© Jojo B 2016

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*N.E.V* The Seven Deadly Simpson Brothers

23

(Picture is Paulo)

    I was freaking out.

As soon as I was well out of sight, I dropped the facade and clutched at my chest, struggling to get my breath back. Where the hell did all that talk at the end come from? It was just so unlike me! But...but it had worked, hadn't it? Wait! What did Ario mean by 'you too'?! He wanted to know my dirty little secrets? What the hell was I supposed to say to that?!

I must have been muttering to myself out loud because I heard someone call out to me in the dark. The streetlights didn't work well in the area and it would be a five minute walk until I reached the closest lit path.

"Manuel? That, you?"

I widened my eyes and shut my mouth. The only people, who I assumed would address Manuel Santiago by his first name like that, were his family. I couldn't see anyone and I'm sure they couldn't see me, but all the same, I started walking faster.

"Where you running to?" the person must have noticed my increase of speed. "Why aren't you saying anything? Trying to scare me?"

I was so afraid of them actually catching me, I flat out started running. I immediately picked up a second pair of footsteps chasing me and I my heart felt like it would give out. They were gaining on me.

"Manuel, why are you so slow?" the voice made me jump. "You been eating too many cachapas?"

I didn't even know what cachapas were and was busy trying not to trip over my own feet when they grabbed me from behind, muttering Spanish in a teasing tone. It was only when their hands felt my chest and realised that I wasn't exactly male, that they let go of me with a shout of shock.

"What the hell?" they exclaimed. "Who is that?"

I didn't answer, instead I just turned and ran again. I could see the streetlights up ahead and knew that once I reached them, I would be visible to whoever it was I'd left behind me. As long as they quit the chase, I would manage. Or so I thought.

I felt them clamp onto my hand and I gasped.

"Get off me!" I shouted, turning around to see Paulo, the youngest Santiago.

Paulo let go of me, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I...I just wanted to get home," I replied.

"I thought you were my brother," he said, looking at me with those wide brown eyes. "Sorry."

He was apologising just like that? He was so unlike his brothers Miguel and Manuel who, I was very sure, would never apologise, yet similar to his brother Ario who came all the way to my home just to say sorry for his wrongdoing.

"It's okay," I tried to relax. Paulo didn't strike me as a threat.

Paulo was frowning as he searched my face, and I knew he was seconds away from recognising me from the time his brothers Miguel and Manuel tried to cut me and Hayley's eyelids off.

"I have to go," I turned and started walking away.

"I know you," to my dismay Paulo fell into step with me. "You're the waitress at the pub."

He was actually a couple of inches taller than me, despite being about fifteen years old. Just like the triplets.

"Yeah," I murmured, avoiding his eye.

"Am I bothering you?" Paulo asked, sounding strangely like his brother Ario.

I couldn't find it in me to just say yes. I didn't want to anger the kid, he wasn't exactly known as a sweetheart.

"I'm just tired," I said to him. "Weren't you looking for your brothers?"

"Oh," he stopped. "Yeah...well, later."

He must have not realised that I had been walking West and probably wouldn't see him later as we lived on opposite sides of town. If I were to ever see him in the town centre, I wouldn't exactly jump out to greet him, and especially not if he was with his brothers.

"Later," I said anyway and even threw a smile over my shoulder at him.

I had already turned away from him when I heard the voice of either Miguel or Manuel, which had my blood running cold.

"Who is that?" they questioned Paulo.

"No one," Paulo responded. "Let's go back."

***

I was probably still sweating profusely when I arrived back home, home being the Simpsons house, that was. I knocked and waited outside as my hands trembled in my pockets.

"Hey you," Gomez opened the door and literally pulled me in. "You hungry?"

I blinked in surprise, I was actually.

"What is there to eat?" I asked, following him into the kitchen.

Gomez didn't answer, he only gave me an innocent smile and I returned it uncertainly. He led me to the kitchen and as soon as I saw bare flesh, I slapped my hands over my eyes.

It seemed that I had just walked in on a game of strip poker.

The butt naked boys laughed back at me and Gomez slapped my back as he died of laughter.

