by Brynne Asher
I shake my head as I look down the highway, passing every car I come upon. “Not that I owe you an explanation, but what’s happening between me and Avery is anything but casual. I want her.”
I hear nothing for a tick before he sighs. “I’m not kidding when I say we love her. You making her yours means she stays in our lives, too. Get to my house fast, man. Sounds like she’s gonna need you.”
Not worrying about Nico is a relief, but I don’t have time to give that a second thought. The only thing on my mind right now is Avery. “I’m on my way.”
*****
I see Nico’s truck and Sophie’s SUV parked in the front drive of their big farmhouse, but there’s also a Mayson Construction truck and another car in the mix. Not bothering to knock, I head in the front door and move through the house.
When I get to the large family room off the kitchen, there she is, looking smaller than normal, curled into herself in the corner of the big sofa. She’s got her hands wrapped around a mug and the instant she lays eyes on me, she blinks quickly and turns her head.
From here, I see a bruise under her ear on her jaw. I want to throw a table through a fucking window. Pummel someone’s face. Rip through a wall. It’s killing me not knowing what happened to her and I can only hope since she’s here now and not lying in some hospital, it means it could’ve been worse. Much worse.
Sophie is sitting next to Avery and November’s ass is parked on the coffee table facing them. When I look to the kitchen, Asher is talking to Nico quietly. I ignore them and move straight to Avery.
When I get close, November moves out of the way and I take her place, but Avery still won’t look at me. I lift my hand to barely touch her chin, turning her face to me and murmur, “Baby.”
Even though it doesn’t look as if she’s been crying, her eyes well and she pulls away from my hand, but she might as well have sliced a knife through my heart.
“Are you sure I can’t make you something to eat, Avery?” November asks, standing beside me.
“You never had lunch,” Sophie adds.
“We should call Leo,” Nico announces from behind me.
Avery’s head jerks. Her voice is hoarse and low when she whispers, “Who’s Leo?”
Sophie reaches for Avery’s hand and squeezes. “He’s a friend of ours and works for Nashville PD.”
Avery rips her hand away from Sophie, but directs her eyes straight at Nico. “No. I talked to the police on campus. For longer than I cared to. I answered everything they asked.”
“Avery,” Asher calls for her and takes a few steps our way. “They’re the campus police. They’re trained, yes, but not like the Nashville PD. And we know Leo. He has more experience and can do more—investigate further. We need to call him.”
I look from the men to Avery, who, for the first time since I arrived, looks scared, so I ask, “Baby, what happened?”
She shakes her head quickly and sets her mug down on a coaster next to her. “There’s nothing to investigate. It was random and I was lucky he left when he did. But nothing happened besides him manhandling me a bit. I’m fine.”
“You might think it’s random,” Nico adds. “But you can’t know that for sure. I think it’s a good idea if we at least call Leo, see what he says. He might hear what you say and see it from a different angle.”
“But there’s nothing more to tell,” Avery insists. “He cornered me, roughed me up a little and, when he heard voices in the next room, he left as quick as he entered. That’s it.”
Sophie looks to her husband and brother-in-law. “Please quit making her talk about it.”
Avery exhales, sinking into the sofa and looks to me for only the second time since I walked into the room.
I soften my voice further. “Baby, tell me what happened.”
“I’m fine. I just want to go home. I’ve caused enough trouble for everyone today as it is.” She looks from the Mayson brothers to the women. “I’m sorry I messed up your day. And I’m really sorry you had to miss work, Sophie.”
Sophie levels her eyes on Avery and grabs her hand. “I’m not going to tell you again—quit apologizing. We’re here for anything you need.”
Avery’s shoulders sag and she looks exhausted. “I just want to go home and for this day to be over.”
Realizing the only way I’m going to figure out what happened is to get her out of here, I put my hands on her knees to get her attention. “I’ll take you home.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Sophie looks at me. “She shouldn’t be by herself.”
I stand, towering over all of them and hold my hand out to Avery as I look at Sophie. “I’m not leaving her. The club is covered tonight. I arranged everything.”
Avery doesn’t take my hand, but she does stand, coming toe-to-toe with me before shifting to side-step me quickly. She slips on her shoes and bends to grab her backpack and purse. I take her backpack from her and swing it over my shoulder as I watch her hug Sophie and November.
“Call us if you need anything,” Sophie pleads before letting her go and looking at me. “And do not leave her.”
“I’m not going to leave her.” I look to Asher and Nico, nodding a silent goodbye before putting my arm around Avery’s stiff shoulders to lead her out the door.
I don’t care how long it takes. I’ll make her feel safe, take her to and from school if I need to, and if it’s the last thing I do, I’m gonna find out what happened today.
Chapter 9 – Because of Me
hurt, pain, heartbreak…
then it ends
Link
I wanted to take her to my house, but she insisted on going to her apartment. I’m not a one-hundred-and-ten-pound woman who was attacked, man-handled, and scared out of her mind. She wanted to be in her own space, so I gave her what she needed.
