Chapter 5

TAYLA

Logan yanked me through the crowd, leading the way down the beach. His grip on my hand was unyielding.

“What the hell?” I blurted out, hiccupping.

Jess sprinted over to us, heaving a sigh of relief.

“Damn! Did you see who she was dancing with?” Jess asked Logan.

“Yeah, I saw. That’s why I got her out of there!”

“She must’ve caught their attention to get them to dance with her!”

“Quit stating the obvious and let’s go. They’ll be looking for her!”

Logan picked up the pace, almost jogging now.

“Who are they?” I asked, confused.

“I didn’t bring you here to get tangled up with those guys,” Logan grumbled, yanking me along.

I wrenched my arm free from his grip and came to a halt.

“You’re hurting me and acting like a total jerk!” I snapped at him.

Jess tapped Logan on the shoulder and pointed.

“They’ve spotted us, let’s go!”

She took off running.

I let out a yelp as Logan hoisted me onto his shoulder and started sprinting down the beach.

“This—Is—Crazy!” I shouted, each word punctuated by a bounce on Logan’s shoulder.

“No. They are crazy!” Logan shot back.

I craned my neck to look back at the party. The tall, dark man was watching us from a distance.

“The guys I was dancing with?” I asked, my brow furrowing.

We were halfway home now, and neither Jess nor Logan showed any signs of slowing down.

“Calling them men is only half the story!” Jess yelled from beside us.

The vodka in my stomach started to churn, and I burped.

“I think I’m gonna be sick!” I warned.

“You better not puke down my back!”

“I can’t help it! You’re squishing my stomach with your shoulder.”

Logan stopped just in time for me to vomit onto the sand.

Jess kept running, and I stripped off my shirt to wipe my mouth clean.

The sound of an engine made me freeze. I turned to see a Land Rover Discovery pulling up next to the tall, dark man. He climbed in.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Logan exclaimed.

The engine revved a few times before the vehicle started to creep down the beach towards us.

“Screw this!”

Logan scooped me up bridal style and took off running.

I clung to his neck, my eyes squeezed shut as his breaths came out in quick pants.

Jess had reached the grassy bank and was waving us on.

I peeked over Logan’s shoulder to see the Land Rover picking up speed. I gasped.

“What did you promise them? Your damn soul!” Logan yelled.

He scrambled up the grass bank, Jess lifting the panel to the back garden. Logan ducked and carried me under it, Jess dropping the panel back into place.

Without pausing, they sprinted around the side of the house. Jess fumbled for her key.

“Don’t turn on the lights when you get in!” Logan instructed.

Jess flung the door open and dashed inside, Logan hot on her heels.

Jess slammed the door shut and locked it. We all made our way into the kitchen.

Once he set me down, I swayed a bit, shaking my head to clear it.

Jess burst into laughter, and Logan shot her a puzzled look.

“How is any of this funny?”

Suddenly, car lights flooded the kitchen window, and we all dropped to the floor.

“They’re just passing the grass bank,” Logan informed us.

“What the hell happened back there?” I asked.

Logan and Jess exchanged a glance before standing up.

“The guys you were dancing with are known as the Raffiel Brothers,” Jess explained.

“They basically run this town and they’re bad news,” Logan added.

“Local bad boys, huh?” I said, rolling my eyes.

“They’re more than just bad boys. They’re drug dealers and they own most of this town. People pay them for protection, and businesses have to give them a cut.”

“They’re trouble, Tayla. It’s best to steer clear of them,” Logan warned.

“People who cross them either end up dead or missing,” Jess added.

I nodded in understanding.

“Okay. I’ll stay away,” I promised.

“I’m not gonna be the one to call your mom and tell her you’re dead in a ditch somewhere,” Logan said.

“Despite their reputations, they are damn hot,” Jess commented, nodding her head.

“I thought you were into women?” Logan asked.

“For them? I might reconsider.”

“I’m going to bed. I have work in the morning,” Logan said, exiting the kitchen.

“I should hit the sack too,” I said, heading for the kitchen door.

“Wait a sec?” Jess called.

I turned to look at her.

“Would you do them?” she asked, grinning.

“The brothers?” I clarified.

“Yeah, like if they were good guys and asked you to sleep with them. Would you?”

I smiled and leaned in closer to her, lowering my voice.

“I wouldn’t even hesitate.”

We giggled, and I made my way up to my room, closing the door behind me.

I moved to the window and saw the jeep heading back to the house down the beach.

I closed the curtains and got ready for bed.

That was one hell of a beach party, I thought.

My mind drifted back to the two brothers, and I remembered how they had moved against me when we danced.

It had been so erotic, so forbidden, and I had loved every second of it.

Finding out they were bad boys only made them more intriguing.

I was done with good boys with good intentions.

Screw that, I had left that cheating jerk back home.

I wanted a man who would completely possess me, who would bring out my dark side.

When I had shown glimpses of my dark side back home, it had only led to disaster and bruises.

I wouldn’t be that weak girl here.

Getting my life back on track was my main priority here, and then maybe, I would entertain the idea of being involved with someone.

Or maybe involved with two?

The next morning, Jess brought me coffee and toast in bed.

She was perched on my bed, her knees drawn up to her chest as I ate.

“It’s so nice to have another girl in the house,” she shared.

“I feel the same way,” I replied.

Her laughter filled the room as she rose from my bed.

She drew back the curtains, letting the sunlight in, and then opened my window.

“Looks like another scorcher. How about we hit the beach and work on our tans?”

I nodded in agreement, and she clapped her hands in delight.

“I’ll whip up some snacks and grab some drinks. You just get your bikini on.”

Once I finished my breakfast, I grabbed a towel and hopped in the shower. Afterward, I slipped into my black string bikini and threw a white summer dress over it.

I found Jess in the kitchen and helped her pack up for our beach day. About an hour later, we grabbed our beach towels and made our way through the back garden to the sandy shore.

There were already a few people swimming and sunbathing. I noticed that the area near the house was being tidied up.

We spread out our towels, and I slipped off my dress.

“Damn, girl! You’re smokin’!” Jess exclaimed.

Jess was sporting short shorts and a blue bikini top. She slipped on her sunglasses and stretched out on her stomach on her towel.

I gathered my long hair into a side braid before laying down on my stomach.

“Want to listen to some tunes?” she asked, pulling her phone and earbuds from the bag.

“Absolutely. I really need to get a new phone soon.”

She pulled out a magazine and started flipping through it.

I scrolled through her music app, playing a few upbeat songs. I was on the hunt for a specific song I had heard at the party last night.

The one I was dancing to with two incredibly sexy guys.

I didn’t know the name, but it had a killer beat.

“Jess?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you remember the name of that song we were dancing to last night?”

She rolled onto her hip and gave me a knowing smile.

“I do,” she said, grinning.

“Care to share?” I asked.

She chuckled and took the phone from me, typing something into the search bar.

She handed the phone back to me, and I glanced down at it.

Bad Boy by Tungevaag and Raaban.

Bad Boy, huh?

How appropriate.

I hit the repeat button and laid back down on my stomach, letting the beat fill my ears as I remembered a pair of green eyes and another pair of sky blue ones.