by Hannah Gray
I nod, relaxing a little. A drunk driver took my parents’ lives, so I have no respect for people who would be so stupid to get in a car and drive impaired.
I take a deep breath and slowly release it. Turning toward him, I nod. “Okay, sure.”
He leans his ear closer to me. “What was that, Sunshine? Cameran Steele is agreeing to hang out with me, Trent Kade? Is this real life?”
I roll my eyes and lightly swat at him. I probably shouldn’t hang out with him tonight, but part of me knows that Mason has a reason for wanting to stick around at the bar till closing time. I know he’s waiting for Anna to get out. And I can tell she likes him even if she acts like she doesn’t.
I throw on my leather jacket before heading out. When we get outside, Trent throws his arm around me, tucking me into his side. He walks over to a truck that looks similar to his, but it’s white.
“New truck?” I ask.
After he opens the door, I climb in the cab.
“Nah, this is Mason’s. We drove over together in his. Probably all part of his grand scheme to get Red to give him a ride home.”
He shuts my door and jogs around to the driver’s side. When he climbs in, I peek over at him. Lord, he’s so fine. He has a black ball cap on tonight, and I think it might make him look even sexier, if that’s possible.
“So, Mr. Quarterback, where are we going?” I question him while buckling my seat belt.
He drags his hand down the stubble on this jaw. “I figured it could be a surprise. Since you’re new to this area.”
I don’t answer. I don’t want to be rude, but I really hate surprises.
“Don’t be nervous, Sunshine. Don’t you trust me?” he says in a serious voice.
I give him a small smile. “I guess.” And the weird thing is, I do.
eighteen
Cameran
We ride for about forty-five minutes. Passing through a few small towns that don’t have much going on. We finally reach the center of the most adorable town I’ve ever seen. It’s perfectly lit, even at this hour. Streetlights and shop windows make this quaint town look like it’s frozen in time. I spot a candy shop, where they make actual caramel, and a tiny coffee shop.
This is the type of place that parents raise their children in, bringing them down to the ice cream shop on hot summer nights. The type of place that makes you slow down and look at what’s around you.
We go down a hill that leads to a parking lot overlooking the ocean.
“This is one of the painted walls at The Atlantic, isn’t it?” I ask, amazed to see it in person.
The moonlight reflects off of the water, creating a breathtaking view.
Trent leans his forearms on the steering wheel and nods. “It sure is. It’s my favorite part of The Atlantic—well, other than the help, that is.” He looks over at me and winks.
“Mmhmm. I bet you love all the ladies who work there.” A pang of jealousy roots itself deep in my gut.
The girls I work with are all gorgeous. I am sure he’s even slept with some of them.
“Yeah, I just meant, one who works there.”
Heat flows into my cheeks. I’ve never been good at receiving compliments.
I tuck my hair behind my ear and gaze out at the water. “What is this town called? It’s beautiful.”
He chuckles—amused by my need to change the subject, I’m sure. “Christmas Harbor.”
I nod. I’ve heard people mention it at the restaurant.
“I love it. This would be an incredible place to grow up.”
He surprises me when he answers, “Yeah, it was pretty cool.”
I turn and look at him. “You grew up here? As in this town?”
He stretches his arms out. “Sure did. About ten minutes from here.”
“Wow, do your parents still live here? Do you come and visit often?” I don’t mean to bombard him with questions, but I find myself to be so hungry for information about his life.
His expression looks pained. “Uh, my dad does. My mom died when I was eight.”
Wow, I feel like an asshole.
Turning toward him, I watch as he stares straight ahead at the water. “I’m so sorry, Trent. I had no idea. Here I was, always rambling about my parents, and I never even asked about yours.”
He doesn’t look at me. Instead, he focuses on the water. “It’s okay, Sunshine. It was a long time ago. To answer your question, I don’t come and visit that often. Not if I can help it at least. But I do come and sit at this pier sometimes.”
