Chapter 25
The Feint
Harper
“Why haven’t you punished Zach?”
Eli lifts his head from his book. Caden sits back in his chair and presses his lips together. Luke straightens on his bed in the guest bedroom. Jack stops typing on his keyboard. Nico looks at the screen with a curious expression.
We’ve been working on homework tonight after dinner. When we came upstairs, I figured Luke would join me in my room, but he kissed my temple and went into the guest bedroom. I guess so we can have the door closed while we talk with the guys.
It’s been hard feeling cut off from them after having them with me constantly.
But the Zach question is eating me alive.
“You punished Grant and Ethan, publicly and definitively. But Zach...” I shrug. As far as I’ve seen, he’s still walking around like top dog. Unscathed and cocky as hell.
“It’s not that easy, princess.” Luke runs a hand through his hair. “He spent some time locked in the laundry room, but it’s not enough.”
“What we did to Tanner took almost a whole year.” Caden rubs the back of his neck.
“Ethan will come back. We did a little to make people laugh at him, but he’ll brush it off or own it.
He has the popularity to carry him through this.
We didn’t need to take him off the map, just teach him a lesson.
Show everyone that you’re not to be messed with. ”
“Zach leads people.” Eli leans back in his chair and puts his book to the side. “We can’t just humiliate him publicly and figure it will change his behavior. If anything, he’ll come back at us stronger with more aggression.”
“And that leaves you in the crosshairs, sweetheart.” Jack leans into the screen. “We’ve already got enough heat on you. If we push, he’ll push harder.”
“When we do take him down, we have to make sure he doesn’t get back up.” Caden stares at me. “We won’t let him get away with it, but we have to be patient and do it the right way to make sure he stays down.”
It makes sense. I guess. I can’t tell them about Izzy. It’s not my story to tell, but I have to tell them something. Maybe since he has Sidney, he won’t hurt anyone else.
But he’s the kind of guy that always has girls available, so why do that to Izzy unless he wanted that power and control? Maybe he doesn’t want his victim willing. He wanted to take.
Fuck, I have to say something. The way he looks at me creeps me out. “He’s hurt girls before he threatened to rape me.”
“Hurt how, kitten?” Eli watches me carefully.
“It’s not just rough sex.” I tuck my hair behind my ear and put my foot up on the chair, wrapping my arms around my leg. This isn’t a secret I can keep from them, but I won’t tell them who. I can’t betray the girls like that.
“What aren’t you telling us?” Luke looks like he’s a minute from barging into my room. I wouldn’t mind if he did and I don’t think my mom would mind him being in here either. After all, he slept with me that one night. But he respects my mom and wants her trust.
When he stays put, I release a sigh.
“The girls know someone he might have raped before.” That shouldn’t give anything away. But even as it comes out of my mouth I wonder if I shouldn’t have said anything. What if they question the girls?
“Might have?” Jack asks.
“The girl was drugged and doesn’t remember.” I don’t know what else to say. I can’t take it back now, but what will their response be? Like Izzy said, it’s her word against his and she doesn’t know he actually did anything. Her boyfriend had sex with her. But she’s pretty sure his brother did too.
The guys look pensive.
“Have you guys heard anything about something like that?” Nico asks.
“No one’s come forward.” Luke studies me like he can delve into my mind over a laptop screen. “But there’s been some talk. A girl at a party passed out and when she woke up, someone was hovering over her, but left before she could figure out who it was.”
I’m glad I’ve never been at a party without being in their care. Of course, I would hope if I’d actually gone to parties with friends that I wouldn’t drink enough to pass out without having a sober buddy to watch out for me.
“What’s the plan then?” I rest my chin on my knee. “To annihilate the threat.”
“Kitten—” Eli begins but it sounds like he’s just going to explain why it’s complicated again.
“No. I’m not going to sit still while you guys manage it. So, tell me what we know so far and what I need to know, because he’s not after you. At least not directly. He’s coming after me. And I don’t want to keep living in fear.”
“We’ll protect you—” Caden says.
“You shouldn’t have to.” I straighten. “I should be able to protect myself. Sure, I’m not as physically strong as you guys, but I’m not stupid and I exercise. Stop keeping me in the dark. Wasn’t that the whole point of becoming my boyfriends? Are we a team or not?”
I can almost see the ticking of a muscle in Luke’s jaw. He wants to come over here, probably to put me in my place, but he’s also trying to be respectful of my mother. Honestly though, they were the ones who opened the door to include me. They shouldn’t be surprised when I want to step through it.
