Bad Company Read online

  Bad Company

  Copyright © 2019 by S.L. Sterling

  All rights reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved about, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of the book. This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Disclaimer: This book contains mature content not suitable for those under the age of 18. It involves strong language and sexual situations. All parties portrayed in sexual situations are consenting adults over the age of 18.

  Editor: Missy Borucki

  Cover Design: Sarah Paige, Opium House Creatives

  Interior Formatting: Lee Ching, Under Cover Designs

  ISBN: 978-1-9995736-2-1

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  A Note from the Author

  About the Author

  Other books by S.L Sterling

  PROLOGUE

  Leah

  I stood in the hallway fiddling with my lock. It was only the second month of high school and I had already forgotten how to work it—again. If my father had to replace it a third time due to my inability to remember my combination, I was sure to be in trouble. I had English in five minutes and needed to get my books. “Dammit, this lock won’t open again,” I said more to myself than to Jenna who stood at her locker beside me. I let out a deep sigh and began again.

  “That’s because you are doing it wrong. Rotate clockwise, then counter-clock wise then clockwise again. You are also putting in the wrong combination twelve–forty–ten.” I looked over at her, annoyed as she shrugged her shoulders and let out a small laugh the more frustrated, I got.

  We heard a bunch of loud voices approaching from down the hall causing Jenna to look. “Don’t look now, but here comes your boyfriend,” Jenna sang as I finally got my lock to open with ease thanks to her help.

  I glanced down the hall my lock in hand as the group approached, a funny flutter in my stomach. “It’s not fair that someone looks that good this early in the morning,” I whispered to Jenna referencing the girl he had his arm wrapped around.

  Cindy Reilly, captain of the cheerleading squad, had been dating him for the past year. Rumor had it they were on the outs; she had gone away with her family over summer and he had apparently dated two other girls from school during that time. “I heard they may break up after school today,” Jenna whispered. “Then you can date him.”

  I let out a laugh at her suggestion. “Yeah right, look at her, look at me. He would never be interested.” I half-listened to what she said next, I couldn’t tear my eyes from him. He was hot, his backpack slung over his broad shoulder. His dark brown hair hung in the way of his crystal blue eyes. With his arm flung over her shoulder, his t-shirt had ridden up and his jeans hung low enough to not only give me a peek at his Calvin Klein boxers but also his solid abs. He seriously reminded me of a model in one of those ads.

  I continued to stare as they approached and finally, just as they passed, he dropped his arm from Cindy and turned to stare at me as he walked backward down the hall, winking in my direction before one of the other guys from the football team hit him in the arm. They all let out a roaring laugh at something he said and then opened the door at the end of the hallway, descending the stairs to the hallway below.

  “I do believe he just checked you out,” Jenna whispered in my ear.

  “I doubt that,” I mumbled turning to grab my copy of Gatsby and my English notebook now that my morning distraction was gone. I didn’t even know his last name.

  Earlier in the year, I had gone back into school one afternoon to use the bathroom and had run right into him. He was in full uniform standing outside the guys’ locker room just before football practice. He had grabbed my arm before I fell flat on my back, steadying me and saved me from falling. “Whoa there, cupcake, slow down, you all right?” he had said laughing, those blue eyes twinkling. His touch had sent waves of excitement through me. From that day on, I stayed after school every night and watched him from the bleachers in the field.

  Jenna and I sat down in our seats in English. The teacher walked in and I opened my notebook to the notes from last class. I listened with half an ear to the teacher drone on about symbolism in Gatsby, while I doodled his name all over the page—Logan.

  ONE

  Logan

  Ten Years Ago

  Another Saturday night and my mother was on her way out the front door for another date with Joe. It was the tenth Saturday in a row that the same thing was happening. How do I know that it was the tenth Saturday? I had kept count. I won’t lie, at first, I thought it was cute that my mother had a date here and there, after all it had been a long time since she had done anything for herself.

  When my father died, she had put all her energy and focus into working and looking after me. My mother waitressed at two of the higher end restaurants in town, she worked twelve-hour shifts six days a week just to make sure we had the things we needed. Most days she was so tired she would fall asleep watching TV, sometimes before we even had dinner. Her one day off—always Saturdays—she would spend the day cleaning the house top to bottom, doing the laundry, all while cooking enough food for my lunches to last me the week at school.

  I was hanging out with my friends, playing video games, when Mom came down the stairs dressed in a pair of dress pants and a nice sweater and grabbed her coat from the hall closet. “Logan, honey, make sure your friends are on their way home by ten.”

  “Sure, Mom, Have fun.”

  I watched as she walked out the door; she looked different, happy, and wore this funny small smile plastered on her lips.

  “Where is your mom going, dude? I was hoping she’d make us pizza tonight; I am dying for it. My mom’s pizza sucks. She buys those stupid kits—the kind where the crust is like eating cardboard.”

