IRIS
He has absolutely nothing in this kitchen to eat. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the guy lived on leftover pizza and beer, because that’s all I see in his entire place that’s edible.
“Mornin’,” Ace says as he comes from the back hallway, stretching and wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer-briefs.
I smile as I appreciate the view of his toned body and bite my lower lip. Everything about the guy is absolutely delicious—his hair, his breathtaking eyes, heart-stopping smile, and that sexy V that cuts in his hips just below his ripped abs. God absolutely smashed the mold when he made him.
“Hey. I hope you don’t mind. I was looking for something to fix us for breakfast, but all you seem to have in here are old leftovers.”
He shakes his head and a lock of his bronze hair falls into his eye. I brush it away as he wraps his arms around me. “Your hair is getting longer. Do you think it’s time to cut it again so you stay incognito?”
He sighs. “It does need a trim. Maybe I’ll do that today while you’re at work. Do you happen to have any scissors I can borrow?”
“Of course. Come on, get dressed. Let’s go to my place so I can feed you, and I’ll get you those scissors.”
It takes forever for us to get dressed because we can’t stop touching, kissing, and fondling each other, but I guess that’s what two people in love do when they can’t get enough of each other.
A weird calm fills the air as we finally make it outside—a feeling like everything is about to change.
The moment we round the corner, I spot the door of my trailer wide open. A chill runs down my spine. Without waiting for Ace, I break into full speed, running toward the doorway. I place my foot on the first step of my porch, and before I can climb up, Ace grabs the back of my coat, effectively yanking me back and not allowing me inside.
“I’ll go first. Whoever did this could still be in there,” Ace orders firmly and then steps between me and the door. “Stay put.”
I open my mouth to protest, but the warning flashing in Ace’s eyes tells me that this isn’t up for negotiation. “Fine, but please hurry. I have to know what’s missing.”
After a quick peck on my forehead, Ace leaves me and then heads inside. “Jesus,” he mutters as he steps inside.
“What? How bad is it?” I question while lingering outside the door as my heart leaps into my throat.
The sound of things toppling over pushes my patience to the brink and I can no longer contain myself from going inside to assess the damage.
I fly up the two wooden steps onto my tiny porch and then make my way inside. My heart drops to my feet as soon as my eyes roam over the scene before me, and I suck in a quick breath. It looks like a tornado went through the place. There’s stuff everywhere. The couch has been flipped forward, resting on its front, along with Gran’s favorite recliner, which has been pushed over and ripped down the back like someone took a knife and sliced through the fabric.
I shove my hands into my hair, pushing it off my forehead. I spin around, surveying the damage, and then turn to stone. “No. No. No.”
“What?” Ace asks as he notices my stare fixed on the open freezer door in the kitchen. “Iris?”
I run over, stepping on the half-thawed food boxes that’ve been thrown down on the kitchen floor. The freezer is completely empty. My hands shake as I immediately drop to my knees, searching frantically for a sandwich baggie that was filled with all the money I had earned from tips since I started at Angel’s a month ago.
This isn’t happening to me!
Clear plastic pokes out from under one of the boxes, and I grab it and find myself staring at an empty bag. My heart immediately drops to my stomach, and tears burn before they begin falling down my cheeks. A scream tears from my throat. I push all of my anger into it, making it so loud that I’m sure the entire trailer park is wide-awake now.
“Iris?” Ace bends down next to me, concern filling his voice. “What is it?”
“It’s gone,” I’m barely able to whisper through my sobs. “All of it—the money I’ve been saving for the taxes. It’s all gone.”
Ace rubs his forehead and closes his eyes. “You kept it all here?”
I cry harder at my own stupidity, for trusting that the money would be safe here if I hid it. “I switched banks when I moved to New York, and the closest Wells Fargo bank is in Columbus, so I didn’t make the drive to deposit it. My check from Angel’s is direct deposit, so I never had to worry about that.”
“Did you tell anyone that you had that money in there?” he asks.
