Page 5 of Look how well You take this C*ck

The girl is a bully.

I’ve come across it enough in my time as a cop. Carly sees a victim in Ellie because of what she’s going through and likely hides it behind false concern at home so her parents never realize. If I were to speak with the other kids that have been in their care, I bet ten to one that they would have similar stories to Ellie’s.

Exhaustion weighs on my girl, and I decide to reassure her and let the matter drop for now. “Why don’t you rest while Damon and I finish dinner? I’ll come get you once it’s ready.” It’s not a question or a choice because I can see how depleted she is, and she needs a steady hand to steer the course for her right now.

Once she allows her eyes to close, I stand up and pull a blanket over her, ensuring she’s tucked in before shutting the blinds as well. Leaving is more challenging than I anticipated, and when I close the door behind me, I exhale a deep breath, trying to get myself under control before heading down to Damon.

“That’s her, isn’t it?” he asks before I can say anything.

Damon and I have always been honest with each other. When I met Ellie, he knew something was off and called me on it for days afterwards until I confessed that I’d fallen for a suspect’s daughter and that she was too young for me to pursue. We didn’t talk about it much after that.

“Yeah, it’s Ellie,” I sigh, scrubbing a hand up and down my face as I sit on a stool at the island opposite of where he’s cooking.

Handing me another beer, Damon doesn’t say anything. He just stirs the fajita mixture and waits on me.

“Told you she was young,” I finally mutter after finishing my second beer.

“She’s eighteen,” he points out with a smug grin. “I’ve known Ellie a couple of years now. If she didn’t go to my school, I’d think she was older. Early twenties, at least.”

I appreciate what the kid is doing by trying to make me feel like it’s acceptable, but my position on the force won’t allow me to make her mine. Not yet, anyway.

“It’ll look like manipulation because of our connection. I won’t put her through that.” As much as it might kill me. “She doing okay at school?”

The anger crossing his features, so much like my own, takes me aback. Damon isn’t an angry kid; if I’m honest, he’s hard to get a rise out of. “Carly Hillard is making her life miserable. She’s spreading rumors and telling kids that Ellie’s dad is killing women because he can’t have his daughter.”

That’s bullshit. I’ve spoken to the man on several occasions, and he’s got no interest in anything sexual with his daughter. In fact, all the women he’s butchered are similar in appearance to her mother–dark hair, blue eyes, tall, slim build. Ellie is blonde, has golden honey eyes, is on the shorter side, and has curves that make my mouth water. From all that I’ve researched, they don’t even have similar personalities. Iris Dawson was outgoing, flirtatious, and enjoyed any type of attention she could get. Ellie is quieter, a bookworm who gets good grades, and until all this happened, she was expected to be the graduating class's valedictorian.

“School that bad?” I ask, knowing that he’ll try to downplay it so I don’t worry, but I’ll get a version of the truth that’ll give me the bigger picture.

“Me and most of the basketball team have been shutting everyone down. Ellie’s been our scorekeeper for two years, and she’s the one who always brings cupcakes for us after every game.”

I remember the first time Damon brought one home; he’d been thrilled. The guys he hangs out with on the team have always been good kids. Having influence in the school and choosing to make a positive impact brings them frequent praise.

“I tell you how proud I am of you lately?” He grins, knowing full well he’s my pride and joy. “You’re a great kid, Damon. You’re going to change this damn world we live in, too.”

He plans to follow in my footsteps, and I’m confident he’ll be a valuable addition to our community.

“She’d be good for you, Dad,” he says softly, and while I want to believe that I could have a girl like Ellie, I know it’s not possible right now. I’ll have to play the long game and wait until she’s no longer in school and her father’s trial has concluded. I won’t fuck that up for my own desires.

CHAPTER 4

Ellie

Damon laughs at another sarcastic comment from the movie we’re watching–A Million Ways to Die in the West. It’s a little darker humor than I usually like, but he really wanted to make me laugh. I love Charlize Theron, and it’s the only reason I agreed. She makes me dream of a more significant life than my own because we look so much alike, aside from our height and my curves. I can dream about being beautiful and confident like her.

“It’s kind of funny.” Damon nudges me with a shoulder, and I force out a curt laugh as he hands me another slice of pizza.

It’s well after midnight, and when Damon suggested ordering pizza, my stomach growled loud enough that I couldn’t say no. We’ve finished off a sixteen-inch box without any help from Lars, who had headed up to bed an hour ago.

Damon created a makeshift bed on the floor for us, piled high with thick blankets, loads of pillows, and no pressure to cuddle or be too close.

We’ve been friends for a few years now, having met while I was scorekeeping for the basketball games at school and my choice to bake for the team this one time–they’d won after an eight-game losing streak. And every game since, I bake French vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing and the team colors in sprinkles on top. It’s become tradition, and knowing I’m included in something much bigger than myself is the reason I had accepted that the guys genuinely like me.

“Venom after this?” I ask. The third franchise installment came out in the fall, and I haven’t seen it yet, but we agreed to watch the first two before starting the third.

“You bet.” His boyish grin is the reason all the girls at school swoon over him.

I still don’t understand how we’re friends. He’s popular, and I spend most of my free time in the library. When he followed me there the day after a game and sat with me, his friends following along, I wasn’t sure what to do at first. It was strange to have someone other than Jaime hanging out with me. However, after growing used to it, I don’t know what I’d do without Damon and his friends.

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