“I’m not going anywhere,” I called out to her. “I was just talking to you.”
“You sure about that?” Gia asked.
“Are you mad at me for that?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“I told you everything,” I said. “You see what I’m up against.”
“Then maybe you should go.”
“I don’t want you pissed at me.”
“Why does it matter?”
“Gia… I keep telling you, I consider you my best friend now.”
Gia looked down at her feet for a second. “Yeah. Look, I’m just… I’m just thinking about last night still. That was a lot to get into. Sorry. I just hate that everyone comes and goes.”
“I get that,” I said. “I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. It’s crazy. Right? We’re all crazy.”
“I’ll be crazy if you’ll be crazy,” Gia said. “But we have to do it here.”
“Okay.”
“I should get going,” Gia said. “I have a running thing this morning. I don’t want to be late.”
“I have a revenge thing myself,” I said with a smile.
“You’ll get them,” she said. “You don’t need Talon.”
“I know,” I said. “But he wants money or else he’ll say something. I fucking hate him. All the Trocs.”
Gia pursed her lips and nodded.
She turned to walk away and I touched her arm. “Hey…”
I opened my arms.
She laughed.
We hugged and then she walked away.
I stood facing the ocean.
It was quite the view. I just needed some coffee.
As I stood there thinking about everything, my eyes gravitated to the left, thinking about Easton’s house.
Then I got an overwhelming feeling that someone was watching me.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I felt cold.
I slowly turned my head and looked behind me.
There was nobody there.
Nobody watching.
The feeling refused to go away.
I shivered and hugged myself.
Then I ran back to the beach house.
I still didn’t feel safe.
I had to dart up to BFH to drop some stuff off and pick up more work. Besides trying to take down Noah, Easton, and Xavier, my only other goal was to make sure I could get out of BFH on time and in one piece.
I was this close to saying goodbye to it all.
Everything was lenient, considering my accident and all, but I refused to rest on that as an excuse. Other than what I had already done.
The second I parked Tank Two and got out, I saw Noah.
He had his car back.
The one I had wanted to mess up.
The one that Talon had smashed the back tail light out with the tire thingy that was in the back of Tank Two.
My heart sank for a second but I kept my face straight as I waved to him.
He nodded and motioned for me to come over to him.
I approached like normal but told myself to be careful.
“Morning, Winter,” he said.
“Noah,” I said.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m here, right?”
“I see that,” he said. “It’s good to see you.” He reached out and stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. “I missed you around here.”
“I read that in your note,” I said.
“You got the flowers?”
“That I did.”
“No thank you, Noah?”
“Thanks,” I said. “They were nice. Confusing, but nice.”
“Confusing?” Noah asked.
“What a fucking mess of a night,” a voice said from behind me.
I turned and Easton approached with speed.
He put his right foot up on the hood of Noah’s car and showed his hands.
They had a slight pinkish tint to them.
“What happened to you?” Noah asked.
“Something is going on around here,” Easton said. “First my car is torched. So I figured I’d stay at the beach house for a little bit. Someone took an old can of pink paint and tossed it all over the back deck.”
“Pink?” I asked.
“Wasn’t my choice of color,” Easton said. “Did you see anything?”
“Me?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Easton said. He moved his foot to the ground and inched toward me. “You live right nearby. Did you see anything? Hear anything?”
I stared into Easton’s eyes.
The more I knew about them…
“No,” I said. “I was asleep mostly. Trying to rest and get caught up on things.”
“You should be careful, Winter,” Noah said. He touched my arm so I would look at him. “You hear me?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Sure. I mean… why?”
“Something feels wrong around here,” Easton said. “It’s like it’s creeping up the back of my neck. You know? I can feel it.”
Easton looked around.
He licked his lips and looked ready for a fight.
I had to contain myself from smiling.
This is working. They’re getting nervous…
“I have to get going,” I said. “I have stuff to hand in. Trying to keep up with it all.”
“Winter,” Easton said. “How do you remember what to do?”
“What?” I asked.
“All the work and shit,” he said. “How do you remember that? How do you remember your name? How to breathe? How to write? How to drive? How does it work?”
Noah stepped up next to Easton.
There were plenty of people around us but that did not make me feel better at all.
They were both staring at me.
I slowly inched my way away, not sure how to respond to Easton’s questions.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I never really thought about it. I just kind of-”
I let out an oomph sound as I hit someone.
I spun around and Xavier grabbed my arms.
Shit.
“What are we talking about here?” Xavier asked. “Winter looks jumpy.”
“You scared me,” I said. “You always sneak up on me.”
“That’s kind of my thing. I like to do that.”
“Well, fuck off,” I snapped at Xavier.
I threw an elbow at him and moved away.
