"It's a testing day for the freshman." I told my mom, still laying under my blankets. "I'll be in homeroom all day. There's no valid reason for me to go to school today."
"Get up before I drag you out of the bed. Now. You're going, bottom line." I groaned and pushed my blankets off, then I climbed out of bed and pushed my closet door open. I flipped through until I found an outfit, I wore a pair of light washed Levi's, a white crop top and my leather jacket. I slid on a pair of boots and quickly brushed my teeth and hair.
I walked down my hallway only to stop when I heard my fathers voice speaking hush over the phone. "Lence, I've done fired three capos within the past week. Do not underestimate my abilities. I want those papers signed and on my desk by tonight."
I quickly hid behind the wall, still listening. My dad didn't say anything else, he slammed a door and walked around the corner. "What're you doing?" He snapped and grabbed my arm.
"Let go of me!" I yelled. He began dragging me to the office. "Dad!" I yanked my arm away and stepped back.
"Who the hell do you think you are eavesdropping on my conversations?" He yelled and ran an angry hand through his hair. I stepped back again watching him clench his fist. One thing I knew about my dad was he had anger issues that he held deep inside, thanks to Year's of counseling.
"What're you doing working for capos?" I snapped.
"I don't work for them." He said. "They work for me. It's a business that you have no part of. Keep your mouth shut and get to school." I looked around the office before leaving, only seeing tons of papers scattered around the place.
There's something going on here.
••••
Instead of going to school I went to the Cold Croc, soft rock music was playing and quickly found Baby Tooth. "Lj!" He yelled and hugged me tightly to his chest. I chuckled and hugged him back. "Don't you have school?"
"Yea. But I need something from you." I pulled his leather cuffed wrist to a back corner by a pool table.
"What is it?" He asked in a hushed tone. "Please tell me you're not in trouble."
"I'm not sure, it's not me I'm worried about though. It's my mom and dad."
"They're adults they can handle themselves." Tooth looked at me with a skeptical glare.
"My dad is hiring capos, Tooth. We don't even have capos."
"Capos. That's serious business." I nodded my head in agreement.
"Who has capos?" Lennon asked with her snobby face.
"How many times are you guys going to say capos?" Jinx asked walking up. "It's annoying."
I felt my heart rate speed up but I kept a composed composure. "Why are you guys listening in on our conversation?" I asked. I sounded like my dad earlier.
"Vipers don't keep secrets Lj." Jinx said. I groaned and looked up the stairs that led to Brian's office.
"Should I just take this to him?" I asked Tooth, nodding my head towards the door.
"We're all coming if you do." Lennon said.
"Who the hell invited you?" I snapped. She squared up and I did the same. We were a hairs width away from each other before tooth pulled me back from her. She laughed.
"Maybe I'll just take it to Brian instead. That should be fun."
Jinx rolled her eyes and looked at me. "If anyone you know is hiring capos you need to take it to Brian. I'll keep lunatic Lennon down here." I waited for Lennon to say something but she never did. I thanked Jinx and went to grab Tooth's jacket again but he slapped my hand away.
"I can walk myself Lj." I smiled and nodded and watched as he followed me towards the stairs. We were halfway there when someone else grabbed my hand. I turned and looked at Brenton. I couldn't help the fact that the butterflies swarmed my stomach.
"Hi." I whispered. I heard Tooth say, "and I oop-", but I ignored and I stared into Brenton's eyes.
"Hi baby." I walked closer to him and allowed him to pull me outside. "Why're you dodging me?" He asked once we were at the side of the wooden building.
"I'm not."
"You are."
"No."
"Leah." He warned.
"Because you've been mean to me Brenton. You don't like seeing me here and you don't think I can make it." Brenton rolled his eyes and grabbed his hair in frustration.
"Did I ever say that?" I shook my head. "Then why're you saying that?"
"Because you act like it. We can all see it."
"I know you can handle your shit here. Your first day you handed out orders and stuck up to icky Lennon. But that doesn't mean I Like the way people look at you here, that doesn't mean I like how you're now in dangers way. That doesn't mean I like that you went to the Gallows with out telling me first."
