Playing it Out, page 1
Playing it Out
An Adrenaline Novel
Leona Morgan
Text copyright @ 2015 Leona Morgan
For the loves that come easy
and the family you never have to doubt.
Preface
Declan
Resisting the urge to punch a someone was hard— especially when the person deserved it. My Uncle Skip had come home loud and drunk as usual, stumbling his way down the hallway of our cramped two bedroom house with another 20-something girl giggling beside him. I cursed under my breath wishing for the millionth time that there was any kind of privacy in this hell hole we lived in.
Letting my little sister have a room to herself, I had been sleeping on the couch in the front room since we’d started living with my uncle. Kenzie was ten going on eighty. She had a genius brain and a wisdom that went way back beyond her years.
It was a strange feeling, having my baby sister out smart me by leaps and bounds. At times I was jealous of her wits, but mostly I was filled with pride. She was special and I intended to make sure she realized that, even if our worthless family didn't. I knew our mother had fucked with her self-esteem, added to that neither of us knew who our fathers were. On her last birthday, she had asked me what she had done to make our mother leave, making me hate the woman even more than I already did.
"Goddamn it, you worthless fucks!" Skip exclaimed, kicking at something in the hall.
"You have kids?" A woman's voice asked, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Fuck no,” Skip snorted, “I have two bottom feeders who have ruined my life." My mother’s older brother had never been overly fond of us, even less so since our mother had dropped us on his doorstep and hadn't looked back. Mara Kane had never wanted children, she made it a point to tell me that more than once throughout my seventeen years.
Checking the time, I noted it was a little past midnight. With a groan, I rubbed my hands down my face and slowly counted to ten, tensing my muscles and relaxing them with each breath. Kenzie had read an article about muscle relaxation as a coping strategy for anxiety, which I had found stuffed into my pillow case one night. She was always doing little things like that to look out for me. I hated that we didn't have the kind of family Kenzie deserved. The kind of family who made us feel safe and loved, but at least we had each other.
I felt calmer when I heard my uncle's bedroom door slam shut, the sound of the lock clicking loudly behind him—as if we would ever go in his dirty ass room. We had been living with him full time for a little over a year but it felt like much longer. I almost preferred living with our mother, which was really saying something—at least she was never around and when she was, she was easier to avoid.
There was a moment of silence and I allowed myself to drift off again. I relaxed into the couch only to be woken by a loud shout coming from the back bedroom.
I shot into a sitting position upon hearing the girl Skip had brought home start screaming, shouting something about his small dick— I would have laughed if Kenzie hadn't been asleep in the next room. The sound of glass shattering had me jumping to my feet and heading down the hallway. I peeked into Kenzie's room, hardly surprised to find her sound asleep. The kid could sleep through a twenty one gun salute.
Her survival instincts had taught her how to sleep through anything.
“You fucking bitch!" Skip barked followed by something else crashing. Sighing, I debated whether or not I should get involved.
Deciding that Kenzie could only sleep through so much, I got up to see what the damage was.
I knocked on the door steadily until I had caught my uncle's attention. The door flew open and I saw that Skip was practically foaming at the mouth. His hand started twitching with the need to punch me like he had when I was younger and my mom would drop us off with him for weeks on end. He had continued to use me as a punching bag until we both realized I was stronger than he was.
"That is a real man! One who looks like he knows how to show a girl a good time. Not a dud like you, Skip.” The woman exclaimed, clearly intent on driving my uncle crazy. I kind of felt like strangling her myself. Skip turned and slapped the woman across the face, sending her sprawling onto the floor. Holding a hand to her cheek she glared at him and grabbed her purse.
"I'm out of here, you fuck."
Skip moved as if he were going to hit her again. I stepped forward to stop him, but before I could do anything the woman, standing up, moved forward and kneed him in the balls, exiting the room while he crumpled to the floor. I smirked when tears started to fall down his face.
