Piecing Together Sydney (A Sydney West Novel Book 3) (23 page)

I used to stare at my reflection, unable to believe that woman was me. She had a diamond ring on her left hand and a baby in her belly. How could she be the girl who didn’t think love was real? How could she be the girl who had a string of summer boys?

That lost girl finally grew up and learned from her mistakes.

At least that voice within wasn’t scattered anymore. Life was boring, yet always an adventure. I regularly had new clients with new stories. Andrew would do something like finger painting or finding Mommy’s makeup and teaching her to keep it up higher than the bathroom sink. Jason surprised me with dinner and flowers all the time. I’d buy him treats as well, and our date nights were always an event to remember.

At twenty-one-years-old, I met my soul mate on the beach of Malibu, and so did my best friend. He didn’t mind my scars and all the different shades of my personality. He broke me down before piecing me back together. I’d love him for the rest of my days. Our kids were going to be heartbreakers. They had to be with parents like us!

Old habits die hard. Yes, I still had my love for quotes. As George Bernard Shaw once said.

A happy family is but an earlier heaven.

He was so right.

Life was a journey. It had twists and turns and never went the way you planned. I learned to make the best of it and to pass on my lessons to those who seek my help in my office. One day, I would pass down what I learned to my kids.

What I truly learned after all these years was love was an undying flower in the crack of cement. Nothing would kill it. I drew strength from the love of my family and friends.

I, Sydney Anne King, was completely whole. A broken heart was a thing of the past. As sappy as it sounded, love did heal all wounds. Jason saved my life, and I repaid him as many times I could. No, we saved each other. What a wonderful life we had, and I looked forward to the future and all the memories we’d make.

Jason

I turned onto the road and didn’t look back at Sydney’s beach house. I didn’t know what to believe anymore. A year can be a short or long period of time depending on what the subject was. For love, some thought it was too fast. Maybe it was. Sydney was a party girl when I met her last summer. She never settled down until I came into her life. In Arizona, we were devoted to each other. Whenever we didn’t have something to do for a class, we had each other for company. Now she’s doing ecstasy and kissing strangers?

The light up ahead turned red. I hit my steering wheel and turned up the Metallica song playing on the radio. My chest felt like the entire ocean wanted to crush me into dust. I looked behind me and remembered my board was at Sydney’s. Son-of-a-bitch. Surfing was my go-to. When I lived in California, my board pretty much stayed in my Jeep so I could catch waves at any time. After being with Sydney, my board moved into her living room. She liked the boards in the house, said it kept them in better condition. And because of that woman, I couldn’t go surfing right now.

After a while, the light turned green. I drove onto the interstate and looked at the passing signs.
Where the hell should I go?
Santa Monica popped up on the board. That was a nice place. The pier had an amazing view of the ocean, and there were bars around it with incredible drinks. My mind was made up. I moved into the lane that branched off toward Santa Monica.

The freeway was packed as usual, took about an hour to get there. I paid to park and went into the first bar on the right called Sand Mermaid. The bartender saw me come in and shook his head. “Woman problems?”

I laughed, it sounded bitter. “Yeah. How did you know?”

“Been a bartender for thirty years. I can spot this kind of stuff now.” He wiped sweat off his forehead and nodded toward the wall of liquor. “What’s your poison?”

“Normally it’s beer, but today I’m going with anything strong. You’re the pro. Make me something that helps after a fight with a fiancé.”

He ran his forefinger and thumb down his gray beard. “Hmm. I’d go with the classic Jack on the rocks or Jack and coke.”

“On the rocks is fine.”

“Coming up.” He grabbed a short fat glass and filled it with ice. I looked over at the TVs. None of my favorite teams were playing. The glass clanked on the counter. “There you go.”

“Thanks. Keep them coming.”

***

After six glasses, I was done. I paid my tab and wandered across the street to the pier. It was crawling with people, families laughing and couples making out. The sun was sinking into the horizon, turning the water cotton candy pink and scarlet red with a hint of orange. The Ferris wheel lit up in the background, and the screams from the roller coaster blended in with the live music. I used to love riding it as a kid. I had to turn away and avoid it. Now the Ferris wheel reminded me of the fair with Sydney last year. How she talked me into stealing a stuffed Scooby for her. Damn, I think that woman could talk me into stealing the horn off of a unicorn.

I’d go to hell and back for Sydney. After transferring colleges to be with her, I thought she’d be mine and only mine. It was still unbelievable how much she owned my heart. The damn thing was in her hand, being squeezed and oozing blood right about now.

