Page 4 of Cruel Start

Sadly, I agreed with her on that one. I waved then backed up, pointing my rusty bucket of bolts and barely working engine toward the cove. I could’ve painted or gone surfing, but I needed something truly freeing, and plummeting to my possible death tended to win out in times like that. Besides, it was the only thing that quieted the anger inside me.

I wanted to drive to Deleon’s Cliff, but the cove at the state park was closer to our home—if I could call it that—and would be better on my gas tank and dwindling cash supply. The cove wasn’t Deleon’s, but it would do. It was a cliff with water beneath it, I supposed, and that was all I needed it to be.

Time flew as I got lost in my thoughts, and I was at the cove before I knew it. The roads curved around beautiful reddish-brown cliffs, offering peeks of the blue river that fed into the cove. I pulled into the small lot to park, grabbed my bag, and tossed my keys inside.

Once at the trail that led to where I would jump, I peeled off my shirt and shimmied out of my soft cotton shorts to reveal the one-piece bathing suit I’d had on since getting dressed that morning, then I shoved the rest of my clothes into my backpack and looped the strap over my shoulder. When I came to a cluster of bushes at the first bend in the path, I stowed my bag and jogged up to the fifty-foot cliff, glancing covetously at the neighboring seventy-foot drop.Someday.And with how my parents were interacting, probably sooner than later.

Like always, I toed the cliff’s edge and felt no fear. I had no reason to. Only success or death waited for me on the other side of the dive, and I wasn’t afraid of the latter.

I pushed off. Then I was free-falling through the air with that addictive sense of freedom and weightlessness. I hit the water with a small splash and was enveloped in another world. Silence followed as I kicked to the surface and swam to shore. I’d jumped there about twenty-five times since we’d moved.

I’d climbed back to my spot on the rocky ledge when my morbid mind intervened, and I glanced at the jagged rock two feet to the left. A part of me wondered,If I miss my mark, would anyone give a fuck if I land there, my brains splattered on the rocks below?

I rubbed my hands over my face, desperate to expel thoughts of death. The recent memory of my parents screaming didn’t help, which was why I needed to stop thinking and just jump. So I did, several more times, exhausting myself in the process.

My lack of fear had another benefit. I rocked cliff-diving competitions. The prize money helped to fund my get-out-of-Dodge stash. Swimming to shore, I squeezed the water out of my hair before retrieving my backpack. The towel inside went around my waist, and I looped my arm through the strap, satisfied that I’d pushed away the bad thoughts. I would live to dive another day, thanks to the clear head diving gave me.

I headed to my car while digging through my bag to find my keys.Why are they always at the bottom and so difficult to find?What I wouldn’t give for one of those key fobs that unlocked the doors just by being near it. My fingers closed around the metal key ring just as I slammed into something hard. Dazed, I stumbled back, one hand reaching out so I didn’t fall.

Strong hands grabbed my arms, steadying me. Panicked, I snapped my gaze toward who had ahold of me and locked eyes with the hottest guy I’d ever seen.Holy shit.Of their own accord, my fingers curled against warm, muscular ridges.He’s fucking gorgeous.

I mumbled sorry, but it got stuck in my throat, and I choked as a sexy grin pulled at his mouth. The heat of his hands fell away. My brain short-circuited from how handsome he was, and I couldn’t look away. His lips moved, forming words, but I couldn’t process them. My gaze bounced over his chiseled face, blond hair, a to-die-for athletic body, and those silvery, hypnotic eyes.

I swiped at some wetness at the side of my mouth.Oh my god, is that drool?

Heat rushed over my face. It was enough to free me from his hot-guy trance, and I quickly sidestepped him, hurrying to my car so I wouldn’t be late for work.

But the warmth of his hand on my body and those eyes, an impossible silver, stayed with me as I got into my car and sped away. A mouthwatering fantasy made me want to turn the car around.

My gaze jumped to the rearview mirror because I had to know—Is he standing there, watching me?

CHAPTER THREE

PHOENIX

Even the best sandwich I’d ever made wasn’t good enough to get my mind off the girl from the cove and how I hadn’t gotten laid in way too long. But it would have to do.

I’d just taken a bite when the door slammed, and my five-kinds-of-mopey brother stormed through the house. He tossed his keys on the counter, and everything clicked into place. Tracey still hadn’t been around or taken him to physical therapy like he’d assured me would happen after the text and voice mail he’d left her earlier.

Mom had a night shift at the ER and was already gone after fretting over Shane for a solid hour. She’d been upset she couldn’t take him. I would’ve driven him, but he’d had other ideas—that hadn’t worked.

I’d tried to talk to him about the she-devil at least a thousand times, but he’d been a big crybaby. So fuck it—I would rub it in. “How was PT? Tracey didn’t stick around after taking you?” I yelled at his retreating back.

He stopped, rounded the corner back into the kitchen, and gave me a glare from the depths of hell. “How do you think it fucking was?” He lifted his arm, the one in the sling, winced, and eased it down. “And no. She didn’t.”

“She’s a bloodsucker, bro. Do yourself a favor, and cut her loose.” Although, it was probably—hopefully—too late for that, as she hadn’t come around or called him since the accident.

“Shut up.” Shane stormed toward his room. The door slammed a minute later.

Progress.I swiveled back to the island to finish my sandwich.

Shane normally got defensive when I said anything remotely close to how evil she was. Not that time. The floor started thumping to the beat of the music he turned on at the highest level. I raised my glass to him, toasting the start of him letting her go.He’s better off without her.Everyone knew she was down to marry a superstar money-making athlete—NFL, MLB, FIFA. It didn’t matter to her, so long as she was on that train. Why my brother had been blind to it was a mystery.

The conversation I’d had with her before she’d even crossed the threshold into the hospital came to mind in perfect clarity. I’d raced to the entrance. Thank fuck for the text Cole sent warning that he’d spotted the she-devil in the parking lot and that she was on her way.

“Tracey.” I skidded to a halt as the hospital doors slid closed behind me and did a quick scan of the lot to see who she’d ridden in with. I couldn’t tell—probably a good thing. “I’m glad I caught you.”

She narrowed her eyes at me, popping a hand on her jutted hip bone. “What room is Shane in?”

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