Rust: A Bad Boy Romance (Courage MC) (24 page)

I
made
my way to Kansas in search of someone who had left me long ago. My sister, the only one who had my back growing up. Of course, all that changed once our father died and our mother became a recluse. Slowly, our little happy family melted away into nothing. Jealousies occurred, misunderstandings built up into blackened curses, and the house was shut and boarded up for good.

Yet, here I was, standing in front of her new apartment building with Jack. We asked around and this where everyone said she lived. Only problem was that her new ‘roommate’ was a drug-fueled psychopath from out west. I was told he used to deal meth. Used to, until he figured out it was more fun to smoke the stuff.

“Are you sure about this?” Jack asked me, rubbing my shoulders.

“Yeah. I’m sure. I need a fresh start. I need my family back.” I said.

“Well, it’s about time. I’m right behind you if you need me.”

“Thanks.” I took one step further and felt my body shiver. This was going to be harder than expected. But I saw something the other night when we were with The Sapo Boys. Somewhere in that nightmarish tea, my sister revealed herself to me, telling me this is where I needed to go. Her being there simply pushed me in the right direction. I rang the doorbell and held my breath.

The door slid open about a half inch, connected by the chain inside. “Who’s there? What do you want?” A woman’s face peered out to look at us. She was probably around 28 years old, and yet she looked around 40. It was terrible what hard drugs could do to your body, just terrible. “Sammy? Is that you?” I asked, hesitating a bit to reveal myself.

“I don’t owe you
shit!
” She spat out, closing the door.

I knocked again, this time harder. I was getting through that door if it was the last thing I’d do. “Sammy. I need to talk to you. It’s important. It’s about your father!” The door opened up and unlatched. Behind her were dirty boxes, stacked to the brim. Clothes and food were everywhere. Her place reeked of smoke and decay.
My God…
I couldn’t believe she had been living like this for so long. We grew up so well in the beginning…

“Who the hell are you?” She whispered. Half her teeth were missing. From what I could see, scars were forming all across her body. It was a horrible sight that made me gag instantly.

“You… I …” I stuttered, unable to find the right words.

“She’s your sister.” Jack said. “And we’re coming in.”

“My sister? She’s dead. Ask my momma. Oh, I know who you are. You’re after my stash, aren’t you? Well, good luck trying to find that. Rust already took off with all that shit. He’s more of a fiend than I am!” She cackled, clearly out of mind. This was a bad time. I shouldn’t have come.

We forced our way into the busted up apartment. “Rust?” I asked her. “Did you say Rust?”

“Yeah what about him? You guys after him or something?” She grabbed an old glass pipe from the floor and began searching through the carpet for bits of anything to smoke.

“Have you been with … this guy for a while?” I asked her. It couldn’t be Avery’s guy. Could it? I shuddered just thinking about it.

“With him? What’re you saying? He pays for this apartment, stops by every now and then to check up on me. Says he wants me to get better. I think he’s my guardian angel…” she looked up at me, glassy eyed and high.

“How long? How long has he been coming here?” I asked her, kneeling down and practically spelling out the words for her.

She scratched her face and smiled, “Probably a week, but I don’t know anything. Time is a bullshit concept. The sun goes up and the sun goes down.” Her eyes were practically spinning at this point. “Who’d you say you were again? And where’s my father? You said you had my father!” She screamed at me.

This was worse than I thought. She was completely gone. I hated saying this, but if she were to really get help, she’d need constant medical care. I was ready to turn around and leave. “Your sister. Hope. Our father died, sweetie. A long time ago. Don’t you remember?”

“Hope was nice.” she mumbled. “Such a good sister to me. But then she got taken away. To the big stage in the sky. She took my daddy with her. SHE KILLED MY DADDY!” She was hysterical, rolling around on the floor and crying bloody murder.

“We have to leave. Now.” I said to Jack. He was already halfway outside the door.

“GET OUT OF HERE, YOU DEVILS!” She cried, eyes rolling back into her head. She burst out laughing, hitting her knees as if she told the best joke she had ever heard.

We slammed the door and peeled out of the parking lot. “What the fuck was that about, Hope?” Jack asked me, sweating profusely.

