Текст книги "Beautiful Addictions"
Автор книги: Season Vining
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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 17 страниц)
10. Perigee
Point in the moon’s orbit where it is closest to Earth.
The night air was cool as Alex made his way to the Darkroom. When the sign came into view, he wished that he’d done research on what kind of place it was. He suddenly felt like a roughneck among suits. Not that it mattered. He was on a mission. He knew what he was doing was going to sound cliché and dramatic, but he just couldn’t help himself.
Ignoring the incredulous looks, Alex took a seat at the bar and waited for Tristan. A blond waitress placed her tray on the bar and sighed. As Tristan filled her drink orders, Alex was momentarily distracted by the way her ass moved beneath her skirt.
“What can I get you?” Tristan asked.
“I’m not here for a drink,” Alex answered.
“Well, you’re parked at my bar, so I say you are. How about a light and fruity cocktail?”
The two men eyed each other in an unspoken standoff.
“Nah, man. Shout out to my homeland with a Dos Equis,” Alex ordered.
Tristan opened the bottle and set it on the pristine bar.
“Actually, Dos Equis was started by a German man who immigrated to Mexico.”
“Whatever, man.”
Alex took a few bills from his pocket and laid them on the bar. Tristan slid the money back to Alex.
“On the house.”
“Look, I came here to talk to you without Jo around. She’d be pissed if she knew.”
“So I guess this is the part where you tell me to stay away from her. I’m not good enough, right?”
“Nah. Neither one of you assholes would listen. I’ll make it simple, Don Perfecto. I know you care, but this girl’s got issues.”
“I don’t need your advice on how to handle her issues.”
“If you hurt her, I’ll come after you,” Alex threatened.
“Ah, the ‘I’ll kill you’ speech. I judged the approach all wrong. Consider me warned.”
“I’m serious. I took care of her before you showed up,” Alex said, raising his eyebrows to insinuate more than he would dare say.
“I’m sure you did,” Tristan bit out between clenched teeth.
“I’ll be there long after you’re gone, vato.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Tristan sneered.
“I can afford to have you killed.”
“Get in line.” A stiff air sat between them, electrically charged with passion and intended warnings. “I would never hurt her. Thanks for stopping by.”
Just like that, Alex had been dismissed. Tristan walked to the other end of the bar and, with his mask of a smile in place, began filling orders again.
Satisfied his message had been delivered, Alex threw a few bills on the bar and left his untouched beer where it sat. By the time he made it back home, Alex was exhausted. He settled in bed with SportsCenter on the television and drifted off to sleep.
Hours later, Alex woke to the sound of screaming. He sprang from the comfort of twelve-hundred-thread-count sheets, ready for confrontation. Within seconds of his feet hitting the floor, his pistol slid from the nightstand into his familiar grip. Soon he realized the sound was just Mrs. Thompson yelling at her cat again. He laughed and crawled back into bed, settling his Beretta back into its home.
Sleep escaped Alex as he lay in bed. His mind worked to piece together the coming day. There was a delivery to pick up, which would need to be inventoried and distributed. One of the downsides of being a one-man operation is that he had to play the roles of CEO, Sales, and Accounting. Job responsibilities kept him busy for much of the day. After lunch, he’d head down to Chula Vista to take care of a debt. He let no one take advantage of his generous nature. Alex would be paid. One day, these punk kids would learn that he was not to be fucked with.
Alex wasn’t sure how he landed in the game he played so well. It seemed to be a path carved out for him since birth. He was a thug now, a true-to-life dealer. Most transactions were with the rich kids of Bankers Hill, the middle-aged uptowners, and the queers in Hillcrest. Though his mother wished for a better life for her children, it was hard to provide that with no male role model in the house. His father sold drugs and his oldest brother did too. They’d both paid the price. His brother was killed for the contents of his wallet and a dime bag while his father was incarcerated for most of Alex’s childhood. When he was released, he tried to teach the boy about being a man. He showed him how to fire a gun, how to outsmart the streets, and how to keep women in their place. The lessons had not been lost on an impressionable boy.
For as long as he could remember, Alex had had the same basic priorities in life: wealth, power, and pussy. Not necessarily in that order. He’d accumulated a hefty savings, a sizable collection of drug and blood money washed clean of its sins and folded neatly in an uptown bank. Power had always come easy to him, his hulking size and self-appointed authority ensured that. Pussy was a whole different story.
Alex rolled over and huffed. He was pissed that the old lady had disturbed him from his sleep and, consequently, a hot dream involving twins. It had been two weeks since he’d gotten laid, but what worried him the most is that he didn’t even care. Sex was usually just a means to an end. Call up one of his regulars, drill her until she was speechless, and leave before her head hit the pillow. His skills soon pushed cringeworthy words and phrases from the lips of satiated women. Date, dinner, boyfriend. When the girls became too attached, he would attack their vulnerable side and, when needing the big guns, insult their sexual prowess.
