The Broken (14 page)

“Come inside,
River. I need to feel you.”

Sickness stirs
in my stomach, and my hands tremble.

“I just have to
finish up with Jase. I promised him I’d play until his dad gets
here,” I lie, hoping to buy time.

“Fuck him,
River. He’s nothing to do with you. Haven’t you missed me?” He
snarls and I swallow down the bile trying to work its way up my
throat.

“Hey, Danny,”
Jasper calls, walking over to us, still shirtless.

Danny narrows
his eyes at Jasper, then at me as Jasper hands me a bottle of
water. “Here, River. Sammy’s on the phone, he’ll be out soon.”

I’m ingrained
solid to the spot. Jase kicks the ball towards me, but it lands at
Danny’s feet. Danny looks down at the ball then back at Jase. He
launches the ball through the air with a targeted kick and it hits
Jase full force in the face, knocking him backwards onto the grass.
Blood explodes from his nose.

“What the
fuck?” Jasper bellows.

Danny holds his
hands up. “Accident, dude.”

Jasper runs to
Jase and Danny turns an evil glare to me. “Game’s fucking
over.”

“Shit, I think
you broke his nose!”

Danny looks
over at Jasper. “You’re being dramatic. Just because you look like
a girl, doesn’t mean you have to act like one.”

Jasper
scrunches up his face. “What did you say?” he asks, standing.

I dart around
Danny and over to Jasper, putting my hand on his arm, taking his
attention away from Danny.

“Bring him
inside, Jasper. Let me clean him up and make sure he’s okay.”

Sammy comes out
with his phone in his hand. “Dad is going to be late.” His eyes go
to Jase bleeding on the ground. “What happened?”

“That asshole
kicked the ball at his face,” Jasper sneers.

Danny smiles
darkly at him. “It was an accident, stop being a bitch about
it.”

My hands are
shaking. I’m a nervous wreck. I don’t want Jasper to rise to the
taunting, giving Danny a reason to start a fight I knew he would
win. Danny’s tough, he endured years of violence like Blaydon, but
instead of letting it defeat him, he found other people to let out
his frustrations on until he was big enough to fight his dad
back.

Jase’s cries
break me from my meltdown. “Bring him in, Sammy. I’ll clean him
up.”

“No, Twink.
I’ll take him to the hospital. I think his nose is broken.”

I look at
Danny, begging him with my eyes to stop acting like such a
jerk.

“Look, man, I’m
sorry. It was an accident. Let me know if we can do anything.”

Sammy studies
his face for a few silent minutes before he nods his head and
scoops Jase up in his arms. “Jasp, go get my keys and shut up the
house.”

I go to follow
Sammy, but Danny’s hand shoots out and grips my wrist. “In the
house, now.”

My eyes stay on
the back of Sammy’s retreating form.

“Now, River,”
Danny growls.

“You okay?”
Jasper asks, looking at Danny’s hold on me. Danny’s grip tightens,
making me wince.

“Twink?” Sammy
asks, turning to me after closing the passenger door.

“I’m fine, just
the blood made me nauseous. I’m going to wait here. Let us know
everything’s okay when you get back.”

Sammy doesn’t
answer, just jumps in the car. Jasper follows, slipping into the
back seat.

I know I’m in
for hell from Danny. I pray Blay is awake so I can delay the
punishment.

Danny pulls me
through the front door and comes to a halt. Blay is sitting in the
middle of the front room, rocking back and forth. I rip from Danny
grasp and run to Blaydon, dropping to the floor and curling my body
around his.

“Shh, Blay.
What’s wrong?” He’s whimpering and muttering incoherently.

“Blaydon!”
Danny shouts.

Blay’s head
snaps up and he gets to his feet. “You didn’t leave me enough,
Danny. I’m losing my fucking mind… he’s here,” he whispers, looking
behind him.

Danny shakes
his head. “I left you enough. Has that cunt been here, River?”

I know he means
Maria and I don’t know whether to be honest and piss Blay off, or
lie and risk Danny catching me.