“Declan?” I heard my sister's hesitant voice say as she crept up beside me. I glanced down to see that she was studying our uncle with wide eyes.
Lurching to his feet, Skip wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"You bastards,” he spat coming towards us. I moved Kenzie behind me recognizing the look in his eye. My head snapped back as his fist connected and I felt blood start to pour out of my nose.
"Stop it!" Kenzie cried out pushing past me. She stood in front of me, as if her small frame would protect me against our drunk uncle who was currently looming over her. With a look of disgust on his face, Skip picked Kenzie up by her elbows and tossed her aside, her head making a loud thunk as it connected with the wall.
I felt a rage like I had never felt before consuming me from the inside out. My vision went blurry as I pushed Skip back into the bedroom. My fists started pummeling him from all sides, the force sending him sprawling to the ground. I followed him down and straddled his body, my arms pumping relentlessly against his face, his head lolling from side to side as my knuckles connected over and over again.
I didn't know how much time had passed before I felt Kenzie come up behind me, her small hand gripping my shoulder. "Declan," she spoke in a firmly as she bent down next to me. She shook my shoulder twice before I finally met her solemn grey eyes. “That’s enough now,” her voice was strong commanding my attention.
I stopped my assault, noticing for the first time that Skip had been knocked out. Standing up, I looked down at my uncle in disgust, aching to punish him further. The only thing stopping me was Kenzie's heavy stare and shaky little hands.
"Declan," she said my name cautiously now, her voice losing all of the sternness it had held moments before. I tugged her to my side and walked us out of the room, bending down to meet her eyes after shutting the bedroom door behind us.
"I am so sorry, Kenzie,” I began, my voice cracking when she flung her arms around me and held on tight. I started to rub her back hoping to soothe her. When I felt tears on my neck I squeezed her tighter, picking her up and moving us into the living room. Despite how much we had been through I had hardly ever seen Kenzie cry. She was always so collected, it made me forget she was still just a kid.
"I don't want to sleep here tonight, Declan,” Kenzie whispered once I had us settled on the couch. I didn't want to stay there either but our options were limited. I felt my eye starting to swell from the hit Skip had landed and sighed noticing the blood staining my shirt. Setting Kenzie aside with a blanket, I shed my shirt and tugged on a new one. Grabbing the keys to my motorcycle along with my wallet and phone, I sent a quick text before I faced Kenzie who had curled into herself on the couch.
"Do you need anything from your room, Kenzie?" I kept my voice quiet when I really wanted to scream at the reality of our situation.
My sister let out a relieved breath when she realized that I had no intention of letting us stay in this house tonight with our uncle knocked out in the bedroom. Scurrying to her room, she emerged a minute later with a backpack slung over her shoulder and a book clutched in her hands. Standing before me she opened the book and pulled out a wad of cash, handing it to me with a small grin on her face. I felt my jaw drop after counting the bills, gaping at my sister in shock.
"Where did you get this much money?"
She shrugged innocently but the smile and proud gleam in her eye didn't fade.
"I do the older kids homework."
I couldn't help but laugh and hug her tight before moving us towards the door. My phone vibrated and I checked the messages breathing easier when I saw my friend and bandmate Lucas Cooper's reply. I knew the Cooper’s would let Kenzie and I crash at their house tonight. They were good people.
Firing up the cheap motorcycle I had managed to fix up, I made sure Kenzie had her helmet on and was secure behind me before heading out of our shitty neighborhood towards the Cooper's farm. Thankfully it didn't take us long to get there. The porch light was on when we pulled in, the front door already opening when I shut off the ignition. Lucas walked onto the Cooper’s wide wrap around porch with his twin brother Wyatt following close behind.
Kenzie clutched at my arm as we approached the house, hiding behind me when Wyatt smiled at down at her. Although I had known the Cooper’s for the better part of a year, I still hadn't brought Kenzie around them much. She was always intimidated around new people, which was why I was so surprised she had approached older kids about doing their homework for cash. The few times she had tagged along to watch our band rehearse, she had insisted on remaining in the shadows until the guys had left and we were ready to head home.
