Blackthorn Elite: The Entire Series

by Beck, J. L.

  Being the bigger person and not wanting him to actually start a fistfight with his roommates over looking or talking to me, I do what he says and take a seat at the table. I turn away from the guys and look out of the window, which seems to calm Warren a little.

  After a few moments, I sneak a glance over at Warren and notice the tense look in his eyes seems to be dissipating.

  He scrambles eggs in a pan, not even paying his roommates a lick of attention.

  “We’re gonna head out,” Cameron announces.

  “Finally,” Warren mumbles, just as he places the eggs and some toast on a plate.

  Easton winks at me as he walks out, and I give him a tiny wave goodbye when Warren isn’t looking.

  Warren takes the seat next to me, placing a plate and a fork in front of me. I grab it and start eating after I mumble, “Thanks.”

  We eat in silence until Warren gets up and gets us some orange juice from the fridge, handing it to me, he orders, “Drink.”

  “Is that how it’s going to be now? You tell me what to do, and I do it?”

  “Yes, I’m glad you finally get it.”

  I can’t believe that he thinks this is going to work. Does he really think I’m going to let him treat me like this? Then again, what choice do I have? It’s this or lose my scholarship and a chance of a good life.

  My head feels like it’s about to explode. I just need space and time to think, even if it’s just for a few hours. I need to be alone, away from him, and I will be. He can’t be with me every second of the day. The first chance I get, I’ll be gone. I need to go somewhere he won’t find me.

  30

  Warren

  Where the fuck is she? I’ve looked everywhere, asked everybody I know, and called her phone a million times. Of course, it doesn’t matter how many times I call a phone that’s turned off, because not a single call is going through.

  Pacing through my room, I contemplate my next move. One thing is for sure, I can’t stay here, I need to fucking find her. I’m going insane.

  There is one place I haven’t been to, and I’m dreading finding her there. Easton told me he saw Harper at Night Shift, a local strip club. If I find her there, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t know if I can hold on to my sanity or my anger.

  Bursting out of my room, I walk down the long hallway and end up at Easton’s door. I knock twice before he opens it, his black hair is wet, and he’s wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

  “Great, you just showered. Now get dressed, we’re going to Night Shift.”

  “I was about to tell you to fuck off, but you had me at Night Shift. I could use some cheap pussy. I’ll be ready in five.” He closes the door in my face, and like an impatient child, I wait at the front door, checking the time every thirty seconds.

  When he finally comes out after four and a half minutes, I huff loudly. The fucker grins at me while walking down the hall as if he is on a morning stroll. Twisting the knob so hard, I fear it might come off, I open the door and step outside.

  Easton is right behind me as I get into the car and let the engine roar to life. He is barely inside before I pull out of the driveway.

  “Why are you in such a hurry? The girls will be there all night, buddy.”

  “I’m only going for one girl, and if she is there, well, I’m just telling you now, I’ll probably need you to bail me out of jail. That’s the only reason I’m taking you.”

  “Ah, of course… Harper, right?” Even hearing her name out of someone else’s mouth enrages me. I know it’s completely irrational, but I can’t help it. It makes me want to slug Easton in the face more than usual.

  “Yes, Harper,” I say through clenched teeth while gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. The place is across town, but since I break every speed limit on the way there, it only takes us a few minutes to arrive.

  As I park under the pink and yellow neon sign, my blood pressure has reached a new high. I’m torn between wanting her to be here just so I know where she is and praying she’d never step a foot in this place at all.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you don’t go to jail. Come on,” Easton climbs out of the car, and I follow closely behind him. When he opens the door, and we head in, my stomach churns, and I feel like I’m going to vomit.

  I’ve been here a few times and always enjoyed it before. It’s easier when the girls are just random bodies and not the girl who stole your heart in high school. Easton pays our cover charge, and the sleazeball at the front pushes away the curtain for us.

