Page 2 of Vaughn

“I know.” I sigh heavily as I head over to start turning on the ovens so that they can begin warming up. “But I don’t sleep well.” I’ve never mentioned it to her.

“Sometimes I hear you at night walking around. You’re not loud, but every once in a while, the building creaks.”

My face flames with embarrassment. I didn’t think anyone could hear me, never wanted to let others know about my messed up mind. “I’m so sorry.”

“No.” She reaches out. “Don’t be. It doesn’t bother me, I’m just worried for you. It doesn’t seem that you sleep much, and I haven’t wanted to ask you about it, but here we are.”

I’m frozen, not sure what I want to say. In my previous life, I would’ve been in trouble, and while I’m close to Gabby, I don’t know how she would react if I told her about the situation I came from. Sweat breaks out along my brow and my ears start ringing.

“Calm down, Val. You look like you’re about to pass out. It’s not that serious. If you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine. I promise.” She smiles, cushioning the blow.

My heart is pounding, and I'm breathing heavily. “I want to tell you.” I roll my lips together. “But I don’t want you to think differently of me.”

She holds my hand. “You’re never going to make me do that. In the past few months, I’ve been blessed to see what a hard worker you are, how open you are to new experiences, and to become your friend. At least I hope you consider me your friend. I don’t know what kind of life you came here from, and that’sup to you to tell me when you feel comfortable. Just know, you never have to tell me anything. I might ask, because I’m inquisitive and too nosey for my own good, but it’s your right.” She emphasizes that word. “To tell me to shut the fuck up. I’ll respect it, no matter what. That’s the promise I make to you.”

I believe her more than I’ve believed anyone else in my life. She’s proven repeatedly that she can be trusted. One thing about Gabby is she’s never made a promise to me she hasn’t been able to keep. That’s high praise for me. My family? They make promises they never intend to keep and then blame me for it. “Thank you, Gabby. I’ll tell you one day when I feel like I can.”

What I don’t say is I’m not sure when that might ever be possible.

CHAPTER TWO

Vaughn

"Oh, kiss my fuckin' ass." I roll my eyes as I throw a log on the bonfire we're having at Abel's.

There's always a bunch of trash to burn from Kara's business, and we do it in a way that makes sense. We make it big, drink while it's happening, and sometimes even roast a few marshmallows.

"Don't give me that." Boone laughs, tossing his paper plate on the fire. "You've been circling that girl like she's a bull since the first time you met her."

"I don't know if I like you calling Val a bull. Seems a little shitty, ya know? She's a lady."

Boone smirks. "I don't think I've ever heard you call another woman a lady, which just proves my fucking point. You have it bad for her."

None of them ever take me seriously, so it's easy to blow off the teasing, but he's not wrong. Since the moment I walked into Get Baked and saw Valentina standing there, I've been interested. Something about the haunted green eyes and red hair intrigued me. She looks like one of those Victorian women with milky white skin, an aristocratic tilt to her nose, and long red hair. There were bruises under her eyes, and at that moment Iwanted to wipe them away, to demand that she tell me who put them there, and then to burn it all down. "I don't have it bad for anyone. I live the type of life that most women don't wanna fuck with. When was the last time I had a steady girlfriend?"

"College." Abel, Nolan, Barrett, Jasper, and Boone answer. All together. All in one word.

"Oh, fuck y'all. She was not my steady girlfriend. We fucked around for the summer. She knew what the deal was, as did I." I argue, folding my arms across my chest and pushing my boots against the metal container we're burning the fire in.

"He says now." Barrett laughs. "If I remember correctly, we had a fucking crazy weekend that none of us truly remember. It's all blurry and was put together by the remnants of texts and social media. You might play it down right now, but back then you were big mad at her, and big hurt. It's why you've been messing with these bucket bunnies ever since, but I haven't seen you doing that for a while."

Abel brings his beer up to his lips, stopping right before he completes the drink. "I haven't seen it since Val showed up, but what do I know?"

"Y'all are assholes and worse gossipers than the biddies down at the bingo hall. I didn't ask for this shit."

"Neither did we." Nolan laughs, slapping a high-five to Boone. "Either way, I gotta go pick up my kid. If y'all find out any good shit, let me know."

Jasper pipes up. "Until you spill the beans on Annabelle being your new nanny, you have some shit to answer for too."

"Yeah. Talkin' about me all night, when you're hiding shit, too." I gladly put the spotlight on Nolan, breathing easier, finally.

It isn't as if I don't have a fascination where Val is concerned, but she's closed off. More private than any person I've ever met before. Sometimes when I look into those eyes of hers, there'sterror and the reserve of someone who's seen some shit. I know because I've seen shit, too. I'd love to tell all my friends that I like her, but I'm not sure she'd appreciate that, and I get the feeling she hasn't had many choices in her life.

"Annabelle is my nanny, what else do y'all wanna know?" Nolan stands up, finishing his one beer for the night. "I'm employing her, and I don't know about you, but messing with an employee is not a smart business move."

"He's full of shit." Boone laughs. "You keep telling yourself that kid."

Nolan flips us all the bird and then throws his bottle into the fire, before turning to leave. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I groan as I look at the text. It's my turn to be on call for the next round of severe weather we might have. I'm one of the newest on the crew and because of that, I'm put on call more than the rest of them. Still being an apprentice fucking sucks, but I'm really appreciating the money and the opportunities. It's just killing my personal life. Which I guess is why Val and I have connected so well. She doesn't seem to sleep and neither do I.

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