“She was here,”
Blay answers before I have to.

“I’m getting
sick of this shit, Blay. I should leave you to fucking suffer.”

Blaydon drops
to his knees. “Just tell me where to get the supply and I’ll get
them for myself.”

Danny laughs at
him and I feel anger build inside me.

“You can’t just
buy them from anyone, they’re prescription.”

Blaydon’s body
is shaking so hard his teeth keep hitting together.

“Danny,” I
plead. “Please help him.”

Danny’s eyes
pin me to the spot. “For you, River. I do this for you.”

He pulls a bag
from his pocket and throws it at Blaydon, then reaches for me and
pulls me into our room. He throws me onto the bed and slips out of
his clothes. I can’t help the tears that escape from my eyes, my
mind screaming.
Please, no! Don’t taint what Sammy gave me!
Don’t touch me like that. I love Sammy. I’m Sammy’s!
He reaches
for my jean shorts and strips them from my body, then burrows his
face into my sex and inhales. My whole body is screaming at me to
not let this happen.

“I missed you
so much. You belong to me. I’m the only man who will ever love this
body, River. Do you understand?”

A silent sob
puts pressure on my chest.

“I know that
pretty-faced fucker wants what’s mine, and you wanted to stay out
there with him.”

I begin shaking
my head, but he grasps my face, covering my nose and mouth with his
palm. “Don’t fucking lie to me. I will bury that fuck before I let
him near you. You belong to me, River. We’re soul mates.”

He enters me
slowly. I cry and gasp for breath, but I can’t get any air into my
lungs. His palm is blocking both my airways. He’s looking at my
face as I struggle. I thrash my body as I panic, and he pumps into
me.

“That’s right,
beautiful. Move your body. Love your man.”

Oh my God, this
is it. He’s lost it, I’ve pushed him too far. Sammy’s face floods
my mind, his scent, his touch, his smile ….darkness.

My eyes sting
and I feel exhausted as I struggle to open my eyes. The room comes
into focus as I push myself into a sitting position. I’m naked, and
Danny is sitting in the chair in the corner. He leans forward,
placing his arms on his knees.

“Hey,
beautiful. Welcome back. I’m sorry, we got a little carried away.
You’ve been pretty out of it for a few hours. I must have worn you
out.”

He smiles and I
try not to vomit all over myself. He is getting more and more
delusional.

“I bought you
something. I want to wait to give it to you, though. I need to sort
a few more details out, but you’re going to love it and we’re going
to be really happy, Riv. I promise.”

He stands and
walks over to me. He tucks some of my wild bed hair behind my ear.
“I don’t want you anywhere near Jasper, do you understand me?”

His grip
tightens in my hair and I nod.

“Good. Go
shower. I have to take care of something. Oh, and River, I don’t
like all the bruises from your dancing. You’re covered in
them.”

I slowly stand,
feeling weak and vulnerable. I put the water on the hottest
temperature and scrub away Danny’s intrusion. I’m just grateful he
didn’t realise all the bruises are from Sammy, not dancing.

I
wave Jase off with my dad, glad he didn’t go ape
shit about the two black bruises that are forming under the kid’s
eyes. I’m pissed with Danny. Jasper doesn’t like him, but I’ve
known him a long time and I don’t think he would have done
something so shitty on purpose. I walk up the path and hear Danny
talking, but it’s not River who answers him. It’s definitely a
female, though. I open my gate and walk into our back yard; the
voices are nearer now. I look through the hole in the fence I first
saw River through, and sure enough, Danny is talking to some strung
out looking girl.

“Maria, I
supply Blay for his habit, not you, and you’re starting to cost
me.”

She pushes
herself against him, and he shoves her backwards.

“Let me pay you
back, Danny. I don’t know why you’re with someone like River. I can
give you what you need.”

His face
contorts in disgust. “Get on your knees, Maria.”

