protecting him. I don’t know why or
who you think he is, but let me enlighten you.”

He opens a file folder I hadn’t even noticed
before and pulls out some pictures. He lays one on the counter and
I look down at it. It’s a gorgeous girl with the most intense green
eyes I’ve ever seen. Glossy brown hair, and lips women pay a
fortune for.

“What the hell are you doing, Renley?”

Millie’s voice drags my attention away from
the picture. She looks like she’s about to rip the man’s head off,
but he ignores her.

“That’s Janet Presley,” Renley says, pointing
to the picture.

I try not to react to the name, but I think
he caught wind of the fact that I’ve heard it before.

“Well…before Hunter got to her.”

He slaps down four other photos and I gasp in
shock. Each one is of Janet but documenting different injuries. The
one of her face shows her eyes black and blue and swollen shut. As
a matter of fact, her whole face is swollen and covered in cuts and
bruises, her lips split. There are choke marks around her neck. The
others show her arm in a cast and horrible bruises on her ribs and
stomach.

“Is she…did she die?”

“No, as far as I know, but she was raped and
beaten within an inch of her life. She fingered Hunter once she
woke up, but she didn’t have to. We had evidence, his semen inside
her. A few days later, evidence goes missing, she recants her
story, and disappears from the hospital.”

“That’s enough, Renley,” Millie states with
finality.

The wind chimes sound again and Gage steps
in, murder in his eyes. Renley grabs his hat but doesn’t pack up
the pictures until he’s sure Gage has seen them. He lays a business
card on the table before he leaves.

“Call me.”

The two men glare at each other as Renley
walks out. I can’t move. I can’t think. It can’t be true. Gage
would never do that…would he? He’s not that kind of man. Or is he?
That night he was so angry about my clothes comes rushing back. The
way he’d slammed his palm into the wall…did he really want to hit
me instead? And then when he spanked me at the club…was he just
holding back? And rape? This must be what Chris and Chrissy tried
to warn me about. With all the drama, I forgot to ask Gage about
it.
Oh, God. What have I gotten myself into?

“Raven.”

His voice sounds far away. I slowly raise my
gaze to his, my body trembling in shock and fear.

“Take her around back. Use my office,” Millie
tells him.

He takes my hand and pulls me along behind
him, locking the door once we’re in Millie’s office. I stand in the
corner, hugging myself tightly. He reaches for me and I pull away,
tears welling in my eyes.

“Babe?”

“Is it true? Did you…did you do that to that
girl?”

“No! Of course not. Do you really
think…?”

He sighs heavily and pulls out a chair,
motioning for me to sit. I do so tentatively, watching his every
move closely. He crouches before me, taking my hand in his.

“Janet was a friend of Ellen’s. She moved
away after high school but came back about two years ago. We messed
around for a while, but what she neglected to tell anyone was that
she was running from an abusive ex.”

I stare into his eyes to try and catch any
sign I can that he’s lying. He returns my stare with eyes colored
with hurt but not deceit.

“The guy found her. Went ballistic when he
learned about me and attacked her. He threatened to kill her if she
didn’t say it was me. I got her to change her story and, using some
transportation channels I have access to, I got her away safely…set
her up somewhere else.”

“So, she’s alive?”

“Yes…and happy. She’s the old lady of another
charter’s president. Last I heard, she was having a baby.”

“And the semen?”

“Dude got it from a used condom I left at her
place that night.”

I can’t believe I doubted him. He’s not a
rapist. We’ve been in so many situations where he could have easily
hurt me and he hasn’t. But now I understand why Renley has it in
for him. What he must have gone through…

“Gage –”

“I should have told you before.”

“What about the boyfriend?”

“He was taken care of. She’s Rambo’s problem
now, not mine. You believe me, don’t you?”

“Yes. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted
you.”

He pulls out his phone, punches in a number,
and places it at his ear.

“Rambo…yeah, everything’s good. Look, I need
a favor…it’s going to sound strange…I need a picture of your old
lady…yeah…something like that.”

I listen to the one-sided conversation,
admiring him even more for wanting to prove that he’s telling the
truth. A message comes in a minute after he hangs up. He turns the
screen toward me and I see Janet smiling, her palm resting on a
very pregnant belly.

“I’m sorry,” I repeat. I feel like such a
dumbass.

“It’s okay. You have nothing to be sorry
for.”

“It’s just –”

“I’m not into raping or beating women –”

“Just the occasional spanking?”

He doesn’t even crack a smile.

“I would never hurt you, Raven, and I won’t
let anyone else hurt you, either.”

He straightens and moves over to the desk,
leaning on it. I drop my gaze to the floor, thinking of Lonnie.

“You can’t guarantee that.”

“Of course I can. Once everybody around here
knows you’re mine, my name alone will protect you.”

“Why? Why would anyone care about who you’re
fucking?”

He tilts his head to the side and his eyes
pierce my soul.

“It’s become way more than that, Raven…and
you know it.”

***Gage***

There. I said it. Now let’s see what she
does with it.

She takes a deep breath, expelling it through
her mouth, then walks over to me. Like she always does, she slides
her hands under my cut and around my waist, hugging me tightly.

“I know.”

“Look at me, doll.”

I run my fingers through her hair as she
raises those gorgeous eyes toward me.

“You need to go into this with eyes wide
open. Being with me won’t be easy. You want to know something, you
ask me.”

“Okay. No secrets, Gage. I meant it when I
said you can tell me anything.”

“I can’t. There are things I need to keep
from you for your own safety.”

She releases me and takes a step back, giving
me a stern look.

