“Nope. Coop isn’t sure what he wants to do yet. I’ve heard him talking to my dad about Annapolis. But he hasn’t signed anything.”
“Huh. I would have figured he’d have his football career all planned out already. The pressure to perform well has to be hard coming from your family.”
I don’t like where this conversation is going. “Yeah. I guess.”
When I don’t elaborate, Darby changes topics. “How long are you down here for?”
“We’re leaving early Sunday morning so that we can make it back for my Dad’s first home game. He’s driving me nuts lately, but I want to be there to support him and show him how proud we all are.”
“That’s so cool. You can’t grow up in our town and not be a Philly Kings fan. It’s pretty cool to know that I’m sitting here with the coach’s daughter.”
I hate being referred to as the coach’s daughter. Leaning away from him slightly, I cringe. That’s strike one. “I’ll have to take your word for that. Anyway, we leave Sunday.”
Not picking up on my annoyance, he continues, “Let me take you to dinner tomorrow night? Before the bonfire? We’ll be back for the party?” Darby moves his arm to my shoulder and pulls me closer.
“I don’t know. I came down with Chloe. I don’t want to blow her off.”
“Two hours tops. You know you want to.” Angling himself, he moves so we are closer than I want, and I move my legs to put some space between us.
I know I don’t like being told what to do or what I want. “Let me check with Chloe. I came down with her and really don’t want to ditch her.”
Pulling his sweatshirt off, Darby places it over my head. Did I give him the impression I was cold? I push my arms through as he is pulling my hair out of the hood. That was odd. Grabbing me by the front of the hoodie, he pulls me to him and slams his mouth to mine.
Immediately, his tongue is seeking entrance, but I refuse to open my mouth. I shove him back, then his hands go to my cheeks. More gently this time, he licks at my lips.
I can smell the beer on his breath.
His hands move from my face to under my shirt, and I grab his wrists, holding them in place, but not breaking the kiss.
It’s not the worst kiss I’ve had, but red flags are going up.
His hands start to push up further until he is grazing the underside of my bra.
I pull back, cutting off our kiss. “No, Darby. Don’t.”
I say it quietly. I almost feel bad, like I don’t want to be a tease.
He hears me because he is looking right at me when I say it. But he doesn’t answer. Instead, he crowds me, kissing more gently this time.
This is better until his hand goes for the waistband of the shorts I’m wearing.
What the hell?
“Darby. No.” I’m more forceful this time.
“Come on. Let me make you feel good.”
“Darby. Stop,” He’s not listening.
I don’t even realize I am crying when his hand goes inside my panties. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m trying to shove him back, but he isn’t moving. His hand is trying to get between my legs, but I have them clamped shut. With his other hand, he starts to unclasp the belt on his shorts, and I freak.
I try to push him off again, but he grabs me by the back of my hair and yanks my head hard. Hard enough that when I pull away, I hit it on the lifeguard stand.
Internally I think, this is it. I’m about to get raped.
Raped.
That word echoes in my head for a minute before I move. I close my eyes and listen to my older brother Declan giving me self-defense lessons years ago.
Always kick them in the balls if you can, if not punch them.
Tuck your fingers in.
Make a fist.
Keep your thumb on the outside.
Pull back with your whole arm, then aim for his nose with all the power you’ve got.
Holy Shit! I did it. I hit his face and heard a crunch. Blood immediately burst from his nose, and I jump down from the lifeguard stand and take off toward the house. As I run back up the sand, I hear him calling after me.
“What the fuck, you crazy bitch!”
14
Brady
This night hasn’t gone the way I thought it would.
I thought the rain would keep the team away until tomorrow.
I thought I’d get a chance to talk to Coop about Nat.
I thought I’d be with Nat right now instead of wondering where she went.
The storm stopped earlier, but the clouds are still hanging heavy in the dark night’s sky. There are no stars out tonight, they’ve all been covered by the clouds. An ominous feeling is weighing me down, but I don’t know why.
Bash and I are leaning against the couch, talking with my cousin Kenzie when Bash turns to me. “Hey, man. Do you hear that?”
It takes a second for the noise to register, but someone is screaming.
A guy.
It sounds like it’s coming from the beach.
Bash and I hop over the porch railing and take two steps forward when I see Natalie running up to us through the sand. She launches herself into my arms and starts sobbing uncontrollably.
Running my hands over her hair, I lift her face to see her eyes. “Natalie. You’re safe. I’ve got you. Are you okay? What happened?”
She buries her face in my shirt, and I lift my head, looking at Bash. His eyes are wide and murderous, mirroring my own emotions.
What the hell happened?
I turn my head when I hear footsteps running up the sandy path. It’s Darby. He has blood pouring out of his nose and down his face. His grey shirt is soaked with it.
I’m gonna kill him.
The thought takes control of my body as I let go of Nat.
Feeling my grip loosen, Nat grabs the front of my shirt, and leans her body against mine, as if her legs were about to fall out from under her.
A crowd is starting to form around us. The party goers are hearing the commotion and curious to know what’s happening.
