by Smyth, R. A
“No,” I respond, deflated. I know he’s trying to reassure me, but we both know we were way too caught up in what we were doing to know if anyone snuck up on us.
“I’m sure it’s nothing. They probably got caught on a shelf or something, and we just can’t find them,” he soothes, glancing at some of the nearby shelves. “The librarian will probably come across them and have a heart attack at the thought of anyone getting it on in her dusty shelves.”
I give him a weak smile, appreciating his attempt to make light of the situation. He’s probably right and I’m just being paranoid, although who can blame me with everything we’re dealing with at the minute?
Stepping into me, he cups my cheek with his palm. “It’ll be okay, I promise.” His gaze is steady, and I know that whatever happens in all of this, that he will always be there for me.
After another moment, he interlocks his fingers with mine. “Let's go find the others, I wanna see which of the two idiots survived.”
Chapter 18
Aiden and Preston are grinning like fucking morons while blood trickles down their faces. Of course, those two manage to bond while beating the crap out of each other. They’ve been going at it for a while now.
As expected, they’re pretty evenly matched in the ring. Their techniques are totally different, what with Preston being all about precision and calculated moves, whereas Aiden is scrappier. He’s learned to take risks other fighters wouldn’t. He’s willing to suffer a jab to the gut if it gives him the opening he needs to get a knockout punch in. Of course, Preston doesn’t fold like any other human being would with a hit like that. He’s like a fucking machine, barely phased by some of Aiden’s hits. I know from experience that Aiden can pack quite a punch, and they’ve both remained true to their word—neither of them are holding back.
After circling around each other initially, crouching low with their arms raised, Preston makes the first move, attempting to divert Aiden’s attention with a blow aimed at his head while he really puts his weight behind his other fist, driving it into Aiden’s side, causing him to stumble.
Aiden recovers quickly, steadying himself before Preston can swipe his feet out from underneath him. He plays it smart though, letting Preston think he’s still reeling from the hit, waiting until Preston moves in close behind him before spinning around, keeping his body low and going straight in for a round of punches to Preston’s midsection, ruthlessly attacking until Preston pushes him away, creating some distance between them.
It’s obvious there won’t be a clear winner, and it’s going to come down to who has the stamina to remain standing the longest. This could be a long ass fight.
“I’ll give you some credit, you’ve lasted longer than I thought,” Preston breathes heavily. Sweat is dripping from his body, but he barely sounds winded from the exertion.
“You make it sound like I’m going to be bowing out soon,” Aiden snorts, wiping the sweat out of his eyes with his forearm. Preston smirks back at him, the two of them orbiting around one another like predators circling their prey.
“It’s only a matter of time,” Preston grins. With his dark red mouth guard in, his smile looks sadistic as fuck, like his teeth are coated in blood. Stepping forward, his arm swings out to deliver a right hook to Aiden’s side. Aiden expertly dodges it. His fist comes up, smashing into Preston’s jaw. His head snaps back, the sound echoing around the empty gym.
Aiden takes advantage of the opening. He tackles him, grabbing Preston around the waist and trying to take him to the ground. The fucker is built like a machine, though. He stumbles, but, shaking off the pain he’s no doubt feeling in his jaw, he recovers, shoving Aiden away from him before he can get him down on the mat.
“Haven’t you both proven your point yet?” I grouch. I’m all for a good fight, but I’d much rather be with my girl right now than watching these dipshits duke it out.
They both ignore me, neither of them willing to risk getting distracted and giving the other the opening they need to take them down.
“What are your plans for after school ends?” I ask, coming to stand at the side of the ring. The asshole can at least answer my questions while I stand here and referee them.
Of course the fucker ignores me, taking another jab at Aiden, which he easily deflects.
“I’m sure you’re all set up to go to some rich fancy-pants college,” I muse. “And with Daddy Warbucks out of the way, you can do whatever the hell you want.”
