Shit! She smacked her hand up against her forehead, remembering, too late, it was her turn to pick the movie. She was supposed to stop by the video store on her way home, but she’d completely forgotten. Not that she could have stopped anyway, because her ride hadn’t come back to pick her up after school.
How rude. He knew I didn’t have any way home and would have to walk. He shouldn’t assume I would catch a ride with my friends. It would have served him right if I had accepted a ride home from Liam. Liam had been there for her when her own boyfriend wasn’t even considerate enough to give her a ride home. Ashley was right—he really was a big d-bag sometimes. Olivia picked up the phone and called her mom, asking her to pick a movie on the way home.
She had a hard time concentrating on the movie that night. Max wasn’t returning any of her text messages, and she was getting more and more worried about him. What if he really had been hurt?
“You’re chewing on your bottom lip. Is there something wrong, honey?” her father asked.
“I’m fine, Dad,” she denied. “Do you think it would be all right if I ran out for a little bit? It wouldn’t be more than an hour. I just want to check on Max.”
“Sure, is everything all right?”
“Yeah, I think so. I just need to talk to him for a few minutes.”
Olivia tried calling Max again as she drove over to his place. The lights were off except for the single light in the living room. The place looked empty. Where could he be? She pulled into his driveway to turn around. A flicker of movement from the curtain caught her headlights, and Olivia parked the car. She sat there a moment, letting the SUV idle as she stared at the window. Maybe it was just her imagination. If Max was home, he would have taken her calls, and the house wouldn’t be so dark.
The curtain moved again, this time she was sure of it. Olivia climbed out of the Jeep and walked up to the front door. She knocked, quietly at first—no answer. She rang the doorbell—still no answer. After a minute of standing outside in the brisk night air, she wiggled the doorknob—locked.
Huh. She waited another minute before turning back to the Jeep. She climbed inside and drove home, unable to shake the uneasiness that settled in the pit of her stomach. Something just didn’t seem right…
***
“Shh…” Max whispered as he held the woman pressed against the front door. His hand clamped tightly over her mouth, smothering her whimpered cries. Her tears rolled down her cheeks, collecting around his fingers. Her nostrils flared as her breath came in fast rapid bursts, tickling the fine hairs on his hand. The tangy scent of her fear clung to the air so thick he could taste it. The bittersweet flavor made his mouth water for more.
He physically restrained himself from opening the door as Olivia knocked outside, wanting so badly to pull her in to join the party. Max slid his hand away from the woman’s mouth as Olivia climbed back in the Jeep. Watching her through the spilt in the curtain, he leaned in close and slowly dragged his tongue up the woman’s cheek, reveling in the salty taste of her tears while imagining it was Olivia in his arms. His body stiffened as desire shot through him like a bolt of lightning.
He shouldn’t have brought the female here. It was careless, and he was better than this. He’d acted on impulse. The warrior had pissed him off so badly, all he’d been looking for was a quick release. Oh well, what’s done was done, and he wasn’t about to let a good piece of ass go to waste on account of location. She’d nearly gotten away from him—sneaky little vixen. “It’s a little late for buyer’s remorse, sweetheart.” Max pressed his mouth against hers, swallowing her protests. I do believe this one will be better than the last.
Chapter Nine
Olivia lay in bed staring up at the ceiling when her alarm went off. Sometime in the middle of the night she stopped trying to sleep. Thoughts of Max and Liam ran through her head like a freight train. She sighed heavily, throwing back the covers, and climbed out of bed to get ready for school.
She anxiously glanced out the kitchen window, waiting for the sound of the Harley’s low rumble coming down the road. Max didn’t show. Olivia waited as long as she could before catching a ride with her dad, holding out hope he would be waiting for her at the end of the day.
As the hours crawled by, her mood grew increasingly foul. She overheard some of the guys talking about the “new guy” and how he’d “kicked Max’s ass” in first-hour English yesterday. Guys were so barbaric and immature. They almost sounded pleased that it had happened. Why did everyone seem to hate Max so much?
