Chapter 18
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
CORI
It feels a little like signing my own death wish as I slip into Nash’s Jeep, but he doesn’t really say much. They ended up canceling baseball practice today due to some flooding on the field, so here I am, sitting in silence, trying to make room for my feet between the empty Gatorade bottles.
“You don’t have to drive me home, you know.”
His eyes cut into me, “Well, you don’t drive, and I can promise that I’m not letting anyone else take you home. So how do you expect to get there?”
“Well, usually Mad—”
“No,” he snaps. “That’s done.”
I feel myself suffocating, “You might own Legacy, but you don’t own me.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Where are we going?” I ask as he blows by the turn to our neighborhood.
“I have something I need to take care of.”
I scoff, “And you couldn’t drop me off first?”
“No.”
I toss my backpack into the back seat and let out a little growl as I put my seatbelt on.
“It would be a little easier on you if you drove, then you wouldn’t have to be my passenger princess.”
I think back to the last time I was in my car, “Well, that’s not happening. Besides, you would probably follow me around like a stalker anyway.”
He laughs, actually laughs, “You’re probably right.”
“But why? Why do you even waste your time with me?”
He whips the Jeep into a parking spot, nearly hiding it between two buildings, “Because you’re dangerous.”
I roll my eyes, “What does that even mean, Nash?”
“Don’t say my name,” he growls. “It means you’re a threat.”
“A threat to what? I’m just trying to blend in. I came here wanting to fly under the radar and remain unnoticed. Yet here you are, causing a scene.”
He doesn’t respond, so I continue, “If you think I’m going to mess things up between you and Jovie again, I won’t.”
I think back to every interaction I’ve witnessed between them. Jovie obviously likes him. It must be killing her that I’m with him right now. Doesn’t he realize this is not the way?
“This has nothing to do with Jovie,” he assures. “Now get out.”
His harsh tone, and the slamming of the door, cause me to jump to the pavement. I do as he says, following him through the alleyway, wondering if I’m about to witness a drug deal.
“Okay,” he whispers. “Down those steps and to the left is the marina.”
I’m not following, “And?”
“Get behind the desk, steal the keys. Slip thirty-five.”
“What?” I whisper-shout. “No fucking way.”
“Yes, go. Now.”
I step away, “If you want them so bad, you go get them!”
“I can’t. They know me, and they’ll know what I’m doing.”
“You’ve stolen them before?”
He snorts, “It’s hardly stealing. It’s my dad’s boat.”
“Then why don’t you ask him for the keys instead of sneaking around like a criminal?”
He lets out a frustrated breath, “You might act all sweet and innocent, but I know you, Princess.” He closes the gap between us, causing my heart to beat a little more frantically. “I know what you did in Chicago. I know about Aspen Porter, and I know about the video.”
I feel tears burning my eyes as he steps away, and a cold rush of air fills my lungs, causing me to nearly choke. How does he know about any of that?
“You and I both know there was a video, wasn’t there?
” he smirks. “Isn’t that why daddy is back home searching high and low for it?
To make sure it doesn’t get out and ruin your family’s reputation?
Or worse, seal the deal that you are actually responsible for everything?
You… and what was his name, again? Zander? ” he seethes.
I push him hard, his back flying into the historical brick building we are hiding behind, “You don’t know anything.”
His lips tilt into that wicked panty-melting grin, one I hate but also love. “Hurry back,” he snaps. “Quit pretending to be something you aren’t.”
He may not know everything like he claims, but he’s not wrong. Back home, I wasn’t perfect, and I lied to my parents, to Aspen, to everyone.
The keys aren’t as hard to take as I thought. I distract the receptionist and slip them off the hook beneath the desk. I pocket them quickly, so no one notices anything, and head back out to hand them over to Nash.
His face is so smug, too, like he knew I’d do whatever he said. It makes my skin crawl, so I shove the keys at him.
“Can you take me home now?”
“No, now come on,” he demands, turning to take off toward the dock.
“What! Are you crazy? No.”
“Come on, Corinne. Don’t be difficult.”
“Difficult?” I huff. “It’s flooding, and we’re under a severe thunderstorm watch. There’s no way in hell I’m going out there with you.”
As I step onto his dad’s boat, those feel like my famous last words.
I was completely expecting a million-dollar yacht, but I’m sure that this boat cost a fortune as well.
Nash knows his way around and obviously knows what he’s doing.
So no, it doesn’t make me feel safe, but it makes me feel… better, I guess.
“Everyone is going to know it was you.”
“Yeah, my dad will get over it. It’ll be back before he realizes I took it.”
I meant everyone would know that he killed me if that was his plan, but I guess murder isn’t on his brain. Thank God.
The way he stands behind the wheel, his hat flipped backward, and the open water ahead of us, makes him almost look normal.
For the first time since the cages, it’s like I see a regular sixteen-year-old guy, not the alpha Shark, not the king of Legacy High.
I shake any thoughts except pure hatred away, remembering what he said earlier in the alleyway.
I’d like to know what he’s done since we’re counting our crimes. I guarantee that he has secrets too, and I intend to expose every last one of them. If he is so sure that I’m a threat, then that is precisely what I’ll be.
Nash Langdon’s worst nightmare.
The clouds darken, and most of the ride has been eerily silent. We are still in the bay headed to what I believe is south, so I’m not sure what his intended destination is, but I assume we are getting close.
“The wind is starting to pick up,” I announce loudly over the sound of the boat motor.
