Buried Deep ✔️

Chapter Eighteen [Challenges]

She folded her arms across her chest and looked up at me. "I know, Spence. I don't like it either, but they'd flip if they knew you were part of a gang."

I sighed, glancing down at my feet. I knew she was right, but from the looks her uncle had given me, I had a feeling he already knew. He was just waiting for me to tell the truth.

She placed her palm against my chest, forcing me to look at her. "Spence, we're in this together. Stay strong."

The bruises on her face had darkened into bluish color that contrasted against her tan skin. I leaned forward to place a soft kiss against the bruise on her cheek, savoring this happy moment with her. It provided an escape from the thoughts that swirled in my mind. I was plagued with not only the guilt of the crimes I had committed, but now, the fear of facing the Southside returned. She wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her chest to mine. The closer she got, the more my mind eased. She tilted her head to place a few sweet kisses along my throat.

A smile tugged on my lips. "Adrienne, I don't think it would be a good idea to get caught by your uncle twice in one day." My hands gripped her waist, holding her against me.

She laughed and pulled away from me. "True. He might start to think you're a very naughty boy." She winked at me.

I raised an eyebrow and tapped her nose. "I'm the naughty one?"

"Yes, Spence. Don't play. You know you are." She glanced at me over her shoulder as she left the kitchen.

I chuckled before following her. We returned to the kitchen, where her aunt and uncle had finished eating. They both looked to us.

Adrienne tilted her head. "Would it be all right with you guys if I went to chill at Spencer's house for a while?"

Trisha's emerald eyes bounced between us before she turned to Jeff. "That is fine with me. What do think Jeff?"

I watched as her uncle let out a loud breath, leaning back in his chair. "Will your father be home?" he asked, looking directly at me.

Here came another lie. "Yes sir, of course."

He thought for a moment, and his dark eyes never left me. "That should be fine. Just please be careful."

Adrienne rounded the dining table with an excited gait, throwing her arms across their shoulders. She pulled them into a large hug. "Thanks, guys. Love you."

They both smiled in response. After their sweet exchange, she hurried to her bedroom. I waved to her aunt and uncle before following behind. I leaned against the door frame with my arms crossed as she grabbed a small bag and started shoving clothes inside. She grabbed a jacket from her closet before skipping over to me. "Ready?" Her blue eyes sparkled up at me.

I nodded my head as she interlaced our fingers and pulled her door closed. We walked through her living room to the front door. I opened it for her. The coldness surrounded us. The color faded from my face as the wind whipped against my cheeks. The snow had built up in large mounds along the sidewalk. Her neighbors worked tirelessly to shovel their cars free from the snow's grasp. Adrienne's arm wrapped around mine while she leaned into my side as we walked in tranquility. The brick walls covered with bright graffiti narrowed around us as we turned down an alley headed to my apartment. There was only the sound of sirens in the distance and the crunching of snow beneath our feet. I'd never imagined I would be at this point in my life. Joining the gang started out as a way to get off the streets. It gave me fast money and fast power. But as time passed, I thought I would end up incarcerated, or worse: dead. My loyalty to the Southside had been real, but Cayden was falling apart in his desperate mission for vengeance on Mr. Jackson. The conversation with Damen and Holiday after our failed mission in the Eastside flashed through my mind.