Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
COLE
“ S o, are you ever planning on telling us the whole story? We might be able to help you,” Noah asks from where he sits opposite me on the grass in our backyard.
We come out here in the evenings whenever it’s not too cold, since it’s the only outdoor area we have on campus just to ourselves.
“What whole story?” I ask, even though I know exactly what he’s talking about, and he sighs in frustration.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You know as well as we do that you didn’t tell us the whole story of what happened the other night, like what she was doing here in the first place. There’s more going on between the two of you than you’ve let on. Just admit it.”
I shake my head. They know what they need to, and they won’t get anything more from me. Not right now, anyways.
If I were to tell them the entire story, I’d have to tell them about what I saw back at the coffee shop, and for some strange reason, I feel like I should protect that secret.
“Fine,” he snaps, completely out of character for him, and tosses a blade of grass that he was holding before standing and storming back towards the cottage while the three of us stare after him, bewildered.
“The fuck just happened?” Logan grunts, and I shake my head, not having an answer.
Harley stands, sighing. “I’ll find out,” he mutters before following after him, leaving me and Logan alone.
I look to Logan, who sits staring at his phone with a furrow in his brow.
“What’s your problem?” I ask, and his head shoots up before he pockets the phone.
He just shakes his head, opting to stay silent and I sigh, confused as fuck about what everyone’s problem is lately.
I stare at the trees that line the perimeter.
There are wooded areas all over campus, since the founders originally wanted to keep the school hidden, though that plan went to shit over the years when word got out that this is one of the most elite schools around.
It’s hard to keep something quiet when everyone wants a piece of it.
The wooded area on our side of campus is the only one that leads to the forest, not that we use it much.
My thoughts go back to Lana, and about what happened at the coffee shop this morning. There’s something not right about that girl, and I have every intention of finding out what it is. She doesn’t belong here, that’s for sure.
I can’t wait to expose her for the sneaky little shit she is.
No one who happily puts a knife to a random guy’s throat could ever really belong here.
I just need to figure out where she came from and what she’s doing here, so I can get her the fuck out of this place and out of my damn head.
Movement near the trees catches my attention, and I frown as I spot someone jogging through the forest. Everyone knows not to come on our portion of the campus, so I don’t know who thought they could come over here and get away with it.
Logan must notice them at the same time as me, because he grunts and we both move to stand up, heading over to see what’s going on.
The closer we get, the more my gut instincts kick in, and I know, I just know who it is.
Seriously, who else would it be? This girl lives to piss me off.
“What the fuck?” Logan mutters, and I turn my head slightly in the direction he’s looking, only for me to be proven right by the sight of Lana leaning against a tree and looking up at the sky.
She’s panting as though she’s been running for a while and has just stopped to catch her breath.
Her usual all-black attire would make her impossible to see if it weren’t for her blonde hair falling past her shoulders, completely at contrast with her surroundings.
“Little menace,” I sneer, and her attention snaps to us, where we now stand only a few feet away.
She sighs as she takes us both in and kicks off the tree before slowly closing the distance between us.
Once she reaches us, she stands in front of me and glares, nothing but anger written all over her face.
“I thought you’d have learned your lesson to keep your distance from me,” she says, her tone dry, and I chuckle darkly before going to take a step toward her, but before I do, Logan’s hand flies out and wraps around her wrist.
He stalks towards her and she backs up until he has her backed against the tree she was just leaning on. I stand and stare, wondering what the hell is going on and wondering why she hasn’t put him on his ass yet. I know for a fact that she can, so why he’s still standing is a mystery.
“You’re the girl who was in our apartment the other night?” he asks, his lips curling in a sneer as his knuckles turn white from how hard he’s holding onto her. The thought that he’ll be leaving bruises on her makes my blood heat and my vision blurry.
No.
He doesn’t get to leave bruises on her. I’m the only one who gets to do that.
“Logan,” I bark, and he tilts his head towards me slightly while not taking his eyes off Lana. “Get the fuck out of here.”
“But she?—”
“Now,” I say gruffly, and he slowly releases her, stepping back while looking at me in confusion. I glare at him in a silent warning, and he sighs, shaking his head before throwing his hands up in exasperation and walking away, leaving the two of us alone.
I focus my attention back on the little menace in front of me, taking in her ruffled hair, the way she seems more disheveled than usual, and the dark bags under her eyes.
Her long sleeves cover her arms, but from the small amount of exposed skin of her wrists, I can’t see any marks from Logan, and it makes me let out a breath of relief.
What the fuck is wrong with me lately?
“Where have you been?” I ask, tilting my head as I peer down at her.
She crosses her arms over her chest, widens her stance and tips her chin up at me, a glare painted across her pretty face.
Pretty?
Oh, fuck no. We’re not thinking of her like that, Cole. No way in hell. It’s bad enough that I can’t keep those thoughts from circling in my mind when I’m alone, but to have them when she’s right in front of me? Not a good idea.
“And that’s your business how?” she grunts, and a stray piece of hair falls across her face.
Without thinking, my arm reaches out to tuck it behind her ear.
I halt my movement and stare at my arm hovering between us, confused about why the fuck I’d even do that, but my attention quickly shifts as she steps back away from me, making me drop my arm and bringing her features more into view when the moonlight from the trees hits her just right.
Not only is her hair a mess—even more so than usual, if that’s even possible—but it seems to have something matted in it. Holy shit, is that…
“Is that blood?” I murmur and take a step towards her. My movements cause her to back up until we’re in the exact same potion that she and Logan were just in, with me crowding her against the tree.
“Is it blood, little menace?” I whisper, though there’s a slight edge to my voice, and it takes me a moment to work out why.
I’m pissed.
Pissed that she has someone else’s blood on her, when it was only a couple of nights ago that she was playing with my blood.
She should only get to play with my blood.
Holy shit, I’m losing it. What the fuck is this girl doing to me?
I can’t stand her, and any sane person would want to be far, far away from the girl who broke into their home, tied them up, and sliced into their cock with a knife.
I don’t like her. Really, I don’t. So why do I want to do it again ?
“You really are a fucking psychopath, aren’t you?”
She chuckles, grinning up at me as though I’ve just paid her the best compliment she’s ever received.
I guess that answers that.
I stare at her, the smile on her face doing something fucking weird to my insides, and I realize it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her smile.
She’s beautiful when she smiles, and I hate it. I want to wipe it the fuck off her face, drag her down to her knees and make her cry for me.
“Leave,” I bark, my tone ice cold as I look down on her, but she just smirks. Whether she can read what I’m thinking, or she thinks I’m scared of her, I don’t know. All I know is I need her to get the hell away from me and stay away.
For now, at least.
“As you wish, pretty boy,” she purrs, and just as quickly as I can blink, she’s darting through the forest away from me, leaving me to stand and stare after her, wondering what the hell it is about her that has me so fucked up.
I just needed her out of my sight so I could gather my bearings. I’ll get back to torturing her tomorrow, but I need to spend tonight getting my shit together.
Lana James will be the death of me. The only thing up for debate is whether or not she’s the one holding the knife.