Dylan (14 page)

Troy places one more kiss to her lips, grabs
his bag from the ground at his feet, and tosses it into Ethan’s
trunk.

“Now that I have your undivided attention,”
Ardon’s gaze encompasses the three of us, “Sean is settled in a
small trailer in Bartly. It’s a little off the map, but it seemed
easy enough to get to. I’ll text the directions to Dylan’s phone
since he is clearly the one sitting in the front and not
driving.”

“You guys be safe.” Kaci calls out as we all
climb into the car.

After we are buckled into our seats, Ethan
puts the car in drive. Troy leans forward between our seats and
looks at me. “Why did you call shotgun? Is it because it smells
like sex back here?”

I laugh. Ethan rolls his eyes. “Let’s hope
Ethan cleaned up, or you might be walking out of this car with
sticky pants.”

Troy’s fist slams into my shoulder as hard
as he can at such a close, awkward angle— which isn’t hard at all.
“Fuck you, dude. We’re supposed to be friends.”

I laugh harder.

“I cleaned up, alright? Both of you grow the
fuck up.”

“I think we hurt his feelings, Troy.” I’m
sputtering through my laughter, but I manage to make the words come
out pretty clear.

“God, you’re a dick. Why in the hell would
Raven want you to have her phone number?”

This sobers up my humor real fucking fast.
“The hell you just say?”

“Trisha gave me Raven’s new cell number last
night. She said Raven wanted you to have it, but Trisha didn’t know
your number.”

My heart is racing, almost pounding out of
my chest in excitement. I feel like a kid on fucking Christmas.
“Fucking give it to me then.”

“Fuck you, you’re a dick.”

“Man, don’t make me beg.”

“Who the fuck is Raven?” Troy’s voice calls
out from the backseat.

“Trisha’s hot fucking cousin.” I answer
quickly before redirecting the conversation back to Ethan. “Dude,
please.”

“Whatever. It’s in my phone.” He points to
the center console, and I grab it up quickly.

I fish my own phone from my pocket, find her
number in Ethan’s phone, and make quick work of saving it in my
own. After I replace Ethan’s phone, I type out a quick text to
her.

DYLAN: Good morning, Angel. Thanks for
having Trisha give me your number. I’ll be out of town a few days,
sorry I won’t be at the fight Friday, but please text me as much as
you want. See you soon, D.

“I’ll be damned.” Troy says from the
backseat causing me to look up from my phone to glance back at him.
He is looking at me with the widest fucking smirk on his face.
“This girl has you all kinds of fucked up. You look like a heroin
addict who received his fix just now”

I don’t even try to deny it. “Yeah.”

Troy looks surprised by my answer. Ethan
doesn’t.

“How did I not know you were all wrapped up
in one pussy?”

“Dude, you’ve been kind of busy taking care
of your family, and I haven’t been around much, but since she
clearly wants to talk to me. I will set something up to get
everyone together. You can meet her then.”

“That sounds like a great fucking idea.”
Troy leans back in his seat, and I pull a joint from my pocket and
light it up.

I take a couple hits, and then hold it up in
the air between us. “Think of it like you’re on vacation.”

“Fuck yes.” Troy takes the joint and
practically inhales the whole thing in one desperate puff, and just
like that, I’m reminded of old times.

Chapter Fifteen

Raven

Angel
?

Why does that simple endearment make my
heart soar? Then my eyes focus in on the rest of the text. Trisha
told Ethan to give him my number. I don’t know if I want to
throttle her or hug her to death, but the end game is pretty much
the same either way. I’m going to kill her. I sigh and I glance
back down at my new phone.

Uncle Jim insisted on buying it for me. I’m
ashamed to admit I’m in love with it. It’s like having a phone,
computer, and music all in one place. It’s pretty damn perfect.
I’ve even hidden my old notebook up in the closet, because there is
an app on my phone just for writing.

I look up to see Trisha eyeing me from
across the breakfast table. I scoop another bite of eggs into my
mouth, watch her closely as I chew, and debate a response to his
text.

“Was that Dylan?” Trisha finally speaks up
with a huge grin growing on her model-worthy face.