He cuts the engine, walks around to the bow, opens a compartment, and pulls out two rain jackets. He wouldn’t care about keeping me dry if he was going to kill me, right?
The water laps against the side of the boat, rocking it vigorously.
A flash of lightning is quickly followed by thunder, causing me to jump.
Nash starts the boat back, and I look to the sky as raindrops begin to fall.
He motions for me to sit next to him underneath the hardtop, and I do as instructed.
There isn’t much room, so his leg rests against mine, even though he is standing up.
The rain picks up, matching the wind, and Nash pulls back on the throttle, moving slower. The visibility ahead is awful, and I think it’s at this exact moment he realizes he messed up.
At this point, we’re both soaked. It’s raining sideways, and the conditions are dangerous. Nash yells over the rain and wind, “We have to dock somewhere!”
I do my best not to yell at him for being so stupid and scan the area for somewhere safe. There’s what appears to be a dock up ahead, but it’s definitely someone’s private residence. I point across the water, “Over there!”
He turns the boat and barks orders, quickly and precisely at me, to help him get the boat tied up, using several bumpers as the wind pushes it against the wood.
I do as he says and we sprint down the wooden dock.
I don’t know whose house this is, but it doesn’t matter.
The water was so rough, and the weather was so bad, we could’ve died out there.
I’m suddenly more aggravated than I was before at his blatant disregard for either of our safety.
We stop under one of the trees in the backyard, using it as a temporary shield from the rain.
“My dad is going to kill me if something happens to his boat,” Nash sighs, aggravation in his tone.
“You almost got us killed, and you’re worried about the boat?” I yell over the rain beating against the ground.
He grabs my wrist, pulling me behind him until we are under the covered porch at the house. I’m getting pretty sick of him dragging me around like a doll.
There’s a skid steer parked near the side of the house, clearing out what appears to be a driveway. Nash pushes the French doors open, pulling me inside.
“You can’t just walk into someone’s house!”
He rolls his eyes, “It’s new construction, Corinne. No one is even here.”
I yank my hand away from him, “It’s still trespassing.”
“This is an extreme circumstance.”
My phone sings with tornado warnings, and I realize he’s right. We are safer here.
“Take off your shoes,” he demands, slipping his off too.
I pull the jacket he gave me off, leaving it dripping by the door.
“We should call someone for help,” I demand, reaching for my phone in my back pocket and realize it isn’t there.I must’ve dropped it somewhere.
“No,” he warns. “It’ll pass fast.”
He pulls his phone out, dialing someone quickly. “Little delay. I’ll text you when we get to the house so you can take me back to get my Jeep.”
He waits for the response on the other end of the phone, and I decide this is my chance.
“Help, we need help!” I yell over at him, trying to get closer to the phone speaker so the person on the other end can hear me.
Nash forcefully shoves me away, and as he does, I stumble backward, tripping on a stack of unlaid tile. Slamming into the floor, I slice the back of my arm open on something.
The pain radiates up my arm and into my neck, and Nash stares at me. I scramble to stand back up and jump when Nash’s arm lands on my waist to steady me.
“Do not touch me,” I sneer.
He drops his hand, my blood dripping to the floor.
“Shit,” he breathes, yanking his black shirt over his head, revealing his skin. Abs that belong on the cover of a Men’s Health magazine are underneath. I jerk my eyes away, reminding myself that he’s the enemy.
He wraps his shirt around the cut, tying it off tightly.
His wet hair clings to his forehead, and he studies my arm intently, sorrow filling his eyes.
I should be afraid of him, but I’m not. I’m not even mad at him, really.
He plops down on the floor, silent. I can almost see the apology lingering on his lips.
I wait around for it like a fool, too, before I realize it’s never going to come. So I stand, dusting off my bottom.
“Where are you going?”
“To find my phone and go home,” I snap.
He sighs, “I’m going to take you home.”
I let out a manic laugh, “Yeah, I’ll pass.”
I turn to walk away, but his voice jerks me back, “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you like that.”
I stand, frozen in disbelief, unsure if he’s really apologizing or if I wished it into existence. I know I should walk away, but the sincerity in his eyes tugs on my heartstrings a little bit. My heartbeat picks up, and I can hear it over the thunder.
Traitor.
Most of the time, I see the cold monster that walks the halls of Legacy, but this is the third time I’ve looked at him and seen straight through his rugged exterior to the boy I used to dream about.
The boy I used to pretend was watching my dance routines.
The boy I wanted to spend forever in the batting cages with.
I feel the tears burning my eyes, so I turn to walk away, refusing to let him see me cry.
“Corinne, just stop. I just… I fucked up.”
I shake my head, pushing my feelings aside and my tears away, “No, I did. I thought I could play along. That I could beat you at whatever sick game you have going on inside your head, but the truth is, I’m sick of games, and I’m sick of lying. I never should have left school with you.”
He stands up, closing the gap between us, “But I don’t want you leaving school with anyone else.”
Confusion swirls in my brain, “What does that even mean?”
He starts pacing the floor. His blue jeans hang so low on his hips that it makes me ache a little between my thighs, wanting to see what’s underneath, but I push that feeling away.
She’s a traitor, too.
“I don’t know!” he yells. “I sure as hell don’t want you, but I don’t want anyone else to have you either. You don’t deserve to be happy. None of us do.”
His words sting, but the pain in my chest makes me forget about my bleeding arm.