by Smyth, R. A
The chemistry between us is insane. I don’t know how we don’t combust as his body presses against mine, his hands slipping under my top and running over the skin of my lower back.
This undeniable attraction has been there since the very beginning, that very first moment in the hallway when he stepped up to my locker and gave me that beautiful megawatt smile of his.
The few intimate moments between us have been cataclysmic, but far too fucking brief. He gets me worked up until I’m a wanton mess, then something happens or someone interrupts and we have to pull apart.
All those nights spent with my vibrator, wondering just how skilled Barrett is in bed. I’m pretty sure he will far exceed my imagination.
“Ahem.” The clearing of a throat draws my attention just as I lean back to rip Barrett’s top off over his head. Turning to glare at the intruder, I find all three guys looking in our direction with mixed expressions on their faces. Ty smirks at us, while Preston wears his normal scowl and Aiden’s lips are pinched together, almost as though he’s trying to stop himself from...laughing? That would be incredibly un-Aiden like though.
All three of them have a hungry look in their eye, their gazes roaming over me perched on top of Barrett. I’m sure I look completely worked up and crazed right now. I feel it too.
Ty drops down into the space beside Barrett, continuing to smirk at us.
“Do you mind,” Barrett grumbles, his hands still holding tightly to my hips, refusing to let me go just yet.
“Not at all,” Ty responds, grinning like the shithead he is.
Sighing heavily while giving Ty a dirty look, Barrett uses his grip on me to lift me off him, dropping me back into my seat beside him.
“You’re such a fucking cockblock,” he grumbles, adjusting himself as Aiden and Preston join us, sporting small grins of their own.
I swear, all of them get off on tormenting each other and driving me mad. Taking a calming breath, I try to get my libido under control while the guys fall into easy conversation around me. Damn, I was so looking forward to finally climbing on Barrett’s cock and taking it for a ride.
Chapter 13
“You can’t keep me here indefinitely!” I hear Sophie yelling from downstairs. I can’t make out what response she gets, but whatever it is only seems to piss her off more. “If you had your way, Aiden, I would never fucking leave this warehouse.”
I can’t blame her for getting annoyed. It’s been two weeks now, and she hasn’t left here other than to go to school, and it’s not like that’s exactly a fun outing. I sure as hell wouldn’t wanna spend every spare moment stuck here either. Especially not on a Friday night, with a party happening. One Preston and I are going to.
“I’m only asking for one night, a few hours at most. It’s not like you’re my fucking keepers,” she snaps.
“Tough shit,” Aiden snaps back. “We’re not letting you go anywhere.”
“You’re not letting me?” She says, her voice taking on a scary deep tone. It’s a fucking warning to Aiden to tread carefully, or he’s going to be in even deeper shit with her. But, of course—as per usual—he takes no heed of it.
“Yes, We’re not letting you. Until we deal with all this shit, you’re staying here, where we can keep you safe.”
“That’s not fair, I’m going insane cooped up here!” Sophie complains as I descend the stairs, finding her facing off against Aiden and Preston, both of whom look just as furious as Sophie does.
“Barrett,” she calls out when she sees me, relief in her eyes. “Tell these assholes it would be totally fine for all of us to go tonight.”
She looks at me with hope in her eyes, it’s physically painful, but I have to do what’s best for all of us.
“I’m sorry, baby girl, but I actually agree with them.” Her face falls, her whole posture deflating.
“What?”
“With Kirk and his men on the roads, it’s too risky. Not to mention the fact Kurt will be there. All he would have to do is phone your father and the place would be swarming with Beasts.”
“That’s what we’ve been trying to tell her,” Preston grumbles, earning himself a stony glare from Sophie.
I feel bad, I can see how much she clearly needed to get out of here for a bit.
Approaching her, I reach out to gently grab her chin, tilting her head up so she’s looking at me. “Preston and I are only going so we can spy on Kurt. No fun will be had tonight,” I say with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. “We’d much rather be here with you.”
She continues to glare at me for another moment before her eyes soften slightly. “Fine,” she finally relents, somewhat appeased. “Go, but you better not have any fun without me.”
“Definitely not,” I promise, giving her a quick peck on the nose before releasing her and looking at Preston. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah,” he sighs, casting a guilty glance at Sophie—clearly feeling as bad as I do about denying her a bit of teenage revelry—before following me to the door. The quicker we get to the party, the quicker we can get home.
________
The music is pounding as we push our way through the sea of drunk teenagers, all the while keeping our eyes peeled for Kurt. We’ve been keeping tabs on him at school, not that it’s done us much good, but we need to find out what he’s doing in his spare time. For all we know, he could be reporting back to Kirk, updating him on Sophie’s movements.
We don’t think he is. Aiden and Ty are adamant that if Kirk knew for sure any of them were at the school, that he would storm his way in there, not giving a fuck about eye-witnesses in his need to exact vengeance, even so, we can’t be sure. He’s got some unhealthy obsession with my girl, and his recent change in attitude since she showed up isn’t sitting well with me.