“Don’t talk about that shit here,” Preston snarls, finally acknowledging me as he advances on Aiden, delivering a particularly brutal round of punches. “I was supposed to go to Crestmore College.”
“Never heard of it.”
Somehow he finds the energy to snort at me, even while he dodges Aiden’s foot, preventing his kick from connecting with the side of his knee.
“Of course you haven’t.” Jab. “Not only do you have to donate a bucket-load of money to get in,” block, “but you also have to have family connections that basically go all the way back to the Founding Fathers.” Uppercut.
“Sounds like a right hoot,” I remark sarcastically, rolling my eyes. Fucking elitist pricks. Who the hell even thinks up this shit?
“You said you were ‘supposed to go’,” Aiden inquires while moving around the outside of the ring, dodging Preston’s attacks. Despite how intent he is to win this fight, he’s obviously as interested in the topic as I am.
“Yeah,” Preston pants. “My father insisted. Every male in the Donaghue family has attended since the college first opened.”
That makes the place sound even less appealing.
“And now?” I press.
“Now, I can do whatever the fuck I want.”
Fucking hell, if Aiden doesn’t beat the shit out of him, I’m going to fucking strangle him.
“And what the fuck do you want?” I snarl, pissed off with him for beating around the bush. I just want to know if he and Barrett will be taking off after school finishes, or if Sophie is part of their long-term goal.
She’s it for us. Aiden and I know that wherever we go when we leave here, she’s coming with us. I just need to know if I can expect these two fuckheads to tag along too.
“You know what I want,” he snarls back. His movements pick up speed as his anger bleeds into his actions, using Aiden as his literal punching bag. “I said I wanted in,” he hisses between gritted teeth, his fists flying towards Aiden’s face. Aiden just about gets his fists up in time to block the blows, before ducking and weaving away from him.
“I knew what I was signing up for.” Cross. “Sophie.” He counters Aiden’s punch with one of his own. “For life.” Jab. He lands a solid blow to Aiden’s temple, knocking him off balance. Instead of tackling him to the ground, though, he turns to glare down at me. “I love her. Wherever she goes, I go.”
His admission takes me by surprise. I’m pretty sure Barrett loves her, but I wasn’t sure about Preston. Honestly, he’s one hard fucker to read. His resting murder face doesn’t really give a whole lot away. He could be happy as a fucking unicorn inside and still look like he’s about to go on a rampage.
Aiden takes advantage of Preston’s distraction to jump onto his back, getting him in a chokehold while he wraps his legs around his waist like a fucking spider monkey.
Roaring like a wild animal, Preston tries to buck Aiden off, but he clings to him, all while increasing the pressure around Preston’s neck until he falls to his knees.
I’m just about to step in and stop Aiden from suffocating him, when the gym doors bang open and Sophie and Barrett come in.
My eyes immediately zone in on Sophie. They always do. Everything else fades into the background when she’s around. Nothing else matters but her.
She’s sporting that freshly fucked look, her hair slightly mussed and her lips swollen. Ooh, I bet I can guess what they were up to in the library. Dirty bastards. Damn, just the thought of her bent over in the stacks, clinging to the bookshelves f
or dear life while I ram my dick into her until she comes all over me, has my cock standing to attention in my slacks.
Subtly reaching down to adjust my junk, I give her a sultry smile. “Missed you, love,” I purr into her ear, draping my arm over her shoulder when she reaches my side.
She smiles up at me, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. It’s only then, now that I’ve pulled my head halfway out of the gutter, that I realize something is off with her. She glances away though, looking towards the ring where Aiden and Preston are back to arguing with one another.
I don’t know what actually happened after Sophie arrived. Preston must have tapped out, I’m guessing. Although that definitely doesn’t sound like him. He’s still breathing though, so Aiden didn’t kill him at least.
I flick my gaze to Barrett, raising my eyebrows at him, silently asking what the fuck happened. He just shakes his head though, telling me to drop it. Whatever, she’ll tell me when she wants to.
“Who won?” Barrett asks, turning his attention to the ring as well.
