She thought about it. Not a date. And he was even saying he still had feelings for someone else. This might be something she could do. She did want to attend the dinner and give her support to the organization. But she needed time to think about it.
“I’ll have to let you know,” she said.
“That’d be great.” He smiled again and ran off, back to his side of the field.
For the rest of the practice, she went back and forth. Should she go? Should she recommend someone else?
She’d decided not to recommend any of her ladies. What if it went badly? She’d feel responsible. And then there was Holly. If any of them went with him, it would upset her, even if she was the one to end things. She didn’t want to be in the position, or put anyone else in the position, of being Holly’s enemy for going out with her ex, even if it wasn’t a date. Holly got along with everyone well, and she’d never caused Brooklyn any problems. She was a good dancer and a strong member of the squad. She didn’t want to mess with that.
After practice, she ran over to Hayden before he ducked into the locker room. “I thought about what you asked,” she said.
“Oh, good.” He stopped and turned to her, that smile in place as always.
“I don’t think I can recommend anyone. Your break up with Holly is too recent, and I don’t want to upset her.”
His smile faded, and he clenched his jaw. “She broke up with me.”
“I know, but still. I know it’s not a date, but think about how it would look to Holly. Good luck finding someone.” She turned and ran back to her side of the field.
That was two of them now in two days that had approached her. A thought in the back of her mind nagged at her. What if there was another contest? Or what if they’d never really ended it? It seemed like too much to be a coincidence. An uneasiness crept into her stomach. She needed to figure out what was going on here—and stop it.
Chapter 26
The idea bounced around her mind for days. Was there another contest? Why did Alex keep texting her like they were friends all of a sudden? She hadn’t texted him back, but he kept at it. Something had to be going on. She decided to take action and see what she could find out. Maybe having a few glasses of wine beforehand wasn’t the best idea, but it was the weekend now, and she needed to unwind. She was feeling good when she reached for her phone and texted Dustin.
“Is there another contest going on?”
It took a few minutes for him to respond. “I think the Grammys are in a few months.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Alex and Hayden have both approached me.”
“I don’t know anything about that. I told you, I’m not doing that sort of thing anymore.”
“Ha. Right. You’ll never change.”
“If you really thought that way,” he said, “then what was the point of doing what you did? You wanted to teach me a lesson, yet you also believe I’m not capable of learning it. Makes no sense.”
“I wanted to get my point across, yes. I was hoping it would teach you something, but I know that’s too much to hope for.”
“I mean this in the nicest possible way…”
She waited, watching the little dots that showed he was typing.
“You are one hypocritical, judgmental woman.”
“How is that possibly nice?” She glared at her phone, the heat rising in her chest. Who did he think he was?
“Isn’t it better to be honest? I don’t mean it as an insult when I say, I think you’ve been really hurt and it’s distorted your view of men. This is why feminists get tagged as manhaters. There’s nothing we can ever do right for you. You think I’m a jerk and did bad things, so in response, you did a horrible thing to me. And by the way, I know that had me or one of the guys pulled some shit like that, we’d land our asses in jail and all over social media. There’s no way we’d get away with violating someone like that. But it’s okay for you? Where’s the logic in that? Where’s your basic human compassion? I don’t understand how you could think that was okay. Two wrongs make a right to you?”
She started typing rapidly before he was even finished, but another text came through before she could finish.
“Then, when I see what I did wrong, that I hurt people, when I feel how awful it feels to be mistreated and violated like that and it actually affects me, then you go on about how I’ll never change. You can’t have it both ways, Brooklyn. You can’t call me out for mistreating women, then mistreat me. You can’t claim to be teaching me a lesson, then say I’ll never change. What you did really, really hurt. I felt ashamed and embarrassed. I was physically sick for days. It’s affected my career in more ways than one. I wish I’d never talked to any of the Polar Princesses for several reasons, but most of all because now I feel like a completely worthless human being, and I’ve never felt so messed up in my life. So, if that’s what you were going for, congrats. Did you want to ruin my life? Because you’re doing a great job. And don’t worry. Even though I could press charges and you’d likely land in jail or at least be hit with a fine and be fired from the team, I won’t do that. I won’t stoop to your level. And to be honest, I don’t want to deal with the victim shaming that would come from a man admitting that a woman drugged him and violated him. I think that’s something that women deal with all the time, right? I get it. It’s horrible, and I want nothing more to do with you or any of your cheerleaders. Please stop texting me.”
Brooklyn stared at her phone for a long time, reading and rereading the texts. She hated to admit it, but he was right. If the situation was reversed, it would be a media frenzy. The man would be vilified for doing what she did to him. And she might get a good lawyer that could get her off, but she would face criminal charges for drugging him, and perhaps also for harassment or some sort of defamation of character claim. She knew plenty about victim shaming. What woman hadn’t heard countless stories of it or read about horrible situations online where the woman was put at fault for being assaulted?
