Camouflage (Predator and Prey #1) (13 page)

Days turned into weeks and I told myself I was better off without Daniello. And in truth, I was. He’d kept his word and left me without explanation. I’d spent a few days reflecting on our time together and decided it was for the best. A small part of me mourned his absence, the banter, the sex.

God, the sex.

I kept my days full with work and making money. That was what I did. It was oddly comforting. I still hadn’t heard a word from Amber since Cedric had made the call giving her the option of contacting me. I wondered how I would respond if I found out she wanted anything to do with me. How she could possibly fit into my life? I could have called myself, I should’ve called myself, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was a coward in that sense.

And when it came to her, I felt unimaginable guilt.

Sipping on a tumbler filled with the whiskey Daniello had left me, I sat on my patio overlooking the marsh. I’d been so immersed in my past lately that I’d been remembering more and more.

I thought about the first time I’d met Ray and the night that changed my future. My prince didn’t come along and save me. He was no white knight, but a benefactor with the right amount of money to buy me at the right price. I’d sold my soul to him for privilege at the ripe age of sixteen. I’d lied to every soul I knew about my departure from Dyer, including Laz. It was my biggest skeleton and my most well-hidden secret.

I’d been someone’s whore in exchange for my education.

In my world, there were no saviors aching to find an under-privileged girl and make her dreams come true. There were no miracle scholarships to ivy league colleges, regardless of my high school GPA. I’d made strides from the age of eight to keep perfect grades at school. I’d never been encouraged by my parents or even acknowledged for my collection of A’s. I did it for me in hopes of leaving town for college one day, no matter where it may be.

I read each book on the summer reading list
twice
. I read materials beyond my comprehension level and studied them over and over again until I understood them. I spent the year in Laz’s absence at the public library, which was actually a broken down corner of a vacant shopping center. It seemed no one in Dyer had cared about the future of their youth and the library had a ridiculously limited selection. I’d jumped at every chance to accompany my father on his rare trips to Memphis to get a glimpse of life outside of Dyer. More than once I’d kept my hand on the door handle with the itch to escape, to step out of his truck, put one foot in front of the other and never look back. Thoughts of Amber and her future always kept me planted to the seat and obedient when I returned. I began to resent Amber for my predicament. I knew as soon as I was on my own I would find a way. I’d never doubted my ability to take care of myself. It was always the guilt of my mother’s cruelty that weighed me down. Amber would suffer if I left, more than she ever had.

On my fifteenth birthday, someone had heard my prayers because Lucy Hardin had talked her father into taking us to Memphis for dinner. She’d approached me when Laz was sent away and told me she had meant for us to be friends. I had no one at the time, so I went along with every detail of our ‘friendship’. In a twist of sick fate, I had no idea when she was applying a heavy coat of makeup on me that I would be propositioned that night and that opportunity would make me both villain and victor.

It turned out Lucy’s father had only agreed to take us with him in order to meet a business partner. Lucy’s family was the wealthiest in Dyer. All too often, I found myself resentful of it. It didn’t make sense to me then but thinking about it years later, I was sure her father knew that Ray Tyco preyed on young girls and I fit the bill. I spoke with Lucy as I devoured my salad and steak and then chose the biggest dessert available. All the while I caught Ray eyeing me with interest as he spoke to Lucy’s father.

“Who is that man?” I questioned Lucy as I tore through my food, moaning in appreciation.

“Just one of Daddy’s business partners. Ignore him.”

In the middle of dessert, I found myself alone at the table with Ray at Lucy’s father’s insistence.

“Happy Birthday,” he said in a dry tone as I licked the chocolate off my spoon.

“Thanks,” I said completely immersed in chocolate that was no longer on my cutlery.

Ray leaned forward. “Look at me when I talk to you.” I stiffened at his tone. It was the same tone my mother used when I expected the worst. Setting down my spoon, I turned to face him.

Ray wasn’t as old as Lucy’s father. In fact, he was much younger. He had big blue eyes that reminded me of Laz. He was well dressed and reeked of money, which was easy to spot when you had none.

“You live in Dyer?”

“Yep,” I said, quickly averting my eyes to see if Lucy and her father were on their way back.

“Yes, sir,” he corrected.

“Yes, sir,” I agreed. “And I’m getting out as soon as I can.” I didn’t know where the words came from, but I decided to widen my lie. “I’m going to Harvard.”

His laugh was both cruel and amused.

My cheeks flushed as he reminded me who I was.

“Do you have any idea how much it costs to attend a school like Harvard?” He crossed his arms over his suit jacket and tie as he stared at me expectantly.

“Hundreds of thousands,” I answered with dread, waiting on the inevitable.

“And you’ll need prep school. Good grades aren’t enough, and even with the right breeding there is no guarantee you will get in.” He cleared his throat, demanding my eyes again as I looked at him. He wasn’t a bad looking man. In fact, he had a nicely cut face and full lips. For a flash I saw him recognize that I was assessing his looks and he smirked. “You are aware of all this?”

“Yes, sir,” I smarted with pure contempt.

“Good, quick learner. You seem sharp. You could manage a state school.” It was a crack. No matter how subtle, it was a gavel decision he’d made about my future that I had no say in. I dug my heels in.

“You graduated from Tennessee and probably had money before you made any. Sorry you couldn’t do better.” I threw my shoulders back and glared at him as his laughter bellowed around the restaurant.

