Provoke (16 page)

Leeta

I walked back into the living room for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Are you sure I can't get you anything else?” I asked. I was mothering him, but I couldn’t help it.

“Jesus, Leet, just relax. If I need anything I promise you’ll be the first to know.” He motioned for me to join him on the couch. Walking over, I carefully curled up next to him. He winced, and I looked up at him, alarmed.

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s fine,” he chuckled. “I'm a big boy, Leet. I can handle a little pain.”

“I just don’t like seeing you like this,” I muttered, frowning. He kissed my forehead as his fingers gently stroked my arm.

I'd been so scared of losing him that I was turning into the kind of girlfriend I swore I’d never become. If the past few days had taught me anything, it was the value of life, and how important it was to live while you could.

I was ready to put the last few weeks behind us and move forward.

I leaned up and kissed him, my lips tenderly pressing against. His fingers brushed over my cheek, cradling my neck as our kiss deepened.

“God, I love you,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. “I'm so sorry. About everything. I never meant to hurt you. I hate myself for what I've done to you.”

I kissed him again, our lips melting into one.

“I love you, too. What you did, it hurts, but I know your heart was in the right place. I'll get over it, so long as you swear to me there will be no more secrets. I want to move forward with you, not dwell on the past.”

“I don't deserve you,” he muttered, shaking his head.

“You do. You do deserve me, Mace. You need to start believing that.”

#

I arrived home from work to find Mace doing the laundry. I laughed, and hugged him, leading him back over to the couch. His arm was still in a sling, and I could see the pain in his face every time he breathed in.

“Would you just sit down and rest? You’re not going to get better if you keep wearing yourself out,” I said, sitting him down.

“You don’t understand how fucking boring it is, sitting around watching fucking daytime TV,” he groaned. “I mean, shit. I’ve been setting my alarm so I don’t miss Dr Phil.”

I laughed and kissed him, snuggling up against his chest, his arms wrapping around me. He winced, and stretched himself out.

“Sore?” I asked, wishing I could take the pain away.

“Yeah, but it’s okay.” He smiled. “Finn came around before. And I had a call from someone.”

“Yeah? Who?” I asked, curious.

“Ben.” His eyes twinkled.

“Ah,” I grinned. “The guy you really want to hate but can’t.”

He shrugged. “He’s not so bad. I guess I can’t hate the guy who saved my life.”

I giggled, and kissed him, “Aww, you guys will be best friends before you know it,” I teased. He rolled his eyes.

“I doubt it, Leets.” He paused. “Hey, complete change of subject, but how would you feel about meeting my family?”

Really?
My mouth fell open. He wanted me to meet his family? Where had this come from?

“Yes, of course,” I said, hugging him, trying not to let on how terrified the idea made me. What if they hated me? Criminals didn’t usually take too kindly to prosecutors.

I could do this.
Just like he sucked it up and met Dad, I will do this. For him.

Mace

I can't believe I'm doing this.

If nothing else had scared her off, meeting my family was probably going to.

I looked at Leeta beside me. She smiled and squeezed my hand.

“Nervous?” I asked.

“Nope.” She shrugged. “How bad can it be, right?”

Famous last words…

We walked through the visitors’ area hand in hand. I spotted Dad and Cash sitting at a table over in the corner. I groaned as Dad stood up and waved. Never had my father looked so pleased to see me.
Ever
. Since I told him I was bringing Leet in to meet him, he had gone all…soft on me. It freaked me out.

Oh God, he’s even brushed his hair.

“Hi, Dad.” I nodded at Cash. “This is Leeta. Leet, this is my Dad, Ronald, and my brother, Cash.”

She put out her hand. Dad took it. Raising it to his mouth, he kissed it.

What the hell is he doing?
Leet giggled as Cash shot me a horrified look. Both of us were thinking the same thing; what the fuck was up with Dad.

“It’s lovely to finally meet you. I was beginning to think my boy was ashamed of us,” he laughed. We sat down. This was so awkward. Leet made small talk with Dad while Cash and I sat there silently, wishing this visit would end.

I’d wanted to bring Leet to show her how serious I was about her. This was the best way I could think to do that. I wasn’t sure
how
she was doing it, but my rough as guts father was captivated by her. Not that I blamed him.

Under the table, I reached over and put my hand on her thigh, giving it a squeeze.

“So,” I said, turning to my brother. “Up for parole soon, huh?”