I know I shouldn’t, but I push for a bit more information. “How did your mom die?”
He runs a hand over his head. Eyes never moving from the water in front of us. I can physically feel him shutting down. “Ovarian cancer. It was quick. A few days short of a year from the time she found out.” He takes a deep breath. “Ready to head back?”
For once, it’s him pulling away from me. Usually, I am the one running, but right now, I can feel those walls going up around him. A defense mechanism I have mastered so well that I can spot it a mile away.
I nod. I don’t want to make things worse. If I had to guess, he doesn’t talk about his mom often.
“Yeah, uh, I’m pretty exhausted anyway.”
He backs out of the spot, and as we head out of this adorable town with its simple park benches and comforting lit sidewalks, I now see another side of this place that, twenty minutes ago, I thought was so innocent and lovely. I see that this town also holds a lot of hurt for Trent. I am sure he has both good and sad memories of his mother here. And I can’t help myself, but I wonder about his father.
The ride home is quiet. I attempt to make small talk, but Trent just answers them with one word. I take the hint and stop talking altogether halfway back.
He pulls into my dorm parking lot. Pulling off his baseball cap and tossing it onto the dash. “Look, Cameran, I’m sorry if I’m being a dick.”
I feel a slight pang of hurt in my stomach from hearing him call me by my real name. It seems like it’s his way of trying to put distance between us.
I throw on a reassuring smile. “No, it’s okay. I understand. Sorry for prying. Thank you for the ride.”
I reach for the door handle, but before I get it opened, he says, “Cam?”
I turn my face toward him to see those intense green eyes looking back at me.
“Just be careful, all right? I’ll text you tomorrow.”
I give him a small nod and push the truck door open.
Making my way to the entrance of the dorm, I pull my phone out to check to see if Anna has messaged me. I see I have two messages from her.
Anna: I think I might stay the night at Mason’s, and before your mind goes there, NO, I am not giving him any sexy time. He needs to work for it.
Anna: Cam? You okay with me staying here? You must still be out with sexy-pants quarterback. Maybe you’re the one having sexy time?
I laugh and type back.
Me: No sexy time at a sleepover? Not buying it one bit, bestie! Have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow. *kissy face emoji*
nineteen
Cameran
You know that Shakespeare quote? The one that says, Hell is empty and all the devils are here? Well, I think it’s extremely accurate. I think devils walk among us all the time. Evil seeping out of them as they wait to attack their prey.
I push my dorm room door open, locking the door behind me. Today has been a lot. Between working all day and Trent’s drama tonight, I’m emotionally and physically exhausted. Leaning my head back against the door, I take a moment to think back to where it went so wrong tonight. It certainly seemed to go south when his mother’s death was brought up. Either way, I feel horrible for making him uncomfortable in any way. Pangs of guilt hit the pit of my stomach. Here, I have raved about how awful my life has been, but clearly, his hasn’t been a cake walk either.
Turning toward my dresser, I sift through until I find my favorite sweatpants. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my
neck stand up, and I get that gut-wrenching feeling that something bad is about to happen.
I feel the knife press against my throat, and I hear that blood-chilling voice say, “Don’t scream, darlin’. I would hate to have to kill you before we get to make up for all of our lost time.”
I try to hold still, but I am shaking from sheer panic. I can’t believe he somehow got into my dorm. Thank God that Anna wasn’t here before me. I can deal with him killing me, but the thought of him hurting Anna is unfathomable.
“Cam, Cam, Cam. I am so disappointed in you. I have been watching you for a while now. Did you think I wouldn’t find you? Did you think I wouldn’t know you were fucking the quarterback?”
My body turns rigid, and I shake my head, tears streaming down my cheeks. The last thing I wanted was for him to find out about Trent and go after him. And while Trent and I haven’t had sex, we have done other things, and that will push Alex over the edge.
