Saturn and Her Rings (Mended Universe Book 2) Read online

  My mind reels trying to process everything she’s saying. “You seriously sleep with men for money?”

  “Men and women. It’s great money, and sex has always been just sex to me, so why not.”

  “How does someone even get into that?”

  She walks to her bed and plops down, then throws her bag to the foot. “I saw an ad online, so I answered it. Met with the woman, and bam. Now I get around $400 for an hour of my time.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal.

  “Met with a woman? You have a pimp?” I squeak.

  Ever since meeting Alex, I thought she was some sweet, too-nice goody, but here she is telling me she fucks people for cash. And a pimp? This can’t end well.

  “A madam, not a pimp. And it isn’t what you think. I keep eighty percent of everything I make. If I have three dates a day, that’s almost a thousand dollars.”

  “Alex… I know it may not seem like it, but I kind of like you. I don’t see this ending well. What if someone kills you? Rapes you? What if your madam or whatever hurts you?”

  She laughs. “This isn’t a service for lowlifes Sonni. Only the highest of the high get to see us. Lawyers, doctors, judges. And Elda, my madam, isn’t bad. I promise.”

  “Us? There’s more?” My mind is spinning.

  Before she has a chance to answer, my phone buzzes on the bed behind me. I glance at the screen and see “Suffocating Six” move across the screen. I hold my hand up to her, then answer the phone and bring it to my ear.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, sugar. Miss me?” Six’s voice purrs from the other line.

  “I have to go. I’ll be fine though, I promise,” Alex whispers from her bed. I don’t even have a chance to speak before she blows me a kiss and skips out the door.

  I shake away the uneasy feeling I have and take a deep breath. “What do you want, Six?” I let out.

  “I’m going to text you an address. Tomorrow morning, go pick up the package I left for you, but don’t open it. You’ll need it for when things move into motion.”

  The line goes dead before I can reply. I throw myself back onto my bed and set the phone a little too aggressively on my nightstand. I’m so sick of being cut off and not able to talk…

  My door creaking open has me bolting upright. Old habits die hard…

  “Sonni, have you seen Alex?” Gloria asks, walking into my room.

  I wipe my eyes and look to her bed beside mine. It’s empty, and the Nordstrom bag is in the same spot she left it. She didn’t come home last night. “Um, no. I mean yes. She left around eight last night.”

  “She never breaks curfew,” Gloria whispers to herself, then turns on her heel and walks out of the door.

  I shake my head and lie back down. I’m sure Alex is fine, at least I hope so, and even thought the sun is shining, I feel it’s still too early for me to be awake. As soon as my head is comfortably back on my pillow, my phone starts vibrating from the nightstand.

  “What?” I bark into the phone.

  “You sound hot when you’re mad,” Six coos.

  I roll my eyes and sit up. “Shut up and tell me what you want.”

  “You haven’t picked up the package from the address.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m human and need sleep. After tossing and turning all night worrying about Alex and thinking about yo—” I cut myself off.

  “Thinking about what?” he asks. His voice is low and sends chills down my spine.

  “Nothing. I’ll leave in twenty minutes.” I end the call before he can try and probe further into my slipup, then throw on yesterday’s clothes and shove my feet into my Chucks.

  I don’t have a car, but luckily the address showed it was only a twenty-minute walk. When my phone calls out, “Destination is on your left,” I stop and look. Big glass windows reflect my face peering into them. I tilt my head back and look to the sign. “Lucy’s Clothing” blinks brightly in neon red lights.

  I glance back to my beat-up, worn-out Chucks and shake my head. What an asshole, sending me to a clothing store. He obviously doesn’t like my choice of clothing. Sad thing is though, I have no choice. I get what I can afford.

  I push the door open hard and stomp to the counter. A girl with long blonde hair, huge boobs busting out of her shirt, and a fake smile is leaned on the counter. “Hey, hon. How can I help ya?”

  I look at her with no emotion, not even a small smile. “I’m here to pick up a package.”

  In one quick movement, her elbows fly off the counter, sending her hands straight to her sides, and her eyes widen. “You’re Saturn?”

