When Trouble Comes: Twisted Book 5

by Ho, Jo

  “But why would she do that?” Cassie asked, eyes troubled.

  “Maybe it was Christian,” Tyler suggested as Christian jumped up and down in the background.

  “YES!” he said even as he knew they couldn’t hear him.

  “Well, if Marley would hurry up we could ask her,” Eve said as she went to pick up the pizza to clean up the mess. Tyler didn’t move, her mind working through several thoughts.

  “Shouldn’t Marley be back by now? I mean, it doesn’t take long to dump in a load of washing?” she said, a nervous feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.

  Eve and Cassie stared at her, then the pizza as the three of them grew suddenly cold.

  “No, it doesn’t take long at all,” Eve finally finished.

  Chapter 12

  The acrid smell of cigarettes and alcohol flew into her nose as Marley braced her hands against Shorter Guy’s chest.

  He lunged in for another disgusting, horrific kiss but she was better prepared for it this time. Wrenching her chin out of the other guy’s grip, she stamped her foot down onto Shorter Guy’s toes and was instantly rewarded with his shriek of pain. Hopping on the one foot, he hissed out another reeking breath.

  “You little…” he uttered between gasps as his friend’s grip loosened a bit, seemingly amused by what she had done.

  “Man up, Jason,” the one behind her said. Like a flaming rod of fire, his name burned into her mind, even as she wondered whether it was a good thing that she knew what one of them was called. Having watched enough episodes of CSI as a kid with her dad, Marley knew that perpetrators typically hid their identity… unless they weren’t worried about Marley staying alive long enough to ID them. The terrifying thought tore into her brain until Marley struggled more fiercely than ever. With Jason preoccupied, she knew this might be her only chance to get away.

  Though Taller Guy had his arms around her, Marley didn’t try to pry them apart as was her natural instinct. Instead, she used the laws of gravity in her favor and simply ducked down. She slipped right through his arms as Christian had taught her she would. Free, feeling suddenly hopeful, she took one step forward only for her attacker to snag hold of her shirt. She felt a powerful pull as he yanked back but Marley threw all of her weight forward. Time slowed to a crawl as her father’s face flashed into her head, followed a little later by that of her mom, the latter of which made some of her fear recede to be replaced by rage.

  How dare they do this to her?

  She hadn’t gone through everything she had just for these two to have their way with her now. Balling up her fists, she pushed forward with all her might as her battered shirt began to give way, tearing from the collar and along one arm. Refusing to give way, she let out a blood-curdling scream…

  Suddenly, the door flew open as Eve, Tyler, Cassie, and Christian raced inside.

  “Marley!” Eve shouted, understanding the situation immediately.

  Taller Guy immediately let go of Marley. Not expecting this, she fell forward, carried along by her own momentum until she hit the ground, hard. She was dazed but so relieved by the other’s appearance that a sob caught in her throat. She reached out for them as Eve and Tyler dashed forward, helping her up as Christian hovered around them, feeling helpless as usual. Only Cassie didn’t move. She stood stock still, horror turning her face slack.

  She recognized these guys.

  It was Miles and Jason, the two cousins she had led on then so callously tossed away the night before. They had come back, but they had attacked the wrong girl. She looked at Marley, at her ripped shirt where she was holding it up, trying to cover her bra strap.

  This was all her fault.

  Jason stopped hopping, putting his foot down as he shot a look at his buddy then over to Marley. Holding out his hand, his face took on a bashful look as he addressed the group. “This isn’t what it looks like,” he began, to their utter disbelief.

  “It never is,” Eve spat out, her eyes haunted yet flashing with fury.

  Miles took a step backward, away from Marley as if it would absolve him of any crime. “You don’t understand. It’s her fault. She led us on, this would never have happened if she hadn’t been such a tease yesterday.”

  Feeling the fear leaving her now that she was safe with her friends, Marley shook her head adamantly. “I’ve never met them before. I kept telling them, but they wouldn’t listen.”