“I-I-I’m not. I-I am so sorry. We-we can go back. I will leave with you right now,” I blubber out. Like the pathetic idiot I am.
He looks down on me with a sick, vile smile and then forces his hand down the front of my pants. “Mmm … I have missed you, Cam. And we will go home shortly.”
I feel a rush of relief that we’ll leave before he can hurt Trent. Unfortunately, it’s short-lived when I hear his evil chuckle and his next words.
“But … not before we pay your new friend a visit. It’s too bad he had to try to take what is mine. His team actually had a shot at winning it all this year.”
He moves the knife away from my neck and closes it, putting it in his pocket. Then, he pushes his lips to my ear. Breath reeking of whiskey and cigarettes. “Don’t try anything, darlin’. It won’t end well if you do.” He lifts the side of his shirt, showing a gun.
“So, here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to walk out to my car, and if you even try to run or yell for help, I’ll shoot everyone around right between their eyes. Understand, sweetness?” He sounds positively psychotic.
He kisses my hair, and I feel bile rising in the back of my throat. I swallow it back down and nod.
By the grace of God, no one is in the hallway for him to get spooked by and shoot. My only hope is that, somehow, once I have gone missing for a few days, the campus will check security tapes. He presses the gun into my lower back with so much force that I can feel it digging into the skin. I know once we get into the car, we will either go to Trent’s, where he will probably shoot whoever is in the house. Or he will be in a hurry to get out of here, and we will most likely head to his house in New York.
He slams me down into the car, jogs around to the other side, and gets in.
He sloppily slams his mouth onto mine and shoves his tongue down my throat. As much as I want to knee him in the balls or grab the gun and shoot him myself, that would only make matters worse for me. I have to keep my cool right now. It’s clear to see that he’s even more of a lunatic than usual, a completely loose cannon.
My night’s about to get a lot worse when we turn toward Trent’s house instead of the main highway. I know that I have no choice if I want to save Trent. If Alex ever hurt him or the other guys for me, I would never forgive myself.
Once we get to the middle part of the campus, I won’t have long. I will have to move fast and efficiently if I want to unlock the door and jump out. In order to make it work, I unbuckle myself and scoot closer to him. What I have to do next makes the urge to vomit grow immensely. I get myself as close as I can to him and kiss up the side of his neck and move to his ear.
He grunts. “Oh, Cam, I missed you so fucking much. But you made me really fucking mad. Do you understand that?” He breathes heavily.
“Yes. I’m so sorry. Never again,” I say and continue to distract him with my fake kisses.
Peering out of the corner of my eye, I know we are near the spot where the campus police sits on weekends. I pull away slightly, plastering on my sexiest smile.
“I’d better get in my seat, so we don’t get pulled over.” I make sure to really sell it as I lick his jawline once more.
“Good idea. We don’t need any fucking pigs pulling us over.”
I slowly scoot away from him. Keeping my fingers connected with his hair as long as I can.
I spot the campus police car, and in one swift move, I hit unlock, grab the door handle, and push the door open. Prepared to fall out of this car, which is going twenty-five miles per hour. Only to find that there isn’t anyone sitting in the police car. It’s empty. With not a soul in sight.
The car screeches to a halt, and I know that I am completely screwed now.
twenty
Trent
I pull into the house and see Red’s Jeep is here. I totally forgot there was a possibility that Red might stay here tonight and that Cam would be alone. I look at the clock—1:15 a.m. I have a weird feeling I can’t seem to shake. In all honesty, I never thought Red would do more than just drop Mason’s ass off. I was so mindfucked after opening up about my mother that I just wanted to get Cameran back to her dorm before I further embarrassed myself.
I know I am being paranoid. She’s been safe for months while being here. Why would her nutjob ex strike tonight?
I jump out of the truck and head inside. Red and Mason are in the kitchen, making some kind of nacho concoction.
