Blind Love (The Complete Box Set Romance Series)

BLIND
LOVE

By
Erin Wes

This
book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are
products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not
to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual
events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Copyright
© 2016 Erin Wes

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PART
1

Chapter
One

Dylan

“Why are these
houses so far apart?”

I sighed. If I was
going to find the right car to steal, I knew I had to find the right house. So
far, no one had left the keys in the car. Maybe rich people never did that.
Poor people did because they didn’t expect anyone to take their crappy cars.

Needing a new
computer and with my mother getting fired once again, I knew that I had to take
desperate measures. With a new computer, I could do my programming homework at
home instead of school. The computers at school were crappy, and I could never
get enough time on them in class.

I spied a
Mercedes. That could get a good price. My cousin boosted cars and he’d shown me
where I could sell it to get cash. That would be one sweet computer.

My stomach
rumbled. Right. I hadn’t had dinner and the low income lunch had been hours
ago. The night was turning chilly, and I needed to get this done. I hadn’t
brought a jacket because I had no idea where it was. Knowing my mother, she
sold it.

I looked around.
No one on the street. Being twilight, everyone was probably having dinner.
Something I might have to skip tonight – unless I found some ketchup packets in
the refrigerator.

I sighed. This
life sucks and with that computer, I can make a better one. I didn’t feel bad
for stealing the car because they had insurance. They could buy another one.

I thanked my luck
that the car was in the driveway instead of the garage. A silver Mercedes
E-class. I’d bet it had all the bells and whistles. It would be a sweet ride to
the chop shop. The porch light on the McMansion turned on, so I froze standing
behind a tree. There was a light on in a front window, but I couldn’t see
anyone in the room. No one came out of the house.

I stalked up to
the car, then pulled on the handle to the driver’s side door. It was unlocked,
but the dome light came on and the car dinged. The key was inside.

Sweet. I hopped in
and slumped down. If anyone looked out, they wouldn’t see me. There was no
movement, from what I could tell. I had just let out a breath I’d been holding,
when the passenger door opened.

My heart raced,
but I froze instead of jumping out of the car. A hand clamped onto my arm,
which should have energized me, but it didn’t.

I looked up into
the stern face of the man who probably owned the car.

“Son, what the
hell do you think you’re doing?”

My lips moved, but
I could form no words. I’d been caught doing petty stuff. My life as a criminal
had not been smooth. Ever. Auto theft was big deal – this was real jail time.

“Uh.”

“That’s all you
got?” he said.

He’d probably
already called the cops, so I’d better run, but the man had a strong grip and I
couldn’t pull free. “I’m sorry.”

The man chuckled.
He was laughing at me? It wasn’t a maniacal laugh, but it sent chills through
me, anyway. “Oh, son. I’m guessing you’ve never done this before.”

I shook my head.
Maybe the cops would be lenient on me since it was my first large offense.
Never mind that I’d shoplifted and stuff like that.

“No, sir.”

“Sir, huh. Now you
get manners? You try to boost my car and you call me sir? How old are you?”

“Eighteen, sir.”

He nodded. “You go
to the local high school?”

“Yes, sir.”

The man must be
waiting for the cops to arrive. My stomach took that moment to rumble. A loud
and long sound that was unmistakable. The man’s face softened. “You hungry?”

“Yes, sir.”

Well, what was I
supposed to say? My stomach had just sang a song if its people, so I couldn’t
deny it. “What’s your name?”

“Dylan.”

“You got a last
name?”

“Cabot.”

I licked my lips.
I had no idea how I was getting out of this situation. Fuck. Shit. This had
been stupid of me. If my mother was even awake, she was going to be pissed. I
bet she’d let me stay in jail all night.

“Dylan Cabot who
is hungry and trying to steal my car. Well, Dylan Cabot, it’s your lucky day. I
haven’t called the cops and I won’t call the cops if you do me a favor.”

Shit, I’d do
anything at this point. “Sure.”

“Let me take you
home. I’m sure someone is worried about you.”

I shook my head.
“No. No one.”

“We’ll get takeout
on the way so you have something to eat. If I let go, are you going to run?
Remember, I know your name, now.”

I shook my head,
the lure of food pretty strong. If I had enough food, I’d eat all the time.
“No.”

He let go of my
hand and my better judgement prevailed because I didn’t run.

“Now, let’s switch
places, and I’ll take you home,” the man said.

“What’s your
name?”

“I’m Rob Dean,” he
said, holding out his hand.

I shook it then we
both climbed out of the car. I looked at him for a moment, unsure if he was
joking. I had tried to steal his car and now he was buying me dinner and
driving me home. What bizarre world had I stepped into.

“Buckle up,” Mr.
Dean said when I climbed back into the car.

I really expected
Ashton Kutcher to jump out and tell me that I’ve been
punked
.

“It’s okay, son.
You care what fast food we stop at?”

“Uh, no sir,” I
said.

I’d eat garbage at
this point, which was probably what would have happened. I’d have gone dumpster
diving behind the burger joint. Now, I was actually getting food from it.

But tomorrow I’d
wake up hungry, so I might as well enjoy this meal now.

***

When we got closer
to my house, I turned to Mr. Dean. “You can let me out here.”

“No, I’m taking
you all of the way. I’m not going to tell your parents what you did.”