Relationships were unheard of in his business. Trusting someone enough to hold your secrets and know your innermost thoughts was not practical. Alex was happy where he was, alone with his fifty-inch flat-screen television, free weights, and imported beer. At least that’s what he told himself.
It took seeing Tristan and Josie together to force him to face the truth of his loneliness. Alex had never seen such substantial love between two people. Every time Tristan looked at the girl, Alex burned with such jealousy that he couldn’t be in their presence for long. It wasn’t that he had developed feelings for his neighbor; he was simply resentful of their connection. Jealous of what he hadn’t even known he wanted. For the first time in his life, what Alex coveted couldn’t be bought or sold, no matter the amount of wealth, power, or pussy he possessed.
* * *
Josie woke feeling better than she could ever remember. There was a crackling electricity in the air, a heat radiating from within her own body. Her lips still tingled with the memory of Tristan’s teeth scraping against them. Her body still burned where his hands had gripped so tightly. The midday sun greeted her through the window, doing a shadowless rainbow dance across her legs. She felt unfamiliar, like a stranger was living inside her. Something was different, not bad, but different. Her hands slid up her body, over her stomach and eventually up to her face, where she found the distinction immediately. She’d woken up with a smile.
While still a creature of habit, Josie recently found herself deviating from her norm more and more. She’d been sketching less, the faces no longer calling out to be recorded. She hadn’t been out tagging in a while. While she loved the cloak of night, the whooshing sound of paint, and the vibrant images she left behind, she didn’t need it like she used to.
She now made eye contact with strangers and waved at her deranged old neighbor, Mrs. Thompson, when passing at the mailboxes. She still visited Gavin, though less frequently. She felt herself disconnecting from her old life and clinging to something new. Alex still came by, bringing food and staying until she ate. She found comfort in his protectiveness and longed to thank him, but she could not imagine anything appropriate.
It had been three days since Tristan and Josie’s date, but already she grew nervous at the separation. The air was harder to process in his absence. The lights seemed dimmer and the emptiness made her queasy. If Tristan wasn’t within the paper-thin walls of her apartment, she didn’t want to be there either. She questioned if it was healthy to feel this attached to someone so quickly. She decided she didn’t care.
For hours at a time, she would sit on the bare mattress of her bedroom and stare at the pencil-drawn faces before her. There were so many versions of Tristan, each so detailed and true to life. Josie wondered how she’d ever forgotten him.
Her mother had the kindest smile, just like Josie imagined every mother should. Warm eyes stared back, the roughly drawn charcoal lines doing nothing to diminish her softness. Tristan had described Josie’s mother as a fun free spirit who cared deeply for her family. She had died in a car accident a year before they moved away.
Her father was handsome, but his eyes seemed to reflect worry and sadness in every drawing. Perhaps her only memory of Earl had been after her mother’s passing. She wanted, so badly, to remember what his hugs felt like or the timbre of his voice.
Tristan’s parents were represented on her wall of memories as well. His mother, Bitsy, and father, Daniel, were such beautiful people. It was easy to see how Tristan had turned out so stunning. There was anger and sadness in his voice when he spoke of them, but Josie knew he missed them. From what he’d told her, they were good people who had only wanted the best for their son. As outsiders, they were able to see the poisonous future that lay ahead with Fiona and had tried to warn him against it.
The sun was setting on another day, and as the fiery glow flooded her apartment, she thought of endings and beginnings. Josie recognized the need she had for Tristan, the need to end her aimless wandering through life and begin again with him. Fear ate away at her, making her feel undeserving of such notions.
Josie wanted to call Tristan and ask him to come over, but she didn’t want to scare him off by being too clingy. She suddenly hated being alone. Before he had come along, when Josie got this feeling, she would go out and find someone to bed. It was always easy on her end, a tiny flirt, a lingering gaze, and they’d be putty in her hands. All she wanted was a warm bed and protective arms around her. Orgasms and various drugs had just been a bonus.
This wasn’t an option anymore. She didn’t want just any arms around her, she wanted his strong inked arms. She wanted to devour and consume him. She wanted to exist for Tristan and only Tristan.
Resigning herself to a night of tagging, she threw on Tristan’s hoodie, grabbed her bag, and tied a bandanna around her neck. It wasn’t a fashion statement, it worked for covering her face while writing. She was searching the apartment for her shoes when a knock sounded at the door.
Running across her apartment, her socked feet having trouble gaining traction against the hardwood, she skidded to a stop and threw the door open. The relief at seeing Tristan standing there was more than she could handle. Josie leaned against the doorframe to keep herself upright.
“Don’t ever just open your door like that, Josie. At least fucking ask who it is first,” he grumbled at her.
