Freefall (21 page)

Nix reached down and took hold of my dress. He lifted it over my head and dropped it to the cement. He dragged his calloused fingertips down my skin to the top of my panties and slid them off. His arms wrapped around me, and I was completely naked in his arms once again. And I could have stayed like that forever. Having Nix’s hands on my bare skin helped lessen all the pain inside.

Nix kissed me and then yanked off his shirt and shorts. He grabbed my hand and we jumped into the water. We popped up and I’d barely caught my breath when he pulled me into his arms again.

“I think I mentioned something about you naked and in my arms, right?”

I placed my hand on his face and kissed him. The water still lapped against the tile as it subsided from our jump, and the only other sound aside from our breathing were the crickets in the surrounding bushes. I rested my head on his shoulder, and we floated around the warm water holding each other as if we’d been together forever. I had no paper for communicating, and Nix stayed silent as well. I was glad he did not bring up the subject of Lincoln again. Lincoln was my problem, and I had to find a way to break free of his bonds. If I didn’t make a clean break then I was certain Lincoln would make my life difficult, and he would make Nix’s difficult too. I didn’t want to drag Nix into any of this. I just needed to know that he’d be waiting for me on the other side once I’d gained my freedom.

I released my hold on Nix and swam to the deep end. It felt good to swim naked in the clean, fresh water. Since Lincoln and his awful partners always seemed to be hanging out in the cabana during summer, I rarely went into the pool. I reached up and held on to the tile and let my legs drift back behind me, reveling in the weightless feeling of floating.

I heard water move behind me and then Nix’s strong hands went around my waist. His naked chest pressed against my back, and one hand slid up to my breasts. His mouth nibbled my neck, and I felt the sensation of it everywhere. His touch was intoxicating and the stars above blurred into a silver streak as my head lulled back against him and my eyes drifted shut.

His fingers were skilled and even in the cool water of the pool, heat radiated through my body. In the distance the rhythmic sound of crickets was interrupted by the staccato sound of a car motor. I’d become drunk with need again, and my mind pushed the sound away as Nix swirled me around in his arms. My legs went around his waist and his mouth came down hard over mine.

A car door slammed. We looked at each other. Headlights lit up the interior of the house as another car pulled into the driveway. Loud voices sent us swimming to the shallow end.

We pulled on our clothes as fast as possible with soaking wet skin. “Come back with me, Scotlyn.”

I shook my head and shooed him toward the pool gate. He turned to leave but then shot back and grabbed me to for one last kiss. The lights came on in the house and my heart pounded, but I didn’t pull away from his grasp. The voices had traveled inside.

Nix released me and left through the pool gate. Through the glass doors I could see Grady and the thuggish looking man who’d been with him a lot lately. There were two women dressed in sleek little dresses and high heels. One of them was holding a drink. I had no choice but to walk through the back door and into the house. There would be no explanation for me coming through the front.

My dress clung to my wet skin and my long hair dripped down my shoulder. I picked up my sandals and walked to the glass door. I grabbed the spare key that Lincoln kept hidden in a planter and I walked inside. The talking and laughter stopped and every face turned to look at me.

“Is that her?” one of the girls said quietly to the other.

Lincoln walked out from behind his wet bar with his eyes narrowed and his mouth pulled in to a tight line. “Babe, what the hell are you doing?”

I pointed to the pool area.

Grady leaned his arm up over the couch and looked back at me. “Swimming with no suit? We should have gotten here sooner.”

“Shut up, Grady,” Lincoln snapped. Grady’s shoulders tensed, and he scowled back at Lincoln.

Lincoln came up to me. He stared down at my wet clothes. “You never swim, and tonight you decide to go out there alone and swim naked?”

I shrugged and forced a weak smile.

“She doesn’t talk,” one of the girls said, obviously assuming that I couldn’t hear her either.

“I think you should pour her a drink,” Grady’s horrid friend said with a sneer. “We’re short on ladies anyhow.”