“Girl, you are something else. Tell me, how did you know I went to Tenn—” he shook his head as he looked down at his cuff links.

“Probably a Vols fan too. That’s unfortunate,” I added smartly as Lucy and her father began to make their way back to the table.

“You want Harvard?” he asked in challenge, pulling out his wallet. I sat stunned, praying Lucy would walk faster. I was relieved when Ray slid a card in front of me, a small smile on his lips.

“Call me when you are serious about it.”

“I won’t need to,” I said, pushing the card back his way.

“Taylor ...this card will get you out of Dyer.”
I could feel the tension leave me slightly with his words, as if the truth of them didn’t exist until he uttered them. I looked at him for long moments when Lucy and her father returned, trying to piece why a man like him would possibly help me. I put the card in the purse Lucy let me borrow to match my dress and taped it to the top of my dresser drawer when I got home, where it remained for a year.

That card had turned out to be exactly what Ray had promised, but with a cost.

“You look lost.”

I jumped in my seat as Daniello’s shadow covered my sun exposed skin. Shielding my eyes from the bright sun, I lifted my hand and studied what I could of him. He was dressed casually and was looking down on me with an expression I couldn’t read.

“I’m ...What are you doing here?” I realized I was dressed in nothing but a ratty t-shirt and illegally cut jean shorts. I crossed my legs in my chair and poured another long drink over my lingering ice.

He turned his head as if he smelled something bad as he answered. I tried not to laugh. “I am here for you, of course.”

He sat next to me in the vacant chair. Elation in my chest, I looked over and smiled at him, completely taken with the fact that he’d returned. It had been weeks without a word. I’d been sure it was over.

“You thought I would not return.” His tone was far from the one I’d experienced the last time we were together. It reeked of sincerity and amusement.

“Yes.”

His smile matched mine as his eyes trailed to my bare feet then scanned across the marsh. He picked my glass up from the table and threw it back in one long gulp.

“Rough day?”

“Rough,” he murmured as his hand shot out and he gripped my foot, bringing it to his lap. He was dressed so casually in a V-neck t-shirt and dark jeans. His black hair hung loosely around his ears, accenting a face that could grace the cover of GQ. His biceps bulged slightly as his strong warm hands massaged me. I felt lucky in that moment to have captured the attention of such a beautiful man. His touch was gentle as he worked the bottom of my foot. My lips parted as he dug in deep, the tension in my shoulders rolling away.

“What do you do in your pastime ...for fun?” I almost hadn’t heard him as his touch became intoxicating. “Taylor?”

I smiled as he picked up my other foot, giving it the same undivided attention. His eyes moved from my bare legs in a hot trail up to my lips before they met mine. I felt the tension grow thick as he continued his massage.

“I work.”

“Surely, there is something you do that is just for you?”

I paused and bit my lip. “If I show you, then your hands will stop.”

He lifted a brow as his hands continued. We sat in silence for a few minutes as we looked at each other. Oddly, I wasn’t shying away from the intimacy and it seemed he did not intend to let me.

Already wet from the mere sight of him, I was thoroughly seduced, slightly buzzed from the whiskey he’d gifted me, and acutely aware that I’d missed him.

I remembered Cedric’s words to me that I was lonely.

“Do you get lonely, living this way?” It was a deeply personal question, another that according to our arrangement I had no right to ask, but really wanted an answer to.

“I get exactly what I ask for in this life.”

“Wow.”

“What?” he asked, tilting his head and stopping his hands.

“You are really good at bullshitting.” I stood before he had a chance to scold me for my mouth. “Come on, you wanted to see my hobby.” He stood towering above me, leaned in, and then took my lips in a slow kiss.

“Hello again, Taylor Ellison.”

“Come on,” I said as he followed. I needed a shower, I didn’t have a single stitch of makeup on, and I was pretty sure he’d noted the spaghetti sauce stain on my t-shirt. I walked to my garage entrance and turned the knob, gesturing him in before me. I was quick to catch up, curious about his reaction. He turned to me after standing perfectly still for several moments.

“Interesting,” he said, circling my Bomber and bracing his hands on the frame to peer in. He took his time studying each car and paid special attention to my GT-500. He looked up at me finally with the ever present amusement. “You have the habits of a man.”

I nodded in agreement. “I guess in a way I was raised by men.”

“No mother?”

I shrugged in reply.

“You do these things in place of words with your hands and your shoulders. I do not accept this.” He shrugged, mirroring my movement.

I fought my smile. “Everyone has a mother.” My answer was just as evasive as his and he gave me a dead stare. I moved past him and opened the driver’s door to the GT, my arms braced over the top of the window. “Shall we?”

“You want to challenge me?” He laughed loudly as he opened the door to my Bomber.

“Not exactly, Well, not
you
.”

A deep grin spread over his features as he caught on. He reluctantly closed the door to the Bomber and took the passenger side of the GT. The engine roared to life, we gave each other a knowing grin as the garage door opened, and I gunned the vehicle into the street, slowly pulling past Rocco so he could clearly see us. I could feel his fury as we raced out of his sight.

“Let’s teach him some manners,” I said, cruising slowly through the downtown streets as Rocco followed closely. As soon as we hit open highway, I dropped gear and floored it, smoking Rocco in the SUV. Daniello barked a loud laugh as Rocco struggled for mere minutes before he became close to invisible in my rearview.