Hail Mary (Playing For Keeps Duet Book 4), page 2
“Well, now that you burnt your getaway car, how do you plan to evade the cops?”
“Fuck you, dickbag!” The line goes dead and for the first time in weeks laughter bursts out of me. I have no fucking idea why I’m hunched over laughing so fucking hard when my car is burnt out on the side of the road somewhere. But, knowing that Alexa is about to get busted and will receive a taste of her own medicine after all these weeks, has me puffing out my chest and smiling.
Standing at the counter in my kitchen I dig into my boiled chicken, asparagus and brown rice. I get my meals prepped and delivered every Sunday. I’m on a strict diet to stay in shape and I’ll admit since getting back to training and cutting down on all the carbs, I am starting to feel like my old self again, physically. I finish up and toss the container in the trash before heading into the living room. The silence of this penthouse haunts me. I’m not used to living alone and I hate to fucking admit it, but I miss my brothers. I just don’t know how to be around… them right now. I know shit is hard for all of us and everyone is dealing with the loss of… her. It’s March and I have mere months to get my shit together if I want to get drafted. Saint and Crue have both been training their asses off and I know without a doubt they will both be scouted but the question is, what happens if they don’t make the same team?
The shrill sound of my ringtone pierces the air and pulls me from my thoughts. I hit answer without checking the I.D.
“This is a collect call from the North Carolina police department from inmate–” The automated voice changes and I smirk at the sound of hers. “Alexa.” I can hear the loathing in her tone and know it must be killing her to have had to call me. “Will you accept the charges?”
“Yes.”
A second later her tone fills the silence. “I need you to bail me out.” I roll my lips over my teeth to keep from laughing, I don’t know what the hell it is about this girl but she is the only one who has been able to pull me from my sullen moods with her hateful messages. It’s crazy but talking to her every day has become something I have come to rely on, crave even.
“Now, why on God’s good green earth would I do that?”
A tiny growl fills the line and this time I can’t help the laugh that erupts from me, it feels so strange to laugh again.
“Look, I have a court date set and they already told me they tracked you down and asked if you wanted to press charges.”
“Is there a question in there?”
Again, she growls and I laugh at the frustration evident in her tone. “Can you bail me out or not? I know you didn't press charges or I would have been stuck here.”
I pretend to mull over her question and then let out a dramatic sigh. “You see, I would love to but I don’t have a car to come downtown because your crazy ass burnt it! Enjoy your night in the cells and a word of advice, my little vexed friend, don’t drop the soap.” I end the call and drop my phone on the sofa beside me smiling like a fool at the fact I finally got the upper hand over Alexa Sutton. Then guilt hits me, she’s in that cell right now because of what I did to her sister. If I wasn’t such a coward, that poor girl wouldn’t even be there.
Alexa
I slam the phone back in the cradle and stomp my foot like a petulant child. That motherfucker! I had hoped that his guilt would win him over and he’d drag his happy ass down here and bail me out! I turn eighteen in September, so I’m technically still a minor and the fact I didn’t have ID on me when the cops caught me running is the only reason my parents weren’t called. I lied and told the woman that allowed me to use the phone that I was calling my boyfriend. I almost gag at the thought of Corvin ever being anything to me. It was either call him or Jason. Dumb as it sounds, it was easier to call him than let my fucking ex know where the hell I am. The guy is hunting my ass down since I flushed his stash. I didn’t know at the time that all those pills weren’t his and may have cost him a couple of grand, so he wants me for payback.
“Back to your cell.” I groan and follow the woman back, no point bitching about it. I did the crime, now I guess I’ll have to do the time.
Fuck my life.
