Page 26 of UnWholly Angels
What a piece of shit thing to say, even if he didn’t mean it. That wasn’t Riley, not mine at least. He was Angel Kingston now, a whole new man; one I didn’t recognize. “I don’t know why I thought he would be the same person,” I whispered to myself.
Escaping Rocco, I did that on my own. Living this way for years, I survived that. I’d even killed people, and I liked it. Riley had no idea the trials I’d faced, how many times I’d crawled on all fours to get away, or how many times I lay there for hours staring blankly at the tiles on the ceiling, taking cock after cock, hoping that would be enough to keep Rocco away from him. Who was he to say I was sloppy seconds? He wasn’t going to get away with it either. Pucker up because it was time to kiss my ass and beg for forgiveness, or you know…what did he call it, oh yeah…communicate.
Trying to get out of my own head and salvage the night, my eyes scanned the room. It certainly wasn’t decorated the best, but it was still better than anything I had. I actually had a bed frame here, and the attached bathroom was nice. Maybe he would let me decorate it when we both cooled off. With the rush of thoughts and ideas swirling around my head, I reached into my bag and pulled out the old toy, examining it closely. TheRubik's Cube was starting to age, the colored stickers peeling off with cracks around the edges. A special present given to me years ago when he had nothing else to give, and I’d cherished it ever since.
Hatred was quickly rising to the surface, coating over my broken heart like hot tar, and before I knew it, I was out of the door and barreling down the corridor to his room until I came to a stop in front of the wooden barrier. No, he wouldn’t get the respect of a knock. Barging in, my eyes settled on the space. It was so bare. There was no way Riley, the intellectual dreamer, lived in it. The walls were beige with dark lacquered baseboards, and the furniture was all black aside from his gray sheets. There were no decorations on the walls, and as my eyes continued to travel around the room, the only thing that gave me any indication this was Riley’s space was the lines of watches and a mannequin head with his baseball cap. I’d also noticed he had some pictures sitting neatly on the nightstand next to his bed.
An unsettling feeling grew in my stomach, noticing he wasn’t there, but quickly replaced by annoyance as the sound of running water from his own adjoined bathroom filled my ears. The steam billowed in soft tendrils under the door, and my curiosity got the best of me. So, I moved to the few pictures on the nightstand and sat on his bed, my eyes glazing over each one in thought, and I gripped the cube harder. His parents, Nick, and other guys from the hockey team, us, the places he traveled to…wait, us?
Sure enough, in the middle of the beautiful frames, slightly hidden away, was sixteen-year-old us outside of the rink where Riley’s team played frequently. I remembered it clearly. Dressed in one of his jerseys, I sat on his lap holding a hot chocolate, while his shaggy hair peeked out from the small opening in the back of the baseball cap he wore backward. I laughed to myself because he always thought he looked cool, but that damn hatwas the bane of my existence. Life wasn’t exactly easy, but he made it bearable. My hand shook slightly as I tightened my grip on the frame. But that wasn’t us anymore, it couldn’t be us anymore. We were two different souls now, forced apart by the evil people who wanted nothing more than to make an example of us. The most extreme punishment for anyone who refused to learn their place. It hurt, more than I’d ever admit, that he didn’t look at me the same, but I hoped one day we would get past this and, instead of surviving, get to live in peace.
The sound of the water shutting off startled me, and the picture fell to the floor, a small crack now sliced down the side. Quickly, I placed it back on the nightstand, making sure the broken side was hidden from view.
Steam rushed out as Riley opened the door, completely naked as he emerged. He wasn’t aware I was in the room yet, and my body flushed with heat seeing him. The droplets of water sat against his skin, beading down his chest, but I couldn’t bring myself to follow them lower. He hadn’t changed much other than the scruff that grew out over the years and the amount of art that covered his body. His abdomen and back were covered in dark ink. The most notable change was a pair of angel wings spread out over his pecks and ended at the base of his neck. An exquisite, detailed piece. Within the wings, it looked as if they had eyes, staring straight into my soul. When my gaze traveled back up the length of his torso, his were already trained on mine, watching intently with a grin.
He stayed silent for a moment before speaking, his eyes once again back to anywhere in the room but at me. “Right, I forgot when there are ladies around, there's no privacy ever.” He laughed, throwing his sweats on, and I had just about enough of his passive aggressiveness. “You could have come in, you know, shower sex is top notch, and you’re already clean after.”
“You're a real bastard, you know that?” I seethed, my voice thick with irritation as I watched his slow, calculated movements. He tied his sweatpants and placed his watch on the dresser, a dumbfounded look on his face and mocking eyes. The laugh stayed trapped behind my teeth, pissed off at him for mentioning a fucking shower together after he called me sloppy seconds. Did he think before speaking ever? “Do you really think I am that easy… well, yeah clearly you do, I forgot. Take accountability.”
“Accountability for what exactly? Please share how becoming his whore and dealing with illegal substances is my fault,” Riley snapped back.
“Everything I did was for you…you prick, no, dick. You’re a fucking dick.” I bit the inside of my cheek as the levee broke inside my mind and the memories spilled out like a raging storm. His smirk at my sudden silence spoke volumes. Maybe he should know what happened and why I went back to begin with.
I rose from my spot and walked toward him, placing a hand over his bicep as I mentally prepared myself for the explanation. “You want to know what happened to me, Riley. Fine.Buckle up, buttercup, because you’re about to get slapped with the cold, hard truth.”
