by S. J. Sylvis
Ollie.
I heard Eric calling after me, and I was certain he was hot on my heels, but I didn’t care. The only thing I was worried about was wrapping my arms around Ollie, because the fear of him dying in a car crash was still fresh in my mind. The anxiety that I’d pushed away all week was catching up to me.
My hair swished around my face as I continued getting closer, and when I saw his long legs climb out of his Charger, I almost wept right there. The sun was setting, and the moon was coming up, but when his eyes landed on me, I swore I could still see the shine in them. He’s fine, Piper. But my body acted on its own. I rushed past the last person, and before I knew it, my arms were around his torso, and my head was pushed against his chest.
I was gasping, all but wheezing for air, almost to the point of hyperventilating.
“Piper?” Ollie’s hands immediately wrapped around my upper arms, but I only clung on harder. “Piper? What happened?”
“Jesus, fuck, Piper! You’re fast.” Eric sounded out of breath, but I pushed my head even further into Ollie’s chest. He smelled like Ollie. Woodsy, but calming. Comforting. The sound of his heart beating had mine calming. The guilt was still there, lingering right over my shoulders, but he was okay, and that made me feel entirely too happy.
What does this mean?
“What the hell happened?” Ollie asked as his strong arms wrapped around my body. “She’s fucking trembling.” I am? Ollie’s voice dipped lower. “Was it Tank?”
Eric was closer, too. “No, bro. She kind of flipped when you started down the lane. I had to tell her to relax, and as soon as she saw your car, she fucking took off running. She’s fast as fuck.”
“Piper?” Ollie’s voice was soft, almost like a light touch to my skin. “What’s going on?”
I slowly took my head off his chest and met his eye. He took in my face, and his blush-colored lips parted. “You’re crying.”
I am? I swallowed and unclenched his t-shirt that I had unknowingly bunched up in my hand. My face was sticky and wet when I touched it. “Oh.”
“What’s going on?”
I gulped, trying to swallow down my emotions. “I-I don’t like this.” I knew there was a crowd around us, but for some reason, it felt like it was only Ollie and me standing in the middle of a dirt road underneath the darkened sky. “I’m going to fix this. I’m going to get you out of this. You shouldn’t be here racing like this.”
He began to shake his head when a hush came over everyone’s murmurs.
“Tsk. Tsk.” My body stilled as I recognized the voice.
“You won me a helluva lot of money tonight, boy.”
I watched as Ollie’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. The sides of his temples flexed. “I told you I would.”
“Get these people out of here,” Tank barked to one of his friends before coming over and grinning down at me. My eyes searched around him frantically, trying to find Jason, but he was no longer in sight, and that made me feel even more nervous.
Soon, the only people left standing around were Tank, two of his friends, Eric—who refused to leave—and Ollie and me.
Ollie’s large hand was suddenly clasped in mine, and my entire arm sparked when our palms touched. I still felt twisted with nerves, though.
“Where’s Jason?” My voice was shaky, but having Ollie near gave me a boost of confidence. The fear from watching him race was slowly dissipating, and now that I was looking Tank head-on, I felt the fiery girl inside awaken.
Tank shrugged, grinning with his stained teeth. “I sent him on an errand with his… handler.”
My stomach ached. His handler?
“I want to talk about terms.” Ollie squeezed my hand as he squared his shoulders. “How much of tonight is actually going onto what Jason owes?”
Tank stared at Ollie for a moment before tipping his chin back. “I’ll know more after Derek counts the winnings for tonight.” He nodded to a guy several yards away, standing around everyone who’d watched the race, passing out money. I recognized him from last week. “Once I've made back what Jason owes me, and fucktard himself is out of my hair, we’ll talk more about you racing for me for good.” A sneaky grin found its way onto his face. “Or doing some more business for me.”
Absolutely fucking not. My mouth opened, but Ollie’s hand almost broke mine with its force, so I quickly slammed my lips closed.
