Blaine (West Norton Boys Series Book 2) Read online

  “Don’t let them get to you,” Mica said next to me. “They’re just assholes who think they have the right to treat us this way because of our jobs.”

  I turned to him, my brows lifted. “So, they look you up and down too?” I gestured to his torso. “Do they try to get a look down your shirt?”

  “Well…no,” he replied, his cheeks flushing. “I just meant that because they’re the customer, they think they’re entitled to behave that way. Just ignore them.”

  I went back to making up the next order. “Just ignore them. Right,” I said, slowly nodding. I snorted. “And it’s so easy to do that when you have men staring at your chest and women making comments on your appearance like it’s their right to tell you how you should look.” I dropped my head back for a second and blew out a long breath. “Then, you have to act like it’s all okay because you’re on this side of the counter. Just smile and nod, then hand them their order and wish them a good day.” I twisted the dial for the steamer, and a loud hiss filled the metal container filled with milk. “Fucking assholes. They wouldn’t be smiling if I was on the other side.”

  Mica called out the order after I placed two takeout cup of cappuccino on the counter. “Sorry. Hey, since you’re a little stressed out, how about we grab a drink after work?”

  I paused with my hand on the coffee machine, staring right ahead for a second. “You know what? That’s not a bad idea. I could do with a couple of shots before I crawl into my bed.”

  Mica’s smile lit up his tan face. “Cool. Donnie’s?”

  “Yes!”

  Donnie’s was a trendy but cheap bar this side of Norton City, and only five minutes from my tiny apartment. Two blocks and I’d be home and in bed, sleeping enough so I could enjoy a little of my well earned day off.

  Just like that, I had a smile on my face and looking forward to something other than hibernating for a while.

  The rest of my shift had gone without another incident, and I put it down to my changed attitude. Well, that or I was too distracted to notice anything. I’d grabbed my purse and slung it over my shoulder, and drove the couple of miles home.

  “Hey, Ella, are you doing anything right now?” I asked into my phone.

  We’d been friends since I’d moved into the area a few years ago. Norton City offered a promise of a new start when Aunt Joan found the premises and opened her coffee shop. There were too many bad memories back home, especially the ones that had forced me on my Aunt in the first place.

  “Not really, just catching up on my soaps,” she replied. “You?”

  I ran my hand over my dark hair, trying to keep the strands from falling onto my freshly mascara-coated eyelashes. “Donnie’s bar with Mica in about a half hour. Wanna join us?” I could hear her moving about, then a door slam.

  “How long do I have?” she asked, and the sounds of her shower muffled her voice slightly.

  “I’ll call a cab to pick you up in twenty. Will you be ready?”

  “Yes!” she replied, excitedly. “Twenty I can do.”

  “Great. See you then.” I hung up and checked my reflection in the mirror once more, then gently patted at the concealer over my dark circles. They weren’t as noticeable, and I just hoped that the dim lights in the bar would hide them further.

  I headed out of my room and across the living room to my kitchen. The open plan was great because it made the small space seem larger than it was. For the rent I paid each month, it wasn’t bad. I could’ve swallowed my pride and just stayed with my aunt, but having a curfew was getting ridiculous.

  I pulled my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans and called the cab company.

  “Alpha cabs, how can I help you?” they answered.

  I recognized the voice of one of my colleagues. “Hey, Ria, it’s Robyn. I need a cab for Ella’s place.”

  I liked her, she was always happy and smiling. She was also the one on shift with me when my mysterious client with the sexy voice had called, and asked me why I was giggling like a high-schooler and flushing bright red.

  “Oh, hey, girl!” she squealed. “I thought you were going to rest after your shift at Joan’s?”

  “Rough day, so I’m going to knock back a couple of drinks before I crash.”

  “I hear ya,” she said, and from her tone, she was probably nodding her agreement. “Anyway, I can see Saul’s close by, so he can get there in ten. Sound good?”

