Chapter 10
TEN
I’m woken by no less than thirty text messages.
My phone may crap out and die if this keeps up. I’m used to, like, three phone calls a year when I’m not the Wolf in Mounts Bay, and even then, the most I get is one or two calls a week. When I complain to Avery, she shakes her head at me in pity.
Breakfast in the dining hall. Stop avoiding us just because Ash is a dick.
Harley has taken to openly calling Ash out on my behalf.
I’m pretty sure it’ll only make things worse, but I have zero control over this shit.
Plus, I get this warm feeling in my chest when I read it.
I get warm in other places too, places that are entirely inappropriate when I have Harley’s cousin sitting next to me eating a fruit salad and yogurt.
Ash is seated on Avery’s other side and staunchly pretends I don’t exist. Harley sits across from me, and Blaise lounges next to him.
When the freshman kid sitting next to me bumps me, then offers to let me blow him as an apology, Harley threatens to stab him with a butter knife.
I’ve never seen a guy piss himself over breakfast cutlery.
Ash leans forward in his chair to add, “You don’t win the sweep for getting your dick sucked anyway, Javier. You’d have to be able to get it up and slip it in, and we all know you have problems with that.”
The kid leaves the table to the sounds of Avery’s tinkling laughter and the guys all snickering like five-year-olds over fart jokes. I try to focus on my breakfast so I can actually stomach it, because I’ve never done well with eating with so much attention directed my way.
Blaise, who has been watching Harley like a hawk all morning, pours me another glass of juice. “Did you like your present, Mounty?”
Avery grins down at her phone. “She hasn’t even opened it, Morrison.”
The smirk falls from his face. “Why not?”
I sigh and give up on my food, pushing my plate away. “I don’t like to have things bought for me.”
Blaise frowns and hurt flashes in his eyes. “It was a thank you, Mounty. Jesus, I wasn’t bribing you.”
I shrug and check my phone for the time, finding even more messages waiting for me, which is insane considering we’re all sitting here together. “Most people say thank you with words. I don’t want your money.”
Blaise’s gaze grows even more intense, and I might die under that sort of scrutiny from him.
Like the gift she is, Avery flicks a grape at him to divert his attention away from me and onto her instead. “She threw a tantrum at me last week for buying new sheets for her bed because I hated the color of the other ones. She’s as weird about money as Harley is.”
Her cousin doesn’t look up at any of us. He’s also looking at his phone as he eats his toast, the tattoo flexing over his jaw looking lickable.
Wow. Mind out of the gutter, Anderson.
I turn back toward Avery to snark at her, but I catch the bruise peeking out of her shirt. I stare at it for long enough that she notices, and then I meet her knowing eyes. Her face has shut down. The smile gone, and in its place, the shield of ice and indifference is back.
I won’t be deterred.
“Junior or Senior?” I murmur. Harley looks up and scowls at us.
Avery looks over to where her brother is holding court with his little flunkies. Harlow is stroking his leg under the table while making fuck-me eyes. Well, I hope it’s his leg. Gross.
“Senior.”
I grit my teeth. The bruises are fingerprints circling the base of her throat like a necklace. Seems Joey got his infatuation with choking from his father. Avery must have been terrified. After the near miss from Joey, this would have been fucking terrifying.
Ash stands abruptly and tugs Avery to her feet. “I’ll walk you to class.”
I rub my eyes and curse under my breath at myself.
I let the win against Harlow go to my head and allowed another threat slip through my defenses.
I’ve always worked best under pressure, though, so it only takes a second to have a plan ready.
The question is, how far can I take this; what action is too much and what isn’t enough?
I might not have the answers yet, but one thing is obvious; Avery and Ash can never go home to that man again.
I’m calling in a favor.
My hand shakes as I hit send. I’ve hesitated over this for weeks, and now that Avery’s been attacked by her father, I need to stop being Lips and remember who I really am.
I wondered if you’d ever call.
I read the words and my mind conjures up his voice, taking my terror up a notch. Great. Wonderful. What this situation needs is more fear for sure.
Meet me tonight at Hannaford Prep. I’ll give you the details.
I hear the door swing open, and a gaggle of girls walk into the bathroom talking about what an asshole Mr. Trevelen is and where Joey’s next party is being held. Fuck, I wish sometimes that my problems were that small.
