by Natasha Boyd
I shuddered, wanting to climb out of my skin, leave my clothes standing there, and take my soul away. I knew that look. I’d seen that look. I’d borne the brunt of a nightmare that started with a look like that. I shuddered, the ice inside me having nothing to do with the weather, and stepped a little closer to the devil I knew. Tyler. So that’s why he’d made a show of kissing me. He knew the type of guy Cal was. How chivalrous, I thought sarcastically.
Tyler drew me down to sit beside him and we cast off. What the hell was I doing? Heading out to who knew where with three men I didn’t know. One had staked a claim on me, and not just for chivalry’s sake; one, I felt certain was capable of rape; and the other was strong enough to hold me down or take out anyone who came to my aid.
The light had almost completely faded. “So is it safe to go across in the dark?” I asked, suddenly thinking about how I was going to get home. Home.
Tyler chuckled. “Well, those markers out there are lit at night so you don’t wreck on the oyster beds. Don’t worry, babe. We drive at night all the time.” I just bet they did. “Let’s get you warmed up with a shot.” He passed me a small flask. I wiped the spout with my jacket and took a hit, letting the whiskey scorch a path to the pit of my belly before handing it back. Hopefully it would dull the edge of my jumped up nerves. Tyler nodded approvingly.
He hadn’t been joking when he said it was cold on the water. I huddled into my jacket and unwillingly into his embrace, still shivering. The ice-cold wind slapped my cheeks, making my eyes water. Thank God for waterproof mascara.
We headed around the inland side of the island until we hit the open water of Calibogue Sound. There was a red and white striped lighthouse lit up in the distance across the black water, although we seemed to be headed for a different marina. A dark duffel sat at Tyler’s feet, and he reached in and handed me a wool hat, which I gratefully pulled on, covering my wind-bitten ears.
When we finally arrived at a small marina, Tyler handed me the duffel to carry as he helped get the boat secured.
The place we’d pulled into was sheltered in a horseshoe shape with some dated stucco condos rising on each side. There seemed to be a couple restaurants that were fairly quiet, and in the middle, an outdoor bar aptly named the Hurricane Bar was blaring Jimmy Buffet.
We made our way to a free table near one of the heat lamps. Twitch and Cal took one side, and I sat opposite Twitch, suddenly understanding his nickname as I noted the repeated tic in his right eye. Weird.
Tyler slid into the chair next to me, immediately placing his hand on my thigh beneath the table. I pretended not to notice and looked around at the clientele as the guys chatted about the game on TV and something about a meeting, although their coded language was hard to follow. It was still early, so there were a few tables of families, and the rest were an odd assortment of men and women in varying levels of dress from casual to more businessy, presumably depending on the job they’d just come from.
The waitress came to take our order, and Cal “accidentally” knocked a coaster to the floor, watching as she had to wind her blonde hair over one shoulder and then lean down to pick it up.
I ordered a Coke and the guys ordered beer. They kept chatting and I was relieved to not be included.
After reading a text on his phone, Tyler abruptly said, “Let’s go,” and tossed money onto the table.
I frowned but got up to follow, grabbing the bag that held our hats and stuff. What a gentleman.
We piled into a grey sedan they kept parked on the island that stank of old burned things, herbal and otherwise, and drove for about ten minutes.
The next bar we went to was more of a nightclub. It was busy for so early in the evening. Back home the clubs I frequented didn’t really get going until close to midnight.
I missed music so much, it felt great to stand in the middle of the dark, crowded room and feel the beats drum through my body. I didn’t want to dance with Tyler, but I felt the urge to lose myself in the music. I resisted though, even when Nine Inch Nails came on.
The soundtrack traded between rough rock and gangsta rap, with an assortment of radio hits seasoned in.
We had found a table near a dark corner. Tyler ordered us four tequilas from a waitress who looked like she was wearing boy shorts underwear with her tight T-shirt. Cal was in his element. I used the diversion to shrug off my jacket, already regretting my choice of bra and low-cut black shirt.