"Boys, what are you doing out here?" A woman's voice called out. Lucas and Wyatt’s mom appeared in the doorway behind her sons, taking in my blood crusted face and Kenzie's pale complexion. Her face transformed from one of confusion to sympathetic understanding. Mrs. Cooper had always been kind to me when I'd been at the farm for band practice
“What have we got here?” Mr. Cooper said in a booming voice as he came onto the porch beside the twins. I felt Kenzie jump beside me, her nails digging into my skin. Mr. Cooper was an intimidating man before you got to know him. He was a prime example of the strong a silent type. When Leonard Cooper pushed his sons aside he completely blocked them from our view. His large frame seemed to take up the entire porch as he narrowed his gaze on me before placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Best get some ice on that eye, son,” he flicked his eyes to Kenzie briefly before softening his voice. “It’s late. You and the little one are both going to be our guests tonight.”
"You must be tired,” Mrs. Cooper’s voice was warm and welcoming as she gestured us into the house. "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need.” Bending down she met Kenzie’s eye and offered her a hand. “I think I have some cookies in the kitchen with your name on them, Little One.” I looked down at my sister breathing easier when I saw the small smile on her face. We were going to be alright.
I'd make sure of it.
Chapter 1
Reece
"This is ridiculous, Lane. We should just go back home. No man is worth going out in the rain for.” Jumping up and down I tried to remain warm despite the cold rain hitting my exposed skin where the umbrella couldn't protect me. It was the beginning of summer but the night chill was doing a good time of convincing me otherwise as we lingered in the parking lot outside JJ’s bar and grill. “Not to mention this is stalker behavior. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
My loyalty to my friend was the only thing that had made me leave my house tonight. She was a die-hard fan of the rock band Adrenaline and my cousin Jared had tipped her off that the band's drummer was hanging out at my uncle’s bar before their sold out show. Despite my many protests, Lane had refused to let the opportunity to meet one of her heroes go to waste.
"Reece, after all these years you still don't understand. These guys are talented and hot. Like God sculpted them from marble hot.” Her hand shot out to grip my wrist, “This is fact. You’ve seen the videos and the photos. Plus this is their hometown— our hometown. We’re just being neighborly.”
I loved my friend but sometimes she could be so dramatic. “I want to go home. Home is where it's warm. Home is where the movies and the blankets are, Lane.” I heard myself start to whine but couldn't bring myself to care enough to stop. I couldn't believe I'd let her drag me out in the rain in the first place. “Home is also where your husband and children are."
Glancing into her compact, Lane adjusted her lip gloss and linked our arms.
"And I can't wait to get back to them but this is my band Reece. Jon is fully aware of my obsession. He’s made peace with it and so should you. Now let's have a drink and I'll make you homemade mac and cheese if you play nice!”
Groaning, I let her tug me towards the bar’s entrance, mostly because she had taken our one and only umbrella. Normally I wasn't a fan of bars but JJ's was one I didn't mind. There were old arcade games you could play for free and my uncle was the owner so I could usually drink without dropping a dime.
Once we were out of the rain's reach I waved Lane off to the restroom to freshen up and made a beeline for the bar. I was grateful the place was half empty, probably because it was a little before dinner time. Most of the regulars wouldn't arrive until later in the night. JJ's had a great atmosphere for drinking but the food left much to be desired. I noticed that the bartender was new as she made her way towards me with a polite smile on her face.
"What can I get for you?"
I briefly flipped through the plastic menu before deciding on a nice whiskey. My step dad Ted had always told me whiskey was a sure fire way to warm the blood. Considering my bone deep chill, a fire sounded really appealing. Plus I needed a drink after the day that I'd had. Teaching high school English was fulfilling in a lot of ways, but majority of the kids had been in a mood today. Anxious for their summer breaks to begin. One particularly troubled student had called me a bitch for giving him a D on his term paper. He was lucky I hadn't made it an F since a majority of it was plagiarized right from the book.