“Yeah, in a couple of months. Probably won't be approved, though.” He said it so casually, like it was no big deal. I guess when you’re used to being imprisoned; you get to a point where you lose hope. In Cash’s case, he’d fucked up chance after chance.

“You know,” I sighed; knowing what I was about to say would make Leet happy. “When you get out, I can give you a hand with the job. Help you find somewhere to stay. If you actually want to make a go of it this time, that is.”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, that would be good.”

“Also,” Leet cut in, leaning across the table, “If you’re willing to do an addiction program in the lead-up to your parole, I could have a word to someone on the board. It might help.”

Cash erupted into laughter, stopping when he saw my expression.

“Yep, sure. Whatever I need to do,” he muttered. Fuck, he was acting like a child.

“Good,” said Leet, a smile spreading across her lips. “I’ll set it up on Monday.”

We hung around for another half hour, making small talk to avoid the awkward silences. It was a short visit, but a step in the right direction. Considering that my relationship with my family had been less that great for the last twenty-six years of my life, it had gone well.

“Are you okay?” Leet asked. She smiled at me as we walked to her car.

“Yeah. I don’t know. I don’t want our kids to have the kind of relationship that my father and I have, you know?”

“Our kids,” Leet teased, her cheeks pink.

I flushed. “You know what I mean. Of course I see myself having kids with you. And marrying you. I see all that stuff.” I cringed. I was making such a fool of myself.

She bit her lip and smiled at me, the same way she looked at that damn cat when he did something she thought was cute.

“Come here,” I muttered. She wrapped her arms around my neck. I leaned down and kissed her, my fingers sneaking under her jacket and trailing over her warm skin. I kissed her again, my mouth searching hers.

I could stand here all day and kiss those fucking lips.

“Mace, I can’t wait to have your kids. I think—.” She stopped. “No, I know you will be an amazing father. We don’t always follow in our parents’ footsteps. You’re proof of that. Sometimes we learn from their mistakes and that makes us better, stronger.”

I grinned and kissed her again. She always knew just what to say.

“You’re pretty fucking special, Leet.”

“Yeah?” she chuckled, her mouth on mine. “Then I guess that makes you one lucky guy.”

THE END.

Mace

Fucking stupid piece of crap.

I threw the spanner across the floor, pissed. Newspapers spread all around me, I was sure if Leeta knew I was fixing my bike inside she’d have a fit.

I jumped up as the front door opened, Leets voice ringing through the unit.
Oh hell no.
She walked into the kitchen and stopped, her mouth falling open as she took in the greasy mess.

“I promise I’ll clean it,” I began, “It’s just it was raining outside and I have no idea what is wrong with the fucking thing.” Instead of the yelling and screaming I’d been expecting, she simply laughed and shook her head. I smiled. This was yet another reminder as to why I was planning on marrying this chick.

That’s if she says yes.
Yep, I hadn’t asked her. Soon. I wanted the timing to be perfect.

“Yeah, I thought you were supposed to be the Gandhi of the bikes,” she teased. I glared at her.
Not helpful right now
. “Anyway, don’t you have to pick up Cash in like twenty minutes?”

Fuck
. I had completely forgotten. Today was his release date and I had totally forgotten. What an
asshole
. Leet sighed, pushing me toward the bathroom, hitting me on the ass.

“Go, I’ll clean this mess up.”

“Are you sure?” I said, stripping my clothes off and jumping under the shower.

“Well you can’t leave him waiting there. You’re supposed to be helping him out so he doesn’t just wind up back inside after a week, or a month.”

I didn’t reply.

No amount of help was going to keep Cash out of jail. I already knew that. You can’t wipe out fifteen years of crime without a shitload of effort and hard work. Two things my brother wasn’t capable of.

But, Leet loved that I was playing the good brother by helping Cash get back on his feet so I wasn’t about to burst her bubble.

Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t want him to end up back in prison, or worse, dead. I just knew the odds of him getting mixed up in his old life ware pretty damn high.

#

Kissing Leet goodbye, I took off in her car toward the prison. We’d kept the lease going on my place, which Leet had insisted on paying for the next three months, so he had somewhere to stay, and if he wanted to work, I was more than happy to give him a job. Not that I expected him to show.

I knew the routine pretty well now. This was Cash’s third stint in prison, and every release he was going to change. He was going to do better. Work hard. Stay out of trouble. But things always ended up back where they started. Why would this time be any different? I loved my brother, but there was only so much of his bullshit I could take.

