Cole: A Boulder Series Novella

by Eve L Mitchell

  The grip on my glass loosened as he changed the subject, but the unease was still there. If this was how he was reacting with Theo, he would never, ever, accept how I felt for Ari. Pouring my juice down the sink and rinsing the glass, I pushed my despair away as I had a thousand times before. She would never be mine. I couldn’t do that to my little brother.

  Matt came home later and Connor had left to go to the party with Corey. I’d spent the day trying to ignore the reminder that I had to let Ari go. “You didn’t stay out?” I asked Matt curiously as he walked in.

  “Theo found a girl at the movies. I swear I only went for a piss and I came back and he had a date.” Matt laughed. “Plus, I wasn’t leaving you here on a Saturday night alone to stew about girls with long dark hair and grey eyes.”

  “I’m pathetic, aren’t I?” I groaned.

  “No,” Matt answered honestly. “You’re in love.” He shrugged as he shifted his feet, clearly uncomfortable at the terminology.

  “It’s not a disease Matt.” I punched his arm lightly. “You won’t catch it if you say the word.”

  “Fuck off.”

  We were both laughing when I heard my phone buzz, no doubt it was Connor or Theo. Getting up to answer the phone, I frowned when I saw Aaron’s name flashing on my phone. He couldn’t possibly want me to fight tonight. “What?” I answered ready to tell him to go fuck himself.

  “I’m at the Roadshack, so is your girl. Get here, she’s in trouble,” he hung up.

  I was heading for the kitchen to get the keys, blind panic urging me onwards. Trouble? Ari…what kind of trouble? “Matt!” I called as I grabbed the keys for the 4Runner.

  “What is it?” he asked alarmed.

  “Ari.”

  We drove to the Roadshack, Matt abandoned the SUV as we both hurried inside. The place was busy, but I saw her instantly. I would always see her first. She was swaying and looked disoriented, staggering as she tried to walk. That prick Jay was behind her, I was on my way to her before he saw me. Ari stumbled and I caught her before she went down. She had passed out completely. What the fuck had happened to my girl? I glared at Jay as I gathered her in my arms.

  “What the fuck did you do?” I growled at him.

  Jay instantly stood back, his hands in the air. “I think she drank too much.” He took a step forward, “I’ll take her home.”

  I curled her into my body tighter. “Don’t fucking touch her, Jonson.” I turned on my heel and left carrying her with me. I could hear him protesting but I didn’t give a fuck what the bastard said. He wasn’t getting near her.

  “Put her in the back, I’ll stay with her,” Matt said softly. I had forgotten he was there.

  “We leave now,” I snapped.

  “Don’t you want to find out what happened?”

  “Later.” I laid Ari on the back seat and climbed in after her. I placed her head on my lap. She was out cold. What the fuck had he done to her? “Let’s get her home.”

  “Okay,” Matt agreed and walked to the front of the car.

  I looked up once as Matt pulled away from the Roadshack, Aaron stood outside smoking a cigarette. He wasn’t looking at the car, he seemed to be completely disinterested. I wasn’t fooled. He saw more than he let on. Why was he helping her? I would figure it out later. For now, I needed to get my baby home. When we were outside her apartment, she still hadn’t stirred. She hadn’t moved.

  “Does she need a hospital?” Matt asked looking over his shoulder.

  “I don’t know.” I moved to lift her up. “She hasn’t moved, but her breathing is fine. I think she’s asleep? How much did she have to drink?” I cursed in frustration. “She’s not used to alcohol.”

  “Ask Aaron?” Matt suggested as we got her out of the car, I held her tightly as we climbed the steps. “Why the hell is he helping her?” he added as an afterthought.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted as Matt opened her door to the apartment. “There’s too much I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” We went into the apartment.

  About twenty minutes later, I held her hair back as she threw up violently in the bathroom. She could hardly stand and was still swaying and unsteady, completely unaware of where she was. “I think her drink was spiked.” I looked at Matt who stood in the doorway. I saw his anger, but it was nothing next to my own.

  “I’m going to kill him,” Matt swore.

