by Maya Nicole
At least he knew where to put his hand.
"Great." I shut my eyes and breathed in deeply before giving him my right hand to hold in dance position. "Let's just get this over with so I can dance with a real dancer."
He pulled me flush against his body into closed hold, keeping his mouth against my ear. "You aren't a Back-Lead Betty, are you? I like to be in charge." He meant more than just in dance.
"Only when the lead doesn't know what he's doing." I took a step backward, pulling him with me.
We moved in time to the music and he took over. He knew how to dance as if he'd been dancing since he was out of diapers. His lead was strong, and I relaxed as we flew around the dance floor.
The music cut off and Bernardo clapped. "Oh my Gucci! That was like butter. I can't wait to see Latin." He put his fist against his mouth and bit it. "And my boyvaries are already tingling at the thought of tango with you two."
Morgan being in my safe haven still made me feel queasy, but he could move. When dancing, that was the only thing on my mind.
The hour flew by, and when the lesson was done, Bernardo took us into one of the offices to chat. I was impressed with Morgan and his ability on the dance floor, but I didn't know what his angle was.
"From my vantage point, this is a match made in dance heaven." Bernardo pulled out a binder that had pricing in it. "The next competition for your age group and ability level is in three months in Hawaii. The question is, how much time do you want to devote?"
"I'm willing to devote whatever it takes." Morgan was relaxed in the chair next to me and took my hand.
I couldn't pull away, not when we had just been dancing so intimately together. I looked down at his hand clasping mine and sighed.
"How much is it going to cost?" I didn't usually bat an eye at how much dancing and events cost, but I was wondering how I was going to buy food for the next week without asking Ivy.
Maybe I could sell some of my clothes or the ones my mom had left in her closet. The knife would probably fetch a nice amount at a pawn shop.
"The trip to Hawaii with hotel, flight, and all of your entrance fees will be around three thousand each." He pulled a calculator out of a drawer. "And with you two being a new partnership, I would recommend three lessons a week. That will be about twenty-five hundred a piece."
My eyes widened and I pulled my hand from Morgan's. I stood and backed toward the door. "I forgot I have somewhere to be. I'll call you later."
I rushed out and to the bathroom to grab my belongings. This was the reality check I needed. I was going to go straight to the police station and file a missing person's report.
I managed to make it into the parking lot when a hand took me by the elbow and spun me around. On instinct, I swung my hand to slap him, but he grabbed my wrist just before it was about to make contact.
"Aren't we feisty?" Morgan let my wrist go. "Why are you crying?"
I swiped at my cheeks and glanced at my car. "It's nothing." I tried to step past him and he blocked my path. "Move out of my way."
There were enough people around. All it would take was a scream to have them coming to my rescue. Hopefully.
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Not until you tell me what's wrong."
"What’s wrong?" My voice came out with a squeak. "You assholes are stalking me, kissing and touching me without my permission, and threatening me!"
"I've never kissed you or threatened you." He shook his head. "Wait, who the fuck kissed you?"
I found it hard to believe that Jax didn't tell him about the two kisses he'd laid on me. One of which I could still feel. I didn't even know why I allowed it to happen or why I didn't kick him in the nuts.
I should have kicked him in the nuts. Next time I would. I shook my head at the image of him pressing against me, his lips covering mine as his hands roamed my body.
"I've done nothing to you three." I darted around him and jumped in my car.
Before I managed to shut the door, he stopped it with his hand and leaned down to look me in the eye. "One of my favorite games is hide-and-seek."
"Is that supposed to scare me?" Because it did, but it also excited me in a sick and twisted way.
He laughed. "There's only one way to get me to leave you alone." He shut my door, giving me a little finger wave before going back into the dance studio.
What the hell was I going to do and what the fuck was wrong with me?
Chapter Five
Twenty-four hours.
I slammed my locker shut and pinched the bridge of my nose. Maybe I should look into independent study until everything blows over. I hadn't been able to focus at all in class thinking about my mom and the impending deadline set by the Tritons.
The evening before, I had gone to the police station, but they had been no help, saying that if my mom told me a date of return, I needed to wait until twenty-four hours after that date.
When I burst into tears, the officer took down some information and said he'd see what he could find out. I wasn't holding my breath.
Even worse, the morning news reported that, after an investigation, it had been discovered that engineers on the oil platform had reported the need for necessary fixes to the oil wells, but they had fallen on deaf ears.
Where was Robert Kline in this whole mess? No one knew. He had taken his private jet and vanished. The Federal Aviation Administration was still investigating where the plane had gone.
"You know what you need?" Aiden appeared beside me and slung his arm around my shoulders. "A night of fun. You. Me. Ivy. This Friday. Football game. Bonfire."
I groaned. "And how is that fun? They will be there, won't they?" I pulled open the door to the aquatic center and stopped to look at him. "It's bad enough that I have to do the coverage on swimming."
