Chapter 17: : Chapter 17

I SHOVED him away and scrambled to my feet.

“Okay.” Nick pushed up to stand, holding his hands out. “Easy.”

My breaths were hard and sharp, tearing from my body as I lifted my hand to the twigs and leaves in my hair. “You want to take me home, Nick? Then take me home . But I swear to God, you do that to me again, I’ll tell mom…

Defiance was a lit match in his gaze. “You won’t, or you would’ve by now. You liked it, Ryth. You can deny it to yourself all you want, but don’t try to lie to me.”

I started to shake my head.

“You gonna stand there and tell me you’re not wet? I bet if I parted your legs right now, I could prove you a liar.”

I froze, unable to say another word.

But I didn’t need to. Nick just nodded. “I drive you, Ryth, you got it? You want to go somewhere, you come to me.”

he smiled with those words. I bet he’d like it, too, bet he’d like me needing him. But the truth was, I did need him, unless… “I could always dr—”

“Fat chance.” He cut me off with a glare before he turned. “And don’t even think about taking my goddamn keys, the car’s fitted with a kill switch. I’d call up and kill the engine in an instant, leave you stranded on the side of the road just to prove a goddamn point.”

He would, too…I just knew it. He motioned me forward. “Come on, Ryth. I’ll take you home.”

The tension seemed to ease between us when I climbed back in the idling car. I yanked my seatbelt closed as he gave me a sideways glare, then reached across and brushed the dirt from my knees. “Can’t have anyone thinking we just rolled around in the dirt, now can we?”

“But that’s exactly what we just did,” I replied.

He smiled, giving me a wink. “Next time, answer my fucking texts, Ryth.”

So I was theirs to command now? They’d say jump and I asked how goddamn high, and if I didn’t do what they wanted, they’d what…

I forced myself to focus straight ahead as Nick shoved the Mustang into gear and pulled out of the parking lot. It didn’t sit right, them me. But there was something inside me that writhed under the knowledge. Something that wanted them. I glanced across at Nick.

“Told you before, Ryth,” he muttered without looking my way. “All you gotta do is ask, you can look at whatever you want.”

I bet he would, bet he’d pull the car over right now if I asked him. I bet he’d lay me down and take care of that constant ache between my thighs, the one that’d started the night he held me still so his brother could touch me. But I didn’t ask. I bit the insides of my cheeks as I clamped my mouth shut as Nick pulled into our driveway.

“Ryth,” Nick called as I shoved open the door.

I froze, my hand gripping the handle, but didn’t turn around.

“Whatever you need, princess.”

I swallowed hard, closed the door behind me, and strode to the front door, my steps hurried. I clutched my laptop and raced upstairs, taking comfort in the only thing I could right now…

I closed my bedroom door and pressed my spine back against it. Footsteps thudded up the stairs, lingering outside my door before they continued. I tracked the sound all the way to his bedroom.

My cell vibrated. I grabbed it from my pocket, finding a message from Gio.

I winced, hating how he and the rest of the entire school saw what had happened.

I waited for the response. I didn’t have to wait long.

I stared at the message and didn’t know what to say. In the end, I hedged.

But the truth was, I didn’t want to talk to him. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. They didn’t understand what it was like living in this house.

I wasn’t afraid of them, not anymore. Whatever had shaken free when I first came here was now something else. Something just as ungrateful damaged…

I glanced at my door, just like they were.

But I understood something now, something I hadn’t understood before.

Something about me triggered something in them. I didn’t understand it. I didn’t like it, but I sure as hell felt it. I’d seen it in Nick’s eyes today and seen it in Tobias’ last night when he had his hand around my throat. They were drowning in pain…swept away by grief, and for some reason, they were clawing me, tearing me apart, desperate to feel something.

I made them feel.

Desperation.

Anger.

All of it.

I glance at Gio’s message as I made my way to the desk, looking at the A boyfriend. Is that how they saw themselves? I thought of Tobias and the hate and rage in those dark eyes. A boyfriend…maybe with Nick, but not with him. I didn’t think Tobias saw himself as anything but the bad guy. Maybe he just needed someone to show him he was wrong?

I set up my laptop, then cracked open my bedroom door and checked the hall before making my way downstairs to the kitchen. I made myself something to eat and grabbed a glass of orange juice before making my way upstairs once more. The grunts and groans of sex echoed from under Tobias’ door.

I stopped, listening. For a second, I thought he had someone in there, until I realized there wasn’t anyone else…just Tobias…

My cheeks burned as I made my way to my room and closed the door behind me.

I tried to settle, tried to focus on my assignment, but my gaze kept moving to the door. I wanted to know what he looked at, wanted to know what made him excited. I wanted to step onto his room and touch his things.

I wanted to touch him.

I swallowed hard, bit down on the sandwich, and took a gulp of juice to wash it down, then l forced myself to work. I worked until it was dark and I finally heard the sound of an engine before I rose from my seat and stretched. I was making headway in small steps, gathering the information I needed to plead my case.

