Chapter 23 #2
He punched the wall on his right, making a dent in the drywall.
“I don’t believe you. You’re Pierce’s bitch, and he’s the most stuck-up guy I know.
I’m sure you’ve already babbled everything to him by now, and in case you haven’t, I’m here to make sure you won’t.
That you will keep this little secret between you and me. ”
“Are you sure threatening me is the right thing to do at the moment? I didn’t even recognize you earlier.
I thought you were someone else. You just snitched on yourself, Nichols.
Congrats. Anyway, it’s not like the rumors about you weren’t true, so relax, it’s no big deal.
Can I go now?” The expression on his face made me feel queasy.
I needed to get away from him. And fast.
He growled and bunched his biceps, looking broader by the second.
“I’m not a fucking homo, and what you saw wasn’t what you thought you saw.
Do I make myself clear enough for your stupid ears?
You saw nothing. It was all a big misunderstanding.
A moment of insanity where your brain conjured things that weren’t real. ”
“Don’t try to intimidate me.” I thanked Jayden in my head for teaching me how to talk back to bullies.
Whenever he was pissed at other people, he looked lethal, and they usually scurried away with their tails between their legs—literally.
“You should probably go back to where you came from. I’m not interested in your whereabouts or talking about you since you’re wasting too much oxygen just by breathing near me. ”
He gripped my wrist, his hold tight, and pushed me against the wall.
The back of my head throbbed with pain. “You think you’re a smartass, aren’t you, ma jolie?
If I were you, I wouldn’t mess with me. I have friends in high places in this town.
It would be fucking impossible to swim with broken ribs, no? ”
I tried to say something, but the words froze in my throat.
“And that roommate of yours wouldn’t be much of a barista with a few missing fingers.
Better to continue asking Pierce to walk you to the dorms at night.
You never know what could go down when it’s dark outside.
Just ask that swim buddy of yours. The one lacking testosterone.
Ask him how it felt getting cornered at the gym earlier. ”
How did this guy know so much about me? I didn’t wanna take his threats seriously, but it was hard not to when he had taken the time to learn stuff about me and my friends in just a few hours. Or maybe I had been on his radar for much longer. Chills skated up my back at the thought.
I swallowed the bile rising at the back of my throat, keeping my chin up, praying I wasn’t showing any sign of fear.
Nichols pushed a finger into my chest, speaking so close to my face I could see his nose hair every time his nostrils flared.
“Let me repeat it in case you didn’t get it the first time.
Keep your fucking mouth shut. You saw nothing.
You heard nothing. And I wasn’t here tonight.
If you care about Pierce and your friends, you’ll do exactly as I say. ”
I bobbed my head twice, and he tapped me on the cheek. “Good girl. I see why Pierce keeps you. He trained you well. What an obedient bitch.”
The words Fuck you were on the tip of my tongue, but I remained quiet, refusing to give him more ammunition against me.
Nichols released me and disappeared through the back emergency door at the end of the hallway. For what felt like forever, I stood there, immobile, not sure what had happened or if I should have called his bluff.
My legs felt weak. With my free hand, I rubbed my bruised wrist.
“Oh, here you are,” Chelsea, one of the bartenders, said. “Table five was looking for you.” She searched my face. “Are you okay? You look jumpy.”
I blinked away the tears forming in my eyes. “All good. I was just about to get back out there.” I passed her. “Thanks.” I hurried toward the main bar area, not wanting her to question me further.
For the last three hours of my shift, I kept glancing over my shoulder, just in case Nichols was back and had decided intimidating me was his new favorite hobby.
When I was done at eleven, it was too late for me to call Donovan to check on him. It would have to wait till the morning.
Outside Lola’s, a bunch of Mason’s teammates were standing in front of Pizzazz. “Hey, Mason’s friend,” Bailey called when I came face-to-face with him on the sidewalk.
“Hi. Late snack?” I searched for Evan Nichols but couldn’t see him. I breathed a little easier at the thought he had left.
He nodded. “Yeah. We watched game tapes for hours to get ready for Saturday, and now we’re hungry.”
“Is Mase or Craig with you?” I didn’t wanna walk home after the day I had and their teammate’s threats.
“Nah. Craig went back to his home in Elk River for the night, and Mase dropped Rutherford at Amber’s a little over an hour ago. He said he’d join us later because he had somewhere to be first.”