She sat down and finished off her wine. For the first time, she felt bad about what she’d done to him, and she felt a little scared. He said he wasn’t going to press charges, but what if he changed his mind? She might be fired as head cheerleader. She might end up ruining her own career and messing up her dreams as a result. This whole thing was getting out of hand, and it needed to stop.
She thought about what she would say to Dustin, but before she could get out a text, she fell asleep on the couch.
Chapter 27
By the time she woke up the next morning, she’d thought better of her idea from the night before. She would not text Dustin. She would not apologize. He’d started this whole mess. He said he wouldn’t go to the police, and she believed him. Not because he said he wouldn’t, but because he wouldn’t want to face what came of it. His pride was one thing she could count on. Instead, it was time to let loose and have some fun.
She called a few of her ladies and made plans for that night. Then, she set about her favorite Saturday routine. Yoga, easy run, long bubble bath, and a good book. It was a nice, relaxing day, and she was looking forward to the evening. She got ready and inspected herself in the mirror, feeling alive and on top of the world.
Maddie, Melissa, and Lucy were already at the restaurant when she got there. The plan was to have a nice dinner then move over to the bar as the night wore on. The bar would open to a dance floor once all the usual dinner patrons were gone. They just had to keep drinking and wait them out.
“You ladies are gorgeous,” Brooklyn said when she reached their table.
“Likewise,” Maddie said.
They ordered dinner and drinks and took it slow at first. It was going to be a long night. No sense getting drunk too fast. They ate desserts and talked about everything from hairstyles to dance moves to men. Of course, men.
“Coach Sarah hasn’t said anything to you about the Dustin thing?” Melissa asked.
“No. Why would she?” Brooklyn took a long sip of her
wine, emptying her glass.
“It was all over the place. Everyone was talking about it. I didn’t know if she’d be happy about it or what,” Melissa said.
Maddie made a huffing noise. “You know she wouldn’t.”
“Then why hasn’t she said something?” Lucy asked.
“What is it you want her to say?” Brooklyn was starting to get annoyed at the conversation. This was meant to be ladies’ night, not some in-depth discussion about her actions with Dustin.
Melissa shrugged. “Dustin got put on probation over it. I didn’t know if she’d do the same to you.”
“Is that what you want to happen?” Brooklyn crossed her arms and felt the defensiveness rise in her chest.
“Of course not,” Melissa said.
“No one wants that,” Lucy agreed.
“But what you did was pretty major,” Maddie said. “I think we all expected some sort of fallout from it. At least a verbal warning.”
“Well maybe Coach Sarah knows what was going on and thought he got what he deserved,” Brooklyn said.
Maddie raised her shoulder. “He deserved worse than that.”
“Speak of the devil,” Lucy said, laughing.
They all turned toward the door. Dustin and a group of the football players walked in. They didn’t see them until Lucy held up her hand and waved. Alex saw her and waved back. Then he made eye contact with Brooklyn. He nudged Hayden and Dustin and each one looked at her. Dustin quickly looked away, but Hayden held her gaze.
Wait a second. Hadn’t he had some dinner thing to go to tonight? Didn’t he ask her to find someone for him? Was it all just a lie then? The anger rose with the annoyance.
“So much for a fun ladies’ night,” Brooklyn said.
“I think it just got more fun.” Lucy bit her lip then slid out of her seat.
They watched her walk over to Alex and start talking to him.
“Traitor,” Maddie said.
The restaurant had started to clear away the dinner tables and move things for the bar and dancing setup for the night. They were still sitting, but their table would be in the way soon. Now was as good a time as any.
Brooklyn got up and stormed over to Hayden.
“Hi there,” he said with that annoying smile.
“I thought you had a dinner tonight,” Brooklyn said sharply. “Or have you given up on supporting women’s rights?”
“No, I haven’t,” he said. “The date of the event got moved. Have you changed your mind?”
She’d have to Google that later. She hadn’t heard anything about it changing. “No.”
She turned to walk away, and he put his hand on her arm.
“Don’t go. All your friends are here.” He motioned around to other ladies. Sure enough, they’d all made their way over and were chatting with the players. What the hell had happened to staying away from them all?
“They shouldn’t be, and neither should I.”
“Brooklyn.” He stepped closer to her and leaned down to her ear. “You don’t have to hate us. We don’t hate you.”
The music’s volume rose and made it harder to talk. Soon they were all shouting at each other.
“I don’t hate you,” she said, putting her mouth close to his ear to be heard.
“Then let me buy you a drink.”
“I don’t owe you anything.”
“Who said anything about all that?” He raised his hand to catch the bartender’s attention. “I’m talking about a drink between two friends. That’s all. What’ll it be?”
She hesitated, but finally said, “Manhattan.”
“Would expect nothing less for a no-frills lady.” He smiled and ordered the drink. When it came, he handed it right to her. She would make sure it wasn’t ever out of her sight, of course.
But as she thought that, she recalled how Dustin hadn’t done the same, and she’d been the one to drug him. Fresh shame washed over her. She looked around and saw Dustin talking to Melissa.