I nodded my head and looked down at my knotted fingers, he used his thumb to lift up my chin. "Can we talk about this later, Brenton, I have to talk to Brian." Before anything else was said, I pressed a kiss to Brenton's lips and jogged back into the Cold Croc. I grabbed tooth's leather again and began pulling him up the stairs.
"You knock." I said.
"No you."
"You've been here longer." I said. "Knock."
"I don't want to. You do it."
"No, Tooth, you do it."
"Lj, just knock." Tooth deadpanned. I shook my head and crossed my arms.
"Nope."
"Come on. Just knock."
"Will somebody just knock already?" I looked at the door and then back at Small Tooth.
"Did the door just . . ."
"Oh my god. Are you stupid?" I stepped back as the door was slammed open. Brian gave me a deadpan look and then gave the same glare to Tooth.
"Dummy. It was Brian." I stuck my tongue out at tooth and walked past him.
"What do you need?" Brian asked. I sat on one of the chairs that were in front of his table and cringed at the smell of his burning cigar.
"I need to talk about capos."
"Who the hell has capos?" I couldn't help but to chuckle at the way he said it. Everyone hates capos.
"My dads hiring some. Apparently he already fired three of them."
"How do you know this?" I looked at Brian and watched him scribble information on a piece of paper.
"I over heard a conversation this morning. He was talking to what I can only assume another one."
"Do you know what he's using them for?" I shook my head. "What business does he do?"
"He's not part of a gang. He buys and sells companies." I said.
"Does he do anything sketchy?" He asked. I looked at Small Tooth who nodded at me, tell the truth, he was saying.
"I mean, he gets to take me and all of my friends on these business trips and he gets a ton of mysterious money for what he does."
"How about your mom?" I shook my head again.
"No. She's not involved in any of this."
"Are you sure?" I nodded quickly.
"I'm positive." I said. "My dad was talking to someone, I think his name was lance, maybe lence."
"Which one is it?" Brian kept his voice cool, calm, and collected.
"Lence, I'm pretty sure. Yeah, Lence." Brian nodded and wrote that down too. I looked at Tooth who gave me two big thumbs up. I couldn't help but feel like I was betraying my dad, but if he was involved in anything dealing with capos of all people, he needed to be stopped.
"Okay, I'll look into your dad and Lence." Before I could mutter a thank you, the door was slammed open and a grinning a Grizzly pranced inside.
"Lj, you ready for your last acceptance piece?" I looked at Brian and Tooth who both chuckled. They looked at each other and Brian said, "she'll pussy out." I scowled him and then stood up.
"What is it?"
"You have to get Wayside Viper tattooed."
.
I looked down at the beautifully scribbled Wayside Vipers that was now tattooed on my rib cage. The only people who have this beautiful of hand writing is professional calligraphy artist.
"Thanks." I said to grizzly. He smiled and helped me shuffle my arm back into my shirt. Mr Perfect Timing Brenton decides to walk in in that moment.
This couldn't look good in any sense. Brenton walked towards us, his jaw taut and his eyes dark. "Grizz." Brenton's voice was ice. He let go of my shirt and patted my shoulder before doing the same to Brenton's.
"Hi."
"Why the hell is he helping you put your shirt back on?" Brenton snapped. He grabbed my arm and shuffled it in the arm slot, I winced when his knuckles touched the clothe covered tattoo.
"Last step of initiation." I said. "He was just finishing up the tattoo."
"Can I see it?" Brenton looked giddy and the it dawned on me.
"I've never seen yours." I stated.
"You've never looked hard enough."
"I want to see yours." I said. I watched as he reached behind him and grabbed the collar of his T-shirt, pulling it over his head. Something about the way a guy removes their shirts.
"Technically you've seen it." He said and pointed to the Taylor tattoo that was in the same print as mine. "Bloodlines can get their names instead of vipers. Seems more classy."
I squinted my eyes at him, scowling. "Since you're a direct bloodline, why does Brian actually run this place?"
"Brian runs the Cold Croc, I'm technically the leader but i called out. Too much work. Too much responsibility for a 19 year old." He said. I reached up and touched his chest, when he stepped closer to me, I wrapped my legs around his waist.
"I still can't believe you failed the third grade." I said. "I also can't believe you're two years older than me."