  No, you won’t, brother, I’ll get the bastard first.

  Saturday night we spent mostly in the bathroom; Ari was sick so many times, there was no point moving her. Matt and I debated taking her to the hospital, but after a few hours, she seemed to settle.

  “Should we move her?” Matt asked softly.

  “She can’t be comfortable,” I murmured looking down at her. She was half lying on me on the floor, I had her head on my lap and had been stroking her hair. The bathroom wasn’t that big and I had been providing myself as a pillow for her. I didn’t want her on the floor completely.

  “We need to get her into bed.” Matt glanced at me. “We need to undress her.” He seemed uncomfortable, neither of us were used to undressing unconscious women. It felt wrong, especially as it was Ari.

  “I know.” I didn’t move and kept stroking her hair. I don’t know who I was comforting, her or me. Ari’s eyes suddenly snapped open again and she lurched forward. As she dry heaved into the toilet bowl, I again held her hair back as I kept her body steady. When she was finished, she slumped against me.

  “Colton…” her words were a whisper, but I heard her.

  “I’m here,” I answered her as I gathered her close. Her eyes were closed and I knew she probably wouldn’t remember this ordeal, at least I hoped not. Silent tears ran down her cheeks as I brushed her hair away from her face. I coaxed a little bit of water into her, firstly to rinse her mouth and then to keep her hydrated. Ari slumped against me in exhaustion after just one mouthful of water.

  “Don’t leave me, Colton,” she whispered. A weak grasp of my shirt, trying to pull me closer.

  “Never baby, I’ll never leave you.” I didn’t meet Matt’s eyes as I scooped her up and carried her out of the bathroom. “She needs her bed.”

  “I’ll help you undress her.” He followed me quietly. “Let’s face it, neither of us want to be in this position.”

  I had to agree, this was not how I had imagined taking Ari’s clothes off. When she was so incapacitated she wasn’t aware there were hands on her. I could feel my temper rising again and I had to stand back and try to breathe to keep myself under control. Nodding at Matt to let him know I had my temper held in check, together we made quick work of her jeans and top, her boots we had removed in the car on the way home.

  “We both staying?” Matt asked me as he drew the blankets up and around her.

  “I’m going nowhere,” I replied.

  “Me neither.” He sighed heavily. “She must have been tricked.” His own temper was barely contained.

  It was the first time we had spoken about the fact her drink was either spiked or she took something willingly. I knew Ari, I couldn’t imagine her taking something. “Or spiked. One of those bastards knows what happened and I will find out.” My hands were clenched at my sides. Matt nodded in agreement, he ran his hand over her brow and I saw his pain that we hadn’t been quick enough to prevent this.

  Ari slept most of Sunday. Thankfully the vomiting had stopped, she was just sleeping. Theo came by Sunday morning, horrified that something had happened to her. He also thought we should have taken her to the ER and we probably should have done, but I didn’t have the answers to the questions we would have faced. I also didn’t want anyone looking at Aaron too closely as that wouldn’t serve us well. I hated that I was thinking of our debt, but I knew she was safe. Matt had Googled her behaviour and symptoms and we had been relieved that her reaction had been ‘normal’, she just needed to sleep it off. Theo made the comment that he was pleased Google had trumped a professional medical opinion. We had ignored his sarcasm,
even though we’d exchanged a guilty look. Matt and I took shifts watching her though, just in case she needed to be sick again. I had been lying in the spare room—waiting for her to wake up—when I heard her moving, the most restless she had been. I heard Matt move from the living room and then soft voices. I crept up the hallway because I didn’t want to alarm her.

  “Why do I hurt so bad?” I heard Ari ask Matt. The relief at hearing her voice had me slumping against the wall. I listened to their whispered conversation even though I couldn’t make most of it out, but I was just so happy to hear her.

  “Yeah, he’s in the spare room,” Matt answered a whispered question.

  “Shit.”

  “Yup.” I could hear the solemn tones of Matt, he knew how angry I was at who had done this to her.

  “Deep shit?”

  “The deepest.” Well that’s misleading, I thought.