If I had a solid day to get the rest of this together…

I glanced toward the door. If I had a day or two at home, I’d finish this and maybe…maybe I’d be able to see dad. I stepped out of my room and quietly made my way past Tobias’ room, knocking gently on Nick’s door.

“Yeah?” he called.

I opened the door and stepped in, closing it softly behind me. He was hunched over the keyboard, watching some kind of stock exchange I’d never seen before.

“You need something, princess?” he murmured, not even looking my way.

“You said you’d drive me, so I want to go somewhere.”

“Now?” He glanced up.

“No.” I shook my head. “Tomorrow.”

He turned toward me then and leaned back in his seat. “I’m all ears.”

“Mitchelton Prison.”

One brow rose. “Your dad?”

I gave a quiet nod.

“What time?”

“Ten? That okay?”

“Consider it a date.” He turned back to the screen, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he punched in numbers and hit buttons. “You need anything else, Ryth?”

The way he said it made my pulse race. “No,” I answered quickly and left, closed the door behind me, and headed for the stairs. Creed was pouring himself a Scotch when I walked into the kitchen. I glanced around. “Mom’s not with you?”

“No.” He gave me a smile. “Apparently she’s at a wine and cheese night, so it’s just us to fend for ourselves.”

“She went alone?”

He glanced at me and frowned. “No, why would you say that?”

Because my mom didn’t have any friends, none that I knew of, anyway…until Creed.

“She went with some of wives of my friends.” He rounded the counter and pulled me into a hug. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, your mom’s well taken care of now.”

I winced at his words.

It seemed like she was desperate to leave that old life behind, but at least she was taking me with her. Creed pulled back and looked down at me. “You know what, fuck it. Let the boys fend for themselves, how about it’s just you and me, what do you say, kid?”

I’d say I’d had enough of his sons for one day. “Sounds amazing,” I smiled.

He gave a deep chuckle and hugged me a little harder before stepping away, and for the first time, I felt a deep yearning. I watched Creed as he made his way around the counter, opened a drawer, and pulled out a handful of menus. “Now, just decide what food you want.”

He was being nice to me and he looked like he really liked my mom. This…whatever this was, it felt I wondered what she’d been like, Creed’s wife. I wondered what kind of wife she’d been and if she’d been a good mom. Sadness gripped my heart at the thought. Tobias was hurting, the kind of hurt that didn’t come from an empty well. She’d loved them, and she’d loved them well.

I rounded the counter, feeling the aching loss the woman I hadn’t known had left behind and this time, I was the one who hugged Creed. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He stiffened for a second, then melted, pulling me against him.

God, I’d missed this.

I missed dad, even if he’d never really been like this, never been so affectionate, and had seldom even been home. Tears welled in my eyes and slid free. Creed seemed to understand and without speaking, held me as I sobbed.

I didn’t know why I cried. But I knew some of my tears weren’t for me. They were for the assholes upstairs. The assholes I was starting to care about. I found myself falling for them…them and this dysfunctional, damaged family.

“You okay?” Creed broke the spell.

I dropped my arms, wiped my cheeks, and nodded. “Sure, just tired I think.”

“Everything okay today?”

I met his gaze and those dark gray-blue eyes seemed to darken. His eyes narrowed as I looked away.

“They know…know about dad. The kids at school, I mean.”

He grabbed my arm gently, forcing my gaze to his. “Did they say something to you?” His tone turned cold. “Did they…hurt you?”

That shove came back to me, but I shook my head. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine if they hurt you, Ry.”

That ache inside me that already felt too much for this man and this family swelled inside me. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, put it that way.”

“Okay,” he gave a sigh. “I respect that. But it does ever get too much, I want you to come to me.”

I gave the ghost of a smile and nodded.

“Promise?”

My smile grew wider. He just didn’t leave well enough alone, did he? It was easy to see where his sons got their tenacity. “And it you’re not comfortable telling me, then I want you to talk to the boys. They know the school and will help. Besides,” he gave a chuckle. “They seem to have taken an instant liking to you. I haven’t seen Nick away from his damn games like this for ages.”

My body clenched tight, remembering the way he’d hauled me over his shoulder like I was a brat and carried me to the car in front of everyone.

“Now, about this food.” Creed slid the menus my way. “It’s your night, so your choice.”

I settled on my favorite, Chinese with soup dumplings, and when the food came, we sat in the living room, trying our best to impress each other with our pathetic skills using chopsticks. I found myself laughing when he grew frustrated and stabbed the thing and ate it, caveman style.

By the time mom came home, I was happy and stuffed. Creed’s sleeves were rolled up and he wore this kind of goofy grin on his face when she walked in, slightly intoxicated. Mom took one look at the two of us giggling like idiots on the sofa and chuckled. “Looks like you guys had a better night than I did.”

Good food.

Good company.

Sitting at home.

What more could I ask for?

Mom laughed again, kicked off her heels, and went to the kitchen. “I need water.”

I watched her leave, my gaze drifting to the shadowed outline behind Creed’s shoulder on the stairs, a shadow that moved when I stared longer, a shadow that stepped forward, glaring at me with betrayal.

A shadow which was going to be my stepbrother…