Tess
The DVD was on a seven-second loop. I watched my beautiful friend Mags as she came into the viewing room at the house to meet her baby’s father, and what happened next made me go cold with shock and throw up my dinner.
My legs went out from under me as I slid down the wall in the far corner of my room. My cell phone was still on airplane mode as it shook in my hands. I watched the little plane disappear and change to the cell reception icon. My knuckles were white, and I didn’t know what else to do, so I gave in.
I swiped my thumb over his number and pressed call. Heavy, hot tears raced down my face, each one reminding me of my new truth.
“Hello?” His voice made my stomach hurt.
“Brick?” I whispered. I needed him so much right now.
“Tess.” There was a pause. “Tess, hon, is that you?” I pictured his face and how much he must hate me for leaving. “Are you okay? Where are you?” He stopped his chatter and waited a beat before he spoke again. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”
I tried to get my head to work, but the words came out jumbled. “He strangled her.” I sobbed and rolled to my side. Everything hurt.
“Who strangled who, Tess?”
“Clark,” I choked out. “He killed Mags! George was there and helped get rid of her. Mom ordered them around. I can’t breathe. I always thought it was George, not…” My heart fought for room in my chest. Air was trapped half way up, and everything was tangled up inside.
“Shit.” He covered the phone and said something. “Tess, are you there now?”
“Matt,” I sobbed out his real name, and it felt good to say it, “I’m so sorry—”
“No,” he shouted. “I don’t know what black shit is going through your head right now, Tess. But you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m going to fly out to you tonight. I’m going to take you home, okay?”
“I can’t.” I felt so tired. My body needed sleep. It always shut down when things became too much. “I don’t know everything yet.”
“I think you got your answers.”
Before I could explain that wasn’t what I meant, he hung up. I needed to lie down for a while. I didn’t bother changing, I just slipped on a robe and climbed on top of the covers.
I raced up the slippery steps of the old wheat mill. You had to be so careful where you stepped. It had been abandoned about fifteen years ago. Rusty nails, broken windows, or trash could take you down in a flash.
I reached for the metal rail for support as my heart beat out of my chest and vibrated up my throat. The three guys were only two floors below and were gaining on me fast. It had been a stupid move, me trying to get the blanket back. They had grabbed it the night before last, and I’d nearly frozen to death without it. I thought they were out of it drunk when I pulled it free, but I had underestimated their street smarts, and they were on me pretty fast.
I hit the top floor and frantically glanced for a place to hide or for a weapon to use.
Nothing.
I raced for the stairs on the other side of the room. Just as I flew through the open the door, I heard them yell.
I dodged all the weak-looking patches on the steps and leapt down three, nearly falling on my ass.
My mind raced to figure out a game plan once outside. This exit led to an alleyway, and if they beat me down there, I would have no way of getting out.
I knew I could kick and knee hard, so I focused all my energy on that as I burst through the door and fell at a hit to the back of my legs.
Shit.
“Wow.” One guy grinned down at me, and it took a moment for my brain to clear.
“I get first dip.” Another groaned as he held his dick with his dirty fingers. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with.”
Two hands clamped down on my ankles. I kicked and twisted, but another grabbed my wrists.
“No!” I screamed and bucked with all my might, but they were too strong. I wasn’t sure how many there were, but I could tell who the ringleader was. He bent over me and tried to wiggle off my pants while the others held me tight. My head jerked, and I tried to bite at the closest arm.
“Stop! Get off me!” My lungs nearly burst when I sucked in and screamed again, hoping to scare them off.
The man above me started to cut my jeans off with a blade while yelling at the others to hold me still. In hindsight, I should have been more scared of the pocketknife skimming past my flesh, but better to get a wild infection than be poked by this sick son of a bitch with his whore of a dick.
“Damn, no panties!” He licked his lips.
“You touch me, and I promise I’ll bend your dick like a goddamned balloon animal.” I hissed and thrashed again and was able to knee his friend in the face.
“Fuckin’ bitch!” The guy held his bloody nose. “Do it, already, Glen!”
“Mm, I love how soft a girl’s thighs are.”
I wanted to puke, but instead I focused my energy on where I was going to head butt next.