“Don’t suppose you’d let me slam my shot off you, would you?” Tyler quirked his eyebrow at me.
I rolled my eyes. The thought of Tyler licking salt off my skin was repellent. “Uh, no.”
His eyes flashed in warning, and I quickly smiled to take the sting out of my rebuff. He leaned in close to my ear. “Watch it, sweetheart,” he whispered, squeezing my leg. Then he smiled back blandly, eyes cold. Blinking again, his eyes cleared and he laughed. “Kidding.”
His attention reverted back to the other two, but his hand never left my leg. What the hell was I doing here? Oh yes, I needed some pills. I just had to get through this evening.
The waitress delivered our drinks, and we all slammed them down. I was the only one to grab my lime, my eyes watering at the tartness while the alcohol burned my head and chest from the inside out, the fumes scorching my nasal passages. I was nervous as hell and needed the edge off, but I wouldn’t be able to have too many more.
Cal headed to the bar when our waitress failed to come back soon enough and brought back a round of drinks, a rum and Coke for me. There was no way I was drinking if he was providing. God knows what he’d put in it. He and Tyler seemed to be having a bet of some sort or an argument, I couldn’t figure out which over the music. I just wished Cal would take his eyes off my chest.
Eventually, Tyler tugged on my hand and motioned to the dance floor. He gave me a friendly smile when I was expecting a lecherous one. The temptation to dance was too strong, and I was getting pretty relaxed. And for me, relaxed equaled as close to happy as I got.
As we hit the dance area, Tyler pulled me through to the middle so we were surrounded. I had this odd flash, that back in my old life, before coming here, this, right now, was exactly the kind of night I’d sought. Tyler was attracting the perfect amount of attention with his good-looking bad boy persona, and I was the object of his desire. So apart from the fact that this evening was scaring me a little, why wasn’t I feeling the usual buzz? The usual need and desire to get him aroused, to feel that power over a guy?
“Jesus, you’re gorgeous. You know that, right?” Tyler growled in my ear over the music.
I gave him a shy, practiced smile.
He pulled in close to me, fitting a leg between mine, his body almost flush against me as we moved to the rhythm. “I just don’t get you. Maybe you’re playing hard to get, but this hot and cold crap is pissing me off,” he said in my ear. “Or maybe it’s making me want you more.”
Then he said all the things I expected to hear: my body was incredible, my lips sexy as hell, how we should find a corner somewhere. Not that a corner seemed to be a concern as his hands didn’t seem to mind kneading my ass in full view of the entire club. I’d never expected anything else.
I’d never felt so numb.
“Hey, so where are my pills?” I asked and ground against him more firmly, earning a groan.
“Not yet, babe. God, you feel good. Imagine if I was inside you right now.”
Ugh. Unfortunately I could, and the thought made me nauseous.
“I’m thirsty after all this dancing. Can we go back and sit for a bit?”
He nodded and winked, like we were in on some secret together. “Yeah, I need to get back there anyway. A guy could forget his whole life with you around.” Taking my hand, he led me back through the throng to our table.
I hated that I’d left my drink unattended, although Cal had bought it, so I imagined anything he’d intended to do to it was already done. “I’m just going to get some water,” I told Tyler as he sat down.<
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He pulled my hand. “Sit, I’ll get you some in a minute.”
I frowned.
“Sit,” he said and pulled harder. I sat, not wanting to make a scene, and he planted his hand back firmly on my thigh.
“So you in high school, baby?” asked Cal, earning a swift kick from Tyler under the table, although I was unclear whether it was for the “baby” or the high school implication.
“I’m done with high school,” I said evasively.
“Tyler here likes ’em young too. Don’t you, Ty?”
“Knock it off,” Tyler said, although half his attention was now focused over Cal’s shoulder as he scanned the club.
“How old are you, Tyler?” I asked, trying to change the subject and get his attention back.
“Twenty-six,” he replied absently.
“You eighteen yet?” Cal continued, leering at me.
I nodded.