When the metal bars clang shut behind me, I flinch. It smells like piss and dirty balls in here. It’s not jail, so the cells here have both men and women in them. I’ve never been so grateful to be under eighteen in my life, my age is the only reason I’m in my own cell and not sharing with big Bertha beside me. That woman is double the size of my father and looks like she could crack my skull with her bare fucking hands! I lay down on the bench seat that is attached to the back wall and close my eyes. I have no one else to blame for my predicament but myself. I threw away my chance at CHU by following Corvin fucking Williams here to North Carolina. See, the thing is, I’m smart and was able to graduate early and start college. I scored a free-ride scholarship with housing and everything to CHU, but then that all changed, none of it meant anything when I lost my best friend, my sister.
I feel the first tear slide down the side of my face and scrunch my eyes tighter, trying to force them back. I hate this. I hate everything and everyone. I hate my parents for not blaming Corvin and allowing him to walk free, they didn’t even press charges and urged me to drop this insane concept as they like to call it. I’m surprised they haven’t reported me missing yet. Mind you, they probably have no idea I’ve even left the state. No matter how good my grades were or the number of awards I would get at school, they still wouldn’t notice me. It was always about Cody and Keeley–our older sister who has graduated college and moved to Thailand with her fiancé. I was the kid that should never have won the race to my mother's egg, the unwanted child.
“Sutton, you’re free to go.” I swipe away the tears, sit up and look over at the guard confused as hell. The moment she opens the cell, I clamp my mouth closed and decide not to ask questions and just get the fuck out of here. The moment I’m handed back my things and told to stay out of trouble, I book it out of the precinct after agreeing to show up for my court date. Stepping outside I breathe in the nighttime air and sigh. It’s cold out, so I tug my jacket closed at the front and descend the concrete stairs only to slam to a halt when I see a teal Maserati MC20 Cielo Spyder, the exact same model as the one I burnt out earlier today. The moment the driver’s side opens, I know who it is already. The smug son of a bitch stands there with a smirk on his face.
“Jail bait, good to see you again.” My nostrils flare and my body stiffens at the sight of the man I hate more than anything in this fucking cruel world.
“I would have rather walked in on my parents fucking than be seeing you again.” The ghost of a smile drops from his face at the harsh tone of my voice, his eyes harden as he looks me over.
“Get in.”
“I’d rather crawl across shards of glass than go anywhere with a murderer like you.” My words hit their mark, his face morphs into a look of pain. Good, I want him to feel every ounce of pain I do.
“Get in the car, Alexa.”
I scoff and shake my head as I take two steps forward, leaving an inch of space between me and the car as I stare directly into his eyes. “Go fuck yourself, Corvin,” I spit and turn on my heel, I make it two steps before his words have me freezing.
“You’ll be breaking your bail conditions.”
I slowly turn to face him, the devilish glint in his eyes tells me I’m about to be blindsided. “What conditions?” I force each word out through clenched teeth.
He smiles smugly and winks–he fucking winks at me like we are old chums! “You needed an address to be bailed too and Troy, my lawyer gave them mine since we found out you don’t have one and have been living in the abandoned house off Trolsone.” My eyes widen a fraction. I look him over and admit to myself that I have clearly underestimated him, he isn’t just some dumb rich jock.
“Fuck you very much, dickface, but I’ll pass,” I snarl as I attempt to leave again, but this time I don’t even make it a step before his words force me to a stop yet again.
“All your shit is in the trunk. I cleared that shit hole of a house out. You walk away now, Alexa, and I walk my ass in that station and snitch you out. They’ll lock your little ass up until your court date. Now, get the fuck in the car because my patience is running the fuck out.”
The pair of us stand here glaring at each other, his eyes spark with fire the longer he stares at me, that dead look he’s been sporting for weeks slowly fades and I fucking hate it! I want this son of a bitch to feel every ounce of pain I feel. I want him to suffer and feel like he is suffocating every day he wakes up like I am. He doesn’t deserve to live. But, an idea strikes, if I have to stay with him that means I can fuck shit up for him from the inside.
I smile wide and act like a ditsy blonde twirling my hair around my index finger and bite my bottom lip. I fucking love how his face drops and he straightens at the sight. He knows I’m up to something and clearly, he is regretting ever allowing his address to be used now.