I was twenty years old and working as a waitress at a rundown truck stop. Being groped and whistled at was not on my bingo card of life, but it was still better than the latter. Chloe’s family took me in when I was released from the hospital, and I’d never forget the danger that lurked in Rocco’s features as the car pulled from the lot of the group home. They gave me everything I needed, but I still needed to be self-sufficient; it was the only way I knew how to be.
The more opportunities the Whitlocks showed me, the more I realized that maybe I wouldn’t end up like my mother at all. There was light at the end of the tunnel, and I felt like I couldfinally have the chance to dream, find success. The world was my oyster; it just took some hard work to get there.
A bell sounded, signaling the food was ready, and I moved quickly to grab the piping hot plate from the counter. I wasn’t, however, aware of where that food was going when I offered to take it to the table. Fear encased me as Rocco sat in the booth alone, wearing an expensive suit and a ring on each of his fingers. It had been four years now, and he hadn’t so much as tried to reach out. What was he doing? Briefly, I wondered where he had gotten all the money but shook my head in disgust, wondering why he was here in the first place. Placing the food down at the closest table to me, I rushed to the bathroom and slammed the door shut, locking it quickly, desperately hoping he didn’t see me.
Sliding down the door with my hand over my face, I tried to calm my ragged breaths. I thought I did everything right. Dying my hair, changing my style, and moving in with one of the richest families in town with a ‘father’ who owned one of the most successful law firms in the city. Safe to say I hid well, or so I thought.
Maybe he was just stopping to eat, and when I went back out, he’d be gone. Yeah, he probably didn’t even remember me. Pushing myself up and off the floor, I wiped my hands over the top of my already greasy apron. My shaky hand reached for the knob, but as I attempted to exit the room, I collided with a hard body and got pushed in while the door locked behind him. “You really made it hard to find you, Maya, but I knew if I kept trying, I'd find my girl and bring her home.”
I swallowed thickly, watching his every move. “I’m not yours, I never was. You’re nothing but a trained dog, forced to fetch for the hand that feeds you.”
Rocco’seye twitched, and for a moment, I thought a smack was coming my way. “Look, I have to make this fast becauseI have an important meeting. I have a proposition that helps both of us. It’s really a win-win if you think about it.”
He typed away on his phone as he spoke, and a smirk slowly spread across his concentrated face, eyes focusing on mine. Fisting my pocket with sweaty hands, I grabbed my ringing cell and opened the texts to see a very good-looking Riley, presumably with his team. Was he drafted? Was that a college team? My mind drifted for a moment, wondering how Rocco even had my number. It changed as soon as the Whitlocks had the means to do it.
He would be a junior if I'm not mistaken, or sophomore maybe. Some pictures were of him at various bars or studying at the library. Others were at his games. Some so close Rocco could have taken him out right then if he really wanted to.
“He’s built a nice life of his own since the last time you saw him, hasn't he? I’m sorry, I just don’t think it’s fair you’re over here slumming it while he’s making it big. What happened to ‘I’ll give you the world, everything you deserve.’” Rocco stalked around me in circles like a predator, waiting for his prey to show an ounce of weakness, but the joke was on him because he wouldn’t be getting the satisfaction. Instead, I tilted my chin up in defiance as he continued to speak. “Don’t you remember Maya? You got into an argument that night, and you know how angry and unpredictable he was. His team had lost, and he took it out on you. I found you, baby. I took you to the hospital that night.”
I shivered when he paused in front of me and took a lock of hair, pushing it behind my ear. I wanted nothing more than to vomit. The truth was that I didn’t remember anything at all; it was like that whole night was erased from my memory. “What do you want from me, Rocco? I have to get back to work.”
Trying to step around him and get to the safety of the bustling restaurant, he put an arm up blocking my path. Whimpering, Istayed in place waiting for him to continue. “Come back, Maya, or they will be shoveling his brains off the ice at intermission.”
I still loved Riley, even if he forgot about me, even if he was happy without me, and I wouldn’t ruin what he seemed to be building for himself. Rocco’s threats were usually half-assed, but right now, his face was serious, dangerous, and hard as stone.
I could feel the tears spring to my eyes as I made the decision that I would regret for the rest of my life. “I’ll never marry you, Rocco. I'd rather be chained up like an animal.”
“Someone like you will never be a wife. You serve the Vitale house. Nothing more, nothing less.” His laugh was haunting as his hand moved to my apron, ripping it off with ease. “Don’t worry about quitting, I've already done that for you. My car is out back.”
When Rocco showed up at the restaurant, he blackmailed me, threatening to take away everything Riley worked so hard for, making him suffer before he ended his life. It shattered the perfect world I built. I thought I’d escaped when the Whitlocks adopted me. For once, life was safe, until it wasn’t. The worst part was pretending everything was okay, having to constantly wear a mask around those closest to me. To be right in reach of what was most important, knowing I would never have it. Forced to leave the sanctuary and Chloe to live as a prisoner in his home. Confined to my room unless told otherwise. Over time, I’d gained freedom, like seeing my family again. Chloe would sneak me to the hockey games or take me out to lunch. I couldn’t ask for help, though. She was deep in her own shit at the time, and I refused to add to it.
Riley was speechless and stared at me with his mouth hanging open. Attempting to read his emotions was too challenging right now. I was tired. “I sacrificed my life so you could have the oneyou deserved. That you worked so hard for. You have a career, built our home. You even have a cat, a cat!”
