Blood Type
Page 55
“And you?” Reyna asked him. “Any woman in your life? Or do you insist on getting old all alone?”
He just shrugged. “No women in my life, Rey. Just you. And I’m glad you’re back. Everything else can wait.”
She slung her arm around Drew’s waist and leaned into him. It was nice to feel loved again and to have the easy comfortable companionship of her family. But it didn’t dull the ache of her missing Beckham and she wondered if he had realized yet that she’d left the house and the check behind. What would he think when he saw it? Would he cut his losses? Would he care at all?
She tried not to think about it any further. There was nothing she could do. The past was the past, and she doubted she would have changed any of her decisions.
They stayed up talking half the night until the guys swore they had to get to bed to stay on schedule for work. The next day was their one day off that week, and they spent it messing around like old times.
In the morning, Reyna cooked breakfast and was pleased that someone else was there to enjoy it. They walked around their seedy neighborhood, and though it felt like home it made her miss the clean park where she had taken a picture of Beckham. It made her miss her camera.
She splurged on lunch at a nearby restaurant that had been there forever, not that it was anything fancy. Then they spent the night playing board games and reading to one another from Drew’s favorite fantasy novel. It was warm and comfortable being with them, but her heart was missing Beckham. Even if she hated herself for thinking so, she still went to bed that night wishing he was nearby.
The next morning, she got up extra early to walk her brothers to the warehouse for work. She couldn’t count the number of times she had done so in the past. Reyna took a sorrowful look around the apartment, and then followed her brothers down the stairs. It was a nice day despite the fact that she had a heavy heart.
When they reached the warehouses, her brothers each gave her a hug and promised to see her when they got off work. She watched them walk away with dueling thoughts battling in her mind. On one hand she was so happy to be here with them, and on the other hand she had never felt more alone watching them disappear and having absolutely no options.
At least before she had always had Visage as a last resort. She knew that after she exhausted her last option on getting a job, she could always become a blood escort. She had hated the idea not because she had anything against vampires, but out of fear of the unknown, her fear of needles, and the thought of becoming a food source wasn’t exactly appealing. Now that unknown had been her reality, and she couldn’t turn back to it. Not now. Not ever.
With a sigh, she left the warehouse and started toward the road for home. She only made it a few feet before she heard her name called. It was strange being in a place where again everyone knew her. She could have walked anywhere in the city and never had a single person recognize her. She only knew a handful of people in total anyway.
And in the warehouses this was the last person she wanted to see.
Steven.
“Hey,” she said, trying to act casual. After the last time she had seen him, she just wanted to punch his face into the ground and walk away. But he was much bigger than her, and she couldn’t rely on her brothers getting her out of the situation this time.
“Little Reyna Carpenter!” he said in greeting. “Back from her blood whore days.”
Reyna rolled her eyes. “What do you want?”
He smiled at her, and she wondered why she had ever found him attractive. He was nothing compared to Beckham.
“Vampires get tired of your blood? Or something else?” He eyed her up and down suggestively.
“I’ve had a really long weekend. I don’t want to deal with you right now,” she told him. None of what he said was true, but it didn’t hurt the sting that Beckham had let her go.
“Let’s have fun like old times, Reyna.”
“No thanks. I don’t want any of your fun.”
She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm. “You can’t tell me you’d rather have vampire cock than mine.”
“And if I did?” she spat.
He was staring at her menacingly, but then his eyes widened and he didn’t respond.
“What?” she asked, turning to see what he was staring at.
“Your chariot awaits.”
Her mouth dropped open as she took in the familiar black Town Car slowing to a stop in front of the warehouse. The car was still rolling when the back door popped open. Beckham jumped out and ran toward Reyna.
She was pretty sure she was hallucinating. She blinked twice and even contemplated pinching herself. This had to be a dream. Except Steven hadn’t let go of her arm, and her dreams never really got it right how utterly gorgeous Beckham was.
Chapter 30
“Beckham, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“He’s come to reclaim his whore,” Steven spat. He didn’t exactly drop her arm; it was more like he threw it toward Beckham as if he were offering a prize.
