A Heart for Rebel (11 page)

“Oh my god, you
didn’t,” I said, after my fit of giggles died down.

“Oh hell yes I did.
The cheating bastard didn’t have the decency to be remorseful. He laughed and I
walked away and that was it. It was over and to be honest I didn’t even feel
broken hearted. I wasn’t even that into him,” she said.

“Shit, I’m sorry,
but how did you end up with Ty?” I asked.

“The next morning I
got a call from Wyatt. He nearly gave me a heart-attack. I thought his reason
for calling me was because I got some communicable disease from a needle. Turns
out he wanted your number,” she said.

“He called you,
looking for me?” I asked incredulously.

“He did. I wanted
to tell you, but you disappeared from the face of the earth. I was so worried,”
she said.

“I’m sorry, but a
lot of shit went down at home and I had to leave for a while. I had to sort my
shit out,” I said.

“Anyway, right
after I spoke to Wyatt I was feeling antsy, so I headed to the tattoo shop. Ty
was there. One thing led to another and I ended up hooking up with him and the
rest is history,” she said.

“Why you little,
dirty ho’ bag,” I playfully said.

She giggled and blurted
out, “Ty has a Prince Albert.” At first I was speechless then I laughed.

“Omg, is it
pleasurable?” I asked.

“You have no idea
how freaking good it feels. I’ve never come so much or so hard before Ty and
his prince,” she said.

“Wow,” I said as if
Marissa discovered the cure for cancer. I mean Wyatt doesn’t have a Prince
Albert and sex with him is fuck-fabulous.

“So, you and Wyatt?
How did that happen? I mean after his phone call I figured you ran out on him
like you always do when you have a one night hook-up. I mean you never get
involved nor do you ever date anyone. What has changed?” she asked.

“I first saw him on
the train and I thought he was sorta-kinda cute. I’m not sure if he saw me. It
wasn’t until that night you went to the tattoo shop that our paths crossed
again,” I sighed.

“Holy shit, you’re
in love with the guy,” she said with wonder in her voice.

“I can’t explain
it, but there is just something about him. His smile. His eyes. His voice. The
way he makes me laugh. The way he makes me feel all warm and tingly. It’s just
him and he does it for me,” I said.

“Does he have any
piercings?” she moaned. I swear if I didn’t know Marissa was a girl I would
have pegged her for a guy. She loves to talk about sex. The dirty low down kind
of sex. The kinkier the better.

“Omg, I can’t
believe you just asked me that,” I said.

“Hey, I told you
about Ty’s and fair is fair. So spill it,” she said.

“Alright, he has
his tongue and nipples pierced,” I said.

“Damn girl, I bet
you get real pleasure when he goes down on you,” she playfully said sending us
into a fit of giggles again. Once our laughter died down she looked at me and
said, “He’s really the one, huh? He gives you butterflies doesn’t he?” she
asked with a goofy grin.

“Fuck butterflies,
I feel the whole zoo when he’s around. I feel incredibly good when I’m around
him. I can’t explain it, but he’s good to me. Every minute away from him gets
me anxious to return to him,” I replied. Talking and thinking about Wyatt got me
tingling all over. On impulse I took out my phone from my purse and sent a
quick text to Wyatt.

“So, umm…I want
you.” My phone dings immediately. I look down to see his reply.

“Fuck, babe, you
cannot text shit like that to me when I gotta work!!!!!!”

“Why not?” I replied
back.

“Because just the
thought of you gives me an instant hard on. The fact that I can’t be with you
right now and give you what you want is killing me, but reading you want me is
gonna give me a bad case of blue balls until I can get inside that sweet pussy
of yours!!!!”

Shit, reading his
reply turned me on. My face felt flushed and it was suddenly hot in here. Marissa
looked at my face closely and giggled, “You dirty slut, you’re thinking about
his piercing? Aren’t you?” Her correct assessment of me sent me into a fit of
giggles, “Oh my god, you have no idea and don’t deny you were thinking of Ty’s
Prince Albert,” I said.

