by Diana Gardin
Oh, God. What does he want?
The question I thought was silent must have left me in a whimper because he replies.
“You saw something you shouldn’t have the other night, didn’t you?”
Just the sound of my rapid breaths and the heaving of my chest.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
“Not talking, princess?” A hiss. “We can make you talk. We can make you scream.”
Another whimper. I shake my head fast and frantic.
Please, please, please, please. Please!
“So, lemme ask again. You see anything?”
I shake my head again.
“Good girl. And what about your friend, the wanna-be shark? Think it’s probably a good idea you two stay away from each other, yeah? Wouldn’t want you to get any ideas about sharing stories.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. Terror and rage are warring inside me. They want me to stay away from Ace? My vision blurs when hot tears fill my eyes. The tree line in the backyard nearly disappears, and my chest feels close to bursting with bottled-up emotions.
The arm previously circling my waist moves up to squeeze my neck. My eyes bulge, now desert-dry. The pain in my windpipe scares me into nodding my head in agreement to whatever he asks.
“There. That wasn’t so bad was it? Now, close those pretty brown eyes.”
My eyes squeeze tightly shut., but the pressure doesn’t lesson on my throat. Silence ensues, my heartbeat shouting in my ears, the pressure on my throat excruciating.
“Count to ten. Slowly. If you open them before that, I’ll shoot you.”
His words are so jarring, so nightmarish, that my knees wobble. He releases me and I collapse to my knees. The soreness in my throat is the first sensation I register, but I’m doing as he asks. I’m counting in my head.
When I reach the number ten, my eyes fly open against my will. I stare around me, my eyes roving the yard. My phone, on the stone patio floor, catches my attention and I scramble to pick it up, my legs to shaky to stand. Two missed texts from Ace.
There’s a ragged, gasping sound in the air and I search the area around me until I realize it’s my own panicked breathing.
Rising to my bare knees on the cold patio stone, I close my eyes again and allow the sobs to take me over.
Seventeen
NAIMA
I don’t know how long I crouch there, my knees biting into the sharp stone, but I don’t glance up when the French doors open. My heartbeat might never slow; my breathing continues at such a rapid pace my head spins every few minutes.
I was just attacked. Again.
So is this my life now?
“Hey, there you are. We’ve been wondering…” Noah’s voice trails off. I don’t look up, but I hear his feet approaching. “Ny?”
He lowers himself down beside me, bringing his face into my line of vision. He reaches out, touches my shoulder, and it’s like his hand prods a crack that was already there. I crumble into a thousand pieces right there in the fraternity house backyard.
Noah pulls me into his arms. Through the tears, I take in gulps of air. His scent is the only thing registering right now, and because it’s familiar, I curl into him and try to make myself as small, as invisible, as non-existent as possible.
“Ny. Ny!” Noah’s voice is a little frantic. He’s rubbing my back and calling my name over and over again, but there’s nothing I can do. There’s nothing I can say.
I’m not a crier. I know I’m freaking him out, but the feelings of fear and helplessness and fury have washed over me so completely it’s the only thing I can do.
And I cling to Noah because he’s there for me to hold onto.
He must have left the patio door open, because I hear Bryn’s voice next.
“Oh, my God! What’s wrong with her?” She kneels down beside Noah and me, pulling me so that my head is leaning on her shoulder instead of his.
“Bryn…” I suck in a deep breath, determined to get myself together so that I can speak. “It’s okay…I’m okay…”
“You are not.” Her eyes narrow as they take in Noah’s presence. “What did you do to her?”
Noah throws both hands up in front of him. His eyes dart to me before meeting Bryn’s. “Nothing! I found her like this! Ny, babe…what happened to you?”
Bryn brushes my hair out of my face, revealing what I’m sure must be swollen, puffy eyes and rivulets of black mascara running down my face.
Bryn gasps. “Ny? Why is your neck so red?” She turns murderous eyes on Noah, who is staring at my neck with shocked intensity.
“I swear to God, Noah…” she begins, but my hand on her arm stops her short.
