SIX MONTHS (A Seven Series Novel)

He let go of my wrists and turned away. Then he kicked his shoes off and crawled in bed beside me, wiping my tears with the pad of his thumb.

 

“Listen to me, and listen good. You’re not your mother, so erase that thought out of your head. One time isn’t going to make you an addict any more than one beer makes someone an alcoholic; that comes from a weak person who’s not willing to face their problems, and you’re not weak. We all hit a rough patch and sometimes need to disconnect from the real world and get our head together. But a user is someone who can’t live in the real world anymore. You’re a strong woman.”

 

“You barely know me. How can you say something like that?” I gasped three times, having one of those terribly embarrassing cries.

 

His hand came away from my face and he rubbed his chin. “Crying doesn’t make you weak. I have a good sense about people. You’re a shy girl, but you’ve got a strong will.”

 

“But not someone you want to dance with.”

 

Reno inched closer to me until I felt his entire body against my left side. “You were busy with my brother.”

 

He had me there. “Sorry, I didn’t know the protocol for ungluing your eyes from mammary girl.”

 

I heard a smile in his voice. “Maybe the protocol doesn’t involve letting my brother grind against your backside.”

 

I flew up and pushed him away. “What time is it? I have to go!”

 

Oh my God. Sanchez. I had to pay him off by midnight.

 

“Lie down,” Reno demanded, tugging at my dress.

 

I slapped his hand away and leapt off the bed. “I have to go home, Reno. Now.”

 

His eyes were sharp and alert in the dim light. “You’re stoned as hell, and where do you think you need to be at this hour?”

 

“I need you to drive me home this second.”

 

He didn’t get a chance to argue because I was already running barefoot down the hall.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Nothing, Denver. Get your sorry ass back to bed. April, get back in here,” Reno called out from behind. “I’m warning you!”

 

Didn’t hear him. I was out the door and running down the driveway, wincing as the gravel bit at my feet. I had no sense of time and hoped it was still early. Behind me, Reno’s motorcycle thundered to life. The light flipped on and flashed on the road as he rolled up beside me and yelled over the throttling engine.

 

“Get on.”

 

 

 

Reno’s bike cut through the night, and a delicate mist began to wet the streets. I wore the helmet, but my lavender dress was ruined. The air felt uncomfortably cool and I began to shake, my teeth chattering as I held him close. I curved my hands around him, drawing in his heat and using his body as a shield to protect me from the wind.

 

We arrived at my trailer and before he could get the kickstand down, I ran up to the door and yelled out, “Thanks! Good night.”

 

I’d left in such a hurry that my purse with Sanchez’s money was still in Ivy’s room, along with my keys. I decided to test the handle before knocking. Strange. He hadn’t locked the door. “Trevor?”

 

Holy smokes. The digital clock by the fridge said 1:19 a.m.

 

My heart beat wildly as I raced to my room to retrieve the money in my drawer, which I’d set aside to put back into the account. I grabbed a small purse and counted out the bills. It wasn’t until I walked out of my bedroom that I noticed something that had failed to grab my attention when I’d rushed into the trailer.

 

“Trevor!” I screamed.

 

And screamed.

 

He was propped up on the sofa, head hanging to the side, a note safety-pinned to his chest. His bare chest.

 

Vanilla Frost,

 

I took a down payment.

 

 

 

“Please, please, please, don’t be dead,” I cried. My trembling fingers pressed against his neck and I felt a weak pulse. “Oh, thank God. Trevor? Can you hear me?”

 

He had been beaten to a pulp. His eyes were purple and swollen, a large gash ran along his cheek, and even his arms were bruised—as though someone had hit them with a heavy object. Horror gripped me when I noticed his misshapen arm.

 

Strong hands moved me to the side. Reno knelt down and turned Trevor’s chin, getting a good look at his face. I stared at the drops of blood on his white shoelaces and winced.

 

Reno got on his phone. “Austin, level red. We’ve got a rogue and I need your help. Sunny Breeze Trailer Park, the one near the store. Second turnoff; last trailer on the right.”

 

“We have to call the hospital,” I said in a shaky voice. I grabbed Reno’s shirt and water dripped from the ends of my trembling hair.

 

“He doesn’t need a hospital,” Reno said, carefully removing the note. “Do you want to tell me what this is all about?”

 

“I don’t know.” How could I tell him? If it had almost gotten Trevor killed, I sure didn’t want to bring trouble to Reno’s doorstep.

 

He scorched me with his gaze, his disbelief clear. “We’ll talk about it later.”

 

Trevor moaned. I hurried to the sink and ran a towel beneath the water, then rushed back to his side and pressed it against the gaping wound on his head.

 

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