  I checked my cheap shit watch and saw it would be right on time. “That’s great, Ria, thanks. I’ll pay him as soon as he drops her off. I’ll keep watch.”

  “No problem. I’ve put that call through to him, and he’s on his way. Enjoy your day off tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, I will.”

  With a quick swipe of clear gloss over my lips and a last-minute check that I had everything I needed in my black jacket, I headed out.

  Blaine

  “We had a good time, baby, but I have to let you go. It’s not you, it’s me.” I rubbed the center of the steering wheel and polished it a little harder. I had to get her cleaned up and all evidence of me being there gone.

  “Will you stop talking like that?” Nate snapped. “Jesus fucking Christ, Blaine, it’s a damn car.”

  I rolled my eyes and got out. “Go get some, Nate. You’re a fucking asshole when you’re strung up.”

  He raked his hands through his hair in annoyance. “Can we just get this thing gone already? I’ve got shit to do and helping you wasn’t on my agenda.”

  “One more thing before I put the cover on.” I dug into Cecil and pulled out my roll of tape. Wrapping it inside out around my hand, I made a sticky glove to remove any hair or fabric. I wiped, pressed, and pulled up everything I could before I was satisfied, then fitted the thin plastic cover over the driver’s seat. “Ready?”

  Nate got into the car and shut the door, his face stern and his jaw ticking. “Hurry this thing up, okay? I gotta get back.”

  “Dude, keep your pants on, fuck,” I complained. “It’s not like you do this every fucking day.”

  He turned his head and glared at me, his dark eyes burning into me. “Maybe not, Blaine, but don’t you think still pulling this shit after five years is getting old?”

  I gasped, clutching my chest and dropping my mouth wide open for full effect. “How can you say such a thing?” I asked dramatically, holding back my laugh when his face was full of thunder, ready to strike down on me any second. “Come on, Nate, don’t be a boring old fart. I only asked you cos Lucian’s busy with his career, Brady’s there with him and probably banging a cage chick, and Charlie’s out stalking some poor unsuspecting housewife.” I waited for him to say something, but he just turned away and stared out of the windshield. “I could have gone by my—”

  “Fuck you,” he snapped. “You know damn well that never happens. One of us has to be there to watch your back—we always have.”

  Boosting specific models had progressively become a one-man mission, but there were a few times when Charlie would still come along for the ride. I was sure it was because he missed the thrill of it but didn’t want to admit that to himself or the others. Brady was usually busy arranging fights or monitoring the training.

  I let my triumphant grin spread across my face. “You do love me. Aw, Nate, you’re such a swell guy.” I batted my eyes, then started the engine when I’d definitely gone too far. “Come on, darlin’, let’s get your sweet ass home.”

  “Can we just go?”

  I glanced at my grumpy ass friend and smirked. “Why the rush? What do you have to get back for?”

  Nate rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. “You know what, now just fucking drive.”

  “Ah, yeah, Claire. Give her a kiss from me when you see her.”

  He looked out of the corner of his narrowed eyes at me. “Yeah,” he said cautiously. “Now let’s get rid of this ride before someone wonders why two dudes are sitting in a car together in a driveway.”

  I laughed, then started the engine. “Worr
ied someone will think you’re my lover?” I asked, pumping my eyebrows. Nate’s hand flew toward me, connecting with my right shoulder. “Ow!”

  “Just fucking drive.”

  “Ok, babe. Whatever you say.” I moved out of the way just in time for his hand to smack the side of the seat.

  “I swear to fucking God…”

  “Chill your balls,” I said, checking my watch and then backing out of the driveway of the empty house. “It’s go time.”

  The abandoned warehouses were the best place to dump my ride, but as I’d overused that play over the years, a new destination was in order—a place we remembered well but never spoke about together since Lucian had almost been murdered.

  “Here we are,” I said, pulling up behind the rubble where the south wall still stood. “I’ll be a minute.”

  Nate got out of the car and started to walk away, his hands in his pockets and his head down. “Be quicker.”