“Sure thing,” he answered, completely indifferent about the situation. “I just want to make sure that these races are going toward our end goal.”
Tank’s beady eyes sliced over to mine, and I was suddenly thankful that it was dark out and he couldn’t see the pure disgust that lingered within. “Don’t worry. Your princess’s fears will vanish after a few more races, I’m sure. Twenty K isn’t that hard to come by when you race that well. Although, I’ll be sad to let Jason go, as he’s quite the little helper these days.”
Helper? What did that mean?
Ollie nodded. “Alright, good shit. I just want to make sure we’re clear on terms if I’m burning gas like that.”
“Not a worry, brother. Not a fuckin’ worry.” Tank walked over to us, and I held my breath. He nodded his head over to the guy counting out money. “Let’s take a walk and see how much money we made, yeah?”
Ollie’s hand left mine as he glanced down. A warning flashed along his features before he turned to Eric. “Make sure she gets home.”
Then, he walked away with Tank by his side, and it left a sickly feeling in my stomach.
Eric stepped up beside me, and we watched Ollie walk with Tank. The ends of my nerves were singed. I suddenly felt exhausted, and I couldn’t stand to watch Ollie be friendly with Tank any longer, so I turned on my heel and began walking to where I had parked my car. The night was far from over for me. I needed to be alone to recharge. “Eric,” I called over my shoulder as we walked along the high grass. “I’m going right to Hayley’s. You don’t need to follow me.”
“Well, excuse the fuck out of me, but I don’t know if I trust you right now. What the hell is going on?”
I stopped right along the side of my car as I glanced over to the crowd past Eric. “It’s a long story.”
He snickered under his breath, running his hand through his dark hair. “I’ve got time.”
“Are you sure you’ve got time? I just saw Madeline climbing on the back of some dude’s motorcycle.” And as if on cue, a motorcycle started up in the distance. Thank you, God.
Eric quickly spun around and searched desperately for the noise. “For fuck’s sake.”
“Go, Eric. I’m going to Hayley’s.”
Eric looked me dead in the eye when he glanced back at me. “Don’t make me regret not following you home, Piper. Right to fucking Hayley’s, alright?”
“Okay, okay. Now, go. And don’t worry,” I shouted as he was rushing away. “My lips are sealed—as long as yours are.”
He gave me one dip of his chin and then jogged away.
Now, I just had to wait in my car until I saw Tank leave.
Then, I could get on with my plan.
Chapter Eighteen
Ollie
It was funny how quickly anger could take over your body. One minute, you’re laughing, and the next, your blood pressure is rising to an unsteady level. I told Piper to stay home from the races, and I really thought she was going to listen.
But I was wrong.
The second I found her, it was as if my finger was hovering over the trigger of a gun loaded with protectiveness as the bullet. It was ready to be unleashed at a moment’s notice. I was certain her absence from the races would have helped me focus, but I might have been wrong. I had raced even better knowing she was there watching. I had pushed my foot down on the pedal in hopes that I’d get back to her quicker—that I’d get back to her before Tank ran his devilish eyes down her body.
Tank pocketed six thousand extra tonight from the bets on me, so that meant we owed fourteen more. There was no doubt that the ne
xt two or three races would cover the rest of the money, but then I had to figure out how to get out from under his thumb. I went along with his little scheme of having me work for him, or continuing to race, but that was all for show. I knew pissing him off or challenging him in any way whatsoever would be a bad move. There was a time and place to show dominance to a guy like him, and this wasn’t it.
Tank liked to be in control. He liked people fearing him and obeying him.
I wasn’t that guy, but for now, I’d pretend.
Slamming the door to my Charger, I lazily walked up to the cabin. It didn’t look to be a banger tonight; only a few cars were there—Eric’s, Christian’s, and Jace’s.
My phone lit up as I glanced at the screen, waiting for Piper to text me back, letting me know she made it to Hayley’s, which is where Eric had said she went.
A dull ache nestled into my stomach with each second that passed and she hadn’t texted back, but I took a calming breath and put on a front as I walked through the threshold of the cabin.
