by Regan Ure
I was busy on my phone as I entered the stairwell. It was darker than usual and I wondered if the light had broken. I'd just sent a message to Jordan as I began to climb the stairs. Excitement and anticipation made me smile to myself as I hurried up the stairs and I shoved my phone into the back pocket of my jeans. I was nearly halfway up the stairs and I'd just reached a landing when I heard a door open behind me.
I didn't turn around to see who had entered the stairwell. I should have taken more notice, but I was lost in my thoughts when I felt hands grab my arms and lift me off the step I was on. A hand covered my mouth before I could scream. Panic began to build up inside of me at the realization of what was happening. I struggled, but my assailant was stronger and I couldn't move.
My stomach sank when I realized I had no way of defending myself. Warm breath against my ear made me press my eyes closed tightly and I felt a shudder of fear as he pinned me against the wall. I got a whiff of an overpowering cologne that made me want to gag.
"You're my whore, not his," a guy's voice whispered against my ear as I felt him press his body suggestively against mine. Tears began to slide down my cheeks at the fear and revulsion at what he was doing to me.
I heard a door open from below us. My assailant stiffened and when he realized we weren't alone, he pushed me hard against the wall. I lost my balance and fell onto the floor. He made an escape back out the door. I rubbed my side hip that had taken the brunt of my fall as I sat up.
"Taylor?" I heard Sin question from a few steps below. His eyes widened in surprise when my eyes met his. A sob tore from me at the concern on his face. Tears began to stream unchecked down my face.
He rushed up the last couple of steps as I tried to stand up. I winced when the pain in my side throbbed. Concern was etched into his features as he took my hysterical state in.
"What happened?" he asked as his hands reached for me and he scanned my features. I was shaking so badly that I could feel my teeth rattle. I don't know if it was shock or fear that kept me silent. I struggled to process what had just happened.
You're my whore, not his, echoed through my mind and I felt my fear take hold and I trembled as I cried. I couldn't think about what he would have done to me if Sin hadn't been there.
"Shh," Sin soothed as he pulled me into his arms and held me. After a few minutes of being held in Sin's protective hug, my tears began to ease. He pulled away slightly and looked at me. He brushed the remaining tears from my face as he scanned my features.
I was still trembling slightly when he put his arm around me and helped me climb the remaining stairs. I'd never feel safe again. Sin got me back to my room and sat me down on bed. I sank down onto my bed and let my gaze drop to the floor. I had so many thoughts racing through my mind. Sin's finger lifted my chin so my gaze met his. He was kneeling in front of me on one knee.
"What happened, Tay?" he asked softly.
I pressed my lips together for a moment to stop myself from letting my emotions turn me into a sobbing mess. The sting of tears made me brush the unshed tears from my eyes as I tried to pull myself together.
"You have to tell me what happened," he said gently as his eyes held mine.
"Someone...a-attacked me," I stuttered as my throat thickened with emotion. His jaw tensed and he pressed his lips together.
"Did you see who it was?" he asked calmly. I shook my head.
"He came up behind me and I couldn't..." was all I managed to say before I put my hand over my mouth.
"I need to call the cops," he explained as he reached for his phone. I nodded my head.
There was no ignoring what had been happening now. This wasn't just some jealous girl who was trying to be spiteful; it was worse than that. Sin stood up and began to pace the small room as he called the police. He ran a hand through his hair while he talked. I clasped my hands together as I thought about all the strange events that had led up to this.
First someone had spiked my drink. Was it just a coincidence or had it been the same guy? Then I thought about the incident when I'd heard the sound of footsteps chasing me in the stairwell. At the time, I'd brushed it off as my imagination, but after what had just happened I knew it hadn't been.
Then there was the incident with my underwear. It had to be the same guy. He'd broken into my room and invaded my privacy twice: once to steal the underwear and once to put it back with the message written on it.
This wasn't just an attack that had happened because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was like I had a stalker. I shuddered when I thought about what would have happened to me if Sin hadn't come back.
Sin finished the call and sat down beside me. He put his arm around me and pulled me close. I rested my head against his shoulder.
"They're on their way."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Taylor
The cops arrived quickly and a flurry of activity followed. While an officer who introduced himself as Officer Johnson questioned me, a couple of officers searched the building for the attacker. I didn't miss the look that the officer gave Sin as he began to question me.
"What's your name?" he asked as he gave me a kind smile.
"Taylor Price."
"Taylor Price," the officer murmured to himself as he wrote it down in his notebook. "Your name sounds familiar. Have you had any run-ins with the law?"
Oh no!
I swallowed hard. This couldn't be happening. I remained as calm as possible and shook my head. I hadn't had any run-ins with the law, but there was only one reason why my name might have sounded familiar.
Please don't let him remember why he knows my name, I thought to myself as I waited anxiously to see if he was going to question me further about it.
"What happened?" Officer Johnson asked me as he shot Sin a questioning look. Sin remained indifferent. It was like he was used to it. I felt relieved that he had moved on and wasn't going to ask any more questions about the fact that my name sounded familiar to him. I relayed the events best as I could. I couldn't stop myself from trembling in fear when I told him about the attack itself. An arm wrapped around my shoulders and I glanced to see Sin standing beside me.
