Remington's Tower

by Katharine Sadler

  I scrabbled around on the ground in the dark, trying to be quiet and find something big enough to make a noise and distract the guy. Just when I was about to give up, sure the guy had already moved on, I found a rock. I lobbed it as hard as I could into the forest behind the guy, and it hit a tree and a bush before it crashed to the ground. The guy spun to see what had made the noise and we saw his red armband. Frankie took the shot and made a direct hit to his crotch. Not bothering to swallow my laugh when the guy doubled over and started swearing, I grabbed Frankie and pulled her with me through the forest, trying to be as quiet as possible, but more worried about getting far away from the guy she’d just whacked in the balls.

  Once we’d gotten about a hundred yards away, we approached another lighted area, this one larger and filled with obstacles. There were four people milling around in the lighted area, all of them wearing red armbands and discussing strategy, I assumed. Even though they appeared to be easy targets, they were blocked by a couple of obstacles and it was impossible to get a clear shot. I motioned for Frankie to go right, while I went left, and she nodded, not the least bit afraid to split up, apparently.

  My first mistake was to assume that the other team was stupid enough to stand around like they were at a dinner party, when Harrison had told me they all played regularly. My second mistake, was to keep all my attention on the group in the light and none on my surroundings. I found a good spot, where I had a clear view of the group. I hunkered down, raised my gun, and took aim.

  Suddenly, I was on my back, with a heavy weight on my belly. There was a strange guy straddling me and laughing. “I can’t believe you fell for that,” he said. I couldn’t tell who he was or, even, what he looked like, because his face was covered in some bizarre sort of war paint, but he was considerably larger and heavier than me.

  I bucked against him, not moving him at all, and a knot of panic started to build in my chest. “Paintball is not a contact sport,” I managed to say, pushing the words out in a breathless rush. I tried to calm my racing heart. There was nothing to be afraid of I told myself, but I wasn’t sure I believed it. I didn’t know this guy, didn’t really know Harrison or Worthy. He could do anything to me and there might be no one willing to help me.

  I tried to shake off my fear. He was just a college student like me, and Byron would have warned me if any of the paintballers were dangerous. I started to twist my body into position to buck him off, but he leaned in close, his breath warm against my ear. “I just wanted an excuse to see you up close, new girl,” he said.

  His words were probably meant to calm me, but his weight on me and his hot breath on my skin sent my heart into a frenzy and my lungs constricted, making it harder to breathe. My gaze went fuzzy and I was no longer in a forest, the damp ground under my back. I was in a dark room, a soft carpet under me and a man, a man the same age as my father, straddling me. He leaned in, his breath hot and reeking of garlic. “Your daddy isn’t here, little girl, so you’re going to have to pay his debt.” I squirmed under him, but I was tiny, just a child, and I couldn’t move him at all.

  The man pushed something hard and cold under my chin, and I knew it was a gun. I knew he was going to kill me for something my father had done. It wouldn’t be the first time my father had made someone violently angry. A hot, heavy rage boiled up inside me and I decided I wasn’t going to die. I didn’t let him see the rage, though. If there was one thing my father had taught me to do well, it was to act. I dug deep for sorrow and let big fat tears fill my eyes. “Please,” I gasped, as I stretched my right arm as far as I could, searching, searching. “Please,” I said again. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. I know lots of things, so many things.”

  His laugh revealed a rotten tooth and foul breath. “I know better than that, sweetheart. You don’t have near enough information to make up for what he did to me.”

  My hand closed around the cool, bone handle of the knife, just as I heard the click that meant he’d removed the safety on the gun.

  My cheek exploded into pain, and I was back in the forest, a circle of faces peering at me. I was sitting up, the woodsy scent of the forest all around me, the dark warmer than the dim light of that remembered living room. Tears had streaked Frankie’s mascara into long dark lines down her cheeks. “I’m okay,” I said.

  I tried to stand and found myself restrained by strong, warm arms. I looked up to see Worthy’s face above me, his arms around me, his expression a mix of anger and worry. “Herndon is an asshole. Did he hurt you?”

