TableofContents

Prologue
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Chapter7
Chapter8
Chapter9
Chapter10
Chapter11
Chapter12
Chapter13
Chapter14
Chapter15
Chapter16
Epilogue

TORNAPART

(DeltaProtectorsBook2)

KaylaMyles

AllRightsReserved.

Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyany

means,electrical,digital,ormechanical,includingbutnotlimitedto

photocopying,recording,scanningorbyanytypeofdatastorageandretrieval

systemwithoutexpress,writtenpermissionbythepublisher.

Thisbookisaworkoffiction.Allnames,characters,placesandincidentsare

eithertheproductoftheauthor’simaginationorareusedfictitiously.Any

resemblancetoactualpersons,eventsorplacesiscoincidental.Nopartofthis

bookmaybereproduced,scanned,ordistributedinanyprintedorelectronic

form.

PublishedbySumnerMedia

KeepupwithKaylaMylesusingthefollowinglinks:

BooksbyKaylaMyles:

TrustingDaniel(DeltaSecurity)

Collision(DeltaProtectorsBook1)

TornApart(DeltaProtectorsBook2)

Broken(DeltaProtectorsBook3)–cominginDecember

TornApart(DeltaProtectorsBook2)isastandalonesecurityromancewitha

happily-ever-afterending.Ifyoulovehotsexyalphas,strongindependentwomen,

action,adventure,suspense,andromance,thisisforyou!ToldintwoPOV’s.

Description:

GeorgianaPratt,aka“George”,issickandtiredoflivingunderherparents’

rules.Sheyearnsforthedaywhenshecanfinallyspreadherwingsandmake

decisionsforherself.Studyingatauniversityfar,farawayfromherparents’

pryingeyesseemsliketheperfectsolutiontoherproblem.

Despitetheirprotest,sheleavesthecomfortsofhomeandtakesthefirststep

intocollege.Sheswearsthistimetheonlypersontorunherlifeistheperson

possessingit:her.

Ex-MarineSpencerDowninghasbeenwaitingforachallengetocomehis

way,andhisnewassignmentmightjustbetheticket.Itwasn’tjustasimple

protectorjob;heneededtodisguisehimselfasastudent,andkeepaneyeona

girlwho’sneverbeenoutofherparents’roof.Thecatchisshemustneverfind

out.

AsthefatesconspiretogetSpencerandGeorgecloser,willtheygiveinand

provideachancefortheirlovetoblossom?Orwillthesecretbetweenthemtear

themapart?

Prologue

In all my years serving as a Marine Raider, I was certain my training had

readiedmeforanything.Beitrain,sleet,snow,orevenfuckingsandstorms,I’ve

faced any kind of battle through the harshest elements in the world. I’ve lived

through multiple types of torture, pain, gunshot wounds, road rashes, broken

bones,andevennastieronesthatcould’vekilledme,ifIhadn’treceivedmedical

attention so quickly. These experiences made me confident I could withstand

anythinglifethrewatme.

But right now, under the devastated look in her eyes, as they pooled with

unshed tears, her nose flaring with anger, her mouth stuck in a grimace as she

tried to keep herself from crying, or maybe from screaming at my face…nothing

couldhavepreparedmeforthis.

I wanted to hold her by the shoulders and start shaking her, yell at her it

wasn’t my fault. I wanted to tell her this was my job and that I never wanted to

betrayhertrust.Butinsteadwhatcameoutofmymouthwas—

“Ididn’tmeanforittogothisfar,”Isaid,chokingonmywords.

Idiot.

ShelookedatmelikeIhadjuststabbedherrightintheheart,andshetooka

step back from me, her bottom lip shaking. Snow had started to fall, and she

lookedsobeautifulwithitdottingherhairandeyelashes,thatitamazedmeIwas

stillabletothinkaboutherlikethatwhenshelookedsoheartbrokenoverme.

“That came out wrong,” I said, taking back what I said with a shake of my

head.“WhatImeantwas—,”

“Stop,”shepleaded,andIlookedatherhelplessly.Icouldn’tstop.Ineededto

explain!

Iopenedmymouthbutsheraisedherhandtostopme,shakingherhead.

“Please,”shewhispered,andthewordsdiedinmythroat.

“I’mtiredofthis,Spence,”shesaid.“I’mtired,andIdon’twanttohearany

moreofyourlies.”

“Youdon’tunderstand,George,”Ireplied.“Ihadtodoit.”

“Youcould’veexplainedwhy!”shecried.

“Itwasmyjob!”Iyelledback,stoppingmyselffromreachingformyscalpand

pullingmyhairout.“IhadtolietoyousoIcoulddomyjob,”Isaid,hopingshe’d

understand.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a long moment. When she

openedthemagain,hereyeshardened,steelingtheirgazeonme.

“SureSpencer,”shequipped,andmyheartbrokeatthelackofemotioninher

voice.“Iguessbeingwithmewasjustanotherpartofthejob,too,huh?”

She turned around to walk away and I just stood there, not taking a single

step,asinglemove,tocomeafterher.

The war couldn’t break the great Spencer Downing, but a girl named

GeorgianaPrattsurecould.

Chapter1

Spencer

“Oh my God!! Veronica! Please look over here!” a fan screamed, and I

clenchedmyteethtokeepmyselffromyellingbackather.

Ibracedmyfeetandpushedagainstthesecrazedteenagerswhowantedtoget

nearMissSuperstar.IcouldseeJasonatthecornerofmyeye,standingdirectlyin

front of Veronica, and making a path for her towards the studio as we kept her

fansatbay.WhenVeronicafinallygotinside,shegaveafinalwave,andSashaand

hernewassistant,KC,wentwithher.Thefansimmediatelydispersed,andIwas

finallyabletobreathe.

I readjusted my suit, grumbling about these crazy ass women, when I felt a

hand clap over my shoulder. I looked to my side and Jason grinned at me. I

checkedhissuitandgotevenmoredisgruntledbecausehowthefuckdidthisguy

manage to keep his clothes so spick and span after that stampede? Dude’s a

miracleworker.

“Howyouholdingup?”heasked.

“Barely.Istilldon’tgetwhyIhavetobeherewhenyou’realreadyinchargeof

protectingyourgirlfriend,”Igrunted,andJasonchuckled.

“Yeah,thatwasmyfault.ItoldChasethesecurityhereinTV5wasabitlax,

so I requested for more guys to be reassigned for this event,” Jason explained.

“Sorryaboutthat,”hesaid,andIwavedmyhandintheairdismissively.

“It’s fine. I was just kidding,” A little. “Besides, the free food and cola for a

month at the movies makes up for it,” I said, chuckling as I remembered

Veronica’soffertosweetenthedeal.

“Well, my girl got you on that one, didn’t she?” Jason replied, the pride

evidentinhisvoice.

This dude was a goner. He’s so deep in this love pool, he stopped breathing

anddrowned.It’skindofpathetic.

IsweartoGod,Iwasnevergoingtogothatroute.Nope.NOWAY.

“Okay, lover boy. Let’s dial the fuzzy feelings down a couple of notches,

alright?Formystomach’ssake?”Iasked,andJasonrolledhiseyes.

“Iswear,sometimesIthinkyou’remoreofadramaqueenthanVeronica,”he

said.

“Hey,Ijustdon’twanttocoughupwhatIateforbreakfast,Keyes,”Ijested,

folding my arms in front of my chest. “Speaking of the drama queen, Chase told

meyoualreadypoppedthequestion.Whatdidshesay?Isshewearingyourrock?”

Iasked.

Jason’seyeswidenedandheturnedhisheadleftandrighttocheckifanybody

hadheardme.Hepushedmehard,andwemovedovertoasecludedcornerofthe

building.

“Didyouhavetotalkaboutthatrightnow?Jesus!”Jasoncursed,placinghis

handsonhishipsashefidgetednervously.Iraisedmyarmsup,placatinghim.

“I’m sorry! I forgot this isn’t the time or the place,” I answered, mentally

kickingmyselfforaskingsuchathinginpublic.“Butit’ssafenow,soanswerthe

question,”Ibadgeredhim.

“Yes,okay.Ifinallyaskedhertomarrymetheothernight,andyes,shesaid

‘yes’,”Jasonanswered.Ihithimintheback,grinning.

“Congrats,bro,”Itoldhim,andhesmiled.

“Thanks. You know, I never really thought I’d think about getting married

before,”Jasonsaid,andIraisedmyeyebrowindisbelief.“I’mserious.Backwhen

I was part of the Delta Force, I always focused on making it one day at a time.

Therewasalwaysahighprobabilityofusdyingincombat,thatIneverwantedmy

familytogothroughthat,”hesaid,andInoddedinagreement.

Actually,IhadthesamemindsetbackwhenIwasaMarine.Myjobrequired

metojumpheadfirstintodanger,andtherewasalwaysapossibilitythemission

wouldbemylast.Itwould’vebeencrueltosubjectapersontothatkindoftorture.

ButevenafterIgotdischarged,Istillwasn’tkeenontheidea.I’vewatchedmy

parentstrytomakethingsworkonlytoendupbeingmiserabletogether,andIdid

notwantthatkindoflife.

IguessthatwaswhereJasonandmine’smindsetdiffered,ormaybeittooka

woman like Veronica Langley to make him change his mind about marriage, or

fallinginloveingeneral.

Fatchanceofthateverhappeningtome.EvenIknewthatgirlslikeVeronica

wereoneinamillion.

