Risk (Gentry Boys #2) (17 page)

Truly

Every night we’d wear each other out and I’d fall asleep in his arms.  Then I’d wake up in the same place.  Creed liked to hear me talk.  Before I drifted off I would give him lively snippets of my childhood, mostly leaving out the rotten parts and especially anything about why I walked away from my mother and sisters one horrible night.  Sometimes, when I asked, he would haltingly tell me stories too.  His were short and dark, full of hurt and neglect. The only lights in his early life were his brothers. 

Creed’s clumsy words to me in the middle of Cluck This were the only ones he’d outright spoken regarding how he felt about me.  It was enough though, for now.  When Creed Gentry looked you in the eye and told you that you mattered to him you knew it was entirely true. 

“How come you never travelled more?” I asked him, one week after the night he told me he didn’t want anyone else but me.  He was lying on my chest, his weight constricting my breathing a bit, but I didn’t mind.  I loved being underneath him.  “I mean, you always want to hear about all the states I’ve been to and it seems like you’ve a mind to see them yourself.” 

Creed propped himself up on one elbow.  “I’d like to do that,” he said thoughtfully. “Someday.  I’d like to see a lot of things, places where there’s not just brown dust and heat.”  He leaned over and brushed his lips across my cheek as his voice dropped to a whisper.  “And I’m takin’ you with me, baby.” 

I shivered from the effect of his words.  Creed had that kind of power over me.   He didn’t make empty promises.  On the rare occasions when he revealed what was going on inside his head he could take my breath away. 

“Creedence, will you sing for me?” 

“Later,” he answered firmly, opening my legs.

No matter how many times I had him inside of me I still gasped from the initial shock of it.  He was so big, so powerful, and yet he always held back until he’d made me cry out from sheer ecstasy. 

“Creed,” I whimpered, already getting close as he pumped, first slowly and then with increasing speed.  My hands clutched his broad back and my knees hugged his ribs.  He kissed me and I greedily sucked his tongue while my body shattered with primal bliss.  When he came he thrust so hard and deep I was sure there wasn’t room enough to keep him inside. 

“No,” I complained when he tried to pull out.

“What?” he panted. “You’re not done?”

“No.”  I wrapped my legs around his waist. 

“Aw baby, it’s gonna be a few minutes until I get some more to give you.” 

I kissed his shoulder.  “I don’t care.  I just want to be as close to you as possible.” 

He didn’t answer.  He just settled on top of me as best he could without crushing me completely.  It didn’t take long for him to be ready again.  It never did. 

I offered to make him breakfast but he didn’t want any.  He was going to the gym.  He said he worked out better on an empty stomach. 

As I stood there by the front door, wrapped in his arms, I wanted to ask him about the fight.  I knew it weighed on him.  I knew it was the reason he spent hours in the gym every day.  But every time I’d brought it up over the past week I’d been met with silence.  Saylor said she didn’t know anything but she looked so miserable when she said it I didn’t know if I believed her. 

“See you tonight?” I asked instead, holding him, inhaling him. 

He massaged the back of my neck.  “You will,” he answered. 

We kissed and then he was gone.  I stood there in the living room, feeling the unique sorrow of a woman bidding her lover farewell, even if just for a little while.  Dolly slept soundly in a ball on the couch.  Stephanie was, as always, behind a closed door. 

I paused outside her room for a moment and thought about the morning she’d burst into the apartment in tears.  She hadn’t really been herself since then.  She went to class, she came home, she went to her room.  I hadn’t heard her yelling at anyone on the phone lately.  Somehow that worried me more.  If I ever saw a girl who needed to let go of herself a little it was Stephanie Bransky. 

Even after I showered and changed it was still very early in the morning.  I decided to go for a walk.  When I was a child it had been a simple pleasure of mine.  It didn’t matter if we were living on the beach or in the backwoods.  Sometimes my sisters walked along with me but most often I walked alone. 

There was a canal within a quarter of a mile and I headed over there.  The canal was relatively full due to the recent summer monsoons.  I glimpsed several exotic river birds by the banks.  Heaven only knew how far they had flown to get here and where they had come from.  They must have been on their way somewhere else when they saw water from the air and decided to take a closer look.  They wouldn’t know that it didn’t really belong in this parched place. 