Thankfully, there have been no new letters or creepy ‘presents’ this week, but that doesn’t mean the shady fuck isn’t lurking around, watching us. I’m getting seriously fucking sick of being left in the dark, of feeling like I’m always on the back foot. We need to arm ourselves with information, the only reason for tonight’s recon mission.
We’ve been at this stupid party for over an hour now and there’s still no sign of the asshole. We haven’t exactly been clued into the party scene recently, so we honestly had no idea if he still came to these things, but it seemed like a good place to start.
“Man, he’s not here,” Preston shouts over the loud bass of the music.
“I know. It doesn’t look like he’s coming either,” I shout back, doing yet another scan of the room, glancing over the students pumping and grinding on one another on the dance floor. Peering into the dark corners of the room, I see nothing other than horny teenagers with lowered inhibitions getting it on in a room full of people.
“Come on, let's just go. This is a waste of time.”
Giving him a nod, I follow him as we push through the crowd, making our way back outside.
“It was a long shot anyway,” I reason, able to feel the frustration radiating from Preston. Not answering me, he holds out his hand in a silent demand for the car keys. Without him having to even say it, I know what he needs—to burn off his excess energy. Usually, he’d work out his anger in the gym, but since he won’t go to his father’s house anymore, he can only use the gym at school. But school is closed and Sophie has the ‘no punching people’ ban, so he’s left with only one other outlet—driving like a maniac.
Dropping the keys into his outstretched hand, I climb into the passenger seat, making sure my seatbelt is securely fastened before he takes off down the driveway like a bat out of hell.
He doesn’t hesitate, quickly pushing the McLaren to her max speed as he flies down the road, leaving the party far behind us. We don’t talk, all of his concentration on keeping us on the road, all while trying to go faster than the speed of light. I’m not like Preston, I don’t have that same need to do stupid shit like this, but I can’t deny it feels fucking incredible, watching the forest fly by i
n a hazy blur, the purr of the engine vibrating through the car.
I’m thrown into the door as we go around yet another corner at adrenaline fueling speeds that have my life flashing before my eyes. Preston guns it down the long straight before he finally eases up on the accelerator, slowly bringing us down to a more acceptable speed.
As the scenery stops zooming past me, I can make out landmarks, trying to determine where we are. It’s only as we slow down to a crawl that recognition dawns.
After leaving the party, we sped up higher into the mountains, away from Crescentwood. But Preston must have driven us around in a convoluted loop as we’re now on the other side of town, outside none other than Kurt Chadwick’s house.
Pulling the car over onto the side of the road and switching off the engine, Preston gets out, making his way towards the gates. I hastily jump out after him, not sure what his game plan is here.
He’s peering through the gaps in the gates when I catch up to him. Following his line of sight, I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. Kurt’s car is parked in the driveway, so he must be home. Otherwise, the place is quiet. No one else seems to be here.
“I wonder what he’s doing in there,” I murmur. What does a psychotic creep do in his spare time, that is, when he’s not stalking innocent girls?
As though summoned, the front door suddenly opens, Kurt himself storming down the front steps, looking fucking furious. He stomps over to his car, climbing in and slamming the door behind him.
“Come on,” I urge, grabbing Preston’s arm in a bid to get him to move before the gates open and Kurt finds us here. “We’ve gotta follow him.”
Not needing any more incentive, Preston sprints with me as we run back to the car, quickly diving into it as Kurt flies through the gates, clearly as insane a driver as Preston is.
Pulling onto the road, we pursue him, making sure to keep a safe distance between us. He guns it up the road, driving recklessly as he speeds away. Whatever is going on, it’s pissed him the fuck off.
We’re only driving for ten or fifteen minutes before he starts to slow down. By the time he turns onto Pine Tree Lane, pulling up at a set of gates with a guard stationed outside, he’s back to driving like a normal person.
“No guesses for what this place is,” I say gravely. There’s only one other person in this town that has guards at his gate, only one other place that might want such a high level of security, not only to keep out unwanted eyes, but to keep in unwilling girls. I guess that’s what psychotic fucks do when they aren’t stalking innocent girls— abusing them at The Citadel.
The thought makes my stomach roil, knowing what heinous acts are going on behind that gate right now.
“We need to shut this place down, and soon,” I growl, swallowing down the vomit in the back of my throat.
“Yeah,” Preston agrees distractedly, never taking his eyes off the entrance, watching as Kurt’s tail lights disappear up the driveway.
“I got into Crestmore College,” he says after several minutes, his words catching me off guard. I knew his father had made him fill in an application, and that he would force him to attend. But everything is different now.
When I don’t say anything, he tears his gaze away from the gate, looking at me.
“And?” I ask, curious as to what he’s thinking. We haven’t had a chance to discuss our plans after school finishes, assuming we ever actually make it to graduation. Something that’s a big if at this point.
Preston’s a person who craves routine, though. Continuity. His life before Sophie was very structured. He had a plan, and while it might not have been what he would have chosen for himself, having that surety in his life was crucial to him.
Things have gone completely tits up for him. I don’t know how he’s not spinning out of control, freaking the fuck out over how derailed his life is right now. The only reason I can think of as to why he’s kept a mostly level head is Sophie. She’s provided him with an inner peace he hasn’t had since his mom died. I just don’t know if it’s enough for him to continue on this chaotic path we’re on, or if his acceptance to Crestmore will pull him back to that well-ordered life he’s always craved.