“Yeah,I’mnottookeenonthewhole‘fallinginlove’thing,either.I’malright

withhavingalittlefun.Nothingserious,”Isaid,andJasonfurrowedhisbrowsat

meandshookhishead.

“You know, Downing, I have a feeling you’re going to change your tune,”

Jasonretorted,narrowinghiseyesatmewithalopsidedsmirkgarneringhisface.

“What do you mean?” I asked, pretending not to know what he was talking

about.

“I’mjustgoingtogoaheadandcallitnow,”Jasondeclared.“Markmywords,

Downing.You’regoingtomeetsomebodyspecialthatwouldmakeyouwanttoeat

your words today,” he stated. I rolled my eyes and pushed him off of me. I was

gettingtiredofthisinaneconversation.

“Let’sgetbackintoposition.There’sonlytenminutesleftuntilyourwife-to-

befinishesherinterview,”Imuttered.

Jasonrolledhiseyes,andthenwentbacktohispositionnearthedoor,whileI

went back to the left of the barricade. I scoffed as Jason’s words replayed in my

head.Itwasfuckingridiculous.Therewasnowayanyonewasgoingtochangemy

mind.TherewasnowayIwasgoingtolosemysanityandfallinlove.

Notachanceinhell.

Chapter2

Georgiana

“Maybethereasonwhypeoplewewanttobewithdon’tendupstayingwith

us,” he said, tears starting to form in his eyes. “Is because there’s someone out

therewhodeservestobewithus,whoareamuchbetterpersonforus,”hesaid.

Jakelookedupathisex-girlfriendafterhesaidthosewords,andMeredith

feltlikehehadstabbedherintheheart.

“Maybetheynevermeanttostay,sotheydidtheonethingtheyhadtodo,”

Jakecontinued,shuttinghiseyestightandtryingtoendurethepaininhischest.

“Theyletusgo.”

“George,whatthehellareyoudoing?”

I slammed my notebook shut and got up, looking at my brother, Darcy,

innocently.Hescowledandcrossedhisarmsinirritation.

“I’ve been calling your name since five minutes ago. Were you lost in your

littleworldagain?”heasked.Ipoutedathim.

“No,Iwasjustpurposelyignoringyousoyou’dgetannoyedatme,”Ifibbed,

keepingastraightface.Darcyrolledhiseyes,andhitmeupsidetheheadbefore

walkingoutofmyroom.

“Dinner’s ready! Get your ass down here, George!” he yelled. I groaned, and

slumpedovermynotes.Ididn’tliketobedisturbedwheneverIwasinawriting

moodforfearoflosingmymomentum,butmyfamilynevergetsit,nomatterhow

manytimesItoldthem.

You would think that being the daughter of two prolific authors of this

generation, and they would understand the pains of writer’s block and whatnot,

butnope.Oncetheysummonedyou,youhadtodropeverythingyouweredoing

andgracethemwithyourpresence.

“Georgiana Elizabeth Pratt, if you’re not sitting in the dinner table in two

minutes,wearecancellingyourOwlCratesubscription!”mymomshrieked,andI

sighed. I got up and closed my bedroom door, and climbed down the stairs

towardsthediningareawhereDadandDarcywerealreadysitting,andMomwas

placingthesushiplatteratthecenterofthetable.

“Youknowyoudidn’thavetogothatfartogetmetocomedown,”Ipouted,

takingaseatacrossfromDarcy,whochuckled.

“Actually, I find Mom’s quirky threats to you very funny. It’s even funnier

when I see how effective they are,” Darcy enthused. I crumpled my eyebrows at

himasIreachedforthepitcheroficedtea.

“Whatdoyoumeanquirkythreats?”Iasked.

“Mostteenagersarethreatenedwithcancellingcreditcards,groundingthem,

noshoppingsprees,”Darcyenumerated.

“Well, that’s because common threats wouldn’t work on your sister,” Dad

remarked. “Because for starters, she doesn’t own a credit card, and second, she

doesn’tshopunlessit’stobuybooks.ButIwouldn’tconsiderthatshopping,”he

said.

“Andgroundingherwouldbemoreofarewardthanapunishment,because

allsheeverdoesisstayinherroom,”Momadded,lookingatmewithaslygrinon

herface.

“Well,whydon’tyoutrythreateningmetogooutsidenexttime?”Ibluffed.

“MaybeIwill,”Momreplied.Isnorted.

“Sure,youwould,”Icountered,mytonedrenchedheavilywithsarcasm.“You

andDadwouldloseitifIwasfiftyfeetawayfromhome,unlessIwasatschool.

Youwouldn’tintentionallyaskmetogooutsideevenifsomeoneputaguntoyour

head,”Isaid.

“She’s got a point,” Darcy agreed, his mouth a cross between a wince and a

grin.

“Properparentingmethodsandpunishmentsaside,”Dadsaid,lookingateach

ofussternly,silentlycommandingustodroptheconversation.“Wewereactually

hopingtodiscussanothertopicwithyou,Georgiana.”

I groaned at the use of my complete first name. I didn’t hate the name,

“Georgiana”,perse,butit’sjustthatit’stooold-fashionedandprissysoundingto

me.It’sanewmillenniumandnotalotofwomenmyagearenamedGeorgiana,

unlessthey’reanheiresstoamultimilliondollarcorporationorsomething.

Fortherecord,myparentsdidn’tnamemethatwaybecausetheywantedto

show off the millions they earned from selling their books. They named my

brother, Darcy, and I, Georgiana, because my mother was a huge fan of Jane

Austen,particularlyherbook,PrideandPrejudice.Darcyafterthemalelead,and

me after the male lead’s sister. Though if we were to be really specific about the

details, Darcy, is Georgiana and her older brother’s last name. The guy’s first

nameisactuallyFitzwilliam,butfortunatelyformybrother’ssake,myfatherput

his foot down and settled on Darcy, because no offense to the dude or Austen’s

taste in names, Fitzwilliam is a sissy name, and would’ve set my brother up for

humiliationtherestofhislife.

“Mom, call me ‘George’. Georgiana is too long and doesn’t exactly fit my

personality,youknow?”Iaskedgrumbling.

“George is man’s name,” Mom answered primly. “And that is not what we

wantedtotalktoyouabout.”

“Thenwhatisit?”Iasked,myannoyancemeterquicklyfillingup.

“Wewantedtotalktoyouaboutyourcollegeplans,”Dadsaid.

“Whataboutit?I’mallset,”Isaid,shrugging.

“YourmotherandIthoughtitwouldbebestifyoujuststayedhereathome,

andtakeyourcoursesonline,”Dadsaidverycarefully.Theexpressiononhisface

cautious,likehewaswatchingalionthatwassecondsawayfromtakingachunk

outofhim.

Ithinkaveininmytempleburstrightthenandthere.

Darcy,tohiscredit,shookhisheadandmuttered,“Ohshit,nowthey’vedone

it,”hesqueezedhiseyesshutwithawince,bracinghimselfformyexplosion.

AndthenIletitrip.

“What?!”Icried,lookingatmyparentslikethey’dlosttheirminds.“Areyou

freakingkiddingmerightnow?”

“Language,” my Mom chided, but I ignored her. Seriously? She was more

concerned with my ‘language’ than with my quality of education? And ‘freaking’

wasn’tevenahard-coreswearword!

I took a deep breath, my chest rising, and my abdomen pressing in tightly

before I blew the air out slowly, forming my lips in a small ‘O’, and making my

cheekspuffout.Ididthistwicemoreinanefforttocontainmyself.

“Let’snotdeludeourselvesanyfurther,becauseweallknowwhatIwasgoing

toanswerbeforeyouevenaskedthequestion,”Isaid,myeyesclosed,asIrefused

tolookatmyridiculousparents.“Butjustforthesakeofit,I’mgoingtogoahead

andsayit:Why?”Iasked,finallyopeningmyeyestolookatthemwiththetiniest

bitofexasperation.

“You’refatherandIjustthinkthatthere’snoreasonforyoutobesofaraway

just to attend college. And you said so yourself that everything can be done

throughtheinternetthesedays,”Mothersaid.Isighedatherpoorreasoning.Was

thatreallythebesttheygot?

“The writing center at UNC has a hell of a lot more comprehensive program

thanwhatanywritingcourseonlinecangiveme,”Icountered.

“If you’re dead set on going to college, why not just go to the community

collegedowntown?”Dadtried,andIscoffedathim,disgusted.

“No offense to the community colleges in the world, but I’m still going with

my plan,” I said. “Also, community college would mean I’d have to stay here

insteadofadorm,andoneofmymainreasonsforgoingistogainindependence,”

Isaid.Fromyou,Imentallyadded,butthewordsdidn’tcomeoutloud.

“Butyoudon’tneedtogetitallthewayinNorthCarolina!”mymothercried,

usingthebackofherhandtoslaptheedgeofherforehead,andmakingthat‘woe-

is-me’expressionyoumostlyseein18thcenturyperiodmovies.

“Like I said, I applied for a lot of colleges,” –all of them away from here

—“Andfromamongthosethataccepted,IchosetheoneIthoughtwasbest,”–and

thefarthest.

“Well,ifyou’resodeadsetondisobeyingus,younglady,”Dadsaid,hiseyes

glintinginthatwaytheyalwaysdidwhenhewasabouttopullouttheaceinhis

sleeve.“Let’sseehowyoutryandpayforyourcollegetuition,”hedeclared,folding

hisarmsinfrontofhischest,hisbottomlipjuttingoutsmuglyinvictory.