  “Double shit.”

  I could almost see her biting her lip in worry.

  “Go to sleep, Bit.” At least he was laughing at her, letting her know he was teasing.

  I heard him move, and then a whispered plea from Ari. With a sigh, I heard Matt settle back on the bed. I waited a few moments, she wanted Matt to stay, so he stayed. Moving off the wall I’d been leaning on, I made my way back to the spare room. She was okay. She was going to be fine. I lay on the bed and felt my body relax for the first time since I had left the house on Saturday to go to the Roadshack. I closed my eyes; finally I could sleep. She was okay.

  After seeing Matt off in the morning to go to class, I waited for Ari to wake up. I took a shower and got the coffeepot ready—despite being out of it for over a day—I knew Ari would be looking for coffee. My caffeine junkie. She slipped into the kitchen still looking drained but so much better.

  “Where’s Matt?” she asked me, her throat must still be hurting her, her voice was gravelly and soft. I fought the temptation to cross the tiny space, grab her and hold her tight.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Like shit.” She kept her head down but I saw her glance at me, to gauge my reaction.

  “You were lucky.” The rage was still there, simmering but definitely still there.

  “I don’t feel lucky,” she snapped at me.

  Feisty aren’t we? This was a good sign. Ari muttered an apology and I turned to pour her a coffee.

  “Do you know what day it is?” I watched her confusion and fought to keep my hands in front of me. I may just shake her after all. As I told her it was in fact Monday afternoon, the need to shake her dissipated as quickly as it came. All I wanted to do was tell her she was okay and that I had her. The tears in her eyes almost broke me, but I needed to be firm with her. Keep my distance as I had promised. When I told her that Jay had called, to my relief she didn’t look that interested and told me she would call him later. That didn’t sit well with me, but I kept my mouth shut.

  Her small hand crossed the table and rested on top of mine. “I’m really sorry I dragged you into this Colton.”

  My eyes flashed to hers, I didn’t know if I could tell her that we dragged her into this. How did I tell her without telling her everything? Despite my pep talks and knowing what was for the best, my fingers still locked with hers and I held her hand. She didn’t pull away, her fingers squeezed against mine and I gave a reassuring squeeze back.

  “When I saw you in that dive bar, swaying about with your boyfriend behind you,” I tried to keep the scorn from my voice, but I knew I failed. “I saw red.” I didn’t look at Ari. “When I saw you go down, I knew I had to get to you.” I shook my head as I remembered the sheer panic that I felt when I saw her. Letting go of her hand I stood. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to keep you out of it. I should have known you would get right into the middle of it.” I met her gaze as she frowned in confusion. I was going to tell her, I had to tell her.

  “It’s not your fault.” Her temper was rising, I could see it. “This is my fault. That bloody crazy Tattoo Neck challenged me and like an equally crazy person, instead of walking away, I ran towards it.”

  The fact she was still calling Aaron “Tattoo Neck’ made me grin but I was I more interested in what he challenged her with. Matt had told me what she had said in the bed last night, but she had still been a little out of it and he couldn’t make much sense of it.

  “What did he challenge you with?” I listened as she told me how Aaron had basically bullied her into playing pool with him, threatening us with bigger, harder fights. That wasn’t for Ari to be involved in, plus it didn’t make sense. Aaron was a bastard yes, but he was fair. Or he seemed to be. Why would he involve Ari in this? I had a brief thought he was trying to keep her away from Jay, but why? That was ridiculous.

  Ari jumped to her feet and started pacing, her temper high, and I knew it was directed at Aaron, whereas my anger was all for Jay. She didn’t need to be this agitated, she’d just had a terrible weekend, she needed to calm down and rest. I gathered her in my arms and pulled her tight against me, something I had been wanting to do since she came into the kitchen. I knew it was the right thing to do when she wrapped her arms around me and laid her head against my chest. My hand trailed over her back as I held her. This right here, this is what we should have been doing from the moment I saw her on the quad that day. I would happily stay like this all day if it meant I got to hold Ari. Her front door opened and instinctively we sprang apart. Disappointment filled me even as I chuckled at how ingrained it was in both of us to move away from each other. Both of us so scared to be caught when we really hadn’t done anything wrong.