I ordered what I’ve learned is one of her favorite meals—shrimp tacos, guac, and a shit-ton of chips and salsa. She picked at it for almost an hour while sitting in front of the TV doing her damnedest to avoid me, but she did fix herself a whole bowl of ice cream with a banana cut up on top, covered in strawberry jam and chocolate chips. Then she stirred that shit up ‘til it looked like muck and ate it all. I’ve never seen such a thing.
When I tried to break the silence by asking her why she’d eat that after giving me shit for all the sugar I put in my coffee, she bluntly informed me the jam was sugar-free and the chocolate chips were organic. Later, I tried again and asked if she wanted to call her parents and tell them what happened. I asked her over and over to talk to me. I asked if there was a friend she wanted me to call, because during our short time together, I hadn’t met anyone in her life outside of the Maysons.
Every verbal answer she offered was a resounding no and every nonverbal cue she radiated said stay the fuck away.
Then she informed me she had no need for a babysitter and told me to leave. That was the longest string of words she’d spoken to me since I got to Nico’s this afternoon.
Not a good sign.
I told her there’s no fucking way I was leaving—though I left out the fucking part—and she proceeded to turn her attention back to The Voice. She dedicated herself to three episodes without once giving me a glance, focusing like she’d be tested at the end and her life depended on the correct answers.
We sat there without speaking a word as the fall winds whipped up one hell of a storm. The weather outside became a parallel universe to the atmosphere in her small apartment—thunder and lightning surrounding us violently.
I had no choice but to dedicate my night to studying her—wondering what I could do to get her to talk, if I needed to go behind her back to call her family, or if another banana split stirred up in a bowl might make her happy.
Just when I was about desperate enough to head to the freezer, she picked up the remote and flipped off the TV. Without looking at me, she headed for her bedroom where I’ve joined her the last few nights for nothing but sleep.
Watchi
ng her walk away from me cut deep. In that moment, I could take no more.
“Avery,” I call for her.
She stops at the door to her bedroom, resting her hand on the door jamb and sighs. “What?”
Never have I begged for anything in my life, but I’m finding when it comes to her, there’s no level to which I won’t stoop. “Talk to me.”
She finally turns and looks me in the eyes for the first time since we left Nico’s. Crossing her arms, she speaks but doesn’t tell me what I want to hear. “I’ve decided this was a mistake. I want you to leave. It’s only been a few weeks—it’ll be easy to pretend we never happened and we can go back to our lives before I tried to fake-ID myself into your bar.”
I stand and make my way across the small apartment and it’s not lost on me she takes a step back, her arms tightening around herself. Looking her up and down, fear radiates from whatever shield she’s using to mask it and I take a step back, giving her some space. It kills me, but I do what I never thought I’d do and agree, but do it with an ultimatum. “You want me to leave so bad, I’ll give you what you want … only because I care about you. But I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what happened today. I was not the one in that room with you, baby. I’d never hurt you. But if for some fucked-up reason it’ll make you feel better for me to leave, I will. I’ll call Sophie to come and stay with you. It’ll slay me to do it, but I will, because, baby, I’d give anything to wipe that look off your face.”
She shifts her weight before mustering up enough conviction to ask in a shaky voice, “Why did you leave Vegas?”
I frown immediately. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Answer me.”
“I got tired of the scene,” I tell her the truth, even though it’s only a sliver of it.
“What scene was that?” she presses.
“If you haven’t been to Vegas, you won’t get it. I escaped Tennessee right after high school, got onto the boxing circuit and, a few years later, started working as a bouncer at a strip club. I know nothing but fighting, gambling, and clubs, Avery, whether people were putting money on me in the ring or, in recent years, working my way up into management. I got sick of strip clubs and knew I needed a change.” I cross my arms as I do everything I can not to lose my patience. “I’ve told you all this. Now it’s your turn—what happened today?”
It looks like it’s all she can do to even her voice as she swallows hard before dropping her bomb. “Today wasn’t random, Link. I was told to give you a message. You’ve got some friends pissed off about how you left Vegas and I’m supposed to relay that you either owe them a new stable of prostitutes or be prepared to pay up for their lost wages since you stole their women of the night.” She leans toward me, stressing the words before going on. “You told me you worked your way up in management, you just never said you did it being a pimp, Lincoln Forester.” She steps forward and pokes a finger in my chest. “Honest Abe, you are not. I have no desire to have a pimp in my bed. Now, get the fuck out of my apartment.”
What happened to her today was because of me.
I want to throw furniture through a fucking window all over again. I can hardly stand to gaze at the bruises on her perfect, olive skin. Because of me.
Because of fucking me.
“This is my fault,” I utter my thoughts out loud.
“I suggest you either pay up or go find yourself a brothel. They’re gonna want one or the other, and soon. Or he said he’d come back for me. And by the way, he informed me of this little tidbit as he had his tongue in my ear and grinding his dick in my ass. I’m not up for experiencing that again. No pimp is worth it. I won’t say it again—get the fuck out.”
At least now I know what happened today, even though she has no fucking clue what she’s talking about. “He did that to you?”
“Are you deaf?”