I shake my head as I wipe my face with the back of my hand. “No. No one. I can’t think of anyone—”
I cut myself off before I can finish that statement, because someone instantly pops into the forefront of my mind. The same guy who gave us problems last night and saw us go into Ace’s trailer. Jeremy knew I wasn’t here last night and used that knowledge to rob me blind.
Ace’s nostrils flare and his jaw muscle flexes beneath his skin. “I’m going to kill that motherfucker.”
He begins to stand, but I grab his wrist, keeping him kneeling on the floor next to me. “No. Ace. Don’t risk it. It’s not worth it.”
Anger burns in Ace’s eyes as he cradles my face in his hands and locks his gaze with mine. “No one is going to hurt you, Iris. No one. I’m getting your money back.”
He crushes his lips to mine before standing so quick that I don’t have a chance to grab him again to make him stay.
“Ace!” I yell as he whips out the door.
I scramble to my feet to chase after him, but he’s already in a full sprint and nearly at Jeremy’s door already. I call his name again, but he doesn’t turn around. He’s too pissed and is focused on righting the wrong that’s been done to me.
A thunderous crack sounds across the graveled lot of the trailer park and I watch in complete horror as Ace kicks open Jeremy’s door and rushes inside.
“What the fuck—” Jeremy shouts, but he doesn’t get to finish his sentence before there’s a booming crash inside.
My legs pump faster, burning with each step, as the need to stop Ace from doing something crazy overwhelms me.
I make it to the door of Jeremy’s trailer in time to see Ace on top of Jeremy and landing a hard right to his face. I cringe as Jeremy’s head snaps left.
“Where is it? Where’s the money?” Ace screams in his face.
Ace yanks Jeremy up, expecting an answer, but a sharklike smile stained with blood fills Jeremy’s face. “You’ll never get it. That money’s long gone.”
Ace opens his mouth to say something else, but Jeremy spits and it lands under Ace’s right eye, causing Ace to go into a frenzy. He lands blow after blow onto Jeremy’s face as I stand there completely frozen with fear.
Jeremy’s body goes limp under Ace, but he doesn’t stop. No longer am I worried about the media finding him, but what will happen to him once the police get involved with this.
Blind rage overtakes Ace, and he doesn’t show any signs of regaining control of himself without someone intervening. It’s like he can’t see that Jeremy’s had enough, so I scream. “Ace! Stop! You’ll kill him!”
I’m scared out of my mind because of the sheer intensity of the situation. I’ve never seen anyone lose it like that before, and it makes me think twice about taking off with Ace somewhere. This is the second time I’ve seen him go after Jeremy. It’s clear that Ace isn’t afraid to unleash his wrath on someone who angers him. This really drives it home that we haven’t known each other that long. Love is blinding, so I’ve allowed myself to overlook that fact.
Suddenly, I find myself at a crossroad. The time has come to leave everything behind and run away with him, but I’m not sure I can do it like I promised. I wish I had more time to get to know him before I am forced into making a choice.
At the sound of my words, Ace stops his drawn-back fist from coming down yet again, his breathing erratic as he stares down at the unconscious man below him.
I rush to Ace’s side and grab his arm, doing my best to hold him back. “He’s not worth it.”
Ace’s viselike grip loosens and he allows Jeremy’s limp body to fall to the dirty trailer floor. Ace turns to me with wide eyes and a panicked expression after he realizes the reality of what he’s just done. He stares up at me. “What have I done?”
I’m not sure if he’s looking for me to actually answer as he processes the situation for himself. Ace stands and stares up at the ceiling like he’s trying to wrap his head around what’s happened while he keeps repeating the word no over and over.
I reach down and press two fingers to Jeremy’s throat. “He’s still breathing, but he’s in bad shape. He’s going to need—”
Sirens scream in the far-off distance, causing the blood in my veins to run ice-cold. If Ace gets caught . . . I shake my head, not even wanting to think about it if that happens.
I stare up at Ace’s conflicted face and press my lips to his. “Go.”