“I dunno. I only opened the letter today. I haven’t had a chance to think about it,” he responds vaguely, but the fact he even mentioned it tells me he’s undecided; torn between the person he could be and the one his father was molding him into.
I have no idea how long we sit there in the darkened car, only a few words spoken between us. All the while thoughts of what could be happening in that hellhole circulate in my mind, driving me insane. My foot taps anxiously against the floorboard and I shift constantly in my seat, unable to sit still. Every muscle in my body is on edge, demanding me to get out, to act, to fucking do something. Anything.
“Has your PI found anything on the Ashbys or Chadwicks yet?” I ask, needing to distract myself from my dark thoughts.
“Nothing yet,” he sighs, sounding frustrated.
“Sophie overheard something the other day that might be useful,” I say, recalling what Sophie told me she overheard.
“Oh, yeah?” Preston asks, perking up as he pulls his gaze from the front gates of The Citadel to look at me.
“Apparently Cece is sleeping with some married guy that works for her dad. It might be a long shot, but it could be something,” I say.
Preston nods his head in agreement. “I’ll have the PI check it out.”
It feels like fucking forever before the gate opens again, Kurt’s car re-emerging onto the road. Hunkering down in our seats, we watch as he drives past us, oblivious to our presence.
Neither of us moves until he’s halfway down the road.
“Are we following him?”
“Nah, I think we’ve seen enough for tonight.”
Only when Kurt’s car is out of sight does Preston start the engine, heading home. I don’t know about Preston, but I feel wrung out, and in desperate need of a shower. A grimy layer of filth clings to my skin like I just walked out of The Citadel.
One thing keeps playing over and over in my mind, though, as we silently make our way through the quiet streets, back to the warehouse. I can’t stop picturing the sick, satisfied smirk on that fucker's face when he drove past us.
Chapter 14
“Where are you going?” Sophie asks as I put on my boots and search for my keys. I finally got the call from the police informing me someone has reported my dad missing.
I have no idea who eventually called it in, but it took a lot longer than I expected for someone to raise the alarm. I guess, with him no longer being governor and having no actual friends—well none that are still alive or willing to talk to the police—who all is left to notice his absence? I’ve been paying the wages for the house staff and I’m sure they prefer when he’s not around, so I doubt they were questioning his whereabouts all that much.
“Gotta head to my dad’s.”
“Can I come too?”
“Sure,” I agree easily, more than happy to have some company and spend the day with her. I didn’t think she would want to come to my dad’s house which is why I didn’t offer.
Her whole face lights up like my easy agreement has just totally made her day. Damn, being confined here has been really hard on her! She’s been a bit withdrawn all week, ever since Aiden and I refused to let her go to that party. I know she understands that it would have been a stupid thing to do. Especially when we came home and told her where we actually ended up spending most of the night. Even so, it can’t be easy not being able to just leave when you want to.
She isn’t the only one getting frustrated either. Aiden’s been even more unbearable than usual—which is saying something—and Ty is constantly taking himself off to ‘check’ the cameras on the perimeter. I think he’s just looking for any excuse to get outside and stretch his legs. While there's nothing wrong with the warehouse, it's cramped and there's no personal space with all five of us crammed in here. All in all, ev
eryone’s going a bit stir crazy.
Sophie jumps off the barstool, already dressed and ready to go with her new combat boots on, a pair of dark navy skin-tight jeans that make me just want to grab her ass and grind against it, and a tight t-shirt that hugs her curves and accentuates her boobs.
“Where did you get that top?” I ask, taking in the wording splashed across her chest. The Fuckable Five. There's no way she came across that in a shop.
The top is black with the writing, and an image of a crown outlined in white. Atop the crown sits four blood-red rubies.
She laughs, looking down at her top.
“Barrett came home with a box of them the other day. He's got one for you too.”
“I'm not wearing that.” I'll beat Barrett to a pulp if he so much as tries to put me in something with a fucking crown on it.
Sophie just laughs at me, not fazed by my bluntness or lack of enthusiasm. It’s not that I don’t want people knowing about us, and she gets that. If she was like the CWP girls, she would throw a fit at me for not wanting to be in some stupid couple outfit with her and make me grovel for forgiveness. But if she was a typical CWP girl, I wouldn’t be going out with her.
“I'm pretty sure the ones he got for you guys are different.”
I make a non-committal sound as I head for the front door. Hell would have to freeze over before I wear whatever stupid t-shirt idea Barrett has come up with.
Don’t get me wrong, I'm glad he's embraced this whole harem thing, but he's taking it too far if he's creating merchandise for us. It doesn't help that Ty feeds into it all by egging him on and giving him ideas. The pair of them are a fucking disaster when they latch onto an idea—group t-shirts for instance. I already know the three of them are going to wear these damn tops all the time now. While it looks sexy as fuck on Sophie, I’m fairly certain I won’t have the same reaction to seeing Barrett or Ty in the same thing.