We entered the lobby area of the state-of-the-art facility. Most of the major high school swim meets were hosted there because of it. Even the lobby was impressive, with a giant snack bar and sitting areas with big screens.
I thought it was a bit much, but the swimming program brought in big money, not only for our school, but the community as well. Finn West was also one of the donors that helped fund it being built.
"Why can't Jax do the swimming coverage?"
I took my camera out of my bag as we entered the main facility. The swim teams were already training and I had a hard time keeping my eyes off the shirtless, muscular male forms. "He can't take pictures while swimming. I hate to say this, but the main photos should probably be those three."
As we got closer, the Tritons glanced in my direction and then their heads went together. They hadn't been in the water yet, but it looked like they were just getting ready to go in.
"Girl, I can't tell if they just gave you the stank eye or bedroom eyes." He plopped into a cushioned chair. "They are fine though. Maybe their kink is being dominant alphas and they want you to fall to your knees in submission like an omega wolf."
"I think their kink is being utter assholes." I dropped my bag on the ground next to him. "Being hot isn't an excuse for the way they've been toward me. I don't care who they are or how much money they have."
They'd have to buy me a thousand roses and a five-carat diamond for me to even consider one of them. Not that any of them were interested in me. They were just trying to mess with me and break me.
"Have you told them that?" Aiden cocked a brow and then smirked when I just stared blankly at him. "Be firm with them. Guys like them will take advantage of weakness in a heartbeat. Put them in their place."
I turned and moved closer to take photos. The yearbook had excellent cameras and zoom lenses for me to stay a safe distance from the pool. Even being close to it was making my breath hitch a little.
Swimming was one of the more difficult sports to get good shots of because of the water. I started snapping photos of the swimmers in the water and those standing around preparing to get in.
I zoomed in on the Tritons, who were still clustered together. Ja
x handed something to Morgan and he put it in his mouth. I held the button down to take burst shots, and not a second later, Jax handed the same thing to Blake.
Whatever had just happened, I had captured it, and an odd satisfaction washed over me. They surely wouldn't take drugs in plain sight, would they? Drugs would certainly explain how they dominated the pool like they did.
I stayed for another fifteen minutes before calling it a day. I didn't need to stay for the whole practice. The real magic would come when they had a meet.
"What do you mean she turned her car in?" I clutched my phone in my hand and felt the instant need to throw up.
"She was leasing it and turned it in to the car dealership. They gave her a ride to the airport. They don't remember much other than she seemed sad. I'm going to reach out to the airlines tomorrow and see what they say. Do you know of anyone she had issues with?"
"No, but the oil spill..." I sighed and propped my elbow on the kitchen table where I had been working on an assignment. "There are some guys at my school who have been threatening me."
I filled in the detective on the past week and he said he was concerned. He suggested I speak to the administration or the school counselor so their parents could be contacted.
I'm sure that would go over well.
There was a reason they were called the Tritons. They were virtually untouchable. Their parents invested a lot of money into the school, including the upgrades to the facilities and to academic and sports programs. We were essentially a private high school without tuition.
After hanging up the phone, I checked my emails again, and the spam folder, to make sure I didn't miss an email from my father or someone at his company. I had tried every email available on the company's website, hoping it would make its way to him.
The doorbell rang, and I jumped in surprise. I considered not answering, but the doorbell sounded again. I went to the living room window and carefully lifted a blind slat to peek.
Blue eyes met mine, and I cursed. I backed away from the window and nearly fell over the arm of the couch. Why was Jax at my door and how did he know where I lived?
He rang the doorbell again and I went back to the dining room and grabbed my phone to send him a text.
Me: Leave me alone.
Jax: I need to talk to you.
Me: There's nothing to talk about. I'm calling the police.
I stood frozen for a minute and then walked as quietly as humanly possible back to the window to peek out. My shoulders relaxed. He was gone.
I turned and screamed. Jax was standing in the middle of the living room with a triumphant smile on his face.
I darted around the coffee table away from him, but he seized my arm. I picked up the first thing I could get my hands on and hit him with it. The sound of plastic against bone made me flinch.
He let me go with a grunt and rubbed his jaw. "Fuck, Riley. I'm not going to hurt you." He snatched the television remote from me and threw it on the couch. "I just want to talk."
He stalked after me as I ran up the stairs to my room. I locked the door and quickly called back the number the detective had called me from.
"Detective Wilson speaking."
"He's in my house." I looked around my room and grabbed the knife I had taken from my mom's nightstand. "Please help me."
"Where are you?"
"In my bathroom, please hurry." I shut and locked my bathroom door and tried to stay calm.
Sure, I'd imagined something like this before after watching too many movies, but never did I think I'd be dealing with it myself. My body trembled and my skin felt sweaty and cold at the same time.
"Officers are on the way."
A knock sounded on the bathroom door and I gripped the knife. Why was he doing this to me? I bumped into the wall as I backed toward the shower.
"Riley." He drew out my name, taunting me. He jiggled the door handle.