I nod.

“Are you going to text him back?”

I nod again.

“Are you going to say anything?”

I swallow. “I’m trying to decide if I should
strangle you or hug you to death, but both options end poorly for
you, so I’m really unsure.”

Trisha squeals, and rounds the table to
throw her arms around my neck. “I really hope this works out for
you, girl. Dylan Trent is quite the catch for a girl from
Palms.”

When she releases me, she turns and heads
toward the stairs with her bathrobe swaying against her calves and
her blonde pony-tail swishing against her back. I take another bite
of eggs.

What am I supposed to say back? I’m really
bummed that he’s gone. Now that I’ve decided to see where this
might go, or to at least talk to him about it, I really want to see
him. After a few minutes, I finally text back.

RAVEN: Can I see you when you get back? I
want to talk to you.

There, that wasn’t too bad. I take a sip
from my orange juice, but my cell phone vibrates again almost
instantly.

DYLAN: You can see me whenever you want. All
you have to do is ask. What do you want to talk about?

I lean back in my chair crossing one leg
over the other. I guess we are having this conversation through
text then.

RAVEN:
I don’t really know how to say
this, and I really wanted to talk to you in person. I know you’re
interested in me. Well, I think you are anyway.

I hit send and set my phone down on the
table.
God, I suck at this.
Seconds tick by before I realize just how pathetic I probably
sounded in that last text and quickly type out another
one.

RAVEN: You know what, never mind. We can
talk when you get back

It takes a little longer for him to text
back this time, and I wonder for a minute if he will at all, but
sure enough, my phone lights up in my hand.

DYLAN:
I think it’s pretty obvious how
interested in you I am.

My heart rate skyrockets. He seems to have
this crazy ability to send my heart beating faster than what should
be humanly possible.

RAVEN:
I’m not ready for a relationship,
and I’m definitely not ready for . . . you know, but I do want to
get to know you better.

God, I sound pathetic. I won’t be surprised
if he doesn’t text back this time. I stand up, and clear the table
of the breakfast mess. Uncle Jim took Harper out shopping, and I’m
heading out with Trisha soon to do the same.

I force myself not to check my phone again
until I am showered, dressed, and ready to leave, but when I do
check it, a warm sensation spreads through my cheeks.

DYLAN:
Now all I can think about is
having sex with you, but I promise I can be good. Just don’t ask me
not to touch you. I might die. P.S. you mentioned sex
first.

This should thoroughly repulse me. So, why
am I smiling? I text back.

RAVEN:
Okay, no more talk of that. What
are you doing right now?

His reply is instant.

DYLAN:
Thanking all that’s holy that you
actually want to talk to me, and sitting in a car with Troy and
Ethan.

“You ready to go?” Trisha pulls my gaze away
from my phone with an approving grin on her lips.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

I slip my phone into my pocket, and mentally
set a reminder to respond to that text when we get back.

***

Trisha in a clothing store is unlike
anything ever seen before. It’s like a tornado meets a hurricane,
and they have a mythical baby in the form of a woman.

I sit off to the side most of the time, and
let Trisha decide what looks best on me. I’m not really all that
into shopping. I do buy a pair of vintage Chuck Taylors, but that’s
as far as my fashion taste allows me to go in these stores.

Just as we decide to wrap things up and go
grab lunch on the pier, I realize I haven’t thought about anything
negative all day. I’ve smiled, laughed, and enjoyed myself without
tension or stress. This is something to celebrate. I don’t remember
another day in my life when I was this at peace with myself, and
even though I know there will still be bad days, I realize I need
to cherish these moments. I need to lock them up to play back when
I’m having a particularly horrible day.

Trisha drops me off at the police station,
but sits outside in her car to wait for me while I run in to write
my statement against Steven. It seems to take forever under the
scrutiny of the officers handling the case. They all watch me with
pity in their eyes, and it makes me shift uncomfortably under their
gazes. All of these people know what he did to me.
Don’t think
about that Raven!
I force myself to think about my carefree day
with Trisha.

