Malik (Carter Brother Series Book 1) (10 page)

“Well, looks like your mom and Nan have a lot in common,’’ he smiles.

“Yeah, they really do,’’ I grin, wondering if my mom and Gram’s would have ever made up if my mom were still alive.

“I’ll wait for you downstairs, don’t be too long though, I’m starving,’’ he grins before leaning down to give me a peck on the lips. His kisses are becoming addictive and so far they’ve only been little light pecks here and there.

I know I should stop it, be offended he keeps taking from me, but I can’t help but to respond to him whenever he’s near. I’m pretty sure he could tell I was full on lying earlier about not sleeping with him too because I’m pretty certain if he made a move on me I’d be putty in his hands. That’s how much power he has over me and my body. It scares me a little, but not enough to be scared of him. I know deep down I’ll never have a reason to be scared of him.

Not expecting him to turn at the last minute before he walks through the door, I don’t have time to advert my eyes quickly enough, so he catches me staring at his ass. He chuckles at me before he sends me a wink, leaving me in the room alone to get myself together. Oh and get dressed.

I fall back down onto the bed covering my face with my hands.

“What have I gotten myself into,’’ I groan.

*** *** *** *** ***

We’re just finishing washing the dishes when the front doorbell rings. Everyone’s heads snap up to the door before staring at each other in confusion. Seriously, they’re acting like they never have visitors or have their door knocked.

“Isn’t anyone going to get that?’’ I ask confused.

“I’ll get it,’’ Myles says from the couch, getting up to answer it.

Malik and I finish gathering our art stuff from the table before following behind him towards the door. When we get there Myles and Mason are talking to Denny in hushed tones. If it wasn’t for the fact Mason was being serious I would never have felt suspicious, like they were talking about me. All through dinner he’s done nothing but crack jokes, plays his brothers up and flirting with my Gram’s. Not used to the banter between the group it took me a while to get he was teasing.

Now, the relaxed posture and easy grin is gone. His face is bent between Denny’s and Myles, his face pinched tight with a serious facial expression.

He must see me from the corner of his eye because he stands up straight making the other two follow suit. I look at him through narrowed eyes, but he just grins, throwing an arm over Denny’s shoulder. Her face heats as soon as he does, and she looks up at him with such an adorable expression it makes me grin at them. She really does have it bad for the boy.

“Hey Denny, what brings you to this neck of the woods?’’ I ask, hoping she doesn’t find my question rude.

“Oh, I came over to see how you were, but you weren’t in, so I thought I’d ask Myles if he had seen you,’’ she stutters, blushing up at Mason again.

“Why would you need to check in on me?’’ I ask confused, though my body tenses at the same time of the thought of her knowing something.

“I...’’ she stutters when Mason warns her not to tell me through gritted teeth. “My friend Amy saw what Davis did to you earlier,’’ she whispers making my body grow tight. Malik’s body tenses next to me, his head whipping to mine so fast I’m surprised he didn’t just snap his neck.

“What are you talking about?’’ I ask, feigning innocence.

“Don’t ‘what are you talking about’ Harlow. Is this what you lied to me about earlier?’’ he asks sounding pissed at me again and I have the urge to roll my eyes.

“Are you always this pushy?’’ I snap glaring at him.

“I don’t know Harlow, will you always hide important shit from me?’’ he snaps back sarcastically.

“Wow! Are they in a relationship,’’ Mason asks out loud to nobody in particular. Just as Malik says yes, I shout no, both of us turning to each other glaring. “Oh dear, the first domestic argument is always the hardest,’’ Mason mutters, making us both shoot our glares his way.

“What did he do?’’ Malik demands, grabbing my attention away from Mason.

I go to answer, but Mason interrupts, “Hate to break up the domestic, but can you choose a movie from next door kids. Come on, I may even let the ladies pick first,’’ he flirts, winking at Denny, who just rolls her eyes, but I still see the blush staining her cheeks from the street lamps lit around us.