“Oh, she’s in a mood,” Easton said.
“Yeah, I am. Why would you ask me what you did?”
“What did you ask her?” Xavier asked.
“Easton wants to know about her memory,” Noah said. “How she can remember certain things.”
“Right?” Easton asked. “She can write and talk and do whatever else…”
“Hmm,” Xavier said.
“No,” I said. “I’m not talking about this with you guys. I don’t know what this is. What am I to you? Some kind of freak? A science project?”
“Nobody said that, Winter,” Noah said.
“I was just asking a question,” Easton said.
I side stepped but Xavier made a move.
He put his hand around my waist and pulled me next to him.
“Want me to beat them up for you?” he asked me with a grin. “I will. For you.”
I looked up at him. “Why? Why am I so interesting to you?”
“You just are,” Xavier said.
“Hey, if we’re being fair here, I’ve been through a lot of shit too,” Easton said. “I think she and I connect more than anyone else.”
“Because we fucked in the backseat of your car?” I asked Easton.
He just grinned.
Noah’s face twisted with anger. “You know that’s not true, right, Winter?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know what’s true anymore. To answer your question… the brain is made up of several parts. Okay? There’s a part that controls speech, memory, uh, walking, talking, whatever else. And there’s
different kinds of ways to lose your memory. If you don’t believe me, look it up. Put yourself in my shoes. You wake up in a hospital bed and can’t remember anyone. You know what? I would give up knowing how to drive and write and all that to remember everyone. Okay?”
“It was just a question,” Easton asked.
“Maybe I had a fucked up night too,” I said.
Easton showed his hands.
“What the hell happened to your hands?” Xavier asked Easton.
“Don’t ask,” Easton said.
“He was playing in some pink paint,” Noah said.
Xavier let out a laugh.
I broke away from the guys and hurried toward the building.
I felt them all staring at me.
It wasn’t the same feeling as when I was standing on the beach though.
Even still, it made me shiver with fear.
I was the cliché girl in the bathroom, crying.
Trying to stay silent so nobody else heard me.
There were parts of this revenge plan I hadn’t thought all the way through. All I wanted was those guys to feel fear. To not sleep at night. To look over their shoulder.
And then I could step in and confess it all.
It seemed so easy in my mind…
I shut my eyes.
I came from my mother, meaning I had an inheritance of being a bitch. But I also had a heart. There was a piece of me that wanted to know what led them to decide to do what they did. And the more I learned…
That’s why I asked Gia if she thought they were happy.
There was no way they were happy.
They were hurt. Miserable.
Rich and powerful?
Yes.
But what did that mean?
I groaned and shoved all the emotions down to the pit of my stomach and exited the bathroom stall.
Evie and Darcy each stood at a mirror.
They both looked at me through the reflection.
“Were you crying in there?” Evie asked.
“No. I had some bad tacos last night.”
“That’s gross,” Darcy said. “I liked you better before the accident.”
Evie snorted and laughed.
“This is who you two are?” I asked.
Evie looked back at me. “Don’t get all worked up, Winter. You were the same.”
“Maybe she should hit her head again,” Darcy said.
They both started to laugh.
I walked to the bathroom door and got out of there.
If I didn’t, I was going to start throwing punches.
I took care of everything I needed at BFH, then got out of there.
It was nice having the freedom to come and go as I pleased.
As I hurried outside, all I could think about was getting to Tank Two and getting back to the beach house. I didn’t want to spend my life hiding away from the world, but I needed another breather for a second.
To think.
To really…
I froze in place when I saw Xavier leaning against the front of Tank Two.
Arms folded.
Looking deadly… and good. Really good. Hot. Really hot.
“Xavier?” I asked.
He looked at me. “We have a problem, Winter.”
Chapter 6
knives and smiles
“Follow me,” he said.
We walked by Tank Two and I felt defeat hitting me with each step I took away from it.
“Xavier… what’s going on?”
“I’ll show you,” he said.
We walked only for a few seconds before he stepped next to his car.
It was another custom car. Probably one he built himself. Or fixed up. Or whatever you wanted to call it.
I didn’t care about cars. They didn’t impress me at all.
Not that Xavier was trying to impress me either.
He pointed to the back passenger tire of his car.
A knife stuck out of it.
I gasped and covered my mouth.
“Xavier… holy shit…”
My heart raced.
I didn’t plan this.
I had nothing to do with this.
Unless…
Fucking Talon.
“You see that, right?” he asked.
“Of course I do,” I said. “I’m not blind.”
“Okay,” he said. “Come with me again, Winter.”
I follow Xavier once again.
This time we went to Easton’s ride.
He had an all-black, windows tinted SUV.
He sat on the hood of it, looking pissed off.
