Oceans Submerged: Book Two, the Oceans Series (21 page)

We all shook hands, sealing our agreement. Ocean and I walked out of the facility in silence.

****

I woke up in the middle of the night to Ocean standing over me in my bedroom. I flicked on the lamp on my bedside table squinting my eyes from the light.

When the blur finally cleared, Ocean was staring down at me. His hands were trembling and his eyes were glazed over as beads of sweat ran down his forehead. He was either high as fuck or trying to fight the need to get high.

I cleared my throat sitting up slowly, not really sure how this conversation was going to start or end. When I opened my mouth to speak, he immediately interrupted me.

“Please just don’t ask. Law I—damn it man I need to get out of here. I can’t sleep without seeing her the way I found her. I—never mind.”

He turned to walk out, but I bolted off the bed running to block his way to the door. “Hey man. No problem, let me get dressed and we’ll keep busy until we pass out from exhaustion. Sound good?”

I asked him grabbing onto his shoulders, trying to bring his mind back down to this solar system.

He did a fast jerky nod. I pushed him back to sit at the edge of my bed while I got dressed. I didn’t trust him out of my sight because he looked like he was feigning for coke. I would lose a year’s sleep to keep him away from that shit. By the looks of it, he already got to it. That was probably how he ended up with those hickies.

I pulled up some basketball shorts over my briefs, slipped on some socks and my running shoes. No need for a shirt because after our million-mile run, I was going to take him to the studio and start mapping out the plans.

The next time we would go back to see Blue and Sunshine, I wanted to have some work ready for them to start.

I slapped him on his bare shoulder as he was dressed the same as I was.

“Come on bro, I got you.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Livie

Three weeks later… Homecoming!

As soon as the 6 a.m. announcement came on I jumped out of bed, running into the shower. I never thought I would say that hearing that fake tony the tiger announcer was the greatest thing ever. Today I was going home!

The last three weeks were really the best they could have been. As promised, Ocean showed up every Tuesday and Sunday earlier than on time. When he showed up during my PT, Santi let him take over showing him what we were doing and then leaving us to it.

My hand still hurt every now and then, especially if I abused it but I was now able to shower, dry myself, wash my hair, and get dressed all by myself. I was also up to doing fifty-eight push-ups by myself without the resistance band as my safety net. I had one last meeting with Marion for my overall assessment and progress report.

Trevor and Joseph turned into our personal robo cop one and two after the crazy night the guys beat the crap out of Oscar. He finally quit but by the way Dulce was behaving the last three days, I wasn’t convinced that she was in the clear yet.

It was great that Law had us busy when we weren’t in therapy and talking with our counselors. He was really making progress with the studio and from what Ocean was telling me, it was almost finished with the minor construction. I couldn’t wait to see it.

I also couldn’t believe that Law got Marion to allow Dulce to be released on the same day as me. From what I knew, Dulce had another two weeks or so before she would be going home. I nearly tongue-kissed Law for doing that for her. I mean, I knew he was planning on taking her with us but I can’t believe he pulled it off.

Too many questions Livie just get dressed and get to Marion’s!

****

Apparently, Marion wanted to see me along with Dulce at the same time so we nervously walked the hallway to her office for our last time.

I grabbed Dulce’s hand in mine as I knocked on Marion’s door.

“Come in ladies.” we heard her say in a singing tone.

I turned the door handle, gliding it open slowly, dragging Dulce in with me. Her behavior was getting weirder and weirder by the hour.

“Hello Marion.” I said as I closed the door behind us.

She looked up, peeking over her designer glasses. She extended her hand signaling for us to take seats.

I had to pull Dulce in front of me and push her into her seat. It was like her body was here but her mind was a million miles away.

“Ladies.” Marion addressed us as she removed her reading glasses with a smile. “I’m sure you have been informed the way your releases are going to occur is not something I’m typically found of. But seeing as to how you two have progressed since meeting each other, I see no reason to object.”

I looked over at Dulce who looked like she was slowly plummeting down to earth.

“And I cannot dismiss the change that both Hawthorne’s have made about the place. I’ve never had the need to tighten up security but after it was brought to my attention in the way they presented it…Dulce I apologize for my indiscretion to your concerns.”

Shock was written all over her face and I smiled for encouragement.

“Thank you.” Dulce managed to say as she nervously played with her hair.

“Ms. Acosta, I am extremely pleased with the progress that you’ve shown here as well as your growth. However, please consider that with your past things are going to be extremely difficult for you. Once the high of being released wears off you will be forced to deal with the real world, real emotions, and the real consequences of your actions. Everything might not seem so great anymore.”

“I understand Marion but I assure you that Lawrence Hawthorne will have our condo suicide proof and Ocean will most likely be in charge of my 24/7 security.” I said with a smile and she nodded in agreement.

She pulled out two forms from her folder, sliding them over to us. “Ladies, these are your release agreements please sign them and you will be escorted out. There is no need to delay your homecoming.”

I jumped up grabbed the pen and scribbled my name on the dotted line. Dulce moved at a slower pace not really sure of herself.

“Oh Dulce, do you know who’s coming to pick you up? I could not get in touch with your step-father.”

The pen in her hand slipped between her fingers as her face turned pale white. Both Marion and I looked at each other then back at her.

I cleared my throat. “Marion—I’ve made arrangements for Dulce to come and stay with myself and the Hawthorne family. If that’s okay with you we’ll be leaving together.”

“Yes, yes of course. I will make sure Santi, Trevor, and Joseph are with you while you are escorted out. Your rooms have been packed and your belongings are waiting for you. Please wait until Santi comes to get you both from my office.”