"Did he say anything during the attack?"
I hesitated for a moment.
"He said that I was his whore," I said. I felt the heat of Sin's eyes on me. I left out the other part because it would be too embarrassing to say in front of Sin. It was like everything happening around us was making our arrangement out to be more than it was.
"Did you get a look at him?" the officer asked with his hand holding the pen to the small notepad.
"No."
I wrapped my arms around my body as I remembered the feel of his body pushing against mine. I wanted to throw up. He'd held me so hard I couldn't turn to look at him.
"Was there anything you noticed that would help us identify the attacker?" he asked.
I shook my head, feeling disheartened. The truth was I could walk past this guy at any time and have no idea who he really was. It was scary. The officer looked at me for a moment and then dropped his gaze to a notepad where he scribbled something down.
"Have there been any other incidents that you think might be related to this?"
"Yes," I answered. Sin stiffened beside me. It was time to lay it all out.
"There have been a few weird incidents," I began to explain as I rubbed my forehead. I was starting to get a headache and it was hard to concentrate.
"Take your time and start from the beginning," the officer suggested. I told him about all the incidents. When I got to the underwear incident, I felt Sin's arm tighten around my shoulders, but I didn't look at him.
"Why didn't you report your drink being spiked?" he questioned.
"I couldn't prove it," I replied. At the time, I'd thought it was an isolated incident. There was no way I could have known it was going to be so much worse.
"Did you keep the underwear?"
I shook my head, feeling stupid that I'd thrown away
evidence that might have been able to lead the police to my attacker. At the time, I had just wanted to get rid of it so I could forget about the incident.
"Do you have somewhere to stay in the meantime?" Officer Johnson asked me. The truth was, I didn't. I'd have to try and find a hotel nearby. But I knew that once Connor found out what had happened, he'd be on the first flight here and he'd be packing my things for me. I rubbed my forehead as I tried to sort through my thoughts and decide what I was going to do.
"Ma'am?" the officer said.
"Yes, she does." I turned to face Sin, who was standing beside me. What was he talking about?
"She'll be staying with me," he told the cop.
The officer eyed him for a few moments before he gave a brief nod. It was only after the police left that I had a chance to talk to Sin.
"I can stay in a hotel," I said as he watched me pack some of my clothes in a bag. I didn't want to impose myself on him and besides it wasn't like we were dating or anything like that. He didn't need to play the concerned boyfriend. He was a guy I was screwing and that was it. Staying with him went way beyond what we'd agreed.
"You've got some crazy nut after you and you want to go and stay in a hotel where he might find you?" he argued with a frown.
I hesitated.
"We both know what would’ve happened if I hadn't come back and frightened him off," he said, driving the point home. He was trying to make me face the reality of my situation.
I paled at the reminder. I tried to swallow my fear as my eyes stung with tears. It was all I could think about when the officers had questioned me. I'd been so lucky. A tear escaped and slid down my cheek despite my attempts to keep it together.
"I'm sorry," he said softly as he reached for me and pulled me into his arms. Another tear slid down my cheek as I pressed my cheek against his chest.
"I didn't mean to make you cry," he whispered as he held me. He pulled away gently to brush the tears from my cheek as I bit my lip. He held me for a few minutes while I pulled myself together.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled as I pulled away from him. I felt fragile and exposed because I'd cried in front of him.
He remained quiet.
"What about your roommates?" I asked. I wasn't sure how many guys lived in the house.
"It will be fine," he assured me.
I debated for a few minutes before I relented. It wouldn't be for long because I had to call Connor to tell him what happened, and when he found out he would insist I move back home.
"Okay."
I packed up some of my stuff. Sin took the bag from me and carried it for me as I followed behind him. At the door to the stairwell, I hesitated for a moment. The cops had searched the building and they hadn't found the guy who had attacked me, but I was still scared to go back inside the stairwell where I'd been attacked.
Sin turned to me in the doorway and extended his hand. I took a deep breath and put my hand in his. Side by side, he walked me down the stairs with my hand in his.
I was subdued as he drove us back to his house. I felt his gaze on me a few times during the drive. The party was still going when we arrived. I'd completely forgotten about it. We got more than a few curious looks as Sin got my bag out of his car and walked me into the house.
"Hey, man, where have you been?" asked Slater as we entered the house. His eyes moved from Sin to me.
"I didn't think you were coming tonight," said Slater to me. I gave him a weak smile.
"What's up?" Slater asked Sin when he noticed my bag in his friend's hand.
"Taylor is staying with us for a couple of nights," Sin informed his friend. Slater looked a little surprised as his gaze moved to me.
"Sure, no problem. Do you want me to close up the party?" he asked. Sin gave a slight nod of his head.
"Tay," Jordan squealed when she saw me.
"Hi," I greeted her, fastening a smile to my lips as I hugged her. I could smell alcohol on her and she was a little unsteady on her feet.
