Blind Curves: The Gravity Series

By Lacy Diaz

The fourth book of the Gravity Series introduces Caleb Barrera and Laura Logan as their family joins forces with Tyler, Anna, and Chad to fight Carver. Blind Curves continues where External Forces left off in the final installment of the Gravity Series. Anna is faced with life altering decisions as she slowly transforms from innocence to the powerful leader of Logan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lacy Diaz
• Release date: Feb 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301349746

Lacy Diaz

I am married to a wonderful man I met in high school. We have three awesome, but drastically different children. I have taught writing, reading, and math to developmental students at the college level for years, and I taught writing and photography to children. I now run a human resource department.I received my Masters of Arts in communication from the University of Oklahoma-BOOMER SOONER!I currently reside in the panhandle of Texas and enjoy the wide open spaces.

Book preview

Blind Curves: Gravity

By Lacy Diaz

*****

Published by Lacy Diaz

Smashwords Edition

Blind Curves

Copyright 2013 Lacy Diaz

Thank you for purchasing Blind Curves. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, places, things, and events are solely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination.

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Blind Curves is dedicated to all my loyal readers who e-mail me when they finish my books and are the first to leave reviews. Thanks for sticking with me through all four books. None of you has any idea what your feedback and support mean to me. Thank you!

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To my beta reader who has given me perspective and her valuable time to make the Gravity series better. You are much appreciated. I wish I had you through the first three books.

Preface

I had listened with patience for years to Chad, Anna, and Tyler. I never understood. I never envied them. I never sympathized. I loved my brother. I adored Anna. I respected Tyler. They were crazy, passionate, and delusional. Love like theirs didn’t exist in the real world. My life was reality. I had an entire family depending on me, and I didn’t have block walls to keep our enemy at bay. I had to be level headed and mature. I didn’t have time to deal with needy innocence. I had dated girls in the past, but they all cared more about money and power. I had the responsibility of bearing the weight of my family’s trouble alone, so I couldn’t be wrapped up in head games. I repeated this mantra repeatedly as I stared at the little blonde waiting tables giggling with the girl who tanned too much. Screw it; I wanted her. I was borderline obsessed. I related to all of their drama with epic feelings of my own now. Karma; I hated her. I judged Chad with a severity that was only equaled by the love I felt for this little blonde who I hadn’t even spoken a word. She was a blind curve. I was pressing the gas pedal to the floorboard as I came around the bend, feeling the adrenaline rush with each inch I drove closer. Risky, deadly, but the high from the adrenaline too addictive to let off the gas pedal. She was going to kill me.

Chapter 1 Anna

Pivotal moments are what change the course of one’s life. Pivotal moment…that is what I was currently having where your heart is beating louder than your brain is thinking. I had one second to decide. One choice, jump…or fight. My decision came with long lasting ramifications, regardless of whether Logan or Carver paid the price. Jump and Logan has to deal with my father, but fight and Carver answers to Logan. I wouldn’t survive either choice.

My eyes were severely burning with tears, preventing me from thinking clearly. I had been here before. I dreamed this moment shortly after Sophie had died when I was staying with Caleb.

My heart was beating so rapidly one might think I was playing Russian roulette. No, I would be calmer if I was playing a simple game with one bullet. My odds would be better playing Russian roulette.

Jump…Fight.

Fight…Jump.

My heart was punching the inside of my chest, and I couldn’t catch my breath. I leaned out the window only to decide I was going to fight. I knew what torture was. I had lost Sophie. Physical pain was nothing in comparison to the emotional loss of a child. I wanted Carver to suffer not Logan.

I ran out of the office I was currently having my internal debate in and into another office that still had furniture inside of it. This office had to have ductwork big enough for me to hide or at least escape into right? I wiped the salty tears from my eyes, so I could see. I was beginning to calm on the inside, even though I was an emotional wreck on the outside. I was a trembling, crying, soggy zombie that operated on autopilot. Escape. Escape. Escape, and then escape some more.

Buildings this size used large ductwork. I wasn’t tiny, but I was small boned with very little meat on my frame. I could fit. I had enough sweat and tears to help lubricate the sides of the ductwork if I wasn’t going to fit easily.

Another kick sounded off the wooden door, but it held again. I was crying so heavily I couldn’t see clearly, yet on the inside my mind was calmly going through every scenario. I searched each office until I found a vent grate in reach. Yes! Escape.

I used my fingernail to turn the flat-headed screws until the nail broke in half bleeding from the quick, but I was numb from the pain. Escape. My only concern now was escape. After almost every nail I had was bleeding, the grate fell hitting me in the head. I wobbled becoming dizzy, but I still felt no pain.

