Take Me With You

by K. A. Linde

  No one knew where I was. I hadn’t told any of my roommates, nor had I spoken with Grant today. I was totally fucked.

  “Excuse me. I-I have to go,” I murmured.

  I tried edging around him to get back to my car. His hand reached out for me, and I stumbled back a few steps in shock.

  His eyes locked with mine for a split second before he spoke, “Interesting choice for a necklace.”

  In horror, my hand immediately went for the dog tags dangling around my neck. I was wearing Grant’s dog tags—the tags that had actually belonged to his father, the military vet. Grant had worn them forever to try to remind him of the man he wanted to become—one who was the opposite of his father.

  “When you talk to Grant, tell him I’m not going away. He has to come back sometime.”

  “I think you should leave him alone,” I peeped.

  He cocked his head to the side, and I saw the psychopath Grant always talked about. His father looked the worse for wear since getting out of prison. While he might be wearing a nice pair of jeans and a fresh button-up shirt, his eyes and face betrayed the man beneath the getup. I wasn’t sure I would have noticed the extent of it if I didn’t know what had happened.

  “Is that so? Well, I’m going to have to cordially disagree with you, darlin’.”

  I startled at the ridiculous term of endearment I’d heard Grant say to me dozens of times. I wondered if he even knew it was something he’d picked up from his father. He’d probably never say it again if he figured it out.

  “I’ve been waiting thirteen years to see my son. I don’t mind waiting a little bit longer for him. What did you say your name was?”

  I swallowed and raised my chin. “I didn’t.”

  He laughed softly. “Fair enough. I’m Mike.”

  He held his hand out to me, and I stared at it. I wasn’t stupid enough to touch him. I crossed my hands over my chest and tried to control the dread passing through my system.

  “Okay then.” He dropped his hand and then pointed his finger in my direction with a slow deadly smirk plastered on his face. “Just give him my message.”

  Grant’s dad walked away toward a beat-up old pickup truck.

  Like father, like son.

  I instantly felt horrible for even thinking that. Grant was nothing like the man I’d just met. Driving a truck didn’t mean they were similar.

  I rushed over to my car, climbed into the driver’s seat, and locked the doors. It was only then that I started to breathe normally. My heart rate was still racing, and I could feel my heartbeat in my fingertips. I tightly gripped the steering wheel in my hands to try to stop the shaking, but it wasn’t really working.

  I blindly reached out for my cell phone stashed at the bottom of my purse. I had to talk to Grant. I had to tell him what had happened. He had said I had to call him if I saw his dad, but I doubt he’d actually thought it would happen.

  Oh shit! How could this be happening?

  I dialed his number with clumsy fingers and held the phone. I desperately wanted to get away from his place, but I didn’t trust myself to drive.

  “Hey, Princess. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you yet.”

  “Your dad was here.”

  “What?” he asked, losing his happy tone and promptly becoming serious.

  “I came over to your place to pick up some clothes I’d left behind. When I was leaving, he was standing outside your door.”

  “Fuck!” he cried. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

  “I know. I know,” I muttered.

  “I fucking knew this was going to happen. Fuck!” There was a crash and some more cussing before the phone was muffled, and everything came out faint and distant. “Yeah. I fucking heard you! Fuck off. Don’t make me fuck up your face again, asshole.”

  After a few more seconds, Grant returned. “Sorry about that. Fucking Donovan was in my space again. Fucker. It’s hard to have a private conversation on this goddamn tour bus.”

  “It’s okay, Grant.”

  “It’s not fucking okay! Goddamn it. What am I going to do, Ari? I can’t leave you there, all alone, to deal with this. I can’t have you in danger. I’ll never be able to sleep or focus or anything.”

  “We’ll figure it out, okay?”

  “What did he say? Tell me everything.”

  I sighed. “He was asking where you were. I tried to play it off, but I was wearing your dog tags. He recognized them and asked me to give you a message. He said he’s waited thirteen years, so he’ll keep waiting for you to come back. He’s just…staying in the area, I guess.”

