Chapter Eight #2
I don’t get a chance to ask why when he ends the call. I slip my phone back into the little pocket and stand. “Miss, I need to go to the ladies’ room.”
She turns away from Jasper. “The lesson has only just started, you should have gone before class.”
“I can’t help Mother Nature, miss, unless you would like me to bleed out all over your nice chairs.”
“Fine, once you’re done you can stop in and see your stepfather and inform him that your presence here disturbs the entire class.”
I nod and Jasper follows me out of the room.
I have to think fast. How in the hell can I give him the slip?
He isn’t stupid. He stops when we reach the girl’s toilets and leans against the wall.
I push the door open and once I’m inside I check each stall to make sure no one is going to see me escape.
I’m grateful that this class is on the ground floor.
Jumping from a two-storey window wouldn’t have ended well for me.
I’m about as agile as a monkey that has cement feet.
I slide the window open as slowly as I can so that it doesn’t make any noise. Will my ass fit through the small gap? Climbing onto the window ledge, I squeeze myself through the tiny space and slide down the wall without breathing.
Once my feet hit the ground, I take off running. I have zero idea which way is west, so I fish my phone out and use the compass app. Bet the boys wouldn’t have to do that. I sigh.
When I make it to the tree line, I wonder why Monty has ordered me here. I walk undercover just a little to stop Jasper from finding me. This better be important because the guys are not going to be happy with Jasper for losing me, and he doesn’t deserve their wrath.
A twig snapping puts me on high alert and my heart rate spikes.
A figure dressed all in black comes at me, and I brace myself for impact. Jasper’s training kicks in. I grab the figure by the biceps and push down bringing my knee to his face.
“Yes,” I whisper-cheer, not having believed it would actually work.
It doesn’t keep him down for long, and I have to use every move I have been taught.
But each time he keeps coming back. I start to get tired easily and he gets the upper hand, throwing me to the ground.
I scramble backwards as he walks towards me.
I can’t see who it is through the black clothing and balaclava covering his face.
Before I can scream, movement catches my eye and Baxter fucking Branson steps out from behind the guy, as if he has appeared out of nowhere. He wraps his arm around the guy’s neck, and within seconds he’s passed out. Baxter drops him to the ground like a sack of shit and I breathe a sigh of relief.
My first assignment from Monty and I failed miserably.
Baxter steps closer to me, looking as sinful as ever and reaches down to help me up. I dust the dirt from my uniform as best as I can.
“Stop checking me out, it’s weird now that we’re only friends,” he jokes as if he didn’t just drop a guy two seconds ago.
“Stop with the jokes. I’m mad at you,” I state, crossing my arms over my chest.
“And what could you possibly be mad at me for?” he asks, leaning against a tree with his nonchalant attitude. Something’s up with him.
I walk closer to him and he pushes off the tree. Even though I know I don’t have a chance in hell of connecting with him, I throw a punch towards him. Baxter catches my hand midair.
“I must have really pissed you off.” He laughs. “I did just save your life, a thank you would suffice.”
He doesn’t let go of my fist which has me reaching in with my left hand to twist his nipple. He drops my hand and a grunt of pain slips from his mouth. I’m sure if he wanted, he could still kill me.
He grins at me as I continue to twist. “You shouldn’t start something that you won’t be able to handle.”
“Piss off, you have no idea what I can handle,” I throw back.
“Who is that?” he asks, changing the subject and nodding at the prone guy on the floor.
I shrug, but I don’t let go of his nipple. “Monty gave me an order to come down here without Jasper, so I did…well, assuming this is the west border.”
“I see,” is all he says. Always so unshakeable.
“Why did you cut Kalen's hair?” I blurt out my question, not giving a shit about the guy Monty sent. I’m sure he will wake up soon enough so we can deal with him then.
“Okay, okay. Stop and we can talk. You’re going to give me a boner if you keep up with that twisty shit”
I release his nipple and he motions with his head for us to walk while we talk.
“I had an order to rough them up a bit. Kalen is so damn vain that I cut his hair to hurt his feelings.”
I snort because he isn’t wrong. “An order from whom?”
“That is something I can’t even tell you right now.”
“Okay then, where have you been? Because you haven't been at school or answering my messages. Is it that girl? Are you in love?”
“Me...in love? I don’t think so, Robin. You turned me down, and now I’m destined for a life of misery.”
“Be serious.” I whack him in the chest and he laughs.
“I still don’t know who poisoned me that night. It’s too dangerous for me to be here in case anyone is tracking me.”
“So why are you here now?”
“Because someone keeps harping on about being a friend, and I was going to wait until class ended to talk to you.”
I shake my head at him. “You do realise there’s an invention where you can send a message.”
“Ha Ha. I figured I owed you a face to face after ditching you. I had something come up and couldn’t make it. Call it a bonding experience with your boyfriend.”