“I don’t deny it. I’m
not afraid to embrace my inner slut goddess,” she giggled.

Marissa and I
finished our lunch and went our separate ways with promises of having a girl’s
shopping spree. I got back to the gallery and thankfully Oz was no longer
there, unfortunately he left me a note. I looked at it.

Tomorrow
nine a.m. sharp. Warehouse corner of 48th and 2nd Ave, Oz.

I wondered what
that was about, but then Linda came over and said, “Rebel, you will be helping
Oz for the next six weeks get ready for his showcase. He needs help choosing
which photo’s he wants to add. I will need you to set up the catering and have
invitations made. I will give you a list of who to send them to, as well as the
addresses.” Fuck, Wyatt is not going to like this.

“Okay Linda,” I
choked out. The rest of my afternoon went by in a blur. I was highly agitated
and annoyed with Oz. He clearly orchestrated the excuse of needing my
assistance to get to spend time with me. The nerve of the guy, I mean who the
hell does he think he is? If he thinks he can come between me and Wyatt he’s
going to be sadly disappointed. I knew I wasn’t going to see Wyatt tonight
since he had a late client. Immediately after work I headed to the Pointe to
check on my mother. I was a little nervous about what would await me when I got
there. I went inside the building and climbed the stairs to the second floor. I
inserted my key in the lock, but it wouldn’t open the door. You have got to be
fucking kidding me. She changed the lock. What the fuck is up with that? I
banged on the door several times and yelled, “Ma, open up, it’s me Rebel.” The
door opened up, but it wasn’t my mother who opened it. Some strange lady opened
the door.

“Hello, can I help
you?” she asked.

“I’m sorry? I’m
looking for my mother. She lives here,” I replied.

“I’m sorry, but you
must be mistaken. I moved here about a month ago,” she said. I was confused.
Where the hell would my mother go? Did she lose her job and is now living in
the street or worse with that douche, Benny? I had to find out what happened to
my mother. “Well, then I’m sorry to disturbed you. I may have forgotten she
told me she was moving,” I said. She nodded her head and closed the door. I
started to make my way towards Mrs. Sullivan’s door when a shadow stepped out
of the corner and blocked my path, before I was able to register who it was I
was grabbed by my throat and lifted up in the air. It was Benny. He slammed me
against the wall and my head bumped it hard. I tried raking my fingernails on
his arm. I also tried to kick him, but he only tightened his hold on my throat,
constricting my air flow. “Well…well…well, what do we have here? If it isn’t
little goody-two shoes, Rebel Walker,” he snarled. I tried swatting his hand so
that he could understand I couldn’t breathe. He slightly released his hold on
me and I was able to rasp out, “What the fuck is wrong with you?” “You want to
know what the fuck is wrong with me? I’ll tell you what’s wrong with me. Your
whore of a mother vanished without a trace, owing me more than two grand. Now,
I know you’re a good girl and I’ll make this easy for you. Just tell me where
your mother is and I will let you go,” he growled. “I...I…I don’t know where my
mother is,” I said hoping he couldn’t hear the fear in my voice.

“Wrong answer,” he
said, before he slapped me hard and busting open my lip. I screamed out in pain
and it only fueled his rage because he punched me in the face. Everything after
that happened in a blur. I heard Mrs. Sullivan scream, “You leave that child
alone, you despicable mongrel. May the fire of hell take you.”

I can’t be sure,
but I think she hit him over the head with a broom. He let go of me and I was
falling to the ground. I placed my hand out to brace the fall, but I heard it
snap before I wailed in pain. I looked up to see Benny slap Mrs. Sullivan with
a blow that had her flying backwards. She conked her head hard against the wall
and slid down until she was a seated position. Within minutes all the doors on
the second floor started to open up. Benny had no choice but to flee and before
he did he stomped on my leg, wrenching another agonizing scream from me. I
blacked out and came to inside an ambulance. Mrs. Sullivan was sitting next to
me and the minute I opened my eyes she cried, “Jesus, oh Jesus, thank you lord.
Rebel, honey you had me so worried.”