  “Sure thing.” I popped the hood, re-enabled the tracker, and slammed her shut. Next, I removed my plate and screwed hers back in place. “Done.” I jogged to catch up with Nate while removing my gloves. I shoved them in my pocket. “Something on your mind?”

  “Nope,” he replied. “Nothing other than wanting to get away from this fucking place.”

  I studied him for a second, noticing his shoulders bunching. He still hadn’t forgiven me for what I’d done five years ago, and what I was still doing—to all of them. There was nothing I could do to change his mind because all he saw was the asshole who’d turned all of our worlds upside down.

  There was no getting away from it, but I’d owned up to the part I played in the whole cluster fuck that was our lives. It seemed cool at first, sure, but the longer it went on, the more we understood just how fucking stupid we’d all been to ever let ourselves get dragged further into that mess.

  Yet here I was, still living that life when the others had tried to put it behind them and move on. I couldn’t tell them just how deep I’d gotten in, had always been in, because the last thing I wanted was for them to try to help. There was no fucking way I could ever do that again.

  Chapter 2

  Robyn

  “I am never drinking again,” I groaned. I lifted my delicate head to check the time, then dropped back down when I saw I’d spent the better part of the morning sleeping off a monster hangover. “Fucking Mica.” He was the one who’d suggested it in the first place.

  Ella was no better. She’d insisted I let my hair down, whatever she meant by that I didn’t know because we weren’t out at a party. We were at a bar that sold cheap drinks and where people would usually go for a prelude to their night out, or the last place before heading home. I’d wanted to stop at drink number three, but when Ella had brought a tray of shots to our table, I’d insisted that was it. Well, it wasn’t it, because a couple of shots turned into another, then a round of beers, followed by two for the road. The last thing I knew we were being kicked out for closing time.

  My unsteady legs could barely carry me the couple of blocks home, and I’d practically used the buildings as a crutch to get me there, my nails clinging onto the bricks to keep me from falling on my ass. I was so wasted it was a wonder I hadn’t been knocked down by the speeding cars on the way. I snorted at the image. It’d be just my luck to get killed by the very thing I’d lived for.

  I picked up my phone and checked the screen. Mica had sent me a message and Ella had too. I swiped the screen to open them.

  ‘Hey. I wanna say I like you. I’m too drunk to tell you in person, but I fucking like you a lot. Thank you, autocorrect.’

  Mica could say some shit when he was wasted. Declaring his love for me among others was one of his things. The upside was that at least he wasn’t the kind of guy to try to get himself into a fight after a few beers. I’d seen my fair share of those things, and most of the time, the guys weren’t anywhere close to being tipsy. Just all around assholes.

  I read Ella’s message.

  ‘Mica keeps telling me that he’s going to ask you out. Please put the guy out of his misery, okay?’

  Oh fuck, he was serious?

  I was so glad I didn’t have to go to work; facing him would be so damn awkward. I had to see him out of the coffee shop, too, but that was only for a few minutes at a time before we headed our separate ways, and that’s how I liked it. He was a friend—a work friend—and that was the only way I was interested in him.

  I had to reply to Mica. If what he said was true, then I couldn’t just ignore him. That would make our next shift together uncomfortable, to say the least. It was already a tight squeeze behind the counter, and with the air thickened with tension, it would be suffocating.

  I blew out a breath and typed out my reply.

  ‘I like you too, dude. You’re a great friend and work buddy. I’ll see you on shift.’

  I groaned at how I’d worded it, but through my pounding head, I couldn’t think of anything more subtle to let him down. I replied to Ella next.

  ‘I’ve replied. You know how Mica gets when he’s wasted.’

  My phone beeped a couple of seconds after me sending the message, and my stomach churned, but not from the alcohol that had poisoned my system. I held my breath, slowly lifted my phone, and sighed in relief when I saw it was Ella.

  ‘Well, he said he thought you two were on a date.’

