by Rina Kent
I smothered a laugh as she stumbled from the bed. Her entire right tit had managed to free itself from the tiny piece of fabric she still had on.
“Nothing. I mean, I don’t know. I needed to make sure you were okay.”
“Oh.” A giant breath of relief flew from her mouth. “Dammit, Rhia.” She took a few steps backward and sunk down onto the edge of her bed.
“I’m not even going to apologize. Two strange dudes carried us into your house and removed our clothing.”
Her head snapped up so fast I was concerned for her slender neck.
Hazel eyes wide, she stared at me as if she were seeing a ghost.
“Oh, my god.”
“What?”
“Gavin Knight was in my room. He…” She groaned and covered her face with both hands. “They were both in my house.”
“Who was?” I waved my hands in frustration.
“Gavin Knight and Judas Barron. They were the last people I saw before…shit. This is humiliating.”
Oh, this girl had me ready to slap her upside the head. “Audrey. Those assholes put something in our drinks, brought us here, took off our clothes, and left. Them knowing the layout of your damn house is more concerning than them being inside it.”
She blinked once, twice, bringing my sensible bestie who didn’t act a fool for dick back to the surface.
“They drugged us?” her voice lilted with anger and disgust.
“I mean…I think so.”
“And Dax?” she questioned.
I swallowed, lifting my shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t know where he is or what’s going on. He went back inside, and I haven’t seen him since. No missed calls or text either.”
Her expression changed again, this one more of concern. “Shit, Rhia.”
“Stop doing the one-two word thing and tell me what the hell is going on!”
“I don’t know what the hell is going on Rhi!” she yelled back. “If he pissed off one of them, nothing good.”
I pulled my lower lip between my teeth and gnawed on it. He’d certainly irritated the guy who’d followed us to the front door. Something about what she just said confused me even more, though.
“I thought those families were all noble citizens or whatever? Hearts of gold and all that bullshit.”
She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “There’s been a few rumors over the years. Nothing solid but…” she trailed off with a shake of her head.
Excellent. That gave me zero answers as to what was happening or going on with Dax. I put no stock in rumors. They went from one source to another becoming more and more questionable as they were spread because each person felt the need to add their own detailed assumptions.
“Does one of them have silver eyes?” I asked, realizing I still had no idea what these people looked like.
Audrey stared at me as if I’d grown a second head. “I’ve shown you their pictures on Facebook like nine hundred times.”
“Guess I wasn’t as committed to cyber stalking as you.”
“Not the point,” she retorted evenly. “If you asked anyone else what they looked like they’d think something was wrong with you for not knowing. And…I think I love you even more for that.”
“And?” I urged because I’d heard it hanging at the end.
“Judas has freakishly colored silver eyes. Like two brand new shiny quarters.”
I nodded to myself more than her. He was the one who’d followed us down the stairs. The one who’d given that weird as hell warning. And the one who’d practically threatened my now missing boyfriend.
But what did any of that mean?
And where was Dax?
Judas fucking Barron.
Even his name sounded privileged.
With a heady of asshole.
I was still thoroughly confused as to why he carried me into Audrey’s house or brought me there in the first place. Why he had my drink laced. I didn’t have proof it was him, but who the hell else would do something like that?
The last thing I could recall from the party was sitting in Audrey’s car and waiting for her to come out. And then I was waking up in her guest bedroom, wearing nothing but a bra and thin lacey thong.
There wasn’t a remedy to rid the memory of his hands on my body. It was such an odd and screwed up thing to fixate on. But, hey, I wasn’t entirely solid up top.
I tried to reason that I imagined the whole thing. I mean, the twisted asshole drugged me.
I think…
I was having a hard time thinking of him as a pervert instead of a boundary crossing dickhead. He hadn’t done anything but remove my clothes. While a major violation of privacy, I didn’t have a memory of him doing much else.
Not to say I wasn’t livid about how things went down. After having time to stew, I was ready to go at some necks. Occasionally, though. I had common sense. No rushing in half-cocked would occur this time around.
Going all Jennifer’s Body on the most prominent males in town wouldn’t do me any good.
It’d probably land me in cuffs with a charge on my squeaky-clean record and my parents’ feet up my ass. But the more I thought about the idea of revenge, the more it was almost worth it. Almost. I couldn’t stop the anger and if I was being honest, the hurt, from festering.
Dax hadn’t answered any of my calls in two fucking days. He sent one text last night saying everything was cool. What did that even mean? From my end things certainly weren’t ‘cool’.
I wanted to know what the hell he’d gotten Audrey and I involved in. Most people didn’t drug two girls and then give em a ride home for shits and giggles. If Dax told me someone did this to him, I’d cuff my damn self after kicking some bitches teeth in.
But he wasn’t replying to my messages.
Or my calls.
Or my Facebook IMs.
Or my Snaps.
My phone began to play my latest ringtone, and I nearly broke my knees trying to get to it. Leaving the shower running, I scrambled out, snatching my towel up to dry my hands. I unlocked the screen, trying not to scream in frustration when I saw Audrey’s smiling contact photo.
