Dirty Girls

by Lily White

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Olive

  The rest of my day went about as well as the beginning. I couldn’t turn a corner without whispers following at my back, couldn’t eat lunch without the murmur of gossip surrounding me, couldn’t walk into a class without snotty little bitches batting their venomous eyes while giggling about how Little Olly had been tied up.

  The entire fucking thing was ridiculous. I breathed out a sigh of relief when the final bell rang signaling that my craptastic day was over.

  I wasn’t looking forward to going home, but I had a shift at work starting at five. It would only be a few hours I’d have to endure hiding in my room. Plus, I wanted to speak to Nolan to let him know what went down last night.

  Hopefully he’d get so pissed off that he’d give Soren the same rule and mark me as off limits. Either that or kick Soren out of the house for what he did to me.

  The relief I felt to leave school didn’t last long unfortunately. As soon as I burst through the side doors to the parking lot, my eyes landed on the silhouette of a broad shouldered man leaning against his car near where I parked.

  I considered turning around and walking right back inside, but it was either deal with Soren, or deal with his groupies. Neither option would be a lot of fun.

  Sucking it up, I decided to tug up my big girl panties and do my best to ignore the asshole as I walked past him to my car.

  Sadly, I didn’t get far. By the time I was within spitting distance of him, I came to the aggravating realization that my car was nowhere to be found.

  “Looks like you need a ride home, Olly. Either that or you’ll have to walk.”

  Glancing up, he drew my attention to the dark grey sky that threatened to unleash a torrent of rain at any second.

  “Might get wet if you go for the second option.”

  “I was already wet last night,” I reminded him.

  He grinned at the choice of words. “If I’d known getting tied up was enough to turn you on, I would have done it a long time ago.”

  Every day I thought I couldn’t possibly hate Soren more. And every day he did something else that showed me there truly were no limits as to how much I could detest him.

  “Where’s my car?”

  Crossing one ankle over the other, Soren allowed his head to fall to the side as he stared at me.

  “Good question. We found the spare key hanging near the garage at your house and Grady decided to borrow it.”

  “That’s stupid. Grady drives a damn Porsche. Why would he want to trade that in to drive my beat up Ford?”

  My eyes shifted to the car Soren was leaning against to find it was the Porsche. I exhaled in defeat, the anger I felt from that morning returning to the forefront of my mind.

  “What’s the likelihood you had something to do with the pictures stuffed in my locker?”

  His lips split into a grin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Uh huh. Tell you what: I’d rather take my chances with the rain. Thanks for the offer, but I’ll walk.”

  I’d managed ten steps before his voice called out to me.

  “You won’t make it more than a mile before you’ll come to regret that decision. It seems I have friends everywhere these days.”

  My feet stopped in place with his subtle reminder of the groupies willing to do his bidding.

  There was no telling what kind of sick prank he had arranged for me next. More than likely Maia was waiting around delighted at the thought of running me down with her car.

  Oh, tee hee. Look at poor little Olly with her brains splattered all over the pavement. Whoops. That has to hurt...

  Spinning to face him, I decided to skip both options and pulled my phone from my bag.

  “I’ll just call Nolan and tell him there seems to be a problem with my car. He’ll have no problem flying to my rescue and picking me up.”

  Soren smiled while I dialed the numbers.

  Nolan didn’t answer.

  “How’s that call going?”

  I dialed again. Nothing.

  Damn it... Where the hell was my brother?

  Defeated, I groaned, “Fine, I’ll let you drive me home.”

  Hopefully those wouldn’t be my famous last words, but what other option did I have? I considered calling the police, but what would I tell them? My car was stolen? More than likely they had it parked safe and sound at my house so I would look like an idiot when we arrived there.

  Pushing away from the car, Soren rounded the side and opened the passenger door for me. Rather than thanking him, I glared instead, slapping his damn hands away when he tried to lean over and buckle my seatbelt.

  “Don’t touch me.”

  Dark eyes holding mine, he answered, “I wonder how long you’ll keep saying that.”

  Blinking my eyes slowly, I licked my lips. “As long as it takes for you to go away.”

  Soren’s head moved closer to mine, the heat of his breath washing over my face.

  “It’s not happening.”

  Air stuttered in my lungs to have his mouth brush mine, but I remained perfectly still, refusing to show any reaction. He smiled and pulled away, slamming my door before moving around the car to climb in the driver’s seat.

  The car lurched forward, tires spinning over damp cement, the back end sliding just slightly after we’d pulled out of the parking space and set off toward the entrance.

  My hand went to the oh-shit handle, fingers tightening over it while Soren sped away.

  Didn’t any of these jerks know what drive safely meant?

  “You know my parents died in a car accident, right? Would be a pity if I died the same way.”

  Soren glanced at me while still pressing the gas pedal to the damn floor. My body was plastered to my seat.

  “You have nothing to worry about, Olly. I won’t let anything happen to you that’s not intentional.”

  Somehow he managed to gain even more speed, another lurch forward sending my heart into my throat.