Her face fell as his harsh words struck her with the force of fists. Tristan barreled into the apartment, slamming the door behind him and locking it up. He threw himself down on her sofa, crushing random sketches beneath his feet with no regard.
“Thirty-eight percent of assaults and sixty fucking percent of rapes happen in the home. Do you want to be another statistic? I can’t stand the thought of you being measured using some goddamned algorithm compared to a set of data on the San Diego crime rate scale.”
Unsure what to do with herself, Josie approached him carefully. She’d dealt with irate people too many times to count and considered herself schooled in the ways of diversion. Not so long ago, in a house that she’d been forced to call home, it had been a way of life. She’d become an expert at dissolving hostile situations with minimal damage.
For some reason, she was clueless about what to do with Tristan. He had never spoken to her so harshly before. Tristan scrubbed at his face, taking a deep breath and blowing it out slowly. Josie thought he looked like he needed a cigarette. She cursed the fact that she didn’t have any. So she gave him all that she did have.
Crawling into Tristan’s lap, Josie straddled his legs. She took his worried face between her hands and looked deep into his eyes. She placed herself at his mercy, wanting so badly to decipher his thoughts, to ease his mind.
“What’s wrong? What did I do?” she whispered.
Tristan shook his head, disgusted with himself. His careless actions had made her feel like she’d committed some sort of crime. Her words only fueled his anger, creating a desire to punish himself for his ill manners. Tristan needed to make her understand just how much she meant to him. He needed to make her see that the girl from his past and the girl before him now owned his heart. She always had. His temper had gotten the best of him and he’d misdirected it at the one person who would never deserve it.
“Nothing, Josie. You did nothing. I’m just an ass. I’m having a bad day,” he answered, placing a kiss on her forehead.
Tristan leaned back against the cushions and closed his eyes, trying to calm his overactive mind. His heart raced at her nearness, the warmth of her body on top of his. His mind was staggered with thoughts of approaching danger and impossible choices. A treacherous situation had been presented, and for now, he could see no way out.
“Let me make it better.”
Her nimble fingers worked quickly, skillfully unlatching his belt buckle. When it was pulled free, she popped open each button of his fly. Slowly, with purpose, she traced the length of him.
“Josie, you … you don’t have to,” he stuttered before being distracted by her touch.
“I want to.”
For too long he had denied physical satisfaction with Josie, and he would punish himself no more. He felt as though she might need this just as much as he did. For a few minutes, he could forget about the threats on McKenzi and focus on the talents of Josie.
Tristan cleared his throat, causing Josie’s eyes to meet his own. The apartment was eerily silent as they absorbed each other’s breaths and desire. His eyes were dark and hungry and begging for more. More, Josie chanted in her head, more. She wanted to give him more. She wanted to be more.
Tristan fisted the sofa cushion, a breathy grunt escaping his lips as he watched Josie descend onto him. While this was far from his first blow job, it was certainly his most intense. He’d come over in a foul mood, unable to stay away from her any longer. He was confused and frightened for Josie’s safety. He was tired of just existing in a swirling mess and not living. With Josie’s soft lips wrapped around him, he lived.
Josie had never wanted to please someone so badly. She’d never wanted to give so freely. She knew this meant more than just the physical act itself, but she couldn’t admit what it was. Soon, Tristan’s hips rocked, rising up to meet her. His fingers wrapped tighter in her hair.
She felt the ache in her jaw, the burn and shake of her arms holding her over his lap, but she ignored the discomfort. Tristan climaxed almost violently, calling her name on labored breaths. She had given more and taken more. She had a feeling, with Tristan, it could never be enough.
“That was not why I came over here,” Tristan said as he tucked himself back into his pants. “Though I must admit your powers of distraction are amazingly effective.”
Josie remained quiet, refusing to excuse the most exquisite orgasm she’d ever been witness to. Instead, she pulled in closer, squeezing tight around his ribs. Tristan exhaled heavily as ran his fingers through her hair.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you. I just really needed to see you,” he admitted.
Josie sat up so that she could look into his face. She ran the tips of her fingers over his brow, smoothing out the worried lines there. His expression displayed guilt and she wanted nothing more than to erase it.
“You do see me. You always see me. That’s what’s so scary.”
He kissed her lips, at a loss for how to make her understand that she didn’t need to be scared, not of him, anyway. Tristan had debated whether to tell her about the threat from Moloney. He didn’t want to make decisions without involving her, but he didn’t want to be responsible for pushing her too hard. His biggest fear was that she would disappear again. He knew, without a doubt, that he’d never survive it a second time.
* * *
Mort had spent three days combing through Balboa Park looking for the girl. He’d even dressed in torn and dirty clothes to try to assimilate himself into the band of vagrants. During the day, most of them hid away in the shadows of the canyon or panhandled downtown. By night, they roamed the park freely in search of food or anything else worth having.