If he could get into my bedroom that quickly, he would easily get into the bathroom. I was going to have to stab him.
"He's outside the bathroom door," I whispered, clutching the phone tight.
"Do you have something to protect yourself with? ETA is three minutes." I heard sirens from his end of the phone.
"I don't think I have three minutes." The lock turned and the phone slipped through my fingers, smashing into the tile floor as the door swung open.
I backed up into the shower and held the shaking knife in front of me. Jax bent to pick up the phone and ended the call to the detective.
His eyes went from the knife to my face. "Your back door was unlocked." He set the phone on the counter and met my eyes in the mirror. "Why don't you put the knife down, Riley."
"The police are coming." Probably not the smartest thing to say, but maybe he'd run. "Get out of my house."
He was standing at the shower door now, blocking any exit out of the predicament I was in. I should have gone to my mom's bedroom for her gun. It couldn't be that hard to shoot someone. There was a safety and then I just had to pull the trigger.
His eyes fell to the knife again and they narrowed. "Where did you get that knife?"
I didn't answer, my entire body stiff. If he came forward, would I be able to stab him? How hard would I have to jab him with it to cause injury?
He turned his head toward the door as if he was angling it to listen. He made a growling noise in his throat and then walked out without another word.
My body relaxed and I suddenly felt the need to sit down. I pushed into the tiled wall to keep from sliding to the shower floor. If he came back, I needed to be ready.
A few moments later, I heard the sound of sirens and then the front door being kicked in. I sagged against the wall and the knife clinked against the tile after slipping from my hand. I was safe.
Twenty minutes later, I was on the couch with a glass of water in my hands and a splitting headache. The adrenaline rush left me exhausted and weak.
"No signs of forced entry. I checked all the doors and windows and they were all locked." I sat, numb, on the couch as the detective filled out a report. Jax must have locked the back door when he left. "You're positive he was inside the house?"
"Yes." I furrowed my brows and looked inside my glass at the bubbles around the edge.
The detective's phone rang and he answered it, making nonverbal noises as the person on the other end talked to him. "The two officers that went to his house say he was in the middle of an extracurricular activity with a female."
I blinked so many times I thought my eyelids were going to ignite. "But that's impossible. It hasn't been that long. How could he get home and already be in bed with a girl?"
Detective Wilson leaned forward and put his clipboard on the coffee table before turning toward me with a sympathetic face. "Look... sometimes when the mind is under a lot of stress-"
I stood. "You think I made it up?" I couldn't believe someone that should be on my side was questioning me.
"I think you are a smart young woman who is worried about her mother." He grabbed his clipboard and stood. "I will swing by and speak to Mr. West. I want to suggest that you call a friend to come spend the night or go to their house until we send someone out to fix your door tomorrow."
I decided his disbelief didn't warrant a thank you. I shut the door and pushed an oversized chair in front of it until I went to Ivy's.
None of this would be happening if it wasn't for my sperm donor.
Chapter Six
Jax
I want her.
Ever since she looked up at me with her emerald green eyes and uttered excuse me she was all I could think about.
My task had been simple; distract her long enough for Blake and Morgan to get into her dorm room that night and leave a very clear message. A message that was meant to get back to her father. She hadn't even connected that dead fish insinuated swimming with the fish in death.
Instead of going to plan, my lips had found hers and my fingers ached to feel the heat between her legs
. There was something about her that drew me to her and I wanted to make her mine, but she'd stopped me. No one ever stopped me.
I leaned on the railing at the edge of our cliff and looked out at the glistening ocean in the moonlight. I shut my eyes and imagined slicing through the water at top speeds and swimming alongside my aquatic friends. It had only been three days since I'd been in the ocean, but my skin itched for a swim and my heart ached for the companionship of the other creatures that called the ocean home.
"Are the police taken care of?" Blake interrupted my fantasy and I turned toward him, leaning my forearms back against the railing.
Morgan stood shoulder to shoulder with Blake, both of their eyes shooting daggers at me. I'd fucked up again.
I should have dived right off the cliff to avoid the conversation that I'd already had with myself. I was supposed to run point on this assignment and had fucked up several times already. I couldn't help that my lips craved the taste of hers or that my broken heart muddled my thoughts.
I had one job. Scout out her house and see where possible entry points were. There was an alarm, but it wasn't operational. A quick call to the alarm company that Blake’s father had investments in confirmed that.
"They bought it." I turned back to the ocean and felt them come to stand behind me. "I've got it under control."
All it had taken was ripping my shirt off and unbuttoning my pants to have the cops believe I had been fucking a girl. They wouldn't dare question me, not when our families were so deeply entrenched in their livelihood at the Salinity Cove Police Department.
"Do you?" Blake leaned on the railing and looked at me with concern in his eyes. I was tired of them looking at me like that. "Bro, you broke into her house."
My jaw ticked at his condescending tone and I didn't speak. It was true. I had let my emotions get the best of me. There was something about her that captivated me and refused to let go, even though she was the last person I should want.