  “Oh, Jesus Christ! Why? Motherfucker can’t take a goddamn hint. Look, Ari, I need you to stay the hell away from my place. He might have already figured out who you are, but I hope not. I’m going to…I don’t know…fucking figure this out.”

  “Okay,” I whispered.

  “Princess,” he murmured “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  “Just a little shaken up. I’ll be fine.”

  “I wish I were there right now. I wish I could ditch the tour and come back to you.”

  I laughed softly. “No, you don’t. You love performing. You love being on tour.”

  “I know,” he agreed easily. “But I’d still rather be there and know you’re safe. I wish you’d get my gun. This proves you need it.”

  I didn’t automatically dismiss the idea this time. “Maybe you’re right, but I don’t feel comfortable with it.”

  “Okay. Just…please stay safe—for me. I’m going to figure something out, and I’ll call you back when I do.”

  I ended the call with Grant and suspiciously stared around at the road. I didn’t feel much better about what had happened. If anything, I was more paranoid. I didn’t know what Grant had in mind to help the situation, but I was shaky and uncertain as I drove away from his place. With Grant gone, I knew that there really was no protection from his father.

  Fucking fuck, fuck, fuck.

  Fuck.

  That was the only word running through my mind after I’d gotten off the phone with Ari. I’d warned her this would happen. I’d told myself over and over that it could happen. But the reality of my dad being anywhere near my girl made my blood boil. It made me want to get on the first plane out of the next closest city and fucking find the fucker. I’d teach him a thing or two I hadn’t known when I was only ten.

  Miller walked into the back room where I was attempting to get shit under control. I couldn’t handle the fact that there wasn’t any fucking privacy, especially not when no one knew about my dad, and I didn’t fucking want anyone to figure out the details.

  “Bro, you okay?” Miller asked.

  “Yeah. Fine,” I ground out. I knew I sounded anything but fine. My hands were shaking with the unbridled anger spreading out from my chest.

  “Donovan is spouting off about you and Ari being in a fight about your dad,” he said softly.

  “What?” I nearly screamed. “I’ll fucking kill him. He doesn’t know what the fuck he’s talking about.”

  I stormed toward Miller, but he blocked my path.

  “He wants a rise out of you. I didn’t want you to be blindsided when you walked back out there.”

  “Get out of my way. I want to pummel his face in.”

  Miller just stared at me—completely calm and completely in control as always. “I’m not going to let you do that. You should let this shit with Donovan slide. Obviously, something else is wrong that’s setting you off. Is it Ari?”

  Fuck. I couldn’t tell him.

  “No. We’re fine. I’m just…” I glanced away from him.

  “Bro, I’ve known you nearly your whole life. I know you can’t talk to McAvoy or, God forbid, Vin, and you’ve got shit on your chest. You should probably say it now.”

  I sank into the chair next to me and buried my head in my hands. “My dad got out of prison.”

  “What?” Miller asked in surprise.

  When I glanced up at him, the loo
k on his face showed this was the last subject he’d thought I would bring up.

  “I don’t know the details about that, man, but isn’t that a good thing?”

  I sighed heavily and let out the secret I’d been holding back from everyone but my family and Ari. “He killed my mom, and I watched him do it.”

  Miller’s mouth dropped open.

  “That’s why he went to prison. He was supposed to serve twenty years, but he got out in thirteen for good behavior.”

  “Fuck, man.” Miller staggered over to me and collapsed into the chair across from me. “Why did you never tell me?”

  “I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want anyone to know…to fucking pity me. My aunt and uncle and Sydney knew. Then, I told Ari at the ski lodge.”

  “You should have told me. I feel like a shit friend now.”

  I shrugged and settled back into the seat. “I couldn’t. I thought I could control it. The music helps, man, but now that he’s out…”

  “Have you seen or talked to him?”

