Since I want to avoid having this conversation in the stairwell, I say, “I’ll tell you everything, but not here.” I want to smile and reassure her that everything is okay, but it’s hard to make your face muscles obey when the girl you care a lot for isn’t sure she trusts you.
I clench my fist, ready to slam it into the wall, but decide for once to show a little restraint. I do, though, slam the door open when we get to the bottom of the stairs. The loud bang causes Amber to flinch, making me feel like a bigger piece of shit for letting my anger get to me.
Once we’re outside the building, I lead her to where I parked my car in the nearby parking lot. I want to hold her, but it’s better if she sees my face while we talk. Then she’s more likely to trust me.
“I met her at a party a few weeks ago,” I say once we’re inside the car. A few students walk past the front of the car, oblivious to the tension inside. “I didn’t know who she was at the time, and it was before I started tutoring you.” I pause, watching for Amber’s reaction. She nods but gives no indication of what she’s thinking. “She flirted with me and I ended up going to her dorm. Yes, I was planning to have sex with her.” A mix of emotions crosses Amber’s face but none I can get a grip on. “We didn’t in the end. I saw a picture of you, Trent, and Emma, and all I could think about was you.” And him. “I left after that. I swear I never had sex with her.” Never mind she was puking in her trash can at the time. Amber doesn’t need to know that.
“I believe you,” she says, voice soft.
Those three words have more impact on me than I could have ever envisioned. After everything she’s been through, I can’t imagine it’s easy for her to trust anyone. Not just because of the psychopath who kidnapped and tortured her. Too many people she’s cared about have let her down.
“I swear I haven’t had sex with anyone since the first time I saw you in the gym, when you glared at me.”
Her eyebrows draw together into a puzzled line. “But what about that night when you confused me for a one-night stand? You left and didn’t come back.”
Inwardly I groan. Is that what she thought all this time? That I spent the night screwing another girl? “I was pissed at myself for what I almost did. I drove down to the lake and didn’t come back until later that morning. I haven’t wanted to be with another girl. Just you.” It feels weird saying that but it’s true. Even when I went back to Emma’s room, deep down I didn’t want to do anything. No one other than Amber has had this kind of hold on me, which is both exhilarating and scary.
“I’m sorry I acted the way I did,” she says. “But I’ve hurt Emma enough. I don’t want to hurt her even more if there was once something between you.”
“There wasn’t. I swear.” I want to pull her onto my lap and kiss her senseless, but the damn steering wheel’s in the way. I settle for a small kiss on her lips, mine barely brushing against hers. A promise of things to come.
We drive to the youth center. On the way, I explain that I need to find Alejandro first. I don’t explain why and Amber doesn’t press for an explanation. She nods, understanding this is important to me.
I thread my fingers with hers. “As soon as I’ve talked to him, we’ll play ball.”
We stop at the youth center and check in with Dave. He still hasn’t heard from Alejandro, and none of the guys he hangs out with have seen him since yesterday at school. I wait while Dave calls Alejandro’s mom.
They talk for a minute or two before Dave hangs up. “She says he’s not there. Do you have any idea where he might be?”
“I’m not sure, but I might have an idea.” I look at Amber. “Stay here with Dave.”
“I’m coming with you,” she says firmly.
“It could be dangerous. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
She levels her gaze at me. “I’ve survived a lot worse, Marcus.”
I want to say that dealing with a lovesick stalker and the leader of a gang aren’t the same, but then remember the scars on her back and that she survived being raped. She’s tough. A lot tougher than most people. Which means she’s going to be stubborn about this.
I give a curt nod. Hopefully she’ll at least stay in the car while I talk to Carlos.
It doesn’t take long to track him down. He and his merry band of losers are hanging around a couple of benches in the courtyard behind my old high school. Why make it tough for your customers to find you if you can hang out after hours on school property? It’s not like anyone patrols the area during the day, even on the weekend. The cops tend to only come out at night.
