The Devil's Game (Rhodes to Hell Book 1) Page 7

  “When will they be here?” Cece asks after she snorts her pill.

  She rubs the back of her hand on her nose and then wiggles her nose a little before looking over at me. I tilt my head in her direction and shrug.

  “I don’t know, just like I didn’t know when you were getting here,” I tell her, laughing.

  “We should just head out after this, I bet they’re already out and headed to the park,” she says, getting up and coming to my bed, plopping down beside me. “They are always trying to get there first.”

  I frown even though she’s right. “They just like to be seen.”

  “They just like to leave us behind because we look better than them,” she says, laughing and gripping her cool clammy fingers on either side of my cheeks moving my face side to side. “You’re too beautiful for girls like them.”

  “Y’all are all prettier than me, so shut up.” I push her hand away from my face and she just laughs as it flops to the bed.

  “I mean it, Ruby. Don’t let them drag you down anymore, okay? If they want to judge you or laugh at your parents when they’re too high to remember your name, who cares? Because … you know … fuck them. They could be more understanding.”

  “Cece, you’re just mad because of what Tasha said last night about me. I don’t care if she thinks I have a shitty home life,” I tell her, honestly. “I do. I mean, take a look around, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see I am the friend never bringing much more than my bitchy attitude to any situation. I’m okay with my life. It’s the hand I’ve been dealt and no matter how shitty it ever gets, I know all of the bullshit is just building me for something else.”

  She pretends to gag and playfully sticks her finger in her mouth. “I’m going to throw up. How do you manage to just be content with all of this? You deserve the universe, Ruby. You’re too good for this world.”

  “I’m not too good for anything,” I say on a laugh, the pill starting to hit me now. “I think you’re right about leaving, let’s see what we can find on the way to the park.”

  “Hopefully we find hot boys,” she says, hope in her voice as she rolls off the bed. “I mean, you and Messiah aren’t exclusive, right?”

  She’s grinning at me when she gets to her feet and I just look at her with a smile of my own.

  “We aren’t putting a title on it, C,” I tell her before my face falls a little, “but I don’t want to find other hot boys. I want to find him.”

  “He hasn’t come by here at all?” she asks as I slide off my mattress.

  I shake my head and slide my feet into the forces Cece grew out of last year. “No, the last time I saw him was at your house.”

  “He’s into some shit, Ruby,” she tells me, following me out of my room. “I’m going to figure it out, I swear. He’s been so weird since that night. Do you know if he ever found those guys? I swear if he’s trying to join them or whatever I’ll kill him myself.”

  I’m glad she’s not looking at my face as I say my next statement, “I have no idea, he won’t talk to me about the night of the party at all.”

  I hate lying to Cece, but Messiah made me promise not to tell her about the blood or how late it was when he finally found me in his bed when he got home. I’m not completely lying to her because Messiah won’t talk to me about it, but I know she’ll be mad if she ever finds out about how he came home all bloody and I had to shower it all off of him while he just stood there silently.

  He doesn’t want her to know and I don’t know what the right thing to do is, so until I figure which is better out, I’m keeping my mouth shut. I’ll still help Cece snoop and try to figure out what he’s doing, but it’s mostly for selfish reasons of my own. I want to find out what’s got him so distracted just as much as she does, if not more.

  I’m thankful when she lets the topic die because my high is surging and as we head out of my apartment and down the steps I feel like tonight might actually be good. I get to feel for about three seconds before I hear them talking. Cece and I both stop where we are as we listen to my parents coming up the stairwell.

  They’re loud, as usual, and knowing we have three steps until we’re on the third floor, I guess from the sound we’re only a level apart. Without another thought I take Cece’s hand and yank her into the third-floor hallway. She doesn’t resist at all and I gently close the door behind us. There’s a thin window on the door just above the handle and we press against the wall on the far side so they can’t see us.

  I don’t have to look to know when they make it to the third floor. They are so loud I can only imagine the noise complaints our landlord ignores daily just from them alone. My parents don’t care about anyone or anything other than who is selling to them and giving them their next high. I’ve heard they weren’t always like this from the old heads around our neighborhood, but I wouldn’t know because I was born addicted to heroin.

  I lean close to the window and catch sight of the back of the dirty orange and white striped shirt I’ve seen my dad in for the last week as they both go up the steps. Their feet are heavy and they’re both walking like they’ve already taken a dip into the sauce. Nothing new.

  We wait behind the third floor door silently until we hear the door to my apartment slam and Cece is first to grab for the door handle. I follow her down the remaining flights of steps, still not talking and finally breathe a loud sigh of relief once she pushes the door to the sidewalk open.

  “Fuck … I did not want to deal with that.” I say with a chuckle. In reality, almost getting caught by them wasn’t funny at all.

  “Girl, for once I’m just glad they’re loud. I did not want to blow my high dealing with them,” she says before tugging me along down the sidewalk.

  We get about six blocks from my apartment before the sidewalk starts to get more congested. There are kids of all ages all over and you can tell summer is being thoroughly enjoyed. The night is young still and though the sun is almost completely set now, it still gives a little light to the scene. The streetlights haven’t cut on yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they do.