He smiled in the dark. “Shame. I like ’em before they’re legal.”
I glanced toward Tyler, unease building in my belly, but there was no reaction.
“But in your case, I could probably make an exception if Ty was up for sharin’. We like that, don’t we, Ty?”
“Cal,” Tyler snapped.
Cal shrugged and downed whatever brown liquid was in the bottom of his glass.
I took a tentative swallow of my drink to quench my dry throat. It tasted fine, but I wouldn’t allow myself more than a few sips. I wanted out of here. I was done now. I shouldn’t have come. My head was starting to ache, probably a leftover from the ice-cold wind on the water, and being dehydrated, rather than my drink. But the stupidity of my situation was finally penetrating my mind. I was playing just a bit too close to the fire tonight.
Suddenly Tyler leaned over to me. “That duffel you’ve been carrying, under the table by your feet… a nice chatty guy will be over here in a moment with a black bag just like it. He’ll set it down while we all catch up. You’ll trade it out.”
My jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me?” I hissed, earning hostile stares from Twitch and Cal. I didn’t care. I reached under the table, knocking Tyler’s hand off my leg.
He latched back on and dug his fingers in hard, getting up in my face. His other arm came around my neck, drawing me in really close so I couldn’t lean away. To anyone looking, we’d be having a quiet, intimate moment.
I gritted my teeth to keep my face stoic.
“No, I’m not kidding. You’ll be a good girl and do as I say.”
I shook my head, my heart pounding. “I didn’t sign up for this. Please, Tyler. I don’t deal, okay.” God, the last thing I needed was to get caught: they’d probably call my parents. God, or Mike. I shuddered.
“Keep your fucking voice down,” he growled, wafting his stale breath over me, even though there was no way anyone would hear me over the music. “And give me your hand.” He took my hand under the table, closing it over a baggy that felt like it had pills in it. “I got what you asked me for.”
And just like that, I was officially in debt.
I was too stupid to live right now, and I knew it.
A GUY WITH a backward cap and a grey Seahawks T-shirt came over to our table, a big goofy grin on his face, a backpack on one shoulder. It wasn’t a duffle, but it was still black. He stood at my end of the table. “Hey, guys,” he said, all smiles. Then he slid the bag off his shoulder to the ground, ostensibly to shake hands with everyone.
I ignored him as he came around to me.
Tyler nudged me with his elbow and I looked away. What if I just refused to do it? “How are you, Rob?” Tyler greeted our new guest.
“Good, man. Good.”
“This here is Olivia.” Dammit. He bumped the side of his foot against mine. “Olivia’s new to the area. Which one of us do you think would be better suited to show her a good time? You think it should be Cal?”
What the hell?
Icy tendrils of terror snaked through me, making my stomach heave, and I looked up to see Tyler’s smirk as he raised the stakes on my coercion. God, he wouldn’t seriously toss me into the alligator den, would he? I felt like Cal was his weapon of persuasion rather than to be actually deployed, but I couldn’t be sure.
“I think Cal has the lead at the moment,” Tyler continued, making sure I understood his implication. “You think she’d have a good time, Rob?”
How could I get out of here? Even if I did, where would I go? I only had a few dollars on me, and I was an island away from safety. My heart rate ramped up to a flat-out gallop. I hauled in air. Oh, God.
Safety.
The cottage was safety.
Tom was safety.
And I couldn’t even call him. Why had I done this to myself? If I could just get back to the cottage, I‘d never go anywhere ever again. I’d stay there where I’d finally found safety. And acceptance. Tom accepted me. No matter what I did or said to him, he was simply there. If I could just get back there in one piece, I’d never gamble like this again.
My chest went painfully tight, and I grabbed at it with my hand.
I vaguely heard Rob clearing his throat nervously. This obviously wasn’t going the way he’d planned either. “Can we, uh—”
“I think, actually, I’ll be taking Olivia home now.” Tom’s gravelly voice, dripping with ice, came from behind me.