I encountered sporadic joggers who nodded at me before moving on.  As I stretched in the warm sun there were parts of my body that ached a little but it was a good feeling.   There was no shame at all.  It made such a difference, being in the arms of a man who cared for you.  

Creed had asked about my mother once, curious about why we were estranged.  I waved my hand and mumbled something about a lifetime of different opinions before I purposely switched topics.  When Creed looked at me I still felt a little bit wholesome, in spirit if not in body.  I couldn’t bear to have him think otherwise. 

The vague morning chill was wearing off and I was starting to get hungry.  I walked briskly back to the apartment, thinking maybe I could entice Stephanie out of her room with an omelet.   As I shoved the key into the door I managed to jam it, breaking part of the end off.  I cursed and jiggled the thing around but it was no use.  The landlord’s office wouldn’t be open for hours.  As I was about to bang on the door and try to rouse Stephanie from her bedroom, I remembered learning once how to get into a sliding glass door like the one leading to the patio.  If I could manage to shuffle it off the track it could be easily breached. 

I climbed over the patio wall and started pulling on the sliding door while frowning over how it had seemed so easy when watching someone else do it.  Suddenly I felt the glass panel give way a little and it came loose in my hands.  It was heavier than I’d figured.  Carefully, I lifted it the rest of the way and moved it off to the side, praying to god that it didn’t shatter because I didn’t want to guess how much it would cost to replace.  Pleased that I’d managed to get it done, I moved the vertical blinds aside and stepped into the apartment. 

That was when Stephanie nearly brained me with a baseball bat. 

I screamed.  She screamed.  She dropped the bat. 

“What in the flaming hell are you doing?” I yelled.

She let out a shaky breath and sat down hard on the floor.  “I thought you were someone else,” she mumbled. 

“No shit.” 

Stephanie pulled her bare knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them.  “Sorry.” 

I dropped down on the floor next to her.  “Jesus, Stephanie.  What’s going on with you?  Is someone trying to hurt you?”

She gave me a thin smile.  “They can try all they fucking want.” 

“What does that mean, sugar?”

Stephanie’s eyes narrowed.  “It means everything’s okay, Truly.” 

“Like fuck it is.” 

She looked at the ceiling.  “You’re starting to sound like me.” 

“Then I’d be telling everyone in sight to mind their own asshole business before I slammed the door in their faces.” 

Her lip quivered a little.  “I don’t mean to.” 

“Come on,” I pulled her off the floor.  “Let’s talk.” 

She rose reluctantly but just as I was starting to guide her to the kitchen there was a soft knock on the door.   Stephanie’s head jerked up.  “Wouldn’t be your ogre, would it?”

“No,” I said, frowning. 

Stephanie picked up her bat and crept over to the peephole.  She peered into the small pinpoint of light and then exhaled.  “It’s just that chick you work with.” 

“Saylor?”

“I guess.” 

I went to the door.  The lock was stuck from the broken key but after kicking the door and then yanking forcefully on the lock it came free.   It wasn’t quite eight am.  I wondered why the hell Saylor didn’t just call. 

She had been crying.  I saw that immediately.  “Say.”  I pulled her inside. 

Saylor looked at me with anguished green eyes.  “Truly?  Will you come with me somewhere?”

“Of course, honey.  You want to tell me what’s wrong?”

Saylor looked at the floor and sighed miserably. 

“Is it Cord?”

She shook her head. 

I felt the rise of fear in my gut.  I scarcely dared to ask the next question. 

“Creed then?”

“Yeah,” she nodded tiredly.  “It’s Creed this time.” 

“What’s wrong with Creed?” I whispered. 

Saylor looked at me beseechingly.  “Just come with me, Truly.  Please.  I shouldn’t drag you into this but I just can’t deal with going alone.” 

Stephanie was still standing a few feet away, holding the bat.  “You should go.  I’m holing up here for a few days until shit blows over.” 

Saylor looked at her, then at me. “What shit?”

I gave Stephanie a stern look.  “I don’t know.  That’s another unanswered question today.  You’re not off the hook, missy.”

Steph rolled her eyes.  “Whatever.” 

I nudged Saylor.  “So where are we going anyway?”

She sighed.  “Better bring your purse.  We’ll be gone a few hours.” 

