Ashley looked at the waitress with confusion. “Jared?”
“Yeah.” The waitress pointed back toward the bar. Her bangle bracelets slid up her arm as she circled her fingertip in the air. “The guy behind the bar. He said to bring ‘em to you.” She paused and cocked her hip out to the side. “You don’t want ‘em?” She puckered her lips up and stared at us.
“Thanks,” Constance said and picked up a glass.
The waitress slung the tray down to her side and walked away.
Ashley and I picked up our glasses and raised them up, clinking them together before tipping them back.
I smiled as my body warmed up from the alcohol. “This is fun! We so need to make this happen more often.”
Chapter Forty-two
Brooke
August 30, 2014
Three hours later we stumbled out of the bar. Ashley and I hung on to each other as we swayed from side to side.
Constance was leaned against the side of the building, her foot propped against the brick, her knee slightly raised and her arms carelessly draped around Jared’s shoulders. His hand was rubbing up her thigh as he leaned in and kissed her.
“Good for her,” Ashley said, steadying herself against a thin tree growing on the sidewalk.
I watched Constance and Jared kissing and debated on calling Gavin.
Ashley drunkenly swung her arm at me. She barely grazed the side of my hip as she tried to grab me. “You’re a voyeur,” she giggled and slumped down the tree, belching when she hit the pavement.
The cab pulled up and I yelled at Constance, “Come on, Constance, let’s go.”
She gave one final kiss to Jared and skipped over to the curb; the straps of her high heels were clutched in her hand.
We climbed into the cab and drove off.
“Man, he’s sexy,” Constance said as she laid her head on my shoulder.
The rest of the ride was pretty silent. Ashley was busy texting, I’m assuming it was Colton. Constance was texting her new boy toy and I was swiping through the pictures of me and Gavin on my phone.
The cab rolled to a stop in front of Ashley’s apartment. We tumbled out and went through the breezeway to Ashley’s door. She stuck her key in, rammed her shoulder into the door and it opened. I heard something fall from the door jam. Ashley bent down and picked up an envelope, then pulled her keys loose from the lock.
Reaching in, I felt around on the wall for the light switch.
“What in the hell?” Ashley mumbled as she flipped the sealed envelope back and forth in her hands.
She ran her pink fingernail under the flap and pulled out a folded piece of white paper. She quickly unfolded it and I watched as her expression changed from one of confusion to fear. Her keys fell from her hands and she blindly reached back to dead bolt the door.
I reached for the paper. “What’s it say?”
“Oh, my God. I think someone’s stalking us.” Ashley handed me the letter and fished through her purse. “I’m calling Colton,” she said, her voice quivering.
She dialed his number as I read the typed letter.
Hello Girls (Brooke, Ashley, and Constance),
I just wanted to tell you how lovely the three of you looked this evening. I especially appreciated the short skirt you had on Constance, it left just enough to the imagination. I think it’s so sweet that the three of you have become such good friends. I love it when you all hang out, makes my life much easier. Then I don’t have to choose which one of you I want to see, I can just see all of you at the same time.
Now, what I would really love is if the three of you decided to slip on some nice lingerie and have a pillow fight. It’d be nice if you girls would do something for me, give me something to rub a good one off to. Oh, and Brooke, you should wear your pink and white striped thongs more often… they complement your skin tone nicely – I’m sure Gavin would agree!
My chest tightened. The hair on my arms stood up as fear pricked is way across my skin.
Ashley had tears streaming down her face. “I can’t get Colton.”
Constance put her phone up to her ear, pacing nervously in front of the couch. “I’m trying Adam.”
Yanking my phone out of my pocket, I dialed Gavin’s number. It rang twice and then I heard him pick up. It sounded like the phone dropped and then I heard his half-asleep voice answer.
“Brooke?”
I burst into tears as soon as I heard his voice. “Gavin, come get me.”
“What’s wrong? Where are you?”
