Chapter 5
Five
Knox
“I think Hallie’s hiding something.”
I almost choked on my hot dog, coughing as it went down. I reached for my drink, ignoring Adrian’s wide-eyed look of concern as I took a sip. “Hallie? What do you mean?”
He shook his head and stole a quick glance at the wrestlers down in the ring.
One of them lay sprawled near the ropes as the arena erupted and the referee slid in to start the count.
“Yeah, I’m like ninety percent sure she’s got a boyfriend and she’s hiding it from the rest of us.
Which means he’s probably a big fucking loser. ”
I tried not to laugh at my friend as I put my drink back in the cup holder.
“Okay, and what makes you suspect she’s got a secret boyfriend?
” I tried to make my inquisition sound casual, turning to watch the action down below.
We were a few sections back from the ring, but considering I’d snagged these tickets for free, neither of us complained.
“My mom said she’s always coming and going at night, but she’s weirdly vague about it. I bet she’s back with that Brody dipshit.”
“She’s not,” I answered, a little too quickly. To cover it up, I added, “I mean, she’s smarter than that.”
Adrian let out a single, doubtful, “Ha.” But he shook his head, because even though he and his sisters still fought like children sometimes, he cared about their well-being. Even if he didn’t like to admit it. “Well. I just hope he’s someone halfway decent this time.”
Decent.
I just nodded, like Adrian’s words didn’t make the back of my neck prickle with guilt. Like I hadn’t sat with Hallie just hours ago and agreed to do unspeakable, indecent things to her. If Adrian had the slightest clue about what I planned to do to his sister, he’d murder me. Or at least try.
We returned our attention back to the ring as entrance music blared and a new wrestler emerged. For a few minutes, the arena was too loud for the two of us to hold a conversation, and I was grateful for it.
We watched in silence as the two wrestlers collided in the ring, the crowd on its feet, the referee shouting over the chaos. By the time one of them was tossed over the ropes and the cheers peaked again, the knot in my chest had loosened.
And when things quieted down again, I heard Adrian exhale beside me. “If Hallie’s seeing someone, you know what that means?”
“What?”
“I’m once again the only single Rutherford. No girlfriend, a shitty studio apartment, and a directionless job. The family embarrassment.”
If he knew what kind of predicament Hallie was in, he wouldn’t be saying any of this. Still, the closer we got to our thirties, the more Adrian worried about falling behind in life.
The guy had a business degree, but everybody thought he was wasting it as a bartender.
He dreamed of opening his own bar one day, even if he was taking his time getting there.
“You’re not a loser, man. You work harder than most people I know, and it’s all going to pay off when you open your own place. ”
Adrian rolled his eyes like he didn’t quite believe me. I wanted to continue the pep talk, but one of the wrestlers climbed the ropes to urge the crowd to help him taunt the other guy–which, from what I had learned over the course of the night, was pretty common.
His phone lit up in his hand a second later, and the flurry of different-colored messages told me it was the infamous Rutherford family group chat. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s Cayden’s first T-ball game tomorrow. You’d think it was the Super Bowl the way Brooke and my mom are acting.”
I ran a hand along my jaw, absently rubbing my beard with one thumb as an idea formed. My eyes quickly scanned Adrian’s phone screen as he added a noncommittal thumbs-up emoji to the conversation.
Brooke: Starts at 7:00. We’ll save everyone seats!
“Guess that means the whole crew’s going to be there then, huh?” I asked, shifting in my seat. The crowd roared around us.
“Front row, center,” Adrian confirmed.
Good. That meant every single Rutherford would be preoccupied tomorrow night, not a single one of them lingering around the big house or Hallie’s apartment.
I’d be able to slip in unnoticed and set things in motion for our little agreement.
II'd show her I already owned her… and remind her of what would come next.
***
The apartment above the Rutherfords’ garage still had that musty old wood smell, but it was subtler now, covered by something sweet and delicious and fully… Hallie.
