RR&R 01 Real (32 page)
Nora…” Lowering my voice, I signal at the empty Japanese restaurant containing the Scorpion and the three goons, who watch us from the sushi bar. “Is this honestly what you want for yourself? You have your whole life ahead of you.”
“
And I want to live it my own way, Brooke.”
At least I keep them from knowing the truth!” she snaps out, and this is the first spark of life I actually see in her gold eyes.
“
But why would you do this to them? Why would you drop out of college for
this
?”
“
Because I’m sick and tired of them comparing me to you.” She glares, then starts making a mocking voice that resembles our mother when she whines. “‘Why don’t you do this like Brooke?’ ‘Why don’t you find something meaningful to do with your life like Brooke?’ They just want me to be like you! And I don’t
want
to. What’s the point? You missed all the fun growing up so you could be this hotshot gold medalist and now you’re not only
not
an Olympic medalist, you can’t even sprint anymore.”
“
I may not sprint anymore but I can still kick your ass right now,” I angrily lash, hurt beyond words at what she’s telling me.
“
So what?” she continues. “You were the best track athlete in college. Everyone couldn’t stop talking about how talented you were and how you were going to make it. That’s all you did and talked about, and now look at you! You can’t even do what you loved and will probably end up like mom and dad, living in the past, with your stupid old gold medals still hanging in your bedroom!”
“
For your information, I am
happier
right now than I have
ever
been, Nora! If you’d only paid a little attention, you’d realize that my life went on, and to places I didn’t even imagine I’d ever be. You want to be independent? We get it. Go for it! Just be independent on your own, not on some man who makes me lick his gross tattoo so I can see my sister!”
“
I like it that he’s protective of me,” she shoots back. “He
fights
for me.”
“
Fight for
yourself,
Nora. I promise it will give you tons more satisfaction.”
Are you doing coke, Nora?”
My sister seems to take to the fifth
amendment and doesn’t respond, which only serves to double my concern and frustration.
“
Come home, Nora. Please,” I plead, my voice a whisper so only she can hear.
I’d rather be a has-been than nothing at all. What are
you
accomplishing now? Don’t you want to finish college?”
“
No, that’s what
you
wanted to do, Brooke. I want to have fun.”
“
Really? And you’re having loads of it? Because I don’t even see your smile has any place on your face anymore. You might not like the fact that I failed to reach my dream as much as I do, but I am
over
that. I happen to like where I am now, Nora. It’s not where I planned to be, true, but I have so many other things. Better things. I have a great job, am working with amazing people, and I’m in the first relationship I’ve ever had in my life.”
“
With
Riptide
?” she sneers. “Riptide doesn’t do relationships, sister. Women fling themselves at him everywhere he goes. He goes through them like his opponents, and fucks them all and barely asks for their names. I saw him before you got here. Don’t forget I’ve been in this scene longer. One day he’s going to look at someone else, and you will even be his has-been girlfriend too!”
“
And your precious Scorpion will want you for all eternity too? Nora, the man you’re with doesn’t look right,” I hiss, stealing a look at him past my shoulder. He smiles a satanic smile as if he’s hearing every word, and suddenly I am consumed with the urge for my man to get up on the ring with this asshole and
kill
him. And I have no doubt that Remy will. Knock him within an inch of his life. Maybe
then
will Nora want to leave this sucker.
“
Benny’s good to me,” Nora explains with a little shrug. “He takes care of me. He gives me what I need.”
“
You mean coke?” I lash out in pure fury.
A tense silence lengthens between us, and I clench my hands on my lap until my nails bite my palms as I try to calm down and reason with her gently.
Please, Nora. You deserve so much more.”
“
Time’s up!” A hard clap from the bar alerts us, and Nora flinches, which just confirms what I’ve suspected. She doesn’t want to be home, but she doesn’t want to be here, either. She feels like she has nowhere to go, and she can’t leave because she’s got more coke up her nose than I even want to think of. Shit.
“
Unless you want to kiss the scorpion again, say goodbye to her now.” Scorpion stands threateningly at my side, his eyes glimmering in that snaky yellow-green color that tells me how much he would love to humiliate me again.
Instead, I go around the table to hug her, ignoring the way she stiffens as I turn my lips to her ear and speak soft as cotton to her. “Please let me take you to Seattle. At the end of the New York fight, meet me at the ladies’ restroom and I will have two tickets home. You don’t have to stay there, but you need a time out to think this through. Please.” Pulling away, I look down meaningfully at her face.