“I’m fine Mrs.
Sullivan. The question is are you alright? You fell back pretty hard and you
have a cut above your eye,” I cried.

“I’m fine, child.
Don’t worry,” she said.

“What happened to
my mother?” I asked.

“Rebel, a week
after you left an older couple came for her. She left you this envelope. She
asked me to give it to you if you ever showed up,” she said. I took the
envelope and looked at the chicken scratch that belonged to my mother. The EMT
worker came and told Mrs. Sullivan she had to leave because they were ready to
transport me to the hospital. Mrs. Sullivan leaned down, kissed me on the cheek
and said, “Remember, Rebel you are not alone, for god says he will never leave
or forsake you.”

I didn’t know what
to say, so I said, “Thank you, Mrs. Sullivan.

J
ESUS, FUCKING CHRIST. All afternoon I sported a
fucking hard-on. My dick felt constricted in my pants and I’m afraid it will
break out of its confines scaring the girl I’m tattooing. Hell and damnation,
won’t this day ever end? I need to get to Rebel and get inside her to give us
both release. Rebel, is going to be the death of me…death by blue balls. Annie,
my girls only piercer leans down and whispers in my ear, “You have a stiffy.”

“Fuck off, Annie,”
I growled.

She laughed and
said, “I’m not the one that needs to fuck off.”

The shop erupted in
laughter at my expense leaving me no choice but to laugh. It was either laugh
or punch the shit out of Annie and since I don’t hit girls I laughed it off.
The day drug on and it sucked ass big time. At least I got a control on my cock
and instead of being rock hard it’s semi-erect. I’m about to flip the sign at
the door to close, when I look down and see a cute Labrador puppy patiently
sitting looking at me. He’s waiting to come inside. He has black hair and looked
to be about four months. I opened the door and picked him up. I looked at his
eyes and they are the same color as Rebels, midnight blue with a purple tinged
to them.

“What ya got there,
Wyatt?” Annie asked.

“A puppy,” I answered.

“Where did he come
from?” she asked, moving closer to me to pluck the little bundle of fur out of
my hands.

“I don’t know. He
was just sitting in front of the door,” I said.

“Can I keep him?
He’s adorable,” she said and under any other circumstances I would have said
yes, but since his eyes reminded me of Rebel I decided he will be a great
addition to her apartment. It will also give me an excuse to go see my girl and
have my wicked, dirty and kinky ways with her.

“I’m sorry, Annie,
but I’ve already decided to give him to Rebel,” I said.

“You got it bad for
the girl. Are the rest of us ever gonna meet her?” she asked.

“Eventually, yeah,”
I replied.

“So, what are you
going to name this cutie?” she asked.

“That’s up to
Rebel,” I replied. I would have preferred to leave right now and head to
Rebel’s, but my conscious wouldn’t have allowed me to leave Annie alone
unattended where anything could happen. We make quick work at cleaning up the
place and then I drove her home. By the time I made it to Rebel’s place it’s
well over eleven o’clock at night. Her lights are off and I’m second guessing
myself if coming here was the right thing to do.

“Rebel, is that
you,” Victor calls from his front door.

“No, it’s me,
Wyatt,” I replied.

“Is Rebel with
you?” he asked. I felt the blood in my body drain at his question.

“What do you mean
is Rebel with me? I thought she was home asleep,” I said.

“She hasn’t gotten
home yet. She’s never late unless she’s with you,” he said.

“Fuck, do you have
any idea where she might be?” I asked.

“Yeah, I think I
know where she might be. You drive and I’ll give you directions,” he said running
towards my car. The drive to the address Victor gave me is tense. Neither one
of us is talking. I clenched the steering wheel so hard that I’ve lost all the
blood in my hands and my knuckles are white. Victor is shaking his leg
uncontrollably. The little pup in the back is wailing as if it can sense
something is wrong or he’s calling to his mommy.

“What the hell is
making all that noise?” Victor asked.