His brow furrows as he stands over me. “Iris, I can’t leave you.”
“If you don’t go now, things are going to get so much worse for you. You have to get out of here and let me handle this. You have to go before . . .” I find myself getting choked up as I implore the man I desperately love to leave me. “Just, please, Ace. Go.”
“Iris . . . I won’t—”
“Go!” I shout again.
He shakes his head. “No! Not without you.”
“Get out of here!” I can see now that he’s not going to listen to me, so I stand up and shove my hands into his chest as hard as I can. “Leave!”
He furrows his brow. “Why are you doing this? Don’t push me away.”
It’s in that moment I do something I instantly wish I can take back. I lie. I lie to protect him in the only way I know that will convince him to leave me.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath to harden my face before redirecting my gaze on him. “I’m not going with you, Ace. I don’t even really know you.”
Hurt etches into his beautiful features, and it pains me to know that I’m causing him pain, but I know I need to do this for his own good.
“But you promised,” he whispers.
“How can I ever trust that you won’t lash out at me? You’ve obviously got issues. I can’t give up my life for someone that I don’t trust not to take their anger out on me someday.” Tears run down my cheeks as I know the words I’m telling him are cutting like a knife, but it’s the only way I know that will make him leave—that will ultimately keep him safe for now. I can’t bear the thought of him being hauled out of here in handcuffs.
“Iris . . . this looks bad, I know, but I would never . . .” He swallows and closes his eyes like it hurts too much to even look at me. “I would never hurt you.”
I take a deep breath, fighting back the urge to break down and say to hell with everything and run away with him anyway. I don’t want to hurt him, but what choice do I have?
I square my shoulders and stare into his eyes. “I don’t want to be with you.”
He pauses for a beat and tears run down his face. “This changes things,” he whispers. “If you don’t want me, I’ll go. I’ll leave you like you’re asking, but just remember, you did this. You tore us apart. I never wanted to be without you, and I would take my own life before I laid a finger on you. I don’t know how you would believe I would do anything to you other than give you the world.”
I choke back a sob and force a stern face, fearing if he doesn’t go soon, I won’t be able to pretend like this isn’t absolutely gutting me. “Go!”
Ace doesn’t immediately run off like I expect. Instead he leans in and kisses my forehead and murmurs, “I’ll love you forever.”
Then he turns his back to me and runs out the door, not giving me a chance to break down and beg him to stay.
The engine of his bike roars to life moments later, and I close my eyes, knowing that the man I love has just ridden out of my life as quickly as he came into it.
I collapse onto the floor, tears streaming freely as the realization hits me that I might not ever see Ace again after this. I don’t want this to be the end of us. One day, I’ll have to find him and explain—beg for his forgiveness for the hurtful lies I told him in order to keep him safe.
When the cops show up I’m curled into a ball, sobbing, next to a still-breathing but unconscious Jeremy. I didn’t have the strength to move as my heart shattered into a million pieces.
“Miss? Miss, are you hurt?” I blink slowly a few times and then turn my gaze up at the young, dark-haired police officer leaning over me. “Can you tell me who did this to you?”
“Easy there,” he says as I push myself up onto my elbow, and the officer places his hands on my shoulders, like I’m a broken flower.
“Tell me, miss, who did this, so we can go after them,” he says again, but I shake my head, causing him to furrow his brow. “You don’t know who did it?”
Jeremy’s groan behind me pulls my attention to where the paramedics have somehow revived him and are busying themselves with checking him over.
“Where is that fucker?” Jeremy mumbles, and I cringe, knowing immediately that he obviously didn’t get hit hard enough to forget that Ace was here.
The cop turns his attention away from me to Jeremy. “Who did this to you, sir?”
“That asshole, Ace. He lives in the trailer next to the office. He broke in here and attacked me.”
The cop writes down some information on a notepad. “Do you know his last name?”
“Fuck no,” Jeremy mutters as the medic helps him sit up before cleaning the lacerations above his eye.
