by Huss, JA
She tugs, and resists, and digs her feet into the gravel. “Let go of me! Let go!”
I jerk her towards me so hard, she does a little twirl and her back crashes into my chest. I hug her. Tight. Almost bear-hug her from behind. So that we almost look like a couple who stopped in the garden to gaze at the roses.
But I hiss my words into her ear. “You will calm the fuck down and be rational, do you understand me? There’s a lot more at stake here than you can possibly realize.”
She growls back. “Let me go. Right now. Or I will scream so loud—”
I let her go. But I push her away from me. Just in case she goes through with her threat anyway. The last thing I need is stupid Cadee Hunter fucking my day up even worse.
She whirls around to glare at me. “I’m going home.”
And then she turns in place a few times, like she’s confused as to where she is. Which might actually be the case, because we’re on the college side of campus and she must not come over here much. That’s why I haven’t had to look at her stupid face for three years.
But she figures it out and starts heading back towards the Prep side of things where the Alumni Inn is located. And her tiny attic apartment.
“Great,” I say, throwing up my arms and looking at Lars.
“What the hell is going on?” he asks.
“My father. That’s what.” Then I glare at Ax. “Great idea, by the way. Telling me to go back up there.”
“What happened?” Ax asks.
“He…” But I don’t actually know how to explain it. “She… she’s supposed to move in to the mansion. And I was ordered to get her settled.”
Lars bellows a laugh. “Holy shit. That’s funny. Crazy Cadee is moving in with your father?”
“No,” I scoff.
But then… maybe? Maybe that’s what that was? He did like… kiss her hand. In front of me. That’s fucking weird.
But I do have to admit that it would still be better than him finding out I talked Cadee into getting a secret abortion three years ago.
My phone dings a text in my pocket and when I pull it out and look at the screen, it’s from my father: I want a picture of Cadee settled into her suite in thirty minutes.
I turn around and look up at his office window. Find him standing there looking at me. Then I whirl around and start walking towards the gate that leads to the Prep side of campus.
“Where are you going?” Lars jogs to catch up with me and Ax comes up on the other side.
“To get her.”
I can sense that Lars and Ax are as confused as I am. But they don’t say anything else.
I start jogging and they keep pace. And when we finally make it over to the other side of campus where the inn is located, we spot Cadee opening the back door of the old brick building and disappearing inside.
When we get to the door, I put a hand up and stop Lars and Ax. “Wait here. I’ll get her.”
“Should I find a leash?” Ax asks. “Just in case.”
I almost laugh. “Maybe?”
This makes Ax smile. Which is good. He’s having a bad day too. We’re all having a bad day. And Cadee seems to be doing her best to make it worse.
“I’ll be right back.” And then I go after Cadee Hunter.
The back door leads to a stairwell and I go up three steps at a time until I reach the landing of the fourth floor. Then push through into the hallway and travel down to the end where the door to her apartment is wide open.
When I reach it, I listen for noise. But it’s completely quiet.
Just great. If she’s not here—if she went out the front instead of coming upstairs—I’m fucked. And there’s no way to tell if she will keep her mouth shut about everything that happened three years ago or not.
I don’t know what’s going on with her and my father. Hell, maybe he is infatuated with her? Maybe that’s all this is? Some dirty old man who wants a sweet young thing?
Jesus. That makes me want to barf.
“Cadee!” I call up the stairs.
No answer.
I go up. Find her standing in the middle of the living room. Not an empty living room, but… it’s definitely been emptied of her things. The way my cottage was this morning.
Is there a connection?
But before I can try to convince myself there isn’t, Cadee whispers, “It’s gone. It’s all gone. He wasn’t lying.”
“Look,” I say, sighing. “I don’t know what’s going on. But—”
“My stuff is gone! All our stuff is gone! He put it on a truck to North Dakota!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“This was not my mother’s idea! We had no plans to move!”
I think she might be getting hysterical. And the last thing I need today is Cadee Hunter getting hysterical. Not after what happened last night. I can only take so much.
“Cadee,” I hiss, “I have a fucking hangover. My head is pounding. I got no sleep last night, I’m not on my way to New Zealand for the summer, I got kicked out of my cottage, and I have to move home. I really… like really do not have space inside my brain for your petty little problems.”
She turns to me with a look of complete disgust. “Fuck. You.”
“That’s it.” I look around, find a piece of orange baling twine discarded on the floor, and pick it up.
She smirks at me. “What do you think you’re gonna do with that?”
I don’t answer her. I attack. Grab her by the shoulders, push her down on the couch, pin her in place with my knee on her ass, and tie her fucking hands together.
She screams and wiggles the entire time, but I don’t care. I’m done. I pull her up on her feet, take my shirt off, and then stick it in her mouth like a gag.
Her eyes are wide and her feet kicking. Which is not a smart move on her part, because she falls to the floor. And then, finally, she stops being a problem. Because she gives up and starts crying.
I need a minute, so I go back down the stairs, pull the door closed behind me, lean my back against it, and sink down to the floor so I can text Lars.
He and Ax appear through the doorway at the other end of the hall a minute later. “What’s going on?”