“He touched you like that? Because of me.”
“How else do you want me to say it?” she exclaims, her shield disintegrating in front of my eyes. Her voice breaks and her eyes well. “That he groped me at the same time he held me so tight I couldn’t move a muscle? That he hurt me and I thought I was going to get raped in the library? Are you blind, too? I have the bruises to prove it!”
I can’t take it. All day she’s sat there knowing I’m the reason this happened to her.
At this moment, I’ve never fucking hated myself more.
*****
Avery
No sooner do I yell the word bruises, he moves.
Turning, he escapes my apartment in a flash, running from one storm to another, leaving my door banging in the wind and rain. I rush to the threshold of my second-floor apartment and look down to the parking lot where I find him leaning on the hood of his truck. Already soaked to the bone from the rain coming down in sheets, the parking lot lights up in two successive flashes, chased by booming thunder.
As if the electric current ignites him, he moves, putting his boot into the front fender with all his strength. Then his tire, then a headlight.
My body jolts from glass shattering to the pavement, the vicious attacks on his truck coming one after another. I don’t know what makes me do it, not after what I’ve been through today and what I’ve learned about him, but I leave the safety of my home and run into the storm. As I make my way down the stairs, my brain yells at me to go back but my feet won’t listen.
I haven’t hit the bottom step when the water from the heavens soaks through my thin pajama shirt and pink plaid lounge pants, both sticking to me like a second skin.
“Stop!” I scream through the gale. “Stop it!”
He ignores me and starts in with his fists, punching the metal with such force, he’s creating dimples all over his hood.
“Link!” I try again, the thunder enveloping us.
That got his attention, because he shifts from his target and takes two steps toward me, making me retreat. “I know who’s behind what happened today, Avery. That fucker laid his hands on you because of me. Fucking me! And for the record, I’m no pimp. Those assholes were running pussy out of the club I managed in Vegas. I was told by my boss to look the other way, but there was no fucking way I could. Not when women were turning up hurt and getting jacked around by clients. Prostitution is legal in some counties in Nevada, but not Vegas. I quit my job, went straight to the police, and told them everything I knew. They were shut down and charged. That’s when I knew I needed out and dragged my ass back to Tennessee, despite having to live in the same state as my fucking parents.”
Holy shit.
What have I done?
I lift my hands up to push the wet hair out of my face. “He said you stole his stable. He made it sound like you were pimping women.”
He shakes his head, water running through his short, buzzed hair and soaking his shirt. It’s leaving every tense muscle on display, clinging to him in a way I’ve wanted to all day but haven’t allowed myself.
Bringing his hand up, he points to me and growls, “I don’t give a shit what he said. He touched you. He hurt you. All because of me, baby.”
I look into his wounded, blue eyes, the only light on this dark stormy night. Another electric bolt—closer this time—shakes me from my thoughts and I look to his hand held up in front of my face, blood washing away with the rain as fast as it seeps from the cuts on his knuckles.
Taking his hand in both of mine, I pull it to me and hold it tight. “Come inside. Please. Come back with me.”
He flattens his hand over my heart and wraps his other around the back of my neck, pulling me close. With his touch, even standing in the middle of a brutal squall, I breathe deep for what seems like the first time since that man touched me in the dark study room. Now, standing in his arms, I realize I was more shaken by the fact Link wasn’t who I thought he was. Right now, I’ve never felt safer.
I look into his face, water dripping off him and onto me, and he says with more conviction than I’ve ever heard from anyone, “I
’ll never hurt you, Avery.”
Right now, I’ve never been more sure of anything.
Chapter 10 – Honest Abe
it was me
it was you
it was us
Avery
“Your hand is going to match my face,” I note and look up from his bare, chiseled chest into his eyes. I love his bulky frame that started from his boxing days and how he keeps up his training to stay in shape.
Standing in my bedroom, Link has my bubblegum pink, fluffy towel wrapped low around his waist and I’m in my warmest bathrobe. I was covered in goosebumps by the time we made it back to my apartment and I sent Link to my bathroom after shoving a stack of towels at him. I went to my bedroom and peeled off my dripping pajamas, put on a dry pair of panties and a robe before calling for him to come to me so I could put something on his cuts.
“Fucking kills me he put a mark on you.” He pulls his hands out of mine to wrap his arms around me, holding me tight to his chest. He puts his lips to the top of my head. “Are you tired?”
I nod against his skin and sink into him. “It’s been the longest day.”
He steps back and pulls me with him until we’re both settled in my small bed. Still wrapped in his towel and me in my robe, he flips the blankets over us and as he’s done the last few nights when he’s come to my bed, he hogs most of it as he holds me tight.
I don’t say anything, just allow myself to relax into the warmth of his body as he pulls his fingers through my wet hair.
“Avery?”
“Hmm?” I hum against the skin of his neck and finally allow my body to relax for the first time since I was attacked.
He whispers into the side of my head, “Why didn’t you tell the campus police what really happened? You told everyone it was random.”
I shrug and free my leg from my robe to entwine with his. “I don’t really know.”