“Did you spend the weekend together like I asked?” Dominick smirked, but covered it with a questioning look that seemed more concerned than controlling.
I dug my fingers into the tops of my thighs. The ways Dominick controlled Danielle were similar to how she controlled Coach Asher. With sex.
Dominick was the only thing Danielle craved and he held himself out of her reach just like a carrot on a string for a donkey.
She nodded tightly. “I did what you said. I got him to gamble and fixed a few of the hands. He thinks he’s on a winning streak now and he’ll be easier to get further in.” Debt with gambling and drugs was a favorite of theirs to control people.
Dominick nodded, folding his hands and putting them behind his head as he leaned back in his seat. “Good. The faster we get the Ashers in line, the sooner we can get the things we want.”
Not for the first time did I wonder just what the Ashers had that Dominick wanted. They didn’t have money and Gray wasn’t his type. Unless, he planned on making a play for her.
That was how he got Danielle. Her father had been alcoholic and got a DUI, killing a family of four just south of Jameson. Dominick had just taken control of the town and he made a deal with her father to leave Danielle with Dominick in exchange for a lighter sentence.
He’d taken advantage of the situation in more ways than way, pimping her out to satisfy deals and essentially using her as his very own ego booster. He’d made her fall for him in the worst ways and now she was his – body and soul.
I couldn’t look at Danielle without seeing everything wrong with my uncle and wrong with the Jameson town – everything we wanted to fix.
“What have you been working on, Stryker? I haven’t had a chance to look over the reports.” No, what he meant was he didn’t believe what I’d sent over. I knew his game and I didn’t want to play
Yet, if I didn’t, I could lose everything I’d worked on for the families of Jameson.
Keeping my face expressionless, I tapped my finger on the table. “Nothing has changed since last quarter. I opened up recruitment. If I don’t hit the numbers by Wednesday, I’ll reach into Timbercreek and get some more.” I shrugged. “I’m not worried about it. We’ll get there.”
“You better.” He offered the unspoken threat with an offhanded tone. He studied us as the room took on a silence that I struggled against.
I didn’t want to feel smothered or out of my depth, but the longer he looked at us, the longer I had to worry that he knew about what I was doing, that he knew I was stealing from him, that he knew I was in a position to overthrow everything in just a few months.
What would he do? Would he kill me? Would he kill Gunner and Brock? Would he take our plans and destroy everything? I knew Danielle didn’t know, or hadn’t known. What if she had found out? She would have told him immediately.
After another long moment, he steepled his fingers. “Let’s adjust our plans.” Our plans meant his plans and our execution. “She’ll be at school tomorrow. Make sure of that.” He narrowed his eyes at Danielle and me and then continued. “Get her on the team – officially.”
I blinked. “What?” Keeping Gray from the team had been one of the biggest parts of keeping her safe. If she got on the team, she’d be more vulnerable and the more I was drawn to her, the less I wanted her in harm’s way.
“You heard me, Stryker. I want her on the team. She wants to be seen? Let it happen. We have a rival match coming up in a month. If we can get her into a position where she’s being watched, I’ll have more control on my end.”
More control for what? I still hadn’t been able to find out just what angle Dominick had on Gray. The bead he’d claimed was a strong one and before I went any further, the boys and I had to figure things out.
Every step without a strategy was a wasted effort. Another tip we’d learned from our dads.
Our rival match would be with Timbercreek. There would be nothing but contention between the two teams, even more so since Gray had previously fought for them.
If we did a rival bash, there would be no chance she wouldn’t be in every paper in North Idaho and Eastern Washington.
Everyone would know her.
Everyone would want a piece of her.
Add to that the fact that Blaze Divers had given Johnson information that had labeled her a prude and Gray was facing some rough times ahead.
There wasn’t much I could do for her, if she didn’t keep her own head down.
“I’ll get her on the team, sir.” I clenched my jaw and breathed in through my nose. I’d get her on the team like I promised, but there was nothing Dominick could do if she was injured.