“Another mistake. I seem to be full of them today.” I sighed. “Oh, God. What am I gonna do?” I couldn’t even cry anymore. Things had turned into such a high level of absurdity that my emotions just couldn’t keep up.

“Maybe it’s time to move on, Hope? Maybe you should go into managing or PR? I could help you get started…” It was over for me and he knew it. Managing, PR, becoming an agent. All that meant was giving up your dreams and succumbing to the life of ‘the office.’ There was nothing wrong with that, of course. It just wasn’t me. I was meant to act, to play roles, to travel and see other ways of living. I wanted to spread joy through my music and to inspire others to pursue their dreams.

“It’s over, Jack. If the business is done with me, then I’m done with the business. But I swear on my life, I’m going to rise up and build a new and better fan base. This time, without any of your help. I’m gonna do this right this time.”

“Well, whatever you do, don’t bring me into it. I have enough people barking up my tree right now. No thanks to you. I missed a meeting this morning with 50 Cent. 50
fucking
Cent!” That was all he cared about. There was no loyalty or friendship with Jack. He was just another man in a suit. Good riddance.

“Don’t let me get in your way, Jack. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.” I said, staring out the window.

“Like what? What are you cooking up, Hope?” he smiled, intrigued by my plight.

“It’s just…you know that Rust guy my sister kept talking about?” I asked him.

“Yeah, some junkie? What about him?”

“He’s not some junkie. Notice how she said he
took
her drugs? He wants to get her better.”

“That’s what they all say. Then they take your stash and use it for themselves. Come on, Hope. Don’t be so naïve. Your sister, and I don’t mean any offence by this, is involved in a dark world. It’s like living in the jungle or something.”

“Yeah I get that. It’s just that Avery was talking to some guy named Rust the other day. Said he was going to help me out. You know, get my house back and make a few calls to the label. I assumed that meant he would rough some people up. What did I know?”

“Okay, so? That’s purely coincidence.”

“Let me finish, Jack. Can I fucking finish?” God, he was so annoying sometimes.

“Well, he wanted my social security number. I thought it was going to help with the house. But now I’m thinking, they’re keeping tabs on me. Like, this Rust guy has been seeing my sister for only a week. He
rented
an apartment for her! What’s that about?” I seriously couldn’t wrap my head around it. I couldn’t believe Avery would stoop to such lows. He was hot, sure. But not hot enough to keep going back to him.

“You’re just paranoid, Hope. They’re low level thugs. They don’t run things. You want to know who runs things? Look at the people above
me.
That’s who’s really in charge. Check out their bank statements sometime. It’ll blow your god damn mind.” He laughed condescendingly.

Well, if I was paranoid, he was delusional. It wasn’t unreasonable for me to think there was something shady going on between Avery, Rust, and myself. They had already been using me for just about everything else they needed. Why wouldn’t they be keeping tabs?

“Jack, do you know what this means?”

“Here we go.” Jack sighed.

“It means there’s nowhere to run to. They’ll find me no matter what. I’m fucking stuck with him. Stuck with these gangsters. Oh God.” I hit the dashboard of his car.

Jack was practically cackling. “Yeah, you should have just married the guy. At least then you could have divorced him for all his money.” Such sarcasm. I realized why I had cut off contact from him in the first place. Even as a manager, he was subpar. I couldn’t wait to see him fail on his next project.
50 Cent?
Ha.

“Yeah, well maybe I will.” I muttered.

Jack laughed even harder at this. “Come on, Hope. It’s time for you to come home. You’re staying with me for a while. Just long enough to get on your feet. Sound good?”

“Sure thing.” I said.

In the meantime, we had gone quite some distance. As we drove into more familiar surroundings, I saw a corner store, nearby Avery’s place. I didn’t like or trust the guy, but if I was going to figure out more, I would have to continue pretending that I did.

“Hey, stop here real quick. I want to get a drink.” I said.

“That can’t wait?” Jack looked at me funny.

“Oh, come on! I’ll buy you something.” I said, smiling and looking as happy as can be.

“Okay. I guess I have to use the restroom anyway.” he willingly acquiesced. We got out of the car and walked into the store. That little bell above rang and Jack walked into the bathroom. And as soon as he did, I ran out the store in the direction of Avery’s house. “Goodbye, Jack.” I whispered. “It was fun while it lasted.”