Ismirkedathim,fullyexpectingthisblow,andopeningmymouthtodealmy

own. “Well then, it’s a good thing I’ve got a full ride scholarship, huh?” I said,

effectivelywipingthesmuglookonmyparents’faces.

“Youcan’taffordtheplaneticket,”Momblurtedout,thedesperationclearin

hereyes.

“Alreadygotthatcovered,”Ifiredback,rollingmyeyes.

“Regardless,youwon’tgetourpermission,”Dadsaid,standingupandputting

his hands on the table, palms down. “So good luck trying to feed yourself over

there.”

“Irregardless,I’mgoing,”Isaid.Thatwastheonlyhitchinmyplan,andIhad

hopedmyparentsweren’tcruelenoughtocutmeoffbut,sinceit’scometothis,

I’m just going to have to look for some part-time jobs once I get there. Like hell

theywouldkeepmeholdupinhere.

“Irregardlessisn’taword,”Momshrieked.

“Actually,itis.It’saconversationender.YoushouldlookitupinWebster’s.

It’sundertheletter‘I’,”Icountered.IwatchedpatientlyasDarcyopeneduphis

phoneanddidasIasked.

“She’sgotyouguysagain,Mom,”Darcysaid,noddingthoughtfully.Ilooked

overatmyparentswithasmugsmirkonmyface.Imadeagrandshowoftaking

another bite out of my dinner, then wiping my mouth daintily with a napkin,

beforeIstooduptoleave,butnotwithoutonelastpartingshot.

“Andyoucallyourselveswriters.”

Chapter3

Spencer

“Morning,Spence.I’vegotajobforyou,”ChasegreetedassoonasIwalked

intotheoffice.Islidmyheadphonesoffmyhead,andraisedmyeyebrowsathim.

“Isthisalegitjob,oristhisanothergruntworkforJason’sgirl?”Iasked.

“Yehavealittlefaith,”Chasereplied,walkingbehindhisdesktotakeoutafile

inoneofhisdrawers.

“ExcusemeifIhavesolittleconfidenceinyou,”Ifired,takingaseatacross

from him. I slumped over my seat, folding my hands on top of my lap as I

regardedhimwithfeignedinterest.Henarrowedhiseyesatme.

“Well, you should. I got you a job that I think is right up your alley,” Chase

replied, throwing the file he was holding on top of his desk. “And since you

mentioned her earlier, I have to admit, this job was requested personally by

VeronicaLangleyherself,”headded.

“Whatdoyoumean?”Iasked,notfollowing.

“She recommended our firm provide security for them, and they trusted her

opinionenoughtogiveusthejob,”heclarified.

“Oh, wow. So does that mean I’m in charge of another celebrity?” I asked,

intrigued.Iwonderedwhoitis.WasitEmmaStone?JenniferLawrence?Please

Lord,letitbeJenniferLawrence.

“Notexactly,”Chasesaid,andthosetwowordseffectivelyburstmybubble.I

scowled at him. “Spencer, will you let me finish?” I waved my hands, motioning

forhimtogetonwithhisbriefing.Themanseriouslytookforevertogethispoint

across,Jesus.

“As I was saying, the clients are Veronica’s maternal aunt and uncle. She

recommendedourfirmtothem,andtheysentintherequesttowatchovertheir

daughter,who’llbegoingtocollege,”heexplained.

“Holdupasecond,”Istated,holdingmyhanduptostophim.“Soyouwant

metoprotectaminor?”

“She’s 21 years old, Spencer. That’s hardly a minor, and only a few years

greener than you,” Chase clarified. He gestured towards the folder again, and I

rolledmyeyesandpickeditup.Ilookedoverthefilebriefly,fingeringthepicture

ofthegirlI’msupposedlygoingtoprotect.

She’skindofcute,IthoughttomyselfasIpeeredathercopper-coloredhair

andjadegreeneyes.Herlipswerethinandpalepink,andhernosewasthinand-

high-bridged.Trueenough,shedefinitelyhadsomesimilaritieswithVeronicain

terms of appearance, but where Veronica tended to have more striking features

that caught your attention almost immediately, this girl went soft and innocent,

like it begged you to take a second glance, and then her beauty sneaks up and

keepsyoufromlookingaway.

“GeorgianaElizabethPratt,”Imuttered,tryinghernameoutwithmymouth.

“Shesoundslikeatotalprissyprincess,”Isaid.

“Yeah,wellherparentsarewell-knownauthors,sothat’sprobablywhytheir

kids’ names are so..,” Chase pursed his lips, trying to think of something that

wasn’tremotelyrude.“…classy,”hedecided.

“Youmeanshe’sgotasibling?”Iasked,andhenodded.

“Yep.Male,abouttwenty-eightyearsold,”Chasereplied.

“What’shisname?Benjamin?”Iquipped.Chasewinced,hesitatingtoanswer

myquestion.

“No. It’s Darcy,” he answered, and I lost it. My laughter came out in huge

guffaws,andChasepushedmeonmyshoulderhalf-heartedly.Hepursedhislips

inanefforttotryandkeepthesmilefromspreadinginhisface.

“Comeon,stopit,already,”Chasescowled.Ialternatedbetweenquickpuffing

breaths to slow long heaves so I could control myself. “Besides, it’s not that bad

onceyougotthehangofit,”heamended.

“Okay,backtothetopic,”Isaid,rollingmyeyes.“Whywouldn’ttheyjustask

brotherdearesttoguardhissister?”Iasked.

“Thedudeisworkingallovertheglobe,andwordishewastheonlyonewho

wasn’topposedtothegirl’sideaofgoingofftocollege,andbesides,hekepttelling

themshecouldhandleherself,”heanswered.

“Iagree.Shedoesn’tlooklikeapushover,”Isaid.

“Yougotallthatfromlookingatherphoto,eh?”Chasejibed.Isaidnothing,

nottakingthebait.“WhatI’mabouttosayisofftherecord,butVeronicawasable

togivemeabitofpersonalIntelontheBradyBunch,andshesaidthatMr.and

Mrs. Pratt kept their daughter on a tight leash. Her cousin is a quiet girl, and

alwayskepttoherself.Shedidn’thavemanyfriends,either,likelybecauseofher

overprotectiveparents.Shesaidthisislikelythefirsttimehercousinwillbeoutof

her parents’ nose, and they’re not exactly comfortable with the concept,” he

explained.

“Still,don’tyouthinkhiringabodyguardforherisalittleoverkill?”Iasked,

andheshrugged.

“I’m not the kid’s father, and all I care about is that this is a legit job,” he

replied.

“WellwhatdidthisGeorgianahavetosayaboutallthis?”Iasked.

“Ah, that’s where this mission gets interesting,” Chase said with a smirk,

makingmenarrowmyeyesathim.TherewasaglintinhiseyethatIdidn’tlike

onebit.“Shedoesn’tknowtheyhiredaprotector,”herevealed.

“Shedoesn’tknow?”Irepeated.

“Andwe’regoingtokeepitthatway,”Chasesaid,nodding.“You,myfriend,

aregoingundercover.”

“What?Why?”Istammered,incredulous.“HowamIsupposedtodothat?”

“Simple: you’re going to pose as another student there,” he said, and my

mouthgapedinawe.Heignoredme,andstartedtoenumeratehisplansusinghis

fingers. “You’re going to take all the same classes, go in the same clubs, and eat

lunchatthecafeteriatogether—,”

“Waitasecond,”Iinterrupted.Me?Acollegestudent?“WhydoIhavetodo

that? I mean, one of the reasons I signed up for the military was so I could skip

college,man,”Isaid.

“Nonetheless,you’retheyoungestinthefirm,andthemostobviouschoice,”

Chase said. “Besides, you’ve been hounding me to give you a real assignment all

summer,weren’tyou?Well,thisisit!”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting this! I mean, this is ridiculous! How are you

goingtoenrollmein—,”IlookedatherfilesoIcouldseewhichschoolshe’llbe

attending.“UniversityofNorthCarolina?Thetuitionfeeherecostsanarmanda

limb!Andwait—,”Istaredattheschoolagain.“NorthCarolina?Thisisalltheway

overtheothersideofthecountry!”Iexclaimed.

“You exaggerate, Spence,” he said, shaking his head. “And the Pratt’s are

loaded.Theyhavegraciouslydecidedtoaddalittleextrasoyoucouldbeenrolled

there.They’vealsoexplainedeverythingtotheDean,sohe’llbeabletoassistyou

onceyouarrive.”

“Thisisaridiculousidea,Chase,”Ihissed.

“Still,itpaysthebills.AndasIrecall,youneedthisjob.Soyoueithertakeit,

orIgiveittosomeoneelsewho’swillingtodoit,”Chasereplied.

“Youknow,it’stimeslikethiswhereIhatebeingrelatedtoyou,”Isaid,and

thebastardsmirkedatme.

“Tellthattoourfather.Andit’syourowndamnfaultyouconfidetomeabout

everythinglikealittlegirl,”Chasefiredback.“Sowhat’sitgoingtobe?”

I growled ferociously before glaring at the file again, the girl’s face almost

tauntingme.IclenchedmyteethandlookedupatChaseagain.

“WheredoIsign?”

Chapter4

Georgiana

“You sure you packed everything?” Darcy asked as he watched me load my

suitcaseintothetrunk.Irolledmyeyesathim.

“Yes,I’msure.Nowwillyoupleasebeagentlemanandhelpmeoutwithmy

stuff?” I said, gesturing down at my bags. He chuckled before taking one of my

biggerbagsandtossingtheminsidethetrunk.