His hands moved higher up, and I prepared for when he bent down. Tears gushed, but I hardly felt them. My muscles were locked in place when his fingers reached my upper thigh.
“No! Help!” I screamed and bucked, but he was ready for it, and a heavy roar from an exhaust drowned out my cries.
“Relax, darling. You’re going to love this.”
Oh, my God, this was going to happen, right here, in this alley below a bright green neon sign that advertised the show girls next door. It would be the day I died inside. I thought the house was rough, but this…this was something else.
I felt him move into position, and I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for him to make any kind of move.
Someone will make a mistake.
Just when I thought his dick would tear into me, I felt him jerk off me. My eyes flew open, and there was a guy I’d never seen before beating the shit out of him. One by one, he fought them all off, plowing one guy’s head into a wall. His hand rose and fell with a sickening sound. I wasted no time getting out of there and ran back into the mill where my stuff was hidden in one of the corners. Somehow, I managed to put a pair of shorts on and got my stuff swung over my back.
I raced to the window and looked down. My attackers were all on the ground, knocked out cold or dead. I didn’t care which. Then I heard a noise and whirled around as the guy found me. He had short, messy hair, wore a hoodie, and had a backpack of his own.
I was trying to decide on an escape route when he held up his hands. “I’m just making sure you’re okay.”
I held my stuff closer to my body. “I’m fine.” I stepped back and wondered why he helped me. In my experience on the streets, no one ever helped, fearing they’d become a target too.
“Okay, good.” He looked around then back at me again. “Are you here by yourself?”
“You care, because…?”
“Because you’ll only get jumped again if you are.”
I shrugged, and my defenses went up. “Been doing pretty well on my own so far.”
He smirked. “Bet you have to keep moving.”
“Yeah.” He was right about that, and I didn’t need to lie. Truth was, I didn’t have a spot that was my own. “So?”
“You always this friendly after someone helps you out?”
I couldn’t help myself and responded to his warm smile. I sighed and dropped my pack to the floor, exhausted. I followed suit and sat back against the cool wall. “Sorry.” I tried to relax, but the memory of what almost happened began to surface. “That was fucking scary.”
He slowly approached and sat warily but at a respectable distance, which I appreciated. “It was.”
We sat in silence for a few moments before he moved in a bit and held out a hand. “Matt.”
“Tess.”
Sirens filled the room, and we jumped to our feet.
“Shit.” He rushed to the window. “I dropped the brick I was using on them down there. We need to go. Can you run?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Hold my hand.” We disappeared down the stairs.
***
Trigger
We stopped for gas and something to drink at the M Resort Casino just off the Fifteen Freeway. It had been pouring all night, so our drive took much longer than normal. Even on a bike, splitting traffic was a bitch. Every driver in any vehicle would be so intent on keeping themselves from hydroplaning they sure as hell wouldn’t see us on the road.
“That semi drenched me.” Brick wrung out his pant leg. “I wanted to blow out his tires.”
I grunted out an agreement and poured a shitty cup of coffee from the corner store tucked into the side of the entryway. I eyed the creamer and saw a layer of curdled dairy on the top. I tossed it in the trash and grabbed a fresh one from the fridge.
“Sir, you can’t—” The young clerk’s sentence trailed off when she took in my annoyed face. “Never mind.”
I grabbed a protein bar and held out a twenty to the girl then wiped my hair out of my eyes. Her cheeks were pink as she slid it away from me and proceeded to make change.
“You guys staying at the resort?” She glanced at me again.
“No.” I left a five and headed out with Brick behind me. I stopped under a dry spot and lit a joint. The rain was still heavy and showed no sign of letting up.
“How far?”
Brick lit his and blew out before he answered me. “Fifteen. I’ve never been past the gates, but if Jace got in, you know you will. It all comes down to the money.”
I eyed the pack on the side of my bike and hoped Eli had come through with what I asked.
“Jesus.” Brick shuddered like he had just had a nasty thought. “That house has some crazy shit darkness inside.”
I tilted my head back to stare up at the clouds and hoped she was alone right now. I knew I would kill someone if she wasn’t.
