Torn (Devils Wolves Book 1) (20 page)

* * *

"
G
rab
the rope out of the truck," I yell to Tristan.

"Tor, you can't go down there with your back problems."

"No shit, that's why you're going. Get the fucking rope."

T
anner laughs
as our brother takes off for the truck. "It's about time the kid gets his hands dirty." He says.

"True, bro. Let's not drop him, though. I'm not going in after him
and
the dog."

W
e stare down
over the side of the bridge as Tris runs back to the truck. The river is raging beneath us, and a black lab is clinging to the side of the embankment, his back legs in the water. It's a miracle he's not being swept away by the current and the only thing I can think that his collar must be snagged on something like a rock or tree branch, keeping him where he is. If whatever it is lets loose, he's going to be dragged down into the water and downstream and will most likely drown.

I
t’s almost
impossible to climb down the sides of the steep hills on either side of the river. So, he either fell in, or more likely, got thrown in. This bridge is nicknamed Suicide Bridge because a few people have jumped to their death off of it a few times over the past few years. The river runs over huge granite rocks that are sometimes covered by the water if we get lots of rain and flooding. I'm not sure how he lived if he was thrown in.

W
hen Tristan comes back
with the rope, we rig it around him and he climbs down the steep mountain with us holding onto the rope at the top of the bridge so he can't fall. When the dog sees him, it starts to get excited and digs frantically at the embankment with his front paws, whining.

Tanner and I are both pretty big guys, so we don't have much trouble holding up our 180lb little brother, but the weather is stormy today with strong gusts of winds that keep blowing him around.

"Tris is Mom's favorite, ya know. If we lose him, she's gonna kill us," Tanner teases.

"I'm Mom's favorite, asshole." I joke back. "If we lose him, I'm telling her you pushed him in."

"Grab the dog, you wuss! I got shit to do!" Tanner yells down at him.

"Don't make him nervous, man."

He gives me his evil grin. "It's good for him. Too bad Ty's not here. He'd jump right the fuck off this bridge and grab that dog in about two seconds flat. We wouldn't need this rope bullshit."

Tris reaches for the dog, tries to grab him, misses, and tries again.

"Let's lower him a little more."

A few more inches of rope gives him enough slack to grab onto the dog, but he's struggling trying to hang on to the rope with one hand and grab the dog with the other.

"This wasn't our best plan." Tanner observes, lighting up a cigarette.

"Probably not."

"Grab him and haul his ass up!" Tanner yells.

"He's stuck!" Tris yells back.

"What the fuck? I should have done this myself."

I lean over the bridge, trying to see if I can see what's going on. "Relax, man. He's trying."

Finally Tris grabs onto the dogs collar and yanks him up, hoisting him under his arm. The dog is soaking wet and obviously scared out of its mind, clawing at his chest.

"Pull me up before I drop his ass!" He yells up to us.

We haul him up the slippery hill and I grab the dog when he's at the top edge of the embankment, looping a slip lead leash around his neck. I kneel down and check him over while Tanner gets Tristan untied from the rope. The dog seems fine, despite being very thin and malnourished. I'm pretty sure this is the dog we've been trying to trap for months. I can't wait to tell Kenzi since she was getting so frustrated about him not going into the traps to eat the meat we kept leaving for him.

The dog is trembling, but still wagging his tail, probably feeling somewhat triumphant for eluding us for so long but now happy to be safe. My favorite part of dog rescue is how happy most of them are to finally have a person touch them gently and treat them with care. Their appreciation is evident in their eyes as they brave making eye contact with us, hoping we're someone they can trust.

"Alright," I say. "I'm going to drop him off at the vet. I think he's okay but who knows if he's got some internal injuries." I fist bump my younger brother. "You did good, Tris."

"I wasn't expecting him to be so fucking heavy. He was like dead weight."

"They usually are when they're scared like this. They just freeze up, or even worse, they try to bite us or run off."

"Well, I'm glad he's okay."

Tanner punches him playfully in the arm. "You better start lifting some more, little bro."

Tris laughs and heads back towards the truck they came in. "Whatever, old man. Let's go."

* * *

B
y the time
I take the river dog to the vet, get home, shower and eat, it’s after nine and I'm beat from running around all day. Diogee and the kitten join me on my king bed as I get comfortable on what has become my side and put something mindless on Netflix until my brain settles down enough for me to fall asleep.

I'm just dozing off when a melodic chime sounds from my nightstand, making my eyes snap open. It's the new tone I programmed for Kenzi's messages. I fumble for the phone and squint at it in the dark.

K
enzi
: I wanted to say hi and let you know I'm thinking about you

I
'm instantly awake
and smiling as I type back.

Me: Hey you. I was thinking about you too. I had microwave meatloaf for dinner. I have no idea what I just ate. It may have been iguana meat. I miss your dinners. ;)

Kenzi: I see what I mean to you now ;) You're probably buried in white fur too, huh?

