Chapter 4

• Zora’s Point of View.
• “Five thousand dollars for this house?” I asked the retailer.
• He was a man about fifty with round glasses. Despite the blazing sun outside he wore a heavy brown suit.
• He nodded with a sorrowful stare.
• “It’s ridiculous but your late parents didn’t upgrade the house, plus the damages from the fire and other issues the house has greatly decreased the value of the house.”
• I slumped on the couch and sighed. That wasn’t enough to pay back what Keegan was asking for. It was a massive house with bigger land and I couldn’t accept the offer.
• “Unless you’re willing to do some renovation now,” Mr Oscar suggested.
• I couldn’t afford it. I had to put college on hold. I was mourning my parents but this issue made it hard for me to focus on school.
• “I don’t know what to do now.”
• “Look around the house there must be something of value your parents had that you can sell.”
• I sighed heavily. They were simple people. We have a square TV set the size of a microwave and a 1980 lounge set.
• “Most of their stuff was destroyed in the fire. I can try.”
• Mr Oscar smiled and stood. “Good. I’ll be expecting your call, Ms Fisher.”
• I walked him to the door. He drove a tiny white truck. I watched him back out of the property. My blue second-hand vehicle could get me five hundred dollars. Then I would have to walk to work.
• “I need to clear my head.”
• I walked around the property surveying the house. I couldn’t believe I was giving up. Dad was always proud of this place. It had been in the family for years. They would be disappointed in me. I walked into the forest and listened to the sound of the river not so far from where I was. Instead of serene water rushing I heard the sound of wood being hacked.
• I frowned.
• This was private property no one should be here. As I walked the sound of chopping wood got louder. I might have been insane for following a man with an axe but we’d never had trespassers and as long as I owned the place I’d like it to stay that way and I wanted to know any safety risks. I did live here alone.
• I stood behind an oak tree and watched a man with a lion tattooed on his back. He raised the axe and dropped it on the log. It split in two. The man brushed sweat off his brow and turned around.
• Dash. What’s he doing here?
• “Dash!”
• He looked up and scanned his surroundings. He spotted me and nonchalantly gathered his wood.
• “Are you kidding me?”
• He groaned and picked up his wood. He acted like we didn’t know each other last night. He didn’t even say hi.
• “What are you doing here? This is private property.”
• “I know.” His deep voice caught me off, guard. “I’m wondering why you’re here.”
• “You know I live here.”
• I noticed a white truck packed with wood in the back a few feet away.
• “No, you live a hundred acres away. This is my property. I just bought it.”
• This land had always belonged to us. Dad told me so.
• He eyed me up and down. He carried his wood back to his truck.
• Turn and leave Zora. He’s not worth it.
• “Dash,” I called and ran a few steps.
• “No, Zora. We’re not doing this.” He dropped his wood and I flinched. “Kaleb told me you moved away after I left. Then I pull up last night and you two are buddy, what the fuck?”
• “We were not!”
• I rolled my eyes.
• “Why would Kaleb lie to you?”
• It made no sense.
• “To make sure I came back and joined Gunner’s crew. I’m here now and I don’t want to do this.”
• I wanted to throw it in his face that he bullied me most of my life and left me at a delicate time. It was the loneliest summer ever.
• “Neither do I. I think we should avoid each other, don’t you?”
• He held my stare. “Yeah, I do. Goodbye, Zora.”
• I watched him carry his load and drive off in his truck.
• “At least he said goodbye this time.”
• ***
• I was at the reception desk going through the list of visitors this week. I couldn’t get Dash out of my head. That darn blond beard kept popping into my head. He didn’t have that beard six years ago. I couldn’t stop the memory from materializing. It happened during a football game, I was seventeen. The most common thing in high school was the football games.
• Dash should have been playing but he had a hot temper so he got kicked off for kicking a fight with someone. I didn’t want to be among the crowd so I hid out in the girl’s locker room.
• “Hiding?” He asked.
• I looked up. He towered over me, hands shoved in his sweatpants and blond hair pushed back.
• “No, I don’t feel like watching the game. Shouldn’t you be watching your buddies win the game?”
• He settled on the bench beside me.
• “I’d rather be here with you. Is that so bad?”
• “I… I guess not. Gunner’s going to be mad you’re not there.”
• He grimaced. “I don’t like being controlled Z, ora. I do what I want.”
• “Clearly.”
• He captured my chin and made me face him.
• “Why don’t you do the same?”
• “In this school? Gunner will have my head.”
• “You let him walk all over you.”
• “He’s the son of the Alpha. He can do whatever he wants.”
• “Those rules don’t apply to you. Fight back, Little Warrior.”
• “Don’t call me that, Dash, I’m not a fighter,” I shrugged him off.
• He grabbed my arms and picked me off the bench. Dash planted me on his lap.
• “What are you doing?”
• He locked me in his hold.
• “Something I should have done a long time ago.”
• He brushed his lips against mine. I gasped. Then he closed his lips on mine. Dash wrapped my legs around his waist and slammed my body against the wall. I struggled to match his hunger and pace. He devoured my lips and explored me in a way I’d never imagined.
• Dash broke our kiss and pressed his forehead against mine.
• “Zora,” he panted.
• “Dash… what was that?”
• “What do you mean? It was awesome. I should have kissed you a long time ago.”
• I could still remember how hot my cheeks were after that kiss.
• “That was my first kiss,” I confessed.”
• “Really?” Dash’s hold slipped on my body and my feet touched the ground.
• I nodded.
• He smiled. “Good.
• “Earth to Zora? Is anyone in there?” My co-worker Alexa waved her hand in my face.
• I blinked a few times. “Damn it, sorry. What were you saying?”
• Alexa smirked. “Wow, you were really out of it. I asked if you could take Mrs Paisley for her walk.”
• I rubbed my forehead.
• “Don’t worry I can do it. You need a minute, what are you looking at.”
• I returned to the register. I noticed Mr Max Dean had a visitor this week.
• “Hey, who came in to see Mr Dean?”
• Alexa shrugged. “It was weird. The woman claimed she was a relative.”
• I nodded. No one ever came to see him. His disease was so bad he didn’t remember anyone.
• “Mind if I go check on him?”
• “Go ahead, Zora.”
• I left Alexa and stopped in front of Mr Dean’s room minutes later. The door was left ajar. A male voice came from inside it.
• “Tell me old man, who the fuck did you give the Pandora to?”
• “Wh-who are you?”
• I stumbled backwards because of the threatening tone.
• “Quiet,” the man snapped. “Someone’s there.”
• He’d know I heard him. I ran a few doors and entered a vacant room. I kept the door loosely open. A man draped in leather walked out. I inched away from the door. The five-foot-ten man glared up the hall and shut the door to Mr Dean’s room. He adjusted his jacket and left.
• “Who the hell was that?”