Hush - Fighting Fate #2 Read online

  Hush

  A Fighting Fate novel

  By Maree Green

  Copyright 2014 Maree Green

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this ebook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Other books in the Fighting Fate Series

  Acknowledgements

  About Maree Green

  Connect with Maree Green

  Chapter 1

  Kaeli

  Crouched behind my locked bedroom door, with my heart hammering relentlessly against my chest, I waited for the yelling to stop.

  My hands trembled and my breath shook. Waves of helplessness crashed inside me. Over and over again. The wait was like going through a slow, torturous death.

  Too many minutes later, the silence I was praying for came, followed by loud, thumping footsteps past my door and down the stairs.

  I paused, still waiting.

  As soon as I heard the front door slam shut, I threw the door open and ran. The lack of noise that met my ears panicked me. Please let her be okay. Please let her be okay, I thought as I dashed down the hall.

  The second I caught sight of Mom’s crumpled body on the floor beside the bed, the bottom dropped out of my stomach. A panicked cry broke free from me and I rushed forward, throwing myself down beside her.

  Oh god, please don’t let her be dead.

  Relief struck hard when I heard her moan, but it was quickly replaced by concern when I saw her clutching at her stomach as she whimpered.

  With careful movements, I took her in my arms. I didn’t say anything. I’d learnt a long time ago that she couldn’t handle hearing my grief.

  She gasped pitifully, making my throat close in on itself, and I had to screw my eyes shut tight to stop the tears that threatened to fall. I couldn’t let myself cry. I knew it would only add to the guilt she held inside her.

  So I just sat quietly and held her while she whimpered, letting her know she wasn’t alone.

  I felt her trying to breathe through her pain, and I breathed with her in encouragement. Then after a while, she awkwardly stood on shaky legs and slowly limped to the bathroom.

  Anger flared inside me as I watched her close the door behind her. I hated my stepfather more than any living thing in this world. He and his dead beat, low life son had ruined our lives.

  He’d been the nicest man alive when he’d first come into our lives. Full of pretty words and promises. He’d swept Mom right off her feet just when she thought she’d never find anyone as wonderful as my father had been, but after they were married, he changed.

  He became a monster.

  When I was younger, I begged Mom to leave him, to take me away from the horror he subjected us to, but she always refused. Back then, I couldn’t understand why. I thought she loved him more than she loved me. But now I was older, I knew the reason. He wouldn’t allow it. If we tried to leave, he would kill one of us, or maybe even both of us. I had no doubt about it at all. His heart was as black as they came.

  With the lump still lodged deep in my throat, I shakily stood and moved back to my room to get ready for school.

  It didn’t matter how many times I’d had to leave her like that, it never got easier. Having to go to school and pretend everything was all fine in the world sucked. I hated it. I hated lying to my friends, and I hated having to lie for a monster like him.

  Over the years I’d been able to rely on playing what I called the pretend game when I was out in public, but even that wasn’t easy anymore.

  It used to just be me and my best friend, Mia, hiding from the world. But now, thanks to Mia dating one of the school’s most popular guys, I’d somehow managed to inherit a dozen new friends. Friends who were fiercely loyal and protective. And very, very watchful.

  But unfortunately it wasn’t just my friends who were watching. When I said Jace was popular, I didn’t just mean he was well liked around school. He was actually popular in a worldwide kind of way.

  He and Mia’s twin brother, Aiden, along with their two closest friends, Matt and Dean, were on the brink of stardom. Their band, Fighting Fate, was about to reach worldwide fame after a clip they’d posted on YouTube went viral.

  Unlike most of the kids who were about to graduate and go off to college, Jace and the guys had just recorded their first album and were going on a national tour with one of the country’s biggest rock bands, The Dark Hybrid.

  So you could kind of see my problem. Hiding wasn’t really an option anymore.

  Pulling into the school parking lot, I parked in one of the furthest spaces, hoping to give myself a little time to collect myself before having to face everyone. Unfortunately, I’d only been there for a minute when there was a knock on my window.

  Glancing up, I saw Mia smiling down at me.

  Grabbing my things, I begrudgingly climbed out. “Hey,” I said, doing my best to look normal.

  “Morning,” she said brightly.

  “How is everyone this morning?” I asked, trying to keep her from looking at me too closely.

  I’d never told Mia what went on behind the closed doors at home. I knew considering we’d been best friends for seven years that probably made me a real shit friend, but it just wasn’t something I could do.

  Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t stupid, and neither was she. She knew something wasn’t quite right. I mean, what kind of a best friend never has her over for a sleep over the entire time they’d known each other? Or declines an invitation to sleep over at her house almost every time she’s asked? Yeah, not many.

  We walked towards the large group of people gathered by Mia and Aiden’s car as she gave me the run down on the guys and their coming tour. She’d been way more excited about it since she’d managed to organize a way of going with them.

  I was going to miss her like crazy when she went, but I was still excited for her.

  “So I might’ve heard a little juicy gossip this morning…” Mia said with a teasing lilt to her voice.

