Heart on the Line (Black River Bend Book 2) Read online

  Heart on the Line

  Black River Bend 2

  Fel Fern

  Heart on the Line © 2020 by Fel Fern

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  All rights reserved: No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older.

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  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  Contents

  Blurb

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About the Author

  Black River Bend Series

  Blurb

  James Blackburn is tired of being a coward and a pushover. When James is involved in a shooting, the last person James expects to come to his aid is Kurt, his old highschool crush. The incident left James broken but he doesn’t take defeat lying down.

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  James wants to learn how to defend himself and who better to teach him but ex-boxer Kurt? James never thought he’d ever had a chance with Kurt but maybe fate led him back to Kurt for a reason.

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  After retiring from the sport to run his boxing gym, Kurt Reid thought he had everything figured out. He never anticipated James collapsing in his arms after being shot. James was the one that got away and Kurt never forgot the kiss he stole from James years ago. Kurt agrees to give James free self-defense lessons in exchange for two things—James’ body and heart.

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  ****

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  Prologue

  10 Years Ago

  James Blackburn ran like his life depended on it. Sweat coated his front and back. His backpack felt like it weighed a ton. Why wasn’t there a teacher around? The morning bell rang like five minutes ago. James’s mind blanked out. He couldn’t remember which class he was supposed to go to.

  It didn’t matter.

  He snuck a quick glimpse over his shoulder. Empty corridor. James halted, panting. His relief proved short-lived because Gary Grimes appeared, his wide shoulders nearly taking up the entire corridor. Gary looked mad as hell.

  “Come back here, you little prick,” Gary said.

  James started for the corridor again, only to bump into Tyler’s big chest. Tyler was Gary’s best friend and the pair made it their life’s mission to torment James’ high school life.

  He didn’t understand why he was Gary and Tyler’s favorite victim. Had he been randomly selected among the fresh crop of freshmen?

  Maybe after surveying the herd, they picked out the weakest link. Him.

  God. Just when James thought high school would be different from middle school, it was so much worse. James never fit in anywhere.

  James wasn’t going to hand over his lunch money this time.

  James tried to run past Tyler but the big bastard grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back. James gasped, only for Tyler to slam his face into the nearby locker. James tasted metal. His skull ached where it made contact with the hard surface.

  “You caught him. Good. It’s time we teach the little bastard some manners,” Gary commented.

  Tyler held his wrists, one-handed, and used the other to fish out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans.

  “Jackpot,” Gary said.

  “What should we do with him?” Tyler asked. Tyler returned James’ wallet back in his pocket after emptying it out.

  “What about giving him a swirly?” Gary asked with a snigger.

  “Not that, please,” he whispered, already cringing at the thought of these assholes shoving his head down a toilet bowl. Again.

  Deaf to his pleas, Tyler started dragging him to the nearest men’s room. He caught sight of Miss Garner, the school therapist in the hallway.

  “You saw nothing, teach,” Gary said.

  The mousy-haired teacher stared at them for a moment, before scurrying away. Hope deflated in his chest. Of course.

  Why did James even think he could rely on a teacher for help?

  Gary’s father was Black River Bend’s mayor. No one in school could say no to him, even the teachers. He sagged in Tyler’s arms, resigned to his fate. They opened the door to the men’s room.

  “Get out,” Gary said to whoever was in there.

  “What’s going on?” Asked a gruff voice.

  He twisted in Tyler’s arms to see who had the guts to stand up to Gary Grimes. Kurt Reid was also a senior, like Gary. Kurt was captain of the school’s boxing club and he looked like it. Kurt was built like a brick house. Kurt was also as tall and imposing as Gary. There was one difference. Ninety percent of Gary was built of fat and cruelty but Kurt Reid was all muscle.

  “Just teaching this stupid freshman his place. Scurry along, Reid,” Gary said.

  “What did he do?” Kurt asked.

  “Are you stupid? Gary told you to leave unless you’re asking for a beating?” Tyler demanded.

  “I can take on two assholes. No problem,” Kurt said with a shrug.

  “You arrogant prick. You have no idea who you’re messing with,” Gary said, cracking his knuckles.

  Gary threw a punch at Kurt. Kurt side-stepped and Gary ended up crashing into the nearest sink and mirrors. Kurt caught Gary’s next punch, then he drove a fist right into Gary’s guts. Gary gasped, sinking into the floor and clutching his stomach.

  Tyler let him go and came running at Kurt to defend his friend. James stood there, leaning against the door, every muscle in his body paralyzed.

  He should quietly slip out. Head to class. Pretend today never happened. No one would notice. Kurt, Gary, and Tyler seemed to be living in an entirely different world from him. The world of the strong.