  Walking in on unsteady feet, I scan the dimly lit room like a fucking hawk. My eyes skim over every girl I see, long legs, big tits, round ass. Each girl looks like the next. Then I pause… dark brown wavy hair meets my eyes. Her back is turned to me, but her curves are all too familiar. Red hot rage pulses through my veins. I force my legs to work, to take me over to where she is standing at the bar, chatting up some potential customers. Bile rises in my throat when I think about what she is doing here, who has seen her… touched her.

  Motherfucker, I have to stop before I commit murder.

  She raises her slender hand, her finger grazes some guy’s arm, and I snap like a rubber band. Closing the distance between us in two large strides, I grab her by the shoulder and pull her away from the guy and into my chest.

  Mine. She’s mine.

  Harper screams into my chest, while two huge bouncers come running toward us. I’m vaguely aware of Easton yelling something behind me, but I’m too far gone to make out the words. Harper twists in my hold, placing her hands on my chest, trying to push me away. Her eyes find mine, and that’s the moment I realize that I’ve fucked up.

  “What the fuck, Warren?” She yells at me, although it’s not who I thought she was.

  “Valerie?” Her name barely leaves my mouth when one of the bouncers shoves me back and away from her. “I thought… you were…”

  “You know this punk?” One of the beefed-up guys eyeballs me while rolling his shoulders.

  “Yes,” Valerie, waves the guys away. “He is fine, don’t worry. He just wants a lap dance. Isn’t that, right?”

  I roll my eyes, “Yeah, a lap dance.”

  Valerie grabs my arm and pulls me to the back of the place where they have a hand full of small private rooms.

  “You better pay me double for this,” Valerie huffs when we are alone in one of the rooms. She pushes a button on the wall, and some low, sexy song starts playing. “You really didn’t think Harper was here, did you?”

  “Someone told me they saw her here,” I explain, just now realizing that who Easton probably saw was Valerie. They do look very similar. Same hair color, same curvy frame. Which isn’t that surprising, seeing as they’re cousins.

  Valerie shakes her head, “Warren, it’s like you don’t know the girl at all. She would never work in a strip club. God, the girl is such a prude. I’m pretty sure she is still a virgin.”

  Ha, she’s funny. “Well, I can guarantee you that she is not. Do you know where she’s at? I haven’t seen her, and her phone is shut off.”

  “Really? That’s unlike her.” Valerie taps her chin, “Honestly, I have no idea where she could be. I’ve been kind of a bitch to her lately. She isn’t too fond of me right now, and I haven’t talked to her.” She shrugs, and I remember how she talked down to Harper at the party, and I have to agree, she’s been a bitch.

  “Call me if you hear from her, okay?” I take out my wallet and fish out two one-hundred-dollar bills. Valerie takes the money without batting an eye, stuffing the bills in her tiny silver triangle bikini top.

  “I will, but if you talk to her first, please don’t tell her I work here. I’ll never hear the end of it. I told her I work at a diner, and I don’t want to be lectured like a child.”

  I couldn’t care less about what Valerie wants or thinks. All that matters to me right now is finding Harper.

  “You really can’t think of a place she would go? Friends she m
ight want to go see?” I’m half-tempted to ask her about any guys she might be seeing but bite my tongue.

  “Warren…” Valerie looks at me like I’m stupid. Placing her hand on her hip, she starts to explain, “Are you blind or something? Harper doesn’t have any friends. She is too worried about her grades. I had to drag her to that last party, and I’d bet all the cash I have on me tonight that she won’t be going to anymore, at least not with me.”

  For the first time since Harper returned in my life, doubt about how I’ve perceived her creeps up on me. I thought she worked here. I was sure she had been dating tons and partied with friends. But really, looking at it now, analyzing the last few days, I guess I was wrong. It’s starting to seem like I did all the partying and fucking while Harper hit the textbooks.

  That thought has me asking my next question, “Did Harper date after we broke up?”