When we finally managed to load all of the stuff I was bringing to college,

Darcy climbed in to start the car while I took one last look at our home. I had

hopedaweekwouldbeenoughtocoolmyparents’headsandacceptmydecision

toleave,butitdidn’tseemtohavedoneanygood.Theydidn’tspeakawordtome

whenevertheywerehome,andIgaveuptryingtomakeamendswiththem.

I stared at the main doors like a lifeline, willing it to open, and my parents

wouldcomerushingout.Iwanted,no,neededthemtotellmetheysupportedmy

decision,orattheveryleast,bidmegoodbye.

But the doors remained shut and there was no indication my parents were

comingoutofthehouse.

Isighedheavily,feelinglikeahugeweightwascrushingmyheartunderneath.

Iclimbedinthecar,fasteningmyseatbelt,andDarcytookoff.Iturnedmyheadto

the side, looking at our house one last time, and watching it grow smaller and

smalleruntilitwasnothingbutatinyspeckinthehorizon.Itwistedbackaround

and looked down at my hands with a sigh. I felt Darcy’s hand rub my shoulder

comfortingly.

“Hey,sis,it’sgoingtobefine.They’llcomearound,”Darcysaidcomfortingly.

“IjustwishtheywouldtrytounderstandwhyIhavetodothis,”Imurmured.

“They do get it, trust me. They were the same way with me, only a lot less

dramatic.Butthat’sprobablybecauseI’madude,though,”mybrothersaid,asI

rolledmyeyesathim.

“Didn’t you go to NYU back when we were still living in New York?” I

reminded him. It wasn’t the same thing. He had gone to a university that was a

fewkilometersawayfromhomebackthen,whileIamnowgoingtoacompletely

differentstate.

“Yes, but like you, I had to fight tooth and nail to get what I wanted. They

didn’twantmeleavingthehouse,either,”headmitted.Igapedathiminsurprise.

Ididn’tknowaboutthat.Hecaughtthelookonmyfacefromthecornerofhiseye

andscrunchedhisnose.

“Really?”Iasked,stillnotbelievinghim.Henodded,anditmademeslump

downonmyseat.“Whatistheirproblem?It’slikethey’resoafraidoftheoutside

worldorsomething,”Isaid.Darcyshrugged.

“I don’t know, George. But whatever their reason is, they probably thought

theyweredoingwhatwasbestforyou,forus.Maybeyoucouldjusteaseuponthe

judgment,huh?”Darcypleaded.

“Okay,okay.I’mnotgoingtoholdthisagainstthemanymore.Butdon’tyou

everwonderwhythey’resohell-bentonkeepinguslockedup?Imean,whatthe

hellhappenedtothemtoturnusintosocialrecluses?”Iaskedhim.

“Hey, I am not a social recluse. I’m getting married, remember?” Darcy

countered, looking mildly affronted at my remark. I giggled and planted a

slobbery kiss on his cheek, making him grimace in disgust. “And I don’t know if

anything happened. I can try and ask Dr. Feldman about it in our next session,

though.I’lltellyouifanythingcomesup,”Darcysaid.

I nodded, mulling over his idea. Darcy had been seeing a psychiatrist for as

longasIcouldremember,andwheneverIaskedmyparentsbackthenwhyhehad

toseeadoctortwiceaweek,Momwouldgetthishorror-strickenlookonherface

whileDad’sfacegrewstormyandpinched,thenbothofthemwouldtellmenotto

ask too many questions, and send me to my room. As I grew older, I eventually

stoppedaskingmyparentswhybecauseIlearnedtoacceptthatitwasjustanother

factoflifethatmyparentswereunwillingtoshare.Darcydidn’tknowthereason,

either,sohejustassumeditwastotryandretrievethememorieshehadblocked

fromhismindasachild.

“Maybe you got lost in a mall for an hour, and they had to call the police to

findyou,”Iteased,tryingtolightenthemood.

“Oh, you’re hilarious,” Darcy said, eyes narrowed, and his tone completely

deadpanned.“Butlet’sgobacktoyou.IsUNCreallytherightchoice?”heasked.

“You sound like a commercial,” I remarked, but the serious look on his face

didn’t budge. I sobered up and answered him. “Of all the colleges I applied for,

theirwritingcenterimpressedmethemost.Soyeah,IreallythinkI’mmakingthe

rightdecision,Darcy.”

“What about that story you’re writing? You making a good headway with

that?”heasked.

“HowdidyouknowIwaswritinganewstory?”Iasked,raisingoneeyebrow.

“Haveyoubeensnoopinginmythings?”

“Please,George.I’myourolderbrother.OfcourseI’mgoingtolookthrough

yourstuff.It’sjustwhatwebrothersdo,”hereplied,rollinghiseyesatmelikeit

wasthemostobviousthingever.“Andyoudidn’tanswermyquestion.”

“To be honest, I’m kind of fighting against writer’s block for a while,” I

answered. “I keep trying to write, but I just can’t bring myself to write another

sentence.AndthestressIgetfromdealingwithourparentsisn’texactlyhelping,

soI’mhopingachangeofscenerycouldinspiremetocompletethisstory.”

“If it makes you feel any better, you’re story is pretty good,” Darcy

complimented.Ismiledbrightlyathim.He’snevercomplimentedmeonmywork

before.

“Really?”Iasked,flattered.

“Well, up until that sex scene,” he amended, making me frown almost

immediatelyathim.“Thatpartmademewanttobarf.”

“Ithinkthat’slessbecauseofmyskillinwriting,andmorebecauseyou’remy

brother,andyoureadaboutsexwrittenbyyoursister.”Isaidchuckling,andhe

shrugged.

“Yeah,youmightberight.WhichremindsmeofaveryimportantquestionI

have to ask you,” he said. He waited until we reached a red light, and then he

lookedoveratme.“You’restillavirgin,right?”heasked.

All the blood flowing in my bod rushed straight to my cheeks, making them

flushbeetredathisquestion.

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed, scrunching my eyebrows together and my jaw

fallingasIlookedathimwithamixtureofdisgust,scandal,andaffront.“Darcy,

whatthehell?!”

“Hey,it’salegitimatequestion!”hecried.“Iknowforafactyou’veneveronce

had a boyfriend, or ever even been on a date. But for someone who has zero

experienceinthataspect,youseemtowritesexsceneslikeyou’vehadsomefirst-

handexperiencewithit.Whichmakesmewonderifyouarestillatrueandpure

maiden,”Darcysaid.“So,areyou?”

“YES!”Iyelled.

“Yeswhat?”heprodded.“IsyourV-cardstillintactornot?”

“Yes,itis!Okay?!”Ianswered,glaringathim.“Nowwillyoujustdropit?”I

asked, practically begging him. Talking about this is so humiliating, and I never

thought I would ever have the birds and the bees talk with my brother. It was a

thousandtimesawkwardashell,andnobodyshouldeverexperiencethat!

“Good,” Darcy said. “Because I swear, Georgie, if I use you as a sacrificial

maidenanditfails—,”Icuthimoff,placingbothofmyhandsovermyears.

“OhmyGod,Darcy!Justshutup!Iamnotlistening!”Isaidloudly,drowning

outhisvoicewithmyown.IkeptastringofLa-La-LasgoinguntilIwassurehe

wasdonehumiliatingmewithhisquestions.

We arrived at the airport, and Darcy helped me put all of my stuff in the

trolley. He walked me over to the entrance with his arm around my shoulder,

squeezingmetightlyagainsthim,asweeachhadahandonthetrolleyhandle.We

wereafootawayfromthegate,andIturnedaroundtogivehimahug,onethathe

reciprocatedbyembracingmewithallofhisstrength.

IsmiledasIburiedmyfaceinhisneck,inhalingthescentofhisaftershave.

My brother could be such an ass at times, but he always had my back when I

needed him most. Even though I acted like I couldn’t stand him a lot, I have to

admit I was going to miss this big lug when I get there. It was going to be hard

withoutmyfavoritepersontoturnto.

“Call me if you need anything,” Darcy ordered, and I nodded, blinking my

eyesrapidlysothetearsgatheringinmyeyeswouldn’tfall.Ididn’twanttocryin

frontofhim,becauseIknewthatoncethewaterworksstarted,he’dtrytocomfort

me,andthenIwouldn’twanttoleaveanymore.

Ihadtostrengthenmyresolve.Ihadtopushthroughit.

SoIdidn’tcry.

Ipulledawayfromhim,andquicklyturnedaway,graspingthehandleofmy

trolley tightly with both hands, as I started to walk through the gate. I turned

aroundtowavegoodbyetomybrotherbeforeheadingofftosecuritytocheckmy

bags.

Iclosedmyeyesandtookadeepbreath,lettingitgoslowly.

Youcandothis,George,Ithoughttomyself.

Today is the beginning of my independent life, and nothing is going to go

wrong.

***

I’mlost.

It was the most pathetic thing a twenty-one year old could do in an airport.

The place wasn’t even that big, and a regular person would’ve been able to find

their way almost immediately, but I’m not a regular person. I’ve never had any

senseofdirection,andwouldneverbeabletogettowhereIwassupposedtogo

unlesssomeoneelseshowedmetheway.

“Flight757goingtoNorthCarolinaisboardingnowatGateNo15,”Igroaned

asthePAsystemrepeatedtheannouncement.Thatwasmyflight,andifIdidn’t

get to Gate 15 soon, it was going to leave without me. I didn’t have any spare

moneytorescheduletheflight,andIcertainlydon’twanttowaitforhoursherein

theairport.