  Miles throw up his hands. “Oh, come on, it was last night! You think we’d forget what you look like?” His voice had turned ugly again, unable to hide what he was really like.

  It was enough for Tyler.

  After having such a tragic loss recently, what with her fears of Ally’s health still unresolved and her own exhaustion coupled with her financial worries, seeing her friend being attacked like that was just too much. She couldn’t stop the familiar swell of magic rising up inside her, and to be honest, she didn’t want to.

  These two had it coming.

  She let herself feel the rage and fear that seeing Marley in their grip had caused, letting it bubble and simmer inside. A rush of sound flooded the room suddenly as water coursed through the metal pipes and the temperature rocketed up. Sweat glistened on her brow, but Tyler ignored everyTHING but the pain she felt. Miles’ eyes grew wide as he realized that something unnatural was happening. He stared at the surrounding pipes, alarmed, wondering what was going on with them when boiling hot water BURST out of the pipes, scorching the two of them. Tyler and the others were safe from the burning water; only the area where the two stood was attacked.

  Throwing up their arms to protect their faces, Miles and Jason backed into the corner of the room to escape the water. They huddled in shock, peeling their wet shirts aside to reveal the skin starting to blister beneath. Unable to get past the water raining down around them, they were trapped.

  The others stared at Tyler, knowing she had caused this to happen.

  Taking out her phone, Marley tried to dial the listing she had saved into her phone during that first meeting with their RA, but her hands were shaking too much. Reaching across, Eve gently took the phone from her and dialed the number. When the call was answered, she reported the incident while Marley tried to regroup. Seeing that Tyler was still lost in herself, Marley touched her on the shoulder. Only then did Tyler’s emotions recede.

  Marley gave her a wobbly smile of thanks, touched that Tyler had done this for her. Needing to relay her gratitude, Marley didn’t notice Cassie hovering behind her, trying desperately to keep her guilt from showing.

  Marley could never know the truth.

  Chapter 13

  News of the attack had spread like wildfire.

  Within minutes of Eve’s call, two security patrol cars full of campus police had arrived, sirens blaring, lights flashing red and blue into the night. They had leapt out of their vehicles, weapons raised, charging into the laundromat as they quickly handcuffed Miles and Jason, noting down the group’s statements before hauling the men away.

  Students stood gossiping in the corridors of TJ Halls, openly watching the group as they passed by, wondering if the girl who had been attacked was among them. Marley kept her eyes on the floor, not wanting to make contact with anyone. She didn’t want people to guess it was her. She didn’t want to be known as “that girl.” Showing surprising empathy for what she was going through, and knowing that being outed was the last thing she needed, Eve had given Marley her shirt to wear, hoping that it would hide her torn one underneath. She clung to the opening of the shirt now, as if by drawing it closed she could erase the fear and pain.

  Eve’s eyes were flat as she walked beside Marley. In her mind, she kept seeing Marley being attacked, over and over again. The image brought other horrors to surface that she had to suppress a shudder. A different thought broke through the unwelcome trip down memory lane. If she shared her own experiences with Marley, maybe it would help her through this horrific experience… except she knew she’d never do that.

 
She’d never tell.

  She shot a look at Marley through the corner of her eyes, feeling shame turn her cheeks red. Some things were better left dead and buried in order for a person to move on. Even as the thought came, a voice sounded in her head. It was the voice of her younger self, the girl she had been before the-thing-that-happened. She whispered, her voice as fragile as the wind. Some things can never be forgotten.

  Someone must have warned Rhett, their RA, what had happened, as he was waiting for them when they arrived warily at their rooms. He hurried towards Marley, concern radiating from him.

  “Marley… are you OK?” he said, feeling stupid for even asking — but what else was he supposed to say? His eyes raked her pale face, his lips curving downward into a frown.

  She gave him a small nod, grateful for his concern, yet wanting to be alone with the girls.