I clutched the bag
of food he’d bought me while I searched for a way to get him to stop. He didn’t
need to see the trailer I lived in. He didn’t need to see my mother in her
bathrobe, assuming she was even awake. If she lost her job today, she would be
drinking. Among other things.

I couldn’t have
been more embarrassed. “No, really. I need to get out here. My driveway is
rutted and it’ll do damage to your car.”

“No go, son. I
take you all the way there or I take you to the police station.”

Shit. I frowned at
him and didn’t say anything until we reached the driveway.

“See. It’s a mess.
You don’t need to damage your car.”

Mr. Dean eyed the
driveway then pulled off the road. “Then, we’ll walk the rest of the way.”

I looked at his
nice pants and dress shoes. It had rained this morning. “You’re going to get
muddy.”

“Everything is replaceable.”

Spoken like a man
with a big paycheck. I climbed out of the car. At least, I could find a path
that wouldn’t be so muddy.

The trailer I
lived in was at the end of a long driveway. A rotted car sat to one side of the
driveway. My mother said it had been hers, but it broke down and she couldn’t
get it fixed. She’d been relying on rides from coworkers and several had let
her down. That’s why she was fired. She hadn’t shown up for a few shifts this
week.

I would have to
apply for food stamps again, posing as her online, but I needed a computer for
that. I had figured out how to get internet. A neighbor hadn’t secured their
network and I could use it if I stayed at one end of the trailer.

“Is anyone home?”

“I only live here
with my mother. She may already be asleep.”

“This early?”

“She works odd
hours.”

Or in this case,
doesn’t work. Mr. Dean nodded. “Okay, but I’d like to meet her.”

“I’ll see if I can
wake her.”

I opened the front
door. The smell hit me. She hadn’t cleaned. I hadn’t cleaned. In weeks. I tried
to spend as little time here as possible, but I knew that sometimes my mother
needed me to take care of her.

My mother was
passed out on the couch when I turned on the light. Mr. Dean pulled out his
phone. “Go check her. I’ll call an ambulance.”

He was barely
inside the house and I could see he was wrinkling up his nose. I checked my
mother. She was still breathing. “Mom.”

She didn’t stir. I
blinked at her then shook her harder. “Mom.”

Mr. Dean put a
hand on my shoulder. “
It’s
okay, Dylan. The ambulance
is on the way.”

The police arrived
first, but there was nothing they could do. She wasn’t responding, but she was
breathing. Then, the paramedics worked on her.

“Let’s go outside,
Dylan,” Mr. Dean said.

He stood with me
while the cops asked me questions. He kept his hand on my shoulder and for that
moment, someone had my back. No had ever had my back. Not in my entire life.

“You came here and
just found her like this?” the officer asked me.

I nodded. “Yes,
sir.”

“Does she drink?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t look
him in the eye. I could tell he was viewing me with pity. I didn’t want
anyone’s pity. I wanted a hand out of this place, but that was never going to
happen. I was eighteen – too old to be put into the system.

I was on my own
having been dealt a shit hand.

“Does she do
drugs?”

“Yes, sir,” I
said.

Always nice to
have one’s life laid out for strangers. I wanted to eat my burger and go to
bed. Forget that this all happened. Or figure out another way to get a computer.
Anything but stand here while these two men dissected his life.

“Okay. I need to
talk to the paramedics. Do you know what drugs she does?”

“No sir. I never
paid attention.”

My mother had
taught me call all adult males sir. It was probably the only thing good thing
she taught me. When I glanced up at him, the officer nodded, but he didn’t look
as if he believed me.

I wanted to shout
that I had bigger plans for myself than a trailer in the woods. Maybe I’d go
into the military or to trade school. I just had to figure out how to get out
of high school alive.

The paramedics
took my mother out of the house. She still hadn’t woken up yet. If she died, I
was going to have to quit school to make money. Otherwise, I’d have no place to
live. Shit. Shit. Shit.

I wanted to punch
something. Mr. Dean squeezed my shoulder. “Dylan will come home with me.”

“He’s eighteen, he
can do what he wants,” the officer said.

The both stared at
me. I still had the sack of burgers in my hand. I really just wanted to eat
them.

“How about you eat
your dinner, then you can decide. Hard to think on an empty stomach,” Mr. Dean
suggested.

I nodded, then
followed him in. I didn’t look at the couch. I just sat in the kitchen. I could
hear Mr. Dean moving around in the living room. He finally sat down with me as
I finished my food. I did feel better.

“You are free to
do what you want, Dylan, but I suggest you come home with me. I have a bedroom
for you and we can figure out what’s next.”

I nodded. It was
the best offer I’d gotten in
awhile
.

Chapter
Two

Taylor

Mom had picked me
up and told me that Dad had been out. I loved my mom, but I enjoyed the time in
the car with my dad. He was much more laid back than my mother and I could talk
to him about so much.

I could ask him
about boys and he wouldn’t get upset or tell me that I couldn’t date certain
boys. I was eighteen, and he respected that I needed a little more freedom. My
mom was all about the appearances – what I looked like and who I hung out with.

It was so
annoying. All I wanted to do was go to school, cheerlead, and hang out with my
friends. Why do I have to be bothered about what I look like? People like me.
I’m smart, sort of. I get so disgusted by her.