“Thanks for the drink,” she said. “Will you excuse me?”
She turned and walked away, though he called out her name. She walked over to Dustin but didn’t want to interrupt their conversation. Instead, she stood in a place where he would see her and made eye contact, not looking away when he looked at her. She sipped her drink and waited.
Either he knew she was waiting to talk to him and he didn’t care, making her wait on purpose, or he didn’t notice and was clueless. She’d finished her first drink and ordered another by the time Melissa walked away.
“You’re a popular guy tonight,” Brooklyn said, walking over to him.
“That’s not why I’m here.” He picked up his beer and faced away from her. “I’m just here with the guys to have a good time, not to pick up women or whatever you think I’m here to do.”
“I don’t think you’re here doing any of that.”
“Then what are you going to yell at me for this time?” He gave her a sharp eyebrow then went back to looking the other direction.
“Nothing. I just thought we could talk for a minute.”
“I don’t want to talk to you.” He turned and faced Melissa, who had apparently only gone to the bathroom and had now returned.
“Join us, Brook,” she said.
Dustin glared at her, warning her not to stay. She took a long sip to finish off her drink and set the glass down at their small table. “You two have a good time.”
She walked away, feeling slightly tipsy. She sat down at a table and looked for her friends. Lucy was with Alex, talking. Melissa was talking to Dustin, and Maddie was talking to some guy from the bar. They’d all left her.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
She looked up to see some guy she’d never seen before. “You can do what you want, but I’m not going to sleep with you.”
“Sheesh.” He held up his hands. “Never mind if you’re going to be like that.”
She shook her head. That’s the only reason he wanted to buy her a drink? Ridiculous how these guys functioned. The whole world felt completely messed up. She almost bought herself another drink but made it a coffee instead. She would just get out of there and leave this night behind. Her ladies were long gone, and there was no pulling them back.
She chugged down the coffee and then made her rounds to tell her friends she was leaving. She walked quickly to her car. Her keys were in her hands, and she reached to unlock the door. A hand closed over her wrist.
Chapter 28
Immediately, she went into action. Her first thought was Dustin. He’d come to pay her back, and he’d try like he did before to get to her. But when she turned and kicked, it wasn’t Dustin. It was Hayden, and his grip on her arm was tight. He caught her foot before it connected with his shin.
She fought back, trying to break free. She kicked at him and twisted. She did all the moves she knew that usually worked, but Hayden was huge and solid. She managed to stomp on his foot and almost got her wrist free once, but then another set of hands was on her.
“Thought you could use some help.”
She recognized Alex’s voice and then they were pulling her away from her car. She screamed out, but a hand clamped down over her mouth. There had to be someone around to see this. All these people at the bar? Someone would come help her, surely.
As she kicked and tried to break free, her feet dragged in the gravel until the bar grew farther away. They were in the trees, and from where she was, she thought no one would see them or hear them.
“You’ve been quite the handful,” Hayden growled in her ear, wedging his arm against her throat. “It stops now.”
She couldn’t answer if she wanted to, but what would she say to that?
“Do you know Holly broke up with me because of you?”
“And none of the fine ladies on your squad will do more than chat,” Alex said.
His words were slurred. They were both drunk.
“We have a contest, you know,” Hayden said.
Alex l
aughed. “Oh, right. Which one?”
“There was the first one. The one where we see who can sleep with the most cheerleaders. You ended that one real fast,” Hayden said. “But you didn’t know about the second one.”
Brooklyn’s mind was whirling. As they talked, she was vividly alert to any change in their position. She would have to take any chance she could to get away, but her heart was racing, and her brain felt foggy. The coffee wasn’t helping her much. She’d drunk too much to think sharply. The fear was overwhelming her, and she couldn’t escape it or them.
“The second one was to see who could get to you first,” Hayden said.
“Except you’re such a frigid man-hating bitch,” Alex said. “No one stands a chance.”
“You took things too far when you messed with Dustin.”
“You did a bad thing.” Alex poked her hard in the chest. “Real bad.”
“I think it’s time you have a taste of your own medicine,” Hayden said. “I’m done playing your games.”
He pushed her down so hard that the air left her lungs. She gasped in shock, trying to regain her breath. She scrambled to get away from him, but there was no point to it.
Hayden roared loudly as he shifted into bear form. His large paw was on her chest, holding her with no effort, nearly crushing her lungs. Alex shifted next. They stood over her and snarled.
Hayden slashed her across her check with his sharp claws. He clawed at her top. Before long, it was black shreds mixed with her red blood. Her mouth was free now, but screaming didn’t seem to help much.
Alex tore off her jeans with his teeth. He grabbed the pant cuff and pulled, slashing where they stuck and wouldn’t come off. In seconds, she was naked on the hard ground, covered in wounds. Tears streamed down her face. She didn’t know if they were going to kill her before or after. Or maybe they’d let her live with it. That might be even worse. At least if she was dead, it would all be over.
Dustin (Shifter Football League Book 3) Page 12