It was time to get what I needed, to find out all the answers. Screw being a pop star. This was all too important now. I was consumed.

I
was woken
up by a loud pounding on my door. “Who is it?” I called out. The knocking, of course, persisted. Pound, pound, pound. I felt like it would
never
stop. After a minute or so, I pulled myself out of bed. I had the worst hangover imaginable.
What did I do to myself last night?
That’s when it hit me. Luke, Bobby, and Bruce. The past few days had been insane for me. And now Hope had left me too. I was technically a lone ranger at this point. “Yeah, what is it?” I yelled, walking towards the front door. I looked at the security TV and saw what seemed to be an angel.

“Hope?”
I asked myself. Could it really be her?

I quickly threw open the door to see. There she was.

“Oh, Avery!” she cried out.

I smiled and picked her up into my arms. “Miss me, huh?”

“Don't try and act cocky with me, Avery. Now is not the time.” she scowled. She was clearly mad at me. I tried my best to smooth things over.

“I won't, I won't. Damn did I miss those freckles though. Where'd you run off to?” There it was, the real question on my mind. Damn though, looking at her now, made me realize just how much I really missed her. She looked incredible. All natural, thick, and confident -- just the way I liked ‘em. A real American woman.

“I spent some quality time with Jack.” she said. Then after some silence, she stepped inside and asked, “Well, do you blame me for running away?”

We sat on the couch and I couldn’t help but stare at her full tits and ass. Her legs were smooth and pure, her skin had youth and vitality. I hadn't gotten laid in almost a week, and I wanted to flip her around and take her with all that I had.

“Yeah Unfortunately, I
do
blame you. Why the fuck are you running around with
him
?” But how could I really, when she looked that good? “I didn't anticipate Luke being there. He went crazy. That isn't even the half of it either.” I said.

She ignored my anger, seemingly frustrated with me. “What happened? I heard a loud noise as soon as I left. Did you rough him up?” She laid back against the fabric and slowly spread her legs.

My hand caressed her smooth ankle, running all the way up to her core. She grabbed my hand, waiting for my response. “He tried to kill me, the bastard. But I got out of the way right in time. Would've taken my left eye if he got lucky. The weirdest thing was, Bobby Farole came by. Asked me to stop by his gang’s bar…”

Her hand was around my growing flesh, over my clothes. Her fingers wrapped tightly around my shaft. I was moaning, above her, as my hands controlled her tight waist and ass. Fuck, this felt so good. I needed her every single day.

But all of a sudden, as she heard my words, her legs closed together and she pulled herself out of my grasp. “Whoa, hold on one second. Are you serious? Bobby Farole?”

I sighed loudly. Couldn't we just talk about this later? “Yeah, Bobby Farole came in. Big deal. Luke's the one who shot at my face.” I said, feeling my libido slip away.

“Avery, do you really think you can just grope me and everything will be alright? That’s not how it’s going to work. Look, I left for a reason, so you’re going to respect me and answer my questions.”

Wow, she was being a real hard ass. “Fine.” I said. “We can talk.”

She ran her hands across her legs and took a deep breath. “So came by the place already? What're you gonna do?” she asked me. I stood up and walked into the kitchen to pour myself a stiff drink.

“Hell if I know. I doubt you still wanna help me at this point. This life is probably too wild for you anyway.” I said, taunting her. I needed her still. I needed her to do this for me, despite the risks. I'd be there to protect her. I wouldn't let her down. She meant more to me now, oddly enough. The whole thing kinda made me sick.

“I'll help you.” she simply said.

“Wait, what? You'll do it? Since when were you so okay with it?”

“I agreed to do it a couple of days ago, right? Well, I'm in. I'm not afraid anymore.” She had a certain confidence in her today that I hadn't seen before. I guess after the incident with The Sapo Boys, she had changed a lot. I wasn't used to change, but I was learning to roll with it.

“Well alright then, baby. Let's come up with a plan.” I said, clapping my hands. There was nothing I liked more than sex, but I did love coming up with a good plan.

“Okay. But not here.” she said.