Bash keeps his cool. He walks over and grabs Darby with both hands by the front of his blood-soaked shirt.
“You better start talking now, man. This doesn’t look good. What the fuck happened?”
Darby takes a step toward me but is stopped by Bash’s hold.
Pointing at the girl shaking in my arms, he yells, “That fucking, crazy bitch broke my nose. That’s what fucking happened. You fucking Sinclairs are all fucking entitled, crazy mother fuckers.”
Wrong answer.
Bash lets go with his right hand, still holding him in place with his left.
He rears back and unleashes a fist straight to Darby’s chin.
His body goes completely rigid, a split second before he falls to the ground.
Sand kicks up against the weight of his impact.
A guttural scream rips from Natalie’s throat.
Bash walks over to where I’m shielding Nat, asking the questions I didn’t get answers to yet.
“Nattie. What happened?”
“Are you okay?”
“You can talk to us.”
He has his hands on her on her back, rubbing softly as she continues to grip my shirt and sob.
Turning, I see Landon and tell him to go find Cooper.
“Is he dead?” Her terrified voice comes out one step above a whisper.
Bash removes his hands. “No, Nattie. He’ll live. The mother fucker is just out cold.”
She raises her head, meeting my eyes. Tears cling to her lashes and leave tracks down her beautiful face. “Please get me out of here. I don’t want everyone to see this.”
There’s a loud crash that rivals the thunder from earlier in the night, followed by the pounding footsteps of Cooper, Murphy, and Chloe running down the stairs.
Cooper looks at Darby bloody and laid out on the ground, then looks at his sister, shaking uncontrollably in my arms, and I watch an animalistic rage transforms his face.
<
br /> Charging forward, he growls. “I’m gonna fucking kill him.”
Murphy grabs him as Cooper lunges for a still unconscious Darby. “Fucking let me go, man.”
“Bro, hold tight. We gotta find out what the hell is going on first.” Murphy tightens his grip on Cooper.
A soft voice begs, “Brady. Please. Please get everyone out of here.”
“Nattie. Do we need to call the police? An ambulance?”
“NO! No. Please just tell someone to take him home. Get him out of here. Please, Brady. Please.”
Pulling back slightly so I can see her entire face, I force her to loosen the grip she has on my shirt and take her delicate hands in mine.
“Okay, Sweetheart. Whatever you need. But then you’ve got to tell us what’s going on.”
Nodding my head at Bash, I hear his baritone voice boom, “Party’s over, guys. Everyone out. Now. And get this piece of shit out of here too.”
“No. He’s mine.” Cooper is seething right now, looking down at Darby, who is starting to come to.
Tiffany has made her way through the crowd to Cooper. She is trying to get his arm, but he pulls away from her. “Someone better start fucking talking and tell me what the fuck is going on here and what the fuck happened to my sister.”
Bash grabs Cooper by the shoulders, looking directly into his eyes, and recounts what little he knows of what happened.
This time the boom heard overhead is thunder.
Doesn’t seem like this storm is done with us.
Cooper lunges.
Bash throws his arms around him from the front.
Murphy wraps an arm around his chest from behind.
Two other players from the team pull Darby to his feet.
I start to move toward Darby, but Nat pulls me back. “No. Don’t Brady. Please don’t let go yet.” The complete devastation in her voice is a knife to my heart.
Running my fingers over her hair, I try to soothe her.
“I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere, and no one will hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’ve got you.”
The rain starts to fall again.
Thunder booms.
Lightning crashes overhead.
As Darby starts to walk by, I move Natalie behind me and further away from him.
“You’re a crazy, fucking, bitch. You know you wanted it.”
He spits blood at her face.
My vision blurs with rage.
I see red and I punch.
His head snaps to the side.
In slow motion, he stumbles back, as I lunge forward.
A delicate hand grabs my wrist, grounding me.
Bash shoves my chest, forcing me back.
Grabbing Nat’s hand, I look at my teammates holding Darby back.
“Get him out of my house.”
Bash’s voice is slow and steady when he speaks. “If that fucker even thinks about calling the cops, remind him who my dad is and what happens to rats. Got it?”
Darby rounds the corner and is finally out of sight.
I turn to look at Natalie and watch the exhaustion overtake her beautiful face as her legs go out from beneath her and I scoop her up.
I know with absolute certainty I am never going to be able to let her go.
15
Natalie
Brady scoops me up and carries me into the house, then sits on the couch with me on his lap.
I sit there for a minute with my head buried in his shoulder, then wipe my face on the sweatshirt I’m wearing. Remembering its Darby’s hoodie, I pull it up and over my head, throwing it on the floor. Then I lay my head against Brady’s solid chest. “Burn that, please.”
Brady tries to laugh, but it comes out painful and strained. He runs his hand over my hair, and I wince as he touches the bump on the back of my head.
Then laying my head back on his chest, I close my eyes. I’m awake, just sitting here, trying to get my bearings.
I listen to everyone moving around and talking in hushed voices in the background.