  “It was those two guys, wasn’t it? The ones I saw you with yesterday. I knew I should have done something more,” he said, almost talking to himself.

  Having reached the door, Marley stopped dead as his words sank in through the fog. “You saw me with them? Yesterday?” she asked, astonished.

  Rhett ran a hand through his hair, wishing he could have done things differently. “Yeah, you don’t remember? I noticed you had changed after your dinner with your dad. You were wearing that designer-looking dress with two guys hanging onto you. They left when I turned up though, after you changed your mind about entertaining them.”

  He managed to make the word “entertaining” not sound terrible or remotely shaming but Marley caught his drift immediately. She had opened her mouth to ask for more detail when she suddenly saw Cassie trying to hide behind Tyler. Eve must have figured something out at that exact moment, as she couldn’t stop a gasp from escaping. She turned to eyeball Cassie, shooting what could only be accusatory looks at her.

  Marley felt sick to her stomach.

  Christian had been quiet since the attack but he now looked at each of the three girls, trying to understand the sudden electrifying undercurrent in the air. “What is it?” he asked Marley.

  She didn’t answer. She couldn’t, not with Rhett still standing there. She touched her head, flinching as if it hurt, which wasn’t far from the truth.

  “I’m really exhausted. Can we talk about this another time?” she pleaded weakly to Rhett.

  He bought the excuse, hook, line, and sinker. “Yeah, of course. I’m so sorry, Marley. If there’s anything you need, even if it’s just to talk, you can call me anytime OK? I mean it.” He looked at each of the girls. “That invitation extends to all of you. What happened tonight was awful. I’m here if you need me.”

  Marley nodded gratefully as he shot her one last concerned look before leaving. Marley opened her dorm room, stepping inside as the others followed. As soon as they were all in the room, Marley slammed the door shut, whirling on Cassie. She jabbed her finger at the other girl’s chest so hard that Cassie stumbled back.

  “It was you wasn’t it? You were going around with those creeps pretending to be me!” she demanded.

  Having not figured out the truth, Tyler and Christian looked at Marley in shock. “No… that’s so messed up,” Tyler finally managed.

  Guilt turned Cassie’s eyes wide as she started stammering a reply. “I’m… sorry. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen. I can explain…”

  But Marley wasn’t ready to listen to reason. The terror she had felt earlier washed over her, making her feel violated all over again. “What were you thinking? They were disgusting! How could you even let them touch you? How could you be that desperate?”

  With every question, Cassie visibly flinched more, but she took it all willingly, never even trying to defend herself.

  “Have you done this before, Cassie? Do you go cruising for guys wearing my face?”

  All eyes were pinned on Cassie. Blinding panic threatened to crush her chest. She felt her blood racing through her veins and the beginnings of what might be a migraine. They looked at her like she was worse than trash, like something stuck to the bottom of their shoes.

  It was all she could do not to bolt outside.

  Three knocks sounded on their door, brisk, businesslike. Relieved for the interruption, Cassie grabbed the door handle, yanking it open without thinking.

  A familiar redhead stood outside, her partner next to her.

  It was the two cops from Trinity Church.

  They were here.

  Chapter 14

  The redheaded woman, Detective Saunders, raised a brow as she took in each of them.

  “We meet again,” she said. While her tone wasn’t accusatory — it was more of an observation — Tyler still felt as if they were guilty of a heinous crime. She moved past Cassie with a confident swagger until she stood in the center of the room. Even though her partner stayed by the door, Saunders’ very presence seemed to suck all the air out of the room. Marley forced herself to stand tall, to ignore her instinct to shrink back.

  Saunders glanced down at her leather notebook then looked back up. “Which of you is Marley Gray?”

  Marley’s head nodded in the smallest of motions. She wasn’t looking forward to the questions that she knew were coming. Neither was Cassie, she noticed. The other girl seemed even more nervous than Marley felt. A sheen of sweat glistened over her usually immaculate make-up.