  Matt had her wrapped in a hug and I heard her tell him that she was still sore. My anger flared again as I thought about why she was sore. Moments later, Theo was hugging her and asking about a million times was she sure that she was okay? Ari stood back and looked at all three of us, wisely she suggested we move to her living room. The kitchen really was too small for all of us. I saw the glances that both Matt and Theo were giving me. I wasn’t stupid, I knew they wanted to tell her. I still wasn’t sure this was the best idea.

  Theo and Matt sat listening to her retell the evening, my temper rising again at the thought of what would have happened had I not got there in time. My God, what would that bastard have done to her? A small voice in my head tried to reason with me; Jay could be innocent and all he would have done was take her home. She should never have been there and she should never have been there with him. He wasn’t innocent. That fucking smarmy grin… No. He knew exactly what had happened. Is that why Aaron called me? Did he know what they had been planning? I didn’t know Aaron well, fuck, I didn’t know him at all, but he didn’t strike me as the type to condone spiking girls’ drinks. I needed answers.

  “We need to tell her,” Matt said to me. Theo was nodding in complete agreement.

  “If I had told her on Saturday, this wouldn’t have happened,” Theo snapped at me. I bristled at the accusation, this was my fault? I watched Theo and Matt hover over her, I saw her discomfort but the fact she would rather be uncomfortable than upset either of them, made me frown.

  “Colton?” Matt’s look was direct. It was quite clear if I didn’t say yes, they were telling her anyway. A single nod gave them the permission they weren’t really seeking. I looked away. I couldn’t have her eyes on me when she realised that I was maybe the reason she was in this mess. The whole sorry mess was related to her. She peppered them with questions but mostly she sat there and took it all in. I sat and listened adding my two cents worth where they were needed, or when Ari asked me directly. Matt, Theo, and I explained the fighting to her, that we needed to pay back Connor’s loan.

  “Where does he think you got the money from?” Ari asked us after they finished explaining everything to her. I knew by the fire in her eyes that she was never going to accept this. She was never going to be able to fake to Connor that she didn’t know, especially when she found out my little brother hadn’t cared enough to find out how we had cle
ared his debt. I got up and walked out of the room. The worst thing about knowing your brother was a selfish shit, was knowing that you had just disappointed the woman you loved, because you were still protecting him.

  Having carried Ari upstairs last night, reminding us all how vulnerable she was, had brought my fury at what happened to her rushing to the surface once again. I needed answers and there was one place I was guaranteed to get them. I headed to the garage early on Monday. I knew which businesses Aaron owned and my temper surged when I thought about Ari being here. I still couldn’t understand what she saw in Jay. He looked like a thug, he acted like a thug and I was pretty sure he was a thug. My inner voice warned me that I was just jealous and I probably was, I admitted to myself. However, I still wasn’t convinced Jay was interested in Ari for her, or just to piss me off. I had a nagging suspicion it was the latter, but it was hardly a suspicion I could air to Ari without sounding like an arrogant prick. I needed to tread carefully with her, not push her away.

  I parked on the street outside the garage, I didn’t want to park in the yard, they were less likely to spot me crossing the yard on foot than driving in. Halfway across the yard, Aaron walked out to meet me, his trademark smirk was on his face. He didn’t look that surprised to see me, which pissed me off, was he expecting me? When he was close enough my fist connected with his jaw before he fully processed what I had done, and I was on him again. Another jab to his jaw before I tried to throw another punch. Suddenly hands were on me hauling me off him. I shrugged them off as Aaron stood across from me, rubbing his jaw. He was furious. I made to move forward and he stopped me.

  “Think fast before you make a move to hit me again,” he warned. “I will fucking annihilate you.” My temper was high. I was itching to punch the prick again anyway, but I registered that he wasn’t making any move to hit me back. I lowered my fists but stayed alert. “Yeah, you bet your fucking life you’re lowering them fists,” Aaron growled at me. “I take it you’re here because of Saturday?”