“OhmyGod,whatamIgoingtodo?”Iwhined,spinningaroundandlooking

franticallyatthesignshangingoverhead.Iwasliterallyquakinginmybootswhen

Ifeltsomeonetapmeontheshoulderfrombehind.IturnedaroundandfrozeasI

staredupathim.

Hewasreallytall,about6’2or6’3ifmyestimationwasaccurate,andtheway

hestyledhisdirtyblondehairintoaneatfauxhawk,onlyaddedtohisheight.His

nose was long and slightly crooked, but it didn’t mar his appearance, instead it

enhanced it. His silvery-blue eyes were framed by long eyelashes that I couldn’t

helpbutenvy,andhismouthwaskindofuneventoo,withhisbottomlipslightly

thickerthanhisupperlip.

Helookedlikehecamestraightoutofanovel,likethedreamymaleleadthat

swept the female off of her feet, and made wild, passionate love to her. He was

dashing, debonair, and handsome as hell. Yes, I am well aware those three are

synonymous with each other, but his level of attractiveness merited all three

adjectivesinthesamesentence.

Histonguepeekedout,lickinghislipsalittlebit,andIcouldn’thelpbutfocus

onituntilhechuckled,thesoundofhislaughterbreakingmytrance.

Iblinkedrapidly,andswallowedthesalivagatheringinmymouth.Ohcrap,

hejustcaughtmecheckinghimout,didn’the?

“Um, hey,” he said, and I blinked at him. He scratched the back of his head

whilehewinced,likehereallydidn’twanttobehererightnow.

“Hi?”Isaid,stillunsurewhythisdreamboatwastalkingtome.

“Listen,Ireallydon’twanttobotheryou,butIreallydon’thaveachoice.I’m

kind of lost,” he said, his eyes betraying his embarrassment. “Can you help me

out?”

Oh, great. Now there were two people who didn’t know where the hell they

were.Perfect.

Igrimacedandsmiledsadly.Ofallthequestionshehadtoaskme,ithadto

be something I couldn’t answer. “I’m really sorry. I totally want to help you, but

I’mkindoflostmyself,”Iadmitted.

He looked at me in surprise. “Oh! Well, why don’t we help each other out

then?” he suggested, and I tilted my head to the side in intrigue. “Where you

headed?”heasked.

“Uh,Gate15.I’mNorthCarolinabound,”Isaid,andhiseyeswidened.

“Noway!That’swhereI’mheaded!”hecried,andIsmiledwidely.

Finally,arayoflight!Imean,surethebothofusdidn’tknowwherewewere

supposedtogo,butatleastIwasn’talone!That’sbetterthannothing.

“Come on, let’s go,” he said, nodding his head. I picked up my carry-on bag

andfollowedhim.Helookedaroundcasually,turningright,andIquicklyspotted

the sign saying “Gates 1-20” with an arrowhead pointing to the left. I pointed

towarditexcitedly,andhechuckled,followingmethistime.Weturnedleft,and

thenwesawalongcorridorwithrowsofGatenumbersoneitherside.Henodded

towardstheleftsideofthecorridor,andwewalkeduntilwereachedourgate.He

waited for me to hand my boarding pass to the ground attendant first, before

doingthesame,andthenwewereonthewalkwaytowardstheplane.

I stopped walking before we reached the cockpit, and turned to look at him

withasmile.

“Thankyousomuchforhelpingme,”Isaid,andheshookhishead.

“It’snothing.I’mjustgladwedidn’tmissourflight,”hejoked.

“Yeah,thatwould’vebeenterrible,”Isaid,agreeingwithhim.“Well,Ibetter

go and find my seat,” I said, pointing down the aisle. He raised his eyebrows at

me.

“Yousureyoudon’tneedmyhelpforthat?”heasked,andIlaughed.

“Don’tworry.I’llyellforhelpifIdon’tfindit,”Ireplied,andhechuckled.

“Alright,then.Bye,”hesaid,givingmeawinkbeforestruttingoffinanother

direction.

“Bye,”Iwhispered,myeyesstaringatthenapeofhisneck,downtohiswide

shoulders,hislongback,tohispertbutt…

I bit my lip hard and shook my head profusely. Your seat, George. Go find

yourseat.Itookonelastlookathimbeforeturningaround,andwalkingtheother

way.Thankfully,Imanagedtofindmyseatwithoutanyproblems,andloadedmy

bagintheoverheadcompartment,beforesittingdownandfasteningmyseatbelt.

ItwasthenIrealizedsomething.

Ididn’tevencatchhisname.

Chapter5

Spencer

Finally got her to board the damn plane. She can’t navigate worth crap.

Turningphoneoff.Textyouwhenweland.CUbro.

IhitSEND,andwaitedforittoindicateitwasdeliveredbeforeshuttingmy

phone off to get ready for a taxi. I wrapped my hands on both armrests tightly,

squeezingmyeyesshutasIfelttheplanebegintoascend.

Icouldnevergetusedtothispartoftheflight.Actually,Icouldnevergetused

to flying, period. Just the thought of being up in the air at probably a hundred

thousandfeetmademesicktomystomach,butallmyyearsasaMarinehelped

metobringthatfeelingdowntoaslightqueasiness.

Call me primitive, but I’d take riding a ship over a plane any damn day. My

reasoningwasatleastifashipbrokedownandsank,Icouldswimforland,unlike

whenaplaneexperiencesenginefailure,Iwouldn’tbeabletosproutwingsandfly

to safety. Instead, my soul would probably drift from my body and watch as the

lattergosplat.

Soyeah,planesfreakedmethefuckout.

“Wouldyoulikesomethingtodrink,sir?”Iheardtheflightattendantaskme

withanoverlysweetandkindvoicethatirkedmesomuch.OnemorethingIfind

reallyiffyaboutplaneswasthattheflightattendantssoundedtoonice,bordering

on the unnatural, like they were planning your murder behind those honeyed

wordsandwidesmiles.

No,Iwillnottakeyourcyanide,ma’am…justkidding.Iwasn’tthatparanoid.

“Uh, I’ll have that drink together with my meal,” I told her, sparing a quick

glancebeforeclosingmyeyesoncemore.“Inthemeantime,canyoujustgiveme

anothersickbag,justincase?”

***

Turbulencewasterrible,anddespitemyresolvetowatchoverthegirlandsee

whatshe’supto,mypansyasscouldn’tstopbarfingthecontentsofmystomach.I

mean,Igrossedoutthemiddle-agedmansittingnexttomesomuch,heaskedthe

flight attendant to seat him somewhere else. What a fucking douche. If I wasn’t

feeling so messed up, I would’ve intentionally missed, and barfed all over his

pants,thebastard.

Ifeltahandrubbingmyback,tryingtocomfortme,andIpulledmyheadoff

ofthebagtotellthepersontofuckoff,whenIwasfacetofacewiththegirlI’m

supposed to be surveying. She looked at me with sympathy as she continued to

rubmyback,andIjuststaredather,notsayingaword.Shestoppedrubbingmy

backandopenedhermouth.

“Hey,Iheardsomeofthepassengerstalkingaboutaguyretchinghisgutsout,

soIcameovertocheck.Iwasn’texpectingittobeyou,though,”sheexplained.

She looked around the corridor before taking the seat next to me, putting a

littletotebagonherlap.

“Areyoufeelinganybetter?”sheasked,andIrefrainedfromrollingmyeyes

ather.

“DoIlooklikeI’mokay?”Iaskedback,andshebitherlip.

“I’msorry,thatwasstupidofmetoask,”shesaid,asIwinced.

“Nah,it’sokay.I’mtheonewhoshouldbesorry.Iwasrude,”Iapologize.She

smiledandopenedherbag,pullingasmallmetalstrip,andthenhandingittome.

Sheflippedthelighttoaskforassistancebeforeshespoke.

“It’ssupposedtohelpyouwithyourairsickness,”shesaidsimply.Theflight

attendant came over, and George asked for a cup of water. She turned back and

sawmeholdingthemedicinestupidly,andgesturedformetotakeit.Ipoppedthe

pill into my mouth, and the flight attendant came back and handed me a lidded

cupofwater.Ipeeledoffthelidanddownedthemedicineinonegulp.

GeorgetookthecupandreplaceditwithastripofDoubleMintgum.

“That’s so you could get the taste of vomit out of your mouth,” she said,

answering my unasked question. I chuckled and tore off the wrapper before

puttingitinmymouth.

“Youcameprepared,”Iremarked,andsheshrugged,hereyeslookingtothe

sidelikeshewasembarrassed.

“Ijust…I’veneverreallyriddenonaplanebefore,”sheadmitted,makingme

lookatherindisbelief.Sheseemedtohaveexpectedit.“Iknow,Iknow.It’sthe

twenty-firstcentury,whathumanbeinghasneverbeenonanairplane,right?But

yeah,it’strue.I’veneverreallybeenmuchofatraveler,andthisisthefirsttime

I’mgoingsomeplacewithoutmyfamily,soIendedupresearchingaboutwhatto

do,whatnottodo,whattobring,whatnottobring,andIwantedtobeprepared

foranyandalleventualities,andIguessIoverdiditalittle,”shesaid.

I blinked multiple times, trying to process what she just said. Her mouth

movedsorapidly,mybrainwasscramblingtopickitup.

My confusion was probably all over my face, because she grimaced and

droppedherhead.

“I’msorry.MybrothertoldmeIhaveatendencytoramble,”shesaid,biting

herlip.Ishookmyheadather.