“Hello.”
“Still nothing?” she asked, knowing all my problems since she insisted on sharing them with me.
“Nope. Just the one from last night. He was active online two hours ago, Auds. I don’t get it. Why is he ignoring me?”
She cleared her throat, and something clinked in the background. “Not to dig his grave any deeper, but he was last active twenty-eight minutes ago. A picture was posted.”
“What?” my voice boomed in the enclosed bathroom.
“You okay, Hun?” Mom yelled from somewhere in the house. I lifted the phone away from my mouth and called out I was fine.
“Of what?” I asked Audrey, much quieter.
“The Manatee.”
“The Manatee? Where the boats are docked?”
“Yeah. There’s a party there tonight.”
Oh, hell no! My rage spiked for a minute, just to simmer the next second. This was all majorly messed up, but Dax was basically showing his true colors. In a way it was a good thing this was happening now rather than later. Our relationship had never been ‘it’ for me. I knew I would never marry him or go off and make his babies.
We were two young people doing the dating thing because that’s what we were supposed to do.
This wasn’t how I saw it ending, though. So unresolved and with me feeling bitter.
“Okay, Auds. Thanks,” I sighed.
“Wait. That’s it? We aren’t storming the area?”
I laughed lightly. “I don’t want to be at a party or on a boat. Screw him.”
And the last six months! The angry, hurt girl inside me screamed.
“But--.”
“Unless you want to relive the Titanic, we’re not going.”
“This time Jack would drown on purpose. He’d have two pissed off bitches holding him under,” she replied, catching my meaning without e
laboration.
“I told my parents I’d be here for dinner.”
“Oh…right. Well, text me later, okay?”
“Course.” I hung up and looked at my reflection in the half-steamed mirror.
I didn’t much look like a heartbroken girl, because I wasn’t. For six months I’d spent so much time with this one person and suddenly, they were just gone without a word as to why. No goodbye. Simply radio silence after a screwed-up night. That was what hurt. Not losing a boy I should have let go of a while ago.
But everything happens for a reason, right?
Even things that fuck with your head and your heart.
Chapter Six
Rhiannon
My Mom may not have been any good at hiding her feelings, but the woman had a sixth sense when it came to mine.
Or maybe that was just a mom thing.
The tripled fudge cake in front of me wasn’t merely an over-indulgent dessert, but something to eat my emotions with.
“What did he do?” Mom asked, placing a second slice in front of me and a fresh glass of milk.
“How do you know it was a him?”
She gave me a cheeky grin, causing her blue eyes to crinkle. “Because I know you and I know the him in question.”
I shoved a disgustingly large portion of cake into my mouth and shrugged, savoring every last decadent crumb. I wasn’t about to tell her what transpired at the party, or afterward.
My parents trusted me, and I had enough lead to do my thing. Didn’t mean I would hang myself with it.
“I met Judas Barron. Dax and I broke up.”
Mom chocked. Like, fully gagged on her mouth-full of cake. I didn’t think it was for dramatic effect either. My fork, halfway to my mouth and loaded with another bite, came to a pause.
“You broke up?” she wheezed when she got herself together. “Why? You love that boy!”
Damn. I should have told her this with more caution. I sometimes forgot how much she and Dad adored Dax. The cake settled in my gut like a heavy paperweight. I knew we hadn’t technically discussed the ending of our relationship but as this point, it seemed rather obvious on both ends.
“That’s the problem, mom. He’s a boy.” There was no mistaking the spite in my tone.
She sat back with a frown on her face. “Did he do something to you?”
Ironically, it was that question that made me want to cry. I wasn’t the kind of girl who needed a guy to protect her or stand up for her. I could do that myself, but damn if that wouldn’t have been nice. I wanted him to have my back at the very least.
“He didn’t do anything,” I replied quietly, leaving out that, that was precisely the problem.
“You know, it’s almost time for school to start. No sense in spending the last couple days sad. Why don’t you and Audrey go do something tonight. See a movie? Go to that Chinese buffet you like so much?”
“Mom,” I laughed, touched she cared. I knew I was lucky in that regard. “I just ate.”
She quirked a perfect blonde brow. “Since when has that mattered?”
“Touché.” We both knew I was a bottomless pit.
Thank god for metabolism.
I waited for her to clear the plates away before I pulled my phone out and text Audrey there was a change of plans.
Audrey found his car within four minutes. It was parked between a large pick-up and a small Fiat.
This would have been grand if not for the fact we were supposed to be on our way to the latest Guillermo del Toro movie.
“That asshole,” Audrey fumed.
“Audrey,” I snapped. “I knew you weren’t going the right way. Why did you bring me here?”
“For this.” She pointed to Dax’s car.
“I didn’t want to do this.”
She scanned the lot looking for a spot to park, her lips turned down at the corners. “Why not?”
I groaned internally. When I wasn’t in the heat of a moment, I was surprisingly a private person. I didn’t want to have it out with Dax in front of a crowd or risk humiliation if he decided to be an asshole.