I let out a breath slowly, relieved that at least he doesn’t know Ace’s last name, and just as I think we’re in the clear of Ace getting out of this situation without being named, Jeremy’s green eyes lock on mine and his face contorts in anger.
He points his long, slender finger in my direction. “Ask her his last name. She’s fucking him.”
I gasp just as every pair of eyes snaps onto me.
Oh. Shit.
The young cop who was once so concerned about me now stares at me through narrowed eyes. “Miss, I’m going to need you to come with me. I need to ask you a few questions.”
I reluctantly nod and push myself to my feet and follow the cop out Jeremy’s door. Suddenly it hits me that the best defense is a good offense. I need to try to make this police officer understand that Ace isn’t the monster that Jeremy’s bruised-up face makes him out to be.
Once we are by the car, the officer turns to me. “I’m Officer Rugger. Your name?”
“Iris Easton.”
He writes that down. “Tell me what happened here exactly.”
I swallow hard. “It started a couple of months ago . . .”
I go into great detail about how Jeremy got rough with me a couple of months ago and Ace stepped in to defend me. The officer takes diligent notes of my account as I go on to tell him about Jeremy’s taunting last night and how we discovered my place ransacked this morning.
Officer Rugger raises his eyebrows as he stares down at me. “I’ll need to see your place and question Jeremy about his involvement in the burglary in question. It’s imperative that I locate Ace. I’ll need to confirm your story, and it’s likely that Jeremy Winkler is going to press charges.”
“I . . . um . . .” I hesitate, not wanting to give any information on Ace but knowing that it’s not going to be possible if the cop keeps pressing me.
“His name, Ms. Easton.” The irritated tone in the cop’s voice doesn’t go unnoticed by me.
I don’t like being forced to reveal Ace’s last name. Even though that’s not public information, it’s still not a good idea for me divulge anything that can be traced back to him, but since Johnson isn’t what the public knows him as, it might not stir up any trouble.
I stare up at the young Officer Rugger and sigh. “It’s Ace Johnson.”
He stops writing. “He’s not by chance the same Ace Johnson who’s also known as Ace White, is he? The press wasn’t privy to the star’s real name, but it was told confidentially to the officers in Columbus and surrounding areas.”
I raise my brow. I thought no one knew his name. Ace has no clue about this, I’m sure. He needs to know. As soon as all these people clear out, I’ll call him and let him know, even though I’m sure I’m the last person he wants to talk to, considering what I just said to him.
I debate lying to the cop if it would give Ace more time to get away, but ultimately decide against it because I don’t want to end up in jail for not complying with the law.
I nod and Officer Rugger’s mouth drops open while his eyes grow wide and he reaches for the radio on his shoulder, clicking the button to call in to the police station. “Base, do you copy? This is Rugger. I have a possible sighting of the missing person Ace Johnson, aka Ace White.”
There’s silence on the radio, and then the female dispatcher confirms the information that Officer Rugger just gave her.
The officer surveys the trailer park and then returns his gaze to me. “This is a pretty good place to hide out—no cable. No Internet. He couldn’t have picked a place more back in time on modernization. No wonder he came here.” He shakes his head before refocusing on me. “Ready to show me your place?”
I spend the next few hours going over again the story of how I met Ace and what occurred last night, leading to the fight today. Somehow the news of Ace being here leaks to the press and reporters swarm the trailer park almost immediately.
After the cops leave, the reporters stay put, surrounding my place and Ace’s, yelling my name and asking questions every time I open the front door. I pace back and forth inside my trailer, scared out of my mind that I’ve just managed to make things much worse for Ace by verifying his last known residence. This is exactly what he was afraid would happen.
I stare out my kitchen window and laugh when I see one of the reporters knock on Adele’s door only to get beaten when a broom-wielding Adele answers, shooing them off her property. She’s obviously not talking.
Wish I could say the same about all the other neighbors.
Reporters line the gravel street that stretches down the middle of the trailer park, separating the trailers into two neat rows. All of the camera crews flood into the road, talking to any residents in the park willing to dish out a little dirt.
