by Lily White
Static again before a deep voice answered, “Almost finished processing him. Is he leaving here without clothes or what?”
Nolan held up the duffel bag to the guard. “I brought clothes for him.”
“I’ll bring them,” the guard spoke into his radio.
A loud buzzer sounded before the gate rolled open enough for Nolan to hand the bag through. After checking the contents of the bag, he told us to hold tight before walking off to deliver the clothes. Another guard walked out to take his place, staring at us while we waited awkwardly for Soren to emerge.
I shivered from the cold.
Not the wind this time, but the chill that was flowing out from inside me.
It seemed like hours before another buzzer sounded and a gate in the distance opened.
Tall, with shoulders much larger than I remembered and the same ink black hair, Soren was walking with a causal stroll toward us. I wondered how any person could be so nonchalant while leaving a prison. If it had been me, I would have been running.
Not Soren.
In his stride, he owned this place as much as he’d owned Winter Ridge Prep. Standing a head above the guard who escorted him, his eyes scanned to Nolan first and then me, a grin stretching his lips that caused me to look away.
Butterflies were flying, the wings beating the same staccato rhythm as my heart. How stupid was I to feel this way when Teagan’s smile still blazed in my mind?
I didn’t know whether Soren had anything to do with Teagan’s death. If you asked Tristan, he did. If you asked anyone else, they’d adamantly deny it.
Just as I feared, Tristan’s warning about Soren filtered through my thoughts, but the words weren’t strong enough to stop the nervous anticipation I was feeling. They weren’t loud enough to drown out the rush of blood in my head that sounded like an angry river, its water carving a path through the rocks.
Another buzzer and I felt Soren before turning to look at him again, my eyes cutting a path down his body and back up while he slapped Nolan’s hand, his lips tilting with the broad smile of a man who had once again found his freedom.
“Get me the fuck out of here. I have never been more ready to see Winter Ridge than I am right now.”
Without thinking, I stepped away, my cheeks filling with heat as I stared off into the distance. I couldn’t look at him, not without my breath catching in my lungs while every nerve inside me tingled with memory.
Soren was drunk the night we slept together, while I was sober. It wasn’t that I’d taken advantage, more that I’d jumped at an offer, which had been whispered as a joke.
The minute my lips brushed his when he’d teased me in private there was no stopping the movement of desperate hands, mine clumsy and rushed while his had been skilled and controlled with aggravating patience.
I could feel him the second he glanced my direction. Refusing to turn and meet his stare, I stilled to hear his voice speak my name, my eyes closing at his teasing comment.
“Olive Reid. Look at you all grown up. It looks good on you.”
I didn’t have to glance over to know Nolan was glaring in my direction. While he wouldn’t dare stand up to Soren for what he’d said, he would definitely hold it against me later when we were alone.
That was the thing with my brother: he didn’t have the balls to go against the in crowd, but he had no problem making whatever they did my fault.
My shoulders rounded forward as if I could hide my body by slouching. Meekly, I turned my head. “Hey.”
It was all I could mutter before Nolan interrupted.
“Let’s get to the car. It’s a two hour drive back home.”
I didn’t miss the hostility in Nolan’s voice, and I didn’t think Soren missed it either. He simply didn’t care.
Smiling at Nolan’s tone of voice, Soren held out his hand in front of him to motion for me to walk ahead. “Ladies first.”
“How polite,” I muttered, thankful that I wouldn’t have to look at him while practically running to the car.
His laughter was like velvet.
“Manners have nothing to do with it. I’m just looking forward to watching your ass. It’s been a while since I’ve seen tail.”
As I passed them, I saw Nolan elbow Soren out of the corner of my eye. The velvet laugh rolled across me again just before a booming voice called out to follow us down the path.
“Try to stay out of trouble, Callahan. We’d hate to see you come back.”
Curiosity got the best of me and I turned to see Soren flick off the guard, his pace casual as he walked beside my brother.
We reached the car and I was happy to climb in the back. Nolan took the driver’s seat as Soren climbed into the passenger side.
I’d forgotten how big he was. He had to shift the seat all the way back to make room for his long legs. I wasn’t happy to be forced to sit behind my brother, giving Soren the ability to peek over his shoulder and catch me in his dark stare.
Thankfully, Nolan started talking as soon as the car was in gear, my eyes watching the landscape as it passed while they discussed what it would be like now that Soren was back.
“Have you heard from Grady and Quinton?” Nolan asked, his voice excitable, but for what reason I wasn’t sure. Unfortunately, I would soon find out.
“Yeah, I called them both last night. They should be in Winter Ridge before seven tonight.”
Soren’s head turned just slightly, his gaze brushing mine as he asked, “Did you get everything ready?”
It’s hard to pull your eyes away when stared down by a predator. A sinking feeling fills your gut, your head swimming with fight or flight, not that I assumed it was a fist Soren wished to raise at me. He wasn’t the type of predator who bruises the body and drags you off.
No, he was the type who seduces you slowly, stealing your thoughts away while you stop dead in your tracks unable to move, to run, to escape.