“She’s being a bitch,” I say. “So I tied her up.”
Ax laughs, then holds up another discarded string of baling twine. “Great minds,” he jokes. “I was ready.”
“Can one of you just…” I massage my temples with my fingers, trying to will this hangover headache into submission. “Just… go talk some fucking sense into her? Please. She needs to do what she was told. We all just need to do what we were told.”
Ax’s smile falls, his jokes gone. “Fuck. I’ll do it.”
He’s probably not the right choice. But I’m not going back up there. And Lars doesn’t volunteer.
I move aside so Ax can get through the door.
“What the fuck happened to your shirt?”
I look down at the Valcourt lions rampant tattoo that spans my entire chest and briefly wish I could go back to that day and never have it done. But wishing doesn’t change anything, so I just look up at Lars. “I gagged her with it.”
We both laugh. We can’t help it. It is kinda funny.
He slumps down next to me, sighs. “Are we fucked? Or what do you think is happening?”
I side-eye him. “Did you really think it was going to be that easy to get out of here?”
He shrugs. “I was kinda hoping, ya know?”
“We should’ve seen this coming. There’s no way you’re getting out. You’re an only child.”
“Am I?” he huffs.
“And Dane. I think he’s the one behind this.”
“What do you think he knows?”
“No clue.” It’s only half true, of course. My father might know about Cadee’s abortion. I don’t know how. But that’s the only way this day makes sense.
We sit in silence and then quickly get to our feet when we hear Ax stomping down the stairs.
A few seconds later the door swings open and Cadee steps out. She looks like she’s been crying and her hands are still tied behind her back.
I put a hand up to my mouth to hide my smile when I see the second length of baling twine has been tied into a slip knot and is now around her neck. My t-shirt is still stuffed in her mouth.
“OK, then,” Ax says, kinda puffing out his chest with pride. “We’re good.”
“What the hell is this?” Lars laughs. “She can’t walk through campus like that!”
“Oh, she can. And she will.” Ax growls these words into Cadee’s ear and she furrows her brows and shrugs her shoulders to make him back away from her neck. “I warned her. If she needs a leash, I can provide.”
She starts protesting through the gag.
I reach over and pull it out of her mouth.
“This is kidnapping! I’m pressing charges!”
“Good luck with that.” Ax laughs. “The fucking sheriff works for my father, Cadee. They only send us to jail when they want to teach us a lesson. You’re not part of today’s lesson. You’re just a task to check off our list. You’re going over to the Chairman’s house. How you get there is up to you. I thought I explained this upstairs?”
“You’re a bunch of animals!”
“Listen.” I sigh. “We can do it the easy way. Unbind your wrists, take off the leash. Or we can do it this way. You’ll be just another move-out day prank, Cadee. No one will care.”
Lars is nodding his head. “Yup. That’s pretty much it right there. So decide. Easy way? Hard way? We don’t really give a fuck.”
She huffs.
“Is that acceptance I hear?” I cup my hand to my ear to be an extra-special dick about this whole thing.
“Fine.”
“Oh, no, that’s not good enough,” Lars says. “We’re kinda pissed off at this point. Hell, who am I kidding? We’re definitely pissed off. We’re having a bad day, Cadee. And you’re very much a part of that. So get on your fucking knees and apologize for making things worse.”
Cadee looks at me, her eyes begging me to take pity on her. But I shake my head. Because I like this idea. Humiliating Cadee Hunter might not fix anything, but that old saying—‘misery loves company’—is so very, very true.
I narrow my eyes at her. “Knees. Now. Someone has to teach you a lesson.”
CHAPTER SIX - CADEE
Eleventy-billion terrible, evil things run through my mind in this moment.
I thought Cooper was the worst? Uh… no. Ax Olson is the worst!
I look at him. Not Cooper. I’m done with Cooper. How dare he accuse me of telling my own secret?
“First of all,” I say, looking right at Ax, instead of Cooper, “it’s not your secret.”
“W-what?” Ax laughs. Looks nervously over at Lars.
“It’s not your secret to hold close or spill like an idiot. It’s mine.” I practically spit the words at him.
“Uh… what the hell are you talking about?” Ax says.
“And,” I continue, still not looking at Cooper, “if you ever”—I lower my voice—“ever touch me again, I will have you arrested.”
“Um… Jesus, dude,” Lars says. “What the hell did you do to her upstairs?”
I whirl on Lars. “And you—”
“Me?” He points to himself. “What did I do?”
“Do the words ‘willing accomplice’ mean anything?”
“Clearly she is losing her mind.”
Oh, Cooper Valcourt. You did not just say that.
But I will not look at him. I refuse to look at him. Not after what he did. “My mind is not lost. But one word from me about my secrets”—I’m staring Lars dead in the eyes—“and you. Go. Down.”
“Cadee,” Lars spits. “What the hell are you talking about? I haven’t even talked to you in three years! Whatever fucking trip you’re on, it’s got nothing to do with me.” He looks at Ax. “Take that fucking thing off her neck. And untie her, for fuck’s sake. We’re not walking her across the campus like that.”
“You’re not walking me anywhere. I’m staying right here.”