  It took me a minute to remember that some guy had been on top of me, other than the one from my nightmare. “No,” I said, beginning to shake. Not wanting Worthy to know what was happening to me, I pushed his arms away. “Please, let me go. I’m fine.”

  Worthy let me go and Frankie pulled me into a hard hug. “I’m okay,” I said. “I’m just fine.” And I was fine, at least I would be if I just kept repeating it enough. That vision, that scene with the guy on top of me and the gun to my chin, was a nightmare from my childhood. It had plagued me for years. My uncle used to hold me and rock me back to sleep, promising me over and over that he’d never let anyone hurt me. Never had I reverted to that nightmare while I was awake. It made no sense, unless something was seriously wrong with me. Something in the losing my mind, going wackadoo-crazy vein.

  Someone put a hand on my back and I turned to see Harrison behind me. “You gave us all a scare,” he said. “Herndon was afraid he’d really hurt you. It was like you were asleep with your eyes open. We shook you and talked to you, but you didn’t see any of us, and –”

  “I slapped you,” Frankie said. “I’m so sorry, Remy, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “I’m fine,” I said, my voice louder than I’d intended. I looked at Frankie and tried to calm down. “You didn’t hurt me. I’m glad you slapped me.”

  She didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t argue or ask me why I’d been so out of it.

  “You want me to drive you back to campus?” Harrison asked.

  “No, I’m good,” I said. “I want to keep playing.”

  “Absolutely not,” Worthy said. “I’ll drive you back.”

  I pulled myself free of Frankie’s arms to glare at Worthy. “Byron’s not here, so you can cut the protective shit. You aren’t my keeper, and I’ll do what I want.”

  “I can have Byron here in fifteen minutes,” Worthy said, stepping up to me and getting right in my face. “He can drag you back to campus, if you’d prefer.”

  I tried not to look directly in his eyes, because he had the most beautiful eyes, and I didn’t want to forget that he was pissing me off. It felt good to be scared, so much better to be angry and ready to fight than trapped and terrified. “You let Byron fight all of your fights?”

  Worthy ground his teeth for a tense ten seconds. Just as Harrison cleared his throat to step in, Worthy bent over, wrapped his arms around my thighs, and threw me over his shoulder.

  “Put me down, you barbarian,” I yelled. I punched his back and wriggled and kicked, but he just kept walking like I was a sack of potatoes. I picked my head up to see Frankie following behind. “Take him out at the knees, Frankie. Or punch him in his man-parts. Save me.”

  Frankie hesitated and blushed, and I knew I was out of luck on that front. She might be able to shoot a guy in the balls for a game, but she wasn’t going to attack Worthy when shit was real.

  “Harrison,” I yelled, as we moved out of the light and into the dark of the forest. A tree branch swatted me on the ass, and I was sure Worthy walked us into it on purpose. “Harrison. Save me. Kick this big lug’s ass.”

  Harrison’s laughter rang out behind us. “You’re on your own, princess. I agree with Worthy on this one.”

  “Shit, shit, triple-shit,” I muttered. I started beating on Worthy’s back again, but he ignored me. The asshole started whistling. “Frankie,” I yelled. She was still following us. “Go back. Fight the good fight. Kick all of their asses.�
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  She gave me a nervous smile, like she hoped I was joking.

  “I’m serious. Get back in there. You can take them. Pretend to be all sweet and sugar and then pound the hell out of them.”

  She hesitated then, her eyes lighting up, and I knew she liked the sound of that.

  “Harrison,” I yelled. “Make sure Frankie gets home safe?”

  “Sure thing,” Harrison yelled back.

  Frankie nodded, gave me a silly salute, and walked back to the others.

  “I’ll never forgive you for this,” I said as Worthy dropped me into the passenger seat of his car. I couldn’t see it in the dark, but I could certainly hear the engine choke and stutter as he tried to start it.

  I reached for the door handle, planning to make a break for it, but he clamped one big hand around my forearm and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere. The engine finally caught and he headed toward the main road.

  “How the hell did you get into college anyway?” I asked. “I thought they stopped accepting Neanderthals in 2010.”