“It's safe here. What's the matter?” I asked her, feeling confused and a little let down from the lack of sex.

She kissed my cheek and smiled. “Because, silly. I want to go out with you. Maybe after we come up with something, you can have some dessert.” she said, rubbing up against me.

“With whip cream? And cherries on top?” I winked. She licked across my lips.
Fuck.
She was trying to kill me, I swear.

“With whatever toppings you can handle…” She whispered, kissing the back of my neck.

“Let's go.” I said, picking her up and running out the door. It was almost morning, and there was a lot to be done already.

“
S
o what's the plan
?” she asked me, sliding her backside into the darkened booth of the Mexican restaurant. “What were you thinking?” her voice was hushed and low so no one could hear.

I laughed, looking at her funny. “You speak like a criminal now.”

She blushed and took off her pair of sunglasses. “Do you have to ruin everything?” she asked me.

“Of course I do. I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn’t ruined a ton of shit in my life.”

“So you don't have a plan. Is that what you're telling me?” She looked around the room for our server. “Whatever. Just tell me what you wanted me to do.” She said, crossing her arms and looking away.

“It ain't that simple. Plus, I'm starting to think that Luke and Bobby are in this together.” I admitted. It was a cold truth that I had to face sooner than later. Sure, Luke hated Bobby with a fiery passion. But now they had a mutual, or at least a similar, goal. They wanted to take over the whole damn region.

“I'll seduce them.” She laughed. “Like we said. Both of them.”

“Well, that ain't gonna work. They've got some rules they follow and they ain't gonna touch anybody else’s girl.” I sighed. This was going to be difficult to figure out. “Look, we gotta think about things one at a time. Bobby is first and foremost. I know we got that whole thing with The Sapo Boys and Luke, but Bobby legitimately scares me.”

“But Luke shot a gun at your face, Avery.” Well…she did have a point.

“You're right. But it's not a bullet I'm scared of. Luke’s harmless if he has no backup. There's no way in hell he could take down Bruce and the gang. But Bobby? Hell, he's a truly evil guy, Hope. I don't think you understand. I wouldn't put it past him to change all the pipes to flow out lead filled water. He’d kill us slow and painful. He's a god damn sadist.” I shook my head, realizing the gravity of the situation.

“And you want me to
fuck
this guy?” She asked, real pissed and cute looking. I could feel all eyes in the restaurant turn toward us.

“Settle down.” I whispered, leaning over the table. “Not
fuck
him. It wouldn't be a good time for you, honey. Plus, I never want to say I fucked the same girl as Bobby Farole. I want you to
seduce
him. Big difference. You use everything you got: sex appeal, cute outfits, cocaine -- which he loves by the way -- and huge meals fit for ten. Let's face it, the man's not thin by any means.” I laughed and ran my hands through my hair. “Any questions?”

“So you don't want me to sleep with him?” She asked. Was this girl deaf? I guess I
did
want her to in the beginning. But that was before I knew her. She was just some girl then. Now she was…oh, I don't know, she seemed special, okay? I truly hated admitting it, ‘cause ain't no woman that special. But this one in front of me … God, damn she was something.

“Hell no! Are you even listening to me? I said no sex. Just make him think he’ll get it if he keeps trying hard. Lead him on. You're a celebrity, it shouldn't be that hard for you.” I said.

“I resent that. But you're right. All men are easy. I'll get him going. I'll work him up real nice and hot. I'll—”

I stood up waving my hands at her. “Just spare me the details. That image in my head is disgusting.” Hope and Bobby was an absolute nightmare, a true layer of hell. Shit, this was a terrible plan, but it's not like it couldn't work. Most of our plans weren't too hot, and somehow Bruce has been hard at it all his life. So why not? It was our best shot.

“And what, I just report back to you every night?” The server came by with chips and we both dove in, chewing loudly.

“Yeah, why not?” I asked her honestly. I wasn't asking her to date the guy. “You're just going out, like to clubs or bars, or wherever it is they go. Collect all the info you can on them and Luke and when you get home, give me all you can.”

“I can
definitely
give you all I can…” she licked her lips, inserting two fingers right in her pretty little mouth. Jesus Christ. Did I tell you she was something?