"How's it going Coral?" Severn waved at me from his seat at the dining table.

"Hi," I was relieved to see that he was wearing boxers and a singlet.

The same couldn't be said for Landon, who was of course, completely naked and fanning himself with his cards like he was in a palace. God knows how grateful I was that he had had the decency to cover his crotch with his shirt.

"You wanna play?" Landon winked at me.

"No thanks," I said, still standing in shock.  "Walter, you too?"

Walter got up, holding some of his clothes over his crotch and smiling as he came up to me. Gomez was wearing jeans and a singlet and Giovanni too was one hundred percent nude, in fact, Eli was the only one with both his trousers and shirt still on.

"How was it with blue eyes?" Walter asked me quietly.

"Walter I can't take you seriously when you're naked like this," I tried not to smile so hard.

His face split into an even wider grin and he slipped past me to the downstairs bathroom to put more clothes on. I looked at the table to see what the boys were betting with. There were stacks of real money and also knives of various shapes and sizes.

"Eli you must be really good at this game," I commented, raising my brows.

"Or he just has a resting bitch face which means you never know when he's bluffing or not," Walter said from behind me, already back from the bathroom and thankfully dressed.

Eli only shrugged a shoulder and smirked.

"I'm pretty sure Landon chose to strip even when he didn't have to," Gomez murmured as he went to get a drink out of the fridge for me.

He handed me a can of Fanta, "He's just that kind of guy."

"That's true," Landon spread his arms out.

"Sit down," Walter pulled his chair out for me.

"Thanks," I joined the brothers at the table.

"So what's the update?" Severn nudged my arm. "You get any info on the Santiagos?"

"Not yet," I said, lowering my gaze. "But I'm getting there."

I didn't want to give out all the details of my encounter with Ario to all the boys, but I would share it with Walter later on. As for Paulo basically feeling me up by accident, well it was best not to mention that one to anyone.

"So Gomez," I glanced over at him. "There isn't actually any food?"

"There will be," Gomez answered. "Phoenix is out getting it."

Landon started putting his clothes back on, and Giovanni did the same.

"No hard feelings," Eli grinned at Landon as he collected his winnings from the table.

"I'm getting my blade back," Landon only shrugged. "You'll see."

"You can trade it back," Eli said, taking what I assumed was one of Landon's knives. "Or just give me money."

"You're just lucky it's not an important one," Landon said to him as he pulled his shirt back on.

There was a sound at the door and Giovanni was the first to leap up, still in a partial state of undress.

"Gio," Gomez groaned. "We have a lady here. No one wants to see your white butt."

Phoenix appeared in the doorway and Gio, after pulling his pants on, took the bags of food from his hands.

"Thanks," he said to his brother.

Phoenix didn't reply, he looked at Gio in disgust and then glanced at the table and at Eli with his stack of winnings.

"You lost the least rounds?"

"Yeah," Eli answered. "I won."

"I should have been here," Phoenix grunted. "You can't win against me."

"Well you weren't," Eli smirked. "Gio, pass the food. I'm starving."

As the boys started sharing out boxes of Chinese takeaway, I noticed Phoenix looking at me. When our eyes met, he made his way round the table towards me.

"How did it go with Ario?" he asked me, looking down at me in a pretty intimidating way.

"It was okay," I said, looking away. "Slowly getting there."

"The very fact that they were back at the Dartfish again means that they are definitely planning something," he grumbled in annoyance. "Carlos, what the hell are you thinking?"

I noticed how Phoenix didn't use the nicknames that the rest of his brothers did, and I wondered if that was because he was more mature.

"Where did you guys get the idea for your gang symbol?" I asked after Walter passed me a box of noodles.

"The seven headed snake?" Severn murmured, eating some chicken. "Phoenix of course."

I turned to glance at Phoenix who was now standing by the fridge.

"It's pretty self-explanatory," he commented. "There are seven of us and we aren't your nicest people."

"Wanna see our gangmarks?" Gio asked whilst stuffing his mouth with rice.

Walter glared at him as rice rained down on us.