The five men laugh and pretend to be laid-back, unconcerned. There’s not a single laid-back bone in their bodies. Every part of them is fully wound up, ready for trouble.
I park the car in the empty parking lot, where I can keep an eye on Amber. “I know you’ve survived hell, but I need you to stay in the car. For my sake. If things get bad, you need to call nine-one-one. These guys have guns and mean business.”
She grips my arm. “Then maybe the police need to do this, not you.”
“I wish it were that simple. But it’s not. And it’s something I have to do. For Alejandro and his family.”
Amber opens her mouth. I still the argument on her lips with my finger. “You need to trust me. This is the only way I can help him.”
Her mouth shuts. I can tell she doesn’t agree with my plan, but knows nothing she says will change my mind.
I give her a quick kiss on her lips, just in case this is the last time I’ll be able to do that.
Silently praying nothing goes wrong, but at the same time relieved I’m not here alone, I climb out of the car. While my parents might not give a damn about me, it’s nice someone cares enough to watch my back.
Someone I don’t deserve.
As I approach Carlos and his losers, I scan the area for additional threats and for Alejandro. The air feels heavy, tense. Several crows search the ground for discarded waste, attracted to the stench of trouble.
At the sight of me, the men move closer to Carlos and take up a protective stance, hands on hips. Even though I can’t see any weapons, I know they’re carrying heat. They never leave home without it.
“’Sup?” Carlos nods at me, a smirk on his ugly face.
“I’m looking for Alejandro,” I say stiffly.
Carlos gestures to his oversized apes. “As you can see, he’s not here.”
“You know where he is?”
The smirk widens. He steps closer. It takes every ounce of will not to step back and give him the satisfaction.
“And why do you think I’d tell you?”
I can’t tell from his expression whether he knows or is just shitting me. I don’t bother answering. Instead, I glare down at him. Not that my additional three inches to his six-foot frame does much to intimidate. He might have lynchmen do his dirty work, but that doesn’t mean he’s let his body go to shit. He’s as lethal as any of them.
His gaze darts to my car, and the smirk transforms into a leer on seeing Amber. “I see you brought your latest lay. Tell you what. I’ll tell you what you want to know, and I get to show her how a real man fucks.”
I make the mistake of clenching my hands into fists.
Carlos laughs. “So, it’s like that, is it?” He fires off a stream of Spanish. His men laugh and the biggest ape makes a move toward the car.
I grab at him, but my hand doesn’t have a chance to make contact before the guy next to me slams his fist into my gut. I double over from the impact. Shit, what’s that guy’s hand made of—iron?
Knowing I’m outnumbered and don’t stand a chance in hell of surviving this, I straighten, ready to swing at whoever’s closer. My fist rams into the smaller ape’s face. I don’t have time to enjoy the satisfaction. A strong hand lands on my shoulder and whips me around. My eye gets in the way of someone’s fist
. The impact is so great I stumble backward.
A foot shoots out in a martial art move, and kicks me in the ribs, knocking the breath out of me. An overwhelming pain keeps my breath from returning, and I collapse to my knees.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Amber
I watch, frozen in horror, as Marcus is attacked. One of the guys kicks him in the ribs. Marcus doesn’t so much as flinch, but then drops to his knees, unable to take any more abuse. I can’t believe he lasted as long as he did.
Another man pulls out a gun and aims it at him. Oh, God. They’re going to kill him. The thought knocks me out of my frozen stupor and I snatch my cell phone from my pocket, berating myself for not having it out sooner. I manage to punch “9,” but my hands shake so much, I hit “2” instead of “1.”
I hear a shout and look up. Marcus is lying on the ground, unmoving. The thugs are casually walking away, as if they haven’t just beaten up a guy, but are simply leaving after a friendly conversation.
As soon as they disappear around the corner, I scramble from the car and race over to Marcus. I kneel next to him and blink away the tears at the sight of his messed up face. His eye is rapidly swelling and he has a small cut on his cheek.