  “Not that I know of,” she tells me, and I believe her. I don’t think she would lie for Harper, not after the way she treated her. Valerie just cares about herself.

  The thing is, even though I’m relieved Harper hasn’t had a boyfriend, she still cheated on me back then. She still gave her virginity to someone else, and that’s completely unforgivable. I told her I would wait for her, but waiting wasn’t what she wanted.

  Valerie shifts her weight impatiently back and forth on her feet. “The song is over, either you pay me again, or you get out.”

  “I’ll leave. So you can get back to your other customers,” I say, reaching for the door handle.

  “Not everyone is born with a golden spoon in their mouth. Don’t look down at people who work for their money. For some of us, this is how we make ends meet.” The thought brings forth a memory that crashes into me like a wave, taking me out at the knees.

  A little girl with thick hair, the color of cinnamon and chocolate, comes running through the foyer, a big toothy grin on her face. Daddy doesn’t like it when we run, or play, or smile. I’m pretty sure he hates anything that doesn’t involve being in his office.

  He usually tells me that I should only talk when I’m spoken to. Be seen, not heard.

  “Harper Mae,” the maid scolds as the girl I now know as Harper almost crashes into me. Harper’s smile falls and turns into a frown a second later, as the maid grabs her by the wrist and tugs her into her side. She’s so pretty, like an angel, and strangely, I want to see her smile again. Clasping my hands together in front of me, I stare at her in awe.

  “I’m so sorry, Warren,” Maid Claudia apologizes, her face stricken with worry. I’m sure most of the maids have families and kids, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen another kid my age running around the house.

  “It’s okay.” I smile and stare at her for a little longer. I dig deep, building up the courage to ask her if she wants to play with my power rangers with me. This huge house makes me feel alone, so having a friend would be nice.

  “Do you… do you want to…” The words don’t even make it past my lips when my father walks into the room. I look up at him, taking note of the sour look on his face.

  “Run along, Warren, you need to find some other children to play with. Children of your own status.”

  My brow furrows in confusion. I’m not sure what that means. My own status? What does that mean? We’re both kids, and I bet she likes power rangers too, who doesn’t?

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Williams. I didn’t have a babysitter. I had to bring her, but she won’t bother anyone, I promise. Isn’t that right, Harper?”

  “Yes,” Harper whispers, holding on to her mother’s leg.

  “I don’t care if you bring her as long as she doesn’t touch anything. If she breaks something, it’s coming out of your paycheck.” Then he turns his attention back to me. “Warren, run along,” my father says in a stern voice. Even though I don’t want to, I walk away, knowing if I disobey Daddy, nothing good will come from it.

  Like a slingshot, my brain propels me back to the present. That was my very first memory of Harper.

  I don’t say anything because there isn’t anything else to say. Walking back out to the stage, I find Easton making sex eyes at one of the girls on stage.

  “Let’s go, douchebag,” I yell over the music. Of course, he’s too mesmerized by the chick’s tits to pay me any attention. Using my last shred of patience, I walk over to him and slap him upside the head. “I’m leaving, fuckhead.”

  “Dude, what the fuck?” he growls, but I’m already walking away. I’m not going to stay in this strip club and babysit him all night long. Not when I have no fucking idea where Harper is. Thousands of thoughts assault me at once. Someone already broke into her apartment. What if something happened? My stomach twists. Or maybe she’s doing this on purpose to hurt me, to push me over the edge because of the way I acted this morning.

  When I reach the car, I find that Easton did follow me. Smart thinking. Climbing into the car, I sit in the driver’s seat, trying to figure out where the hell to go next. My fingers drum against the steering wheel without thought.

  “What are we going to do now? You look as lost as you did when you came in here? I’m guessing Valerie wasn’t of any help?”

  “Well, I mean she was, and she wasn’t. She doesn’t know where Harper is, but she did shed some light on a couple of things. I think I may have been wrong about her.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Confusion bleeds into Easton’s face.

  I shake my head. I don’t have time to explain this to him.