Olivia walked into the locker room after gym class. She sat down on the bench beside Ashley, bending over to unlace her shoes. The hushed whispers from one aisle over echoed throughout the room.
“Did you see him yet? He’s sooo gorgeous! And I don’t mean Cromwell High hot. I mean ‘your place or mine’ hot!” The girls laughed.
“I didn’t get to see him since he got suspended before second hour. I heard he drives a smokin’ black Camaro. I wonder how comfortable the back seats are.” The girls giggled again.
Anger sparked Olivia’s temper like a light fuse. Listening to them swoon over how gorgeous they thought Liam was—it made her sick. She shot off the bench and marched up to Melissa and her little group of followers.
“Listen to you! You’re all talking about him like he’s a piece of meat.”
“What do you care?” Melissa shot back. “It’s not like we’re talking about your piece of meat!”
“Mmm, I bet he’s yummy too,” Kelly added with a taunting smirk.
“Like she would know. I bet ‘little miss perfect’ hasn’t even sampled Max’s goods. Pity, if he were mine, I’d be all over that.”
Olivia lunged toward Melissa.
“You trashy little bitch!” Ashley grabbed her by the arm, yanking her back. The girls’ taunting giggles filled the locker room, and she lunged for them again. Unfortunately Ashley had a tight hold on her arm.
“Geeze, Liv, take it easy! This isn’t like you at all. I think Max is wearing off on you.”
“Did you hear them?” she yelled in her defense. “Could they be anymore crude?”
“Why does it bother you that they’re talking about Liam?”
“I don’t know. It just does—that’s all.”
“You like him, don‘t you?” she whispered. “Oh my gosh! Does Max know?”
“What are you talking about?” Olivia denied. “I don’t like him. You know I’m with Max.”
“Yeah, I know,” Ashley replied dryly. “Speaking of Max, have you talked to him since yesterday?”
“No, and he isn’t returning my texts. I don’t know where he is. I stopped by his place last night but he wasn’t there.”
“Hey, I know what would make you feel better,” Ashley said excitedly. “How about that girls’ night out you promised me? There’s going to be a live band playing at Waterworks.”
“I can’t tonight, it’s Tuesday. I have yoga class. I won’t get home until pretty late, and I’ll be exhausted. I haven’t been sleeping very well these days.”
Olivia wasn’t in the partying mood at all, but she didn’t want to turn her best friend down. It might be nice to get out instead of moping around the house, which was about all she planned to do until Max decided to call her back.
“How about tomorrow instead? Pick me up at six?”
“Sounds great! Come on, we’re going to be late for Spanish class.”
As the seventh-hour bell rang, Olivia tried not to get her hopes up that Max would be outside waiting for her. She purposely took her time gathering her books from her locker and hung back, waiting for Ashley. They walked out of the school together, and Olivia’s face fell when she saw the empty parking spot. She was a fool for even hoping Max would be there.
“What’s the matter, Liv?”
“Nothing—Max isn’t here,” she said sadly. “I thought maybe he’d pick me up from school.”
“No worries. I’ll give you a ride home.”
�
�Thanks…” Ashley didn’t quite get it. She wasn’t worried about getting home, she was worried because she hadn’t seen or heard from her boyfriend since before the fight yesterday.
As they walked to Ashley’s car, Olivia spotted the black Camaro sitting in the corner of the parking lot. Why was Liam here? Was he waiting for her? Probably, why else would he be sitting in the parking lot? He’d only been at the school for fifteen minutes before getting suspended. That was hardly enough time to make any friends.
She glanced over at the Camaro, but couldn’t see through the tinted window. Why is he so interested in me when he could obviously have any girl here? Five minutes in the girls’ locker room had been proof enough of that.
They pulled out of the parking lot and turned left. She watched in the rear view mirror as the Camaro pulled out behind them and turned right. She was briefly disappointed to see Liam drive away, and scolded herself for being so foolish. For all intent and purpose, she was being stalked. So why wasn’t she afraid? Truth be told, she didn’t think she’d ever felt as safe as when he was around her. It really made no sense at all.
