Just then a weird, bubbly sensation was felt in my lower stomach. I brought my hands down over it and concentrated on the feeling. I stared down at my belly and my heart leaped as a small part of it jutted out.

“Heath,” I said breathlessly, taking his hand and placing it over my bump. “Feel that?”

He was quiet for a minute, concentrating. When the small poke-like feeling returned, he chuckled softly, murmuring, “Holy shit, Allison. I feel him.”

I smiled wider than ever. “Thank you for experiencing this with me.”

With a shake of his head, he replied solemnly, “Thank you for choosing me to share it with.”

When the water turned cold, he carried me out and held me.

Held me like he was desperate to never let me go.

Sixteen

Ryker

I was drunk.

Stumblin’ down the street, sight hazy, footsteps slow.

Fucking fantastic night, though.

Truly epic.

Cindy was hot as hell. Bending over the way she did for me. Fuck, that was good. Pure submission. Chose me over Heath, and the look on his face… Heh. That was better than the pleasure I felt when I fucked her deep.

I loved girls. While Heath may have been better looking than me, he was a one woman kind of guy. If he was screwing someone, he was doing it for a good while before he was over it and moving on to someone else.

Not me.

I was fucking them left, right and centre.

I was a good looking guy. Chicks wanted me. I was the attainable Lawson brother. The one that they lined up for, waiting for their go. And these were beautiful girls. Not plain Janes who didn’t glance at the mirror right before they stepped out. I’m talkin’ hot chickies, in skin tight jeans and breasts perched high, hair flowing down their back, plump lips glossy red, and eyes glistening with want.

I used them. I loved the thrill of it. Loved feeling like I was superior to my brother. Growing up with him had felt like one giant competition. Heath always seemed to be better than me at everything.

Sports? He scored all the goals.

Looks? He had the genetics of a quarterback, meanwhile I had the body of a tennis player. No amount of lifting weights could cut me closer to his physique, and I knew it was because we had different fathers.

School? Bastard had dyslexia and still got better grades than me.

Family? He was Mom’s favourite. Our cousins preferred his company to mine. Everyone looked up to him even though he hadn’t accomplished jack shit.

Strength? He was the fighter. I was the one on the side, watching him knock out guy after guy knowing I could never be on the receiving end of that fist and have a chance.

But girls? He didn’t know how to be in a relationship. He couldn’t commit. And while I wasn’t interested in relationships, I knew what a girl wanted. I knew how to shower them with affection, make them feel like they were wanted. I didn’t discard them, or put a line in the sand that said, “We’re just fuck buddies. We’re not in a relationship. We’re not even friends.”

So I worked with what I got. With what I seemed to excel at. And it worked tonight.

I suspected that was why Heath decided to be a dick, taking off without even asking if I had a goddamn lift home. Left me to walk the streets in the middle of the night on my own. At least… I didn’t think anyone was out here.

I stopped and looked around, just to make sure. I didn’t like the fucking dark. Another thing Heath was responsible for. Scarin’ me all those years as a kid. I learned you never knew what was lurking in the shadows.

I pulled out my pocketknife. Hedley was no place to be at night. Unless you were a guy and in a group, you better be watching your back every step of the way.

But whatever, man. I wasn’t some pussy. At seventeen years old I felt like a grown man. Life hadn’t been easy. Especially when Mom died six months ago. In a blink of an eye she was there one second and then gone the next.

Fuck you, cancer.

We were making it by. One pay check at a time, anyway. I was forced to grow up faster. Forced to take on responsibilities a kid shouldn’t have to. As a result, I was angry and the tension between that knob of a brother and me was always high. Just because Mom was dead, that didn’t mean he could tell me what to do. I was out working like him. I was earning some money to help us make it by. At the end of the day I was entitled to live however the fuck I wanted to.

“Help.”

I stopped. I swore I heard something. I looked around again, at the dark buildings along this street.

“Please.”

I spun around, and instantly my stomach churned at the movement. After a night of heavy drinking, any sudden movements were going to be the death of me. Bile rose up my throat. I bent over and dry heaved, taking small steps forward until my head hit the brick wall of a dark shop. I breathed in and out for a good while, fighting the sudden cold sweat that broke.

Why the fuck did I drink? I asked myself.

“Help,” I heard again.

God, was I hearing shit?

I stood up straight and kept a hand against the wall. I took small steps, slowly making my way closer to where it was coming from. It was a male voice, and it sounded weak and deep. Maybe intoxicated? I’d just leave him if he was. I had to take care of my own drunken ass first.

I turned into an alleyway, the smell of garbage coming on strong. I breathed through my mouth as I stared hard into the darkness, waiting for the man to come into view. With every step, I squinted harder, until I could recognize the outline of a person. He was a big guy, I could tell, and I stopped halfway to him and glanced around cautiously.

This could be a setup. Maybe a way to get to my wallet. Not that the fuckers would find much save for a five dollar bill and a fake ID.

“What’s the matter with you?” I found myself asking, turning my attention back to the man. His back was against the wall, his legs spread out on the ground.

“H-hurt,” he stammered out, shaking his head from side to side.

“Where?” I pressed.

“Everywhere. N-neck mostly.”

“What happened? Why are you here?”

He coughed weakly before whispering, “T-they dumped me here for a little while. They could be coming back any second. Get me out. P-please, get me out.”

Dumped him? I took a step closer, shaking my head to get some clarity in. “Who dumped you? Who is coming back?”

“V-very bad men.”

Even drunk, my instincts were clear. I needed to turn back and get out of here. Clear the fuck away from this man before he dragged me down into some shit I didn’t need to be in. I’d done well keeping away from the bad this town was infested with. Last thing I needed to happen was get involved in some hit – because let’s be fucking clear here, this was obviously one. This man had taken a beating, and they were coming back for more.