  Saunders turned to her. “I’ve read the statements you all gave to the campus security, but there are a few facts that aren’t clear. I’m hoping you could help me out with them.”

  “OK,” Marley answered, her voice thin and dry. She cleared her throat, hoping that would rid the anxiety that suddenly lurked inside. Although they now knew it was Cassie who had been with those guys, it wasn’t something they could reveal to these cops, so how was Marley going to dig their way out of this hole they now found themselves in? She went and sat down at the table where Eve and Tyler were already seated. Cassie still stood by the door, looking like she was going to bolt at any second if not for Detective Brooks, standing in the doorway, blocking her way.

  “I’m a little confused. It says in your statement that you have never met Miles and Jason Martin, yet they both insisted you have. They were able to describe how you were with them yesterday, each corroborating the other,” she said, tapping her pen on the side of her chin.

  “I can’t help what they said, I just know that I haven’t met them before. I couldn’t have been with them anyway as I was already out at that time,” Marley replied.

  “And what time might that be?” Saunders asked, keeping her tone neutral.

  “Around seven. I didn’t get back until quite late, maybe ten.”

  Saunders leveled her piercing blue eyes on Marley. “What were you out doing?”

  Marley had to resist the urge to snap at the cop. “I was having dinner, as you no doubt already know.”

  “On your own?” Saunders' voice had a challenge to it, a little note at the end that made Marley bristle.

  “I was with my dad. At a burger place across town. He’s a professor here,” Marley finished.

  At her answer, Saunders nodded, not in the least surprised by the connection. Apparently, this wasn’t new information.

  “What were you wearing when you were out with your dad Ms. Gray?” Saunders asked.

  “How is that relevant?” Marley asked, her eyes confused.

  “If you could just answer the question,” Saunders continued.

  Marley thought back to last night which seemed so very long ago. “Jeans, and a shirt over a tank top. My usual get-up.”

  Saunders noted this all down, her pen skimming quickly across the page.

  “Do you own a black strapless, low-fronted dress?” she said, waiting for Marley’s response.

  Marley shook her head. “No, I don’t have many dresses, definitely not one that would be strapless and low-fronted.”

  By the door, Cassie suddenly tensed, giving herself away completely. Butterflies flitted in Marley’s st
omach. If the cop asked to look through Cassie’s wardrobe, she knew instantly that they would find the dress she wore when she was with those two guys.

  Eve and Tyler had stayed quiet during the interrogation, but Eve spoke up now. “Why are you asking her what she was wearing? Even if she had been naked, it wouldn’t justify what they did!”

  Saunders’ eyes slid over to Eve, accessing her. “I’m trying to clear up some conflicting facts, Ms…?” she waited for Eve to offer her name.

  “Richards,” Eve said, even as Marley thought she blanched a little. Despite how brave she came across, how together, Eve really didn’t like cops.

  “Sounds like slut-shaming to me, when you blame the woman for being attacked,” Eve said, as Tyler’s eyes grew wide. “You’ve already arrested the guys, and four witnesses have given you their statements. Anything else can wait, can’t it? Marley has had a terrible ordeal and we just want her to get through tonight.”

  Saunders’ mouth tightened. She did not like having her authority challenged but Eve had a point, which she must have known. Slipping her notebook into a pocket, Saunders nodded at her partner. An unspoken agreement that spoke of their familiarity with each other, Brooks stepped aside so Saunders could walk through as Marley followed her to the door, eager for them both to leave.

  “I am sorry for what happened to you Ms. Gray. It’s my job to uncover the facts is all.” She handed over her card. “If you think of anything that might be pertinent, this is where you can reach me.”

  Marley took the card, giving her a stiff nod. Then they were gone. Marley shut the door on them with relief.

  Almost immediately, Cassie tried talking to her again. She inched forward, wringing her hands as she tried to find the words to convey just how sorry she was. Marley could see it coming, however, and she wasn’t interested. Turning away, she went to speak to Tyler when there came another knock on the door.