It only made him more dangerous.
Everybody assumes a rich boy is always the snobby class president, the brutish jock, or the insufferable playboy that defines his worth by the value of his toys...what they don’t know is that, sometimes, the rich boys will break all the stereotypes and become something much darker when they get bored.
I broke eye contact just as Nolan laughed, clueless as to the way his best friend was staring at me.
“Everybody wants to pledge. Can you believe that shit? Two years and these idiots are still willing to do whatever it takes to be part of the crowd.”
My stomach sank at the mention of pledges, the color draining from my face to know what they were willing to do.
With his unwavering gaze set on me, Soren chuckled at what my brother had said, the deep sound fake in an effort to appease Nolan.
“Yeah,” he finally responded with a voice that had softened into a deep croon. “It’s amazing what these idiots will do to be noticed.”
It took effort to swallow down the lump his response had created in my throat. I knew exactly what those idiots were willing to do. It didn’t matter how stupid, criminal or depraved the act was that Soren requested, they all jumped at the chance to prove their worth.
For what, I didn’t know.
Thankful Nolan had made it clear that Soren was completely off limits, I relaxed a little in my seat, only because I knew I wouldn’t be included.
The same couldn’t be said for every other person in the town.
My best friend, Kendall, had already tried her luck with the group, only to be horribly burned.
There was no telling what Soren would ask his new pledges to do now that he’d had two long years in prison to think about it.
CHAPTER FOUR
Olive
After returning home, I’d bolted from the car and run upstairs to the privacy of my room. Neither Nolan nor Soren followed me, the distance between us a relief after two suffocating hours in the car.
Unsure what I could do to continue avoiding them, I watched the hours tick by on the clock, ac
tually looking forward to leaving the house and going to work for once.
My shift at Bailey’s Diner began at seven, and I was hopeful that I could leave before Grady and Quinton arrived. My hopes were dashed when the doorbell rang at a quarter to five, all four of their loud voices rising in chorus to finally be together again.
Still, they left me alone while they discussed the party they were throwing that night. I couldn’t ask for more than that.
At six, I started the process of getting dressed and applying my makeup for my shift.
Normally I dragged ass getting ready for a job that I didn’t like, but tonight I was more than happy to show up early with a bright smile and a bouncing skip to my step. I’d also decided to take on more shifts in effort to stay away from home as often as possible. Between school and work, I’d manage to avoid the boys and the pledges they’d be running.
Plan made, I finished tying on my white apron over the blue gingham dress that was required of the diner’s waitresses. The uniform was horrible, but not as bad as what the guys had to wear. I’d much rather a stupid dress than the long sleeves, buttoned up collars and blue bow ties Tristan wore when we worked together.
Music was playing on my radio as I marched into the bathroom intent to make my face appear as if I hadn’t been up since the crack of dawn. It did nothing to drown out the wall-shaking beat of whatever they were listening to downstairs, but it did drown out the nagging whisper in my head that something was bound to go wrong, the dread in my stomach rolling into a hard knot that made me want to vomit.
There was something else the music drowned out as I placed my concealer on the counter to pick up the mascara: the footsteps I hadn’t heard while Soren snuck up behind me, and the sound of the mascara clamoring against the porcelain sink when he spoke my name and I dropped it.
Eyes lifting to the mirror, I found him leaning against the frame of the door, his dark eyes glimmering beneath unruly black hair that perfectly framed his angular jaw and cheeks.
“Long time, little Olly.”
His gaze traveled down my body and back up, his voice softening as his eyes met mine in the mirror.
“Then again, I guess you’re not so little anymore, are you?”
Fingers gripping the edge of the counter, I broke away from his summoning gaze and stared into the white porcelain sink.
My eyes traced the shape of the mascara tube desperate to find anything to help me continue looking away.
Feeling this way around him only made me angry.
This was bullshit. I couldn’t keep acting like a damn mouse every time I was in his presence, not with him living in my house where I couldn’t escape. I would have to suck it up and stand my ground to survive living with him.
Rolling my shoulders back with that thought, I forced my fingers from the counter, ignoring the painful creases it had made in my skin. My shoe scuffed the tile floor as I spun around, eyes locking to Soren’s only to see him grin.
“I’m not fifteen anymore. You’ve been gone for a while.”
His smile widened.
“That I have.”
Shifting his stance to cross his muscular arms over his broad chest, he wasn’t shy in the way he took me in.
“Did you miss me?”
“No.”
He laughed and pushed away from the door, his head angled down to look at me, his feet inching across the floor. Backing away as much as I could, my retreat was thwarted by the counter. I never felt more hatred of an inanimate object than I did in that moment.
Arms reaching to cage me against the traitorous counter, he leaned down until his mouth was an inch away from my ear. Damn he smelled good, his voice only adding to the allure.
“I missed you,” he whispered on a teasing breath. “I told the entire prison about this girl I know who was like a little sister...”
Breath catching, I closed my eyes, refusing to react to the way Soren made me feel.
“...At least until I got drunk one night and decided to drag her to bed.”