Steven took a lot away from me that I will
never get back, but these moments are mine, and even if he weren’t
sitting in a cell right now, he couldn’t take them from me. That is
the greatest victory of all.

Chapter Sixteen

Dylan

Bartly is
roughly a four-hour drive north of Palms, Florida. We are no longer
near the coastal beaches that lift the salty ocean breeze into the
air. Now we are in swamp territory. The water is green and murky,
the air is humid and stifling, and the mosquitoes are the least
dangerous living thing surrounding us. I’ve seen about six gators
plunging into the muddy wetlands, and each time I wonder what the
statistic is regarding the eating of humans by these reptile
creatures.

Ethan’s car skirts along the dirt paths
following the directions that Ardon had text me earlier. Sean has
been staying in a trailer in the middle of the swampy marshland.
It’s not hard to find considering it’s in the middle of nowhere in
a place that only Sean would be crazy enough to not only venture
into, but also stay a while.

Sean’s big ass SUV sits parked over wooden
boards that are laid down on the muddy ground to prevent the tires
from sinking, and thankfully, he laid some down for Ethan’s car as
well. The boards make a loud thumping sound as the tires roll over
them, and Sean steps outside when he hears us.

He looks different from the last time I’d
seen him almost a month
ago. His
dark hair is now long enough that it falls over his forehead, he
has a full beard covering his stiff jaw, and he looks a little
thinner but just as muscular. It is so fucking good to see him.

Sean makes his way down the metal steps
toward us. We climb out and grab our bags from the trunk, and then
begin a series of half hugs and back patting. When Sean steps back,
his eyes instantly fall to my injured leg. I still haven’t been
able to bear the thought of tugging jeans over it, so it’s exposed
in a pair of cargo shorts that stop just below my knee. I do a
mental eye roll knowing Sean is about to go all parental on me.

“What the hell happened to you?” Sean
crosses his arms across his chest while slanting his eyes at
me.

“Turns out I’m not related to the human
torch.”

His arms drop to his side with an
exaggerated exhale. “I’m not even sure what that means, but I’m
assuming it means you came into contact with fire.” Sean shifts his
gaze to Troy. “You want to explain this.”

“Dylan’s a fucking attention seeker.”

I chuckle just as Ethan releases an annoyed
grunt. “Fuentes tried to toast us. God, you two need to grow
up.”

“Uh-oh, by that attitude I’m assuming Trisha
is blowing you off again.” The fact that Sean is right makes me
laugh harder.

Ethan tried texting and calling Trisha a
dozen times on the way down here. Each time he got her voice mail.
Every time that happened he got a little angrier, and now he’s
being a complete dick.

When Ethan remains silent, Sean moves his
gaze back to me. “Fuentes tried to toast you?” He raises a dark
brow in question.

I sober up and nod. “Yeah, Ardon is dealing
with it until we get back.”

He nods. “Good. Shut the mother fucker down,
D.”

He moves back into the trailer and we all
follow behind. It’s small, tattered, and smells like the humid air
outside, but it’s somehow still homely. I like small comforts, but
I can practically hear Troy and Ethan’s thoughts on the matter.
Troy will be appalled, but he will man up and handle it. Ethan will
eventually start complaining until we all give in and find
somewhere else to crash.

“Well, it’s not the Ritz.” Ethan mutters
dryly.
So it begins
.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I
quickly pull it out to see who it is. My heart is racing at just
the thought of Raven, and the small amount of progress we’ve made,
but my hopes are sunk when I see Ronan’s name on the screen.

Fuentes is being detained until you get
back. Did you boys make it okay?

I text back.
Safe and sound. I’ll let
Ethan know. Sean is fine too.

I close out of the conversation with Ronan
and pull up the conversation I was having with Raven. I reread the
last text I sent her and realize how desperate it sounds.
Thanking all that’s holy that you want to talk to me.
It’s
the truth, but I doubt it’s what a girl like Raven wants to
hear.

“Dylan?”

I look up and meet Sean’s inquisitive gaze
again. “What?”

“I’ve only been saying your name for like
five minutes now. What has you so distracted?”