“Oh, okay.” I scanned the deserted street around me quickly. “I-I should go, then. See you around.”
“Sure.” He turned to leave, and I wished I knew him better so I could ask him to walk me back to the dorms. I was being stupid.
Paranoia wasn’t my friend. Nichols was scary earlier, but it wasn’t the first time he’d acted like an asshole and said mean things to me even though it was uncalled for.
The thing was that I didn’t care who he slept with or what junk he put in his body.
I had no intention of ratting him out about his sexual preferences or his drug use.
I just hoped he’d realize that soon enough and leave me alone.
With all my senses on high alert, I looked around me like I was being pursued and increased the pace.
Every voice, every revving engine, every noise sent my heart racing and made me jump out of my skin.
I closed my eyes for a second, trying to convince myself I was just on edge and everything was fine.
When I heard footsteps closing in on me from behind, I pushed my hand inside my jacket pocket and positioned my keys between my fingers, ready to defend myself if I was being attacked, a trick my brother had taught me when I was a kid.
“Sorry, I’m late. I thought I’d get here before your shift ended.”
My heart rate decreased. I breathed easier. It was just Mason. I was safe.
I spun around and threw myself into his embrace.
His arms closed around me. “I’m glad you missed me, Shepard, because I missed you too. About the other night… I-I’m sorry for coming on so strong. I had a bad day, and I wanted to spend time with you, and—”
“It’s okay. I get it. We’re fine. I’m sorry I’m a mess most of the time, and I forgive you.” I fastened my grip around him, unable to stop the tears rolling down my cheeks. Right now, I didn’t care about the other night. All that mattered was that he was here, with me, keeping me safe.
Mason placed his palms on my shoulders and leaned back to look at my face. “Hey, hey. What’s going on? Why are you sad?”
I shook my head as sobs rocked through me. “Nothing. I’m just glad you’re here.”
“It doesn’t sound like nothing to me.”
“I had a messy night. I got into an argument with a customer. And now I’m tired, and I wanna go home.”
“What did he say to you?”
I shrugged. “Not important. I’m just feeling emotional. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”
“You sure?”
I bobbed my head fast. “Yes. Weren’t you supposed to grab a bite with your teammates?”
“Yeah, but I wanted to see you first. I’ll catch up with them later.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to walk me.” But please do. I don’t feel like being alone right now.
He kissed my cheek. “I’m right where I wanna be.”
“Okay.” I let go of him and grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers as we set off. Silence coiled around us, but this time, it wasn’t uncomfortable. “Thank you for being here.” Only then did I notice his wet hair. “Were you at the pool?”
“Yep. We watched game tapes, and Rutherford had to leave early, so I drove him and stopped by the pool afterward.”
“How is it going? Did you practice the same thing we did the last time?”
“Yeah.” He rotated his shoulder as if checking its mobility. “I’m getting good at backstroke, Shepard. Soon, I’ll be hot on your heels, and your coach will beg me to join the team.”
I was glad his sense of humor was back. I had missed that side of him lately.
“You wish. It will forever be my sport and my winning stroke. Wanna bet on it?”
“Nah. I’ll leave it to you. Anyway, you always beat my ass when we compete in the pool. I’ve learned my lesson by now.”
“Smart guy.”
“I know. I’m Mason Pierce, duh. What did you expect?”
Our teasing died down. “How are you doing? For real.”
“Better. The physical therapist gave me some pool therapy exercises we can try next time. I told him I wanted to improve my strength and mobility. Coach had told him about the hit I received at practice the other day, and he agreed swimming was a great idea to make sure I heal properly.”
“I’m glad it’s all working out.” I stopped to stare into his eyes. “No more drugs?”
Mason’s expression turned somber. “Not since that night. I’m done with it. I don’t want to become a cliché and throw away my future and my health to substance abuse… I recognize now it wasn’t my most brilliant idea. For a short while, I just felt desperate, you know.”
I hugged his side. “I know. It’s gonna be okay.”
Mason kissed the crown of my head when we resumed our walk, holding me close to him. We reached the dorms soon after.
“Wanna come upstairs for a moment?” I asked, not sure if I was ready for him to leave just yet.
“Sure.” He grabbed my hand back and laced our fingers together, bringing me much-needed comfort.