  I gave her a weary look. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like where this was going.

  “I think Corey might like you.”

  I groaned. I really didn’t need this right now. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not interested.”

  She bit her lip. I could tell my reaction had confused her. “Not even a little bit? He’s nice…”

  “No.” I looked her dead in the eye so she would understand. “Ken’s making my life hell at the moment.”

  She went quiet for a little while, seeing the slight shadows under my eyes for the first time. “How bad is it?” she whispered.

  I really didn’t want her to go there. I still didn’t have full control over my emotions. “Bad,” I said, unable to say much else.

  A worried frown creased her forehead. “You know, you can always come and stay with me.”

  My heart contracted. If it was just me I was worried about, I’d take her offer up in a heartbeat. But it wasn’t. Yes, Ken intimidated me – even threatened me sometimes, but he never laid a hand on me. All his anger was reserved for Mom.

  Once, when I’d been younger, I’d pissed him off enough to make him rant and rave until his vein was popping on his temple. That one experience was enough to scare the life out of me, but what had upset me more was the fact that he took it out on Mom later that night. From that moment on, I vowed
to never push him to that point again.

  “Thanks, but I can’t. I have to stay at home.”

  She frowned. I knew I’d worried her, but I didn’t know how to say it any other way.

  When we reached her car, Jace immediately claimed her, wrapping his arms around her in a possessive hug. I knew it was more to ward the girls away than the other way around.

  “Hi, Kaeli. How are you?” he asked over the top of Mia’s head.

  I couldn’t help smiling at him. I loved the way he doted on Mia. “I’m good.”

  “Are you coming to the party on Friday?” he asked.

  I flicked my gaze down to Mia. Before Jace, she had a pretty serious anxiety condition that prevented her from being anywhere near a crowd. Being with Jace had helped her learn to deal with it a little, but it still made her nervous.

  Looking back at Jace, I saw a tiny glint of worry in the depth of his eyes and realized he was nervous too. I suddenly got the hidden question inside his question. He was hoping I would be there in case the worst happened while he was playing.

  But unfortunately, I couldn’t answer one way or the other. I had no idea if I was going to be able to make it. It had always been like that with Ken. It was impossible to plan anything around someone so volatile.

  “I’m not sure yet,” I said in a low voice.

  Mia’s gaze was full of understanding. Drawing Jace’s attention back to her, she said, “Are you guys playing a full set?”

  “Not a full one,” he said softly. “I don’t want to waste half the night when I’ve finally got you all to myself.”

  Ah, that was right. Apparently Jace’s mom, stepdad and sister were going out of town for the weekend, and Mia was going to be staying there with him. Alone.

  I watched him lean forward and kiss her softly on the forehead before whispering something in her ear. Mia blushed a little and then a shy smile touched her lips. God I loved those two.

  I looked away, giving them a little privacy for their moment. Instead, I thought about the party. It felt like such a long time since I’d had the opportunity to let loose like a normal teenager. I just wished I had that luxury.

  Chapter 2

  Noah

  The bar was almost filled to capacity – just like I knew it would be this time of night. That’s why I chose it. The hordes of people who occupied the small space conversed freely, their voices straining over the alternative music that pumped loudly in the background.

  I sat on one of the bar stools at the far end of the bar, and although I wasn’t exactly watching the door, my consciousness was very aware of it.

  Draining the last of my beer, I sat the bottle down and indicated to the barman for another. He eyed me with interest, but said nothing. I liked this one. He didn’t ask me for ID like most of the other bartenders I’d come across. I shouldn’t blame them really. I was only nineteen. But my ID said otherwise.

  I gave a derisive laugh under my breath. The only thing real on my ID was my picture, and even that was a far cry from how I really looked. Everything else was a lie. Okay, it was a lie I almost believed, but it was still a lie. Shit, I’d lived the lie for so long, I’d almost forgotten when my real birthday was.

  May 13th, dumbass, I growled at myself.

  I hated that the lie was taking over my life. My mom had begged me not to lose myself when I’d left, and I’d promised her I wouldn’t. The thought of breaking that promise was the only thing that kept me going most days.

  The barman slid a Bud in front of me, taking the money he needed off the pile I’d left on the bar.

  That was when I saw her.

  She paused just inside the door, scanning the room before coming to stand in the space at the bar between myself and the other patrons.

  I looked her over as she ordered a rum. She looked like she was somewhere in her early twenties. Her hair was cut into a kind of crooked bob, with lots of jagged edges and mismatched lengths, and strips of bright pink color that framed her face. She was pretty, in a street value kind of way.

  She sighed heavily, looking kind of dejected.

  Pocketing my money, I picked up my beer and slid a couple of seats closer to her. “Hi.”

  She looked up at me with surprise. Her eyes narrowed, showing caution, then she looked me up and down and smiled, obviously liking what she saw.

  “Hi,” she said.

  There was a slight flirtiness in her voice that amused me. “Having a bad day?”