We all look up at him in confusion. Malik opens his mouth to say something when Myles jumps in, his voice quick, and kind of panicked for him when he’s usually so calm and collected, “Yeah, you don’t always have to pick the film you know. We can discuss it back at Harlow’s before one of the neighbours decides to choose for us,’’ he says emphasizing the word neighbour and that’s when I see their other neighbour standing on their lawn staring at us. Kind of weird too, it’s not like she’s watering flowers or putting the bin out, she’s literally standing their staring at us.

Malik nods his head muttering a curse under his breath. As we near the door to mine I find the courage to talk, “Who was that?’’ I whisper.

“The town gossip, so let’s hope she didn’t hear anything because if this gets back to Davis he’s going to be pissed,’’ Malik answers for me.

“Why?’’ I ask confused.

“Trust me, I know him. And the fact you wouldn’t tell me what happened earlier tells me he used the whole I’m going to hurt your family speech.  And as your Nan is the only family you have here then I’m guessing he threatened her. It’s what he does Harlow. You can’t let him scare you. If he thinks you won’t risk running back to anyone just to keep her safe he’ll keep doing it.’’

“He’s right Harlow,’’ Mason agrees. “I heard what Davis did last time to the new girl and it wasn’t pretty. No one believed her...’’

“Hey, I believed her, she was my friend,’’ Denny snaps.

“Shit, Tink, how was I meant to know that? I’m on about the asshole adults around here, the police, hell, her fucking parents Denny. I didn’t even know the girl, but I saw her after, and that wasn’t a girl who got turned down by a boy. He’s sick. You need to be careful. His brother is a nasty piece of work too,’’ he adds.

“Tink?’’ Denny asks confused.

“Yeah, fuck, you look like Tinkerbelle, all cute and shit,’’ he smirks.

“Is anyone going to tell me what happened to her?’’ I ask, the room falling silent once I do. I take a large gulp wondering if I just asked the worst question in history.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea telling you,’’ Malik says.

“What? Why? I need to know what I’m up against,’’ I tell him hearing the fear in my voice.

“I know babe, but...’’ he looks to the others before pulling me away from them a little. “What happens if you have an attack over it?’’

My heart melts for him when I realise why he pulled me aside. That means more to me than he will ever know. It also scares me that he knows me so well already.

“I won’t.  I promise. I passed out earlier because he said he’d hurt my Gram’s Malik. She’s all I have. And I don’t just mean around here, I mean she’s the
only
family I have left,’’ I say feeling my eyes water again.

“Hey, it’s okay. Let’s go up to your room just in case your Nan comes back,’’ he says, pulling me along the hall to the stairs. Everyone follows, all of us taking the two flights of stairs up to my room that is now decorated in girly shit, and has dirty clothes thrown in the corner from where I changed out of them this morning. I have my own bathroom up here, so I always dump clothes into a pile outside and forget to take them downstairs to the laundry room.

Everyone takes a seat, Denny and Mason on the bed, Myles in the desk chair and Malik waiting to see where I go. I’m just about to move for the end of the bed when the door flies open behind me making me scream.

“Don’t leave me out of the fun guys,’’ Max says, his words kind of slurred.

“Are you drunk?’’ Mason grins, while Myles and Malik frown at him.

“Dude, I can handle my beer unlike you, you’re a cheap date,’’ Max answers defensively.

“Yeah, okay.’’

“What did I miss?’’ Max asks putting his arm around me.

I go to open my mouth and say not much when Mason interrupts me with a smirk on his face.

“Nymphadora here wanted to see me naked so badly she barged into the bathroom whilst I was in the shower,’’ Mason grins and my face immediately turns red.

“You saw him naked?’’ Denny shrieks, while at the same time Max chuckles shouting, “I fucking told you bro, we rocked out with the new neighbour.’’

“Settle down Max and sit down,’’ I snap, not wanting to be referred to as a whore more than twice today. I’m saving the third for tomorrow.

“We were just going to fill her in about Kayla and Davis,’’ Myles pipes in from the chair his eyes distant like he’s stuck somewhere in the past.

“What did that prick do?’’ Max growls his earlier chirpy mood gone.

“I heard he attacked Harlow after school today,’’ Denny says quietly when no one answers him.