  “It’s Sonni actually. Do you have the package or not?” Of course Six would give my real name. Fucking prick.

  She gives me a tight smile, then walks to the back. When she emerges, her hands are filled with sealed, white shopping bags that have “Lucy’s Clothing” across the front of them. “Here you go.” She plops the bags onto the counter.

  I roll my eyes and gather all the bags, five in total, and walk out. Bitch seemed to have a stick up her ass, and I’m not sure why. I hit the sidewalk and go back to Harper Valley Safe Haven.

  Once I’m finally back, I walk to my room undetected and close the door softly behind me. Alex is still gone, her bed is still empty, and I don’t even have a number to try and call her. She has to be okay though. She just has to.

  I push the thoughts of Alex away and throw the bags onto my bed. Six said not to open them, but rules are meant to be broken, right? I tear open the first bag and see a mix of different colored fabric with a piece of paper folded and stuffed on top.

  I roughly unfold the paper.

  “You only think you know me, Six,” I speak out to no one but myself.

  Grabbing the bag I opened, I dump its contents onto my bed and start picking through them. Shorts, pants, band tees, normal V-necks. It’s nothing but normal everyday clothes.

  I open bag after bag until I reach the fifth one. I tear the shiny white plastic and reach into it. This one is smaller and lighter, and now I know why. I pull out a short black dress that has small beads sewn along the top. Something I would never wear.

  I ball it up and throw it back into the bag, then shove it into the bottom drawer of my nightstand. As I’m going through the rest of the clothes and folding them neatly, my phone rings again, and I start to realize how annoying it is and why I was okay without one before this.

  I bring the phone to my ear. “A dress? Seriously, you won’t catch me in that,” I laugh.

  “You’re mistaken, Sonni. Remember, I have something you want, and in order to get it, you’ll do what I want,” Six bites out.

  As much as I hate it, he’s right. I want to know who my mother is, and I most definitely don’t want him spreading my past around.

  “And to think, I was actually starting to tolerate you. What happened to the less dickish Six? Is he on vacation or something? Because full-blown asshole Six isn’t my favorite,” I reply. He wants to be an ass, well hello, I can be a bitch too.

  “Favorite, huh? I thought you hated my guts, sugar.”

  “Oh, don’t get it twisted. I do,” I spit back.

  He chuckles low and long on the other end of the phone before he finally speaks again. “Meet me at Joe’s in thirty minutes.” Click.

  The line goes dead once again before I’m able to protest or ask anything more. I’m seriously getting sick of Six’s shit. Gorgeous or not, he’s bad news and I need to remember that.

  The bell above the door dings as I walk in. Six is sitting the corner booth. He raises his head and grins at me as I approach.

  “So, what’s up?” I ask, plopping down.

  He tips his head to the side with his grin still in place. “Can we not just hang out as friends?”

  “We aren’t, and probably never will be, friends, Six. Friends don’t blackmail friends, friends don’t hate each other, and friends don’t—”

  “Fuck.”

  “We don’t fuck, period. That isn’t what I w
as going to say.”

  He licks his lips. “Not fucking yet.” It comes out in a low whisper.

  “Excuse me?” I squeal.

  “Nothing. Tell me something.” He changes the subject.

  I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. “Like what?”

  “Why did you pick Sonni? Saturn is unique, different. So, why Sonni?”

  I lean forward and press my elbows into the table. “Tell me why you chose Six, then I’ll tell you why I chose Sonni.”

  “I didn’t choose Six. It was given to me.” He leans his body into the table the same way I did. “I was the sixth child from my dopehead parents. They obviously couldn’t be bothered to name me, so I got a number instead. I went by Six for three years before my aunt took me in and legally changed it to Silas Gavin West.”

  “If your aunt took you in, then how did you end up back in the system?” Suddenly, I want to know everything he can tell me about himself. I want to know why he shields himself with his asshole personality, I want to know his secrets, I want to know it all.