Cooper especially.
Tiffany is trying to calm him down.
I’m surprised when I hear her say, “Cooper, stay out here with Murphy and Bash. Try to get it together before you step foot inside that house and bring your anger anywhere near your sister.”
“Chloe, snap the heck out of it and come inside with me. Let’s see if she needs girls to talk to right now. We don’t have any idea what happened or how traumatized Natalie is.”
I may have underestimated this girl. Maybe my first impression of her was wrong. Then I think about what she said.
Am I traumatized?
I don’t think so.
I was scared, and my adrenaline was running insanely high. I’ve never hit someone before, and I don’t believe that I’ve ever been terrified of anyone physically hurting me before tonight, either.
Hopefully, it’s not something I ever feel again. Maybe being sheltered by my family isn’t so bad after all.
Chloe squats down in front of me, and Tiffany stands by her side. They both look me over.
Chloe is the first to speak. “Do you want to tell us what happened, Nat? Do we need to call the police?”
“No. We don’t need to call the cops. I don’t want to talk about it right now, though.” I take a deep breath in and slowly blow it out. “I’m okay. I think I was more scared than anything.” I feel Brady’s arms tighten slightly around me.
It feels like safety. “I don’t know what I was thinking earlier. Going to the beach with him was stupid.”
Tiffany jumps all over that statement. “You should be able to walk on a beach with a guy without having to worry about whether or not he’s going to hurt you. You didn’t do anything wrong, and screw anybody that tells you differently.”
Tiffany’s anger surprises me. I watch her gaze drops down my body, assessing.
She gasps loudly. “Oh, my God. Natalie. Your hand. Your knuckles. Let me get you ice. Chloe, do you have an ice pack?”
Looking down, I see my swollen, red knuckles and realize they do hurt. I hadn’t noticed that before.
Brady speaks up. “Chloe. See if we have any frozen peas. That works better than an ice pack.”
Chloe nods and walks away.
Tiffany is still standing there. “Natalie.”
She waits for me to look up. “Natalie. Can I tell Cooper it’s okay to come in now? I’ll tell him to stay outside if you want, but I know he wants to see for himself that you’re okay.”
“Why are you being so nice to me? You don’t even know me, and I was rude to you the night we met.”
Tiffany gives me a sad smile. “Yeah, well, I can be a lot to take in all at once, but I think we have more in common than you know. And, nobody deserves to be treated the way I’m guessing you were treated tonight.”
Her words take me by surprise, and I momentarily wonder if I am the first girl Darby has assaulted.
“Thank you. If you don’t mind, can you let the guys know they can come in?”
Tiffany gives me a small smile and walks away as Chloe comes back in. She gently places a small baggie of frozen peas on my knuckles then squats back down in front of me. “Nat, do you want to come with me to get cleaned up in the bathroom?” She’s running her fingers through my hair, moving it away from my face.
“Yeah. I think that’s a good idea.” I go to stand up, and Brady tightens his hold on me just enough for me to feel it.
I lean into him. “Thank you…for everything.”
He touches his forehead to mine. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No. I’ll be okay.” I gingerly get up and start toward the stairs.
I can hear Chloe stopping behind me. “She’ll be right back. Take a deep breath and then calm Cooper down before we get back. I’ve got Nat.”
Brady lowers his voice. “Try to get her to talk to you. We don’t have any idea what happened. I’m worried.”
“We’re all worried.”
It feels like a year has passed since then.
Chloe walks into the bathroom carrying a washcloth and a bottle of water. She hands me the water and rummages around in the medicine cabinets until she finds what she is looking for. Then gives me a bottle of ibuprofen before turning on the hot water and wetting the washcloth.
I stand up to look in the mirror for the first time, and I don’t recognize the person looking back at me. My hair is a hot mess, my eyes are swollen and red from crying, and there is a little blood spatter on my chin and cheek.
Was that from his broken nose or when he spit at me?
Chloe comes over and starts to gently wipe at my face with the warm, wet cloth.
We hear a knock at the door, followed by a gentle voice.
“It’s Tiffany. Can I come in?”
Chloe leans in, whispering, “I swear she’s usually awful. I think an alien has invaded her brain or something.” She winks at me, attempting to lighten the weight of the massive cloud hanging over us right now, but it doesn’t work.
I shrug. “She’s been nice tonight.”
Then we both gasp as we hear Tiffany. “She can hear you both. Let me in.” Luckily, she’s laughing.
Chloe unlocks the door, and Tiffany joins us.
Her white-blonde hair is flowing around her shoulders.
A pink shirt is now untucked, probably thanks to my brother.
Tiny white shorts are shedding sand, and cute tan wedges make her legs look a mile long. She looks completely put together and the exact opposite of how I just saw myself in the mirror.
“How are you feeling, Natalie? I know we keep asking you this, but right now, it’s just us girls. Your insane brother and the guys downstairs don’t have to be told anything you say. Nobody is going to get beaten to death. It stays here if you want it to.”
All In (The Kings of Kroydon Hills Book 1) Page 8