Looking meaner than I could ever remember him being before.
He looked at me, then looked forward.
I felt caught. Guilty. Screwed.
Xavier pointed to the driver’s side front tire.
Flat.
A knife sticking out of it.
I noticed the handle on the knife was the same as the other.
“Shit,” I whispered.
“Shit is right,” Easton said. “We need to fix this now.”
Easton jumped off the hood and I jumped back.
Xavier touched my back. “It’s okay, Winter. He’s just pissed off. That’s all. He’ll figure it out.”
Easton looked ready to explode.
As long as it wasn’t at me…
“Did you show her Noah’s car?” Easton asked.
“That’s next,” Xavier said. “Let’s go.”
“Noah’s car too?” I asked.
Both Xavier and Easton ignored me.
We walked across the parking to Noah’s car. His back driver’s side tire had a knife sticking out of it.
“What the hell is going on here?” I whispered.
I was asking out loud but to myself.
Talon? Up here at BFH? That’s risky to do. In the middle of the day…
“Oh, I know what’s going on here,” Easton said.
“Relax, man,” Noah said.
I hadn’t seen him join the other two.
“I’m not going to fucking relax,” Easton said. “We’re under attack over here. And we know why.”
“Shut up, Easton,” Xavier said.
“You going to make me?” Easton asked.
Xavier and Easton faced each other.
My eyes started to widen.
Noah stepped between the two. “Not here. Not now.” He looked at me for a split second. “We do this right.”
“Do what right?” I asked. “Why are you showing me this? Is there something wrong with mine too?”
“No,” Noah said. “You’re good. We checked. This is directed right at us.”
“We just wanted you to understand something,” Xavier said. He moved by Noah and Easton and came right for me. I backed up and bumped into the car next to Noah’s. Xavier closed right in on me. “We get a bad rap for being bad, right? You don’t remember it, Winter, but we’re the ones everyone is afraid of. Now, we’ve done a lot to earn the reputation we have, but sometimes shit just comes our way. Like this. What choice do we have now?”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning we fucking attack,” Easton said. “Right now. We end this right now.”
“Easton,” Noah snapped. “We’ll get there.”
“You two are fucking pussies,” Easton said. “That’s why…” Easton looked at me the same way Noah did. A quick glance. “Nothing.”
“That’s why what?” I asked.
“He said nothing,” Noah said.
“What is this?” I asked.
Xavier leaned down. “A warning, Winter. You need to watch your back around here. Especially without your memory. You never know who is a friend or an enemy.”
“Then maybe I shouldn’t be near you guys,” I said.
“I think we all know that’s impossible,” Xavier whispered. “We haven’t had enough yet…”
Xavier touched the bottom of my shirt. His fingertips touched bare skin, flirting with me.
&
nbsp; My body ached to be touched.
Yes, even by him.
I had them convinced… right where I wanted them…
I put my right hand to Xavier’s chest and pushed him away.
“We know where to go now,” Easton said. “Xavier, get some rides over here. We end this.”
“Easton, I said to shut the fuck up,” Noah yelled.
Now those two were facing off.
Easton made the first move, reaching for Noah.
Noah grabbed Easton by the shirt and threw him down to the hood of the car.
Easton swiped the palm of his hand across Noah’s face.
The two rolled away from Noah’s car, tangled up.
“I better break that up,” Xavier said. “Or maybe just let them kill each other. Then it could just be us, Winter.”
“Yeah? That’s what you want?”
“Actually, it’s what I’ve always wanted,” he said. “The thought of you going away forever kills me.”
Xavier put his finger to his lips.
Like, what you just said is some secret?
My heart fluttered as he smirked at me.
This cannot happen. I can’t allow it.
“Xavier, wait,” I said. “What is Easton talking about? He wants to end it? End what?”
Xavier kept the smirk on his face. “We know who’s doing this.”
I kept my speed normal so I didn’t give away that I was making a daring escape.
But the second I knew nobody could see, I hit the gas pedal.
My mind forgot all about the accident and my worries about driving fast.
I had to get the hell away from Noah, Easton, and Xavier.
They know who it is?
I was screwed for real then.
I drove fast and grabbed for my phone.
The dumbest thing I could have done, considering I almost died in an accident, I sent Talon a text.
Need to talk! What did you do? They know!
I sent the text and checked my mirrors.
I let out a yell when I saw a large dark colored vehicle following me.
Going about the same speed as me.
Right on my back bumper.
I clutched the wheel tight and kept driving.
My phone beeped and buzzed next to me but I didn’t take my eyes off the road - or the mirror.
The vehicle followed me until I decided to make a last second right turn.
When I did, I had a flashback of the accident.
Damaged Love (Bay Falls High NEXT Book 2) Page 5
