Skeletons

ANSEL

I’m leaning against the doorframe of Alaric’s room, watching him count the cash in his hand, a cigarette hanging from his lips.

“Did you get in touch with Sam?”

My question stops him in his tracks. He stares at the money for a moment before setting it aside and taking the cigarette between his fingers. He sighs, resting his head against the headboard.

“Yeah, but she’s not answering. Have you heard from her?”

I shuffle over to him and flop down on his bed. I glance at the Tupac poster on his wall and shrug. “I texted her, but she left me on ~read~.”

“Damn,” Alaric sighs. “She must be really mad if she’s ignoring you. You know how much she cares about you.”

I turn to look at him. “Why did you do that to her? Sam’s a good girl, and you know it. I thought you loved her.”

“I do. I really do. You know Sam’s my queen, An. But I’ve got some shit I’m dealing with, and that’s just how it has to be right now.”

He takes a drag of his cigarette, and smoke billows from his nose and mouth.

I furrow my brow, turning to face him. “What do you mean?”

He runs a hand through his hair. “Do you really think I like that Bee girl? She’s not my type at all. Her boobs are fake as hell, and her voice is annoying as fuck.

“But I have to put up with her until I get what I want.”

I narrow my eyes. “And what do you want?”

He hesitates for a moment, sitting up straight on his bed. “I can’t tell you that right now, for your own safety. But just know that I know what I’m doing, and I have my reasons.

“Just trust me, okay?”

I let out a heavy sigh, nodding. “Okay, I trust you. But you need to reassure Sam or something, or you’re going to lose a good one.”

Alaric nods. “I know.” Then he grins, a mischievous look on his face. “So…what about you and Rain?” He takes another puff, squinting one eye.

At the mention of her name, I fight back a smile. Thinking about Rainey always puts me in a good mood.

She’s often on my mind, and I worry about her. The people around her don’t really care about her, and that breaks my heart.

“What about us?” I ask him.

“Have you guys…you know…done it yet?” He raises his eyebrows suggestively, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

I know exactly what he’s getting at, and I shake my head. “No, Alaric. You do know we’re just friends, right?”

“Hmm. A boy and a girl can never be ~just friends~, An. That never works out.” He taps his cigarette ash onto the tray by his bed, and his phone vibrates. I catch a glimpse of the screen.

“Bee?”

“Yep,” he sighs. I can tell he really doesn’t like this girl. Whatever he’s doing must be for a damn good reason.

He taps on his phone before grabbing a shirt from the floor.

“Are you going to see her?” I ask.

“Yeah, I’m heading to her apartment.” He hops off the bed and grabs his leather jacket from the chair. “If you hear from Sam, tell her to answer my calls, okay?”

I nod as he rushes out of the room.

ALARIC

“You’re late.” Bethany Finn is standing in the doorway, her eyes red and glassy from whatever she’s been smoking.

Her red curls tumble down her shoulders, and the burgundy lingerie she’s wearing barely covers her slim body.

I imagine what Sam would look like in that. No doubt, she’d look a lot better.

“Traffic,” I reply, walking past her.

I pull out my phone, checking for any missed calls. I curse under my breath when I see that Sam hasn’t even read my WhatsApp message, even though she’s online.

I bite my lip, my brow furrowing in frustration. I feel Bethany’s thin hands on my arms, and I close my eyes, fighting the urge to shake her off.

This job gets harder every day, but it’s the only way I can take care of my family.

“Sit, baby. You look so tense.” She starts massaging my shoulders. “Long day at work?”

I sigh and collapse onto the bed, trying to hide my annoyance. Bee doesn’t waste any time straddling my lap, her bare thighs pressing against me, pinning me to the mattress.

She wraps her arms around my neck, planting slow, soft kisses along my collarbone. I can’t focus. Sam’s ignoring my messages, and it’s driving me crazy.

While Bee is busy with my neck, I sneak a look at my phone.

I see that Sam has changed her WhatsApp profile picture to one of her with a group of friends. They look like they’re at a club or something.

Whenever we fight, she goes out with her girlfriends to take her mind off things.

But the thought of other guys looking at her in a place like that makes my blood boil.

I curse out loud, “Fuck.”

Bee looks up, confused. “Babe? Did I do something?”

I shake my head, flipping my phone face down on the bed. “No.”

“But you just swore.” She flips her hair, sitting up straight. “Am I that good?”

~Nope.~

“Just don’t bite my neck so hard. I don’t want my girl seeing a hickey on me.”