The lights were dim as everyone sat in the living room. There was some movie playing on the screen and a box of pizza on the counter.
Christian was the first to look up, and he immediately pressed pause on the remote. Then, all eyes were on me. I swear to God, if Eric told him…
“Brother.”
“What up?” I answered, keeping my face relaxed.
Christian tipped his chin to Jace and Max, and they hurriedly got up and went out onto the deck, leaving Eric, Christian, and me in the room.
My nostrils flared at Eric when Christian looked away. He shrugged innocently.
“Did you get Piper pregnant?”
I sputtered as I choked on a piece of pizza. “What?!”
Christian’s stare hardened. “Dad thinks you got someone knocked up, and Hayley is convinced you and Piper are fucking.”
I walked farther into the living room. “Why the fuck does Dad think I got someone pregnant?”
Christian leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. Eric sat back, observing us with an amused expression on his face. I scowled. Oh, fuck off.
“He said you came home and asked a loaded question, but when he tried to poke you for more information, you shut down and left shortly after.” He shook his head. “What did you ask?”
I clenched my jaw, grinding my molars back and forth. My hands squeezed the back of the couch so hard my knuckles ached. “First off, Piper and I are not fucking.”
Eric snickered, and I envisioned myself picking up a chair and throwing it at him—which, to be honest, was way out of character for me, but never say never when a certain redhead was involved.
“And—" Just before I could make up something to feed to my brother about asking shit I shouldn’t have been asking, the door barged open.
Hayley shoved through, and the second she saw me, she placed her hands on her hips. “What the hell is going on with my best friend?”
My pulse immediately quickened. “What are you talking about? I thought she was with you tonight.”
Hayley shrieked. “No! And she gave me a bullshit excuse last week when we were supposed to hang, and she texted a little while ago and made up another excuse. She isn’t home, either. Her parents are, but Piper isn’t. Something is going on, and…” Hayley’s voice dropped, and she all but glared at me. “I know you know what’s going on! Did you break her heart, Ollie?”
Christian interjected. “They’re not smashing. I just asked him.”
I stood frozen as I stared at Hayley. If Piper isn’t with her, then where the fuck is she?
My gaze went right to Eric, but just as I opened my mouth, my phone vibrated.
Piper: Ollie. I messed up.
My fingers flew over my phone’s screen as Hayley came over and read the text.
“Ollie. What is going on?”
I ignored her and texted back.
Me: where are u?
Piper: I’m at Tank’s and I’m stuck inside. He doesn’t know I’m here.
My heart clunked to the floor. Just then, another text came through.
Piper: I’m scared.
My entire body went into overdrive. I blocked everything out. I knew Hayley was asking me questions, and I knew Christian was trying to calm her down, but the only thing I could concentrate on was getting to Piper.
Me: Tell me where. I’m coming.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. My chest felt like it was split open, and I was scrambling to put myself back together so I could focus on getting to Piper. I needed to calm down. My feet drug me across the wooden floor of the cabin. Back and forth. Back and forth.
“Ollie!” My head snapped at Hayley yelling at me with frantically desperate eyes. “Please tell me it isn’t Tank, the high-school-dropout-turned-drug-dealer Tank.”
My legs stopped moving. I froze. “You know who Tank is?”
My phone buzzed, and Hayley and I both ignored Christian who was asking questions.
Piper: pike valley trailer park.
Hayley’s neck of the woods.
Hayley’s voice dropped. “Yes, I know exactly who Tank is. You can explain on the way. Let’s go. Now.”
Hayley grabbed onto Christian’s hand, and I followed them out the door with Eric trailing after us.
Christian glanced over his shoulder and gave me a look. He knew exactly what I was feeling in this moment, and let me tell you, it wasn’t fucking good.