“I really just wanna enjoy the last bit of my summer. Okay? If Dax wanted to talk or see me, he would have.” I also wanted to self-heal the hurt at my own pace, but I was keeping that to myself.
“You’re right. This was impulsive. I’m sorry, Rhi,” Audrey murmured, passing two empty spots in a row.
I could tell not all the cars belonged to high schoolers. Most were owners of the rigs in the water. Their bumper stickers said so.
“Do you think we should be worried at all?” she asked, turning her car towards the exit. “I know he’s here and ignoring you. You think it has anything to do with Judas? I heard he was all over you last night.”
Oh, how the rumor mill spread such bullshit. “Seriously?”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I know that isn’t true. I would’ve grilled your ass for full blown details by now. I’m just saying.”
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, rubbing a hand over my temple. I’d considered that too, but what could Judas have said to him that’d warrant all this?
“Ugh. Screw it. Park the car, we’re going to get some answers.”
“Yess! That’s my girl.”
I hid my smile by dropping down the visor. I wasn’t dressed for a boat party, and didn’t particularly care either, but the hair on my head would. It knew exactly how and when to frizz, being near the ocean was a certain guarantee it would. I pulled the thick brown mass into a high ponytail, and then smoothed down my sequined feather tank, glad I’d grabbed a hoodie.
Audrey claimed one of the two spots she’d passed minutes ago and cut the engine. She looked like she was ready for a party in a cute floral romper and gladiator sandals. But then she was the one who knew where we were going all along.
We got out at the same time and made our way to where all the boats were docked. Small in the front, big as hell in the back.
“Which one are we going to?”
“Gabby Dawson’s. Her daddy owns a few of them. We’re looking for something called Mystikal.”
Didn’t know who this person was but if their father owned multiple boats out here, they had paper. Boys and their toys.
The boat was easy enough to find. Big and white with pearl blue trim. Nice as shit. Did I mention it was big?
We walked right on board with no issue. A few hellos were called to Audrey and me from a couple people that knew us and that was it. I expected a doorman or something. I personally would have had some muscle manning the entryway.
There were two directions to go, left or right. And with maybe forty people on board, it wasn’t a massive crowd, but large enough that I couldn’t instantly spot Dax.
“You go one way I go the other? Meet back here in ten if we don’t find him?”
“You want to split up?” I questioned. “Is that a good idea. This Gabby chick knows you, not me. I’m not sure slinking around her boat is a good idea.”
“If someone knows me, Rhia. They know you. You’re literally the moon to my sun.”
Aw. I liked that.
“If we hurry, we can make the second showing of our movie,” she continued.
I liked that even better.
“I’ll take right.”
She nodded. “Meet here in ten minutes or I’m coming for you.”
“Same,” I laughed, stepping in the other direction.
I felt strange being around this many people after what happened the other night. It hadn’t been bothering me as heavily until this very moment.
Had no one saw anything? Or was it they didn’t care. Dax had been the one to get our drinks, after all. Did he not see someone put something in them? Did he know they had? I couldn’t imagine him allowing that, but then again, people could always surprise you.
Suffice it to say, I would never take a red cup from anyone again unless Audrey made the shit herself. That could have gone so differently for us, so much worse. I’d he
ard a million horror stories about girls that had been drugged at parties.
I navigated around a couple kissing and made my way to the rear end of the boat. There were a few friendly smiles aimed my way and a redheaded guy watched me with interest in his eyes. He was pretty, but not so much I’d mind him joining me in bed.
I just couldn’t do pretty for long term; I’d tarnish it and make it as ugly as I was inside. That had been one of the better things about Dax. He didn’t notice or care to know about the shit I kept locked up tight inside my head. Pretending tends to be easier when no one is searching for what’s underneath your armor.
Speaking of, I didn’t see him anywhere. The boat was huge. Not gigantic. Could he be below deck?
No. The only reason for him to be down there would result in this whole thing sinking. That wasn’t a boyfriend/girlfriend thing. It was a respect thing.
I rounded a corner and took a few steps before my feet froze in place. Right there, was Judas Barron. Two other guys and a girl were with him. The girl could pass as a Brenda Songs replica.
All of them lifted their heads and looked my way. Those silver eyes set on me and I felt like a rabbit ensnared by a wolf.
Except, this bunny had teeth.
They weren’t as lethal as his would be, but they’d fuck you up all the same.
“Rhiannon Clermont,” one of the guys announced me as if I were stepping into a ring, a wide grin on his handsome face.
He had the bluest eyes I’d ever seen, a perfect shade of sky blue that popped against his brown skin. I ignored him, fixing my gaze on the gorgeous fella casually leaning against the boat railing.
He was in a white shirt today, a soft leather jacket over top of it, and donning a pair of dark jeans. The guy belonged in pictorials.
“Where’s Dax?”
He dragged his gaze up and down my body—slowly. I instantly felt exposed. Knowing he’d seen it all already didn’t make me feel better.
“How would I know?”
I glared, taking a step towards him. I wanted to rant and rave at him for what he’d done, but something in his eyes had me withholding.
“Don’t play games with me.”