“It’sfine.Youshouldn’tsaysorryaboutthosekindsofthings,”Iassuredher.

“Justifyouseemedoingthatfaceagain,justgivemefivesecondstocatchup,”I

kidded,makinghergiggle.

I couldn’t help but smile at the way she laughed. It was so carefree and

contagious,likeshereallydidfindithumorous,andshedidn’tcareifshelookeda

littlecrazylaughingsowidely.Itwasweird,inatotallyendearingtypeofway.

“I’lltryandrememberthat,”shereplied,andInoddedsagely.

“Mybrain’snotrunningonacorei7likeyoursdoes.I’mstillonPentium4,

butIpromiseI’llupdateitassoonasIcan,”Isaid,keepingaseriousfaçade.

She cracked and started laughing uncontrollably, her arms cradling her

stomachlikeitwasstartingtophysicallyhurttolaugh.Ismiled,myheartfeelinga

swellofaccomplishmentfromthatfeat.

We continued to make jokes with each other until we spotted the flight

attendantwithatrolleycartfulloffoodapproaching.Shelookedbackatme,her

eyesfullofhesitation.

“IguessIhavetogobacktomyseat,”shesaid,loweringhervoicetoasomber

tonewhilepointingherthumbtowardsthebackoftheplane.Shewasstilllooking

atmewithhesitanteyes,andIsortoffiguredshedidn’twanttoleave.

Ialsorealizedthatfromthemomentshesatthereandhelpedmeout,Ihave

notfeltlikebarfingonce,norhaveIhadanythoughtsoftheplanecrashingand

sendingmetomydeath…well,untilnow.

Ormaybethatwasjustthemedicinetalking.

“Hey,youdon’thavetogounlessyouwantto,”Itoldher,subtlygivinghera

reasontostay.“Imean,theguythatoriginallysatthereislonggone,andeating

planefoodaloneiskindofadowner,”Isaid.

Theflightattendantarrivedandbentdown.

“ChickenorFish?”sheasked,staringatGeorgeandmeexpectantly.Ilooked

backatGeorgeandtiltedmyhead.

“Whatdoyousay?Wanttohavedinnerwithme?”Iaskedher,onecornerof

mymouthtiltinguptoformasmirk.

George looked down at her lap, her cheeks glowing softly rose pink. She

turnedherheadtowardsmeandgrinned.

“I’llhavethechicken,please,”sheanswered,stillkeepinghereyesonme.

AndIsmiled.

***

“Thank you so much for keeping me company,” George said while she kept

hereyesontherevolvingconveyorbeltsthatejectedourstuff.

We had safely arrived in North Carolina, and I was grateful I didn’t have

anotherepisodeofupchuckingthecontentsofmystomach,becausebelieveitor

not, that was some pretty good fucking chicken. There was still hope for plane

food,afterall.

“It was nothing,” I said, spotting another one of my bags, and hauling them

outofthereandontomytrolley.“Ishouldbethankingyou.Ibarelyfeltthatlast

turbulence while the plane was descending because of you,” I told her, and she

lookeddownonthegroundinembarrassment.Ifrowned,butIsaidnothing.

Ireallydidn’tlikethatmannerismofhers.WheneverIpaidheracompliment

or an expression of gratitude, she turned her head down, looking at the ground

likeshecouldn’tbelievethewordsshewashearing.Like,whothefuckmessedher

upthatbadly?

Hereyeswidenedasherduffelbaggotclosertous,andIreachedforitbefore

shecould,pullingitoutandplacingthemneatlyathertrolley.

“Youdidn’thavetodothat,”shesaid,andIscoffed.

“No offense, babe, but you’re tiny as fuck. I could probably bench press you

with one hand,” I replied, making her glare at me. I shrugged it off, continuing.

“Just let me get the bags for you. Consider it as my way of thanking you for

helpingmekeepthefoodinmystomachthroughouttherestoftheflight,”Isaid,

andsherolledhereyes,wavingherhandsandlettingmedowhatIwanted.

And when we finally got our stuff, and we were free to leave the airport, we

walked out of there into the good old North Carolina sun shining down on our

faces. We stood there at the side of the road just staring at each other, both

unwillingtomakethefirstmove.Ofcourse,IknewIwasgoingtomeetherlaterat

theuniversity,butIhadtokeepuptheact.Shehadtoknowthebothofuswere

thinkingthiswasgoingtobethelasttimewesaweachother.

Shedidn’tknowmyname,andshesureashellneveraskedforit.Shedidn’t

know I knew hers, and I never asked, either. Her eyes were distant, flashing a

million different ways that clued me in she was probably overwhelmed thinking

aboutsomanythingsatthatmoment.Shewasstruggling,andIheldmytongue

and clenched my fists around the handles of my bags to keep from asking her

what’srunningthroughherbrain.

When she was finally done thinking, she smiled, her cheeks barely rising to

crinkle her eyes, and I could tell it was a smile faking she was okay. She was

steeling herself from something, and in the back of my mind I wondered how I

knewthat.

“So,Iguessthisisgoodbye,”shefinallysaid,andIsighed,nodding.

“Yeah.Ihadagoodtime,”Ireplied.Idroppedoneofmybagsandextended

my hand for a handshake, which she reciprocated half-heartedly. I let go and

whistledforacabtostopinfrontofus,andIsignaledthedrivertopopopenthe

trunk. I wordlessly helped her load her bags inside before walking over to the

back,andopeningthedoorforher.

“Metoo.Ihopeyouhaveasafetrip,”shemurmured,givingmeasmallwave

beforegettinginside.Iclosedthedoorforher,andshegavemeonelastsmile,and

Ijuststoodtherewatchingthetaxidriveoff.Iimmediatelytookmyphoneoutof

mypocketandswitchediton,waitingforthehomescreentoloadupsoIcould

make a call. I pressed 1 on my speed dial, and held the phone up to my ear as I

raisedmyotherarmtocallanothercab.

IheardChasepickupthecallandIspokeup.

“We’rehere.She’senroutetotheuniversity.I’mfollowingafterher.”

Chapter6

Georgiana

UniversityofNorthCarolinawasevenbetterthanthepictures,andtheview

ofthecampusfurthersolidifiedmyfeelingsthatIhadmadetherightchoice.

UNC Chapel Hill was huge; over 729-acres, and dominated by two central

quads, Polk and McCorkle. There was the Morehead Planetarium, and then The

Pit, which was the place where students engaged in healthy debates, and the

campusevenhadtheirownartmuseum,stadium,andanoldcemetery.Itwaslike

Chapel Hill was the whole city with only students as its citizens. I bet they even

hadrestaurantsandshoppingmallsinhere,too,Iwassureof.

I watched the other students hustle about, and my skin felt all tingly from

excitement.Icouldn’twaittoexperiencecollege.Ispottedawelcomedeskatthe

grounds, and I walked towards it, greeting the two students sitting there with a

smile.Theysmiledbackandhandedmealongflyer.

“Hi! Are you a freshman?” she asked, her glasses almost sliding off of her

nose.Inodded.“Name,please?”

“Pratt,GeorgianaElizabeth,”Isaid,andshenodded,flippingthroughherlist.

Shetappedonaspotonthepaper,andhandedmeanotewithmynameonit.

“Your RA’s name is Cassidy Spelling, and she’ll help you get your room

assignment and key,” she instructed, and I nodded, taking the note from her

hands.“WelcometoUNC!”sheexclaimed,andIsmiledinreply.

IlookedatmynoteandgrumbledwhenitonlycontainedmyRA’snameand

Winston,whichwasthenameofmyResidentHall.Iopenedtheflyerandtriedto

seeontheminimapwhereitwas.

“Okay,soaccordingtothismap,”Imutteredtomyself,flippingthemapleft

and right as I tried to make sense of it. “Winston is at the corner of South Road

and Raleigh Street. The question is…where the hell was that?” I said, scratching

my head in frustration. I heard a chuckle come from behind me and I turned

around immediately, my heart skipping a beat as I recognized the dulcet

undertonesofhislaughter.

Airplane Hot Guy was here, shaking his head while grinning widely at me,

showingoffhisperfectlyalignedpearlywhites.

“You know, we really must stop meeting like this,” he said, but I was too

dumbstruck to respond. He frowned, taking a step closer to me and placing his

handonmyshoulder.“Areyoualright?”heasked,concerned.

Hisquestionsnappedmeoutofmythoughts,andIsmiledbrightlyathim.

“OfcourseI’mfine!OhmyGod!Iwasn’texpectingtoseeyouhere!”Icried,

torn between patting him on the arm and jumping into his arms so I could hug

him. I wasn’t expecting to see him ever again, actually. “Are you a student here

too?”Iasked,andhenodded.

“Uh,yeah,actually,freshmanyear,”hereplied.

“Whatcourseareyoutaking?”Iasked,andheshrugged.

“I’m undecided at the moment, but I’m taking mostly writing classes,” he

answered,andmyeyeswidened.

“Really?AreyouenrolledinthewritingprogramattheWritingCenter,byany

chance?”Iasked,myheartpoundingloudly.Hefurrowedhisbrows.

“Yeah,how’dyouknowthat?”heasked,andIstartedhoppinginplace,unable

tocontainmyexcitementatmeetingapotentialclassmate.

“Because I’m taking those classes too!” I squealed, taking his hands and

continuingmyjumping.“OhmyGod,allalongwewerebatchmatesandwenever

evenrealizedit!”Icried.Heletoutashortcoughandlaughedalittle,scratching

thebackofhishead.

