by Cotton, L A
“Let me guess,” I said. “A story for another day?”
“You got it.”
Thirty-minutes in and the Wrangler changed direction, moving deeper onto the beach, the sand no issue for its off-road tires.
“Okay, here they come.”
“What do we do?” Jonas sounded panicked, and I couldn’t blame the guy. The bruise on his chest was a mess and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d broken a rib somewhere in there. For his sake, I hoped I was wrong.
“Keep moving, use the posts as protection. They can’t get much closer in the truck.”
“No,” Darnell said. “But they can get out and chase us on foot.” I followed his line of sight and cussed under my breath.
“Okay, split up, run fast, and just pray to God they run out of paint balls before we run out of steam.”
Darnell and Jamie nodded and took off, but Jonas didn’t budge. “You okay?”
“I’m not sure I can run. Damn, I think it hit something major.”
I grabbed his shoulder and said, “You want them to fire more of those things at you?”
“No.”
“So start running and don’t stop.” The truck’s headlights beamed in our direction lighting up the whole of the boardwalk and I yelled, “Go. Go,” and took off toward the ocean.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” a familiar voice sang as I pressed up against one of the damp posts holding my breath.
“I saw you come down here, Prince. Your ass is mine.” It wasn’t Zac, but it sounded a helluva lot like Vinnie. And for reasons I couldn’t work out, it sounded personal. I figured Kyle was right, some guys felt threatened by the competition to the point of losing their fucking minds.
I tracked the sound of his boots in the wet sand. He was over to my right and I quietly moved around the post. A paint bullet zipped past my head and I clapped a hand over my mouth to avoid the string of expletives from escaping while my heart lurched.
Fuck.
I’d been in a ring with men twice my size gunning for my blood, and yet, this was ten times as intense. Blood pounded in my ears. My skull. The hum of adrenaline coursed through my veins.
“I know you’re down here, Prince. You might as well come out now and accept your fate, because one way or another, I will paint you red.”
It took everything in me not to reply, not to give him a piece of my mind. But I had to play the game. Just like Darnell said, I had to let them think they had the upper hand. Although, they kind of did, given the fact I had no protective gear, no paintball gun, and nowhere to run.
I tried to crane my head around the post to see if I could see the others, but the guy was closing in and I didn’t want to risk him getting trigger-happy and taking out my eye. A round of bullets found their way onto the post in front of me, turning the rotting wood red.
“I can smell your fear, Prince.” He was right behind me now, and I went dead still. I was trying to figure out a plan that didn’t involve trying to disarm him and then beating him with his own gun. But as I readied myself to do just that, someone yelled, “Time.”
“Fuck,” the guy muttered. “You might have survived this round, Prince, but there’s always next time.”
Next time?
I waited for his footsteps to grow quiet and peeked around the post. Zac Lowell was over by the truck where he’d rounded up the new recruits in all their red-splattered glory. A couple of guys were holding various parts of their body, the pain evident on their faces. Darnell had two splatter marks on his chest, but Jamie had escaped with just the one on his arm.
“Well, well, what’s this?” he said as I stepped out from under the boardwalk. “It would appear we have a winner.”
All eyes were on me as I walked toward them. “I just got lucky,” I said trying to play down the fact I was the last man standing.
“Was the boardwalk your idea?”
“It made sense.”
Zac scrubbed his jaw, irritation burning in his eyes. “You won’t be so lucky next time.”
There was that next time again, but I didn’t ask him to explain. It was obvious this was only the first hurdle in his game.
“Stand up,” he ordered, and those guys doubled over in pain tried to haul themselves up. “This was a test. You all passed. For now. Make sure you cover any bruises, and this never happened, we clear?”
A round of grumbles and nods and he seemed satisfied. “The next round is Saturday night. You’ll all receive a text with instructions.”
“We can go?” someone said, and Zac’s head shot up. “If by go, you mean you can crawl back to your dorm and cry like the little bitch you are, then yeah, you can go.”
“Zac.” Vinnie motioned to me. “What are we going to do about him?”
My spine went rigid and Zac rolled his shoulders. “I guess it does seem like I’m giving him preferential treatment if he’s the only one unmarked.”
I fought every instinct I had. My blood burned with the fight response. In any other situation, I would have been ready. Fists curled, and senses heightened. But this wasn’t any other situation, and I didn’t want to start something with the potential to end my basketball career before it got started, so I pressed my lips together and waited.
Zac made a show of pacing in front of me, considering what to do with me. I was too distracted by his hesitation, so I didn’t see his fist coming toward me until it was too late. His knuckles clipped the side of my face and I staggered back. Laughter filled our corner of the deserted beach, but barely penetrated the anger radiating off me.
“I knew he’d take it like a little bitch,” Zac smirked, high-fiving one of his guys. I shifted ready to show him exactly how I took it, but Darnell caught my eye and shook his head just enough for me to notice.
Forcing myself to stay put, I rubbed my cheekbone, the tender spot no doubt already bruising. Lo would lose her mind when she saw me. Kyle too. But it was better than the alternative, besides practice would start soon, and this shit would die down.