“Zach is a menace to women.” I lean forward and look at each of them. “Maybe he craves power. Maybe he’s just an asshole. Either way, I’m his target.”
Swallowing the fear that chases through me at that thought, I inhale sharply. “He isn’t going away. He approached us at the coffee shop. Sidney was with him. And it was public so he couldn’t do anything, but he’s not afraid of you guys. He’s not afraid of retribution.”
Caden glances over his shoulder. “Ava starts school tomorrow. She needs protection.”
“I have a meet set up for tomorrow.” Luke puts his laptop to the side and checks something on his phone. “They’re her age so they should be in some of her classes.”
“That way we can focus on you, kitten.”
“Much as I love your focus, that doesn’t stop Zach from hurting someone else. Especially since he knows the girls and Kenz are close to me. No one is protecting them.”
Fuck, I hadn’t even thought of that. I’m putting a target on Penny, Nat, Izzy, and Vicky’s backs.
Eli rubs the back of his neck. “The only one that matters is you, kitten.”
“That’s not good enough.” I blow out a breath. “You wanted power so fucking bad you dominated the school. So now that you rule, you have to take care of your people, including girls that Zach might target.”
“Speaking of Zach. I’ve got to go.” Jack nods. “We’re doing something. We’re trailing his guys in an attempt to figure out where they hang out to get more information. We can’t just go after him blind, sweetheart.”
“I get that.” Sighing, I tug on my hair. “I just feel so helpless. We can’t go to the authorities. Most of our parents are not on board with us dating. And I’m kind of sick of dealing with creepers.”
I shiver because tomorrow is the dinner with Luke’s dad. He’s the biggest creeper of them all.
“Me too. Good night, sweetheart.” Jack’s feed disappears, but I know I can track his phone if I need to.
“As soon as we get more intel, we should be able to come up with a plan for Zach,” Eli says. “I’ve got people watching over the girls.”
“People who we don’t know whether we can trust or not,” I point out.
“We’re not all knowing, little nympho.” Caden’s voice is sharp, surprising me.
“This isn’t a guy we can tie to the flagpole or make him dance in women’s underwear.
He’s smart and cunning and he’s got his own plan that we have to figure out so we can get ahead of him.
The only person in this equation that we’re worried about is you.
So far, you’ve been his target. When we get more intel, we’ll find out if he has other targets in mind.
Until then, you stick to public spaces with the girls or at home with your mom.
Don’t go off on your own. And don’t be stupid if the asshole tries to lure you somewhere alone or without us. ”
I narrow my eyes. “I’m not stupid—”
“You got trapped in a laundry room.” Caden’s eyes glow with his rage. “You shouldn’t have been in there alone. You shouldn’t have trusted those other girls to keep you safe.”
I glare at Caden. I don’t care that he’s right. That I put myself in that situation, but the fact is, if they would have left me alone this year, none of this would have happened. But that’s the problem. None of this would have happened.
In the beginning that’s what I wanted, but now, I don’t want to be without them. I wish I didn’t have to be scared every second that someone is going to do something to me, but whatever this is between us is worth it.
“As soon as we have a viable plan, kitten, we’ll discuss it with you. But you know everything we know.” Eli shakes his head. “Which isn’t a lot. We still don’t know why he’s coming at us.”
Nico sighs. “I’m reviewing bedroom footage when I can. Maybe we should put a tail on Sidney. She doesn’t seem to be spending a lot of time at home.”
“Maybe.” Luke rubs his chin.
When someone knocks, I turn. I tip the guys down a little and go to open my door.
Mom glances behind me into my room.
“He’s not in here.” I open the door wider so she can see.
She nods. “I just got called into work. The nurse who was scheduled called in sick.”
“But didn’t you work this morning?” It’s not typical to call in a nurse who’s already worked a shift during the day.
“I don’t have to work tomorrow morning.” She’s tying her hair into a bun. “Staffing is an issue right now. There’s a bad virus going around. Are you going to be okay here tonight?”
Luke opens the guest bedroom door and leans in the doorframe. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
Mom shakes her head. “You getting boyfriends is either the worst ever timing or the best. I haven’t decided which yet. Stay safe. I’ll be home in the morning.”
She gives Luke a look that I’m sure he’s going to ignore. A little shiver of anticipation slides through me.