Cash

Un-fucking-believable.
Was it too much to ask that he pick me up on time? This wasn’t a fucking dentist appointment. It was only his brother getting out of prison after three years away. You’d think that would be reason enough to make an effort, but apparently not.

I kicked my backpack along the ground, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

I’ll tell you what though; it was fucking awesome to be out of that place. The air smelled different on this side of the fences. Fresher. I walked up and down the small carpark, waiting, thinking about what my next move was.

Mace was so hell bent on fixing me that it was a joke. I was like his little girlfriends pet project, and Mace followed right along with her. Like the number of times I’d let him down in the past meant fuck all.

The thing was, this was how my life went, and I’d accepted that. I’d play hard, get caught, do the time and let the cycle start all over again. Did I like it? Didn’t matter. It was never going to change, no matter how many houses, jobs and courses they lined up for me.

I caught sight of a Toyota Corolla spinning into the parking lot. I could make out Mace behind the wheel. He screeched to a stop, dust flying everywhere.

“Fuck I’m sorry, man. I lost track of the time,” he muttered, walking around to meet me. He stuck his hand out, the gesture awkward at best. I chuckled and shook it.

Yeah. We definitely weren’t close, Mace and I. That was probably not helped by my making his life a living hell as a kid. All he ever wanted to do was follow me around and fix those damn bikes. I made it my mission to make every day a nightmare for that kid. Beatings, verbal abuse…you name it, I did it. The only thing we’d had in common was protecting our sister.

And then she was gone.

“It’s cool.” I threw away my butt and grabbed my bag, loading it into the back of the car. “Lets get the fuck out of here.”

#

“So, any plans now your out?” Mace asked, trying to fill the silence that had lasted since we’d left the prison.

“The first thing I’m going to do is drink a few beers. What do ya say, bro?”

“Sure,” he replied with a sigh. Like spending time with me was a chore. “Leet will meet us later for dinner, so until then, I’m yours.”

“Okay then,” I grinned, “Diamonds it is.”

Mace groaned and shook his head. Diamonds was a strip club where most of the dancers were known for having rather loose morals. Slip them a twenty and it would buy you almost anything.

“Cash,” he paused, as if rethinking what he wanted to say. “Will this time be any different? Do you actually want to keep out of prison, or is this all one big game to you? If I’m wasting my time, let me know.”

I laughed. He had some balls, asking me that. Did I want to change? Of course I did. I’d never tell him, but I was jealous as fuck of Mace. He had everything I wanted. But I was smart enough to know that I’d fucked my life up a long time ago, and nothing short of a miracle was going to change the track I was on.

“Dude, I’m a criminal. Take after me old man. It’s gonna take more than you and that sweet little girl of yours to change that, okay?”

I sighed, feeling bad for shitting all over his attempt at helping me.

“Look, I appreciate what your trying to do, but I think I’m beyond help. Just drop me off at Diamonds and go home to Leeta.”

He pulled into the parking lot of Diamonds, and waited as I climbed out.

“Wait,” he said, pulling out his wallet.

“I don’t want your money, dude.” I shook my head.

“Yeah? Then how do you plan on getting home? Or paying for the blowjob you’re obviously here for?” he challenged. I laughed and reached over, snatching the fifty from his grasp.

“You’re house key? It’s under the mat. Call me if you need me, Cash.”

I waved him off and walked toward the front door, listening to the sound of him driving away.

Inside the strip joint, I made my way over to the bar. I laughed, not quite believing my eyes. Three years and he was still here? The rest of the place looked the same too. Same red velvet couches, same daggy wallpaper, same scuffed, torn carpet.
Probably the same women too.

“Yo Frankie.”

Frankie turned around, the shock on his face quickly turning into excitement.

“Holy shit Cash, I didn’t know you were out.” He walked around the bar and hugged me. I chuckled, patting his back.

“Yeah, as of about an hour ago. What’s up? Tell me everything. And grab me a beer while you’re at it.” I pushed the fifty across the bar. He shook his head and pushed it back.

“No fucking way, your money’s no good here, man. Sit down.” He filled a beer and placed it in front of me. “Hey it must’ve been awhile since, well, you know.” He winked at me. “Hey Crystal! Get the fuck out here!”