“Uh,yeah.It’sasmallworld,huh?”heremarked,andInodded.Indeed,what

averysmallworlditis.

“Oh! Before I forget, I realized we hadn’t known each other’s names yet,” I

said, extending my hand out toward him. “I’m Georgiana. But you can call me

‘George’,”Isaid.Hetookmyhandfirmlyandshookitonce,hissilvery-blueeyes

neverwaveringfrommine.

“Hey,George.I’mSpencer,”hereplied.

Spencer. Such a nice name. It’s not so common, and it sounds a little bit

aristocratic,butweirdlyenough,itfithim.HelookedlikeaSpencer.

“So,George.Isawyouturningthatcampusmaplikeasteeringwheelearlier,

and I could definitely tell you were lost again,” he said, placing his hands on his

hips like how a father looked when he was about to deliver the hand of justice

toward me and tell me where I did wrong. “You need help with that?” he asked,

andIgrimaced.

“Yes, please. Save me before I grow roots,” I begged him, and together we

managedtolocatewherethetwostreetswere.

“I’vegotAldermanHall,soI’mgoingtogobackandtalktomyRA,”Spencer

said,andIfeltalittleguiltyforaskinghimtohelpmelookformyresidenthall,

whenapparentlyhiswasallthewayovertotheothersideofcampus.

“I’llcomewithyou,”Ivolunteered,butheshookhishead.

“It’sfine,don’tworryaboutit.Icanmanage.Youshouldgetinsideandsettle

in. We can meet up later or whatever,” he said, and I nodded reluctantly. He

wavedgoodbyeandwentonhiswayasItookadeepbreathandwentinside.

There were a lot of students walking around the hallway, boxes and bags

scatteredalloverthefloor,andittookmeawhiletonavigatearoundtheplaceand

locate my RA’s room. I raised my hand to knock on her door when it suddenly

burst open, and a tall beautiful girl with ebony skin came out, her blonde hair

bouncingupanddowninashortponytail.Shetookoneglanceatmeholdingmy

bagsandshesmiledwidely,herpearlywhiteteethalmostblinding.

“Hi!Youmustbeoneofournewroomies!”sheexclaimed,bendingoverand

grabbingoneofmybagsforme.Inodded.

“Um,yes.I’mGeorgi—,”Istartedtointroducemyselfbutsheinterruptedme.

“GeorgianaPratt!Yes,Irememberedyournamefromthelisttheofficegave

me,”shesaid.Ilookedatherinconfusionandshegiggled,herlaughtersounding

likelittlebellschiming.

Jesus,thisgirlwasgivingmealotofhitsonmyself-esteemjustbyexisting.

Howcouldsomeonebesobeautiful?Itwassounfaironsomanylevels.

“I’m sorry. Your name is just very unique that it left a mark on me,” she

explained,andInoddedinunderstanding.

“Well,ifyoudon’tmind,I’dratheryoucallme‘George’,”Irequested,andshe

blinked.

“’Butwhy?Georgianaisabeautifulname,”shereplied,andIwinced.

“It’skindofamouthful,andIdon’treallythinkitsuitsme,”Isaid.Sheclicked

hertongueonthebackofherteethandshookherheadatme.

“Nonsense, Georgiana. You are a beautiful girl that suits such a beautiful

name.Youshouldownit.Soforgiveme,butIwouldprefertocallyouGeorgiana,”

she said. I sighed and shrugged, letting her have her way. “And you can call me

‘Cassie’.”

We climbed two flights of stairs and turned to a corridor on the left. We

stopped at room 2D, and Cassie pulled a ring filled with keys from her hoodie

pocket.Sheflippedthetagsuntilshestoppedataviolet-coloredone,pulleditout

oftheringandhandedittome.

“So,IwillbeholdingahousemeetinglatertonightsoIcoulddiscussabouta

fewhouserulesandresponsibilitiesduringyourstaywithus,butIhaveacouple

of things I think you should know before then,” she said, and I straightened up,

readytolisten.

“It’scustomaryforfreshmanstudents,suchasyourself,toroomwithasenior,

oratleastastudentwhohasalreadycompletedtheirfirstyearhereinUNC.The

reason is to help our newbies get used to the curriculum and to have someone

knowledgeableaboutthecampus,andbeeasilyaccessibleforinformation,”Cassie

explained, and I nodded in understanding. “And don’t worry, all of us here at

WinstonHousehaveazerotoleranceforbullying,soyoucanberestassuredthat

noneofusherewouldbitchatyou,”sheassuredme.

“Also, if you ever need any assistance and your roommate is away, you can

alwaysfindmeatmyroomorattheLibrary,becauseIworkparttimeasalibrary

aidethere,”shesaid.Sheplacedherhandonthedoorknobbeforeturningtoward

meagain.“Yourroommategothereafewhoursago,andshe’sasophomore.I’m

goingtofacilitateintroductions,andthenI’llleaveyoutocatchup,okay?”

She opened the door before I could reply, and I took in the room. One side

was bare of decorations, containing a single bed with wooden frames and a

medium-sizeddeskwithtwodrawersandarotatingchair.Thewallswerecream

andfreshlypainted,andasquarewindowwasrightinthemiddleoftheadjacent

wall,dividingtheroomintotwo.

I turned my head to look to the side, and my eyes widened as I spotted the

posters decorating the walls around the bed, as well as the tall woman standing

overit,puttingupaposterofPanic!AtTheDiscoonthewall.Thelightfromthe

window hit her long flaming red hair, making it look like it was sparkling. She

turnedaround,andherfacenearlytookmybreathaway.

Her blue eyes were so dark they were almost purple, and her dark eyeliner

further emphasized them. Her nose was small but pointy, and her lips were

painteddarkred.Shehadarosy-whitecomplexionthatseemedtoglow,andthe

wayshestoodsoerectandpoisedmademeimagineherassomekindofethereal

creature,likeanelvenqueenoravampire.

She brushed off the dirt in her hands before hopping off the bed, looking at

Cassieandmewithacuriousexpressiononherface.

“Spelling,”shesaid,referringtoCassiebyherlastname.

“Rebecca, I see you have quite the head start on the decorations. Are you

excitedfortheAnnualHousingDecorationContestthisyear?”Cassieasked.

“Nah,Iwasjustputtingupthisnewposterofoneofmybands.Youknowhow

I am,” my new roommate, Rebecca, replied. Her voice had this sultry, alluring

qualitytoitthatonlyfurthercementedherdarkandsexyimage.Shewaswearing

ablacklong-sleevedshirtthathadribbonsstitchingthesleevestogetherendingin

a loosely-knotted bow, and showing her midriff slightly, as well as stonewashed

jeansandbrowncombatboots.Ifiguredshewasprobablyarocker-typechickora

Goth,buteitherway,shelookedcool.

“Yes, I do. Which is why I am so psyched to introduce to you your new

roomie!”Cassieexclaimed,wavingherhandtowardsmelikeshewaspresentinga

TVshowcaseonThePriceisRight.“Rebecca,thisisGeorgianaPratt,oneofour

new students. Georgiana, this is Rebecca Hayes, she’s a sophomore taking up

ComputerScienceandCommunication,”Cassieintroduced.

Rebeccanodded,grinningslightlyatme.WeshookhandsandIcouldn’thelp

butnoticehowfirmhergripwas,likeshewasstrongenoughtobreakthebonesin

myhand.

“Hi,nicetomeetyou,”shesaid,andIsmiledback.

“Likewise.Please,callmeGeorge,”Isaid.

“Alright,” Rebecca replied. Cassie clapped her hands, smiling widely at the

bothofus.

“Well, it looks like you two will get along splendidly! Rebecca, I leave

Georgiana in your very capable hands. I’ll be going back downstairs if you guys

needanything,okay?”Cassiesaid,wavinggoodbyebeforeleavingtheroom,and

closingthedoorafterher.

“So, you want some help unpacking your stuff, or do you want to do

somethingelse?”Rebeccaasked.

“Ohno,don’tworryaboutit.IthinkIcanmanageitlater,”Isaid,reallynot

lookingforwardtounpackingallmystuff.“Iamfeelingabitpeckish,though,”I

admitted,placingahandonmystomachasitemittedalowgrowl.Shesmirkedat

thesoundbeforenodding.

“Yeah,Icanhelpyouwiththat.TherearetonsoffoodchoicesoveratFranklin

Street,”shesaid.“Comeon,I’llshowyou.”

She took her keys and cellphone from her desk, and I followed her out the

door.

Rebeccagavemeabriefdescriptionofeverythingwepassedby,aswellasa

bit of information on the other students who lived in Winston Hall. She told me

mostofthemwerenice,albeitalittletooperkyforhertaste.SheaskedmewhatI

wasmajoringin,andshelookedintriguedwhenItoldherIwasstillundecided,a

littleembarrassedtomentionIwasawriter.

“That’s kind of weird,” Rebecca commented. “Most kids that come here

alreadyhavetheirlivesmappedout,evenifit’sacareerpaththeirparentschose

forthem.Youdon’tseemliketheslackertype,”shesaid,andIwrinkledmynose,

beingalittleself-conscious.

“Totellyouthetruth,myparentsarewriters,andbothofthemhaveauthored

bestselling books. I love writing as well, and one of the reasons for me coming

hereisbecauseofUNC’swritingcenter,butIguesssinceIwasholedupathome

forsolong,Iwantedtobeabletotrysomeotherthingsbesideswriting.Youknow,

to see if I’ll have a passion for anything else,” I explained, and she nodded

thoughtfully.