One way or the other, hurting Gray was going to be the only thing keeping her safe. Regardless of what was expected of me in any realm of my life, I had to listen to my gut and my instincts were telling me Gray was the key to keeping my position in town. I just wasn’t sure how, but if getting her an injury, kept her off the team and out of danger? I’d be willing to make it happen.
Chapter 15
Gray
Sara looked great in my white and blue corduroy overalls and dark blue sweater. She’d pulled her blonde hair back in a French braid and pulled off the girly look a lot better than I did.
I pulled the truck alongside the curb in front of Timbercreek and glanced at the clock on my phone. “Sorry, you’re so early.” I didn’t want to leave her there by herself.
She shook her head. “You can’t be late. Your dad would kill you.” She grabbed the small bag of school stuff she was borrowing from me. She cracked the door and then turned back. After a second of studying me, she wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure it’s okay, if I stay at your place all week?” She’d been asking me that repeatedly throughout the weekend and my answer hadn’t changed.
I laughed, rolling my eyes. “I’m sure. Jeesh.”
“Melissa can give me a ride tonight. She texted me back when you were in the shower. She said she’s picking something up over there. I’m not sure what. Probably an STD.” She laughed at her joke. Melissa was just a random friend we both had who was good at some things and horrible at others.
“I’ll be home from practice after five-thirty. Just go in when you get there.” I’d given her a key that I pulled from the hook by the backdoor. Dad had still been sleeping when we’d left that morning.
The truck had been more freedom than I think he wanted to give me, but I wasn’t giving it back at that point.
Sara offered me a slight smile and climbed from the truck, folding her arms and striding across the barely lit parking lot and grassy front lawn of the school. I waited until she got inside before shifting into first and pulling away from the curb.
My stomach twisted as I pointed my truck toward Jameson.
I’d avoided facing the fact that I would be returning all weekend. Because I was going back. I wasn’t the type to be scared away from anything.
Stryker, Brock, and Gunner thought they could tell me what to do and I’d never wanted to prove someone wrong so bad in my life.
My hand shook as I shifted and pulled onto the freeway to get across the state line. What was I facing this week as I returned to a school that had been told to make my life miserable? Not just a couple people, but an entire school.
I tightened my jaw as I narrowed my eyes. It didn’t matter. They could do whatever they wanted but they weren’t getting in my way. If they thought I needed friends or to be popular in school, they needed to rethink some things. I didn’t need anyone. I’d lost my mom and my dad was a wimp. I’d had to be strong for myself for so long, I didn’t know the difference of what it was like to rely on anyone. Even Sara didn’t get all of me.
No one could. I couldn’t trust that much – not anymore.
Unfortunately, the drive passed fast and I pulled into the parking lot at the high school with five minutes to spare. Five minutes when I’d been aiming for one.
Whatever. I swung my backpack on my shoulder and gripped
the strap. I locked my truck door and tucked the keys in my front jean pocket.
A few kids dashed toward the front door from the lot as they too were closer to late than on time.
I refused to run. I wasn’t there for anyone but myself and I certainly wouldn’t give anyone more power over me than was absolutely necessary.
The familiar black truck lorded it over the rest of the lot from their spot at the front. My dad’s truck was in his now-normal spot and a lot of other cars I hadn’t gotten used to seeing filled up the rest. A small surge of gratitude for the truck I’d gotten filled me. Maybe Dad gambling wasn’t an awful thing, as long as he won. His history, though, guaranteed his winning streak was short-lived and maybe even rigged. Cheating was exactly something I could see Dad doing.
Before ducking into the building, I glanced back at the cloudy sky, wishing for once I could get out of school because of a natural disaster or some other weather-related incident. If there was a hurricane, it wouldn’t look cowardly if I went back home. But while the day was turning out to be dreary and wet, it wasn’t enough for school to be canceled.
The smell of the school hadn’t changed over the weekend. Nothing about the school felt any different.