“What happened that made her go back to that house the last time you guys split up?”
Brick closed his eyes. “Well, I want to know why she stayed away for six years more.”
I didn’t point out he avoided my question. He’d told me a lot, and I respected that. For now.
“Come on.” I tossed my joint into the dirt and started my bike. As I eased out, I caught sight of a man in a truck staring at us.
Do I know you? His face tugged a recent memory, but I couldn’t place him.
Once we hit the road, I clicked the button on my helmet.
“You see the tan truck as we left?”
“No.”
“Tan, Chevy, two-door. Keep an eye out.”
“Copy that.” He gave me a thumbs up.
Lightning shot across the sky as we turned into the Wynn parking lot around three-thirty in the morning. We pulled up to the valet and handed the kid our keys. One glance at my cut, and he handed me my ticket. I hated the idea of someone else riding my bike, but I knew the kid would probably roll it into place by how scared he looked.
“You good?” He nodded at me. “Look after it.”
“Of course.”
Inside, Eli was in the lobby waiting for us, dressed like he owned the place. Well, maybe that was because he was the owner’s stepson.
“Nice to see you again,” he greeted us but took note that I wasn’t in the mood to gamble or drink. “Please follow me.”
We headed to the elevators where we joined an older couple. The guy had a tiny poodle thing stuck in his arms that whined when we came closer.
Don’t blame it. The couple shifted closer to the far wall and turned the dog to face away from us.
Once on the thirty-ninth floor, Eli took us to our room. He opened the door and pointed to the table. The place had glass floor to ceiling windows.
“Everything you will need is here.” He pointed to my ID, bank account number, and car keys. “And, of course,” he motioned for me to look, “your pick of clothing.” There was a garment rack thick with outfits for me to try.
I glared at Brick, who had already broken into the fully stocked bar. “Suck it up, Trigger. If you want to get in, you need to play the part.”
“Fuck.” The last time I wore a suit was when I won my last fight. My asshole father scammed a gambler, and I had to play a part in that shit too. Hated every minute of it.
Eli waved around. “The kitchen is stocked, bar is too. You have the room for however long you need.” He stepped closer and rubbed above his lip. “You need help, you know my number. All I ask is keep it out of my hotel.”
“Like you did my club?”
Eli had enemies too and brought them right to the steps of my club. He owed me, and he knew it.
He pressed his hands down his suit uneasily, but before he left, he plastered on a smile and said, “Enjoy.”
Brick set a bottle of whiskey on the counter. “You’ll need this before you go.”
I downed about a quarter before I moved to look out over the Strip. An unexpected memory of Tess drew my head elsewhere.
“Does the name Lily mean anything to you?”
I watched Brick’s reflection in the window, and he went still and hesitated before he answered.
“Tess didn’t have many friends in the house until a girl named Mags arrived. She was from North Carolina and had dreams of being a showgirl. Of course, she got tangled up in some shit and ended up at the house looking for fast cash. Mags and Tess hit it off right away. A few years later, Mags got involved with a client who got her pregnant and then proceeded to beat Mags whenever she didn’t do as she was told. Lily was four when her mother was killed. They said it was a pill overdose in the living room, but now we know it wasn’t.” He sank into a chair. “I hate that Tess had to see that video.”
“Where’s Lily now?” I downed some more whiskey.
“Parents. They’re here now.”
“The boyfriend?”
“He’s around, draining her parents dry. I’m assuming that’s why Tess cuts her paychecks in half, to help them out.”
“Not her problem.” I shrugged.
“It kinda is. Mags left Lily to Tess.”
I turned around as I absorbed that.
“Yeah, but Tess doesn’t want kids. She’s got too much going on inside to raise a child. Besides, Mags’s parents are good people. They wanted to raise her, so Tess agreed. Trouble is they don’t have much money, especially after hiring shitty investigators to look into Mags’s death. Their lawyer was bought off and ran off with their money.”
“Shit luck.”
“Hmm.” He opened a beer and made a nasty face at the taste. “You should see Tess with Lily. They have a bond.”
“I’ll take your word on it.” I didn’t want kids. Never had.
Brick nodded. “You better get ready.”