"Were you planning on taking Jordan back to the dorm room?" Sin asked Slater as Slater put an arm around Jordan's waist to make sure she didn't stumble.
"No," he answered, giving his friend a questioning look.
"Good," replied Sin as he reached for my hand and led me up the stairs. I turned back to see Slater press a kiss to Jordan's head as she leaned against his chest. They looked so good together.
I didn't have a chance to call Jordan and tell her about the attack so I was glad that she wasn't going anywhere near the dorm room tonight. In the morning, I would tell her everything.
As we got to the top of the stairs, I wondered if they had a spare couch that I could use. I was surprised when he opened the door to his room and held it open for me. Nervously, I stepped inside as he switched the bedroom light on and he closed the door behind him.
He put my bag down beside the bed and then he turned to face me as he ran a hand through his hair. His tongue flicked against the one lip ring as he studied me for a moment.
The events that night had left me nervous and jittery. I knew I was safe with Sin, but I couldn't help feeling that deep-rooted fear that had been put there by the attack earlier. He walked up to me.
"How are you doing?" he asked softly as he cupped my face.
"I'm okay," I lied outright. I was anything but okay. I wasn't sure if I would ever feel safe again.
"Do you need to shower?" he asked as his hands dropped from my face to settle on my hips.
"Yes," I answered. It was hard to concentrate on my thoughts when he was so close to me.
"Get what you need together and I'll put a clean towel in the bathroom for you," he said as he released me and stepped back.
"Okay," I said as I walked over to my bag.
I heard the door open and then close. I was alone. I sat down on the bed for a moment and rubbed my hands over my face, trying to get it together. I didn't want to be an emotional mess that Sin would have to deal with.
After I got my stuff out of my bag, I went to the bathroom. There was a clean, dark blue towel neatly folded beside the sink. I stripped down and climbed into the shower. Once I'd started up the shower and adjusted the temperature, I leaned my head against the tiles.
Some bruises had started to develop where my attacker had grabbed me. A shiver of fear ran through my body at the physical evidence left by the horrifying encounter.
At the sight of the bruises, I showered quickly and got out. I dried off in record time and began to pull my clothes on. I began to feel better now that the bruises were hidden from my sight by my clothes.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, I noticed the party had stopped. It was quiet except for some voices. The party was over. I went back to Sin's room expecting him to be there, but he wasn't.
I knew I had to call Connor, but I really wasn't looking forward to it. I grabbed my phone from my discarded clothes and I sat down on the bed while I tried to contemplate how I was going to tell my brother what had happened tonight. There was no use delaying it, and it didn't matter how I told Connor, he was going to freak.
"Hi," I heard Connor answer my call.
"Hi," I replied.
"What's wrong?" he asked. I could hear the nervous fear in his voice. A phone call this late at night was never for good news.
"I don't want you to freak out," I said.
"Tell me what happened," he instructed firmly, but I could hear the rising panic in his voice.
"I was attacked tonight," I revealed softly as I closed my eyes and prepared for his reaction.
"What happened? Are you okay? Have you reported it to the police?" He screeched one question after the other. He was flipping out.
"Calm down," I instructed.
"How the fuck do you expect me to calm down!" he yelled. I bit down on my lip to keep from snapping back at him. I remained silent as I let what I said sink in.
"Tell me what happened," he requested tightly once he'd managed to calm himself down enough to talk further.
"I was in the stairwell of the dorm building when someone came up behind me and pushed me against the wall," I said. While I was talking, I was already sifting through the finer details, deciding what to tell him and what to leave out.
"Someone scared him off when they entered the stairwell," I said, leaving out what the attacker had said to me, and the fact that it had been Sin who had scared off my attacker. He would go ballistic if he knew the guy he'd warned me off and given me a folder full of reasons to stay away from him was the guy I'd gone out with. He didn't need to know everything.
"Are you okay?" was Connor's next question.
"Yes, I'm fine." I was a little shaken, but physically I was fine.
"I'll get the first flight in the morning," he said. If it hadn't been so late I know he'd been on the first flight to get to me as soon as he could. I wasn't surprised. I knew he would come out as soon as I told him.
"Where are you?" he asked.
"At a friend's place," I replied vaguely.
"What’s the address?" he asked. I gave him the address.
"I'll meet you there as soon as my flight lands," he told me.
"Okay," I replied, not sure how I was going to be able to keep Sin a secret now that I'd given my brother his address. Feeling overwhelmed, I decided I would sort it out tomorrow. It was one of the reasons I hated lying. Lies always had a way of coming out.
"I'm so glad you're okay," my brother said, sounding a little hoarse. He was emotional and I couldn't blame him. Tonight had reminded him about the time he'd nearly lost me.
"Travel safe and I'll see you in the morning," I replied, trying to keep my emotions from bubbling over.
"I love you," my brother said.
The last time I'd spoken to him before the night that had changed our lives, he'd forgotten to tell me he loved me. So now every time I spoke to him—brief or not—he would always say those three little words to me. It was like he was scared if he didn't say them that something bad would happen to me.