A persistent knock on my front door catches my attention, and I do my best to ignore it, but this person refuses to give up.
Angry with the way they keep trying to intrude into my personal life, I rush over to the door and yank it open. “What?”
“Jesus, Iris. Chill.” Birdie holds her hands up.
I reach out, grab her jacket, and yank her inside. “Get in here.”
I slam the door behind her and then lean against it, closing my eyes, wishing this nightmare was over and life would return to the way it was a couple of weeks ago. Before all this madness came down on us—back when Ace was blissfully hiding from the rest of the world here with me.
It hits me then that this is the madness that Ace was trying so hard to protect me from. He knew this was going to be bad. He knew it would be just like this.
“What the hell happened here?” Birdie asks, glancing around my trashed trailer. “Were you robbed?”
I nod. “Ace thinks Jeremy did it.”
Birdie raises her hand to her face. “Oh. My. God. Did Ace kill Jeremy? Is that why all the reporters are here?”
I roll my eyes. “No, but he did beat him up pretty good. They hauled Jeremy off in an ambulance, but he seemed fine, if you ask me. He went out of his place cussing up a storm, yelling to anyone who would listen that he was going to sue Ace’s ass.”
She furrows her brow. “That’s it? Why all the reporters then for a fight?”
I sigh. “I might as well tell you now. The secret’s out.”
“What secret?” She tilts her head, making her blond hair fall to one side.
“Ace . . . he’s . . . well . . . you know that missing rock star the world seems to be searching for?”
“Yeah . . . Iris, I’m confused.”
“Ace is the missing rock star,” I blurt out.
Her dark brown eyes widen. “Wait a minute. You’re telling me that Ace is Ace White of Wicked White?” I nod and Birdie squeals. “Are you sure? How long have you known?”
“Whoa.” I laugh. “Slow down.”
“I can’t help it,” she retorts excitedly. “It’s not every day that your best friend dates a rock star who’s been in hiding from the entire world in her trailer. I mean, it sucks that all the reporters are here, but it’s an amazing situation.”
So we sit down at my kitchen table and I tell her . . . everything. It feels good to finally be able to tell someone just how much I love Ace and what he means to me. I would like to believe that this will be just a small road bump for us, but honestly, after how I just treated him, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ace hates me.
I know lying about not trusting him enough to leave with him had hurt him, but I did it to save him from this chaos, since he wasn’t ready to be found yet.
“That day at Angel’s—with Melody—she’s the anonymous tipster, isn’t she?” Birdie asks.
I nod. “Yeah. I’m almost positive it was her.”
“Do you think she did it because she wanted the reward money?”
“What reason would she have other than that?” I ask. “She really didn’t stand to gain anything else.”
“That’s fucked up,” she says, and then she pauses for a beat. “Besides all that . . . how was the sex with Ace?” A fierce blush floods my cheeks, causing her to giggle. “That good, huh?”
I nod. “It was . . . gah! Amazing. I mean, he’s so romantic, and he actually loves to quote Shakespeare.”
My mind drifts off to what the good times with Ace were like. A weight settles over my heart and presses down at the thought that I may never have those with him again.
Birdie rests her chin in her hand as she stares at me with a huge grin on her face. “He actually quotes Shakespeare?” I blush and nod. “Wow. He’s like the perfect man for you, Iris. He’s all artsy and deep and shit. Kind of makes me feel bad for believing he was some outlaw serial killer.” She sighs and there’s an odd flicker of sadness in her eyes. “What are you two going to do now?”
I lean back in my chair. “I hurt him bad, Birdie. He’s not going to forgive me easily. And to make matters worse, I have no clue where he is or how to even start looking for him. I don’t know if I’m ever going to get the chance to apologize.”
Birdie stretches her arm across the table and takes my hand. “When things cool down, he’ll come back for you. He’ll come to his senses eventually and realize that you said what you did to save him.”
I give her hand a squeeze. “I hope so.”