Beckham’s eyes left hers and looked to Steven standing behind her. Steven took one step backward, as he seemed to take in Beckham’s immense size and the fact that he had the strength and speed of a vampire.
“Is this your ex-boyfriend?” Beckham asked.
“Yeah,” Reyna said softly.
Beckham reached out and grabbed Steven by the collar of his shirt. He hoisted Steven off of his feet until he was eye level with Beckham. “If you ever harass her or anyone she knows ever again, I will personally kill you. That’s not a threat. It’s a promise.”
Without waiting to hear if he would say anything back, Beckham threw him as if he weighed nothing at all. Steven landed hard on his back a few feet away. He scrambled to his feet. Fear was written all over his face.
She knew that Beckham could have done worse. She’d seen his speed and agility in a fight. Steven should just walk away. This wasn’t a fight he could win.
“Bloodsucking disease on our world!” Steven called. “You’re all the same. One day we will rid the world of your plague.”
“But not today.”
Steven glared and then stormed away. Reyna breathed out a sigh of relief. As much as she despised Steven at this point, she didn’t want him to get himself killed for his insolent mouth.
Once he was gone, Beckham refocused his attention on Reyna.
“What are you doing here?” she repeated.
“You left the money,” he said. It was more of a statement than a question, and she didn’t know what he wanted her to say.
“Yeah.” She shrugged.
“Why? It was enough to support you, to keep you safe and secure, to have your own life.”
“Because I don’t need your charity!”
“It’s not charity,” he insisted.
“It is. You wanted to buy me out, but I can’t be bought. I’ll work and get a decent wage like the rest of the country. I won’t be indebted to you the rest of my life.”
Beckham eyed her curiously. “I wasn’t buying you out. You said you wanted to leave. That was what you wanted.”
“And then you never came back for me. You saved Penny. I get it. She was injured. I understand her being important to you. But you never checked on me again. Honestly, I assumed you wanted me gone.”
“I thought you wanted space,” he said.
Reyna cast her gaze away from him. “I was angry. After everything that happened that night, I was angry and scared. I didn’t know what I wanted. Answers mostly. I guess I figured out your answer when you chose her.”
He just shrugged. “No women in my life, Rey. Just you. And I’m glad you’re back. Everything else can wait.”
She slung her arm around Drew’s waist and leaned into him. It was nice to feel loved again and to have the easy comfortable companionship of her family. But it didn’t dull the ache of her missing Beckham and she wondered if he had realized yet that she’d left the house and the check behind. What would he think when he saw it? Would he cut his losses? Would he care at all?
She tried not to think about it any further. There was nothing she could do. The past was the past, and she doubted she would have changed any of her decisions.
They stayed up talking half the night until the guys swore they had to get to bed to stay on schedule for work. The next day was their one day off that week, and they spent it messing around like old times.
In the morning, Reyna cooked breakfast and was pleased that someone else was there to enjoy it. They walked around their seedy neighborhood, and though it felt like home it made her miss the clean park where she had taken a picture of Beckham. It made her miss her camera.
She splurged on lunch at a nearby restaurant that had been there forever, not that it was anything fancy. Then they spent the night playing board games and reading to one another from Drew’s favorite fantasy novel. It was warm and comfortable being with them, but her heart was missing Beckham. Even if she hated herself for thinking so, she still went to bed that night wishing he was nearby.
The next morning, she got up extra early to walk her brothers to the warehouse for work. She couldn’t count the number of times she had done so in the past. Reyna took a sorrowful look around the apartment, and then followed her brothers down the stairs. It was a nice day despite the fact that she had a heavy heart.
When they reached the warehouses, her brothers each gave her a hug and promised to see her when they got off work. She watched them walk away with dueling thoughts battling in her mind. On one hand she was so happy to be here with them, and on the other hand she had never felt more alone watching them disappear and having absolutely no options.
At least before she had always had Visage as a last resort. She knew that after she exhausted her last option on getting a job, she could always become a blood escort. She had hated the idea not because she had anything against vampires, but out of fear of the unknown, her fear of needles, and the thought of becoming a food source wasn’t exactly appealing. Now that unknown had been her reality, and she couldn’t turn back to it. Not now. Not ever.