  When he didn’t rise to the bait, I slumped in my seat and simmered in silence. Until I noticed he was still holding my arm. “You can let go,” I said. “I’m not stupid enough to jump out of a moving car.”

  “Could have fooled me,” he said.

  “Oh, so you can speak. You even think you’re funny, I bet. Why don’t you use that voice box and try to make a bit of conversation to entertain your captive, maybe explain what the hell your problem is?”

  “Why bother,” he said, his eyes steady on the road. He removed his hand from my arm and placed it on the wheel. “You’re never going to forgive me.”

  I liked his voice, deep and rumbly and warm, like a caveman with basic vocal skills. I shook my head. No I didn’t like it at all. I didn’t like him or his bossiness at all. “Yeah, but I like to understand the motivations of my enemies. Makes it easier to avoid them.”

  “I’ll be sure to stay out of your way.”

  “Good,” I said. “Great. The last thing I need is another guy trying to be my big brother.”

  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Believe me, Remy, that is the last thing in the world I want. I’ve got enough people to take care of as it is.”

  His tone settled my anger a bit. He didn’t sound like he was just talking trash to get me to shut up, he sounded like he really meant it and I wondered about who he had to take care of and why. But I couldn’t ask, because asking would be acknowledging I cared, would be letting him in a little bit. I didn’t want to let him in, because he was a Neanderthal and a jerk. I’d had more than enough of overbearing, overprotective men in my life.

  “Want to talk about what happened back there?” he asked.

  His voice was soft and he sounded like he really wanted to know. And I sort of wanted to tell him, to tell somebody who might not brush it off as just a child’s nightmare. “I’m not sure what…” My desire to share vanished when I recognized the street we were on. “We’d better not be where I think we are.” Worthy pulled up in front of Byron’s frat house. He stared straight ahead, not looking at me.

  “He’ll want to see you. He’s been worried about you and, after tonight…”

  I grabbed the door handle and yanked it open. It wasn’t that I was opposed to seeing my cousin, I just didn’t like to be forced to see him. And I wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened in the woods. I leapt to feet, ready to run, but Worthy had already made it around the car and he grabbed my arm to slow me. I tried to pull away, but he held on tight and his warm, brown eyes melted to amber. The concern on his face looked real and I found myself leaning into him against my will. My body wanted him, even though my brain understood the stupidity of my desire. “You were about to tell me what happened in the woods.”

  I felt my defenses caving in the warmth of his gaze and in the feel of his strong, warm hand on me and I straightened my spine and backed away from him. “Why? So you can run off and tell Byron everything I said?”

  His melty amber eyes slid back to brown and any feeling I’d seen in them vanished. His expression emptied and went cold. He held onto my wrist and swung me back up over his shoulder. “Never, ever, ever, ever forgiving you,” I said, as I bounced along on his shoulder.

  He climbed the stairs and opened the door, and then the shouts and jeers started. Along with peppy chants, like “Way to go Worthy,” and “Finally bagged a live one, Worthy?”

  “This your usual mode of dragging girls back to your cave?” I asked.

  “I don’t drag girls anywhere,” he said, his tone sharp and curt. “They come to me.”

  I couldn’t help but feel glad I’d hit a nerve. Inside, I was doing a little, happy dance. Outside, I was trying not to throw up the ice cream I’d shared with Frankie. “I’m sure they do, tough guy. You just reek of charm and wit. I bet you’re a what? One, two, three pump and you’re done kind of guy? That’s the kind of barbarian moves I imagine you have.”

  To my surprise, he chuckled. “You’ve been imagining my moves?”

  “What?” I said, before I had a chance to school my response. My own defenses rose and I went from feeling smug to feeling cornered in less than a moment. I would not give that asshole the satisfaction of thinking I’d ever been or ever would be remotely interested in him. I swallowed and prepared myself to give him a verbal ass-kicking, but he set me on my feet before I could. My body slid down his and all kinds of sparks erupted and tingled in every place our bodies connected. Those were the first sparks and tingles I’d ever had in real life, as opposed to the warm fuzzies I got from movies and books, and I wanted to stay plastered against his body.