Thank God it was summer vacation.
"A double whiskey, please."
"Make that two."
Glancing to my left I saw a guy with thick black hair wink at the woman behind the counter making her blush. Quickly averting my eyes, I studied at the row of liquor bottles behind the bar and willed Lane to come back from the restroom. There was no part of me that wanted to make idle chit chat with a stranger tonight.
"Sure thing, Mr. Kane,” she stammered turning to make our drinks. Placing the glasses in front of us, she smiled and breathlessly asked if I wanted to open a tab, her eyes drifting towards the man next to me at every other word.
"That won't be necessary, Tracey,” the man started in a low voice. I glanced down at the woman’s name tag to see that her name was actually Stacey and rolled my eyes. “You can put it on my tab.” When he finished speaking the man shifted giving me his full attention. Turning my head to meet his gaze, I instantly recognized one of the guys Lane claimed was carved from marble. When he smiled at me I saw he had a chin dimple just like Superman’s and I felt my skin start to hum with awareness. Videos and photos didn't do Declan Kane justice.
Cool blue eyes twinkled at me and I forced myself to look away again.
"Actually, Stacey,” I emphasized her name and saw the rocker wince out of the corner of my eye. “That will be necessary." Handing the girl my debit card, I glanced back at Declan who was still standing beside me. "Thanks but no thanks, buddy. Have a good night."
My palms started to sweat as I felt his eyes continuing to watch me. I was so caught up in avoiding his stare that I blanked momentarily when he started laughing. Not just a few chuckles but a full blown belly laugh. Despite my confusion I felt my lips curl upward listening to him. His laugh had a catchy quality to it. Go figure.
Calming down he rubbed a hand over his mouth and sighed, "I don't think I have ever been so neatly dismissed." His laughter had affected me and I felt myself relax.. I don't think I had ever talked to someone as good looking as this guy was. I knew I had never talked to someone so famous.
"No offense, I just prefer to buy my own drinks." I reasoned, fully expecting him to walk off. Declan leaned against the bar and casually crossed his feet at the ankles.
"Fair enough, but if it's alright with you I'd like to introduce myself before you give me another brush off." The twinkle of mischief in his eye made me want to laugh, but I kept my face straight and nodded admiring the way he filled out his tight black button down shirt and faded blue jeans. "If I tell you my name, will you promise to tell me yours?"
"Oh my god! You're Declan Kane!" Lane squealed, stepping between me and the rocker. I thought I heard him mutter "so much for that" and laughed aloud. My suspicions were confirmed when he caught my gaze and winked sending a rush of heat through me.
"Jared only said Jace was here, not you too!" Declan's eyes widened briefly then focused on me. Taking a slug of whiskey, I shrugged.
“Kids these days."
"I take it you're a fan?" He smirked and turned the conversation back to Lane, taking a sharpie from her trembling hand.
"Of course I'm a fan. Only an idiot wouldn't be."
Cutting his eyes to me, Declan cocked a dark brow. "What about you? You a fan too?" I thought about being polite, but this guy probably had everyone and his brother fluffing his ego.
"I've heard a few songs but by Lane's standards I'm an idiot." The truth was I knew a majority of their songs. They were always on the radio at one point or another plus their self-declared number one fan was my best friend. Looking at Declan, I tried to recall the face from the poster I had bought Lane for her sixteenth birthday. She had kept that thing on her wall even in her college dorm room. That picture was nearly ten years old now. The man before me only slightly resembled the young face that had been on that poster. Back then he had a sharp brooding look to him, nothing like the carefree expression of the beautiful man before me. Thinking harder, I was also fairly certain he'd been wearing eyeliner in that shot.