“Well, when you put it like that, stud, who am I to refuse you and your kind offer?” I make sure to put on the best southern drawl I can. He eyes me skeptically as I make my way over to the car, open the door and claim my seat. It takes him a couple of seconds before he folds his tall muscular body into the car. The moment he closes the door the car suddenly feels too small, his scent and sheer nearness overwhelm me. I shift until I’m plastered against the door getting as far away from the reaper as I can. He pushes the button and the engine roars to life. I fucking love cars, I’m not a girly girl like my sisters. I love engines and getting dirty. If I had my way there would be no college and I would be an apprentice at a mechanic’s shop learning to rebuild engines.
The radio plays softly in the background as he pulls out into traffic, the tension radiating between us so thick I can taste it on the tip of my tongue. I fucking hate him. He knows I hate him, so why the hell would he invite me back to his place to stay? How the hell does he know I have been staying in that rundown house, because I sure as fuck have never told him or anyone for that matter—I mean, it’s not like I have any friends. Girls hate me because I’m too manly for them apparently, guys just want to fuck me, and since Jason, I have no interest in anything to do with the opposite sex. Corvin’s phone rings through the Bluetooth of the phone and the name that flashes on the screen of the radio has me frowning.
He sighs before he hits decline on the steering wheel. The phone immediately starts to ring again, this time he answers. “What do you want, Darius?” he grits out.
“Hello to you too, asshole.” I smirk, at least I’m not the only one who thinks he’s an asshole then.
“Get to the point.” Cody told me that Corvin was tight with his friends. She said they were as close as brothers, but the tone and the way he is tense next to me tells me a different story.
“Why the fuck do I have Troy cancelling a meeting with me in three weeks because of some fucking court case in North Carolina?” I swing my gaze to him and stare, he keeps his eyes forward and refuses to look at me.
“Some shit went down, I need him here. Find another lawyer,” he clips out.
“See, I was going to do that but Goldie asked if you were in some type of trouble. Dear old Troy explained you weren’t the one going to court but Alexa-fucking-Sutton is!” Darius’s voice has risen now. “Why the fuck are you with Cody’s little sister, Corv? That girl wants to murder you in your sleep and now she is in NC with you and—”
I cut Darius off. “Well, because we’re fucking, duh.” Corvin finally turns to me with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. I wink and smack my lips together blowing him a kiss. Darius splutters on the other end of the phone and Corvin quickly ends the call before he can say anything else. I sit back in my chair and smile triumphantly.
“Why the fuck would you tell him that?” The indignation in his tone is clear but I don’t give a shit. “Answer me, Alexa!” Hearing my name come out of his mouth does me in. I snap my gaze to him and make sure he can see the pure unfiltered hatred I feel for him in my eyes.
“Fuck. You.” I grit my teeth and try to tamper the fury burning inside me. The prick just keeps his gaze forward and doesn’t seem the least bit offended by my words.
“Been there, done that.” His comeback has my eyes widening and me recoiling back into my seat huffing, that was never supposed to happen. The night before Cody’s funeral I just needed to get away from everything, so I snuck out and went to a dive bar. I saw Corvin sitting there and had planned to fuck with him but then Jason walked in behind me. We argued, Corvin stepped in when Jason raised his hand and threw him out of the bar before the owner could. He bought me a drink to help me calm down. That drink turned into ten, then before I knew what was happening, we were laughing, then stumbling back to his motel where he fucked my brains out and made me come harder than I ever have before—granted, I’ve never actually come by the hands of another before him.
Guilt eats at me daily that I allowed myself to get distracted and fell into the trap that is Corvin Williams but never again.