“I did,” both idiots demand at once.
Fucking fantastic, we’re going to end up back here again tomorrow, and every day after that until one of these fuckers actually wins.
“Like shit you did,” Aiden snorts, rounding on Preston. “I clearly won. If you’d been on the street, I’d have killed you by now. Ty,” Aiden says, turning to look at me, “who won?”
“I didn’t see,” I shrug, not really giving a shit one way or the other.
“Fucking lot of help you are,” Preston snarls. “Why the fuck were you even here, if you can’t tell us who won.”
“Last I saw, you were about to pass out,” I remark. “So, I’m guessing Aiden won.”
“Told you,” Aiden grins darkly, looking victorious.
“Well, now you’ve worked out who’s dick is the biggest, can we go home?” Sophie speaks up, not sounding at all like her usual self.
“Babe, if you wanna know whose dick is the biggest, you only gotta ask,” Barrett winks, drawing a small smile from her.
“Better yet,” I add. “I’ll show you.” I move so I’m standing behind her and she can feel just how fucking big I am.
“Ty,” she scolds, but she’s finally laughing. A real, genuine laugh that’s hopefully made her forget whatever she was worrying about.
Barrett snorts, coming over to stand beside us while Aiden and Preston wipe the sweat from their bodies and gather their crap. “You fucking wish,” he says to me.
“Maybe we should let Sophie be the judge of that.”
“It’s a four-way tie,” she chuckles, not giving into our bait. I love that she doesn’t get herself involved in the middle of our shit. She always refuses to pick one of us. Always somehow able to remain neutral and make all of us feel equally important to her. No easy feat when we can be a bunch of assholes to each other.
“No worries, love. I know you’re secretly thinking my name,” I wink playfully, glad to see a bit of that spark back in her eye.
“Hey, did you guys hear about Lizzie and Cece?” Barrett pipes up as Preston and Aiden come to stand with us.
“Yeah, Lizzie’s been kicked out of school,” Preston shrugs.
“She’s what?” Sophie squeaks, sounding confused.
“Yeah,” Barrett agrees. “Apparently her father’s indiscretions reflect poorly on the school. Something about bringing into question the school’s integrity.”
“Seriously?” Sophie asks, shocked. “What her father did had nothing to do with the school.”
“Yeah, but he was a benefactor, and simply by being a student here, the school was associated with the Hawthorne name,” Barrett tries to explain. Neither Sophie, Aiden or I get it though. It’s a whole different world here. The rich play by different rules.
“Rich people are weird,” Sophie grumbles.
“What about Cece?” I ask, keen to hear any updates on Richard. Sebastian transferred the money to Preston’s account a week ago now. Preston’s PI has been keeping a close eye on him and reporting back to us, but all has been quiet. So far he hasn’t done anything out of the ordinary, although based on the few photos the PI sent over, the guy looks a lot more haggard than he did a week ago.
“Richard drained their family’s bank accounts and took off. Left her and her mom without a penny,” Barrett says with a grin.
“Damn, that’s cold!” I laugh as Sophie gapes at Barrett.
“Where did he go?” She asks.
Barrett shrugs his shoulders. “Don’t know, don’t care. As long as he’s not here, it’s not our problem.”
“Kirk must be freaking the fuck out,” I muse. “He’s gotta know by now that we, or someone at least, is taking out his connections.”
“According to Oliver, he’s too busy scrambling to find replacements to worry about who is behind it all,” Aiden supplies. Good. Let's hope it stays that way. He will only come after us harder if he connects the dots.
“That only leaves Kurt’s family, then.” I say, my voice filled with determination, ready to take down the final one-percenter supporting Kirk.
Chapter 19
Later that night, I’m plowing through the last of my homework so I can get it out of the way, when my phone vibrates in my pocket.
Pulling it out, I notice a new message from an unknown number. I literally only have the guy's numbers stored in my phone, along with Mia’s and Oliver’s. There’s no one else in this town that I talk to, so who could be messaging me?