She looks surprised when she sees me and rounds the corner, stopping a foot in front of me. “Hey, I figured you were staying with Cam, keeping her busy.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
I wrinkle my forehead and narrow my eyes. “And why would you assume that?”
“Well, because she didn’t answer my last text. Usually, she does.”
A red flag goes off in my head. She’s always so sure to let Red know where she is, so why isn’t she tonight?
Mason must realize what’s running through my mind because he places a hand on my shoulder. “Dude, don’t freak out. I am sure she’s fine.”
I’m headed back out the door before they can say anything else. I hear them both rushing around behind me, throwing on their shoes.
“Wait up, man. I’ll go with you. Anna, stay here.”
She puts her hand on her hip. “Oh, fuck no. That girl is my best friend. There’s no way in hell I am staying here.”
I don’t have enough time to argue with her. Besides, I don’t think she’s the type of girl who would actually listen.
We jump in my truck, and I stomp on the gas. Praying to fucking God that I am wrong. But that feeling in my gut knows I’m not. I grab my phone and call her; it rings a few times and then goes to voice mail. I try again but same thing.
“Does anyone want to tell me what’s going on?” Anna sounds frustrated and nervous.
Mason looks at me, silently asking me to fill Red in on Cameran’s situation. So, reluctantly, I do.
Red is silent a moment. No doubt taking in what I just told her. Suddenly, I hear a smack and see Mason grab the back of his head.
“Hey! What the fuck!” Mason hollers, rubbing where she must have hit him.
“My fucking roommate has a stalker ex. One she feared was going to find her and kidnap her. And no one thought to tell me?” She sounds angry at first, but then when I glance in the rearview, I see her sink back in her seat and put her hand on her forehead.
“Anna, I swear, I barely knew anything either. All Trent told me was that she had a ghost from her past that she was scared was going to reappear. That’s all. I would have told you, but Trent made me promise that I wouldn’t say anything.”
She feels hurt that Cam didn’t tell her, I’m sure. She’s probably wondering why everyone is in on this but her. I’m just about to give her some reassurance when a set of headlights down a side road catches my eye. Glancing over, I squint and can see both doors are wide open, and someone is on their knees, pinning someone else under them. I back the truck up and push the gas pedal to the floorboard until my headlights find them. Lighting up this shady mo
therfucker. In a crumpled mess underneath him, Sunshine’s beautiful, unmistakable blonde hair comes into view.
“Cameran! Oh God, do something!” Red yells from the back.
I slam the truck in park and am out before my mind even catches up to my body.
“Anna! Stay in the fucking truck!” Mason barks.
The scumbag spots us and jumps up, pulling her by the hair. He tries to shove her in the car. But luckily, he appears to be sloppy drunk, and she ends up just falling down.
Mason goes back to Red and hands her his phone. “Call 911.”
She nods and stands next to the truck, shaking. Sunshine’s eyes find mine, and she begins to sob and then shakes her head. I know she is trying to signal something to me, but I just don’t know what it is.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Mr. Big-Shot Quarterback himself. How can I help you? Want to fuck my fiancée again?”
She peeks up at me and subtly shakes her head back and forth again. It hits me that she’s trying to protect me by not leading on that she knows me.
Yeah, not going to happen, Sunshine.
“Let her go, Alex. It’s over. The police are on their way.” I try to stay calm. He’s clearly insane and I need to be careful not to escalate the situation further.
He tightens his grasp on her hair, causing her to whimper.
“Get in your truck and leave, Big Shot. Or I’ll kill her right now.”
I hold my hands up, trying to find a way to reason with someone who clearly can’t be reasoned with.
“Just let her go, man. And we’ll say we made a mistake by calling the police when they get here.”
He lets out a sick laugh. “You don’t get it, do you?”
He smiles and pulls back on Cameran, forcing her to release another cry. I’m trying to remain calm because I would bet money that he has a gun on him, but my patience is wearing thin, and I am minutes away from freaking the fuck out and killing this motherfucker.