There was a spot on the pier’s railing with no one around. I quickly rested my forearms on the warm metal and looked out over the ocean. To try to stop thinking of Syd, I counted boats in the water. I got to thirty when a girl walked by with long blonde hair, laughing and kissing her boyfriend on the lips. He grabbed her ass as they passed by. That was how Sydney and I were. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. Hell, she’d have to send me out of her dorm so she could concentrate on an assignment. Fucking killed me to wait, but she made it worth it. I loved the swell of her breasts. The moans she’d make when she was close to climaxing. How my name sounded coming from her lips. How biting her bottom lip drove me mad and made all my blood rush to my dick.

“I can’t get her out of my head. She’s too much.”

“Who is?” A voice asked from behind me. It sounded soft and familiar.

A girl with black hair and the smile of the devil stood next to me. Lizzie inhaled a deep breath and let it out. “Don’t you love the smell of food and the ocean?”

I nodded, looking at a sailboat with an American flag moving in the breeze. “Yeah…what are you doing here?”

She bumped her shoulder with mine. “This is a public place, Jason. I was just taking it in and saw you come up. Thought I’d say hi.”

“That’s fair.” I ran my hand down my face, pulling down my right eye for a second. “Ugh, life can be a drag sometimes.”

“Oh? Trouble in paradise?”

I pressed my lips together.
Should I tell my ex who broke my heart about my current girl?

“Something like that. Just a fight. I’m going back home once this buzz wears off.”

She turned around, leaning back against the railing. Her arm brushed mine. “You know what would help?”

“Hmm?”

Lizzie leaned in closer. “Eating.”

I hoped she meant food.

“Sometimes, but right now I just want to—”

She grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the railing. “Come on. Sitting down to eat isn’t doing anything bad. Just old friends catching up, like the other day.”

Did I have a choice?

“I guess I could go for some pizza right now.”

She turned her head and smiled wickedly. Her long hair moved around her like snakes in the wind. “See? The dark side isn’t so bad.”

What was the harm? We did hang out before, and though it was extremely painful, I did live through it. Maybe she just felt bad for ripping my heart from my chest and stomping on it with her sharp heels.

There was a small pizza place next to the pier. We ordered a medium pepperoni and sat down at a bench to eat it.

“So what happened with you two? Last time I saw you together was at that flower shop. Seemed things were good for your…wedding.” Her eyes were dark like storm clouds as she spoke. Did I detect jealousy?

“The wedding is in two weeks. Last night was my bachelor party and her bachelorette party. Things got out of hand. Just a heated argument.”

It’s just my girl got loopy on illegal drugs and stuck her tongue down some random guy’s throat. Hell, she may have even fucked him in the restroom. She did love her summer boys. I’m tired of these damn games. I want to trust Sydney, but knowing her past, it’s hard sometimes…

My stomach felt sick. I dropped the crust of my second piece of pizza into the box. Food wasn’t helping.

Lizzie touched my upper arm. “What’s wrong? Is the pizza burnt or stale tasting to you?”

I moved away from her touch. “No, thinking of Sydney again.” My voice cut off into more of a mutter. “I just wish I didn’t doubt her. She’s sweet and funny and sexy as hell, but—”

Lizzie stood up. “Let’s get a drink.”

I got to my feet and shook my head. “No. The point of food was to help burn away my buzz. Drinking more won’t help.”

She shrugged and pointed to a place making fruity drinks. “You know those kinds of drinks barely have anything but sugar in them. Come on.”

What the hell? Another drink wouldn’t kill me.

“Okay.”

She jumped up and clapped. “Yay! Stay here so we don’t lose this bench. I’ll get the drinks.”

I nodded. “Sounds good.”

Lizzie left, walking with a sway in her hips. I rolled my eyes and pulled out my cell phone. Nothing new. Sydney wasn’t blowing up my phone. Was that a bad sign? Maybe she knew I needed space. I respected her when she needed it.

“God, why can’t life be easier? First my lowlife father came back and he has this whole new family. Then my sister went off on me because I didn’t want to let him back in our life. Now that stupid video flipped me out.” I ran my hands through my hair. “Love drives you crazy.”

“It does.” Lizzie chimed in, handing a plastic cup to me. “Strawberry Love. This is my favorite flavor.”

We cheered, hitting cups and took a sip. It tasted sweeter than the Kool-Aid I used to drink as a kid. I squeezed my eyes shut and took another swig. “I’m more of a beer guy.”