“Let’s head to Carey’s,” Zac said. “I need a beer.” They all climbed back in the truck and I imprinted each of their faces on my mind. There were only four of them which meant the rest of the team was unaccounted for. I wanted to know who I could trust on the court and who I needed to watch.
“That shit was crazy,” a guy said, rubbing the welt on his forearm.
“It could get worse before it gets better.” Darnell came over. “You good?”
“I’ll live.”
“You showed good restraint.”
“You don’t know how hard it was.”
“Don’t be so sure. Come on, let’s get out of here and get some ice on that.” I nodded, glancing round at our small group.
“Everyone should do the same and be discreet.” I hated to remind them of Zac’s warning, but they were all here to play basketball. We couldn’t do that with a hazing scandal surrounding us. “Jonas?”
“Yeah?”
“Get your ribs looked at. Off campus if you can.”
He nodded, and a couple of guys helped him to one of the cars. Me, Jamie, and Darnell, hung back waiting for them to clear out.
“You think he’ll be okay?”
“Hopefully nothing is broken.”
“Shit,” Jamie breathed out. “I knew Zac had a reputation, but that was brutal. I think I would have preferred naked Twister.”
Me and Darnell glared at him and he muttered, “What?”
“Dude, never say that to me again. At least it’s over.”
“For now,” I reminded Darnell.
“That was physical. I’d bet my money the next initiation will be mental.”
“You think anyone will break?” Jamie asked as we got in his car.
“My monies on the small guy, Sam,” Darnell replied.
“No one will break. We’re in this together. Whatever Zac throws at us, we’ll handle. Together.”
“They’re wrong about you, Prince,” Darnell said, finding m
e in the rear-view.
“I guess time will tell.”
Because while I was prepared to play Zac’s games, everyone had a breaking point.
I just had to hope I didn’t reach mine.
Chapter 10
Lo
“IT’S QUIET FOR A THURSDAY.” I leaned back on the bar and Liam shooed me away, mumbling something about not messing up his Feng Shui. “Is it always this slow?”
“Give it an hour and you’ll wish you never said anything.”
I shrugged. “I like the busy.”
“Is that a British saying or something?”
I glanced back at him and said, “No, it’s a Lo saying.” I poked my tongue out, and he chuckled.
“You’re something else. So, Lo from England, what’s your story?” Liam’s attempt at a British accent was so cringe-worthy I grimaced.
“Never do that again.”
“What? I thought I had it down.”
I arched my brow. “My story? It’s pretty boring.”
“Try me,” he pushed, and I rolled my lips together wondering how much to give him.
“I moved here last year. My dad is originally from the states and wanted to...” I hesitated. “Reacquaint with his roots.” Or something like that.
“Nice.”
“Yeah.” The lie soured on my tongue. “Oh look, a customer. I’m going to nab them before Sarah does.”
I grabbed a couple of menus and headed over to the couple. “Welcome to Hitters. Will you be dining with us?”
“Yes, please,” the woman smiled, and I ushered them to a table.
“What can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll take a beer,” the guy said.
“And a water for me. Still, please.”
“I’ll bring those right over.” I made my way back to Liam and relayed the couple’s drinks order. He placed the drinks on a round tray and caught me off guard when he whispered, “So what do you think?”
“Think?”
“Yeah, about the couple you just seated. Are we saying first-date, engaged, or other?”
“They have first-date written all over them.” The words spewed out, and I glanced back, doing my best to be discreet.
“You think?” His brows quirked up. “I don’t know. They seemed too familiar to be first-date material.”
“Familiar? I don’t buy it. There was some serious first-date tension between them.”
“I’d bet ten dollars on it.” Liam said with smug confidence.
“Ten dollars? I am not betting with you.”
“Scared you’ll lose?”
I gave the couple another quick look. They were busy looking at their menus, using them as a distraction to the first-date nerves. “Fine, you’re on,” I said around a half-smile. That ten dollars was mine.
Thirty minutes later, and I wasn’t so convinced... or it was just a really bad first-date. Every time I went back to the table, the conversation was stilted, and the girl seemed more interested on the television over on the wall playing re-runs on ESPN.
“Not looking so confident now,” Liam sang as I rang their check.
“There’s still hope yet.”
“What are you going to do, ask them?”
“Maybe I will.” I wouldn’t, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Just admit it, you lost. They’re obviously working through some things.”
“This is a sports bar not Relate.” I gave him a pointed look before adding the check to a small metal dish. Grabbing a couple of Hitters bar mints out of the jar, I threw them on top and made my way back to the couple.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you,” the girl said, relief dancing in her eyes.
I hovered. It was silly. What did it matter if Liam was right and I was wrong? But my stubborn streak got the better of me. “Do you guys have plans for the rest of the evening?”
“Hmm, no. Donovan has to get back to the kids.”
Kids?
Oh God. Were they having an affair?
“Yeah, no rest for the wicked.”
“I love kids,” I blurted out, catching a glimpse of Liam out of the corner of my eye, trying to stifle his laughter.
“Toddlers give a whole new meaning to life,” he said around a half-smile.