She drops to
her knees, smiling. I feel like a creeper watching them, but I
can’t believe Danny would go near her when he has River. There’s no
comparison. Danny opens his jeans. “Open your mouth.”

She looks
giddy, almost excited to get him in her mouth. She makes me sick,
and my mother’s face flashes through my mind. He slips his tip in
her mouth. “Taste. Tell me how it is.”

She closes her
mouth over his dick and I smile like a douche at the fact I’m
bigger in that department than him.

“You taste
divine, Danny. So good.”

He laughs,
pulling himself from her mouth. “Fucking right I taste divine.
That’s pure beauty you’re tasting. Why the fuck would I go near
your infested pussy when I have that to sink my dick into?”

She gags a few
times, and my heart cracks and bleeds at my feet. “You let me suck
your dick after you just fucked her?” she screeches.

He grabs a
fistful of her hair and tilts her head back forcibly. “Now, listen
to me. I’m sick of you trying to get on my dick. I didn’t let you
suck me, I let you taste her, because you’re so fucking stupid to
think you could ever compete for my affection.”

She scowls at
him. “She doesn’t even want your affection, Danny. I’m not blind,
I’ve been around enough to see she hates you.”

He grips her
throat. “I will fucking kill you. She loves me.”

My heart is
pounding. This chick’s eyes are starting to bulge.

“Yo, Danny, is
that you?” I shout over the fence. I hear shuffling, but I don’t
risk looking back through the hole in case he sees me and realises
I’ve been watching him the whole time.

“Yeah, man.
What’s up?” I open the gate and see the chick scamper down the
garden.

He steps from
their garden and follows my eyes. “Blaydon’s whore. I have no clue
what he sees in the bitch,” he says with a flick of his head.

I nod my head
in agreement and change the subject. “So, Jase’s nose isn’t broken
but he’s going to be pretty bruised for a week or two.”

Danny shakes
his head. “I’m sorry, man.”

I pat his
shoulder. “Accident, right.” I pose it so he doesn’t know whether
it’s a statement or a question. “Where’s River at? She’ll want to
know.”

“She’s
showering. We had some catching up to do.”

He smirks and
it tears at me like a demonic beast ripping my flesh. The image in
my head is one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced. I’m so
fucked. I’m in so deep with her. I can’t stand the ache in my
veins.

“So Blay’s
chick seems like she would be a handful in the sack. Those types
are dirty.” I try bating him and he scoffs.

“They’re cheap
whores. I’d prefer my vanilla saint any day of the week.”

I question him
with a raised eyebrow. “Vanilla?”

“Yeah, you
know. Make love type of girl. Missionary. Gentle, regular sex.”

I’m shocked to
hear him describe River that way.

His eyes
narrow. “I shouldn’t be sharing this shit with you, it’s
private.”

I laugh and pat
his shoulder. “Hey, guys can talk just as much as women about this
shit, don’t sweat it.”

His eyes are
still narrowed on me. “What are you thinking about?”

I laugh.
“What?”

“You better not
be imagining what I just told you.”

Holy shit, he’s
deadly serious. If only he knew I didn’t have to imagine anything
where River is concerned.

“Hey.”

We both turn to
the voice that broke up the awkward talk we were having. My vision
becomes filled with Derek-eye-fucking-investigator. What the fuck
is he doing here?

“Derek, right?”
I ask.

He smiles a
knowing smile. “Yes. Samuel, was it?”

I laugh. He
knows full well what my name is.

“I came to
speak with River.”

Danny
reinforces his stance. “Who the fuck are you?”

Derek doesn’t
even blink at Danny’s harsh reaction. “I’m Derek, I live near here.
River helped me out when I was having car troubles. I just wanted
to speak with her.”

Danny steps
forward. “Well you can’t. She’s not available now, or ever, so be
grateful she helped you because she’s a good person, no other
reason.”

Derek looks
Danny up and down, then holds his hand out towards him in a
friendly gesture. “You must be the boyfriend, Danny.”

Danny relaxes
slightly, but doesn’t take his hand. “She mentioned me?”