Out of habit carried over from Timbercreek, I made my way to my locker and dialed up the code I’d gotten my first day the week before.
I ignored the people watching me, walking around me like I had a bubble surrounding me that wouldn’t let them get closer. It was probably for the best that none of them brushed against me. I was primed and ready to spin and flatten anyone who might even move the air around me – accident or not.
The locker door popped open as if pressure from the inside was more than it could bear. Garbage fell to the ground, spilling out like an over-filled balloon. I arched an eyebrow and ignored the banana peels, dirty diaper, and other decaying objects as they continued falling from inside the locker. I laughed, stepping back as a lunchbox-sized milk container toppled from the back and splattered its contents all over the ground. I shook my head, careful to breathe through my mouth when the stench became stronger.
I turned, ignoring the petty attempt to get me out of there, and headed toward Ellison’s class. I left the door open. I hadn’t had time since coming to that school to put anything inside the locker that mattered and all of my classwork and books were in my backpack that I needed. Thankfully, it had been purely out of habit to go there.
And the lines were being drawn in the sand. Garbage. You couldn’t fault them for trying, but you could definitely stop respecting them for lack of creativity.
I pulled open the door to my history class as the bell rang.
Ellison glanced up from his desk, his eyes hardening as he saw me. “Glad you could join us, Asher. Take a seat in the back and don’t disrupt the class.”
I nodded, holding my grip on the strap to my pack. Even the teachers were in on it. Great. That wouldn’t make my days any easier.
I slid into my desk, ignoring Brock as he watched me from his sprawled-out position in the desk chair. He made it plain as day that he watched me, his finger on his chin as he leaned on his elbow braced on the desk. Brock’s allure lay in the fact that he wasn’t raw magnetism like Stryker.
Brock had a definite masculinity that came off him in waves, sucking you in and wishing you were everything he wanted. You might be able to take a breath with him. Stryker was different. Stryker took all power to control yourself with him. Leaving you breathless and wishing for the chance to catch a moment in time where your heart wasn’t beating out of her chest and your lungs didn’t feel like they were suffocating.
I barely gave Brock a glance. The garbage in my locker didn’t have to be from him directly. Instead, the actions taken against me were from the orders given by the cousins. I wasn’t stupid. I knew where it all stemmed from and I wouldn’t forgive them any time soon.
I leaned forward in my seat, blocking my view of Brock with a curtain of my dark hair. He couldn’t see through it which gave me a few inches of privacy. I rested my chin on my palm, my own elbow braced on my desk as well.
“I’m handing out a pop quiz. If you were here Friday, you’ll do fine. If you weren’t, well, that’s not my problem.” Ellison didn’t bother hiding the fact that he was speaking to me as he looked at me in derision. If I wanted a scholarship, I had to maintain my grades. He couldn’t adjust my grade based on bias, could he?
The stack of papers coming my way weren’t snakes, but they might as well be with how hard my chest hammered with my pulse. I couldn’t fail.
I got the last paper in the stack for my row and I stared down at the question on the paper. One question.
What was the reason for the start of the Civil War?
My relief whooshed out as I exhaled. Oh, Civil War was covered the year before at Timbercreek. I hastily scrawled in the desire for secession and stood, moving to hand in my paper to Mr. Ellison who watched me with pursed lips.
I handed him the paper and he held up a hand to make me wait. He read my answer, arching an eyebrow. “That’s incorrect, Asher. You should attend your classes, especially when you’re trying to catch up.” He smirked at me and set the paper on the desk beside him.
I should have gone back to my desk. I should have ignored his comment. But I wasn’t wrong.
One thing I knew, was stuff I’d already studied. I had a great memory and the fact that the tittering class thought they knew what they were laughing at only kept me where I stood and turning back to face the teacher full on.