I used a chair from one of the offices to climb into the duct. I almost didn’t fit, but I laid flat on my stomach and army crawled over dead spiders and roaches. I reached the first four-way when I heard the waiting room door give in and splinter to their efforts. I turned left trying to make sure they couldn’t see me if they looked through the duct opening. The duct became slightly larger enabling me to move faster once I had turned. I heard them cursing and throwing furniture as I came to my second four-way. I turned right aiming for an office as far away from them as possible. I wouldn’t be able to travel floors inside the ductwork, so I was going to have to get out of it at some point unless I wanted to hide out in hopes of a rescue. However, nobody knew I was here. My eyes started burning worse as I sent up a silent prayer.

Burn her out, I heard one of them say echoing through the ducts. I was going to die a slow painful death of torture for murdering murders. I reached the farthest possible point I could crawl allowing my own weight to force the vent grate off the opening of the duct. I waited for the sound of the grate hitting the carpet to attract their attention before I climbed out of the safety of the ductwork, but the sound of their footsteps never did arrive. I lowered myself feet first into the new room that had the same thick grimy carpet. I landed hard on my rear end when my hand slipped from my body weight and dirt. I scanned the office quickly standing to find out where I was. The door to this set of offices was wide open allowing me to creep out without drawing attention. I poked my head into the hallway to see if I could make a run for it safely, but the hallway was pitch-black. I must be towards the center of the building. I crept out into the hallway stepping silently on debris that cut into the sole of my feet. I picked up the pace once I rounded a corner into a hallway that had light streaming into it. I could see a stairway sign at the end of the hallway, so I ran as fast as I could, reaching the door at full speed.

The door gave way with the force of my body hitting it propelling me through the opening and down a flight of stairs. My whole body hurt as I lay on the landing of the stairwell. The pain had returned. My fingers stung, I had sharp stabbing pains in the soles of my feet, and I was certain I had deep muscle bruising all over my body.

I figured the door I had just barreled through would be stuck like the others, and I didn’t think I would have a second chance to run down the hall with force, so I made the hit count. I heard footsteps sprinting closer as I rolled onto my hands and knees. Pain radiated from every bone in my body, but I crawled to a standing position gripping the side railing making it to the bottom of the stairs before I heard them stepping over the door hanging off its’ hinges. I was crying losing all control of my breathing. They already knew where I was, and I had no hope of out running them at this point. I should stop and let them torture me. I should give up, but I couldn’t. I was literally falling down flight after flight managing to stay at least one staircase in front of them, but they were gaining on me. I couldn’t feel my feet or hands anymore, but I was leaving bloody footprints on the stairs as I went down. I rounded the end of another set when someone grabbed me pulling me into the doorway of a floor. His hand was clasped over my mouth, and his other arm lifted me completely off the floor preventing my bloody feet from leaving a trail.

Shhh, he whispered in my ear. You’re safe Anna.

I couldn’t see his face in the darkness, but I knew it was Bryce because I recognized it as Brandon’s voice, and Brandon wouldn’t be here saving me…Bryce would.

Follow me, he whispered pulling my hand. We ran at a light sprint down two more hallways to a staircase at the other end of the building. The door was wide open. Jeremy stood at the entrance as all my hope evaporated. Maybe he would just kill me without harming Bryce for helping me.

That was quick lil’ brother, Jeremy said closing the door after us, The car is running down stairs let’s pick up the pace.

The sun was bright as the outside door swung open. I shielded my eyes instinctively as I stepped on barbed wire falling to the gravel covered lot.

Damn princess…ever think of giving up, Bryce joked picking me up and loading me into the back seat of the car.

Maybe Brandon will finally forgive us, Jeremy said as the girl drove us away from the gray abandoned building.

How’d you know where I was? I asked as Bryce examined my fingers and feet.

Bailey used to go there to get high, the girl answered. We pulled up in front of a brick two-story house with columns holding up a porch. Two large men stood out front with their arms crossed over their chest. I was being delivered to my death. I should have jumped. I would be in a lot less pain right now. I closed my eyes wanting just to die already at least I would get to see Sophie again. Bryce lifted me out of the car cradling me as he carried me inside the house.