"Do you want me to hit you?" Walter asked in a low and angry voice as he picked a couple of grains out of my hair.

Gio was about to answer (food still in his mouth) when Gomez slapped his hand over it for him.

"I'll show you," Gomez said to me, elbowing Gio back.

Gomez leaned across the table, holding his hand out towards me. I frowned in confusion, reaching out to take his hand and I heard the brothers chuckle.

"No," Gomez laughed. "Look at my little finger."

"Oh," I smiled in realisation when I saw a number of little scratches down the outside of his pinky. "Are those scars?"

"Yep," Gomez grinned. "Hurt like hell but it was worth it."

"Wow," I said, looking more closely. I counted seven lines. "How did you do it?"

"Landon did mine," Gomez laughed again. "After Phoenix made Severn cry when he did his, I was like no way. Landon's doing mine."

"I didn't cry," Severn smiled, looking at his finger.

"Sure you didn't," Gomez smirked at his triplet.

"So how is it done?" I pulled a pain filled face.

"You basically heat a sharp knife in a flame, press it into then skin, et voila," Landon explained casually as he held a spring roll in his hand. "It forms nice scars when it's healed."

I shuddered, "I don't blame you for crying Severn."

"I didn't cry," he groaned, making me laugh.

After dinner, Walter and I went upstairs for the privacy I'm sure we were both craving.

"So what really happened with blue eyes?" Walter sat down in the edge of his bed.

I sat next to him, looking at my upturned hands that I rested on my knees.

"I think I started to earn some of his trust," I said. "I didn't touch him, but I...I did imply that I may have been interested in him, which isn't true."

"You don't have to be afraid of me Coral," Walter touched my hand. "I know it's not true."

I looked up at him in surprise. I was expecting him to grow angry.

"I'm not going to do anything with him," I told Walter. "I just want him to think that I will, just until I get what I need."

"Okay," Walter nodded, squeezing my hand in his. "Just...just don't let Phoenix turn you into someone you're not."

I thought about what he was saying and I knew I could never let that happen. I knew myself and I wouldn't be able to cheat on anyone, let alone Walter who I had deep feelings for.

"Don't be scared of that happening Walter," I said as I reached up to brush my fingers across his face. "I only have feelings for you."

Walter looked at me with that fervent expression of his and I smiled at him warmly, cupping the side of his face and moving slowly so that I was straddling him. I brought my lips close to his, so close, but not touching.

"I want you, so bad," Walter breathed quietly.

    Hearing that made my stomach flutter, making me feel nervous yet exhilarated at the thought of venturing somewhere I'd never been with him.

    Walter tried to catch my lips, but I moved back a little, teasing him.

"How bad?" I whispered.

Walter grabbed me by the waist and smashed his lips against mine. I let him in and his tongue went rifling through my mouth, making me gasp in bliss. I ran my fingers through Walter's dark hair, making him moan quietly against my lips. He broke off and started kissing down my cheek and then trailing my neck and down to my collarbone.

Walter started unbuttoning my black work shirt and for a second I saw someone else on top of me. Walter opened my shirt, his eyes filling with desire when he saw me underneath and when started pulling my shirt off me, a second flashback struck me. The horrible smell started to pick up in the back of my throat, as if I was really back in my childhood and as if he was really there.

"Walter!" I cried suddenly, pushing against his chest. "Walter, stop."

Walter froze, letting go of me immediately.

"What's wrong Coral?" he frowned in concern.

I was shaking. I couldn't do this.

"I can't," I said, sitting up and wrapping my shirt around myself. "I can't do this."

It was the first time I'd been slightly undressed in front of him, and I couldn't do it. How shameful.

"I'm sorry," I looked down, tears filling my vision.

Walter was alarmed, "Don't be sorry Coral. I shouldn't have rushed you."

"But you didn't," I cried and then covered my face as I sobbed. "You didn't do anything wrong...I just...I just couldn't do it."

He touched my shoulder hesitantly and when I didn't stop him, Walter wrapped his arms around me.

"It's okay," he said, kissing my hair. "Don't worry about it."

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J

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