TREMBLE Page 2

  “Michael,” I protested. “Caden will lose his shit.”

  My stepbrother grunted. “Kind of hard to do that from behind a bunch of metal bars, now isn’t it, little sis?” My feet were scraping against the bare ground, getting cut up thanks to the rough surface.

  From behind a bunch of metal bars?

  Oh, God, he didn’t’ know he was home.

  “Michael!” I pleaded. “You don’t understand!”

  He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned his evil gaze on me. “What I understand is that I’m going to break the rules and leave a mark where someone can see it if you don’t shut the fuck up,” he barked, picking up his pace again. “God, it’s never enough for you, Winter.”

  “He’s home!” I shouted desperately. “Caden got out of prison early!”

  Michael laughed loudly, sending a bunch of his drunken spit flying into the air around us. “Come on, Winter, don’t be a stupid bitch.” He yanked me closer to his chest. “Do you really think I would fall for something so dumb? Caden Dean isn’t getting out of jail for a long, long, time.”

  I closed my eyes, silently cursing myself.

  Shit, this is bad. This is really bad.

  No, it’s a fucking disaster is what it is.

  I glanced around at all the drunken college kids making their way up and down Caden’s sidewalk. We were halfway to the Dean household and I knew if I didn’t do something fast all hell was sure to break loose.

  “I don’t even have any shoes on,” I offered up helplessly.

  My stepbrother huffed. “I care, Winter, really.”

  I tried not to react to the pain that was making its way into my ankle and drifting up toward the top of my ankle as Michael dragged me up Caden’s steps and swung the front door open. “Welcome to the party, little sis,” he hammered drunkenly as he swung side to side with my body tangled underneath him. “Are you ready to have a little fun?”

  My eyes closed as I scanned the room, praying like hell Caden hadn’t seen us yet. I gave a slight sigh of relief when I couldn’t place him and turned to my stepbrother, placing my free hand on his shoulder. “Michael, please, I’m begging you and you know I usually don’t. Get me out of here, you can do whatever you want to me, you can use me for whatever target practice you have in mind just don’t make me go inside of there.” I scanned the room again, noticing that a few people were starting to look curiously in our direction. “If Caden catches me here, he’s going to kill the both of us.”

  Michael glanced at my hand on his shoulder for a few seconds, taking in every inch of my gaze. His normally brown eyes were completely bloodshot and the small scar that traced the edge of his chin was more intensified and intimidating in the dark. He filled with a deeper edge of blackness when he lowered his head to mine, pushing my hair away from my face and leaning into me.

  I felt his thick head of hair brush against the side of my cheek and for a second, one long lapse in time; I thought he was going to listen to me. I thought he was going to turn me around and march me back outside and into our backyard to do his worst. It didn’t matter what my stepbrothers had planned because I knew it was child’s play compared to what Caden could do it he was angry enough. I knew because I had seen it first hand, I had tried to stop it first hand.

  Michael crushed any small sense of hope I had inside of me just as fast as it had come. “Just for that,” he whispered. “Just for that little game you keep trying to play with me, Winter, I’m going to shove alcohol down your throat until you choke and spit it out all over the floor.”

  I lunged back from him, stung.

  He caught me effortlessly and shoved me through the front door firmly, slamming it shut behind him. “And you’re going to do it in front of everyone.” He looked me up and down slowly before laughing. “Damn, sis, you’re a little underdressed, aren’t you?”

  I glanced back at the door and tried to estimate the amount of time it would take me to make a run for it. Michael’s legs were twice my size but his body was pretty sloppy thanks to the amount of alcohol he had consumed.

  My plan went down the drain within seconds.

  Because I felt him.

  I felt him all over my skin like a disease that had no cure.

  I glanced back up at Michael. “I would remove your hand if I were you,” I offered up half-heartedly even though I knew it was too late. If I could feel Caden all over me, if that chill that was in my spine was so present it consumed me, then chances were Caden had already spotted us.

  Michael frowned at something in the distance. “What’s Josh doing here?”

  I sighed and tried not to follow his gaze. It had been a long time since I saw my youngest stepbrother and the last thing I wanted was to be met with his disapproving gaze. It was like no matter what I did, he was looking at me like I had screwed up his entire life.

  Even though I had spoken to him all of two times in my entire life

  It made sense he would come back into town when Caden did, though.

  It was all about the king around here.

  All about Caden.

  The notion that Josh thought being in this town was pointless without Caden said a lot about how close they were. I wasn’t sure if it made me respect him or made me think he was pathetic. No one should have that much control over your actions, especially not your best friend.

  Then why do you like it when Caden controls you so much, Winter?

  I ignored the voice and took a step back from Michael.

  “You have to let me go.”

  “You aren’t going anywhere,” he told me, growing even more annoyed.

  Carl pushed his way through the crowd, his eyes growing wide when he spotted me. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he spat at me before glancing at his brother. “Have you lost your fucking mind, Michael? Why the hell did you bring her here?”

  Michael frowned. “For our target practice.”

  “I said to meet at the fucking house,” Carl hissed. “Now take her back there.”

  He can see me.