Me: Pretty much.

Kenzi: I'm not sure I feel bad...

Me: I miss everything. Not just you taking care of me.

Kenzi: I miss you, too.

M
y eyes latch
onto those words and I'm very aware of how quickly and naturally we slip into these moments of what I can only think of as longing.
And flirting.
I attempt to U-turn the conversation with idle chatter.

Me: I have good news. Remember the dog we've been trying to catch by the river for months? We got him today.

Kenzi: Omg finally!!!!! Is he okay?

Me: He is now. He was actually stuck IN the river, off Suicide Bridge. Tris had to go in on a rope to get him out.

Kenzi: Holy crap! That’s amazing. I'm so proud of you guys!!!

Me: Thanks. He's super thin but he's going to be fine. Mom’s found a foster for him already.

Kenzi: I'm so glad he's finally safe.

Me: Me, too. So, are you enjoying Maine?

Kenzi: Yes. Sailor came by a few days ago and took me for lunch. He was visiting a friend who lives out here. He's a really sweet guy, very quiet and polite. I'm designing a tattoo for him.

T
he mystery meat
dinner turns in my stomach.

M
e
: That was nice of him.

F
ucking asshole drifter
.

Kenzi: Yeah. We had a nice day. So, Katherine's friend is a photographer and took some pix of me for my portfolio. She thinks maybe I could do some shoots with her and get paid, like for products, or maybe even for a magazine.

Me: That would be great. I'm proud of you.

I
'm still stuck
on Sailor spending the day with her. I want to ask her if they're dating but I don't want to come off like some jealous teenager. Could he seriously have friends out there, conveniently located near Kenzi's aunt? I'm not buying it.

Kenzi: We'll see what happens. Do you want to see some of the pix she took?

B
efore I can answer
, a photo begins to load on my cell phone screen. I was expecting the usual pose of her leaning against a tree, or sitting by the ocean with her hair blowing. I sure as hell was not expecting to see her stretched like a cat across a white silk covered bed, her long honey blonde hair flowing all around her, wearing a black bra that's just barely covering her full breasts with gold glitter sparkling across her perfect tummy leading down to matching black lace-edged panties. One of her legs is bent up, laying over her other thigh, the hint of her tight ass curved up. And on her feet, those little black leather boots that make my blood pressure spike every time she's got them on.

My mouth suddenly feels like it’s filled with a hundred cotton balls, and my heart is jackknifing in my chest.

I swallow, near panic, as another photo loads, this one of her kneeling on the bed, her hair longer, hanging down in front of her naked chest, just barely covering her breasts. Her jeans are unbuttoned and unzipped to show off cherry red panties. A hole is torn from just above the knee to her inner thigh, the worn and frayed denim edges revealing delicate flesh that’s begging to be touched.

A war erupts in me, part of me fighting to throw my phone across the room and not ever see her this way, and the other part of me hungering for more as my cock grows harder with anticipation as another photo starts to come into view beneath the others.

Shit. I can't take anymore.

This one nearly does me in when it fully loads. She's sitting in the sand at the edge of the beach with some kind of mermaid costume on, her long legs covered by the tight, sparkling scaled material, the water lapping up onto her. She's leaning back, looking up towards the sun, her breasts held by a bikini top of seashells, jutting upward in the most tantalizing way. A tiny starfish hangs from a chain around her neck, resting in the valley between her breasts. A thin gold headband wraps around her head, holding back her hair that is somehow almost three times longer than it was the last time I saw her. It now streaked with blue and green to match her mermaid fin, flowing down her back and pooling onto the sand behind her. I'm so lost in the photos, scrolling back up to look at each one again, that I forget she's on the other side of the phone waiting for me to say something.

Sitting up, I ignore the dog's accusing stare as I type back to her with shaky fingers.

Me: A little warning would have been nice.

Kenzi: I wanted to surprise you.

Me: You definitely did.

T
he pictures are slowly destroying
me, demolishing my walls, burning up my self-control like an unstoppable inferno. I hate her for forcing me to see her this way and for making me want her so fucking much that my body is literally aching for her.

No. I don't hate her. I love her. I need her.

Kenzi: You don't like them?

I
'm jerked back
to reality as I realize I'm the first and only man to ever see her this way, as a woman and not a little girl. I know all her insecurities, and I know how hard this was for her because she doesn't see herself as sexy or attractive. She's a
jeans, t-shirts and boots
kinda girl. She's effortless and clueless in her own beauty, and that just makes her even more attractive. I can only guess how vulnerable she feels, sitting there waiting for me to say something reassuring to her.

My brain spins round and round like a merry go round that's tilting off its axis. This moment, my response, could change everything. Do I do the right thing and reply as her lifelong friend? Say something polite? Or do I show her a piece of the man she's playing with?

I
'm tired
of the fight.