He made small talk and asked around, but never did he find Josie Banks. Sometimes he would swear that he’d seen her face, but it always turned out to be some other girl with dark eyes and a tortured past. Poverty and hard luck had no predilection for a certain type of person. Teenagers, kids, even whole families of every race and color found themselves in its hopeless grip. It was easy enough to imagine himself in their position had he never found the employment of Dean Moloney.
It was by chance that Mort seated himself on the very bench that Josie often visited. He was bent over, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands, when he felt someone sit beside him.
“You’re new here.”
Mort nodded, not looking up.
“I’m Gavin, your concierge for the evening. Whatcha looking for?”
“A girl.”
“Well, today’s your lucky day, handsome.”
Mort sighed and sat back before sliding his eyes over to his new friend. She looked tired and weathered, but something in her eyes was content.
“A specific girl.”
“Oh, well, I get it. I’m not your type. No worries, you’re not mine either.”
“A girl named Josie,” Mort said through gritted teeth.
“Josie? Why didn’t you just say that? Haven’t seen her in a couple weeks, but you’re definitely in the right place.”
Gavin pointed to the elaborate JayBee signature on the bench between them. Mort’s spine straightened severely and he tried to keep the look of triumph from his face.
“Cool. That’s cool.”
“What you want with her?” Gavin asked, suddenly wary.
“I owe her some money. You know where I can find her?”
“Uh, I might. But I don’t know you, dude. What if she don’t want to be found?”
Instantly, Mort’s expression morphed from innocent to sinister. He pulled his switchblade and held it against Gavin’s throat.
“You’ll tell me or you’ll fucking die.”
Gavin’s mind ran wild as she felt death grab hold. This man would end her, she knew that. If she didn’t tell him what he wanted to know, her life would end here on this bench. She eyed one of Josie’s drawings, a simple self-portrait. There was no decision to make.
“Then I guess I’m meeting my maker tonight,” she answered in a firm voice.
There was no scream as the blade penetrated her flesh. She didn’t beg for her life. There was no change of heart. Gavin closed her eyes and slipped away silently beneath the lush green canopy.
An hour later, Mort returned to his apartment, where he washed the blood and disappointment from his hands. When he was clean again, he lay in bed and pondered what his next move would be. Just as he began to doze off, his phone buzzed.
“Mort,” he answered.
“Any word on the girl?” the sinister voice asked.
Mort glanced at the phone, as if the man could come through and grab him by the throat if his answer was not satisfactory.
“All I’ve got is a lead on her case worker.”
“Be aggressive. Those fuckers in New York really dropped the ball on this,” Moloney sneered.
“I’ve got this.”
“I have a former employee looking for her as well. If he finds her first, you are out of luck, my friend.”
The line disconnected, and Mort slumped against his pillow. The word “friend” resonated through the air, dripping with disdain and anything but camaraderie. He’d dedicated so much time to this job, and just like that, Moloney would send someone else to finish it. Mort recognized this for what it was, a motivational threat. He needed this money, his whole future depended on it.
Throwing his phone onto the table, he vowed to step up his game. Mort hacked into the internal archives of the Child Services office. Within minutes he was logged in as a registered user and began his search for Josie Banks.
He pulled up her file and noted the assigned case worker was Monica Templeton and smiled satisfactorily. He followed Josie’s path through the failing child protective system, noting the methodical check-ins every twelve weeks.
First she was placed in a girls’ home in north San Diego County. After six months, she was put into a foster home with Mr. and Mrs. Spangler. The couple lived in a decent uptown neighborhood and seemed an ideal family on paper.
Mort scrolled through the folder, finding it pathetic that almost four years of this girl’s childhood could be so easily accounted for and condensed into this small file. As he read the notes detailing the horrific abuse she suffered, it hit him like a suffocating blow.
“Mr. and Mrs. Spangler were charged with criminal negligence and physical abuse while serving as Josie Banks’s guardians. They were both convicted and served time separately. Denise, released early in March 2010, and her husband, Stephen, released in November 2010, remain residents of San Diego County. See notes below for parole information,” Mort read, sickened by the words.
The details of the case stated that none of the abuse had been discovered until Josie had turned eighteen and was no longer a ward of the state.
He felt a wave of nausea shoot through his body. In the business he was in, Mort had seen many things. He’d experienced enough blood and carnage to last him several lifetimes. This was something entirely different. He too had suffered abuse at the hands of adults he’d trusted, an unforgivable act in his book. These people were monsters.
While he felt sorry for Josie and all that she’d endured, he had a job to do and it would be best if he just viewed her as a paycheck. He knew he needed to act quickly, otherwise he might be thwarted by Moloney’s other man. He quickly logged out of the program and shut down his computer.