I chucked. Good old Frankie. I glanced up at the stunning blonde who had rounded the corner. She wore a simple white sundress and nothing else, which was evidenced by he stiff as fuck nipples that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from. Her face lit up when she saw me.

“Yeah Frankie?” she asked, her eyes still firmly on me as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

“This is an old friend of mine. I want you to give him the royal service. Whatever he wants, he gets. My treat.” He winked at me as Crystal took me by the hand and led me away.

Yep, being out of prison definitely had its perks.

Mace

Leet met me at the front door, frowning. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me.

“That bad, huh?”

“Pretty much. Dropped him at a strip joint, he said he’d call if he needed me. In other words, he’ll call when he wants me to bail him out of whatever shit he gets himself into this time.”

“I’m sorry,” Leet said. “I know how much you wanted things to work out with him.”

I nodded, not having the heart to tell her that this was exactly what I’d expected. This was classic Cash. We’d go back and forth for a few months until he fucked up big enough to land him back inside.

Leeta took me by the hand and led me into the kitchen. My bike was still there, surrounded in grease covered newspapers. I chuckled, and shot her a look.

“Thought this was all going?” I muttered, kissing her neck as she smiled.

“Well, I remembered that this is your place too now, and if you want to fix your bike in the kitchen, then you should be able to.”

I put my hand around her neck, cupping her chin. There was something so incredibly sexy about her right now. I kissed her, hard, my lips crushing against hers, my brother all but completely pushed from my mind.

“Fuck I’m a lucky guy,” I muttered, my tongue rolling down her neck. She giggled, cupping my face with her hands and bringing my lips back to hers.

“No, you’re not lucky. I’m lucky. Even if I have to come home to a kitchen covered in grease every day, I’d still say I’m the luckiest girl in the world.” She laughed as I tugged at her shirt.

“Yeah? I’ll show you how lucky you are,” I muttered, picking her up. She squealed as I hoisted her over my shoulder and carried her into the bedroom and threw her down on the bed, collapsing beside her.

“But really, Leet. I love you. More than anything.”

“I love you too.” She smiled, and kissed me.

Number Thirteen, by Bella Jewel

Available on all major online retailors from March 20
^th
, 2014

Synopsis:

We're thirteen girls, captive, slave to our master.

A master we've never seen.

Obedience will become all we know in our shallow existence. It is the only emotion we're permitted to feel.

When we're bad, we're punished. When we're good, we're rewarded.

Our scars run deep. Yet we survive, because we have to...

because
HE teaches us to.

All of us are
special,
we feel it with everything we are.

He has us for a reason, but it's a reason we don't know.

We've never seen his face, but we know that something deeply broken lies beneath the darkness. With every touch, with every punishment, we know it.

Then something changed.

He showed me who he truly is.

Now I want him.

I'll go against everything I know to be with him.

A monster.

My monster.

Loving him is a sin, but a sinner I am. I won't stop until I see every part of him. Even the parts he keeps locked deep down inside.

I am Number Thirteen, and this is my story.

Excerpt:

Prologue

My boots crunch in the yellow autumn leaves as I walk towards the schoolyard. I didn’t want to come today, but Momma told me I had no choice. She said school is for smart kids, and if I don’t go, then how am I ever going to get smart? I could get smart, the man on the television tells me everything I need to know. But she claims that I can’t make friends with the man on the television, that the only way to make friends is to go to school. I could have told her that I don’t need friends to be successful, but she’d only tell me I’m being silly.

So I came to school.

I didn’t tell her that there are bullies here, or that every day they push me around and shove me into lockers. That would make me sound weak, and now that my dad is working, and my brother is away because he didn’t like the school here, I’ve had to become the man of the house. There’s no room for weakness.

Momma tells me bullies pick on the kids who are victims. I think she’s wrong. I’m not a victim; I’m just a kid. They pick on me because I’m different. I don’t look at the girls like they do; I don’t try to sneak out to parties. I’m only
thirteen
. I’m just there to learn, then I go home and I take care of my family, because, I’m the man of the house.

Like I said.

The shrill sound of the school bell ringing, tells me I’m late. I pick up into a jog, rounding the corner and into the schoolyard. It’s a cool winter day, and I have to pinch my coat together to stop it from flapping in the icy breeze. I can see the students piling in the front doors, and I turn my jog into a run. I’m focusing so heavily on the doors, that I don’t see them. A strong hand lashes out, catching hold of my sleeve and tugging me into the alleyway that runs down beside my school.