Damn it, how are we supposed to give her back now, one of the men said as we passed them. Bryce carried me upstairs to a bathroom setting me on the toilet before instructing me to take a shower, and then closing the door behind him. He was being kind and gentle. I slowly stood wobbling over to the door and locking it. I undressed turning the shower on and climbing inside the old claw foot, pulling the curtain closed. The hot water felt good turning the water a dirty grayish black from the dirt and grime flowing off me as it drained slowly down the tub. My feet and fingers burned, as did other scrapes on my body. I used liquid soap squeezed into my hands to wash over my body, face, and hair. The rats hadn’t simply clawed at my hair to get to the wound behind my ear, but they had eaten some of my hair as well leaving frayed ends significantly shorter than the rest. The water still ran out much sooner than I was used to, but I had enough time to get clean. I found a towel checked it for bugs, and then wrapped it around my body as I unsteadily stepped over the side of the claw foot tub. I heard the lock turn, and the door slowly opened. The familiar hazel eyes comforted me; even though I knew Bryce was not Brandon, I felt safe. I wasn’t stupid. I was aware that the safety feeling was false and unfounded, but I trusted Brandon with my life, and I couldn’t turn the trust off. Brandon was like the big brother I never had, a big brother that I missed terribly.

I thought you would like some clean clothes, and I need to bandage your hands and feet, he said almost shamefully. I thought you would be safe in Jeremy’s house, while I got us food. I’m sorry I was wrong.

You know if you had let me go home, then I would have been safe regardless, I whispered hatefully.

Well, I can see gratitude is not in your vessel of emotions, he snapped lifting my foot into his lap as he wrapped gauze around it. I tucked the towel between my legs to cover myself.

I’m sorry, I whispered, Thank you for saving me.

I didn’t do it for you, he corrected, I did it for Brandon, although I can’t see why he cares for you.

Listen you asshole, I said I was sorry! I said yanking my foot out of his lap. I’m not begging forgiveness from you, and we both know damn well you didn’t save me for Brandon because you rarely talk to him. You might not like me, but you didn’t save me because of Brandon, so don’t lie to me. I would never have been in that disgusting building running from your psycho gang member friends if ya’ll knew how to stay the hell out of Chatum. You don’t see Logan running over here every chance we get do you? You should have taken me home to Brandon, not drugged me to prevent me from escaping.

He grabbed my other foot jerking it into his lap. We sat in silence while he applied medicine, band-aids, and gauze to my cuts. He stood handing me a tank top and a pair of shorts that looked as if they belonged to a woman this time.

I’ll be waiting outside the door for you, he said quietly.

You don’t have to baby sit me, I replied sharply. I’m not stupid enough to run.

You were right before, he admitted, I didn’t save you for Brandon. I saved you because I understand how Brandon can care for you. I can relate. I’m not babysitting you. I’m protecting you.

He closed the door behind him leaving me to get dressed privately. I wrapped my tangled curly hair in a bun to keep it from matting adjusted the clothing to the uncomfortable feeling of going without underwear and opened the door.

I have food waiting downstairs for you, and then you can sleep for a little bit, Bryce said nicely. I hobbled a little walking behind him, so he stopped and hooked his arms around my thighs lifting me onto his back. Maybe a piggy back ride would be quicker.

But more embarrassing, I said attempting to squirm off his back.

Nobody is in the house, he assured, They are outside keeping a distance from you.

Why? I asked curiosity getting the best of me.

Logan doesn’t scare us, but your political ties do a little bit, Bryce explained setting me down on a cheap maple colored bar stool. I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on stale bread with tap water, but I was so hungry that I asked for seconds. I drank four glasses of water and three sandwiches before finally stopping. We went upstairs to a bedroom that had a thirty-two inch old style box television sitting on a scraped up dresser across from a full size bed. The comforter looked newer, but the window had a sheet draped across it with thumb tacks keeping it pinned to the wall. He turned the TV on pulling the blanket back for me to climb under, but I stopped and inspected causing him to groan loudly.

I’m just checking for bugs, I said defensively.

Just because our stuff is not new does not mean we live in filth, he argued, Now get your ass under the covers!

Bed bugs can be in the nicest of places Bryce, I defended, I wasn’t judging.

The hell you weren’t, he snapped, Go to sleep…I won’t go anywhere this time.

The exhaustion caught up to me. I passed out cold sleeping deeply for hours. I woke to the sound of Jeremy’s angry voice. Was he ever happy?

Bryce, take her for a walk around the neighborhood, Jeremy instructed. The princess needs to learn the truth.

I don’t think that is wise Jere, Bryce disagreed. I don’t feel the need to fight for her at the moment.

Nobody will harm her; Porter was crystal on the matter, Jeremy explained, She can walk can’t she?

Yeah, she can, Bryce replied sharply.

Then take her, Jeremy demanded.

He did just that, but I was furious and scared. Why did I need to be hauled all over the neighborhood? I was tired. I hadn’t heard the beginning of their discussion, so I missed the reasons why I needed to be taken on a tour. Bryce dragged me all over until we got to the high school. The neighborhood was old, rundown, and poor. Even when the houses were new in the early 1900s, they wouldn’t have been considered wealthy. The front doors were left open to allow the outside air to cool the homes, but the temperature outside was easily topping a hundred Fahrenheit. If these people weren’t Carver, then I could have bought every home a window unit with a swipe of a card. However, they were Carver, so they could burn in hell for as far as I was concerned. Washing machines, toilets, tires, broken toys, and half-naked children littered their dirt covered yards.