  “She is going on a date with a guy she’s been seeing a lot lately, but she left some money on the table to order one,” I answered trying to get back into the game.

  “That sounds good,” Frank replied.

  I got up from the floor and grabbed the phone, pressing the speed dial for the pizza place.

  “Do you know this guy?”

  “Nope, haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him yet and, to be honest, I don’t care to.”

  “Come on, Logan, your mom looks thrilled. You should be happy for her.”

  I shrugged it off. I was serious that I didn’t care to meet this guy. The little I knew about him, I already didn’t like him. Meeting him would only make things worse I was sure. “Just play the damn game, I’m getting slaughtered here.” Frank
picked up his controller and soon we were both involved in the game, pizza was on the way, and within minutes I had forgotten all about my mom and her date.

  The next morning, I woke bright and early. I looked at the clock and noted it was only six-thirty. I didn’t need to get out of bed for another ten or fifteen minutes, so I rolled back over. I had picked up a small paper route so I didn’t have to bother asking Mom for spending cash that I knew she wouldn’t be able to give me, things were tight as it was. This job gave me enough money in my pocket every week to do a few things with my friends without putting the strain on my mother, some months I could even help with the grocery bill.

  As I lay there staring up at the ceiling, I heard a man’s laughter coming from downstairs. Frowning, I sat up, rubbed my eyes and listened again, yep a man’s laugh. I grabbed my sweats and made my way down to the kitchen.

  I rounded the corner, and that was when I saw Joe for the first time. He had thick dark hair and bulky build. I could tell he was tall too. He was dressed in dress pants and a white shirt that hung open at the neck, his tie draped over the back of my mother’s chair. They sat there together, a mug of coffee in front of each of them. My mother’s hand rested in his and occasionally he would lift her hand and kiss the back of it, and then he would lean in and whisper something in her ear and she would blush and then let out a laugh. I stood in the doorway taking in this disgusting display of affection when he noticed me watching them. When my mother noticed Joe was looking past her, she turned and smiled. “Morning, honey, you’re up early.”

  “Yeah, have to get the papers out,” I mumbled.

  “A teenager with initiative, up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning.” I glared at him as he spoke but said nothing. I went to the fridge and grabbed the orange juice and poured myself a glass.

  “Logan, I’d like you to meet Joe,” my mother said trying to understand the look on my face.

  “Little early for company, isn’t it, Mom,” I grumbled, heading to the fridge to put the juice back ignoring the fact he held his hand out for me to shake. Suddenly I felt like the parent and Mom was the child, which was ridiculous since I had just turned seventeen.

  “Joe’s just getting ready to head to work.”

  “Leaving for work?” I questioned, “What the hell did he do, spend the night?” The embarrassment on my mother’s face followed by their uncomfortable silence confirmed what I guessed.

  Joe stood and cleared his throat. “Nice to meet you, Logan, and on that cue, Anna, I’m going to go. I’ll see you tonight?”

  “Yes, seven correct?” He nodded, and I waited as he leaned down and kissed my mother. I glared after him and my mother as she walked him to the door. I didn’t like this one bit, there was something about the guy I didn’t like.

  I had made a bowl of cereal and was on my way over to the table with my bowl and juice in my hand when Mom came back and sat down beside me. I said nothing, instead I shoved food into my face. I could sense her gaze burrowing into my head. “What?”

  “Logan, what has gotten into you?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I murmured.

  “Yes, you do! You can’t be like that. Joe is a great man, Logan. Give him a chance and get to know him, please.”

  “Does he know about Dad?” I questioned between mouthfuls. For whatever reason it was important for me to know that. It would determine for me how serious she was about this guy.

  “Yes, I told him. He feels bad for you, growing up without a father.”

  “Honestly, Mom, if you’re happy that is all that matters. But I don’t need to like him.” I stuck my face in my bowl and shoveled more cereal in my mouth. Mom sat there watching me, but I ignored her too and when my bowl was empty, I put it into the dishwasher and went to get dressed.

  For the rest of the summer it was Joe at our place or Mom at his. She stopped asking me to get to know him and left me alone. At first it bothered me, but then I realized that with her being busy I could hang with my friends and just do whatever I wanted. When I finally succumbed and got to know Joe a little, he didn’t seem like that bad of a guy, but I made it clear I wasn’t interested in forming any type of relationship with him. He tried hard to get to know me, but something in me didn’t want to become attached to some man.

  All that mattered was that he seemed to make Mom happy. I already knew when I got married, I wanted to build the perfect life, for the perfect family, but right now all I was concerned with was getting good grades in school. I had plans to move out of state for college, I even had the school and program picked out. So, if Mom had someone to occupy her time when I moved it was better for me because I wouldn’t feel as if I were abandoning her.