  He leans back and lets out a small laugh. “I’m a biter. I bit her one day, and she sent me back. She was the type to never try and fix things; instead, she got rid of the problem, and I was the problem. I spent the rest of my life in and out of foster families until the McKinneys took me in. Now, tell me why you picked Sonni.”

  I swallow down the comments I want to make and the apology that’s on the tip of my tongue. “The flowers,” I whisper weakly.

  “Flowers?”

  “Everyone knew me as Saturn. But when I was with a certain family, and Mr. Barbie started visiting, I convinced him and everyone else to call me Sonni. Mr. Barbie said he picked me because of my name. After his first couple of visits, I hated it and wanted something new, so when I left, no one else would choose me because of my name. The little yellow flowers outside were the only thing I loved. They reminded me of the sun and made me happy, so that’s why I chose Sonni.”

  I figured the most I could do was let him in just a little. He shared with me, so I shared with him. Tit for tat, just like I told him before.

  “How old were you?” he grinds out through clenched teeth.

  There isn’t a need to say what the visits included. I’m sure since Six has lived a similar life that he knows. He doesn’t need to ask and cut open old wounds. “Six.”

  When the number leaves my mouth, he cringes. “Sonni—” he starts, but I cut him off.

  “Don’t.” I hold up a hand. “I don’t need sympathy or an apology from you.”

  He shakes his head, then bites his lower lip the same way he did when we were watching Halley. A small drop of blood forms where his teeth release. “It may not mean much, but I would never let anything bad happen to you again. Friends or not.”

  Without thinking, I reach forward and wipe the blood away with my thumb. “I know.”

  For some reason, I believe him, and I have a feeling that’s what’s going to hurt me the most.

  I pull away from her grasp and focus my eyes on the small bell above the door dangling from a frayed red string. This place really is a shithole—all of Harper Valley is.

  “You ready to go or what? I have places to be and need a drink.”

  She tips her head to the side with squinted eyes before she straightens her back and crosses her arms over her chest. The swell of her tits against her shirt make my dick twitch with need, but I shake it away.

  “Yeah. Sure,” she says, doing her best to sound indifferent. Her mask is back in place before anyone notices, but she’s shit at pretending. She should know by now that I see her—I see through her and always have.

  I shake my head with a grin. “Let’s go, sugar.” I throw her a wink and watch as she squirms under my gaze, trying to hide the blush creeping up her neck.

  Sonni thinks she’s stone, but she’s as soft as they come. The way she watches me, how she never lets her guard down and is always scanning the room. And fuck—the way her mouth parts and her lips throb as she bites her tongue… Yeah, she wants me, and I know it. In time she’ll come to terms with it too.

  I follow her out of Joe’s and across the parking lot, then slip into the driver’s seat as she sits in the passenger seat. She fastens her seat belt and pulls it tight, just like every other time, and I don’t blame her. If I went through what she had, I’d do the same. It’s another car ride full of silence, but I guess that’s her routine. Start a conversation, get a little too comfortable, then cut it all off and put the fake mask back into place before anyone can get in.

  I chuckle to myself and push my thoughts away as I pull up to the curb in front of Safe Haven. Sonni slips out of the car and hurries up the driveway. Once she’s to the door, she looks over her shoulder. She wanted me to be gone, didn’t want me to see her looking. I only know that because even from here, a good fifteen feet away, I can still see her cheeks turning pink.

  I blow her a kiss, then speed off. I know I should try and keep her at arm’s length. I only need her to get Halley, but good ole Cesar wants what he wants, and I can’t let him down. I mean, after all, my dick has never let me down, if you catch my drift.

  I push my gear shift into neutral, then pull up the e-brake before turning off my car and pulling the keys from the ignition. I’ve done nothing but drive around for the last few hours, trying to gather my thoughts and make sure my plan is perfect.

  I have a small idea of what will happen once I get Halley, but I don’t have big details. The important thing is that I get her. I’ll worry about what will follow after I do what I want, and that includes Sonni.

  I step out of my car and shove my keys into my pocket. I normally don’t do parties unless I’m the one throwing them, but I could use the distraction tonight.

