Striker: A Dark Bully Romance (Redwood Rebels Book 1) Rachel Leigh (the reading list book .TXT) 📖

Tears slide down my cheeks, and I swipe them away. “I was scared.” Curling my legs up to my chest, I secure them in a hug. “I didn’t know what to do. I froze up and I just let him have his way with me knowing that it wouldn’t last forever.”

Talon storms off into the bathroom, and the door slams shut. Breaking out in a full-blown ugly cry, I bury my face between my legs. Wet drops of tears slide down my legs and my heart writhes into a million little knots.

I didn’t want that. I didn’t ask for Zed to do that to me. But I let it happen. I’m weak. Even if I can count on one hand how many men I’ve slept with, I still feel like a whore.

Minutes pass and Talon doesn’t come out. He just needs a few minutes to cool off. So I give it to him.

Five minutes later, he’s still not out.

Tossing the blanket over me, I walk over to the door. “Talon. Can I come in?” I give the handle a turn, and to my surprise, it’s not locked. “Talon,” I say again.

My heart falls from my chest. “Oh my god, Talon. What in the hell are you doing?” I hurry over to where he sits with his back against the bathtub while blood trickles down his side.

“Get the fuck out!” he screams. So loud that I can feel the echo through my entire body. “Out!” he shouts again, pointing the bloody razor blade at the door.

Completely ignoring him, I grab him by the wrist. ‘Why are you doing this?” I cry out. The blade drops to the floor, and I kick it away, watching as the blood smears a line across the white marbled floor.

“I have to. I have to cut out the burn,” he mumbles.

I gasp. That’s what the scars over the burn are. He cuts himself there.

Talon’s head drops, his chin falling to his chest. Grabbing the hand towel off the sink, I lift his shirt and hold it in place. Then I just hold him. I have a lifetime to get answers.

Right now, this is what he needs.

He needs me.

We sat on the bathroom floor for over an hour in complete silence. I’ve never seen Talon in that state—I’ve never seen anyone like that before. It’s like his mind was paralyzed. When he finally snapped out of it, he was humiliated. The cuts were just on the surface, so all he needed was some bandages, but he wouldn’t let me help. Instead of being too overbearing, I laid down in bed and gave him some privacy.

A few minutes later, he joined me and asked that we never speak of it again. I agreed, for now. Sleep didn’t come easy, even though Talon held me all night long. Maybe that was the problem. Neither of us is used to bodily contact when we sleep.

When I woke up this morning, Talon was already preparing for the day. I just joined them downstairs, and I’m attempting to mentally prepare myself for what’s coming.

Lars stuffs a few water bottles into his backpack then zips it up. “You ready for this?” he asks Talon, who’s tapping into his phone.

“More than ready. I’m fucking pumped.” He howls.

Apparently, we are driving four hours to San Diego to meet up with his dad. I don’t know the full details, and I don’t care to. All I know is that I have to stand outside of some park, so he can see that I’m real, before texting me the address where we’ll be meeting.

My nerves are shot. Anxiety is at an all-time high, but I’m ready to take this fucker down. This sick and sadistic man has tortured so many lives. I’d bet my life that he still is. He’s willing to meet an eighteen-year-old girl because he thinks he’s gonna get a piece of ass. His mind is twisted, and it's apparent that he never learned right from wrong. Sadly, his son still needs to learn. But there’s still time for Talon, and I’ve seen a side of him I’m not sure anyone else has ever seen. There is good in him.

After Talon stuffs his phone in his pocket, he comes to my side. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? You can still back out.”

Without even giving it a second thought, I tell him, “I’m all in.”

This morning feels so different. I’m not sure what to make of it. It’s not like a relationship bloomed in just twenty-four hours. Besides, Talon’s not the relationship type, and I’m really not either. He and I together would be a fucking tsunami. All we do is bicker and fight. He likes to crawl under my skin, and I like to dig my nails into his.

“Alright. Let’s hit the road.” Talon smacks my ass. I bite back a few choice words and just walk away.

“Anyone heard from Zed?” Tommy asks, as we walk out the door.

Talon responds, “If he knows what's good for him, he’ll never show his damn face in this town again. We had a pact, and he stepped over the line and double-crossed us. It wasn’t just her and I. It was all of us.” His voice grows louder and louder with each word until he’s screaming. “He tried to fuck with my plan, and he’s trying to fuck with me.”

“Chill, man. We’ve got your back.” Tommy holds up his knuckles in front of Talon as we walk. “Start to finish.”

Talon bumps back. “And all the in between.”

Lars is being abnormally quiet as he shadows behind us. Maybe he’s having doubts about this. I could understand that. It’s not like we’re taking a road trip to the beach. Knowing what’s coming definitely has me feeling uneasy. But, this isn’t about me, or Lars, or anyone else. It’s about Talon finding the peace to move on with his life.

We get to Talon’s truck parked