“No, B…wasn’t…Noah.” Talking hurts. It really freaking hurts. I rub at my tender throat, and wince at the pain that follows. “There was...someone out here.”
Bryn rears back, now searching the yard with big eyes. “What?” She frowns. “Who?”
Noah stands, moving to the edge of the patio, staring out around the yard. His board shoulders are accentuated by the tight polo shirt he wears. Right now, his presence here makes me feel safe and secure. Even though I know that truly, I’m not.
“B.” My voice is a croak, but I manage to push urgency into it. “Call Ace for me. His number’s in my phone.”
Noah jerks, his head whipping around to stare at me. Bryn obeys immediately, grabbing my phone and entering my password, which she knows by heart, to unlock the screen.
“What? Ny…no. You don’t need him—” Noah’s protest is cut off when I hold up my hand.
“I do need him. I need Ace.”
Bryn puts the phone on speaker. Ace’s deep voice breaks through the paralyzing fear inside me, spreading through me like warm honey.
“Naima? Thank fuck, I’ve been—”
“Ace!” Bryn interrupts him. “It’s Bryn. Naima’s friend?”
Ace’s voice goes hard. But underneath all that steel, there’s a note of intense concern. “Where is she? What’s wrong?”
Bryn glances at me, and I nod, indicating that I can talk to him. I glance up at Noah, whose jaw is tense and set. His cool blue eyes carry scorching heat.
“Ace.” My voice sounds even worse than it did a moment ago. The short amount of time that my attacker spent squeezing my throat really did a number on me. The pain is immense…I’m blinking back tears. “I was attacked.”
Despite the rasp, he understands. His voice lowers almost to a growl. “Where are you?”
I incline my head toward Bryn and she relays the fraternity house address to Ace. He grunts a response before cutting off the call. His quick “I’m on my way” causes anticipation to build in my belly at the thought of seeing him. Feeling his arms around me right now isn’t what I want; it’s what I need.
And I have to warn him.
Whoever murdered that man at the G-Ring a few nights, ago knows who I am…holy mother, he knows where I am. And he wants my mouth to stay shut.
This was a warning. But there’s something I don’t understand.
Why didn’t he just kill me?
Eighteen
ACE
“Where are you going?” Carson sets down the liquor bottle in his hands as I stalk past him, grabbing his extra set of truck keys from behind the bar.
“Out.”
“Hold up, Ace.” When I don’t slow down, Carson raises his voice. “Ace!”
Spinning around, I change direction and aim my pistol-like trajectory in his direction. “Carson, I gotta run out, alright? It’s the girl. She’s in trouble.”
Carson’s eyebrows furrow. “I’m coming with you.”
Shaking my head with impatience, I hold up a hand “Trouble’s not hot. She was attacked or something. I need to get her. Bring her back to my place.”
His expression unhappy, he nods. “Watch your back, Ace. If you ain’t back in an hour, I’m comin’ after you.”
Dipping my head to acknowledge him, I jo
g out of The Corner, Carson’s bar.
It takes less than ten minutes to drive to the address Naima’s friend gave me, and every single one of them is spent willing the truck to go faster. I park in the long driveway behind someone’s Hummer—mental eye roll—and jog around the back of the big, brick house like Bryn instructed me to do.
The relief I feel when I see Naima, wrapped up in a blanket in a chair in front of a blazing fire pit is knee-buckling. Her eyes remain locked on the flames as I approach, but Bryn watches me walk toward them like a cat appraising an impending pit bull. The guy beside her, the one who got in my face at the Ring, turns his head at the last minute, his expression turning midnight-black at the sight of me.
That’s fine; the feeling’s mutual. Especially when his arm is slung protectively around her shoulders, like it’s his job to keep her safe. If that’s the case, where the fuck was he when she was attacked?
Ignoring all of them, I crouch down in front of Naima. Her eyes flicker from the fire toward mine, and I’m lost inside them for a moment.
Then I take her in.