  It was one of the last few weeks of summer before I was starting my senior year and I was in the kitchen making my afternoon snack when I heard the front door slam. “Logan, I’m home. Where are you, sweetie?” I heard Mom call from the entryway.

  “In here, making a snack.” Mom had returned from Mexico with Joe two weeks ago. It had been her first vacation in years and when she returned, she looked more relaxed and refreshed than she had since before my father died. Today was her first day back to work and from the sound of her banging around it hadn’t been a good day. She walked into the kitchen and threw her purse on the table flinging her light fall jacket on the back of the chair. The mornings were getting cooler now that September was just about here.

  “Do you have dinner planned for tonight, sweetie?” she asked, sitting down and rolling her neck.

  I carried my plate over to the table and took one look at my mother. Her tan had faded, and she was already looking worn out. It didn’t surprise me since she had no down time—she was either looking after me or spending time with Joe. It was catching up to her as I feared it would.

  “I pulled chicken from the freezer. I could throw it on the barbecue,” I said shoving a cracker with cheese into my mouth, offering her the plate. It wasn’t unlike me to barbecue or cook dinner for us, Mom already did enough.

  She shook her head at my offer a smile coming to her lips. “How would you like to go out for a special dinner.” I looked at her funny. We never ate out, the only exception being my birthday and that had already passed. We couldn’t afford it.

  “Mom, is everything all right, you’re not sick, are you?” I said shoving another cracker in my mouth and washing it down with a swig of soda, a worried expression crossing my face.

  She let out a little laugh. “Heaven’s no, it’s just Joe and I have special news. We would like to tell you and Leah together.” She stood from her chair, rubbed my shoulder as she walked past me and put the kettle on for her afternoon tea.

  “Leah? What news?” I said with my mouth full looking over at my mother.

  “Yes, Leah, his daughter, remember I told you about her. She’s just entering her sophomore year at your school. I’ve mentioned her to you before. As for what we want to tell you, it’s a surprise. We want to tell you both once we get to the restaurant, so get yourself ready. Logan, make sure you dress nicely, we are leaving at six,” she said, pulling the box of tea down from the cupboard.

  I watched her, she was in her own little world, a small smile plastered on her face. I left my plate on the table and headed upstairs to my room.

  I slammed my bedroom door. I knew the man had a daughter, sure we hadn’t met yet, but that was because I didn’t care to. What news was she talking about? I didn’t know what was coming, but I had a feeling it would not be good. I wished she had told me the news here, when I had my mouth full, maybe I would have choked to death, which, to be honest, wouldn’t have been such a bad thing.

  TWO

  Leah

  Summer had passed so quickly, it disappointed me that in only two weeks I would be back sitting in a classroom, staring out a window, wishing that summer was still here, and that Dad and I had spent more time together. Dad had been so busy working and dating Anna since the start of summer, and I had been fee
ling neglected. We had had all these plans before school had ended, museum trips, camping, day hiking but and not one of them had happened. The only time I had seen my father this summer had been when Anna had been with us. She was a nice lady, but I wasn’t used to having to compete for my father’s attention.

  I had been the apple of my father’s eyes since I was born. Dad had fought for custody of me when my mother up and left us. He had won, and I couldn’t be happier. My dad worked hard, he owned a used car lot, and his hours were long but no matter what he always made time for whatever I needed. We were comfortable. Then when Anna came into his life things changed. I expressed my displeasure at the lack of my father’s attention, but he just laughed at me and asked if I wanted him to be all alone the rest of his life.

  We had gotten into the same conversation just the other night. I was irritated, Dad and Anna had just returned from two weeks in Mexico and no sooner had she gone home, she returned and spent the night after Dad had promised me a father and daughter movie night. “Leah, I don’t understand what has gotten into you,” he said as he marched around the room.

  “Daddy, I don’t want to share you. We’ve done nothing this summer, nothing.”

  “Sure we have, before I left we went to the zoo.”

  “Yes, we went to the zoo, with Anna,” I said emphasizing her name. My father just looked at me as I stomped my foot and threw the book I had been reading down on the table.

  “Please, Leah, understand something, I’m thrilled, Anna is like a breath of fresh air compared to your mother.”

  “Of course she is, Mom is a horrible person. She didn’t even call me on my birthday this year.”

  No matter how much I begged for attention, my father kept telling me I wasn’t being put second, and that I was still the most important person in his life.

  The next afternoon I was on my way home from my friend’s house, riding my bike past the coffee shop just down the road from where Dad’s lot was. I stopped and bought Dad a coffee and his favorite donut just like I had done so many times before. I quickly rode down the street and pulled into the car lot. I was hoping to spend time with him alone while he had his coffee. I wanted to talk to him about some back to school shopping I needed to do. I chained my bike and headed into the showroom where Judy the receptionist greeted me, “Afternoon, Leah.”