  Tyler didn’t stand a chance. Kurt was a monster. In seconds, both Tyler and Gary were groaning on the floor.

  “I’ll get you for this, Reid,” Gary said with a hiss.

  “No, you won’t. The next time I catch you and Tyler bullying another freshman, I’ll kill you.” Kurt delivered those words with cold precision. He noticed Gary shivering. Kurt planted one booted foot over Gary’s ribs. Gary whimpered as Kurt stared down at him. There wasn’t a single shred of mercy in Kurt’s piercing green eyes. “Tell me you understand.”

  “I understand!” Gary blurted.

  Kurt set his foot down and finally looked up at James, who was still shivering and standing there like a coward.

  “You okay?” Kurt asked.

  He could only nod.

  “Let’s get out of this stinking bathroom.” Kurt walked up to him.

  He flinched, almost expecting Kurt to sock him but Kurt only put one hand in the middle of his back and led him out the toilet.

  To James’ surprise, he spotted a security guard running towards them, along with Miss Banks. So the teacher brought help after all. She didn’t
just look away. Huh. Good Samaritans did exist. He looked up at Kurt.

  “What happened here?” Miss Banks was asking.

  James let Kurt do all the talking for them.

  “They’re in there, still in one piece,” Kurt was saying.

  Miss Banks sighed. “I’ll need to give you detention for this, Reid.”

  Kurt shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Sure.”

  Miss Banks wrote him a slip, while James stood there, unsure of what he should be doing. The security guard went inside the men’s room, presumably to check on Gary and Tyler.

  “I should get detention, too,” he said unthinkingly. “I mean, I’m also supposed to be in class.”

  Miss Banks gave him a look of pity, which he hated. Adults gave him that look all the time. James didn’t deserve detention, because he just got picked on?

  She shook her head.

  “Let’s go,” Kurt said, tugging his arm along. “I’ll escort him to his class, Miss Banks.”

  She nodded. Kurt gave him a gentle push and asked, “where’s your next class?”

  When they were out of the teacher’s earshot, he spun to face Kurt and glared at him. He needed to stand on tip-toe because Kurt was just that tall. For some reason, that knowledge infuriated him.

  “Why did you do that?” James demanded.

  “What?”

  “I don’t need an escort,” he muttered. “Or special favors either. I should’ve gotten a detention slip as well.”

  “Why?” Kurt backed him towards the nearest locker.

  His heart sped up as Kurt put his arms on either side of his head. When Tyler shoved him towards the lockers, he felt terrified but this was different. He didn’t feel scared one bit.

  Kurt asked, “You want to keep me company?”

  He took a deep breath.

  Was Kurt flirting with him?

  Was this a joke?

  James had always known he was gay since he was five years old. He didn’t exactly advertise it. James wasn’t ready to come out of the closet.

  A guy like Kurt who handled two bullies like they were nothing, mere annoyances—couldn’t possibly be gay.

  “Maybe,” he whispered. James didn’t know where he found the courage to spit that word out.

  “I saved your ass,” Kurt said, looking thoughtful. “I think I want my reward now.”

  “Reward?” He asked dumbly.

  Kurt took him completely off-guard when he suddenly pressed his lips against James’.

  It was a brief, almost fleeting kiss but it managed to kindle heat in his chest. An embarrassing moan slipped from his mouth when Kurt pulled away. James wanted—he didn’t know what. He just knew he wanted Kurt to take as much as he wanted.

  Kurt stared at him. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  Did Kurt regret his decision?

  “I liked it,” he said. “Do it again?”

  Kurt shook his head. He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t even know if you’ re—shit. Let’s just get you to class.”

  An awkward wall of tension rose between them during their silent walk. Their moment was over too soon. Kurt dropped him right in front of his classroom.

  He didn’t go in right away. James didn’t give two shits about biology. He always got picked last in everything anyway—labs, gym, and projects. What he wanted to do was just hang out with Kurt a little longer.

  Someone with guts would run up to Kurt, touch his shoulder. Brave and imaginary James would then ask Kurt if he wanted to skip school for that day. Then what? It wasn’t like he knew anything about Kurt Reid, but now that Kurt was on his radar, James wanted to find out everything about him.

  That kiss. James had never been kissed by anyone before. That had been his first and God. It was everything he ever imagined and more. James traced his lips with his fingers.

  “Thank you for that kiss,” he whispered to no one.

  Kurt was long gone.

  1

  Present

  “Dude, are you locking up already? I need some whiskey,” slurred a voice.

  James didn’t look behind him. He put the lock on the door.

  “We’re closed,” he said to whoever was still lingering outside the convenience store.

  “Aw, seriously? Can’t you open up the register for me, man?”