God, I had to be dreaming. Maybe I’d conjured him up somehow. I sucked in an agonizing breath and whipped my head around as Tyler stared in surprise but stayed seated. I’d never seen a more welcome sight. How had he found me? What was he doing here? I didn’t care. I wanted to sob in relief.
“Get up, Olivia.” Tom flicked his eyes over me and back to Tyler.
I didn’t hesitate.
Tyler grabbed my wrist, holding me in place. “We are not done, babe,” he hissed, then let me go, raising his palms and shrugging to Tom, as if he’d just reassessed Tom’s look.
I slid out from the table, careful not to trip over the two bags now at my feet.
Tom picked up my jacket from the back of my chair and held it for me to put my arms into. It was a strange and slow courtesy in a situation we both clearly wanted to get away from as fast as possible. I guess we were making sure everything looked normal in case anyone was watching. Or perhaps he was giving me a chance to calm myself? As I put my second arm in, he turned me around to face him. Oh my God, I wanted to stare into his beautiful caramel eyes forever.
“Do you have anything you need to return?” he asked for my ears only, his eyes searching mine.
The pills. I swallowed and nodded.
He let me go, and I wondered how to give them back to Tyler without being obvious. The concern about what to do must have been evident on my face because Tom leaned in. “‘Do what you have to, right?” he said, throwing my careless remark back at me. “I’m sure it works the same in reverse.”
His words cut me.
I swallowed the hurt down and steeled myself to get this over with. Turning back to Tyler, I leaned over him. He looked up, his expression smug as I zeroed in. My left hand slid around his neck into his hair, and I lowered my head, touching my mouth to his beer soaked lips.
Someone whistled softly.
My right hand skated over his chest to his breast pocket where it left behind the little baggie of pills. I finished off the kiss, trying not to gag, and stood. “Thanks for a great evening, guys. And Tyler? You and me are squared up.”
I turned quickly, before the glazed look faded from Tyler’s face. I didn’t want to be around when he realized I’d returned his merchandise.
Tom’s face was completely devoid of expression as he swiveled abruptly and strode out of the club.
I hurried to keep up, hugging my coat tightly around me as I hit the cool night air. He slid into a waiting taxi, leaving the door open. I followed into the lighted interior and closed the door, plunging us into darkness.
“Back to the marina, please.” Tom’s voice was flat as he spoke to the cabbie. We ro
de in tense silence. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I stared at Tom’s shadowed profile, his strong, straight nose, his forehead. His closely clipped beard, even. It was shorter than I’d ever seen it. I wondered if it was coarse or soft.
He looked and smelled like home.
“Thank you,” I whispered. My head was aching, and I felt weak and sick with relief.
I thought his jaw clenched, but I wasn’t sure. In any case, anger radiated off him. “I don’t want to act like your parent, but what the fuck?” He left the question hanging.
“How did you find me?”
“Marjoe called me when she saw you leave. I made a lucky guess as far as the club was concerned. There aren’t that many choices for assholes with his agenda.”
“So Marjoe called, and you came to get me. That sure seems like a parent thing to do, for someone who doesn’t want to act like one.” What was wrong with me? I couldn’t understand the way he pressed all my buttons and made me speak to him like this.
Tom turned his head to look in my direction. Then his entire body shifted toward me, moving my breath from my lungs, and his face came close to mine. “Then stop acting so fucking childish. What do you think might have happened tonight if I hadn’t showed up? Because from where I was sitting, it looked like you were about to take part in a drug deal.”
And probably not just that. The unsaid words dropped like a heavy stone between us.
I shut out the thought of Cal, Twitch, and Tyler and swallowed at Tom’s nearness. I wished there were at least streetlights so I could see his eyes again. Instead I had to feel his contempt as strongly as I felt his breath wash over my lips. It smelled like expensive wine and dark chocolate.
Then he sat back abruptly.
I shook my head. We were at the marina I’d arrived at earlier. He opened the door, dousing us in light. His strong hands had a slight tremor as he pulled out a wad of cash and peeled off several bills to hand to the driver.