Assuming it's some sort of spam thing, I open it up, intending to delete it immediately, but I hesitate over the delete button, noticing the message contains a video file. There’s no text or anything to tell me who it’s from, and the still frame from the video is too dark and blurry to make anything out.
I don’t know what makes me click on the video. Maybe it’s the creepy-crawly feeling making its way up my back that tells me, although I don’t want to see this, I need to. Or maybe it’s just because I’m a curious bitch.
Either way, against my better judgement, I click on the damn video. It’s hard to make anything out in the video, but the very obvious noise of two people fucking comes out loud and clear through my phone speakers.
“You watching porn over there, love?” Ty laughs from where he’s sitting in the living room.
“Come for me baby girl, let me watch you explode on my fingers.”
“What the hell, was that Barrett?” Someone asks as I drop my phone onto the table, my hands shaking violently.
It’s impossible to make out the details, but I don’t need to see anything to know what this is. I fucking experienced it. It’s me and Barrett earlier this afternoon. Someone was watching us. Worse, they fucking recorded us.
“What the hell is this?” Aiden barks, suddenly appearing beside me, picking up the phone and looking at the video for himself.
“Come for me baby girl, let me watch you explode on my fingers.”
Those words come over the speaker again, the recording set on repeat, making my stomach churn as bile builds at the back of my throat.
Catching movement at the corner of my eye, I glance up, finding Barrett standing by the front door, having just walked in. His face is pale. “That’s me...Us,” he says hoarsely, looking right at me, regret shining in his eyes.
“We were being watched,” I whisper, holding his gaze.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Preston barks. I don’t even know when the hell he re-appeared, but tearing my eyes from Barrett’s I see Preston standing behind my chair. He’s changed into sweatpants since getting home, and his hair is still wet from the shower. His eyes flick back and forth between Barrett and I, silently demanding answers.
“When we were in the library earlier, we, uh…” Barrett begins, trailing off as he rubs his hand sheepishly up the back of his neck. Any other time, it would be funny that such a flirt is finding it so awkward to tell the other guys what we did.
“Had sex,” Ty fin
ishes for him.
“Yeah,” I croak.
“And someone recorded you?” Preston growls. I can hear the wood of the chair creaking in protest against his tight grip on the back of it.
“That’s not all,” Barrett rasps, causing all three guys to pin him in their gaze.
“What else did you do?” Ty asks, sounding more curious than anything.
“Someone, uh, stole my underwear,” I explain.
“Who the fu—KURT,” Preston roars. “That sick son of a bitch!” Losing control, he storms off across the warehouse in a rage, looking fucking murderous as he paces back and forth.
Turning to look at the other two, I find equal looks of outrage on their faces too.
“How could you do that?” Preston yells, glaring at Barrett, still pacing furiously across the room. “Why the fuck would you have sex with her in a public place?”
“It’s not like I knew anyone was there,” Barrett defends, getting angry himself. “We were in the back of the fucking library.”
“Kurt’s always fucking watching her,” Preston snarls, barely restraining himself from throwing his fist at Barrett’s face. “You should have known better.”
“Stop it!” I yell, pissed off and frustrated. “It’s not Barrett’s fault. We both made the decision to hook up, it’s not all on him. We’re both to blame.”
I get that Preston’s furious right now, but he’s taking his anger out on the wrong person. This is all Kurt’s fault. I’m so fucking angry that he took what was a special, intimate moment with Barrett and tarnished it. So fucking mad that he’s still running around out there doing this shit to me, to us.
“I’m blocking his number,” Ty snaps out, focusing back on my phone, which is still clenched in his hand. By the time he hands it back to me, the number is blocked, and the message deleted.
Sure, that solves that problem, but what the hell is he going to do with my panties? I only hope I never find out.
Glancing back at Barrett, I can see the guilt and remorse written all over his face. The look in his eye breaks my heart. Kurt has no right to do this to us, to make us feel bad for what was otherwise a perfect moment.