"I failed that stupid test. It was the first time they ever gave us a end-of-the-year-state-test. Complete bullshit." I couldn't help but laugh. "I was also born in September so they didn't let me go to school until I was 6."
He was so close and he was talking about school of all things. "We have graduation in two weeks." I nodded my head and smiled. "How exciting."
"I could name something more exciting." I whispered and reached up to touch his cheek. I was happy I was sitting on the tattoo table, I was tall enough to actually reach him.
Brenton smirked and leaned down, he hovered over my lips, pressing his kiss softly to me. I widened my lips giving him the opportunity to invade my mouth.
"What'd you have to talk to Brian about, Leah?" Brenton asked barely pulling away from the kiss. I groaned and wrapped my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer to me and kissing him again. Fingers wrapped around my throat and jaw, pushing me back with a small amount of force.
"Leah." The way he says my name is nearly enough to push a girl over the edge. So much rasp, so much volume to a simple name. Especially now, everyone's been calling me Lj, it gives more of a sensual tone to my name.
"Brenton, please." I whispered against the shell of Brenton's ear, fighting his hand that was around my throat. "Kiss me." And he did. Full force. Like he's been deprived for a month. Like he hasn't tasted air for a year. Like he hasn't had water for a decade. He was starving.
"You are insatiable, Leah."
"I always want you." I mumbled and reached down, unbuttoning his top button. "Will anyone come in here?"
"There's not a sock on the door." He said with a teasing tone. "Grizzly likely told nobody too. Plus they'll hear you."
I couldn't fight the burning blush that flooded my cheeks. Instead I placed Brenton's hands on my pants, urging him to remove them. Once he did, it was endgame.
One of my favorite things about Brenton was how full he made me. Yet I was in fact, insatiable. I could never be full of Brenton. I could never get tired of the words, the touch, the smile, the sweet feeling of his lips on my skin as he moved faster. I would never get tired of the way he pushed me over the edge over and over again with rough touches of skin contact.
I was panting hard, breaking my breath through my lungs, a gasp of air when he pulled out. "Sweet Leah," Brenton cooed and helped me up from my laying position.
"Mmm," I mumbled completely dazed. My limbs still numb and jello like. "Thank you." I said with a goofy smile on my lips. I looked down at my hands, when Brenton didn't say anything I looked up at him through my eyelashes.
"You're submitting." He stated with an edge to his voice. He sounded like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. I looked down again and felt my heart skip a beat.
"And you're dominating." I said softly.
"Hardly." He chuckled and reached down, petting my hair, I smiled and leaned into his touch. Brenton pressed a kiss into my hair and inhaled deeply. "Eyes up baby."
I looked up at him and smiled giddily. "What do you mean by hardly?" I asked.
"You're everything I cant control." He said and helped me stand up, I noticed he was already dressed, besides his shirt. He helped me pull up my jeans and slip on my top.
"Do you wish I listened better?"
"Sometimes."
"And right now?"
"Right now?" He mused. "Right now, you're everything I need." I smiled softly and touched his chest, leaned up on my tip toes and placed a kiss to his lips.
"My dads hiring capos. He's up to something and I'm not sure what it is. That's what I had to talk to Brian about." I said.
"Capos? That's serious." I nodded and walked past him, I picked up my leather jacket and slipped it on. "That looks good on you." He said.
"I wish you'd wear yours. You'd look hot." I couldn't take how high school crush I sounded, but I was still high school crush when it came to Brenton.
"Don't I already?"
"Very. But you look like you're in your element here. You should wear it more." I said passing him his T-shirt.
"It scares me that you seem in your element here, too." He told me sliding his shirt on. "You don't seem like my sweet Leah here."
"You do realize that you just fucked me on poor Grizzly's tattoo table, right?" I scowled. Brenton bit his lips and stalked towards me. I stepped back.
"Of course, but now, you seem happier, more comfortable." I nodded and looked around.
"I am." I said. I grabbed Brenton's out stretched hand and allowed him to pull me out of the tattoo room.
"We just broke a rule, by the way." Brenton said with a smirk tugging at his lips.
"What?"
"We're not supposed to have sex on equipment. Some of us have rooms here, the ones who's been here the longest." I couldn't help but laugh.
How many times it took Brian catching people having sex on equipment to make that such a specific rule.