  “You gotta be fucking kidding me!” I snapped, then hissed as my words beat the living hell out of my skull. “No damn date, jeez.”

  ‘I don’t know why he would think that, but a couple of drinks after work is not a date.’

  I stupidly shook my head then pressed Ellas’s name to call her. “Hey,” I croaked, my throat drier than I thought. I threw back my covers and swung my legs out of my bed. “What the hell did Mica say to you?”

  “Good morning to you!” Ella chirped, not sounding affected at all.

  “How the hell are you so happy?” I complained. “My head feels like it got repeatedly kicked by a giant wearing steel-capped boots.”

  “Are you kidding? I’ve been up for an hour puking my guts out. I took some Advil and drank a glass of water.”

  “Hmm,” I grumbled. I walked out of my room and over to my kitchen to do the same, reminding myself to brush my teeth right after. “So, what the hell was he saying?”

  “He likes you, Robyn,” she replied on a breath. “When you went to the bathroom, I asked him what was wrong because he didn’t look happy. He told me that he thought you two were on a date, but I showed up.”

  “Not at all.”

  “Yeah, I read your message. Well, he sure seemed to think so. After a few drinks, he said he liked you a lot and that he was going to make it clearer next time.”

  “Oh, fuck, why?” I whined. “I’ve never given him any reason to think I liked him that way.”

  “You don’t need to,” she said, and I swallowed my pills and washed them down with cold water when she continued. “Mica's just let you know how he feels about you. I think you agreeing to go for drinks last night gave him hope that you liked him back.”

  “No,” I replied. I put my glass in the sink and opened my fridge. My stomach rolled at the thought of eating anything at all, the acidic taste rising to my throat making me retch. I placed my hand over the swirling area. “Not like that, anyway. We’ve been out for drinks lots of times. Why would he think…” I trailed off as it became as clear as fucking day. The sun might as well have been beaming right into my eyes, shining the light on the answer and slapping me with it to make sure it sunk in. “I never said I was asking you to come.” I rubbed over my eyes and groaned. “He thought just the two of us were going when I never mentioned you—I’ve always told him in the past.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably it,” Ella said, her voice low and sympathetic. “So, what are you going to do? Are you going to say anything to him about it?”

  “No,” I rushed out. “I’m going to act as though I have no idea, and don’t tell him y
ou told me anything, either. I’ll try to act like everything’s the same because if Aunt Joan thinks something’s going on, she’ll play matchmaker.

  Joan loved Mica. She couldn’t praise him enough, saying he was a good guy, sweet, honest, and that he was one of the best employees she’d ever had. I felt like it was me that was the disappointment. I was her only niece, and I’d never conformed to society’s standards of how a woman should be. I spoke my mind, I didn’t take crap, and no matter how many times Joan had mentioned that I should find myself a ‘nice young man,’ I was perfectly happy just the way I was.

  That was a damn joke in itself. I was miserable until I got behind the wheel and heard the growl of the engine, the eager bite of the clutch as I lifted my foot the tiniest bit, and the adrenaline surging through me as I sped off, taking the turns at speeds that would make a grown man hurl all over himself. That was when I was happy, that was when I felt alive, and that was when I was free.

  “You still there?” Ella asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  “Yeah, sorry, I just drifted off for a second.” I smiled at my words, imagining drifting in a different way. I stood from the counter and headed back to my bedroom. “I think I’m gonna go back to bed for another hour to let these painkillers kick in,” I said, climbing into my still warm bed and pulling the covers over my bare legs. I straightened my gray tank and fixed the crooked waist of my navy boy-shorts. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Sleep well, and enjoy your day off.”

  We ended the call, and I rested my head back, then closed my eyes. The pulsating behind my lids hadn’t subsided, and with Mica’s admission and Ella’s passed on information, the pain had risen to new levels.

  “Why did this have to happen today?” I asked nobody while dragging my peach cover over my head. “One day. Just one day to relax before the shit starts all over again.”

  Blaine