  “Why are you doing this to me? Every damn girl in town, and even some of their mothers, would happily give you whatever you want. I’m a nobody. A senior in high school and a waitress at a diner.”

  His lips curled.

  “You think I haven’t already slept with someone since I’ve been out?” Eyes slid my way. “And her mother?”

  Heat stained my cheeks red. Whether it was anger or something else, I didn’t want to know. “So then you’re good. You should leave me alone and go about your merry way.”

  “Pledge,” he answered, refusing to acknowledge anything else.

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m not an idiot.”

  “Then you’ve made yourself a target.”

  The car took a turn a little too fast and I clenched my eyes shut in response. It was only two miles to my house. At this speed, we would be there in less than three seconds.

  “Why?” Choking out the question over my terror, I clutched the handle tighter.

  He stared straight ahead, thankfully focusing on the road. “Because that’s the way it works.”

  “Didn’t work like that before you went to prison.”

  “You were fifteen,” he shrugged.

  “So was Kendall.”

  At that, he smiled.

  “What happened to her was her own damn fault. She should have known better than to walk onto the playground of the kids who were out of her league.”

  “What exactly happened to her?”

  “None of your business.”

  Tires skidding again, we slowed down just enough to take the turn into my neighborhood. My house was the third on the left, a modest structure compared to the mansions Soren and his friends lived in.

  “Why aren’t you staying with Grady or Quinton? Or for that matter, your parents? Wouldn’t it be a more comfortable living arrangement?”

  Pulling into my driveway, he threw the car in park and killed the engine. Just as I’d
thought, my car was sitting safe and sound in front of the garage.

  “More comfortable yes.” He turned to face me. “But not more fun.”

  That cocky grin of his was on full display and my hand curled into a fist.

  “Plus, my parents have cut me off for a year to teach me a lesson after my stint in prison. No house. No car. No trust fund.”

  Averting my eyes, I refused to give him the satisfaction of looking at him. “Must suck living like a poor bastard. Welcome to my world.”

  Quiet laughter assaulted me. “Not quite. Quinton gave me a loan. I have my pick of cars between his collection and Grady’s, and I have a roof over my head, together with a new little sister I get to push around. Life couldn’t be better.”

  Exhaling a shaky breath, I reminded him, “I already have a brother.”

  Another laugh. “Really? Where’s he at? Because I haven’t seen him around.”

  “Asshole.” Mumbling the insult I shoved open my car door and marched toward the house. Soren caught up to me easily.

  A wall of muscle blocked my door, my forehead banging into it when I couldn’t dodge him fast enough.

  “Pledge.”

  Stepping back, I rubbed at my head and looked at him.

  There was nobody in this world that was as beautiful as Soren Callahan. His dark hair was always unruly, and his dark eyes were mirrors that stole your soul away while you thanked him for doing so. Tan skin stretched beautifully over high cheekbones, a straight nose and a square jaw so perfectly dusted with stubble, your palm ached just to touch it.

  And all of that was simply what could be found above the shoulders.

  Tracing your eyes farther south was dangerous because every muscle in his body was expertly defined. His arms bulged in all the right places, the veins threaded beneath the skin down to strong hands that could strangle a damn elephant. I knew what those hands felt like on my body and just looking at them made me blush.

  Beyond that there was a broad chest cinching down into a tight waist, his abs prominent even beneath his black T-shirt. I wasn’t sure how he always found jeans that hung expertly off his hips, but I knew that if I lifted his shirt just a little higher, I would drool over the band of his boxer briefs that peeked above them.

  “Pledge,” he said again, certainty in his voice that I would eventually take him up on the offer.

  “Not happening. Now get the hell out of my way. I need to get some homework done and get ready for work.”

  “Then I’ll drive you.”

  “Also not happening.” My eyes scanned left. “It seems I’ve found my car.”

  When I looked back after he failed to say anything in response, all I saw was that blinding, cocky as all hell grin.

  Bastard.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Olive

  Four thirty rolled around and I gingerly pulled my keys from my bag, picked up my jacket, and clutched the keys tightly to my palm in an effort to keep them from clattering together enough to draw attention.

  For the past two hours, Soren, Grady and Quinton had been downstairs smoking joints, listening to music and laughing all about the shit they would make the pledges do in the next few days.

  There was still no sign of Nolan, which worried me. Before mom and dad died, it was typical for him to leave for a few days without explanation, but after they died, he’d become more responsible with work and taking care of me.

  It didn’t make sense that now that Soren was around he would go back to his old ways, especially when he had demanded I stay clear of his best friend.

  But if something had happened to Nolan, I would have heard about it already, so I didn’t let those worrisome thoughts disrupt me while I made my way down the upstairs hallways like something out of Mission: Impossible.

  Ducking my head, I crept down the stairway, my feet stopping in place every time the loud conversation they were having hit a lull. Once they were back at it, I dared to move again, hoping like hell I could reach the back door, scurry around the side of the house and get to my car without being noticed.

  Everything was going according to plan as I rounded a corner into the kitchen, my fingers on the knob of the back door when a throat cleared behind me.