"Do you have one here?" I asked, instantly interested.
"Yeah, I just never go in it, it stays locked so that people don't use that bed." I smiled up at him as we walked into the main room. I couldn't help but admire Brenton's just-fucked hair, how bad is mine?
"Lj!" Tooth ran up and squeezed me into a hug, I quickly slapped him off me and grabbed my rib cage.
"You doofus!" I snapped. I watched Tooth looked worriedly at me then Brenton, who wore an impressed smile. "That hurt." I said.
"I am not a doofus." Small Tooth said with a whine to his voice. I couldn't help but to smile. I hugged him again, thinking how much of a child he is.
"Fine." I said and kissed his cheek. I took Brenton's hand again and we began walking around, we went to the bar and got a drink.
Sams pov
I looked down at Tony, his chest under my hands, his lips apart, breathing ragged, matching mine. I was falling down from my high, breathing hard, shaking limbs. Fuck that was good.
"Sammy, I fucking love you." Tony said rolling us over. I smiled up at him, watched him discard the condom and slide on his boxers. He hovered over me again, kissing my neck, up to my jaw, then my lips.
"Aren't you just being romantic. What's the occasion?" I asked.
"I can't just show my girlfriend that I love her with out her thinking something's up?" I squinted my eyes at him and he sighed. He scooted down on the bed and crossed his arms on my stomach, resting his chin on his flattened hands.
"Fine," he started. "Brenton and Leah are making an announcement tonight, and Brenton asked me to ask you if we could keep an eye on Leah's parents, she said her dads up to something."
"What do you mean up to something?" I asked running my hands through his hair.
"She said he's being sketchy, hiring capos." I couldn't help but laugh.
"Old man Jackson's hiring capos?" I said with glee. "For what?"
"We're not sure. Leah's working with the vipers to figure it out." I nodded and sat up, pushing him off me.
"Well since it such an important announcement shouldn't we be getting ready?" Tony smirked at me and shook his head.
"Always ready to dress up."
"Wayside doesn't offer too many opportunities to wear my finest dresses." I said walking into my closet. I slid on an underwear and bra set, a beautifully elegant dress from Sherri Hill.
"Babe, I don't think it's that serious." Tony said walking in behind me.
"Come onnnnn." I begged. "I just want to dress up."
"If you wear something casual, I'll take you somewhere where you can dress up." He countered.
"Promise?" Tony nodded and stuck out his pinky, we hooked pinkies, then he kissed his thumb, I kissed mine, and we stamped them together.
"Kiss and stamp." He said. I smiled brightly and kissed his lips.
"Yay." I quickly stripped and slid into a simpler dress, a plum colored one that complimented my tan skin.
Tony got dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans, then we walked downstairs. Everyone was downstairs except Leah and Brenton, I sat beside vi who was beside Ashton.
"Do you know what's going on?" Vi asked me, she was wearing what looked like one of Ashton's white button up dress shirts, she was wearing a pair of light, baby pink socks.
"How the hell did Ashton let you out in that?" I asked her dumbfounded. Tony would never.
"He didn't exactly approve." I chuckled and took notice of his hand on her thigh.
"Well Leah has an announcement." I said and looked at the stairs in time to see Leah and Brenton walk down them. I gasped. Leah was wearing a pair of black jeans, a Lacey black top and a Viper leather jacket, also a pair of black boots. Brenton was wearing a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt, and a matching jacket.
"They look hot." I told vi who nodded in agreement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, and Ashton." I looked at Ashton who had a smile tugging at his lips, Vivian laughed hard and shover his shoulder. "Thank you for coming." Leah started, she was holding Brenton's hand. I looked across the couch at Leah's parents, her dad looked pissed while her mom looked confused, yet amused.
I looked at Carson and Cason who were cuddled up on a small couch, her hand was on her stomach. "We have an announcement to make and I would hope everyone held their comments and concerns to their selves."
"Get on with it leah." Her dad snapped. I watched her mom shove his shoulder with hers. Since when has he acted like this?
"Like I was saying, I grew up in this town, with these people and it was bound to happen. Then, I fell in love with a bloodline and I knew it was fate." Leah looked up at Brenton with the most admiration, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed, like I was intruding on a moment. I looked away until she began talking again.