She grabbed her cell phone calling Santi. Within seconds, he was barging through her door ready to hospitalize anyone who looked cross eyed at us.

I grabbed Dulce by the shoulders, holding her close as Santi walked behind us with a hand on either of our shoulders.

“Calmate Dulce todo vas a tal bien, (calm down Dulce everything is going to be fine).” She nodded slowly.

Santi leaned close to my head. “Sunshine, stay close. Your boys are waiting outside but I have a bad feeling about Dulce’s people, okay.”

“Yes, of course.”

We met up with Trevor and Joseph by the main entrance. While Santi took the lead, Trevor and Joseph closed us in to the middle, blocking all hands and eyes from reaching us.

The walk was long and silenced. Everyone had a bad feeling about this and I couldn’t help but feel the same way.

“Baby!” Ocean shouted.

“Blue!” Lawrence squealed like a little girl.

We both heard Ocean and Law from across the yard. At the sound of Law’s voice, Dulce broke out into a speed walk pushing against Santi to hurry up and he did when she started to jog. I laughed to myself. Someone broke our formation.

Law reached for Dulce, picking her up and pulling her into a huge bear hug. I saw the tension rolling off of her and finally I was able to breath.

Arms came from behind me, snaking themselves tightly around my upper stomach. The smell of salt and spice burned my nose and I let my head fall back into Ocean.

“Hey beautiful.”

I turned around in his arms to look up at his face. He looked absolutely beautiful. Today he was rocking the Alex Pettyfer look. I slipped my arms underneath his and hugged his body close.

“You ready to go home, baby?”

I inhaled deeply before exhaling. “Ocean, with you I would go anywhere.”

His hands slid down to my ass as he palmed and squeezed me, pushing me into his hardness. There was an edge in his eyes ever since he showed up with his shame hickies. I couldn’t place it but it was something that he was hiding from me.

I couldn’t really figure out if it was something bad he was into or if it was just his way of dealing, but there was something playing under the warm brown pools of his eyes.

He walked me backwards keeping his eyes on me searching for something. When my back hit the hardness of what felt like a car, I looked over my shoulder. It was another stretched limo. This one was white and I shook my head rolling my eyes.

“Go big or go home baby. I like to do both.”

I laughed at his corny line. “Okay big daddy, don’t hurt yourself.”

He bit his lip. “Say that in Portuguese and see what happens.”

Ocean loved when I spoke my native language while having sex. It was a huge turn on for him…and me.

I pulled my lips into my mouth, keeping from saying anything else. There was nothing playful about his dare.

Law and Dulce came to meet us by the limo. Her face was lit up like the fourth of July and I was so happy for her. That was until someone called for her and she started hyperventilating, grabbing onto Law’s shirt and pulling it down trying to hide herself.

The mood went from happy to dangerous in that moment.

Law ripped her away from him as he shoved her into Ocean and I. Ocean opened the limo door tucking us behind it. He looked to Dulce and me with a death stare.

“Don’t move, talk, or make a sound.” He looked at me extra hard.

I shook him off so he could go with Law. Putting my arm around Dulce to keep her by my side, we held on to the limo door and watched the tension unfold.

A man came around the front of the limo. He was an older man around the age of my father, but looked like a scumbag. Another body came around the limo and it was Oscar.

“Dulce, good to see you, care to introduce me to your new friends?” The older Hispanic man with the Dominican Republic flag tattooed onto his neck spoke.

He was dressed casual with a pressed white and blue Cuban shirt, simple slacks and dress shoes. The gold clinging to his neck and both wrists was classless.

Off the bat everything about him radiated no good, piece of shit, scumbag you would be a fool to let into your heart or your home.

Ocean and Law blocked our view.

“I wouldn’t say we’re friends more like her new family.” Law was the first to respond.

Ocean backed away to give Law some space and I could feel the control from Law’s body slipping away. It was crazy how in tune I was to his body as well as Ocean’s.

Ocean stepped away crossing his arms over his broad chest, opening his stance as he stared down the man and Oscar.

“Oh, is that so? Familia is a strong word to use for some crazy woman you just met.”

Oh! I hope that old man had a good life insurance policy, because Law was definitely going to cash in today.

Dulce tried to pull away from the door, but I pushed her back in place.

“If she’s that crazy and you can’t handle her, let me take her off your hands. I’m sure you have better things to do than babysit a crazy girl like her, am I right?”

The man shifted to the side to peek around Law, locking his eyes on Dulce. With a smug grin he responded and I knew before he opened his mouth that it was going to the wrong type of response.

“I wouldn’t say I can’t handle her. She just needs a little coaching to teach her just how I like it.”

Law turned to look at Dulce his face calm as he winked at her. When his body coiled back to face the ass hat, his left fist came up punching him so hard I could have sworn something cracked—other than his nose. Immediately blood was everywhere.

“Gun!” Someone shouted.

“Shit!” I tried to grab Dulce but she sucker punched me in the stomach taking off toward Law who was going in for another attack. As his arm come up coiling back again, she grabbed onto it, pulling it down letting her weight fall to the ground.

What I saw take place next yanked my soul out of my chest. Oscar was in Ocean’s face aiming a gun at him.

Right between the fucking eyes!

My body came around the door ready to run to him but Santi knocked me into the side of the limo pinning me to it. I stared at Ocean who looked calm but ready to start a war.

Law grabbed Dulce quickly tossing her into Trevor’s arms. Kicking and screaming, she fought back but I was silenced watching Oscar’s finger tug and release at the gun’s trigger.