“I’m at Ashley’s… someone left a note.” I picked the letter back up and scanned over it. “They’re talking about watching us, they used our names. I’m scared, Gavin!”
“What?” I heard him slam a drawer shut.
“Somebody left a note in Ashley’s door while we were out. It talks about watching us —” Gavin cut me off.
“Lock the door, I’m on my way,” he said and the line went dead.
I tossed my phone on the couch and walked back to the door to check that it was locked.
Constance threw her phone down. “They won’t answer. Maybe they’re still playing?”
Tightening the blinds, I said, “Gavin’s on his way.”
Ashley looked up at me from the floor, her face was white. “Can we go with you? I don’t want to stay here.”
“Yeah, I’m not leaving y’all here by yourselves.”
Constance moved in front of the bar and continued pacing. “We should call the cops. Right?”
Ashley grabbed the letter. “Damn right we call the police.” She walked into her bedroom with her phone.
I could hear her talking to someone, telling them what had happened. A few minutes later she came out with the receiver to her ear. “Do you guys have any idea who it might be?”
Constance and I glanced at each other and shook our heads.
“Amy… Nicole…?” I shouted out as she walked back to her room.
Ashley came out a few minutes later. “They said to save anything else any of us receive, but until we know who it is there’s not much they can do.”
“Great!” Constance exclaimed as she flung herself down onto the loveseat.
I glared at Ashley. “Ashley, you think it has something to do with the shit you posted of Nicole on Twitter?”
Ashley covered her face. “Damn, I don’t know.”
Constance lifted her head off of the pillow she’d had it buried in. “What about somebody from those damn parties you‘ve been going to?”
Ashley shot an annoyed look over at Constance. “No, stop being stupid, Constance.”
The three of us sat there silently. My mind was racing trying to figure out who would’ve left that note. After about ten minutes of silence we all heard a car door slam, followed by loud footsteps on the pavement in the breezeway. We became very quiet and our eyes were attentively fixed on the door. A loud bang resonated from the door and the handle jiggled. Constance jumped from the sudden volume of it.
“Brooke?” Gavin’s voice came from the other side of the door.
“Thank God,” Constance said as she released a sigh of relief.
Ashley reached over and slid the chain out. She quickly unfastened the deadbolt and the lock on the brass door knob and yanked the door open.
Gavin walked in and shut the door behind him. He stood in the entrance momentarily. I could see his pulse beating in the side of his neck. The intensity of it caused his necklace to glimmer in the light. He had on a tight wife beater; his nipples were hard underneath from the cool night air. It looked as though he’d thrown on the same gray slacks he’d worn to work that day, and he was bare foot.
“Where’s the note?” Gavin demanded. His eyes were on fire with anger.
Grabbing the note from her end table, Ashley handed it to him. She stared at him, her hands wringing as he read over it.
I could see his jaw clench and the muscles tighten as he digest
ed the words. I glanced down at his fist and watched him ball it tightly at his side. He looked over at me, the note still grasped in his hand. “Do any of you have any thought of who the hell this might be?” he asked.
Ashley and Constance shook their head.
“Brooke,” Gavin paused and lowered the letter to his side. “Do you?”
I inhaled. “Not really, I mean, I thought maybe Nicole or Amy just because of everything that’s happened but…”
Gavin shook his head. “No. I don’t think so.” His voice was shaking; he gritted his teeth, and crumpled the letter in his hand. “They know what kind of underwear you wear!” Closing his eyes, he lifted his chin up before taking in a long, deep breath, and slowly releasing it through his nose. “I swear, when I find out what sick pervert left this, I’m going to kill him!” He opened his eyes. “No one’s going to fuck with you. I will not tolerate it!” He was shouting.
I knew he meant what he said. I’d never seen Gavin with such anger on his face. The vein running across his temple was pulsating.
Constance and Ashley looked at each other, eyes wide.