With a sigh, she left the warehouse and started toward the road for home. She only made it a few feet before she heard her name called. It was strange being in a place where again everyone knew her. She could have walked anywhere in the city and never had a single person recognize her. She only knew a handful of people in total anyway.
And in the warehouses this was the last person she wanted to see.
Steven.
“Hey,” she said, trying to act casual. After the last time she had seen him, she just wanted to punch his face into the ground and walk away. But he was much bigger than her, and she couldn’t rely on her brothers getting her out of the situation this time.
“Little Reyna Carpenter!” he said in greeting. “Back from her blood whore days.”
Reyna rolled her eyes. “What do you want?”
He smiled at her, and she wondered why she had ever found him attractive. He was nothing compared to Beckham.
“Vampires get tired of your blood? Or something else?” He eyed her up and down suggestively.
“I’ve had a really long weekend. I don’t want to deal with you right now,” she told him. None of what he said was true, but it didn’t hurt the sting that Beckham had let her go.
“Let’s have fun like old times, Reyna.”
“No thanks. I don’t want any of your fun.”
She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm. “You can’t tell me you’d rather have vampire cock than mine.”
“And if I did?” she spat.
He was staring at her menacingly, but then his eyes widened and he didn’t respond.
“What?” she asked, turning to see what he was staring at.
“Your chariot awaits.”
Her mouth dropped open as she took in the familiar black Town Car slowing to a stop in front of the warehouse. The car was still rolling when the back door popped open. Beckham jumped out and ran toward Reyna.
She was pretty sure she was hallucinating. She blinked twice and even contemplated pinching herself. This had to be a dream. Except Steven hadn’t let go of her arm, and her dreams never really got it right how utterly gorgeous Beckham was.
Chapter 30
“Beckham, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“He’s come to reclaim his whore,” Steven spat. He didn’t exactly drop her arm; it was more like he threw it toward Beckham as if he were offering a prize.
Beckham’s eyes left hers and looked to Steven standing behind her. Steven took one step backward, as he seemed to take in Beckham’s immense size and the fact that he had the strength and speed of a vampire.
“Is this your ex-boyfriend?” Beckham asked.
“Yeah,” Reyna said softly.
Beckham reached out and grabbed Steven by the collar of his shirt. He hoisted Steven off of his feet until he was eye level with Beckham. “If you ever harass her or anyone she knows ever again, I will personally kill you. That’s not a threat. It’s a promise.”
Without waiting to hear if he would say anything back, Beckham threw him as if he weighed nothing at all. Steven landed hard on his back a few feet away. He scrambled to his feet. Fear was written all over his face.
She knew that Beckham could have done worse. She’d seen his speed and agility in a fight. Steven should just walk away. This wasn’t a fight he could win.
“Bloodsucking disease on our world!” Steven called. “You’re all the same. One day we will rid the world of your plague.”
“But not today.”
Steven glared and then stormed away. Reyna breathed out a sigh of relief. As much as she despised Steven at this point, she didn’t want him to get himself killed for his insolent mouth.
Once he was gone, Beckham refocused his attention on Reyna.
“What are you doing here?” she repeated.
“You left the money,” he said. It was more of a statement than a question, and she didn’t know what he wanted her to say.
“Yeah.” She shrugged.
“Why? It was enough to support you, to keep you safe and secure, to have your own life.”
“Because I don’t need your charity!”
“It’s not charity,” he insisted.
“It is. You wanted to buy me out, but I can’t be bought. I’ll work and get a decent wage like the rest of the country. I won’t be indebted to you the rest of my life.”
Beckham eyed her curiously. “I wasn’t buying you out. You said you wanted to leave. That was what you wanted.”
“And then you never came back for me. You saved Penny. I get it. She was injured. I understand her being important to you. But you never checked on me again. Honestly, I assumed you wanted me gone.”
“I thought you wanted space,” he said.
Reyna cast her gaze away from him. “I was angry. After everything that happened that night, I was angry and scared. I didn’t know what I wanted. Answers mostly. I guess I figured out your answer when you chose her.”