"I know the risks and I know the power, so please, don't bring those up. But, at last, I have decided to join wayside. Ive decided to officially become a viper." I quickly looked at her dad, he looked like the room was spending. Like he had no feet on the ground. Then, in an instant, his glare was at Leah, anger, almost hatred.
What the hell?
"I am happy there, I know what is going on when I'm there. I have a straight mind and I know that there's a family there."
"You will not betray your family like that." Her dad yelled standing up. I jumped back and glared at him. I looked over at Brenton and Leah, Brenton was standing in front of Leah. "Oh please," her dad started laughing at Brenton, even though Brenton stood a good couple of inches over him.
"Honey," I looked at my aunt who was holding his wrist, still sitting. She looked desperate. There's something going on.
"Jackson's are an empire. We do not work with Wayside and we definitely don't fuck them." I wanted to throw up when his eyes fell on me and tony, then he adjusted his cold stare at Brenton and Leah. Leah looked small, like she was falling into her submission. Don't! I mentally shouted at her.
"Why not?" I asked the words Leah wouldn't. "We're able to love whoever we want to." I snapped feeling brave. It took a second to notice that tony was sitting closer to the edge of the couch, aroused to jump up at any second.
"Not when they're from wayside."
"I'm not a Jackson." I said and I think this is the only moment I've ever been happy not to be.
"Your father had no hesitation to kill all of those waysiders. So why the hell are you with one?" He snapped. I looked at my aunt who had tears in her eyes. Leah has her hand wrapped in a fist in Brenton's T-shirt. She was submitting. I needed to yell at her. Tell her to snap out of it. She has to grow out of submitting when she gets scared.
Then it clicked. My father did kill tens of waysiders, he had a passion for it, he told me that before they arrested him. Everyone he killed was part of Wayside. Then my uncles weird, cruel, hatred for waysiders, it seemed to click.
"The Jackson's have their own bloodline. Their own gang." I said barely above a whisper. That seemed to get everyone's attention. Carson and Cason sat up straight, shock written on their faces in bold italic. Vivian and Ashton sat forward, Vivian glaring at my uncle, Ashton looked like he was placing pieces of a puzzle together. My aunt, she looked like she was ready to jump off a bridge. I wanted to comfort her, but she kept all of this from us. She deserved to be upset.
"We are an empire." My uncle said looking at Leah. Looking her straight in her eyes until finally, she fully submitted. Sinking her arms as her eyes fell. Stop! I screamed internally. I glared at Brenton until he caught my eyes, I nodded towards Leah and finally, he attended to her. I watched him whisper in her ear, running his hand through her hair.
"We are not about to fall because you two want to fuck some waysiders." And that was the last tick. I felt my side of the couch divot. Moments
later I heard a loud crack and sat stunned. Tony just punched the shit out of Leah's dad.
Nobody said anything, he fell to the ground, holding his jaw tightly and looking like he couldn't believe what just happened. Tony's fist was clinching tight, ready for a second hit. I stood up and grabbed his wrist. He looked at me. "Come on." I whispered to him, pulling him back. "It's okay."
I looked at Brenton and Leah, Brenton was trying to comfort Leah, but she was a submitted mess. Not moving, not looking up, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. She was having an internal war.
"Get out." Leah's dad hissed. "All of you out!" Leah was the first one to listen of course, turning and heading towards the door.
"Leah wait!" Her mom yelled standing up. Leah didn't stop, she continued walking. Then, we all headed out, Ashton grabbed Vi's hand, and kissed her knuckles. Carson looked traumatized and Cason looked confused as ever. I wondered what I looked like.
I pulled tony out the door, we were the last ones to leave. I could hear Brenton's yelling. "What is it?" I asked him when I reached him.
"She won't listen to me. I don't know where the hell she went." He looked stressed, like he was ready to pull out his hair.
"Find her. Now." I snapped. "She is not in the right state of mind to be running alone." I pulled out my phone and checked the time. "Five hours until it's dark."
Brenton nodded and kissed the top of my head. I watched him get in his car and speed away. I watched everyone get in their cars and do the same. Nobody was going to talk. Nobody had anything to say. Nobody knew what to say.
I looked up at tony and sighed. "Where do we go?"