My head snaps to him and he grins at me.
“You’re not going to tell me why, are you?”
He shakes his head.
“Fine, but you know this means that you do actually like me.”
“Don’t go around telling people that. I’ll lose my credibility as a badass.”
I laugh. I wish he was like this around everyone. Baxter Branson is a big teddy bear on the inside.
“Are you going to tell me about Raven?”
He sent me those files on her and her family.
It really wasn’t much to go on. Name, age, and the school she attends.
Not a whole lot of information, which is suspicious if you ask me.
She is beautiful though, and I can see danger in her, which is probably why he’s infatuated with her.
He can deny it all he likes, but friends know these things.
“Nothing to tell… But if there was ever anything to tell, you’d be the first to know.”
“Good.” I smile. He’s learning.
We don’t get much further than the school buildings when Jasper, Frost, Sawyer, Kalen, Slate and Onyx all come barrelling towards us. Onyx flies into Baxter, knocking him to the ground and I shout for him to stop.
Is Baxter smiling?!
Fucking hell.
I turn to the others.
“Make him stop. Baxter helped me! Monty sent me out here.”
Frost and Jasper run to where the guys are now throwing punches at each other.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Onyx seethes, blood running down his lip.
I walk closer to him and poke him in the chest. His whole alpha anger bullshit doesn’t scare me.
“I was following orders. Baxter was there to save the day, so what is your problem?”
“My problem is you could have been hurt. You think it was hard considering a life without me? You have no idea the beast that would unleash if I lost you. I would burn the world to the ground and go down with the flames. So fuck you for making me feel like that.”
His fury at me turns to lust. I try to shake it off.
“It was an order. I don’t get to pick and choose which ones I accept,” I yell back at him.
“Yes, you do. Don’t you get that?”
“Then tell your father that.”
Something washes over his face, and it sends chills down my spine.
“Onyx,” I say, reaching out for him but he rips his arm away and storms off.
I turn to watch him walk away and Slate follows after him.
“You’re all overreacting.”
All their eyes turn to me. Jasper and Frost stay quiet. I hate that I could have gotten Jasper into shit with Frost.
Kalen looks lost for words, but Sawyer steps closer and takes my hand.
“Do you realise how dangerous this is for you?” I shake my head because I don’t understand. I’m just in school. Surely I’m safe here, even if there’s bad people out there.
“There are so many dangerous men. Ones who have gone rogue, ones who hate what we do and who could potentially come after you. Our grandfather being one of them. This is why we have Frost and Jasper go everywhere with you. Most of us are happy about the change, but that doesn’t come without a price. ”
I really hadn’t thought about the dangers of being in charge, I let my hatred for Laura fuel my decision making process. And with Monty holding the reins until I’m ready, it doesn’t feel real.
“I’m not going to be able to do this, am I?”
No one speaks for a moment and then Baxter steps up. Baxter of all people.
“Of course you can. If that dipshit over there can do it, so can you. They made a huge mistake trying to teach you self-defence. Ask us what weapons we have right now.”
I look at them all. Sawyer opens his jacket and his gun comes into view. Kalen bends down and pulls up his trouser leg where he has a knife strapped. Both Frost and Jasper open their jackets to reveal multiple guns and then pull knives from their boots.
“You all need to stop pussy footing around and teach her how to kill before she gets killed. None of you will like what happens if she gets hurt.”
“Baxter, you wouldn’t get the chance to take us out, we’d do it ourselves,” Kalen mutters. It isn’t often he’s serious, and I feel like shit right now that all of these guys care that much about me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realise how serious it is.”
The moment is interrupted by Adrianne.
“Oh thank fuck. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. The principal sent me on some weird goose chase, but that dickhead…” She points to Kalen. “Stopped me, and when I got there, a guy was out cold but another one came at me.”
She huffs and wipes dirt and twigs from her hair. “And all after I was made to iron my uniform and fix my hair and these goddamn shoes…” She lifts her leg to show the school issued leather shoes with stupid heels. “Are fucking shit to fight in.”
I laugh at how much worse she looks now than she did this morning.
“Do you have a weapon?” I ask her. She looks around at everyone, unsure how to answer. Jasper gives her a nod. She reaches into her blouse and pulls out a switchblade from her bra. “I had it in my boot, but thanks to some jerk, I can’t wear them anymore.”
“As fun as all of this is, I have to go,” Baxter announces.
“And who are you?” Adrianne asks seductively, batting her eyelashes at him.
“Not interested,” he replies in a deadpan tone that makes me smile as he turns to walk away. Kalen laughs and she flips him off.
Sawyer and Frost both say their goodbyes and leave. While Kalen, Adrianne and I head back towards the main building, I’m still sulking about my first mission being a bust.
Today is going to be a long day.