“WHAT THE FUCK!!! Why are you all still sitting around here? Why aren’t you in the hospital?’’ he asks looking at me. “Did he, did he rape her?’’ he stutters out, his chest rising and falling. My heart completely stops from the fear and anger in his voice and from his words. My chest squeezes tightly and I have to rub my chest to try to help ease the pain.

“No. No... no,’’ Denny assures him quickly, but I’m frozen in place staring at Max. Rape? Who did he rape? Oh my God, he raped their friend Kayla. Fuck! Is that why Mason said it was serious, why he didn’t want me to know? Jesus! I didn’t even think of this when Denny started telling me about her friend and Davis. I wished she had now. To be fair, I wish I would have taken a seat next to her first instead of Davis. At least then, I might not have grabbed his attention or had opened my mouth to him. No, I can’t think like that. I think Davis will do what he wants to do when he wants to do it, and not give a fuck with the consequences. I’ve known him less than two days and I’ve already figured that one out about him.

Everyone in the room is talking all at once, their voices rising by the second and my head pounding to the point I know it’s going to explode.

“He raped her?’’ I whisper, never really understanding the full extent as to what Davis is capable of until now. It’s like it’s hitting me all at once. I could be next. I could be his next victim and I would have played right into his hands if someone hadn’t told Denny about him hurting me earlier. Did he say the same to Kayla? Did she not tell anyone he was bullying her because of his threats, and then when she did tell someone he raped her? I have so many questions, questions I’ll probably never get the answers to.

“Babe, he isn’t going to touch you,’’ Malik says pulling me into his lap.

“He already has,’’ I all but scream getting up from his lap. “Look at my hand, and what he did to me earlier when I was alone. I’ve just moved here for Christ sakes. What have I really done to him?’’

“I dunno, but the way you looked at him during registration said more than any actual words,’’ Malik laughs.

“You were watching me?’’ I ask shocked sitting back down on his lap, ignoring the others still chattering on.

“I couldn’t keep my eyes off you,’’ he admits making me blush and my stomach flutter.

“He smelt really, really fucking badly. Then he introduced himself like he was some hot shot making me gag. His breath was the worst,’’ I gag just thinking about it.

He laughs, his dimples coming out for me to admire, “Yeah, he went to the beginning of term party that Chris had at the back of Spring Fields. He obviously did smoke some weed and never got home to shower in time for school because I’m sure he had on the same clothes before he ran into the boys toilets that morning to change into his uniform.’’

“That is just gross,’’ I say scrunching my nose up. “Will someone tell me what happened between Kayla and Davis already?’’ I ask looking to the rest of the group.

They all stare at me looking unsure before turning to Malik. I turn to see why they’re looking at him when I see him nod, as if to give them permission to go ahead. What the fuck? Is he their boss or something? Jesus, he’s seventeen. A hot seventeen year old lad yeah, but he’s acting like he controls them. Jeez, Mason is older than him for heaven’s sake.

You think it’s hot Harlow so stop your complaining.
Yeah, it’s true. I do kind of think his power over people is hot.

Denny coughs and I turn my head to her. “I met Kayla when her parents first moved here. They moved a few streets away from me, so we became friends during one of the holidays. We were close, but not as close as friends usually are. We spent most of our time together, but she never really opened up to me.

“Kayla was a huge book nerd, she got straight A’s in all her classes and even started a college course for extra credit, but then Davis and his friends started paying attention to her after the school dance. She didn’t even want to go, but her parents made her. She had worn a dress that made her figure stand out, mostly her huge boobs. She was drop dead gorgeous, she just didn’t know it. Anyway, when Davis walked over to her and asked her for a dance in front of all his buddies she told him no nicely. After that he started picking on her, stupid things at first. I’d see him sometimes and helped out, but then she withdrew from me. The rest I heard is just rumours. She did confirm over text when I asked her about why she wasn’t coming to school anymore when the rumours had started about him sleeping with her, that he hurt her too badly to ever go back. She ended the text with a warning to stay away from him because he’s dangerous,’’ she says, tears in her eyes.