I’m well-known at Hannaford. Meet me at the park in Haven. Green bench by the swings. Midnight.
Fucking hell, really?! That’s going to be near impossible to make happen, but what choice do I have?
See you there.
I stand and tuck my phone away, flushing the toilet so the other girls don’t question me. My mind works overtime as I walk to history and slip into my seat. Harley is already there, reading his notes, but when he glances over, he frowns at the look on my face.
“What now?”
I unpack my bag on autopilot, grabbing the assignment that’s due and handing it to the teacher as he walks past. I chew on my nails and think.
Harley gets so agitated he’s practically vibrating in his seat.
When the teacher finally turns his back on the class and starts droning on about 18th century France, Harley leans down to whisper in my ear, “Tell me what the fuck is wrong with you. Now .”
I roll my eyes at his bossy, entitled words, but I answer him anyway. “I need to be in Haven at midnight. I need to figure out how to get there, and I don’t want to tell Avery about it before I go. She’ll either insist on coming with me or she’ll try to talk me out of it.”
He frowns and shifts his focus back to the teacher, dismissing me the same way he always does. My chest tightens. I wasn’t expecting his help, but I thought he’d take a little more interest than that.
When the class ends and we pack away our supplies, he grabs a set of keys out of his bag and drops them into mine.
“Blaise’s car is in the staff parking lot, you know where that is?
The car is the same one we picked you up in at the docks.
The gates will automatically open when you drive up because Avery got him a sensor.
I’ll square it with him, just don’t fucking scratch it. ”
My jaw drops, but I snap my mouth shut before he notices how much of an idiot I look. I can’t find words until we get to our next class and sit together.
“Thanks. I’d tell you why but it’s better if you don’t know.”
He shrugs at me, his face nonchalant, but his hands are curled into fists.
“I know it’s for Ash and Avery. I saw your face when you saw the bruises.
I’m guessing you’re using your connections to try and help them.
Ash’s bruises are worse, by the way. He looks like he was hit by a car or something. I don’t know how he’s still walking.”
I curse under my breath, a deadly sort of rage running hot through my veins, and I push my luck with his charitable mood without overthinking it. “Can you distract Avery for me? Keep her in your room all night?”
He nods and turns away from me, focusing on class and taking notes. Autopilot kicks in and I do the same, all while I plan exactly how tonight should go down.
When classes are over for the day and I get to our room, Avery texts to say Harley caught Blaise talking to Annabelle again and she has to go tear him apart.
She asks to borrow my knife to hammer home the message, and I start to wonder what Harley told him to get him to risk Avery’s fury to distract her for me.
I eat a sandwich for dinner and try to focus for long enough to make some progress on my pile of assignments.
At ten, Avery texts to say she’s sleeping in the boys’ room to continue terrorizing Blaise until she’s sure he’s learned his lesson.
As I slip into the shower to get ready, I make a note to thank him for this very selfless sacrifice he’s making for me, then I forget about all of it as I get my head in order.
I’m preparing myself, putting Lips away and letting out the Wolf.
I almost forget to grab the diamond payment, so I tuck it into the pocket of my jeans. I picked the tightest pair I own so I can feel the hard stone pressing into my thigh at all times. I’m paranoid as hell about losing it.
Slipping out of my room, I walk on silent feet out of the building. I make it unseen all the way to the staff parking lot, only to find Ash leaning against the Maserati.
Fuck.
Of all the fucking students in this school.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I freeze and stare at him. I’m still clutching the keys in my frozen fingers like they’ll save me from the fit Ash is about to throw. How did he know I was going to be here? I mean, there’s only one way, but surely?—
“Harley sent me.”
What the hell?!
I could fucking scream, I’m so angry. “You can’t stop me, I have to go. I’ll explain later.”
I’m not telling him a goddamn thing, but I need him out of my way right now. He stares at me for another long second before he finally pulls another set of keys out of his pocket and unlocks the car.
“I’ll drive.”
What the actual fuck? No glare, no questions, no argument.
I’m going to have to break the news to Avery that aliens have taken over her beloved brother’s body.
I mean, it’s that or a brain tumor, right?
They have a personal physician, so I doubt something like that has gone unnoticed. My money is on aliens.