Ashley dropped Olivia off at her house. “Thanks for the ride, Ash. You want to come to yoga with me? It’ll be lots of fun.”
“Nah, sorry, Liv, it’s just not my bag.”
“You should try it,” Olivia teased. “It’ll give you a great ass.”
“I already have a great ass.”
“Fine, it’s your loss.” She shut the car door and waved good-bye as she ran into the house to change. Class started in a half hour, and she needed to hustle. She promised Ronnie when he hired her that she could handle school and the classes.
Olivia spent the entire night distracted. She frequently glanced out the picture window of her classroom wondering if, and maybe even hoping that she’d see Liam looking back at her. Why she even thought of him in the first place when she should be thinking about her MIA boyfriend was beyond her.
She called Max in between classes—no answer. Where is he? It’s not like him not to take my calls.
Her last class ran later than she’d expected. Two new students joined the class and needed some help with proper positioning. She glanced down at her watch—9:45 p.m.—too late to call or stop by Max’s now. Besides, it would be just like him to show up on her doorstep bright and early tomorrow morning, acting like nothing had happened.
Taking comfort in that thought, she resisted the temptation to drive past Max’s place again. Lights flickered from the living room TV, casting shadows onto the front porch as she pulled in to the driveway. Her parents were still awake—waiting up for her, no doubt. The missing girl from the bagel shop struck a little too close to home.
“I’m home,” Olivia called, kicking off her shoes as she dropped her purse and keys onto the bench beside the door. She walked into the living room, and was greeted by the anchorwoman delivering tonight’s lineup of bad news. “Police are now looking for another woman who was reported missing late last night. This is the second woman in the area who has disappeared in the last week. FBI officials are being brought in to investigate as police are no further in finding…”
“What’s this about?” Olivia asked.
Her dad paused the TiVo and turned to look at her. “Oh, hey, honey. I didn’t hear you come in. Just watching the news, it looks like another young woman is missing. Maybe for a little while, you should be extra careful, huh? Have Clay walk you to your car at night, or maybe Max could pick you up. I’m more than happy to do it too, just let me know.”
Yeah, that’d be nice—if Max would ever show up. “Sure, Dad, I’ll be careful. I’m gonna go to bed.” Olivia walked upstairs, her muscles aching with fatigue. Maybe tonight she could finally get some rest—no such luck.
***
Olivia woke up early and quickly got ready. Surely Max would come for her today. She glanced down at her watch—7:45. If she waited any longer, she’d be late. Olivia grabbed her keys off the hook by the door and marched out to her Jeep. She turned the ignition and was greeted with silence. Oh no! You’ve got to be kidding me! She tried it again—dead.
“Shit!” Olivia climbed out of the SUV and slammed the door behind her. She marched back up to the house and burst into the kitchen.
“Dad, my car won’t start. I need a ride to school.”
“What?” Roger looked up from the newspaper. “I just replaced the battery last month.”
“Well, I don’t know. I must have left the lights on or something. Can we go now, please? I’m gonna be late.”
The first-hour bell rang as Olivia’s feet pounded up the stairs. The day couldn’t have gone by any slower. By fourth hour, her head throbbed. She pushed numbly through the rest of the day until the final bell rang, releasing her from this academic prison. She refused to look over at the vacant parking spot and lifted her face toward the warm afternoon sun.
“You want another ride?” Ashley asked, catching up to Olivia on the steps.
“No, thanks anyway. I think I’m going to walk. I could use the fresh air.”
“Still picking you up at six, right?”
“Right.” Olivia waved as she descended the stairs. Already the afternoon air did wonders to clear her head and ease the dull, aching throb.
She wasn’t more than two blocks from the school when her pulse suddenly jumped in response to the familiar growl of an engine idling behind her. The damn muscle car purred like a lion, and she had to resist the smile pulling at her lips. Best not encourage him. But she couldn’t deny the excitement coiling in the pit of her stomach as the black Camaro pulled up beside her.