This is where it begun, Bryce said as we reached the sign of the high school so dramatically I almost groaned.

What did? I asked solemnly still staring at the pathetic people who chose Carver. Tyler would never allow our members to live in such squalor. He would have sent some of the guys over to help clean the houses up.

My feet ached and the flip-flops Jeremy gave me to wear weren’t helping. My bandages were getting dirty and soiled.

Carver and Logan, Bryce said, Carver is a gang has been for decades, but you notice how Demetrie’s Chatum tattoo is different?

What? I asked, No, I don’t pay attention to Demetrie. He and I are not the least bit interested in each other.

Demetrie was initiated into Carver, Bryce explained, He robbed a house, some doctor lived there…almost killed the father.

You’re lying, I accused as we walked up to the school. Bryce opened the door as the chain simply fell off.

After you, he said motioning for me to go first. Demetrie started dating Porter’s little sister, and while he was high on ice…he raped her. He was brutal, and she almost bled to death. It happened right here under this staircase on the dirty floor.

The seriousness of his voice let me know he was being truthful. "His parent’s blamed the gang and moved them from Carver to a new housing development that was being built, Chatum. We retaliated. You can’t almost kill the leader’s sister and get away with it. Your little boyfriend, Chad, already lived in Chatum, and said she was trash. Chad said she got what was coming to her. Alliances were built, and families separated. My mother didn’t want us in the gang, so she tried to move us to Chatum. She spent all of her money buying that house, but I stayed with my brother Jeremy, and sister Shay. Brandon went with my mother. He was always a momma’s boy.

Tyler came home to help his brother get clean, and that is why Logan has nothing to do with drugs, and why Tyler is the leader. It is also, why Logan will not hurt girls. A weakness if you ask me."

I didn’t. Why do you kill kids? I asked. Why didn’t you just hurt Demetrie?

You would have had to live through the way we were treated by everyone, he said, We were just demolishing anything about their lives.

Kids…my daughter! I exclaimed, I wasn’t even here. I wasn’t a part of anything.

The parents were cruel, Bryce explained, They hated us.

So you wanted to hurt them most, I said as if he was pathetic, That doesn’t excuse it.

I don’t have to excuse myself, he snapped, We aren’t the ones that need to apologize.

Ya’ll killed my baby! I shouted, You damn well better feel remorse for that or you aren’t human.

Oh yeah, one more thing…but you have to stay calm, Bryce said becoming very serious. I drove the car…in the drive by that killed your daughter.

No, no Tyler showed me the picture of the driver, I denied, Why are you lying about this? Brandon, stop it!

Bryce, not Brandon, and I’m not lying Anna, he argued, Brandon asked to spare my life. I saw you screaming with Chad lying on top of you holding you down. Steven, Bailey’s man, told them to shoot the baby. She was the target, not Tyler. We were going to break into your apartment, but we found out you were going to be returning that day. Cameron at the gate thought I was Brandon and let me through, and then we just waited.

I started sobbing uncontrollably as I physically attacked him. He gripped my wrists as I managed to push him into the wall.

You son of a bitch! I yelled jerking my arms away from his grasp.

I was doing you a favor, but you didn’t take it, he said pinning me into the opposite wall. He leaned in touching our bodies together, I gave you an out.

I didn’t want an out, I said gritting my teeth, I wanted my little girl! She was five months old you sick sadistic bastard.

They will control everything about you, your life, who you’re allowed to see, be friends with, where you go, when you go…everything, Bryce said hatefully, Don’t be stupid, and think that they haven’t done the same thing. You took a father away from Bailey’s son.

Her son deserves a better father, and I didn’t kill her son did I? I snapped, I will kill you the first chance I have.

You can try, Bryce offered sarcastically releasing me from the wall. What are you going to do to Brandon or Tyler for lying to you?

Nothing they had their reasons, I confessed, You don’t have any humanity left, so I’m not taking a human life.

Wow, you are warped! he said walking out of the stairwell, At least I feel something for Tisha, Porter’s sister. You’re a girl, and don’t even have compassion.

What did she expect would happen to her? I asked coldly, She was dating a gang member hooked on drugs.

Again, wow! he said in disbelief, Well princess, what did you expect, to live with your two gang member boyfriends, in your gang member mansion with your little gang member daughter.

Logan is a family, not a gang, I corrected walking behind him