  I nodded. “I talked to him on the phone after Ari’s birthday party and told him to leave me the fuck alone and not to contact anyone I knew, but he didn’t listen. He showed up at my place while Ari was there. I don’t know what the fuck to do, Miller. I have to call my uncle and get him to talk sense into my dad. I don’t want him to hurt Ari.”

  Miller ran a hand back through his hair. “You think he’s going to do something?”

  “He blamed me for what had happened with my mom because I ran into the room when he was holding a gun to her. He shot her and claimed it was PTSD from the war. Then, he told me he was coming after me when he got out. What do you think?”

  “You have to go to the cops, bro.”

  Fuck, why did everyone keep saying that?

  The cops were fucking useless. They weren’t going to protect Ari. They wouldn’t do anything but serve a fucking restraining order that my dad could walk right through at any time. Yeah, he was an ex-con, but that didn’t mean the police would do anything more to stop him.

  “I’m not fucking doing that. We’ll fucking figure it out without including those idiots.”

  “What if you don’t?” he asked quietly.

  I couldn’t even think of that. I couldn’t fucking think of something happening before I could figure out what to do. I needed to talk to my uncle and convince him to stop my dad. My uncle had seen and talked to him. He had to have some sway.

  It already fucking felt like a ransom situation. I’d give my dad whatever he wanted as long as he left me and Ari alone. I couldn’t stomach the thought of him finding out how important she was to me, that she was my whole fucking world. I could imagine the look in his eyes and what he’d say to me.

  He would take the one thing I loved most in life because I’d taken the thing he loved most. He thought it was only my fault. So, why should I get to find love and happiness when he was left without the woman he loved?

  He’d never acknowledged that it was of his own doing.

  If he’d gone and gotten help for what had happened to him…

  If he’d talked to my mom about the problem…

  If he hadn’t moved us away from all their friends and medical professionals and left us stuck in Middle of Nowhere, Tennessee…

  If he had just done something…anything…

  No, no responsibility from the old man.

  That was asking too much.

  Now, I was here, thirteen years later, trying to clean up his mess—again.

  “I spoke to my uncle.”

  “Good,” I said softly.

  I’d been trying to remain calm, but my hand had been itching to call the cops all afternoon. I knew Grant didn’t want me to. I also knew he didn’t think logically or rationally about anything regarding his father. I didn’t want to go against his wishes before he got back to me though, so I’d held off.

  “What did he say?”

  “He’s going to get a hold of my father and try to meet up with him. I think he’s starting to understand how much I want to fucking steer clear of him. My father is a determined man, but I think my uncle can talk some sense into him.”

  “Okay. Do you know when that’s going to happen?”

  “Hopefully, today or tomorrow. I think it’ll get him out of Princeton for some time, so you won’t have to worry.”

  I blew out a breath. Thank God.

  I wanted to be strong during this, but all the horror stories Grant had told me were taking over the reasonable side of my brain. Truth was, I didn’t know how to deal with the situation. I didn’t want to obsess about it. What if it ended up being nothing? But I didn’t want to blow it off either in case it was truly dire.

  “You’re not going to like this, Grant, but if I see him again, I’m calling the cops.”

  “Ari—”

  “No, I don’t want to hear it. You’re not here. Even if you were, I wouldn’t want you to get near him. I saw him. I saw the look in his eyes. I didn’t understand what you were saying until that moment. I’m not going to risk anything happening.”

  He sighed softly. “I wasn’t going to argue with you.”

  “What? Really?”

  “Yeah. I-I talked to Miller about it.”

  “You told Miller?”

  “Yeah.”

  Wow.

  That was a step for Grant. He’d known Miller for a long time. He was Grant’s best friend, and he’d never told Miller about it. Grant must be really stressed and worried to do something like that.

  I heard noise on the other end of the line, and Grant cursed under his breath.

  “Sorry, Princess. I have to go. Can’t have a minute of fucking privacy on this bus. I can’t wait to get back to you and have my own bed and my girl with me.”