  I can feel him, feel him everywhere.

  “Why the fuck would I do that?” Michael slurred.

  Run.

  Winter.

  Fucking run.

  I jerked out of Michael’s grasp too hard and stumbled backward, practically tripping over myself as I lunged for the door. A group of girls standing to the side of me gasped and lunged backward in an effort to avoid the liquid I had sent flying over the edge of their red plastic cups.

  No time to apologize, the only thing I could think about was the cold air hitting my face once I got back outside and away from the huge scene that was about to play out inside of those walls.

  I didn’t even make it four feet.

  Michael may have been drunk but he was still quick, still more aware than I was ready for and a second later I was being yanked backward and held tightly against his chest. “Where the hell do you think you’re going, huh? You aren’t going anywhere!”

  I went still in his arms, bracing myself for the fireworks.

  It was only a matter of time now.

  Caden was coming.

  It happened before I had a chance to blink.

  Caden was ripping Michael off of me and pushing him up against the back of the door roughly. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Michael?” he seethed against the side of his face, pressing his thumb directly into the base of his throat and squeezing.

  Michael eyes went wide and he glanced at me.

  Yeah, I was telling the truth, idiot.

  “Don’t look at her,” Caden snapped, picking his body up and slamming it so hard into the wall that the picture on the shelf next to the door fell to the ground with a loud crash. “You fucking look at me.”

  The party had grown silent now, people pushing through to see the show.

  I felt Josh's gaze land on mine as he neared his brother and his best friend. He shook his head and shot me a glare as if to say ‘look what you did now.’
I took a step backward, immediately self-conscious, and hugged my arms to my body. I needed to get the hell out of there and fast.

  I inched toward the door but Luke, Caden’s younger brother, was there within seconds, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. I sighed and shrank backward again.

  “It’s not what it looks like,” Michael said between breaths.

  “What it looks like,” Caden sneered, squeezing his flesh tighter, “is that you had your hands all over something that belongs to me, something you had strict orders to stay the fuck away from.”

  My stepbrother shook his head. “No, no, it’s not like that.”

  “It’s exactly fucking like that.” Caden grabbed a beer bottle out of Luke’s hands and smashed it against the wall, taking the biggest broken piece and pressing it into Michael’s neck just enough to draw blood. “And it makes me wonder how many other times you’ve touched her.”

  My heart started to race at the sight of the red blood.

  Flashbacks of that night made their way into my mind.

  Oh, God, not again.

  “No!” Michael gasped; his eyes on the edge of the glass. “She followed me over here, I swear, I was trying to get her to leave! She said she wanted to see you, she was acting all crazy!”

  Caden paused, processing his words.

  “It’s true,” Carl cleared his throat. “I heard the whole exchange.”

  Luke huffed; he clearly knew they were full of shit.

  Josh stared at me, offering up no indication of how he felt one way or another. After a few seconds I bit down on my lip and looked down at the ground, I hated the way I always seemed to squirm under his gaze.

  Caden pressed the tip of the bottle tighter into his skin and looked back at me. “Is that true, Winter? You were just so desperate to see me that you had to follow them over here?”

  I did my best to hold his gaze, not wanting to appear like I was having to think about it. Michael’s lie was a hell of a lot better than the truth. At least if Caden thought I wanted to see him no one would end up in the hospital tonight. One look at Carl’s face told me if I didn’t play along I would regret it later.

  “Y-Yes,” I said a little too loudly. “That’s how it happened.”

  Luke huffed in disapproval.

  Caden kept his eyes on me. “Funny how you were so determined to follow them over here but you didn’t even stop to put on any shoes.” He had his hands wrapped around Michael and his gaze wrapped around me. He knew I was fucking lying, he knew it, and it wasn’t okay with him.

  He turned back to Michael and pressed the bottle deeper into him.

  Michael cried out in pain.

  “Caden,” Josh stepped forward, his voice serious. “He’s my brother.”

  Caden held the position for a few more seconds before he backed off, shaking his head. “Fine, but you only get to use that once.” He glanced at Michael. “You get one pass and if I find out that there’s more to the story, I swear to God, I’ll make it hurt way worse than I originally intended.”

  Michael nodded, rubbing the spot on his neck where he had been held.

  “Thank you,” Josh said softly.

  Caden ignored him, looking at Luke. “Take her to my room.”

  “What?” I shook my head. “Why?”

  Luke sighed but took me in his grasp anyway, leading my body after his.

  “Don’t fight, Winter,” Caden said sternly.

  I immediately stopped and he nodded his approval.

  I could hear his loud and fierce voice as we made our way further and further toward the back of the house. “There seems to be some confusion in my absence. The rules I set forth before I left are still in play and if you disobey those laws, there will still be consequences for those actions, just like before.”

  I trembled in Luke’s grip and he glanced back at me.

  “Rule number one, no one touches Winter without my permission, no one even looks at her without my say so. Fuck, I wouldn’t even think about her if I were you. She belongs to me. Let me say it louder for those of you in the back…”

  Shit.

  “Winter. Belongs. To. Me.”

  Chapter Three

  “He hates you.”