She was at her nephew’s game, but I could smell her perfume as I made my way across the bedroom, the faint floral scent clinging to the air like she’d only just left. I stopped beside the bed and glanced down at the nightstand. Her Kindle sat there, faceup, a charging cord snaking toward the wall.
I glanced down at the small, yellow sunflower I’d just plucked from the wildflower patch by the garage. I flipped it over in my hand, its petals still warm from the sun. Carefully, I placed it on top of her Kindle, bending the stem so the flower would lay just right.
But that wasn’t all I was here for.
Her bathroom was still warm and humid, like she’d just showered. The damp black towel hanging by the door confirmed that, sliding between my fingers as I scanned the area for the item I came here to retrieve.
Hallie wasn’t a neat woman. The bathroom was in disarray, her hair tools and make-up scattered all over the counter. There was a bit of toothpaste on the front of the sink that she’d neglected to wipe up.
And there, on the rug in front of the shower, was a pair of panties. They were silky and black, with delicate lace panels on the sides. Bingo.
I picked them up, bringing the crotch right to my face.
Oh, fuck. My cock throbbed instantly as I inhaled the scent, knowing Hallie’s sweet little cunt was rubbing against this fabric just an hour or two ago.
I imagined her sliding them down her ass and kicking them off her toes before stepping into the shower, groaning as I pictured the soap suds sliding down her bare breasts.
I was such a sick motherfucker. I knew it. I couldn’t deny that part of me anymore, as dark as it was. It was staring me in the face like I had no shame left. The only decency I had left to hold on to was the knowledge that I had Hallie’s permission to use her however I wanted.
I'd never crossed this line before. Wouldn't have even entertained the idea of it. But Hallie liked me like this.
It took everything in me to keep my hand off my cock, but I had to hold out.
I tucked the black underwear in the pocket of my jeans and slowly walked around her apartment, wondering what else I could gain from this intrusion.
I circled around like I was casing the place, not really sure of what I was looking for.
Just observing. Learning.
She’d been here a month, but she’d done little to personalize the place or decorate it to her liking.
It didn’t look much different than it did when I’d stayed here, except for the clutter.
A few unpacked boxes were stacked in one corner of the living room, labeled with words like BOOKS and WINTER CLOTHES.
She wanted this to be temporary.
Yet over on the counter, there was an opened cell phone bill forwarded from her Milwaukee address to this one, which meant she’d at least accepted the possibility that she might be here longer than she liked to admit.
My eyes slowed on the Culver’s bag at the top of her trash can and then drifted to the counter, where a small dish held loose change, a couple of receipts and the spare key to her car.
I couldn’t.
I shouldn’t.
But I smiled to myself, my fist closing around Hallie’s panties in my pocket, and I took the key anyway. I hadn’t come up with a plan for it yet, but I knew having access to her car would come in handy to me one way or another.
I’d give it back, and I’d confess. But for now, I attached it to my own keyring, nodding to myself as I gave her apartment one last look.
I hurried down the stairs, locking the door behind me. I headed down the alley behind the garage, toward the patch of trees at the back of the neighbor’s property. It was the same place I used to hide my car in high school every time Adrian and I snuck off to a party or something.
And it's where I'd park the next time I came here.
With excitement thrumming through my veins, I pulled off into the parking lot behind a grocery store and pulled out my phone. I took a picture of the panties clutched in my fist, making sure the identifying lace was on full display.
It took me two minutes to figure out how to send Hallie the picture from an unknown number.
Of course she’d figure out it was me, but at least this way, I could sow some doubt.
I imagined her sitting there surrounded by her family and a bunch of strangers at that T-ball game, unlocking her phone to discover a picture of her panties in my big hand.
It probably made her blush. Maybe it made her wet.
I grunted as I shifted the car into drive, knowing this encounter of ours was going to have to happen sooner rather than later. I wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. I had so much planned for Hallie Rutherford.