I place my hand on his arm. “Marcus?” He’s breathing, but his breaths are shallow and it’s obvious from his grimace that he’s in a lot of pain.
His closed eyelids flutter for a moment before his beautiful hazel eyes peer up at me. “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.” He somehow manages a cocky grin. I roll my eyes but can’t stop the small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
“Can you get to the car, or should I call for an ambulance?”
Holding his ribs with one hand, Marcus slowly pushes himself up. My heart clenches in a tight knot at how much pain the movement must have caused him, even though none of it shows on his face.
I help him to his feet, afraid to let him go in case he collapses again. He groans, then bites down on his lips to keep from betraying how much pain he’s really in. I wouldn’t be surprised if he inwardly shuts down, so I don’t know how bad things are. I did that all the time with Paul.
“Car,” he whispers. “Need to go to...youth center.”
“No, you need to go the hospital, Marcus. You might have a broken rib.”
“Youth center...then hospital.”
I want to scream at his stubbornness. “You can go to the youth center afterwards. I promise I’ll drive you there after the hospital.”
“I’m not going there till I’ve talked to Dave. I’ll take a cab if I have to.”
“Fine,” I huff. “But I’m driving.”
He doesn’t argue, though I can tell he’s not thrilled with the idea. I’m not a bad driver, so it must be a male ego thing.
I get him into his car and he gives me directions to the youth center. Once there, I help him into the building. Light spills from the crack under Dave’s office door.
“Dave!” I call out. “We need help.”
He appears a few seconds later from his office; it takes him only a second more to figure out Marcus is in even worse shape than he looks. He indicates for me to bring Marcus into the office and shuts the door behind us.
The room isn’t large, but there’s enough space for a couch, along with a desk and a bookshelf. Sandwiched between the desk and bookshelf is a file cabinet with a first-aid kit on top.
“He might have a broken rib,” I say. “But he insisted I bring him here first.”
“I hate hospitals,” Marcus mutters.
Dave grabs a couple of cushions scattered on the couch and props them against the armrest, while I retrieve the first-aid kit in case he needs it.
“Lie down,” he instructs.
Marcus looks like he’s going to say no, but then changes his mind and sags back against the cushions. While Dave scoots the hem of Marcus’s long-sleeved T-shirt up, I take hold of Marcus’s hand. His long fingers wrap around mine and he squeezes. I can tell he wants to squeeze harder against the pain but doesn’t want to cause me pain.
A bruise is already forming over his ribs where the man’s foot made contact. Luckily the skin isn’t broken. Other than that, I can’t tell how bad the injury is. But I can tell this isn’t the first bad injury he’s suffered from. Faded jagged scars dot his chest and shoulders. Nothing like mine, but I can tell they were once bad enough to need stitches, only he was never taken to the hospital to be treated.
“You want to tell me what happened?” Dave asks Marcus.
“Not really.”
Dave looks at me, eyebrow raised in question. Not knowing what to say, I shrug. If Marcus doesn’t want to tell him the truth, then I’m not going against his wishes. There might be a good reason he doesn’t want to tell Dave what happened. Or he’s just being an idiot and is letting pride stand in his way.
“I think I know what’s going on with Alejandro,” Marcus says. “He’s been recruited by Carlos’s gang. Or is in the process of being recruited.”
“Shit,” Dave mutters under his breath. “Well, either way you need to get your ribs checked out. You do realize, of course, the cops are goin’ to ask questions.”
“I’ll tell them I walked into a wall.”
My heart clenches for the second time at the realization Marcus has probably used that line before, and a mountain of other ones when his stepfather abused him.
“Can you drive him?” Dave asks me. I nod.
He helps me with Marcus. As we walk down the path, Alejandro pulls up on a bike. His mouth flops open as he takes in Marcus’s appearance.
“¡Mierda! What happened?” he asks.
Marcus narrows his eyes. “You wanna tell me where you got the bike from?”