“Take it easy, Alaric. I’ve got the hang of the rules. I don’t want Ron spotting any love bites on me either.” She grins, her focus back on my neck as she tries to yank my jacket off.

I pull a face and gently hold her arm, guiding her away.

She frowns. “Alaric.”

“Where’s the truck going to be this weekend?”

She lets out a sigh. “Crossview Mall, after all the stores have shut down.”

I nod. Ron Moretto’s truck delivers drugs to a new spot every weekend.

Bee clues me in on the drop-off location, and my guys usually hit the truck, swipe some of the drugs, and I sell them. It’s the only way I can properly look after my family.

Ron Moretto is a notorious drug lord and gang leader from Freetown, a city a few miles from here.

But his brother runs the drug business in this district while Ron keeps things moving in Freetown.

Bethany Finn is Ron’s girl, but his regular bouts of domestic violence have made her disloyal.

“You know, Ron will be coming into town soon,” she goes on, reaching for a bottle of vodka on the bedside table.

I frown. “Why?”

She pours the liquor into two glasses, her body still pressed against mine. “Says he wants to find the girl who hurt his niece. Don’t ask me what he plans on doing to a poor little schoolgirl.”

“Schoolgirl?”

“Yeah, his niece is eighteen, and I’m guessing the girl he’s after is the same age.”

I lean back on my hands, my brows furrowing. “What’s he planning to do to a kid?”

“You don’t know Ron, Alaric.” She takes a sip of her drink. “He doesn’t have any mercy or sympathy for anyone. Which is why you should be careful.

“He’s also coming into town to figure out who’s been hitting the truck. He’s already suspecting your family, but I keep telling him that the Kings don’t deal drugs anymore.

“He told me to keep an eye on you, so just be careful.”

“Yeah, I’ve got it handled. Max and the guys are a lot more capable than you might think.”

She smirks, her eyes darkening as she leans in to kiss me. But Sam flashes in my mind, and I turn my face away.

She looks at me, puzzled, and I sigh, dropping my gaze to her bare legs.

“Do you have anything sexier than this?”

Her red lips curl into a grin. “What do you like?”

“Less coverage.” I meet her eyes, biting my lower lip. “I want to see more of you.”

Her cheeks flush at my words, her eyes sparkling with desire. “Your wish is my command, babe.”

She slides off me and saunters away, throwing a flirtatious smirk over her shoulder as she disappears into a room.

I let out a breath, reaching into my pocket for the packet of Lunesta sleeping pills. I grab her vodka glass, drop the pill in, and swirl the glass until it’s dissolved.

I hear footsteps and put the glass back on the table, turning just in time to see her at the door, almost naked.

I blink, trying to keep my eyes on her face, since the only things covering her are two black tapes on her nipples and black lace panties.

~Sam, forgive me.~

She sashays over to me, exaggerating the sway of her hips as she seductively pushes her hair back. She straddles me, a girlish giggle escaping her lips.

“Why are you still dressed, Alaric? Let me help you with that.”

She starts to pull my jacket off, and I glance at the vodka glass on the table, nibbling my lower lip. Her hands slide down my tattooed arms, a smile on her face.

“You are so sexy…and your arms are so strong.” She grinds her hips, and my hands settle on them, steadying her.

“Why don’t we have a drink first? Sex is a lot more fun when you’re tipsy, right?” I raise an eyebrow, a sly smirk playing on my lips.

She scowls but grins at the idea. “Sure, why not?”

I reach for the vodka glasses, handing one to her and keeping the other.

We clink them together, and I watch her as she lifts her glass to her lips, downing the alcohol in one go.

She puts the glass down, and I do the same just before she pushes me back onto the bed, hovering over me.

She starts kissing my neck, and I begin my mental countdown to freedom.

~One.~

“I’m going to take care of you tonight, baby,” she purrs, kissing along my jawline as she grinds against me. “I’ll make you feel so good.”

~Two.~

Her hands slip under my T-shirt, tracing my torso, her breath heavy and raspy. “You’re so hot, Alaric. Way more attractive than Ron.”

~Three.~

“I’m going to make love to you tonight… I promise you won’t forget it…” She flicks her tongue along my earlobe.

~Four.~

Suddenly, her movements stop, her body weight increasing. I turn and pull her head back, finding that she’s finally out cold.

A smile spreads across my face as I slide out from under her, her body flopping onto the bed like a rag doll.

“You can’t forget what never happened,” I mutter, grabbing my cell off the bed and quickly leaving her apartment.