Page 1 of Claiming Becca

CHAPTER ONE

CONNOR

Six Years Ago

Black moldy spots crawl up the corners of the stairwell, and a thick musty smell hangs in the air. The stairs haven’t seen a broom or a mop in years. Ceiling tiles are cracked, and some are missing, exposing the wires.

This building is just an example of what this town has turned into—a town I was supposed to be leaving. Grinding my teeth and pushing the door open, I suck in the fresh air. My plans may not have worked out, but I won’t have to smell this mold-infested building any longer. Bass, my best friend, and I are moving into a newer apartment. Although I wish I were moving to a different town, I’ll try my best to make the most of it by helping Bass renovate his new space for the gym he’s opening.

Dropping the box of snacks on the back of the U-Haul, the buzzing of the faulty street light captures my attention. We should have done this during the day when everyone else moved out instead of waiting until nighttime. Today was the only day available to get the keys to the space Bass had just purchased for his gym. Glancing around, my eyes are drawn to the shadowy corners to ensure no one is lurking.

Tightening my hands into a fist, I make a full circle. Exhaling slowly, I loosen my hands and shake my shoulders when nothing pops out of the dark. Turning on my heel, I return to our dorm for the couch we saved to move last. The only thing left are the beds that were here when we moved in. As much as I couldn’t wait to leave this place, we made many memories here. Bass is staring out the window, looking over the campus.

“Everything okay?”

He turns to face me and shakes his head. “I know this place isn’t the best, but there are a lot of memories here.”

I grin. “Remember that time you walked in on me and Casey—.”

“No! I do not need that visual again. Thank you.” Bass covers his eyes in mock horror. Throwing my head back, laughing, he glares at me. “I had nightmares for weeks.”

“Whatever. You’re jealous it was me and not you.” I wiggle my eyebrows.

He chuckles and shakes his head. “I have Angela,” he reminds me. Pressing my lips together, I don’t respond. That girl is bad news. He’ll see it, eventually.

Walking over to the couch, I motion at it. “Let’s go.” He grabs one end of the couch, and I grab the other. Bass closes the door after we maneuver it through the doorway. Walking down the short hallway to the stairs, I groan in frustration.

“If they’d fix the damn elevator, we wouldn’t have to take it down the stairs,” I complain.

Bass shrugs. “I don’t know if it’d fit in the elevator,” he responds. Sometimes his optimism grates on my nerves. When he looks at this town, he sees potential, while I see a cesspool of crime and filth. Sirens sound in the distance, and my ears perk up.

Bass shares a look with me. I clench my teeth; in other towns, that would mean the police were doing their job, but not in this town. As we continue down the stairs, an idea settles in my mind. How can I make a difference? How can I change things? As we descend each flight of stairs, my mind begins to go a mile a minute with possible ideas on how to make this town better. Resolve settles in my stomach as an idea forms in my head. I could begin renovating worn down buildings like this one.

If I can’t use my architecture degree in the city, there has to be a way I can use it here. We round another corner carefully, trying our best not to mess the couch up because we sure as hell can’t mess the stairwell up any more than it already is. Before renovating places throughout the town, I need to answer one pressing question. How the hell do I get rid of Donovan Castiel and Victor Valentine? Answering that question is the key to rebuilding this town back to what it was when I was a kid.

When we get to the last flight of stairs, Bass looks at me with concern, forcing me to think about that later. When we round the last corner, I smirk. “Pivot!” I yell, my voice echoing through the empty stairwell. Bass jumps and glares up at me.

“What the hell?”

Cackling, I yell again. “Pivot!”

“Shut up! Shut up!” Bass yells back. We both laugh. Bass shakes his head. “You watch one episode, and it has to be that one.”

Shaking my head, we maneuver out the door onto the sidewalk. Scanning the sidewalk and the dark corners again, we put the couch down so I can unlock the door to the U-Haul. Digging the keys out of my pocket, I stop short at the sight of dirty Converse tennis shoes attached to a pair of legs dangling over the U-Haul ramp. Her jeans are ripped, dirty and look two sizes too big for her. Doritos are shoved into a mouth with full pink lips. Once done, she balls the wrapper up and throws it on the street. It lands just in front of my feet.

Scowling, I step forward. “You shouldn’t litter.” Her attention snaps to me, eyes wide. This is why we have been locking the door between each trip, but I wasn’t doing that for a box of snacks.

The girl glances at me and over my shoulder at Bass as she pushes her blonde hair behind her ear. Her cheek has a bruise on it, and there’s dirt on her neck. My mouth opens to say something else, but I stop when the hair on my neck stands up. Bass walks up next to me, and the girl hops off the ramp, running her palms down her jean-clad legs.

“Something’s not right,” I whisper. We both look around and notice a man across the street watching her and another further down the street.

“Shit,” Bass whispers. Those are my thoughts exactly.

Looking back at the girl, I assess the situation. She has to be sixteen or seventeen. She’s malnourished from the looks of how big her jeans are compared to how tiny her waist is. She’s practically skin and bones, but she’s a female with a pussy. That’s all those guys are looking for. Slowly closing the gap between me and her, I stop right in front of her, and she swallows the remaining chips.

“Is this your food?” she asks as she gives the box of food a longing look. I raise an eyebrow at the girl as Bass moves so she’s out of sight of the guy down the street. She looks between us, wiping her mouth with her hand, as she realizes she’s been cornered by two guys much bigger than her.

“Not anymore. It looks like it’s your food now.”

---