Ax sneers at me. And for a moment I wonder if he’s going to actually do something stupid. Like choke me out. Because he’s that kind of guy. Angry. Unstable. Violent. Even now I can see the greenish-yellow stain around his eye. He wears bruises like badges. That’s how many fights this boy gets into.
“Go downstairs,” Cooper says.
“What?” Lars asks.
“Just… both of you. Go downstairs and give me a minute with… Cadee.” He sneers my name like it is something truly disgusting.
“Gladly,” Ax says, eyeing me up and down in a threatening way. “Fuck this bitch.”
Lars follows him and Cooper waits until they are through the door at the end of the hall before he reaches for my wrists. “What the hell was that?”
“That was a threat.”
He pulls a small folding knife out of his pocket, cuts the twine around my wrists, and then reaches for the noose around my neck.
I swat his hands away and remove the twine myself. “And if you don’t think I’ll do it, you have severely underestimated me.” I try to say it with as much conviction as I can, but my voice cracks. And I know if I say much more I will probably start crying.
Cooper sighs, puts his hands in his pockets, then leans against the wall. Like he needs something to hold him up right now.
I don’t mean to stare at the giant fighting-lion tattoo that spans his entire chest—or the muscles underneath it. He didn’t have either of those when we were last together.
You were never together, Cadee. He bullied you. Relentlessly.
Right. Let’s try to keep this day rooted in reality.
But holy hell. The last time I saw this much of Cooper Valcourt, he certainly didn’t look this good.
I pull my eyes away from his chest and refuse to admit I like the tattoo and the muscles, because Cooper Valcourt is evil. All the Valcourts are evil. Which means… his father’s offer might be…
“Look.” Cooper sighs. “If you help me out, I’ll help you out.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Don’t you? Looks like he stole your life, just like he stole mine.”
Now I do look up at him. “And whose fault is that?”
“Not mine.”
“Wrong. Everything is your fault. Even when it isn’t.”
“Childish much?”
Air blows past my lips. “You are such a piece of work.” I turn my back to him.
“Listen to me.” He grabs my shoulders, spins me around, and pushes me up against the wall. Not only that—he pushes himself up against me. So his chest is pressing against my breasts.
Do. Not. Look at him. Do not!
“Look at me, Cadee.”
Stay strong.
“Look. At. Me. Cadee.” He pauses. Then his voice softens. “Please.”
Fuck. I look. And man… why? Why does this animal have to have those eyes? Piercing. I know. It’s overused in books. Every blue-eyed man has a piercing gaze. I get it.
But it’s just true with this one. These blue eyes of his are not reminiscent of the sky or the long, brilliant feathers of a peacock. Oh, they’re that color. An intense, almost surreal blue. But they are dark. They are the depths of despair. Lightning in a thundercloud. The flame of a gas fire. They are poison. Pure poison.
“I don’t know what he’s doing. I swear to God, I do not know. And I don’t understand why he’s gotten you involved. If I could stop it, I would.”
“Then do it!” I yell it. Right up in his face. “Tell him.”
He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. “That’s not going to help anything. What’s done is done. He doesn’t need to know about it.”
“You would say that,” I whisper. “Because you made this happen. You did this to me.”
He walks away.
“All of it! This is all your fault. You killed my dad, you killed—”
<
br /> He spins around and yells, “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You are everything that’s wrong in my life, Cooper Valcourt! Everything! It’s all your fault.”
He actually laughs and throws up his hands. “Fine. You want to make it all my fault? It’s all my fault.”
“‘Get on your knees, Cadee!’ You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You and your bully friends! You made my life miserable that year. Do you have any idea what you did to me?” I scream it. So loud he rushes forward and cups his hand over my mouth.
“Shut up!” he growls down into my face. He grabs me by the hair and twists it up in his fist until he’s pulling on my scalp. “Just… calm the fuck down.”
I breathe hard into his palm, my chest heaving. And then… that’s it. I have reached the end of my self-control and the tears spill down my cheeks and slide over his fingers.
All that sadness I’ve been holding in for the last two weeks suddenly comes pouring out. And this is the worst time. I don’t want to do this in front of anyone, let alone Cooper Valcourt.
But I can’t stop. And then I’m sobbing. Like gasping for breath sobbing.
And what does Cooper do? Just… stares at me. And that look. I swear to God, I want to slap his face again.
“I’m going to take care of things. Do you understand me?”
I shake my head as I wipe my eyes and try to breathe past his hand.
“Wrong answer.” He pushes his body against mine again. “Wrong answer, Cadee! You’re coming home with me. I have fifteen fucking minutes to get you there and take a pic of you in your new room or—”
I force his hand off my mouth and suddenly the tears are gone, but the anger is back. “Or what?” I take a step forward and he takes one back. “Or what, Cooper? I’m not going home with you! I’m not! Whatever your father is up to, I don’t want any part of it!”
And then—I don’t know quite what happens—he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. I don’t even understand how he managed such a complicated move in the span of one moment.
“I’m done trying to reason with you,” he growls, walking down the hallway.
“Put me down!” I grab the flesh just above his hip and dig my nails into his skin.
He slaps my ass. Hard.