Leaning against the barstool, Gavin tossed the letter down. He raised his fist up and punched the counter. “Damn it.”
We all jumped from the unexpected thud.
He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled his wavy hair back into his fist. “That rose — they obviously know where you live.” He looked at me sternly. “You’re not going back to your apartment, at least not without me.”
He peered over at Ashley, staring at her before redirecting his gaze to me. “No one’s going to hurt you. You understand me? No one.”
Ashley cleared her throat, “Gavin, can we go back with you? I’m freaked out and don’t want to stay by myself.”
Gavin stretched his neck and then turned back towards Ashley. “Where’s Colton?”
“I can’t get him. They were playing downtown tonight.”
Gavin shook his head. It was obvious he was agitated. “Damn it, I guess I can’t leave the two of you here.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. “Come on,” he growled.
Ashley and Constance jumped up and followed us out to the parking lot.
Releasing my hand, Gavin reached for the silver handle of his passenger door and opened it. He reached into his console and grabbed the remote to his garage door.
“Man, this is a sweet ride.” Constance exclaimed as she craned her neck to peek inside.
“I’m assuming you are all too intoxicated to drive?” Gavin asked. He looked over at Constance and Ashley and shook his head. “Of course you are. Ashley, give me your keys. I’ll have to drive your car so you all will fit.”
Ashley pulled her keys from her purse and handed them to him.
Gavin opened the passenger door. Ashley walked over to the door and Gavin stopped her. “I don’t care if this is your car or not, Brooke’s sitting in the front seat.”
Ashley froze. A look of shock fell over her face.
I couldn’t believe how rude Gavin was being.
I was embarrassed of how ugly he was being to my friends. “Gavin! Why are you being an ass?” I snapped at him.
He pointed in the car. “Just get in the damn car, Brooke.”
I sat down in the passenger seat, slightly stunned. Gavin had never talked to me like that before.
He shut my door and walked around to the driver’s side. Constance and Ashley clamored to climb into the back seat.
Leaning up through the seats, Constance whispered, “He’s pissed. He’s scary as hell when he’s pissed.”
“Yeah, he kinda is, and is kinda being a complete dick!” Ashley said as she stared nervously at him through the window.
Gavin opened the door and turned the keys in the ignition. The engine started and he wrapped his fingers around the leather steering wheel. I watched his knuckles turn white from the strength he used to grip the wheel. He backed out of the parking space and slammed the gear into drive. The car sped down through the lot. Gavin stopped at the intersection, and then floored the accelerator as he turned onto the street. The tires squealed on the pavement and I felt Constance grab onto my head rest.
No one said a word on the way back to Gavin’s house. We all sat in silence as he drove. His anger with the situation was evident in the way he was driving. He sped down the interstate, weaving in and out of traffic, and took turns harder than needed. At one point I was afraid he’d flip Ashley’s car over if he took the turn any harder.
We pulled up in his driveway and Gavin pushed the remote to his garage. He shoved the gearshift into park, turned the car off, and flung his door open. Slamming his door shut, he walked to the door of his house. I sat in the car for a moment because Gavin always opened my door for me and would make a fuss if I tried to do it for myself. He insisted that I allow him to treat me like a “true lady.”
Constance jostled my seat. “Let me out of this death trap. I felt like I was at the Daytona 500.”
I reached for the handle and stepped out, walking to the door Gavin had left open. I timidly made my way through the hall to his kitchen
Gavin was standing in front of his sink, his arms were stiffly holding the weight of his body out from the counter, his head was hung to his chest; his face hiding behind his hair. I stared at him, wondering what he was thinking. His triceps popped out from the sides of his arms as he leaned harder against the edge of the sink. Pulling his fist back, he slammed it into the sink. A loud bang echoed off his walls as his fist met the stainless steel basin of the bowl. He drew his hand up and shook it. Dark blood seeped from his knuckles.