  I walk up the drive and push open the door. This house is nothing like mine. It’s smaller, kind of dingy, and outdated, but everything is already in full swing and I’ve seen worse.

  I pass by familiar faces as I make my way to the kitchen. Avery smiles at me and pushes her chest up, showing off her too-big-to-be-real tits. I try to ignore her, but she skips to my side, then plants her arm around my waist and moves in front of me.

  Here we fucking go. “What do you want, Avery?” I say, bored.

  She twirls her long blonde hair around her finger and acts like she didn’t hear me. “So, Saturn picked up that package you put together for her.”

  “No shit, Sherlock.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Why her?”

  I tip my head. “Why her what?” I ask.

  “Why do you like her? I mean, she isn’t too bad to look at, but I’m prettier, and we always have such a great time together, Silas.” She’s trying to sound seductive, but Cesar has already had her. Fucking a bucket of water isn’t his thing, so it doesn’t work.

  “Had, Avery. Had. Now run along and go find somebody else to spread your legs for. I’m not interested.” I push past her and into the kitchen.

  I grab a cup and down drink after drink. I regret ever sleeping with Avery, but I wanted the intel. Her grandmother, Gloria, manages Safe Haven. When the McKinneys took me in and I learned they owned it, I wanted to know everything I could about it. Avery was nothing more than a pawn for that. I wish she would understand that.

  I fill my cup for the fourth time and stride into the living room. I’m always up for mingling and shit, but not tonight. Tonight, I only want to lay low and get fucked-up. I find an old brown sofa and plop down with my cup still in hand. Whatever is in the punch bowl is hitting, and I’m thankful. Being a bit numb is always nice.

  I push my head into the back of the couch and close my eyes. The music playing sucks, but fuck it. I try and let myself get lost in the electric-pop bullshit, but it isn’t working. The couch shifts from someone sitting next to me.

  I don’t need to open my eyes to know who it is. “Go the fuck away, Avery,” I spit out.

  “You know, this asshole, hard-to-get shit is getting boring. You know you
want me. Admit it, Silas.”

  I lift my head lazily and open my eyes to focus them on Avery. “Avery, you’re a whore—a quick fuck. I used you. Now go the fuck away.”

  Damn, liquor really does take away what small filter I have on my mouth.

  Her watery eyes bounce around the room as she chews her lip. Yep. There it is. Maybe she finally gets it.

  I grin to myself as her eyes lock on to something in the distance. Suddenly the sad hurt look is gone, and it’s replaced with sinister mischief. Before I can question, she throws her body on top of mine, straddling my hips, and plants her wet, too-glossed lips onto mine.

  After a few seconds, she releases me and moves back to her spot beside me.

  I laugh. “As much as I appreciate your determination, nothing changes. You’re still a whore, and I still want nothing to do with you.”

  She swipes her finger under her bottom lip, wiping away her sloppy lip gloss. “Oh, that’s fine. But that isn’t why I did that. Have fun with damage control,” she whispers. “And remember, I know everything you know. It would be a shame if all of those secrets got out before you wanted.” She leaps from the couch and skips to the kitchen and out the back door.

  Fucking bitch. I should have never told her my plans, but in order to get info from her I had to. If she knows what’s best, she won’t do anything. Not only do I know Sonni’s secrets, but I know hers too. Maybe she’s forgotten that.

  I let out a deep breath, down the rest of my drink, then look to where Avery was looking before the stunt she pulled.

  Sonni is standing by the door with Alex at her side. Alex is grinning like a kid who just found porn for the first time, and Sonni looks pissed. But true to her fashion, the anger melts away and a mask is thrown on her face. She grins at me, then winks before grabbing a random guy walking by and kisses him. It isn’t anything short and sweet. No, she pushes her hands into his hair and hooks her leg around his waist as he grabs her ass.

  Anger bubbles inside of me and threatens to explode, but before I can even walk their way, she unlatches herself from him, gives him a smile and nod, then walks out the door. I look to Alex, and she just smiles and bounces into the crowd of people.