  I am feeling good and moving to music playing from somewhere unknown to me as we walk and so is Cece. I look over at her and she’s happy and watching everything as we walk, and I can’t stop my own grin from growing from just watching her excitement. I always love the way she smiles when she’s high because it's real, and it always reaches her eyes.

  “I can’t believe how many people are out tonight,” she says, swinging her gaze to me and smiling bigger when she catches me watching her. “What?”

  “I like it when you’re happy,” I tell her, laughing myself before I purposely bump into her. Deflecting.

  “I like it when you’re happy,” she tells me, pulling me into a side hug and kissing my hair.

  My eyes close as we continue walking, and I let her lead me for a few steps and rest my head back on the arm she has wrapped around my shoulders. “I love you, bitch.”

  “I love you too,” she tells me before pulling us both to an abrupt stop. “Ohh, Rue, you got your wish.”

  My eyes pop open and I pick my head up, following her line of sight right to Messiah. He’s talking to three guys I’ve never seen before and it doesn’t look like he’s noticed us yet.

  “Who are those guys?” I ask Cece, looking back at her.

  “I have no idea, they don’t even look like they’re from here,” she says, and I frown, agreeing with her.

  “You’re right. Should we go talk to him?” I ask, taking in the scene around us better.

  There are more older teens and adults around now and we aren’t the only ones watching Messiah. There’s a tall guy about twenty feet away from him and he’s watching Messiah closely. His dark skin makes his features look even more intimidating in the low light we’re all being forced into and momentarily I’m more interested in finding out who he is and what he wants with Messiah.

  I can’t see his face very well because his black hoodie is pulled up ov
er a red cap sitting extremely low, almost covering his eyes. I know he can see because he’s staring right at Messiah.

  “Yeah we should. I don’t like the look of those guys and I want him to stop fucking off in the streets so much,” she confirms but I don’t take my eyes off of the guy watching him.

  “You go, I’ll just ...” I start, but Cece is an act first think later kind of person and she’s already stomping towards her brother, ready to rip him a new ass.

  I press myself into the bricks behind me as I try to find the guy watching Messiah again, but the dark hooded figure is gone. I look around but it’s not until I look back searching for Cece that I spot him again. He’s talking to her and from what I can see she’s ... actually smiling.

  An uneasy feeling creeps into my chest as I watch the interaction but Cece doesn’t seem to feel the same. She’s lapping the dude up and I watch behind them as Messiah slips between two buildings across the street and disappears completely, never noticing me or Cece.

  I see my friend look back over at me and it’s almost like she’s telling the guy about me. His head lifts some so he can see me from under the bill of his hat, but I still wouldn’t be able to pick his face out of a line up if I needed to. He knows how to lay low.

  After they talk for a few more minutes I watch as the guy slips something into Cece’s hand before walking off. She watches him leave and when she looks at me her eyes go wide with excitement before she looks back to where she last saw Messiah. He’s gone and she looks back at me with a frown and I push off the building to go to her. I feel like I’m floating as a push through people to get to her and once I’m standing in front of her smile is back on her face, confusing me.

  “Who was the guy,” I ask her and she looks off in the direction he left in but he’s not there.

  “I honestly don’t know,” she tells me, shaking her head. “But he was fine as hell.”

  “What did he give you before he walked off,” I ask her and although her hand goes to her pocket, she frowns.

  “What are you talking about?” she says, recovering quickly with a laugh. “He didn’t give me anything.”

  I know she’s lying, but I ignore it because I want to follow Messiah and I can’t leave Cece here alone and arguing never gets me anywhere with my best friend.

  “I saw where Messiah went,” I tell her, changing the subject. “He went between those two buildings.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t follow him,” she suggests and it’s my turn to frown.

  “What?”

  “I don’t know I just don’t want to find him tonight,” she admits. “Come on let’s go find Tasha and Lucky.”

  She drags me away from the alley but I am confused and trying to keep sight of the opening as she pulls me further away. “But …”

  “Ruby,” I hear Tasha yell from our right and I search the crowded sidewalk as we cross the street again. “Cece!”

  Cece turns too, and when we start walking in the direction of our names being called, Tasha and Lucky push through a group of tall guys. They meet us at the edge of the sidewalk and are both all smiles and clearly drunk. They’re laughing as they hug us and Cece and I laugh too, but I don’t know why I’m laughing.

  “Girl,” Tasha says when she pulls back, “I thought we were meeting at your house.”

  “Y’all took forever,” Cece says, “so we came to find you.”

  “We just ran into your parents,” Lucky tells me, and my chest tightens.

  My friends know about my parents, but keeping them separate from my parents is a huge goal of mine. Always. They never bring anything good into my life and I’ll be damned if they fuck with my friends.

  I frown. “I’m sure it was fun.”

  “Your mom is wild,” Tasha tells me, shaking her head, “but it wasn’t bad. They just said they haven’t seen you in a week.”