Walking over to him, I grabbed the dishtowel from the end of the counter as I passed between the island and the cabinets. He turned the faucet on and laid his hand over the edge of the sink, running it underneath the water. I handed the towel to him and he peered over his shoulder at me.
“I don’t like that someone’s been watching you. No one will hurt you, I swear. I’m afraid this is my fault.” He wrapped the towel tightly around his hand and pulled me into him. I looked past the side of his arm into the sink and saw the deep indention from his fist.
Ashley’s heels clicked against the hardwood floor as she and Constance came in from the mudroom. Gavin looked up and released his hold on me. He silently walked out of the kitchen and flipped the light to his hallway.
Stopping midway down the hall, he adjusted the thermostat. “There’s a spare bedroom at the end of the hall,” he said.
“Thanks for letting us stay here,” Ashley called out.
Gavin glared at her coldly and went to his bedroom.
The three of us stood in the hall, and Ashley’s phone rang. She pulled it out from her purse and walked back toward the living room.
Constance looked around at the house. “You sure it’s okay if we stay here? I feel kinda weird. He seems really pissed.”
“Where else are you gonna go?” I glanced back toward Gavin’s bedroom. “It’s fine. Come on.”
I guided her back to the spare bedroom and flipped the light on. The room was not near as extravagant as the rest of his house. There was a queen-sized sleigh bed and dresser. The bed spread was royal blue and the room had small iron crucifixes hung on the wall behind the bed.
Constance flung herself across the bed and closed her eyes.
“There’s a bathroom across the hall,” I said and left the room.
Ashley passed me in the hallway. “Colton called back. He’s pretty pissed too. He said they’re about to leave. He’ll come get me and Constance, but you’ll have to give him directions because I have no idea where we are.”
“What time is it?”
Ashley looked down at her phone. “Two thirty-seven.”
“Can’t you just stay here? I just wanna go to bed, not have to wait up on him for another hour.”
“That’s fine. It’s just weird being inside his house,” Ashley whispered.
I shook my head. “I don’t know why.” Walking down the hallway, I flipped the light off before entering Gavin’s bedroom.
He was laid on his bed with both his hands behind his head and was staring up at the ceiling. He’d stripped down to his boxers and was lying on top of his sheets.
Slipping my jeans off, I climbed across the cool sheets next to him. Gavin moved one arm out from behind his head and I laid my head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I picked his necklace up and ran it between my fingers. The metal from my ring scraped across it.
The stubble on his face scratched across my forehead as he tilted his chin down toward me. “You all right, love?” The calm tone of his voice that I’d become accustomed to had returned.
“Yeah, just a little freaked out.”
He exhaled and slid his hand over my skin. I laid there and traced my fingers over the muscles of his chest and abdomen. As my mind sobered I remembered the experience I’d had with Dan the week before. I realized it could have very well been Dan that had left that note in Ashley’s door.
“Gavin,” I quickly pushed myself up in the bed, “I think it’s Dan.”
Gavin narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his brow. “Dan?”
“Yeah.” I swallowed as my anxiety level rose. I knew Gavin wasn’t going to be happy about everything I’d neglected to mention to him, especially after the reaction he’d had from reading the note.
“He’s been really weird, well, was really weird.” I let out a frustrated breath and Gavin sat up in the bed, the rage from earlier was quickly returning to his eyes.
“What do you mean ‘weird’?” he said, his breaths becoming shallow.
“When I first started, he said perverted stuff to me. I felt like he was always looking at me — remember he texted me about going to lunch with you?”
“Yes, I remember.” Gavin’s teeth gritted against each other.
“Well, he also showed up at the bar I was at twice.”
“When?” he growled.
“The first time was before you, the second time…” My shoulders dropped and I pulled my hands up in a prayer pose covering my nose and mouth. “…was when you went out with me and met Ashley and Constance.”
Bound to the Fallen (Prophecy #2) Page 36