I didn’t know how Saylor managed to drive a car around in this oven without air conditioning.  As soon as the doors to her battered Civic closed I couldn’t breathe. 

“Screw this,” I grumbled, flinging open the door.  “We’re taking my car.” 

Saylor gave me the first hint of a smile.  “Actually, I was kind of hoping you’d say that.  I’ll pay for gas.” 

“And where might all that gas get us to?”

She waited until we were inside my car before answering.  She sighed and carefully buckled her seatbelt.  “Emblem.”

CREED

I thought I was alone when I got the call.  My phone buzzed in my pocket and as soon as I looked at it I knew what it was.  The ticking time bomb had gone off. 

“Gabe,” I said. 

“Hey, Creed.  You ran out last week before we had a chance to chat.  I was hoping to introduce you to a few people.”  The weasel’s voice had an excited edge to it.  I wanted to reach through the phone and throttle him until his eyes fell out of his head. 

“I was busy.”

Gabe chuckled.  “You ready for your turn?”

Turn at what?  Dying?

I kept my voice controlled.  “I’m ready.”

“My friend, you ought to know this match is getting a lot of interest.”  He laughed.  “This is widely considered a treat, you see.  It’s not too often we can locate two big white boys up to the task of thrashing the sheer hell out of each other.”

“Is that a fact?”  I felt sick. 

“It is,” he answered cheerfully.  “You know, you could take away thirty grand from this.” 

“Does Jester always kill his opponents?”

Gabe let out a hiss.  “Of course not.  Hell, that was just unfortunate.  An accident.  Shit happens.”

“Shit happens?” I snarled.  “A man loses his life and all you can say is ‘shit happens’?”

Gabe’s easy tone gained an edge.  “Careful, Creedence.  This is not a discussion you want to have.” 

Go fuck yourself you slimy little pimp.

“Let’s cut the shit.  Where and when, Gabe?”

He laughed and gave me another downtown address.  The time was nine pm, three days from now.  I repeated the details to make sure I had it straight. 

His final words were cold.  “You be there, Creed.  I know you’re pretty fucking far from a coward but I’m just letting you know that if we have to come looking for you for any reason, it’ll hurt.  And keep in mind,
you
won’t be the one hurting.”   

I switched the phone off.  Then I threw it against the wall.  It bounced and hit Saylor in the arm. 

“How long have you been there?” I snarled. 

“Long enough,” she whispered, her face ashen. 

She was rubbing her arm where the phone had ricocheted.  I pointed.  “Did I hurt you?”

“No.  Who lost his life, Creed?”

I looked her straight in the eye.  I couldn’t risk her running off at the mouth to god knows who.  “You listen to me, Saylor.  Don’t you go fucking repeating that.”

She shrank back a little at my tone.   Then her eyes narrowed defiantly.   “To who?  I assume Cord’s in on the secret since you guys know everything about each other.  You don’t want me to tell Truly?   Is that it?”  She gave a disgusted laugh.  “You still think there’s nothing on earth like the Gentry boys, an island alone.  No one else invited.” Her voice rose and she opened her arms.  “Why the hell are you doing this?  Just walk away!  Cord can’t always pull you back from the abyss.  It’s not fair to him.  And what about Truly? Have you been straight with her?  Dammit, do you even know how?”

She needed to shut up.  I didn’t know what the law was doing about Emilio’s death but I would stake my soul on the fact that they didn’t know the truth.  If Saylor McCann started blabbing to Truly or to Brayden or to anyone else who crossed her path then bad shit could follow.  I had to make her understand that. 

Saylor took an unsteady step backwards when I came at her.  A look of fear flashed in her eyes and it made me want to scream.  What the hell did she think she needed to be scared of me for?   She was my brother’s girl and for that alone I would stand in front of a moving truck for her. Still, I needed to make her afraid of something.  She was against the wall and I put a hand on either side of her head.

“You listen, sweetheart.  You are not to breathe a fucking word about whatever it is you think you might have heard.  There are bad people involved here.  People who can do terrible things when they feel they might be exposed.” 

There were tears in her eyes but she jerked her chin up, glaring at me.  “What things, Creed?”

“They could fucking well kick that kid right out of your belly for starters.” 