  “Let’s just say I was wrong.” At least about what she’s been up to the last few years. I start the car and pull out of the parking spot.

  “Where are we going?” he asks a second later.

  “To find Harper,” I answer without ever taking my eyes off the road.

  31

  Harper

  “You can come home whenever you want, sweetie,” my mother assures me as if I need to be told twice. I love spending time with my parents. I’d take a home-cooked meal over cafeteria slop any day, but both of them work so hard running their cleaning business, the last thing I want is to be a burden to them.

  That’s why I worked so hard for my scholarship, and why I live off-campus, so I can save up every little bit of money I have to buy the things I need over asking my parents for money.

  “I know, Mom,” I give her a smile. “I’ve just been busy. Classes are crazy, and the workload is a lot. You know how I get about my grades.” That’s not a lie. At least not fully. Though the only thing crazy at Blackthorn is Warren.

  “Yes, yes,” her hazel eyes soften, and she reaches into her pocket, “your father and I want you to have this. You never ask for anything, and we know you have the scholarship, but maybe you could use the cash for something.”

  I open my mouth to object, but my mother shakes her head and grabs my hand, pressing the warm dollar bills into it.

  “Take it, please.” The pleading in her voice stops me in my tracks. Even though I don’t want to take it, I bite the inside of my cheek and take it, nodding my head.

  She smiles and releases my hand. I shove the wad of cash into my pocket, bumping into my phone. Shit. My phone. It’s been off all day. I can’t imagine the shit storm I’ll be walking back into when I get back to Blackthorn.

  I know without a doubt that Warren is pissed, probably ripping the campus to shreds trying to find me. Something that feels like satisfaction coats me from the inside out. For once, I outsmarted him, tricked him. I left without him even knowing.

  Pulling out my phone, I turn the device on. As soon as the thing is on, it starts to go off, just as I suspected it would.

  “Popular, huh?” My mom grins, her eyes lighting up as she makes another loaf of bread. If she isn’t cleaning for a living, she’s cooking. It’s like she doesn’t know what relaxation is.

  “Yeah,” I lie, refusing to tell her it’s some crazed asshole who thinks he can control me and everything I do. Looking down at my phone, I find I have thirty text messag
es or more, plus numerous voicemails.

  It’s a good thing I’m heading back to Blackthorn today. God forbid the psycho go an entire night without me. Walking into the tiny living room, I prepare myself to calm him and almost chuckle when my phone starts ringing, his name flashing across the screen.

  I hit the green answer key and hold the phone to my ear.

  “Yes, can I help you?” I speak calmly into the receiver. I shouldn’t want to stir the pot of crazy, but I do. Warren deserves to feel the same pain I have.

  “What the fuck, Harper? Where are you? I’ve looked everywhere for you. I swear to god, you better have a good excuse. You didn’t think you could escape me…”

  “I’m not stupid, Warren. I just needed some time away from you. You’re mental, and it’s exhausting dealing with you.”

  “Where are you?” Is all he says, his voice clipped.

  “On my way back to Blackthorn. I’ll be leaving in a few minutes to catch the bus.”

  “No, you won’t. Stay right where you fucking are. I’ll come and pick you up.” An objection sits heavy on my tongue, but Warren interrupts me before I can speak. “And if you think about disobeying me, I’ll march right up to the administration building and tell them everything I know.”

  “Your threats are getting old,” I taunt.

  “And you’re going to regret doing this. Send me the address, now. I’ll be there asap, and if you were with another guy… Harper, I will go to prison. Right after I kill him.”

  I roll my eyes, “You don’t own me, and we aren’t even together, but if it’s going to stop you from committing murder, I can assure you I wasn’t with a guy. I’m at my parents’ house.”

  There’s a brief pause, and I wonder what he’s thinking, “Text me the address, and stay put.” He orders like I’m a dog before he hangs up the phone. For a second, I consider not texting him, turning my phone back off, and staying here, but decide against it.