“No. I’m not some delicate flower you need to
protect. If we’re going to do this, I need to know you’re not
hiding anything from me…especially if it’s messing with your head.
I want to help, even if it’s just listening.”

“I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try.”

She folds her arms under her breasts and
narrows her eyes.

“Do you want me?”

“You know I do.”

“Then you won’t try. You’ll do it.”

In her eyes, I see a strength I haven’t
seen—or maybe just never noticed—before. A strength that makes me
feel like she can take whatever I throw her way. A strength that
makes me think I can lean on her if I ever feel like I can’t stand
on my own.

“Doll –”

A knock on the door interrupts me and she
opens it. Millie steps in with a questioning look.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah…I explained everything,” I tell
her.

Raven looks from me to Millie.

“You knew?”

“He asked for my help. My friend Nita…that’s
his aunt. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for that boy and his
family.”

She’s right. Nita and Millie have been best
friends forever. She’s practically a member of the family.

“Raven, give us a minute, will you?” I
ask.

She nods and closes the door behind her.

“She all right?”

“Yeah, she’s good.”

“Still gonna tell me there’s nothing going
on?”

“No, but I swear I haven’t touched her.”

“I know, son.”

She pats my cheek and sits behind her
desk.

“What about our little arrangement?” She
asks.

I reach into my pocket and give her enough
money to cover Raven’s pay for the next two weeks. After that, we
don’t have to sneak around, so I can take care of her directly.

“Might not be much longer. She mentioned
something about art school.”

“I see. Good for her.”

“Don’t say anything to Nita. I need to talk
to her myself.”

“Got it, baby boy.”

“Okay, see ya. And thanks for calling
me.”

“No problem.”

Before I walk through the door, she calls
after me.

“She’ll be good for you, Gage.”

Yeah. I think so, too.
I scan the
diner but don’t see her. I remember the last time she wanted to get
away, she ran out the back door. Sure enough, I find her outside on
her phone. Her back is to me, so she doesn’t see me. She doesn’t
hear me either because she doesn’t turn around.

“Thanks, Chris…I promise you did the right
thing…I can’t talk now, but I’ll explain everything…Okay…I’ll call
you later…’bye.”

“The fuck you need to talk to him for?”

She drops her phone and almost jumps a mile.
She turns angrily and starts going off on me in Spanish. I smile
and let her rant. She’s so cute when she’s mad. I pick up her phone
and just watch her.

“Ugh!”

“You done?” I ask.

“
Stop
sneaking up on me.”

“What’s going on?”

“The sheriff…he spoke to Chris after he left
here.”

“And?”

“Chris told him he followed us outside but he
found me alone and we left together,” she explains.

“Huh…didn’t expect that.”

“Despite what you think, he does care about
me.”

“He can care all he wants to as long as he
knows you’re mine.”

“
Stop
. Look…I want to tell him about
Janet. It would ease his mind.”

“Fine. I’ll forward you the picture if you
want.”

I hand her the phone and she slides it into
her back pocket. She looks around carefully then wraps her arms
around my waist. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Her touch
is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. No matter my mood, it
affects me in just the perfect way.

“Thank you.”

I lift her face toward me and kiss her
forehead. “Ron will take you home later. I’ll pick you up at your
place.”

“’Kay.”

She buries her face in my chest, inhales
deeply, then moans and releases her breath slowly.

“
Me encanta tu aroma
.”

I don’t need to speak Spanish to understand
what she said. She’s always smelling me. She smiles and saunters
off back into the diner.

Two weeks. Let the countdown begin.

Ed Sheeran’s voice sounds from my phone just
as I’m going through the door. A text from Lonnie…huh.
That’s
new.

L: Forgot to give Mr. Glenn the rent check
and it’s due today. Could you just run it next door? It’s on the
kitchen table.

Sure, I have nothing better to do. She’s
lucky he just lives next door. I grab the envelope on the table and
send a quick reply.

R: Ok.

As I approach the Bimmer, the passenger door
opens and I stick my head inside.
Baby Jesus in the manger. I
swear this man gets sexier every time I see him.
I realize I’m
staring when he smirks and motions for me to get in.

“Uh…gotta run next door for a sec and see the
landlord.”

“Okay.”

I close the door and he drives alongside me,
stopping in front of Mr. Glenn’s house. I have to knock three times
before he answers.

“Yes?”

Ugh…the man reeks of beer and B.O. His tank
top is struggling to cover his belly, and his boxer shorts look
like they’re about to rip at any minute. He looks me up and down as
he scratches the bald area at the top of his head.

“Hi. Lonnie asked me to drop this off.”

He takes the envelope and gives me a creepy
smile. A chill runs through my body and everything in me is
screaming “RUN”.

“You’re the sister. I’ve seen you
around.”

“Yes.”

“Come on in. Let me get you the receipt.”

“I’ll just wait here, thanks.”

He smiles at me like I said exactly what he
wanted to hear. Weird. He’s weird and he seriously creeps me
out.

“Nonsense. Come in.” He waves me inside.

I look back at the car, knowing Gage is right
there if I need him. I step inside carefully and push the door but
don’t close it.

“Come on. It’s right in here.”

Why won’t he just go get it? I don’t need to
follow him. Shit. He disappears and when he returns, he’s holding a
piece of paper and the creepy smile has multiplied by a hundred. I
swallow hard.

“Well, young lady. The rent’s coming up a bit
short this month, but I’m sure we can work something out.”

What the hell?
He sounds like some guy
from a bad porno. “What? What do you mean?”