More anger bloomed inside me while he chuckled to see the color of it shade my cheeks.
“Ah, don’t be mad, Olly. They loved to hear about all the little sounds you made when I showed you what it was like to be with a man. You have no idea how stories like that can bring a prisoner some comfort.”
The anger transitioned into rage, not only because he was making a joke of the time we’d slept together, but also because he’d told anybody who would listen. And here I’d thought the asshole would be smart enough not to admit he’d slept with a technical minor when he was eighteen.
Planting my hands against his chest, I ignored the smooth steel of his physique in my attempt to shove him away. He didn’t budge. Hell, it didn’t take him any effort at all to prevent me from moving him aside. Prison had shaped him into an impenetrable wall.
Chuckling against my ear, his lips brushed the outer edge.
“What do you say, Olly? Want to help a guy out who’s been thinking of your fine ass for two very lonely years?”
“I have to go to work.” Hating how my voice wavered, I demanded, “Get the hell out of my way.”
He moved so that his eyes caught mine. “Why are you fighting me, Olly?”
“Stop calling me Olly.”
I was shocked at the sudden strength in my voice, the knot in my stomach now a buzz saw shredding the wings of every stupid butterfly that had dared take flight as a result of the asshole enjoying this moment.
Shoving forward, I was surprised when Soren stepped back.
“Nobody calls me Olly except for my brother. I’m not a little girl anymore that can be pushed around. Have fun with your stupid pledges and destroying the damn town, but when it comes to me, stay as far away as possible.”
I felt good about myself for the first time that day. Yes, my heart was tearing apart in my chest to remember I was nothing more than a joke to the man I’d crushed on for many years of my life, but I felt renewed strength for having told him to get lost.
Maybe his being here wouldn’t be the disaster I assumed it would be. Maybe two years had been enough for me to find my spine.
Wanting to thank him for what he said, and reminding me how much of a conceited ass he was, I inched around him, snatching my arm away when he tried to grab it.
Without bothering to turn and look at him, I marched into my room, grabbed my keys and jacket, pausing only long enough to glance into the bathroom where Soren stood with that damn smile on his face.
“I mean it, Soren. You may have the entire town wrapped around your finger, but I’m not one of your admiring groupies. Not anymore. So stay the hell out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours.”
Refusing to give him a chance to respond, I left my room, practically running downstairs and through the living room. I passed Nolan, Quinton and Grady, to reach the front door and didn’t miss the scowl my brother tossed me when he put two and two together to figure out Soren was no longer in the living room.
“I’m going to work,” I called out, ignoring the scowl and slamming the door behind me as I marched to my car, climbed in, and drove the hell away.
Fifteen minutes later and I was tearing into the diner, expertly avoiding the line of patrons waiting to get in the door. Mostly, we served older people, a silver generation who appreciated the country bumpkin themed decor as well as the handmade milkshakes and jukeboxes that never were silent.
Personally, I felt like the owner, Irene, couldn’t make up her mind between country and the fifties, but my opinion didn’t matter in the long run.
We did decent business; the long counters on one side were always full, as well as the row of booths on the other.
Almost immediately, Tristan was running up to me, following me through the break in the countertops to the small office in back.
“Tell me Soren isn’t staying at your house.” There was no mistaking the panic in his voice.
Tristan was a good guy, a little on the mousy side for my tas
te, but he was coming around.
“Please tell me you’re not that stupid.”
I was done with every male around me thinking he could have an opinion about my life.
“It’s not exactly my decision. He’s my brother’s best friend.”
After dropping my purse into the drawer Irene let us use for personal effects, I spun on my heel to glare at him.
“I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is. His presence doesn’t have anything to do with me.”
He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. I was fed up with guys thinking they could touch me as well. Pulling away, I glared in his direction, my anger evaporating to see the worry in his face.
“You know what he did, Olive. To Teagan. To Kendall. I know your brother is wrapped up in the games they play, but he has to know Soren is dangerous. Why haven’t you said something?”
From the front counter, a bell we kept near the register dinged, the faint sound reminding me that I was here to work and not worry about Soren or my brother.
“He doesn’t think Soren had anything to do with Teagan’s death. And I’m not so sure either. So just leave me alone about it, okay?”
With that I left him standing in the office. It felt bad to speak him that way, but I was exhausted from the long drive that morning.
After helping cash out a regular who was paying his weekly milkshake tab, I spent the next few hours busying myself with orders for burgers and fries, mixing up milkshakes, and cleaning tables in my section when the customers were finally heading home.
Only an hour remained before we closed up for the night, the diner empty except for a middle aged couple who were whispering to each other over a shared plate of fries, their fingers mingling as they reached for a bite, their bodies leaning forward so that their heads were close together.
Tristan had already gone back to the kitchens to help clean the grills when the bell above the door rang, signaling another customer.
Bright smile plastered on my face, I turned expecting a kindly old man or maybe another late night straggler who was passing through town on his way to the city, but instead I was met with a face so chilling that my smile vanished and icy fingers dragged down my spine.