“Good night, Harper.” She draws me into a hug. “Good night, Luke.”
“Good night.” He nods. At least, he respects my mother.
She hurries down the hallway to finish getting ready. I step out of my room and jerk my head in the direction of the downstairs.
“Want some ice cream?” My heart picks up tempo. I’ve been alone with Luke a lot. But this feels different.
He shrugs and follows me downstairs. I get out the ice cream while he gets out bowls and spoons. It’s odd that he’s so comfortable in our house already. But it’s probably odder how comfortable I am with him given how this all started.
Mom comes downstairs and grabs her keys and purse. She smiles as I dish out some ice cream into the bowls. “See you at six.”
“Have a good night.” I’m worried she’ll be too tired. “If you need me to come get you in the morning—”
“I’ll be fine.” She squeezes my shoulders before she heads to the door. When she gets outside, I hear the lock snick in place.
As I’m putting the ice cream container away, her car pulls out of the driveway, leaving Luke and me alone and in silence.
He grabs our ice cream bowls and takes them into the living room. When he sits on the couch, I drop down beside him.
“Is it weird that I wish the others were here too?” I take my bowl and curl up, leaning into him.
“If this were a normal relationship, probably. But I understand.” Luke leans back on the couch. “We’re doing what we can on Zach.”
I let my ice cream melt on my tongue. “It’s just hard to see him walking around like he’s untouchable.”
“It was hard last year with Tanner too. Caden wanted to kill him, but we had to wait and take care of him the right way.” Luke nudges me with his elbow. “Zach won’t get to you again.”
“How do you know?” I meet his pale blue eyes.
“Because I’m not leaving your side unless someone else is with you.”
My heart flutters. I take another bite to break the eye contact. It’s too much and makes me want to tell him about my heart.
“Tonight, I’m supposed to take over for Jack.” Luke clears his throat. “I won’t leave you alone though.”
“So, what does that mean?”
Luke’s been the only one who can sleep with me on a consistent basis. Fuck, his father practically told him to and my mom has a soft spot for him. Caden’s parents are still in town, so maybe Caden is coming over.
“It means we’ll figure it out, princess.”
I fall asleep in Luke’s arms, quickly and effortlessly. I vaguely wake up when he presses a kiss to my cheek. After a moment, the cold moves in and I swear I hear voices whispering.
Then someone slips into bed with me. The scent of rain fills my nose. Nico.
I snuggle back into him.
“Careful, sunshine,” he whispers against my ear. “It’s been a while since I’ve had you to myself.”
I turn in his arms. “When did you guys decide this?”
“I could get away tonight.” Nico rubs his cheek against mine. “Dad didn’t come home and Mom fell asleep after drinking her wine.”
“Did you know about your dad’s affair before this year?” It’s dark in the room, but I can just make out Nico’s face in shadows from the webcam’s dim light.
“That’s one of the reasons we moved away.” He draws me in closer to him. “My dad and Ashley’s mom went to college together. Our parents used to get together for dinners and to play games. Since Ashley and I really didn’t get along, we ignored each other.”
I rest my cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
“I’m not sure how it came to light, but my mom yelled at my dad about it.
That’s how I found out. Neither of them wanted a divorce so they compromised and left for a job opportunity my dad had been offered.
” Nico kisses the top of my head. “It was supposed to be a fresh start, but then this year, Dad wanted to come back here. It had been years so Mom thought it would be fine.”
“But it’s not,” I murmur.
“No.” Nico’s breath tickles my hair across my scalp. “He made it a few days. Maybe a week. I don’t know. I was wrapped up in you and the guys. But it’s been more obvious lately.”
“I’m sorry you and your mom are going through this.” I slide my hand down his side. He’s only in his boxers.
“Mom’s not dealing with it. I do what I can for her, but I also want to spend time with you and the guys.” He threads his fingers into my hair and lightly massages my scalp.
I wrap around him, wearing a tank top and pajama shorts. It’s easy to get caught up in what’s happening to us. But the guys have their own things they’re dealing with.
Nico and his dad’s affair. Eli and his parents. Caden and Ava now. Jack and spending time with his sister.
“Do you think it’s odd that Mom had to go in tonight?” The thought crosses my mind and out of my mouth before I even think about it. “Did anyone else know Luke was going to take over for Jack?”
“No, sunshine. Just us.” Nico draws me into his warmth and the worry drifts away. I must fall asleep, because a crash startles me awake.