Ignoring his guests, Lincoln stared at me now as if we were the only two people in the room. I could almost see a twinge of heartbreak in his face, and I felt sad for him. “Go upstairs and get dry before you catch cold,” he said. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

C
HAPTER 23

Nix

I blasted my radio on the way home to clear my head and reduce the rage I was feeling toward Hammond. I was crazed with the idea of him getting anywhere near Scotlyn. And then my thoughts would drift to Scotlyn and the hours we had just spent together, and all I could think was that I couldn’t wait to have her in my arms again. She was pure and raw and passionate, and I was definitely going to have a hard time sleeping with her fragrance still clinging to my sheets.

The dock was quiet and dark as I walked along it to the boat. I hadn’t noticed Dray sitting on the chair on deck until I stepped on board. I could see the glint of a beer can as he lifted it to his mouth and gulped. “Did you see that big wall of fog rolling in from the horizon?”

“Yeah, it’ll be a cold out here tomorrow morning.” I pulled up a chair next to him. I’d been so caught up with Scotlyn that I hadn’t really talked to Dray much. He’d just taken his mom to the airport, and I could sense his sadness as I sat down.

He reached down to a cooler and pulled out a beer and handed it to me. “Hey, Clutch told me about Nana. Sorry man. Why is it always the good ones?” He smiled. “Remember when she sewed us those Ninja costumes for Tracy’s Halloween party?”

I laughed. “She had to keep adding material to Clutch’s because he kept growing in between fittings.”

“That’s right,” Dray said. “Man, we were badass in those black costumes.”

“Or at least we thought we were,” I said. “Of course, you’ve been badass since you were three.”

He took a long swig. “Comes from having to learn self-defense at an early age.” His voice trailed off, and that pain that was always there when he talked about his childhood resurfaced.

“So, she’s gone for good, huh?” I asked.

“That’s what she said,” Dray chuckled. “Told me I could visit her in Florida any time.” He raised his beer in the air. “You bet, Mom, I’ll be on the first plane out. It finally seemed to sink in with the old man when I carried her bags out to the car. He sat right there in that stupid chair of his, sipping beer and pretending not to notice that the woman he treated like shit for twenty-five years was walking out of his life for good. But he was clutching that beer so tightly it nearly dented beneath his grip. That was it. No good bye, no please don’t leave me, just an iron-tight grip on his beer.” Dray tossed back the rest of his beer. “He told me he’d call in a favor and get me moved up on the longshoremen job list. But he’s usually full of shit. It sure would be a great gig though. That’s why it’ll never happen. Sweet shit like that never happens in my life.”

“You never know,” I said, “maybe he’ll keep his promise this time.” The odds were against it, but the man owed his kid and maybe now the reality of facing the rest of his life alone would kick him into becoming human.

“What’s Cassie up to? I haven’t seen her in a few days. Is she still seeing that douche with the band tattoos?”

“I guess so. She doesn’t always talk about that stuff with me. I know she asks me about
you
every morning.”

“Yeah? She just wants to know what she can lecture me about when she sees me.”

“Yeah, that’s it. And you say nothing sweet ever happens in your life? That’s because you ignore the good stuff and look for the crap.”

“Keeps life interesting.” He stretched and then grabbed his chest. “Keep forgetting about those damn broken ribs. I need to get back in the fight ring soon. This sitting around shit sucks.” He knuckled me on the shoulder. “So, what the hell is going on? Looks like you moved right in on this guy’s territory.”

“He doesn’t own Scotlyn. She hates him. It’s complicated.”

He opened another beer. “Yeah, there wasn’t anything complicated about what was happening here tonight. I just can’t believe how fast it all happened. On second thought— it’s you— so I guess it’s not all that surprising.”

“Christ, you sound like Diana. Besides, this is way different.” I leaned forward and rested my arms on my thighs. The fog bank had moved closer to the shore, and the crisp night air was growing sticky with salty moister. “I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s like she reached in and grabbed hold of my heart, and if she lets go there is no fucking way I’ll recover.”

He handed me another beer. “In that case, you’d better drink another one. It must be kind of strange with her not talking. Hard to know what she’s thinking or feeling. Come to think of it that might not be too bad. Most girls spend way too much time giving their opinion or talking about how they feel.”