She’s been crying, that much is pretty damn clear. Her makeup has run down her face. Her eyes are glazed over, like she forced herself to stop crying by checking out completely. Her bottom lip is stuck between her teeth, biting down so hard the skin around it has turned white. And her neck…the fuck? Her neck is bruised at her throat, a big freshly dark patch of skin screaming for attention. Her friend Bryn holds ice on the grotesque bruises.
“They hurt you?” Making my voice work is hard, it comes out sounding pissed when what I feel most is concern. I’m both things right now. My body threatens to spin out of control the way it usually does when I’m angry. My blood is starting to heat up in my veins, my muscles going tight and rigid like I’m preparing for a fight.
“I’m guessing what they really want is your criminal ass.” Noah spits from beside her.
My head turns slowly in his direction. “Wasn’t talking to you. But I can now. You were here. Right? You let them do this to her?”
He stands, and so do I, matching his speed and his intensity. He might be weight-room strong, but I will fuck him up if he gives me a reason to. I’m itching to, really.
Let’s do this.
Bryn jumps up and stands next to Noah. “Don’t. Can’t you two see she’s been through enough tonight?”
Her words bring Naima back to the front of my mind, and I take the seat beside her, the one the douchebag vacated. As gently as I can, I take her face in my hands. Her eyes are wide, blinking slowly. Something inside my chest shifts, rearranges. Settles.
Breaks.
“Hey, angel. I’m here. Tell me what happened.” My tone is commanding but there’s a gentleness in it I’ve never used before. Because I’ve never felt it before.
“I…” her raspy voice scrapes at my already raw nerves. “I came outside because…” She glances up at Noah and Bryn, and I glare at them before rubbing her cheekbones with my thumbs to urge her to keep going.
“And I thought I saw something in the trees.” She points, and I don’t miss the fact that even though she’s clearly shaken up, her hand is steady.
Tough girl.
“Over there. I started walking that way, and that’s when…” she shudders, but then sits up a little straighter and faces me. “That’s when he grabbed me.”
“Recognize his voice?” I zero in on the details. “Anything about him?”
She shakes her head, while Noah stalks forward. “You’re gonna interrogate her now? Seriously? Can’t you see how messed up she is? Why aren’t we just taking her inside my house right now so she can rest?”
Taking a deep breath, I ignore him. Focus every bit of attention on Naima. Her caramel skin. Her thick, onyx hair. Her perfect, heart-shaped mouth. The bruise on her throat…
All of it, the entire gorgeous package, keeps me seated instead of lunging at her ex.
I nod, encouraging her to continue.
“No,” she admits. “I didn’t recognize anything about him. He whispered…” Her face turns a little green I reach down to take her hands in mine. Hers are ice-cold, and I start rubbing both of them with my own.
“Hospital?” The word sounds like I’ve been chewing on rocks.
Shaking her head fast, her eyes widen. “They’ll call the cops, Ace.”
I nod, slowly, taking in her panicked expression. “And you don’t want that?”
“Ace…he told me I needed to keep my mouth shut. Forget what we saw.” She drops her voice, but her friends still hear what she said.
“What did you guys see?” Bryn’s voice has gone shrill with fear.
Without looking their way, I keep my focus on Naima. “How’d you get the…bruise… I almost choke on the word. “On your neck?”
“He wrapped his arm around my throat.” Her voice is almost nonexistent, and it sounds like it hurts her to speak. “And made me promise…” Her eyes flick toward her friends.
I’ve had enough. Enough of her trying to talk, enough of hearing the pain in her voice. I’m about to explode; the rage bubbles up just beneath the surface, and it’s taking every single ounce of strength I have not to let that beast out.
I stand up and lift her into my arms, cradling her head against my chest while her feet dangle over my arm.
“What are you doing?” Bryn shrieks.
Noah takes a step toward me. His friend Jaxon—who I hadn’t noticed until now—sighs but steps up beside his partner.