“Hey, Olivia.”
Now, that’s a stunning smile, and those teeth… Was there anything about this guy that wasn’t perfect? Yeah, his tendencies for violence, she quickly reminded herself. The familiar way her name rolled off this tongue sent a shiver of goose bumps up her arms.
“Liam—” she replied, keeping her tone reserved.
“Can I give you a ride somewhere?”
“No, thank you.”
“Are you sure? I’d hate for you to get stuck out in the rain.” His deep violet eyes were bright and mischievous. His smile hinted at a secret he was dying to share.
Olivia lifted her hand to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked into the sky—clear and blue, not even a hint of clouds. She turned back at him and smiled smugly as she opened her mouth, about to say “nice try”, when the shadow of one single cloud rolled over them. The sun’s radiant heat instantly dwarfed as an ear-splitting crack fractured the sky followed by an instant downpour.
A startled squawk escaped Olivia’s lips and she shuddered as a chill ran through her. She had irrational fear of storms, and the idea of getting stuck out here in the middle of one sent her heart racing and adrenaline flooding her veins. Olivia opened the passenger door and leapt inside. Liam reached behind the seat and grabbed a towel. She took it, giving him a grateful smile, and lifted the plush towel her face. Liam’s spicy scent instantly filled her lungs, reminding her of sandalwood and spice—cloves maybe? Whatever it was, he smelled amazing. Calming numbness washed over her in waves, leaving her feeling almost intoxicated. She sat beside him—frozen. Her face buried in his towel, she drew in a slow deep breath, pulling his scent deep into her lungs.
“Are you all right?” Liam asked softly.
“Is this your towel?” It was a stupid question to ask, but it was too late to take it back.
His eyes flickered over, meeting hers self-consciously. “Yeah, I, uh…just left the gym. I’m sorry I didn’t have a clean one to offer you.”
Olivia’s heart thundered in her chest. She hadn’t expected to have this strong of a reaction to him, and quite honestly, it scared her a little. She’d never experienced this kind of pull toward anyone—ever.
His brows pulled tight in a concerned frown. “Is something wrong?”
Olivia’s mind went blank. She broke his piercing gaze and cleared her throat awkwardly. He mus
t think I’m nuts. Hell, why shouldn’t he, I’m starting to think I’m nuts. “I’m fine—” she answered hastily, looking down at the towel clutched in her white-knuckled grip, crushed against her chest like a security blanket. She hastily tossed it into the seat behind her. What is wrong with me?
Liam gave her a full, white-toothed smile. His eyes were filled with amusement, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Another crack of thunder boomed and a blaze of lightning tore through the sky. Olivia jumped, her heart slamming into her throat as she let out a yelp that sounded more like a strangled gazelle. Way to play it cool, Olivia.
Liam reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. His light touch felt…comforting—safe. Liquid heat spread up her arm and settled into the center of her chest.
“It’s all right. I know you hate thunderstorms.”
“How do you know I hate storms?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Because you look like you’re about to have a panic attack, and I can hear your heart pounding from over here. I’m no mind reader, but I’d say your distaste for inclement weather is a pretty safe assumption.” The corner of his mouth quirked up in a lopsided grin. Damn, she wished he’d stop doing that. Her heart was pounding all right, but it had nothing to do with the storm outside.
Olivia turned in her seat to face him. A strand of her long damp hair brushed across the top of his hand. She followed his gaze as it dropped to her shoulder. Her jet-black hair lay draped across his hand. He almost looked mesmerized as he reached up and coiled the strand around his fingers, letting the damp silky length slide through his hand. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear he’d never touched a woman before, but seriously, look at him, he’d probably had more ass than she could shake a stick at.
Liam’s gasp broke the silence hanging in the air. His eyes locked on hers, the intensity that swam in those depths sent her heart racing. She sat there, silently staring at him—flecks of dark blue began to take over his violet eyes like an afternoon storm rolling across the horizon. Amazing…
The Redemption Series Page 7