  WINTER

  Luke shoved me into the room with little effort, crossing his arms over his chest and shooting me a cocky smirk as he looked me up and down slowly. It wasn’t in a sexual way, more curious; as if he was trying to figure me out once and for all. “It’s very humorous to me,” he announced.

  I frowned at his tone. It was canning how much he sounded like his brother, same rich and thick voice, just laced with less anger and hostility. I let my gaze meet his eyes and almost fell backward onto the bed when his waiting gaze swept through me. I had never been this close to him before, never seen just how much he looked like Caden up close.

  If I hadn’t of known better I would have called them twins.

  Luke’s eyes held less pain and hatred for me. I felt like I was able to look right through him and it dawned on me that this may be the closest feeling I ever got of tenderness from someone who looked like Caden. From someone who looked like the man I had always wanted.

  My stomach dropped and I blew out a breath. “What could possibly be funny about this situation?” I grumbled, sitting down on the edge of the dresser. “You get off on torturing your brother’s worst enemy?”

  He chuckled and looked me over once more, pushing his body off the doorframe and moving closer to me. “No, just strange to me that someone so small could cause so much trouble.”

  “I don’t cause any trouble,” I mumbled.

  It was crazy how nervous he made me. Every time I looked at him Caden popped into my head and a weird shiver ran up and down the back of my spine. God, how did anyone tell them apart?

  “Says the girl who turned my brother’s life upside down,” he pointed out.

  I opened my mouth to protest but the look on his face stopped me. There it was, the anger that I had seen in Caden so many times. It was just a fraction of it but it was there just the same. “You really do look just like him,” I spoke the words out loud without thinking.

  Luke’s eyes went black. “I’m my own person,” he seethed.

  I had offended him somehow without meaning to.

  The door swung open before I could analyze it any further and Caden towered in on us, looking me over from where he stood in the hallway. He looked like he wanted to cross the room and fucking kill me.

  The light shiver from before moved into full-on trembling and I backed up an inch on the dresser, hugging my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms around myself. It did little to stop the shake that had fully consumed my body.

  Luke took in the scene before him and shook his head. “Like I said… strange.”

  “Bye,” Caden snapped, cutting his little brother off and dismissing him at the same time. He moved inside of the room and left enough space for Luke to pass by him but his gaze was still sternly placed on me.

  Luke mumbled something but left anyway.

  Caden slammed the door behind him and inched forward slowly, sticking his hands inside of his pockets. “You look nervous,” he said finally, stopping halfway from his dresser and grinding his teeth together roughly. “Do you have something to be nervous about, Winter?”

  I was always nervous around him, he knew that by now. I looked down at the bedspread, taking in the soft silver pattern that shimmered sharply even in the darkness of the room. How many times had I watched him from afar sitting on this very bed? How many times had I studied him from the safety of my roof, watching his every move and wishing I could be a part of it?

  And now I was here, with him.

  Only I couldn’t even enjoy it because Caden was pissed off, as usual.

  He crossed the room and grabbed my ankle, yanking my body toward him roughly. “You look at me when I’m talking to you, Winter.” He nuzzled my body between his legs and moaned loudly with something that sound
ed like passion combined with anger.

  I forced my eyes open and forward, terrified what I would find on his face.

  Caden’s eyes were glazed over with rage, a seal of blackness and evilness placed firmly around the edges. He tightened his knees around my legs and pulled me even closer to him, smashing my breasts against his broad chest and ripped stomach muscles. “I’m only going to ask you this once, pet.”

  My heart raced. He was on to me, he knew that something was going on with Michael and Carl. He was going to force it out to me until I admitted every horrifying detail and then there was no telling how far he would take the facts I delivered his way. He might not even believe me. He might not even care. Heck, he might think I had it coming. The thought of him not caring terrified me more than the thought of what he would do to my stepbrothers if he did care.

  Why do you want his approval so much?

  He hates you!

  I pushed the thoughts away and braced myself for his words. What would I say? Every part of me was screaming to lie but I knew he could see through me easily, I knew he could read me like a crumpled up piece of paper that he had destroyed and thrown onto the floor like a discarded piece of trash he had no use for anymore.

  I was completely and totally at his mercy and it made me sick.

  “Put your fucking arms around me,” he ordered. His grip on my arms tightened as he reached them around his neck and pushed them together. “Think carefully before you speak, pet,” he murmured into my hair, sniffing softly. “Did you fuck him?”

  The question wasn’t the one I had expected and I lunged back from him off impulse but he only squeezed tighter, misunderstanding my actions. “You did, didn’t you? You fucked that piece of shit.” He grabbed my chin and yanked it up toward his gaze. “You let him stick his fucking cock inside of my cunt, is that it?” he roared and pushed my body away from him, turning back toward the door. “I’m going to fucking kill him in the slowest way possible.”

  “No! Don’t!” I tried to regain my balance as fast as possible, stumbling after him and linking my fingers tightly into his arm. “Caden, I didn’t! I’ve never had sex before!” The words came tumbling out of my mouth before I had a chance to think about them just like everything else I said around him.