“Didn’t steal it if that’s what you’re wonderin’.”
“Then it shouldn’t be too hard to tell me where you got it from.”
Alejandro glares at him, mouth pressed shut.
“Fuck. Are you screwing around...with Carlos and his gang?”
Alejandro lets loose a stream of Spanish before he races off down the street on his bike. Several people jump out of the way and yell curses after him as he continues past parked cars and rundown small businesses.
“Shit,” Marcus mutters, shaking his head, eyes never leaving Alejandro until the boy’s too far away to be seen. And even then he keeps staring down the street, as if expecting Alejandro to return at any second.
“C’mon.” With my arm still around his back, I nudge Marcus toward the car. He doesn’t move at first, but he eventually gives in and climbs into the passenger seat.
Once he’s in, I fastened his seat belt. The strap presses against the bruised area and a faint groan falls from Marcus’s lips. I give them a light kiss, to let him know everything will be all right. Before I can pull away, his hand drifts to the back of my head and he kisses me harder.
“Please don’t leave me tonight,” he murmurs against my mouth.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Amber
The empty white walls of Marcus’s bedroom glow softly in the early morning sunlight. Marcus’s arm is draped over my waist. It’s the only thing covering my waist. At some point during the night, the covers were kicked off, forming a puddle of fabric around my hips.
I glance at the alarm clock on his stack of textbooks. Even though I already suspected it wasn’t super early, I gasp at the glowing red “8:02 a.m.” I’m going to miss my first class, and maybe even my second one. I don’t want to wake Marcus up. He had a rough night. First, with being beaten up by the gang, followed by an excruciatingly long wait in the ER, and to top it off, he woke several times during the night with nightmares. Nightmares he refused to talk about.
If anyone needs more sleep, it’s him.
Careful not to wake him or accidentally
hurt his injured rib, I wiggle from under the covers and search the floor for my long-sleeved T-shirt. I’m already wearing my jeans, but had agreed to remove my top at Marcus’s insistence. He wanted to feel me next to him, not my clothes, when he finally fell asleep.
I find the T-shirt and slip it on. Chase’s bedroom door opens as I step into the hallway. I quietly close the door behind me and raise my finger to my lips. His mouth slides into a knowing smile.
“Late night, huh?” he whispers. His grin vanishes when he sees my serious expression. “What’s wrong?”
I indicate for him to move to the kitchen and proceed to tell him in a low voice what happened. I can only hope that Marcus won’t have a problem with his best friend finding out the truth.
“You’re the only other person who knows what happened,” I say. “He refused to tell Dave or the cops.”
“Is he okay?”
“One of his ribs has a small fracture. He has a black eye and will be sore for a while, but he should be okay.”
Chase offers to drive me to school, and I wait for him to shower while I watch the news. Other than a possible gang shooting, there’s nothing of interest. If the karma gods are shining down on Marcus, the person who was shot was one of the men who attacked him.
“You ready?” Chase asks, coming out of the bathroom. A part of me had hoped Marcus would wake up before I left, so I could check on him. The painkillers must have really knocked him out.
“I bet I’m not the first girl Marcus has slept with who you’ve had to drive to school. Not that I was, you know, doing more than...sleeping with him.” My face grows hotter with each idiotic word.
Chase chuckles. “I’ve never had to do that. You know why?”
Because they’re not stupid enough to get stranded here without a car? Deciding not to point out the obvious, I shrug instead.
“You’re the only girl he’s brought home.” Chase opens the apartment door.
“Really? Not even Tammara?”
“Thank God not even her. You being here, Amber, is a huge step for him.” We walk down the hallway. “I’ve known him since kindergarten, and you’re the first girl, other than my sister, he’s allowed to get close to him. It’s about damn time. Marcus has had one fucked-up life, and I can tell there’re things he’s kept from me. But he’s changed since he met you. Changed for the better.”
Tell Me When Page 19