  Shit...

  Turning, I found Quinton standing at the granite countertop island, his arms crossed over his chest with a boyish grin stretching across his face.

  Out of the three of them, Quinton was the most adorable with light brown hair that curled at the ends, big blue eyes and dimples that were so deep you couldn’t help noticing them.

  Like Soren and Grady, he was tall and broad, but he had a little more cushion around his center that didn’t take away from the overall package.

  “I’m busted, aren’t I?”

  He put a finger to his lips telling me to shut the hell up and stepped back to peer through the doorway into the living room. After checking that Grady and Soren were still oblivious, he surprised me by waving me forward.

  If I hadn’t thought he was such a dickhead, I would have kissed him for the favor.

  Rushing out, I closed the door quietly behind me, half expecting Quinton’s good deed to blow up in my face.

  Every step around the house was made with trepidation that Soren would round the corner, busting me before directing me to his damn car, but within a few minutes of ducking behind bushes and crawling under window ledges, I made it to my car without being spotted.

  Pumping an arm in the air, I unlocked my car, climbed in, stuck the key in the ignition and turned it.

  The motor clicked once and that was it.

  I turned the key again.

  And again.

  My body jumped in my seat when someone knocked loudly on my window.

  Eyes lifting, I saw Soren standing with arms crossed over his chest, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter because I’d believed I could get away.

  That kiss I wanted to give Quinton was now more of a punch in the face.

  Soren opened my door and swung a set of keys around on his finger.

  “You ready for that ride to work yet?”

  I flicked him off, but climbed out of the car, resigned to the fact that he’d won this round.

  He would win the rest of them for the next two days.

  My car wasn’t leaving my driveway because they’d stolen the battery, and Soren happily played chauffeur, taking me to school in the morning, picking me up, taking me to work and then picking me up from there too.

  Every drive was spent with him demanding I pledge and me telling him to shove his demands up his ass.

  Those two days were also spent with no sign of Nolan, and by the end of school on Wednesday, I had reached the point where I would call the police if somebody didn’t tell me where the hell my brother was.

  Determined to demand answers, I walked out the side doors of the school into a light rain, my eyes focused on the asshole standing by his car in the usual spot, a group of giggling groupies gathered around him just begging to be noticed.

  Marching forward, I was stopped in place when tall, dark and hotty (as Kendall would call him) stepped in my way.

  Hand flying to my chest, I met his eyes and couldn’t shake the feeling he could see right through me.

  “Shit. You scared me.”

  “My apologies,” Jonah responded with zero emotion to his controlled, professional voice. “I was hoping to speak with you again, but I haven’t had a chance to stop by the diner to find you.”

  I was on the defensive in his presence, my thoughts slipping back to our conversation in Irene’s office where he all but accused my brother of killing Teagan.

  “I won’t talk to you about my brother.”

  The thought occurred to me that I could use this meeting with Jonah to my advantage. My brother just happened to be missing and I was ready to call the police anyway. I figured I might as well mention what was going on so they could find him for me.

  Before I could say a word to him, he spoke and ca
used a burst of renewed fear to shoot through me.

  “Actually, I was hoping to speak to Nolan myself, but he hasn’t been to work in the past few days.”

  “What?” The color drained from my face.

  Nolan wasn’t the type to skip out on work. Not when that meant he couldn’t pay the power or other utilities. Not to mention our food.

  “I’ve been calling up there but nobody answers. It’s not unusual for them. They’re always in the shop. Did you drive over to see if he was there?”

  The skin between his eyes crinkled with dismay.

  “Every day. They said he called in on Monday, but they haven’t heard from him since.”

  There went that chilly wind inside me again, the same I’d felt on the day Teagan was found, the day my parents died, and the day we picked Soren up from prison. It was always a harbinger of something terrible...and Nolan was all I had left.

  Jonah must have seen it in my face.

  “You don’t know where he is.”

  I shook my head, gaze dropping to the chucks I was wearing that weren’t exactly approved for my uniform. Tears stung at my eyes and I clenched them shut to keep from crying. There were too many of Soren’s groupies moving around us who would only use my pain as another reason to harass me.

  “I don’t.”

  Jonah didn’t respond and when I lifted my head to question him about what could be done to find Nolan, I stepped back as Soren strode up to take ownership of my space, his eyes locked on the federal agent beside me.

  They were almost nose to nose when Soren stopped moving, a curl to his lips daring Jonah to do something about it.

  “Agent Vaughan. I was wondering when I’d finally get the chance to meet you. I hear you’ve been running around Winter Ridge asking all about me. Can’t say I’m not honored an FBI guy is so interested, but I was wondering when you would have the balls to come talk to me face to face.”

  This type of brutish behavior wasn’t atypical of Soren. Plenty of times, I’d seen him get into pissing matches with Tristan’s brother, Simon, when he showed up to break up a party, or question Nolan and them about vandalism, or even to discuss the details of the dead girl’s body that was found where they all liked to hang out.

  But one would have thought a stint in prison would teach Soren some better manners when it came to authority figures and cops.