“It must be nice to get some downtime occasionally.”
He added his Amex to the dish and nodded. “If it wasn’t for my sister, I’d never get out of the house.”
Sister...
She was his sister.
“Is everything okay?”
“Absolutely.” I choked out. “I’ll just get this settled for you.” Taking the long route back to the till, I planned to avoid Liam, but he came straight over. “So...”
“So... what?” I clipped, refusing to meet his intense gaze.
“So do you want to pay up now or later?”
I ignored him and took the couple their receipt and wished them a nice evening. It made total sense now, watching them. The strained bond between them was familial. I didn’t expect it, but it hit me right in the stomach.
“Hey, sweetie, everything okay?” Sarah appeared.
“Y-yeah.”
She leaned down at the receipt and whistled. “Nice tip.”
“I hadn’t even noticed.” I was too busy remembering Elliot.
“Here we go,” she said at the sound of the doorbell. “Fresh meat. You want me to take them?”
My eyes landed on the group and my stomach sank. “Yeah, sounds good. I’ll take the next table.”
Sarah gave me a funny look before going off to do her thing. I went to turn to go back to the bar area, but it was too late. Caitlin Holloway’s eyes widened and then blazed with amusement. This was all I needed.
I hurried away, hoping by some small miracle she would forget all about me.
Liam pounced the second I reached the bar. “So.” He planted his hands on the counter. “What was their story?”
“Sister, okay?” I snapped. “She was his sister.”
Liam started to laugh but when he realised I wasn’t joining in, he frowned. “Is everything okay?”
“Don’t ask,” I grumbled, arranging the olive sticks.
“You look like your cat died.”
My chest tightened. “I don’t have a cat.”
“Dog?”
“I am pet-less.”
“Okay then, you look like you just found out your boyfriend’s cheating on you with your sister.”
“No sister, and my boyfriend isn’t the type.” I managed to smile at that. “Are you always this weird?” I tried to change the subject.
“I prefer to think of it as intuitive.” He grinned. “But there is a boyfriend?”
“There is.”
“He’s a lucky guy.”
“Are you hitting on me because if you are, the irony is not lost on me.”
Liam’s brows pinched, and I laughed, pointing to the neon sign above his head. “Oh, that,” he said. “And no, I’m not hitting on you. It’s just refreshing to meet a girl like you.”
“Like me?”
“Real.”
I didn’t have time to ask what he meant as more customers arrived, making a beeline for the bar. I didn’t get that kind of vibe from Liam, but I also didn’t want things to get awkward.
“Diva-alert, table seven,” Sarah whispered as she passed me to make Caitlin’s tables drinks.
“The blonde?” I asked, and my co-worker nodded.
“You know her?”
“Something like that.”
“I’m surprised she can bear to be in a place like this. What with all the beer and sports memorabilia.”
Hitters wasn’t as bad as she made it sound. But it wasn’t exactly The Coastal either. My eyes flicked to Caitlin and her friends. She was busy holding court, probably with stories of her exotic summer vacation with her family.
“Well, I better get back to them. Something tells me she’ll make me earn every cent of my tip.” Sa
rah loaded the drinks tray and made her way back to the table. It was petty, and I didn’t want to wish any bad luck on Sarah, but what I would have paid to see Caitlin end up with a tray of drinks in her lap. The girl was poison. Until seeing her walk through the door, I hadn’t given her much thought. But she was back, and next week, there would be no avoiding her in the hallways of Wicked Bay High.
WHEN I GOT HOME, DAD and Stella were cuddled up on the sofa watching an old black and white movie. I said a quick hello, grabbed supplies, and headed straight for my room. The silly bet with Liam, and then seeing Caitlin again, had put me in a bad mood. I changed out of my diner-scented clothes, slipping into some boy shorts and a tank top, then I flopped down on my bed. Grabbing my phone, I started typing.
Me: Guess who was at Hitters
I hit send and waited.
Laurie: Is this a trick question?
Me: Caitlin.
My phone vibrated and I slid my thumb across the screen. “She wasn’t?” Laurie shrieked, and I held the phone away from my ear waiting for her to calm down. “What did she say?”
“I let Sarah take her table.” No way I wanted to be her server.
“Ooh, good move. But she saw you?”
“Well, yeah. It’s not like I could hide out back.”
“She’s such a bitch. She’ll be even worse now JB is gone and we’re seniors. I can’t even imagine—”
“Laurie...”
“Sorry. I’m sorry. I got carried away.”
Yeah, she did. I didn’t need to hear how much Caitlin was going to try to make my life hell. I just needed... well, I don’t know what I needed. But it wasn’t this.
“What will you do?”
“Nothing, I guess.” I flopped back onto my bed and let out a heavy sigh. “She might have moved on. Found some other poor soul to focus her attention on.”
“We can but hope.” Laurie sounded as convinced as I felt. “So what’s the plan for tomorrow?”
“Maverick said to get there for about eleven.”
“And how is that going?”
She didn’t need to spell it out.
“It’s okay.” Liar.
“I don’t know how you’re going to survive the year. You practically moved into the pool house over summer.”