  James finally turned around and swallowed. The speaker was a young man in his early twenties and he looked pale as a vampire under the street light. Bloodshot eyes peered back at him from the hoodie, along with turfs of dirty blond hair. A druggie? James got them all the time.

  He wasn’t exactly working in the safest neighborhood in Black River Bend. James encountered all sorts of people the entire time. The store had been robbed three times alone this year. Fortunately for James, none of those incidents occured on his shift.

  James knew how to deal with addicts. At least they weren’t gun-wielding assholes who were hyped up on violence. He and his co-workers at Happy Mart were given tips by their manager Lou, on how to deal with them. The key was not to aggravate them. This guy would eventually leave him alone if he acted in a calm and rational matter.

  “Sorry,” he said. “But it’s past midnight. We close at twelve, see?” James tapped the sign on the door. “Come back in a few hours, ok? Or maybe you can try the 24-hour store a block away?”

  James pushed his way past the addict. Hearing footsteps, he tightened his hold on his backpack strap. He had a pepper spray in the front pocket but he didn’t think he needed to use it just yet. That was the last resort. Cold night air whipped at his body. James zipped up his hoodie.

  “A block’s too far and I can’t contact my dealer,” the guy whined. “Alcohol’s the next best thing.”

  James started walking faster, hoping to lose the guy. No such luck, he could hear the man panting as he scurried to catch up with James.

  What the hell was this guy’s deal?

  Couldn’t he leave James alone?

  He sped up, moving past graffiti-sprayed buildings. A few occupants hung out by the front. Dealers and whores who only came out at night.

  Panic rose inside him. James hated working the night shift for this very reason. James pictured himself back in his one-room apartment, feeding his cat Whiskers.

  He’d slump in his couch with his microwave dinner on his lap while binge-watching his favorite Korean dramas. Then he’d fall asleep only to wake up on the same couch.

  Go to work. Sleep. Rinse and repeat.

  He was pathetic. At least his warm apartment beat being out here in the cold night, trying to avoid this crazy-ass addict.

  He knew something like this would happen sooner or later but what other choice did James have?

  He still had to make a living, to pay the bills.

  “Hey,” the guy said, finally touching his shoulder.

  James jumped, realizing he turned into an alleyway by accident. It led to a dead end.

  James took a few steps away from the guy. He swung his backpack to the front, his hand on the zipper of the front pocket.

  James would whip it out in a second but he didn’t want to alarm the guy. Addicts reacted in unpredictable and sometimes scary ways. Logic didn’t exist for them.

  “What you got there? A hit? Some beer? Give me,” the guy lunged at him.

  Crap.

  James dug out the pepper spray. He fumbled for the bottle for a second, unable to remember how to use it. He pulled the tab and it hissed, spraying liquid right over the druggie’s eyes.

  The guy let out a scream. James dropped the can and ran, his heart thudding. If he could just make it safely back home, then he could pretend nothing bad happened tonight.

  “You asshole,” he guy screamed. “Eat this.”

  Sudden, white-hot pain emanated from his shoulder. He stumbled, touched the spot only to see his hand covered in something thick and wet. The smell of copper hit his nose.

  “I’m shot,” he whispered, shocked.

  For a second, he froze up
completely. James didn’t know what to do. He had no idea why, but he mind transported him to an incident ten years ago. Two bullies dragged him to the bathroom, but a white knight was waiting for him. Nothing like that was going to happen now.

  Time slowed to a crawl. James looked over his shoulder to see the druggie pointing a gun at him with shaking fingers. The skin around the druggie’s eyes started to turn red from the spray. The guy’s eyes practically bulged from its sockets. The druggie was shocked by his actions too, James realized.

  What was he doing, gaping at the guy who shot him? The druggie could fire again and this time, hit a vital spot. James refused to go out like this. He didn’t want to bleed to death on the dirty pavement.

  The instinct to flee kicked in. He bolted far away from the crazy bastard as possible. He didn’t hear another gunshot. James kept going. His shoulder ached.

  He knew that he needed to get to a hospital but it seemed so far away. James half-stumbled and half ran with no particular direction in mind. A dark stain started to spread from his shoulder and to the rest of his chest.

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  ****

  “All the fitness equipments back in place?” Kurt asked his boxers as they grunted in assent. “Okay, I’m closing up so get your sorry asses out of here.”

  “See you tomorrow, Coach.”

  Five years had passed since Kurt took over his father’s old boxing gym. He still wasn’t used to the other boxers calling him coach. Kurt was about to turn the switch off in the main training area but one man was waiting for him. Seth.

  Seth sauntered towards him, a big grin on his face. Kurt let out a sigh. They had a thing once but both of them agreed they were only using each other for sex. At least that was what Kurt signed up for.