“That sounds like something your dad would say. And you can see how well that worked for him. Besides, I know everything she’s feeling and thinking without her saying a word.” I leaned back and popped open the beer.

“It’s getting cold out. I’m heading inside.” Dray leaned forward and looked back at me over his shoulder. “It looks like the Heartbreak Kid has finally met his match.”

“Match?” I shook my head. “No way. She’s got me down on the mat.”

C
HAPTER 24

Scotlyn

Luck and some heavy drinking were on my side. Lincoln was passed out cold, and I managed to slip out of bed and get dressed without waking him. I picked up my shoes and tiptoed out of the room and downstairs. It was still early, but I had to walk to the bus stop and the bus ride would take time.

I strolled through Lincoln’s posh neighborhood surprised at how many people were out walking dogs and babies already. There was a cool mist in the air, and I wondered if it had come from the coast. My mind went instantly to Nix. My feelings for him were so strong, it was difficult to think of anything else. For the first time since the accident, some of the darkness in my head had cleared, and it seemed I could live and be happy again someday.

All night, as I listened to Lincoln and his awful friends laugh and talk, I went over in my head what I would say to Lincoln to let him know I was leaving him. I owed the man, but I had no way to repay him. He had sensed for a long time that I was miserable, but he’d refused to accept it. Somehow, he’d convinced himself that I could live with the notion that I was his possession. But I was through loathing my shallow, wretched existence.

The bus pulled up just as I reached the bus stop. I looked forward to seeing Nana, but it broke my heart to know that her health was failing. I was sure it meant she would not be living alone at home for much longer, and I knew that would be a hard reality for Nix to accept.

I’d been up most of the night, my mind swirling with everything and unable to doze off because of the noise downstairs, but the rumbling vibration of the bus rocked me asleep. I woke abruptly when a large man sat down with a thump on the seat.

He looked down at me. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”

I smiled politely and turned my attention out the window. We were just one stop away from the bus stop near Nana’s house. If the man hadn’t sat down, I would have slept right through it. I pulled out my phone and texted Nix.

“I’m nearly at the bus stop.”

“Great, only I really wish that you were laying here next to me instead. I woke up late. Couldn’t sleep.”

“Me neither. Lincoln was passed out cold, so I snuck out early. Took a nap on the bus.”

“Don’t know how anyone can sleep on a bus.”

“It was easy. I used to do it all the time when I had no place else to sleep.”

There was a pause before his next text. “I’ll let Nana know you’re on your way.”

Feeling refreshed from my nap, I hopped off the bus and headed up the street to Nana’s house. I looked forward to hearing and writing more of her memoirs. I looked forward to sitting with her in her quiet cozy house, completely away from Lincoln.

I’d been lost in thought and not paying a great deal of attention to much of my surroundings. I glanced at the rear end of the Porsche, but it took a second for the shock of it to hit me. I sucked in a breath as the driver’s door opened and Lincoln stepped out. His hair was uncombed and his shirt was wrinkled. Beard stubble covered the taut line of his angry jaw. “The job is over, Sweetie. I looked at the history on your computer and found this address. And then I did some research. I knew that tattoo artist was a scamming sonavabitch, but I never expected you to betray me like this.”

I turned and ran. My sandals slapped the sidewalk, and his heavy footsteps followed. He grabbed my arm and yanked me hard against him. “You’re not leaving me now, my silent beauty. I need you for collateral.” He reached into my pocket and looked at my phone. Then he threw it on the ground and stepped hard on it. He pulled me roughly along to the passenger side, and my head slammed painfully against the top of the car as he pushed me into the seat.

I reached into the side slot on the door and grabbed out the spare pad of paper and pen I kept there. The pen was dry at first, and I shook it wildly to make it work. Lincoln climbed into the driver’s seat. Tears sprung loose as I scratched the tip of the pen on the paper and the ink finally flowed. I had to tell him it was over and that I had to leave him. I had no idea why I was his collateral, but I held out hope that I could reason with him.

I’d barely written the word “please” when he grabbed the pen out of my hand and threw it out the window. His tires left behind the smell of burning rubber as he took off and raced through the quiet neighborhood.