Naima waves a hand at them. “Stop. I need to go with Ace. He’ll text you, Bryn, so you’ll have his number. I’m safe with him. Okay? Don’t worry.”
Because I can’t help it, I bend down and brush my mouth against her forehead. “Stop talking.”
She glances up at me with a half smile, a really gorgeous half-smile, and nods. She gives her friends a small wave, and I swear Noah growls. But he doesn’t make a move, and I’m glad because I didn’t want to have to put Naima down for any reason. Now that I have her in my arms, I need her to stay there.
I place her in the passenger seat of the truck and start to buckle her in when she grabs my hand to still me. I’ve been moving fast, too fast, and I’m acting like a damn robot. One movement at a time. Walk. Open the truck. Put Naima on the seat. Buckle her in. The mechanics of each task are helping me stay in control of my emotions. The ones trying to start a riot inside me.
“Hey.” Her soft, sultry voice, even raspy with pain, makes me stop, and an ache begins somewhere deep inside of me.
I keep my eyes glued to the seat belt.
“Ace. Look at me.”
Finally meeting her gaze, it’s like being slammed by a wrecking ball. The power she has over me is a force.
“I tried to stay away.” My voice is a rough whisper as I lean my forehead against hers and just breathe. “Thought you’d be safer that way.”
“This wasn’t your fault.”
My words chase a harsh laugh. “It’s all my fault. All of it. You should wish you’d never met me.”
There’s a snap in her voice that shows me just how pissed she is. “Well, I don’t. And these guys know who I am, so staying away from me is moot.”
Pulling back, I finish buckling her in and close the door. Walking around to the driver’s side of the truck, I stop and look up at the night sky. The clouds around the moon draw misty outlines, and the lights from uptown drown out the stars. There’s so much pressure building in my chest, I’m pretty sure I could howl right now and my body would change into something from a book or a movie.
After taking a few deep breaths, I climb up into the truck and glance over at her. She’s staring at me, reading my thoughts. She sees me so clearly, the way she has since that first night.
All I want is to keep her safe.
But I’m really afraid I won’t be able to do that.
Nineteen
ACE
Carson wanders over toward us, after throwing us curious glances for the past twenty m
inutes. He’s been playing therapist to a couple of regulars holding down seats at the other end of the bar from where Naima and I sit side-by-side.
“Hey.” Wiping his hands on his jeans, he holds out a hand to Naima and gives her a smile. “I’m Carson, Ace’s uncle. And you are the prettiest thing I’ve seen in here in awhile.”
Smiling at him, Naima gives him her hand. “Naima. Nice to meet you.”
He glances at me. “You two okay?”
I incline my head toward Naima, the fury rising inside me once again. “Hear her voice? It only sounds like that after a bastard’s arm has choked her out.”
Carson reads the rage all over me. His quick glance toward Naima’s neck sets his mouth into a thin line. “Damn.”
My back teeth grind together. “Yeah. Damn. She’s not leaving my sight, man. Not till this is over.”
Carson, glancing at Naima again, gives a curt nod before he sighs. “Yeah. I get that. What can I get you to drink, Naima?”
I watch her while she tilts her head to the side, assessing Carson. She doesn’t miss a beat as she says “A beer, please. Something amber, cold, and numbing.”
Carson lifts a brow. “I’ve got you.”
She smiles as he slides a dark bottle toward her. Taking a sip, I see the relief on her face as the cool liquid slides down her throat. “Thanks.”
Carson stares at her for a minute to figure out if she’s for real. Tonight she’ dressed like fucking royalty on a night out, and she just ordered an everyman’s beer. Jerking his gaze toward me, he lifts a brow.
“Wow.” He mutters the word before turning around to fix her drink.
She looks at me, a question in her eyes. “What should I have ordered?”
Chuckling under my breath, I brush a chunk of hair out of her face. She wiped away the ruined makeup in the truck, and with a fresh face she’s even more beautiful. Breath-stealing.
“You should never do anything that ain’t a hundred percent you, baby. But I think he would have expected a woman who looks like you to order some fancy cocktail.”