A shadow of alarm touches her expression, then she nods, sniffles, and swings to leave, the sight of her retreating back heading into the back exit making me feel like I’ve just lost something very dear to me already.
With a sinking in my gut, I feel Scorpion’s beady green eyes on me as I head to Riley and Melanie and leave, and I can’t shake off a feeling of complete and utter dirtiness in myself.
Does anyone have any mouthwash with them? I feel like I’m getting a rash,” I ask as Riley drives us back in the Escalade.
Mel frowns thoughtfully. “I can’t determine why what you just did felt so sickeningly wrong, when it wasn’t a big deal. I mean, I’ve kissed grosser men in grosser parts of their anatomies, you know? What you did was
no big
deal.”
“
It’s a fucking big deal!” Riley rants from behind the wheel. “Brooke, I hate to break it to you, but Remington is going to find out about it and he’s going to get majorly, MAJORLY BLACK!”
What’s he talking about?” Mel asks, genuinely perplexed. “Black what?”
“
These men will make sure he knows, B. And they’ll make it
painful
,” Riley insists.
What did you expect me to do, Riley? I don’t have fists like that bastard does, and I have to use other means to get what I want, and what
I want
is for my poor sister out of that living turd’s grip!”
“
Jesus, I hope to god she’s worth it.”
“
She is, Riley. She is. She’s going to show up after the New York final match. She’s my
sister
. I’d kiss the sidewalk and lick a toilet to make sure she’s all right, you have to understand!”
“
That’s so gross, Brooke,” Mel squeals, laughing.
“
Rem is like a brother to me, B. This is going to…” Riley shakes his head and seems to get out all of his anger on his hair, raking it with his fingers. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t find out that you…” He shakes his head again, fisting another handful of hair. “He’s done tons of shit for me. For my family, when my parents got ill. Remy is a good. Fucking. Man. He doesn’t deserve…”
“
Riley, I
love
him.” The words just tear out of me out of my pain and frustration of having kissed his enemy. “Do you believe I’d ever deliberately hurt him? I don’t want him to get involved in this because I
love
him. Can’t you see? I don’t want him to go
black
because of me. God!”
I feel instantly vulnerable and revealed, and squirm in my seat. “Please don’t tell him. Not just about tonight’s debacle. About the other part.”
He nods in silence, and once we’re all walking to our room, I add, “Riley, thank you for taking us.” He nods, and when he walks off, ignoring Melanie, she shoots tons of invisible knives in his direction with her eyes.
That guy gets on my nerves.”
“
I think you get on his too.”
“
You do?” She scowls at me, then her eyes widen in pure disbelief. “You mean he doesn’t
like
me?”
I don’t even like him,” she argues, but I’ve already swung around to board the elevator up to the P, and I slip my key to our room with a wild anticipation to see him.
His spiky black hair gleams in the soft hotel room lighting, and in those comfortable sweatpants and tight t-shirt, he exudes pure raw masculinity. The sight of his full mouth opens up a ravenous hunger inside me and I just hurt with the physical pain of wanting that mouth on me. His arms on me. His voice, telling me it’s all going to be all right. Because every second that passes by, I loathe myself more and more for what I did.
But Remy has protected me from his fans, and I would protect him from this too. From anything. Especially from Scorpion. I will protect him so that the only time Remy has to face him will be on that ring, where I will gladly watch him make that bastard wish he were dead.
Close to exploding with all my emotions, I jump on his lap, then take off his earphones and slip them briefly over my head so I can listen to what he was hearing. A crazy wild rock song bashes into my ears and I frown in confusion.
He watches me with darkened blue eyes that go half-mast as he leans to kiss my nose, cradling my jaw as his thumb runs sensually across my mouth. My stomach cramps, and I fear that Remy can actually see the fear and self-loathing that I am tramping down inside me.
Dropping his headphones onto the desk, I ease to my feet and hurry to the bathroom, feeling so violated I wash my teeth and add Scope until my mouth feels swollen. I barely take a step out of the bath when I suddenly need to return and thoroughly do it all again. For the awful sensation across my skin, I swear I could have a live scorpion crawling up my cheek, and the sensation is eating at me.
Finally I come back out. My mouth is minty fresh and even my lips feel numb with cleanness.
Remy has set his headphones aside. His full attention is on me, his dark eyebrows furrow as he tracks my return. He seems confused and slightly distrustful.
The sight of him makes me emotional, and I’m afraid I’m going to break down at any second. I hate that I feel like I don't deserve him anymore, even when all I wanted was to keep him safe and uninvolved.
I've never wanted to take care of someone in my life like I want to love and take care of him.
A painful lump builds inside my throat.