Chapter Nineteen
Piper
My legs shook as I stood inside the ceramic tub that had black mold growing in the corners. It smelled like a dirty basement with a touch of Irish Spring. I glanced at the ceiling of the bathroom, and there was mold growing on it, too. Sneaking into Tank’s trailer was a poor decision on my end, but it wasn’t difficult by any means. When I’d followed him home after the races, I parked at the front entrance of the trailer park, crept toward his trailer on foot, and waited until I saw him leave again. It didn’t take long. He was back out the door and onto his motorcycle, flying on top of the make-shift, loose-gravel-covered road. I held my breath as he whizzed past me crouched down by a nearby dumpster. It smelled terrible, but not as terrible as the moldy bathroom I was currently hiding out in. I had snuck in through the sliding glass door on the back end of the trailer after snooping to make sure no one was hanging out in the living room.
It was pitch black inside, except for the glow of a phone or tablet on the table, so I tip-toed inside, ready to look in the bedrooms for my brother, when the front door began to swing open. I panicked, my heart flying throughout my chest as I rushed down the narrow hallway and into the first door I found.
It latched softly as I tried my hardest to be quiet, which wasn’t hard. I’d always been a quiet person. I was meant to blend in. I’d been doing it all my life. Play nice with the other rich kids. Act like you belong. Be quiet. Don’t make a fuss. Stop crying. My parents wanted nothing more than to fit in with their superiors, to make the same amount of money, to have the brightest children wearing their expensive prep school uniforms following in their footsteps. Only, Jason ruined their plan. Thus, why I was stuck in a rundown trailer’s bathroom, holding my breath until I found a way out.
I sunk down into the tub, my eyes well-adjusted to the dark bathroom. There was a tiny sliver of moonlight casting a bluish hue from the tiny window above the toilet, which allowed me to take in the size of the area.
There wasn’t much room inside the bathroom, other than a few feet between the front of the tub and the wall. There was a tiny vanity beside the toilet and a chipped, oval mirror leaning on the wall above it.
My first thought was to climb out of the window and go back to my car without finding Jason. Tank was back. I could hear his booming voice through the thin-as-paper walls, as well as several other muffled voices, all of which were hard to identify due to the now blaring music. So, leaving was my best option. But the window was jammed, and the ends of my fingernails were now bleeding from trying to pry it open. Th
rough the pain, I’d texted Ollie, desperate for him to help.
I knew he’d be pissed that I was here. He was already angry that I’d shown up at the races. But I had no other choice. Ollie was the only one who knew about Jason—my fucked-up brother who I kept saving over and over again.
The ache settled deep within my chest as I dropped my head to my jean-clad knees, waiting for the text from Ollie.
I hoped he had a plan to get me out of here.
I messed up. I messed up so bad, and I kept messing up.
At this point, I wasn’t even sure I deserved Ollie’s help, and I knew, very well, that Jason didn’t.
My head snapped up as the bathroom door creaked open and the light blared on. I looked to my left, meeting the hanging, brown-stained shower curtain as a shadow passed by it. Oh my God.
Small, steady puffs of air fell from my lips as I tried to stay calm. Relax. They’re just going to the bathroom.
My spine was as stiff as a board as I leaned forward, out of sight. There was a small gap between the shower curtain and the shower wall, and all it would take is one glance to the left as someone was using the toilet to see me crouched in the tub all wide-eyed with fear.
My lips smashed together to keep my breathing silent, but when I looked down at my shirt, I could see the rapid rising and falling of my chest. Staying calm was becoming harder and harder. Nerves were eating away at my sanity. What if they’re about to take a shower? What the hell am I going to do if they spot me? What if it’s Tank?
A creak echoed throughout the tiny room, and my ears strained to figure out what it was.
Slowly, I leaned my body back until I could see between the small gap of the shower curtain, and I held my breath, watching.
The guy was squatting, his head hanging low as he dug through the bottom of the vanity. I watched as he found something hidden in the very back. He was still squatting, half hidden behind the vanity doors, as he placed the top of a bottle of some sort on the vanity top. When he stood up, his back was turned to me, but I continued to stare. My stomach churned as I waited.