I smiled, folding my arms and leaning on my hip. “Actually, it’s correct. If you were teaching the correct history, you’d ask for more information on the secession of the south, more importantly which state started the decree. Slavery was a side effect. If the south hadn’t wanted to keep their slaves, they wouldn’t have wanted to secede. Texas wanted to be their own state because it’s Texas and they have always been their own world among worlds. Add in the obstinate pride of Lincoln and you had the makings for one unruly war.” I leaned toward Ellison who watched me with wide eyes. “I might have shortened the cause of the Civil War into a painfully simple answer, but you diminished yourself as an adult and teacher when you joined in with the rest of this small-minded school.”
I turned away from him, head high as I returned to my seat. I couldn’t help noticing Brock watching me with his eyes narrowed and his lips tight.
His lips were similar to Stryker’s and I couldn’t help wondering what they felt like.
Mentally, I could have slapped myself. I sat down to listen to Ellison’s lecture that he only needed to clear his throat for about six times. No matter what, I had to get through my day. I could do it as long as I ignored the attractive traits of the Jameson boys and the annoyances from the school.
I was ready to leave class before the bell rang, all but jumping from my seat when it finally did. I beat Brock out of class but ran smack into Stryker. Again.
His chest and I had to stop meeting like that. I stepped back and met his gaze, my eyes challenging him to tell me what to do. I wanted to scream at him that some garbage in my locker wasn’t going to do anything to me. I was stronger than a banana peel, thank you very much.
He met my gaze with a challenge of his own, but he didn’t say anything. He stepped aside, motioning with his hand for me to continue on. The fact that he gave me permission made me want to dig my heels in and not go anywhere.
I smiled as sweetly as I could. “I don’t need your permission, Stryker.”
He leaned down, his lips inches from my ear. “More than you know, little bear.” Was that sorrow in his voice? I didn’t care. He didn’t know what I needed or what I knew. He didn’t control me.
I wouldn’t need anything, if he’d call the school jerks off me. I could ask, but I’d never ask. I’d never beg him. There were some things worth suffering for and my pride was one of them.
Keeping my chin elevated and my shoulders back, I acted like I hadn’t heard h
im and I strode by. I even had to ignore the heat in my belly his nearness evoked. I wasn’t amused I had such a reaction to him. There had to be a fix for that. It didn’t seem to matter what he did or what he said to me though. My body didn’t want to ignore him. At all.
I hated myself for that.
My next class was down the hall but not as far as my locker. People whispered around me, moving as if they jostled to stay away from touching me.
Jaeda and Jasmine walked by, Jasmine openly smirking at me, but she too skirted around me, giving me two feet of space like a bubble. She acted like she had something to do with my alienation, like I deserved it because of her.
I had to do what I did next. I couldn’t help it.
I reached out, snaking her arm before she could get completely past me and I yanked her close. Her chest bumped mine and I swear it felt like she had silicone breasts.
She gasped and I smiled with my teeth, like the Joker on a good day. “Jasmine, I haven’t seen you in forever.” And before I could talk myself out of it, I pressed my lips to hers. The crowd around us gasped as if they were one person.
Jasmine jerked away. Her cheeks flushed red as she wiped her hand hard across her mouth. Her eyes flashed and she stepped toward me. “I’m going to kill you for that.” She shook, her face splotchy as her skin got redder and redder with anger.
I winked and lightly traced her cheek with my fingernail. “Aw, baby, that’s not what you were saying last night.”
Jasmine’s expression changed from confident to unsure, turning to the now-whispering crowd. “I don’t know what she’s talking about. I wouldn’t. I mean…” She whirled back to me, blinking back angry tears. “I hate you.” Her whisper was more like a husky shout.
I shrugged and pursed my lips. “Aw, honey, that’s too bad. I like you.” I winked and continued toward my class, smirking as I looked over everyone’s heads. Sauntering was the only way to describe my walk. My hips sashayed and I know I had the attention of everyone in that hallway. I never lowered my eyes.
Her Challengers: A high school bully romance (Bad Boys of Jameson High Book 1) Page 13