  “Next time you imagine my moves,” he whispered in my ear. “Make sure you get it right. I’m a one, two, three orgasm-giving kind of guy.”

  I should move, I knew I should move away from him before he got any ideas, but the feel of him and his words, had made my body stop working. My knees seemed to have softened to some sort of gelatinous substance that didn’t respond to my mental commands.

  A throat cleared behind me and Worthy took a step back. I managed not to fall on my face, sucked in a deep gulp of air, and took my own step away from him. “What do you think you’re doing to my sister?” Byron asked.

  I spun to face the other barbarian in my life, and had to pause a moment when I saw him . “I’m not your sister, Byron, I’m your cousin. And I used to be your friend, but that’s going to end real soon if you don’t back off.”

  Byron raised his hands. “I’ve given you space, sis. You’re the one who showed up in my room, all over one of my frat brothers.”

  “I—”

  “Harrison brought her to paint ball,” Worthy said. “Herndon was an asshole and knocked her down and straddled her. She spaced out. It was like she left her body. She didn’t react when we talked to her or touched her. I held her on my lap and…nothing. It wasn’t until Frankie slapped her—”

  “That I woke up from my daze and was completely fine,” I said.

  Worthy gave me an annoyed look, like he was put out that I’d interrupted him.

  “Oh, please, you’re the one tattling on me like you’re a five-year-old. Don’t tell me you’re worried about good manners now.”

  Worthy shook his head and looked down his nose at me like I was a child.

  “What the hell happened, Sis,” Byron asked. I turned and faced him, losing some of my bravado in the face of his obvious distress.

  “Tell the Neanderthal to leave,” I said, “and we’ll talk.”

  Byron’s eyes widened. “Neanderthal? Worthy?” Byron looked over my shoulder and his laughter died. “Yeah, we’ll be a little while, Worthy. Thank you for bringing her here.”

  I turned, but Worthy was already gone.

  Byron grabbed my hand and pulled me into his room. A room that contained a girl, a girl in oversized glasses, an oversized sweater, men’s jeans, and worn-out sneakers. A girl with thick, dark hair she’d cinched in a messy bun
on the top of her head. A girl who clearly wasn’t a date. I turned to Byron, wide-eyed. He had a girlfriend?

  Byron rolled his eyes, reading my mind like he always did. “Lexy, this is my little sister, Remington,” he said. “Remington, this is my friend, Lexy. She and I are studying together.”

  Lexy stood, her movements more graceful than I’d expected based on her style of dressing. “Hi, Remington,” she said in a warm, real voice. “I’ve heard so much about you, and it’s good to finally meet you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I said. I threw a look at Byron, but he ignored me. “For the record, I’m his cousin and I’m only two months younger than him.”

  “Three months,” Byron said, sounding grumpy.

  I rolled my eyes and Lexy smiled. “Two months and twenty-eight days for those of us who like to be precise.”

  “Your cousin is rather prone to preciseness, isn’t he,” Lexy said, giving Byron a look I couldn’t decipher. “I’d better be going. It seems you two need to talk and I was just about to head out anyway.”

  “We’ve only gone over half a chapter,” Byron said. “Remington and I will be done in a few minutes and we can get back to studying.”

  Lexy smiled, but it was a sad smile. “I guess I forgot to tell you, By. I have a date tonight, in half an hour in fact. I’ve got to go, anyway.”

  That was when my cousin, who didn’t have a mean bone in his body, laughed at Lexy. “Sure, Lex. You don’t have to make excuses, Remington and I really will just be a minute.”

  Lexy’s eyes flashed fire and her cheeks reddened, making her delicate features flair with life and an unexpected beauty. Even Byron had the sense to take a step back. “I’m not trying to be polite, By.” She spoke in that same measured, polite tone she’d used before, but her teeth were clenched. “I have a date with Jett, and I need to get ready.”

  “You have a date with Jett? The Jett who lives down the hall from me? Lex, he’s an asshole, and you know it.”

  Lexy shrugged. “I think your opportunity to have any say in who I dated ended a long, long time ago, Byron. I’ll see you later.”