Lizzie ran her nails down my legs. “Yeah, but this is good for you. I promise. Everything will be fixed.”

“Lizzie, I’m still with Sydney. I just wanted to be out of the house for a bit and—” A whoosh went through my ears. I didn’t feel good all of a sudden. My vision grew blurry. What the hell was wrong with me?

“Are you okay? Let me help you.” Lizzie picked up my right arm and placed it around her shoulders. We stood up, but my feet didn’t work right. I stumbled like I had lead in my shoes.

“I don’t feel good. Can you take me to the hospital or home or somethin’?”

“Of course, darling. I’ll take you home.”

Lizzie half-dragged me to her little red car. I collapsed in the backseat. She turned over the engine and got on the road. I saw streetlights pass by as I looked up from the seat. My eyelids grew heavy, and my body felt like stone. I fell asleep in a matter of seconds. The last thing I remember muttering was, “Sydney…”

***

I woke up in a room filled with light. A killer hangover loomed over me. I rubbed my eyes and sat up on the couch. It was brown and scratchy. “I don’t remember this.” I looked around. The pictures were of African animals and prints. Where the hell was I?

“Sydney?”

Lizzie entered the room, running her hands down her blue dress. “You’re awake! I was worried. It’s past noon, but I made you some lunch. You like tuna still?”

I stood up and got a head rush, forcing me back on the couch. “I thought you were taking me home.”

She smiled and twirled around like a fairy. “You are home, love.”

What the fuck was she on?

I rubbed my forehead and licked my lips. “I don’t understand. We’re not…” I leaned to the right, looking down the hallway. A wedding dress hung in the doorway to a room. Fear washed over me. What was she planning? More importantly, did that bitch drug me?

“Is that a wedding dress?”

She moved into my line of sight. “Maybe. Shit. You weren’t supposed to see it for a few more weeks. Oh well, it’s not like it’s on me.” She moved toward the doorway she came out of, the kitchen, I guessed. “So yes or no on the tuna?”

“Yeah,” I lied, hoping she’d leave me alone again.

“Coming up, hubby.” She disappeared, humming.

I forced myself to stand and searched my pockets for my cell phone. It was nowhere to be found. I shoved my hands into the couch, but came up empty. I combed the room and nothing, just an empty phone jack. The bitch made sure I couldn’t call for help.

This wasn’t good. She was crazy and thought I’d marry her. I should’ve known she was trouble and left when she showed up.

My toes dug into the plush brown carpet. She also took my damn shoes. I didn’t move quickly as my head pounded, but I needed to make it to the front door. I needed to go home to my Sydney.

The door had five locks on it. Was she paranoid or what? I slid the chain out and unlocked the deadbolt. I was about to unlock the door handle when a gasp came from behind me.

“Jason King! Where are you going?”

I undid the handle and moved to the next lock.

“Answer me!” Lizzie screamed. Something hard hit me in the ribs, knocking me to the ground. The crazy bitch pointed a baseball bat at me.

“Lizzie, I’m not yours. I need—”

“Why can’t you be good? Now I have to tie you up.”

I slid away from her, looking around for some kind of weapon, except the closest thing next to me was a metal statue of a lion. That was kinda hard to toss around.

“Shh, it’s going to be okay. We’re going to Spain and eloping.”

“No!” I crawled away from her. My ribs burned, but I had to move.

She hit my left leg, making me wince. I moved toward the coffee table where a lamp was. It was better than nothing.

Lizzie jumped on my back, rubbing herself on me. “Not so fast, love. Time to sleep again.” A sharp pain went into my neck. It was a needle. I went out like a fire with no oxygen.

***

I came to in a dim room. It was musky, and I couldn’t spot a window. My only exit was up a flight of stairs. The bitch put me in the basement. My arms were tied behind me, and my legs were tied to a chair. It was no use struggling to get free. She knew how to knot from Girl Scouts.

“Why me? I should’ve stayed home. How long have I been here? Sydney must be so worried. Fuck.”

The door creaked open, and Lizzie came down the stairs holding a plastic bowl. “I made you tuna even though you were a bad boy. I’ll have to spoon feed you. It’s good practice for when we have a baby.”

Holy shit, she was delusional and thinking we were going to be a family. I needed to find a way out of here and fast.

She pulled a stool from the back of the room and placed it in front of me. Lizzie sat down and picked up a spoon, trying to feed me. I turned my head away. “I’m not hungry.”