She gasped and her hands flew to her stomach.  Then her head bent forward and she let out a frightened sob.  I backed off, hating myself.  I left her there like that, slouched against the wall and crying.  As I ran blindly out of the apartment I felt like I might cry too. 

I didn’t go to the gym.  I wandered.  Somehow I found myself on the Arizona State campus.  I sat on a bench near a fountain and watched people walk by.  They all had a purpose; they were all on their way somewhere.   When I grew hungry I walked into a large building and bought a hamburger from the food court.  Except for a few girls who brazenly smiled at me no one seemed to notice my presence.  They didn’t realize that I didn’t belong there. 

When I reached into my pocket to grab my phone I remembered that it was still in the apartment.  I remembered throwing it at the wall and the way it hit Saylor on the arm.  In my head I kept hearing my own words to her.  They horrified me.  I should have found a way to get my point across without scaring the living shit out of her.  Then I realized she had likely already told Cord what I’d said and I felt worse. 

It wasn’t until the big clock on the wall read half past five that I remembered Truly was off today and I was supposed to call her when I got back from the gym.  Since I didn’t have my phone anymore I just walked to her apartment. 

“Have you been straight with her?”

No, I hadn’t.  Not really.  If I was any kind of a man I would tell her the risks I was up against and let her make up her own mind about whether she wanted to keep lying down with me every night.  She’d asked me once in a heartbreaking voice not to mess her up.  I had no right to let her fall so hard. 

Truly opened the door with a brilliant smile.  She looked amazing.  She always looked amazing.  She wrapped me in her soft arms before I could get a word out.  I closed my eyes and held her body against mine.  All the shit in my head was gone.  I was just a man who was in the arms of his woman. 

She squealed when I lifted her.  I carried her straight into the bedroom, stripped off both our clothes and buried myself in her.  I would never get tired of this girl.  In between bursts of sex we talked.  I asked her questions about places she’d been and she gave me long answers.  I said nothing of the fight and she didn’t ask.  In fact, for a while, it wasn’t even on my mind. 

In the morning I told her I needed to go to the gym.  I breathed in the sweet scent of her skin and promised I would see her later.  She kissed me goodbye before I headed out. 

I took my time walking back.  I went the long way, each step a little smaller than the last one.  By the time I reached my apartment door I was nervous.  In my mind I kept picturing Cord waiting on the other side, ready to throw me against the wall for scaring the hell out of Saylor.  I deserved it.  If he wanted to swing away I wouldn’t even try to stop him. 

Cord wasn’t waiting though.  Saylor was.  She was sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of orange juice. 

“Hi,” she said softly. 

I swallowed.  “Hey.” 

She flicked my phone across the surface of the table.  “It’s not broken.” 

“Oh.  Good.” 

She paused.  “I didn’t tell him about yesterday.  He’s asleep.”

I said nothing.  I picked up my phone and put it in my pocket. 

“You shouldn’t tell him either.” 

I shrugged.  “Why’s that?”

“Because it will upset him.” 

I leaned over the back of a chair and looked at her.  “I didn’t mean it.” 

She turned her head away and gave a bitter little laugh.  “You know Creedence, you say that to me a lot.”   

“Saylor.” 

She stood and shouldered her purse.  “I’ve got to go.  When Cord wakes up, please just tell him I went to go run a few errands.  I’ll be back later.”  She walked a few steps, then stopped to stare at me.  “Can you do that?”

“Yeah Say, I can do that.” 

She nodded and left. 

I sat on the couch and did nothing.  The sound of Chase’s snoring reached me, or maybe it was Cord.  I couldn’t tell the difference.  After a while I picked up my guitar, thinking of the awful night when Cord and I went out for revenge.  Normally the thought of hurting someone else made me ill.  But not then.  I wanted the blood of the men who had nearly killed Chasyn.  I almost had it too.  Cordero stopped me in a valiant gesture that I didn’t appreciate until later.  He did something else too.  He begged me to put away the rage and play some music instead.  I’d hugged my brother and let him take me back to the hospital where we stood in a small room and sang for Chase and for anyone else who wanted to listen. It was one of the best moments of my life. 

As I strummed the guitar in our shabby living room I let my mind sort through some of the other best moments.  They were tied to Truly Lee.