We pull into the parking garage of his building and I marvel at it, this place is freaking huge! He parks the car and we both climb out, then he grabs my bags and carries them over to the lifts. I follow silently after him. The moment the doors open, we step into the small metal box and I wish I could say I was surprised when he pushes the lone ‘P’ for penthouse, but I’m not. The guy is loaded and has no problem showing off his wealth. He puts in a code on the little keypad and then the elevator begins to move. I make sure to keep a couple feet of space between us. I don’t know what he’s playing at here but I’ll be damned if he catches me off my game again. The doors open and it takes more control than I want to admit to not allow my jaw to hit the floor, the opulent beauty of this place is awe-inspiring. It’s like a magazine came to life. Chandeliers, white couches, paintings on the walls, art pieces on stands. I stumble after him, trying to take it all in. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the large living room that overlooks the city, the kitchen is just as impressive, with white marble counters, and stainless-steel appliances. I spy a spiral staircase, but he continues past the kitchen to a small hallway.
“Door on the right is the laundry, second on the left is the gym and this…” he says as he comes to a stop at the door at the end of the hallway and pushes it open, “… is your room for the time being.” I stand in the doorway stunned as he enters and drops my meager possessions on the end of the bed. The room has the fluffiest carpet I have ever seen, solid dark wash dressers and side tables. The bed itself is huge, with a thick wooden headboard and footboard. “Closet is there,” he says, pointing to a door I didn’t see off to the side. He points to the one next to it. “That’s the bathroom but the shower needs to be fixed so you’ll have to use the one in my room.” I’m too busy taking in the large space to notice he has moved and now stands a foot away from me. “I’ll order some takeout and leave you to settle in.” For a moment our eyes lock, I see all the different emotions swirling in the depths of his eyes, but the most prominent is wonder. Before I can ponder that thought any longer, he slips past me and closes the door quietly behind himself.
Corvin
I lean against the counter frowning down at her as I watch her eat the Chinese food I ordered. The girl eats like a man and has no fucking class whatsoever, she is the total opposite to… I cut that train of thought off before I get sucked back into that pit of despair that seems to live inside me all the time. My phone rings, giving me a welcome distraction. I step away from her and move into the living room before accepting the call.
“Troy,” I say in lieu of hello.
“Corvin, I managed to pull some strings and stroked the right egos, but you will need to make a hefty donation to the library they are rebuilding–”
I cut him off before he can keep drawing on. “So did you get it done?”
“Yes, you and Alexa have a meeting with the dean at Wake Forest University in North Salem on Monday morning. I don’t know what the girl wants to major in so you need to sort that out, but everything else is in place. You’ll need to cover both of your tuitions upon enrollment as well. All her papers have been sent over so they will be able to see she has graduated early.”
“Thanks, Troy. I owe you one.”
“Just keep her out of trouble for the next three weeks and then we should be fine.”
“Will do,” I say, then disconnect the call and gaze out the windows at the city view below. I love standing here and watching the world around me, it fascinates me to watch people and see just how different each of us is.
“Your room upstairs?” Alexa asks from behind me.
“Yeah.”
“Can I use the shower?”
“Yeah,” I answer, then turn around to tell her where the towels are but the words die in my throat. She stands there in a black bra and panties, her shirt and pants lay on the floor next to her feet. I’m too weak to stop myself from running my gaze over her exposed skin. Her body is perfection and sculpted like a masterpiece. The thin straps of her panties ride high on her hips, a belly ring gleams in the light, and her tits are practically overflowing in the cups of her bra. Before I can reach her face, I manage to find the strength and tear my gaze from her and stare back out the window. “Towels are in the closet beside the bathroom.” My voice is gruff to my own ears. I listen to the soft sounds of her footfalls as she makes her way upstairs. I don’t know what she is playing at and I have no fucking doubt this is a game to her, I just need to work out what her angle is.
Guilt churns inside me. I not only dishonored her sister by fucking her the night before her funeral but now I stand here with my cock rock-hard and pushing against the confines of my jeans just from the mere sight of her. I’m going to hell. I rest my head against the cool glass and close my eyes, imagining Cody and her contagious laughter, the girl always had a way of making me smile without even trying. I smile at the thought of her always putting me in my place or tearing me a new asshole when Leah and I would argue and she would insert herself in the debate just to back my sister up. Cody was loyal as fuck and I know her loss will be hitting my sister just as hard.