  “I’m ready for that, too,” I whispered throatily.

  “Stay safe for me.”

  The line ended, and I carefully set the phone down on the table next to the Molecular Biology assignment I’d already triple-checked for accuracy.

  So, here I was, stuck in the library again and terrified of Grant’s dad without Grant or my friends around me. The numbers and equations on the paper blurred under my vision. I hastily moved the papers away, so I wouldn’t get any unwanted tears on the assignment.

  “Aribel?”

  I glanced up at the voice, and with the back of my hand, I quickly brushed the tears off my face. God, I had been a freaking leaky faucet lately. I’d never cried before Grant.

  Kristin stood in front of me.

  Great.

  This was just what I wanted to deal with right now—the slutty bitch who had tried to get my boyfriend to cheat on me.

  “What?” I snapped.

  She cringed. “Sorry. I just…are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” I stood and slung my bag on my shoulder. “Just leaving.”

  “Okay. Yeah. All right.” She shrank away from me like the sheep she was. “Um…are you sad about Grant being gone?”

  “Why? So, you can somehow use that to your advantage to try to steal him away from me?” I knew I was being unnecessarily harsh, but well…she had already tried to do that, and I was in a bitch mood.

  “No! No, seriously, I’m so sorry about that. You looked like you could use someone to talk to about it.”

  I did need someone to talk to about it, but that didn’t mean I wanted Kristin.

  “I’m fine,” I repeated hollowly.

  “Well, if you do, I finished the M-Bio assignment. We could go over it or discuss O-chem or get a drink.”

  I skeptically looked at her. “Are you asking me out?”

  Kristin burst out laughing. “Oh my God! It totally sounded like that. I’m seriously such a dude. I legit just wanted to apologize and get to know you better. This is going to sound way bitchy, but you’re a lot cooler than I thought you were.”

  “Yeah…that does.”

  “You’re right. Never mind.” Kristin shouldered her bag and started walkin
g away.

  What the hell? It wasn’t like I had anyone else to do anything with.

  “Kristin? Hey, wait up.”

  She stopped and looked at me in confusion.

  “A drink might be nice.”

  Hanging out with Kristin was…weird.

  It was the only word I could use to describe it. We had so many classes together, so there was an unlimited amount of things to discuss. Not to mention, she had been a big time ContraBand groupie, so she knew all the guys and had been to all of their shows. But I also didn’t like her, and spending time with her made me feel like a traitor to my good nature.

  It wasn’t that she was mean or bitchy or rude. She just reminded me too much of the horrible things she had done in the past. Then, I felt as if I was using her because all my other friends had fallen apart after Gabi’s breakup.

  Realistically, I should have confronted them about this by now, but I’d kept making excuses for their bullshit. Eventually, I’d have to figure it out—sooner rather than later since the end of the semester was approaching.

  About a week and a half later, I had gotten home from class, exhausted after a crazy lab. Kristin had asked me to hang out, and I’d bluffed and said I was busy. It had been nearly a month without Grant, and I terribly missed him. I didn’t want to have to pretend to be happy with Kristin. I had planned to stay in, write up the lab results from that afternoon, and crash.

  Cheyenne had a different idea.

  “You’ve been hanging out with that bitch, Kristin, instead of us?” she asked as soon as I’d walked into the apartment.

  “Hey to you, too.” I shrugged out of my cardigan and glanced around to see where Gabi and Shelby were lurking, but it looked as if we were alone.

  “What’s going on, Ari?”

  “What’s going on with me?” I asked incredulously. “I’ve been getting death stares from all three of you since the band left. You’ve made it pretty clear that I wasn’t really welcome to hang around.”

  “What?” she nearly shrieked. “None of that is true.”

  “Oh, really? I had to take the guys to the airport by myself in my tiny little car because none of you wanted to see them. When I got back, none of you would even talk to me! So, don’t try to blame this on me.”