  Her eyes moved over my chest and arms, then slowly, she turned her body so it was angled directly towards me. Still smiling, she bit her lip with playful contemplation. “It might be about to get better…”

  Damn, she was good. She picked up her glass and threw back half of its contents. I followed suit, never taking my eyes off her. “What’s your name?”

  Her lips twitched with amusement. “Renee. What’s yours?”

  “Mitch,” I said automatically. “You know, Renee, I’m a very good listener...”

  She looked me over again, a wicked smile creeping onto her lips. “I think I’d prefer to be distracted from my problems than talk about them,” she said suggestively.

  I pushed myself up off the edge of my seat, coming to stand only a few inches away from her. Her breath hitched. “You want a distraction?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  I stared into her eyes for a moment, trying to get her to fold, but she stood resolute. I downed the last of my drink and smiled. “Come on then.”

  She looked at me for a while, seeming to be making a decision. With a quick glance back at the barman, she picked up her glass, emptied it, and took my hand.

  Without another thought, I led her straight to the restrooms. It was an obvious choice, but that was the point.

  As soon as the door closed behind her, she locked it and smiled at me widely. I quickly stepped away from her and laughed. “You know, Renee, I didn’t know you were such a slut.”

  She tried to pretend to be offended, but her smile gave her away. “Yeah whatever, lover boy. What’ve you got for me?”

  I sighed, quickly switching to business mode. “Not a lot. TJ’s warming to me. He’s still taking Pock to most of his transactions, but mentioned to all of us that a big delivery is coming soon. I think he wants all hands on deck with this one, so I should be in. I’ll try to get some details about it over the next week.”

  “Okay.” She looked me over, this time a slight worry creeping into her gaze. “Captain wanted to know if you were okay, so…are you? Are you handling everything okay?”

  I knew what she was trying to get at. The drugs. I knew when I was asked to take on the job, I’d be required to do everything humanly possible to look as though I fitted in with TJ’s gang, and that included doing what they did. That’s what undercover meant. Unfortunately, it meant I needed to drink, party, womanize, and do whatever drugs they did. And it took everything I had to look as though I enjoyed it, because believe me, I didn’t. I had to repress the urge to punch at least one of them more than once a day.

  I sighed. “Yeah, I’m alright. Some of the shit’s going to be a bitch to kick though,” I said in a defeated tone.

  She gave me a sympathetic glance. “Just be careful okay? We don’t want to lose you.” She stepped closer then, giving me a quick sisterly hug. “We’re going to send Leah in next Wednesday, so give her a hard time for me, okay?”

  I laughed. “Sure thing, and Kate…Thanks,” I said softly.

  She gave me one quick nod, then unlocked the door and stepped out. As the door swung closed behind her, I caught a quick glimpse of her straightening her dress as though she’d just gotten a bit as she headed for the door. After a few more seconds, I strode out to the bar for another drink.

  ***

  Later that night, I sat on a stained brown sofa, in the middle of a dingy lounge room with worn, mottled carpet that stank like alcohol and smoke. Pressing a joint to my lips and inhaling deeply, I tried to numb it all from my mind.

&nb
sp; Unfortunately, this was where I lived. We called it The Den. I have no fucking idea why. I guessed it was supposed to imply we were some sort of family, and if that was the case, then it was some fucked up family.

  I blew out a puff of smoke in a sigh. Yep. This was my life. I fucking hated it, but it was also my job.

  TJ, the leader of this fucked up gang of disgruntled criminals, paced the floor in front of me. He was on edge, swearing each time he turned and paced the other way.

  “Fuck, I hate waiting!” he yelled.

  I inhaled again. I was used to his behavior by now. So were the other guys. None of us so much as looked up from what we were doing. I leaned back on the couch and exhaled, and Davo turned another page on the titty mag he was reading beside me. When TJ’s cell beeped with a message, he swore again, but he seemed to calm a fraction.

  We continued on like this – Pock and Vinnie sharing a cone, while Davo and I slumped on the couch, and TJ paced. The only one not there was Mac, who was in the kitchen with a bad case of the munchies.

  Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock at the back door.

  “About fucking time!” TJ mumbled.

  He called to Mac to answer it, and a minute later a scrawny, dirty haired guy, about the same age as me wandered into the room, followed closely by Mac. He looked a bit frazzled, but then again, that was how he looked every time I saw him.

  TJ didn’t bother trying to hide the fact that he was pissed off. He just cocked his gun and pointed it straight at him. “I fucking HATE waiting for people, Tom! Didn’t I tell you that the first time you came here?”

  Tom’s eyes widened a fraction but he otherwise remained the same. “Sorry, TJ. I thought I was being followed. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t leading anyone here.”

  TJ glowered at him for a few more minutes, but even he couldn’t fault him for that. “Just give Mac the fucking bag!”

  Tom passed Mac a large brown bag – a bag I knew belonged to the middle-aged business man Tom worked for, and sank down onto the couch. He immediately proceeded to light a joint while he waited. TJ shook his head at him before following Mac into the kitchen.