“It’s a puppy that
found its way into my shop. I was going to give it to Rebel,” I replied. Victor
turned to look in the back seat and eyes the pup. He reached back and lifted him
onto his lap. The wailing stopped and the puppy settled down to sleep on
Victor’s lap.

“Reby, is going to
love him,” he quietly said.

“Where exactly are
we going?” I asked.

“We are going to Anna’s
place,” he said.

“Who’s Anna?” I
asked.

“She’s Reby’s
mother,” he said. Fuck! That is the last place I want Rebel. I don’t know a lot
of what went on while Rebel lived there, but the stories she’s told me left me
feeling sick to my stomach. If anything has happened to Rebel I will kill her
fucking mother. The ride from Staten Island to the South Bronx seemed to be a
long ass drive. I was losing my fucking mind with worry. Victor and I both
tried her cellphone. We were sent straight to voicemail. Victor was beyond
pissed and I knew justice or rather a beat down was going to be handed out by
both of us if something happened to Rebel.

When we got there
we had to park a block away because the street we needed to get to was blocked
by police cars, EMT, and the fire department. We ran as if the devil was
chasing us. The police had the entrance to the decrepit building blocked. The
EMT was working on someone and that is where I ran to, but Rebel wasn’t there.
An elderly woman was having her eye stitched up by an EMT worker. She looked at
me and smiled, “Are you Rebel’s young man?” she asked.

“I am. Do you know
where she is? I need to find her,” I said. I didn’t know how this lady knew who
I was, but something about her put me at ease.

“I’m sorry son, but
they took her to the hospital. She was badly hurt. I’m sorry I didn’t make it in
time to help her,” she said choked up with emotion.

“What happen,
Mabel?” Victor said from behind me.

“Benny, attacked
our poor sweet Rebel,” she said. What the fuck? Who the hell is Benny? I don’t
remember Rebel mentioning him.

“Mrs. Mabel, do you
know what hospital they took Rebel to?” I asked.

“I think it was
Jacoby Hospital,” she said. I looked towards Victor and he said, “Go, Wyatt.
I’ll take a cab there after I see to Mabel and make sure she’s comfortable. I
want to hear what happened anyway. Keep me posted on Rebel’s condition,” he
said. I nodded as if I was running a triathlon back to my car.

I get to the
hospital with the use of my phone’s GPS. I pay for parking and haul my ass as
fast as I can into the emergency room. I head straight to the triage nurse’s
station.

“Can I help you,”
she asked, while eyeing me up and down.

“I’m looking for
Rebel Walker. I was told she was brought here,” I said.

“Give me a minute,
good looking and I’ll check for you,” she said. She disappeared behind a metal
door and came back out a few minutes later.

“She’s here and is
being seen by a physician,” she said.

“Can I go in and
see her?” I asked.

“Only immediate
family is allowed back. Are you related to her?” she asked. Shit! I’m not
related to her, but I damn sure gonna lie about it.

“I’m her fiancé,” I
said.

“Oh, what a pity. I
was hoping you were her brother,” she purred. The chick was seriously starting
to grate on my nerves and if she didn’t allow me to go back there and see Rebel
I will punch the shit out of her.

“Well, I’m not. Can
I go back and see her?” I sarcastically said.

“Yeah you can go
back. Go to the door and I will buzz you in,” she said. I made my way to the
door and she buzzed me in.

“What room is she
in?” I asked.

“She’s behind
curtain number three,” she replied. I took in a lungful of air and mentally
braced myself for what terrible site awaited me. I stepped around the thick
fabric and what greeted me was horrific. My pretty girl looked small and
helpless lying on the hospital bed. I drank in the sight of her and rage
consumed me. Her beautiful face was battered. She had a cut above her right eye
as well as her lip. It must have been deep because both required stiches. She
had a cast on her right hand and her foot was wrapped in an ace bandage, but
what burned me the most was the hand and fingerprints that I could clearly see
around her neck. Whoever did this to her was a dead motherfucker and when I
find out who he is he’s going to be sorry for ever laying a hand on what is
Mine!