  “You know how stupid they are,” I say, trying to make light of it, but Lucky and Tasha both give me the pity look I’ve grown to hate so much over the years. “So what are we getting into tonight?”

  “My vote is we hit up The Patio,” Lucky tells us. “My cousin said they’re letting teens in tonight.”

  “Is it new?” Cece asks. “I’ve been hearing more and more about it lately.”

  “I think they’re opening a teen club right next door, but it’ll only be opened on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays,” Tasha tells us. “Some big wig bought it and probably needs a new avenue to find young girls to traffic.”

  They all make small talk as we walk, but all I can focus on is Messiah and where he disappeared to. I have never been the nosey type, but how he’s been acting since the party has me worried. I just want him with me and I’d rather risk looking obsessed than let him get hurt doing something he feels like he has to do for his family.

  The walk to The Patio isn’t long, but it’s in the wrong direction of finding Messiah and I don’t want to be hanging out here. I want to wander and find him and then I want to talk him into taking me back to his house and away from all the dangers of this world we’re both stuck in. I rarely get what I want though, and as the loud music surrounds us after we’re let inside even I forget what I wanted in the first place.

  The night isn’t a bust and we have fun dancing and laughing together, like old times before Tasha and Cece started fighting all of the time. By the time we get back to Cece’s house, it’s late and all of the lights are out inside. Her Granny has probably been asleep for hours, so we do our best to be quiet while walking to Cece’s room. We fail so miserably, but at least we keep our laughs soft until Cece’s door is closed and we are sprawled out on her bed in our underwear.

  “We suck at being quiet,” I say, laughing.

  She nods as we both settle under her blanket, snuggled together. “Yeah we probably won’t be good with office jobs when we’re older.”

  “Definitely not getting any kind of office job, ever.”

  I yawn but I know sleep won’t come easily for me and just like magic Cece’s fingers find my face. My eyes close and I’m already starting to get heavier as she gently strokes the space between my eyes. She doesn’t say anything for a while and just as I am about to fall asleep I feel her relax more next to me, her head resting on my shoulder. “I love you, Ruby. Forever.”

  Chapter Nine

  RUBY—PRESENT

  When I wake up again, the room is bright, and Hollis is gone. I stretch my body one good time and roll over to reach for my phone but then I remember it must’ve gotten lost somewhere between me dancing on the table and coming here. I quickly hop to my feet, knowing Lucky and Tasha are probably both looking for me and might possibly be worried about me.

  I come out to the living room, I don’t see anyone and as I continue to walk towards the door I realize there’s no use in looking for him. He left and I can’t even tell myself I expected any different. Hollis has never come off like one who would share feelings or say bye before leaving a girl in the morning, so I head for the door.

  I pull the big door open and slip out, leaving the comfort of the guest house behind. I don’t have it in me to wear my heeled boots from last night, so I leave them behind. As I pad over the concrete path barefoot I stay mostly on my tiptoes and when the concrete meets the grass I quickly hop away from the heat of the path and savor the feel of the cold grass on the bottoms of my feet. I can see the clinic building to my left, but a gravel lot separates me from the doors and I am not about to cross all of those rocks without my shoes.

  Looking to my right, I notice a terrace shaped into somewhat of a maze of beautiful flowers leading to a large house I didn’t even notice in the dark of night last night. It is huge but it’s tucked securely in the forest surrounding the rest of the property. I am glad the dirt path through the flowers is not as hot as the concrete was, because I don’t have to rush.

  When I reach the door on the other side of the terrace, I twist the knob and it isn’t locked so I step inside. I look around the room and find it�
��s a nice sunroom where even more plants are spread out in pots all over the room. There isn’t anyone in the room though, so I continue on.

  I am stopped in my tracks as soon I step foot into the next room. A tall and extremely handsome man stands to my left, toying with the back of a remote like he’d been trying to replace the batteries. When I stop, he turns towards me and drags his eyes up my body slowly, like he already knew I was coming and my breathing hitches in my throat. He has this smile on his face breathing an air of fun into my lungs as he chews a toothpick, but his eyes scream for me to run.

  Just like they always have. Messiah.

  The chill of the icy blue color in his eyes against his warm, deeply tanned skin is magnificent and terrifying at the same time. His lips are a deep crimson color and I can’t stop looking at them or the damn toothpick he keeps twirling with his tongue.

  His hair is cut shorter now, but I can tell it’s still light and I can see curls in the hair on top because it’s slightly longer. Most of his hair is too short to show off any of the real curls I know he has.

  “I’m looking for Hollis,” I say, but he just continues to chew the toothpick in his mouth and smile at me. He definitely recognizes me.

  “Well … you found Messiah,” he tells me, offering nothing more. I narrow my eyes at him looking back towards where I came from. “Or … I found you.”

  His voice is taunting and low, but it excites me all the same. I have no doubt his devilish good looks have everything to do with the fact I can’t be in a room with him and think straight. He’s definitely aged well, but fuck him.

  He should terrify me, just like Hollis should. I know who he is and what he does now, but I’m not scared. Messiah has never intimidated me, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the most unpredictable people I’ve ever known.