“That’s actually a smart way to go about it,” she replied. “But you know you

can only go undeclared for a maximum of three months, right? Sooner or later

you’llbeforcedtomakeadecisionifyouwanttokeeponstayinghere.”

Ishookmyheadinsurprise,becauseno,Ididn’tknowaboutthat.Ithanked

her for telling me about it, as thoughts started swirling in my head in a panic. I

washopingtodipmyhandintoalotofthingsforayear,atleast,beforeformally

declaringwhattodo,butthreemonths?Wasthreemonthsenoughtodecidewhat

todofortherestofmylife?

I was lamenting on the weirdness of my life when Rebecca rubbed my arm

comfortingly.

“Hey, don’t sweat it. A lot of kids in the same situation as you were able to

decidebeforetheirthreemonthswereup,andI’vegotfaithyou’llbeabletodothe

same,”Rebeccasaid,herwordsmakingmefeelalittlebetter.“So,whatexactlyare

youinthemoodfor?Japanesefood?Indian?Italian?OrisgoodoldMcDonalds

moreyourstyle?”sheasked.

“DotheyhaveaThaifoodplacehere?I’msortofcravingforsomePadThai,”I

replied.

“Fearnot,freshman.Iknowjusttheplace,”shesaid,leadingtheway.

RebeccaandIcontinuedtochatandgettoknoweachotherasweate,andI

realizedshewasn’tasintimidatingasIinitiallythought.Shetoldmehowshewas

broughtupinwhatcouldonlybedescribedasa‘crackhouse’,andthatforthefirst

fewyearsofherlife,itwasjusthermotherwhoraisedher,eventhoughtheterm

‘raising’wasabitofanoverstatement.

Shetoldmehowhermotherwasmorepreoccupiedwithgettinghighrather

than taking care of her, and when she finally died of an overdose, her mother’s

stonerfriendshadnoideawhattodowiththekidsheleftbehind.

Itwasaroundthattimewhenherfathermagicallyreappearedinherlife,and

took her home with him, introducing her to his actual family. She had a

stepmother and a stepsister, but both of them didn’t treat her like family, but

morelikestaff,orderinghertodoallkindsofthingsinthehouse.

Icouldtellbythewayherfistwasclenchingaroundherfork,andthewayher

blue-violeteyesdarkeneduntiltheywerealmostblack,thattherewasmoretothis

story than she was telling me, but I let go of it for now. Our friendship was still

new, and I didn’t want to alienate her before school started. So I chose to joke

aboutitinstead.

“No offense, but your story sounds like it came straight out of a fairytale,” I

teased,andshesmiled,thedarknessinhereyesfading.

“I know, right? But sadly, that’s the reality of it. I had to harden myself up

againsttheirmaltreatment,orelseIwouldn’thavesurvivedlivingwiththemfor

solong.Richardwasalwaysworkingtoknowwhatwasgoingon,andIwasn’tsure

he was going to believe me anyway if I told him, so I just let it go. I moved out

when I was fifteen, and stayed at a friend’s couch until I graduated high school,

andnotoncedidthatguynoticeIwasgone,”shesaid.

“Richard?”Iasked,furrowingmyeyebrows.“Who’sRichard?”

“Richardismyfather,”shereplied.

“Youcallyourfatherbyhisfirstname?”Iasked,thinkingitwasquitestrange.

Sheleveledmewithastare.

“Sorry,Ididn’tmeantopry,”Isaid.Sheshookherhead,smilingslightly.

“Don’tbe.Iwantedyoutoknow.You’rekindofeasytotalkto,”Rebeccasaid,

andIsmiledatthepraise.

“I’ve never really had a friend before. I mostly stayed at home and I didn’t

havethegutstotalktotheotherkidsatschool,”Iadmitted.

“Well,George,itlookslikeyougotonenow.”Rebeccastated.“So,whatdoyou

saywegotoaparty?”

Chapter7

Spencer

“She’s eating with a girl. Red hair, purple eyes, looks like a supermodel,” I

reported,watchingGeorgeandherfriendfromtheothersideoftherestaurant.I

kept my head down and pushed my Bluetooth earpiece tighter to my ear as I

scoopedupsomericeintomymouth.

“’Looks like a supermodel’?” Chase repeated. “You gotta give me a lot more

descriptionthanthat,buddy.HowamIsupposedtogetareadonherlikethat?”

heasked.

“Ican’triskgettingclose,orGeorgewillrecognizeme.I’llseeifIcangetthe

infoinacoupleofdays,”Itoldhim.

“So,howyoulikingyourjobsofar?”Chasesaid,chuckling.

“It’sridiculous,”Isaid,notwantingtoletonhowIsortoflikedit.Ikindoffelt

likeIwasaspy,likeJamesBond,orsomeshitlikethat,buttherewasnowayin

hellIwasgoingtotellmybrotherthat.“Thisjobissuchadrag,”Iadded.

“Yeah,keeptellingyourselfthat.Anyhotchickscatchyoureye?”heasked.

“Ididn’tcomeheretogetlaid,youidiot,”Ibarked.“AndIhaven’tbeenpaying

attentiontoothergirlsbecauseyouknow,I’mdoingmyjob?”

“Youcanaffordtoletlooseeveryonceinawhile,man.I’mnotrequiringyou

totailhereveryhouronthehour.Thatshit’sjustcreepy.”

“I’mworkingundercover,genius.Iwouldn’thavetodothisifshe’djustknow

whoIwas,”Isaid,rollingmyeyes.

“No can do, buddy. Client’s request, client’s rules. Besides, I know you’re

secretly enjoying that shit, so quit your complaining. And you don’t have to give

me an update every couple of hours. Just give me a report every week or so,”

Chasesaid.

“Willdo.I’mhangingupnow.Thissweetandsourporkisn’tgoingtomakeits

wayintomybellybyitself,later,”Ihungupandproceededtodemolishmyfood,

whileIkeptaneyeonGeorgianaandherfriend.Myphonevibrated,andIswiped

atthescreen,seeingonetextmessagefromChase.

You’restillastudentthere,too.Don’tforgettoenjoyyourself.

I snorted at his message. I didn’t come here to study, I came here to work.

Besides,Ididn’tthinktherewasanythingfuntodoaroundhere.

IwatchedGeorgeandthetallredheadgetupandleavetherestaurant,andI

rushedtofinishmymeal.Itwasstupidofmetogetlostinmyownthoughtswhen

IwasbusykeepinganeyeonGeorge,butIdidn’twanttowasteallthisdamnfood,

notwhenthelasttimeIatewasbackontheplane.Also,IthinkIforgottobring

thewadofcashChasegavemeinmybag,sowastenot,wantnotastheysay.

I paid the bill and was still chewing the last bite from my plate when I

immediatelyspottedGeorge’sfriend’shead,andwatchedasthetwogirlswalked

backtotheirhouse,andIsurmisedtheyprobablywon’tbeleavingtheirdormsfor

atleastacoupleofhours.Thatwasplentyoftimeformetofocusontherestofmy

tasksfortoday.

SinceChasedidgivemethegosignaltonotbeastalkertwentyfoursaday,I

couldtakeabreak,andstartunpackingmystuff.Ialsoneededtofigureoutaway

to place cameras on George’s house so I’d know her whereabouts. It freaking

stinks that Alderman House had to be so far away from Winston, though. I

wonderifIcouldrequestatransfer…

“Hey! New blood!” I heard a shout come from the other side of the road. I

turnedmyheadandwaitedforthreeguystocrossoveruntiltheywerestanding

rightnexttome.“’Sup?”guywiththebrownhairasked,andInoddedathim.

“’Sup?”Irepeated.

“You’reoneofthenewkidslivinginAlderman,right?”heasked,andIraised

my eyebrows at him, neither confirming nor denying it. Seriously, how do these

studentsgetthisinformation?TheyliterallyknowalotmorethanI’mcomfortable

with.

“I’mTylerBass,PresidentofPsiGammaAlpha,”hesaid,nodding.Heraised

his hand and extended his thumb towards the other two guys with him. “This is

Ross and Carlos. Do you have any plans for rushing?” he asked. I furrowed my

eyebrowsinconfusion.

“Rushing?”Irepeated.

“Yeah,Imeanareyouinterestedinjoininganyfraternities?”Tylerclarified.

“Ihaven’texactlythoughtaboutanythingpassedunpackingmyshit,”Isaid,

partlytellinghimthetruth.

“You should totally consider it, dude!” the one named Carlos said. “PGA is

like,awesome!”

“Hey,tellyouwhat,whydon’tyoucometothepartyoveratthefrathousein

Avery?Iguaranteeyou’regoingtohavetonsoffun,”Tylersaid.

“I’llthinkaboutit,”Isaid.

“We’llseeyouthere,”Tylercorrected,confidentthatIwasgoingtoattend.He

flicked his fingers in a mocking salute as he and his friends walked away, and I

scoffedathiscockiness.DumbassthoughthecalledtheshotswhenIcouldtotally

puthimonthegroundifIwantedto.

Iwalkedbacktomydormandlookedatmyroommatecuriouslyashedidn’t

pay me any attention, keeping his eyes glued to his triple monitors. He was

playingsomekindofracinggame,andhisbodyswayedinthesamedirectionas

hiscar,makingmesnickeralittleathowintoithewas.

It made me remember how Chase and I used to beat each other up in the

arcades whenever Dad gave us some money to get out of the house so he and

Chase’smomcouldhavesome“alonetime”.Chasewasoldenoughthentoknow

whatitmeant,butallIcaredaboutthenwasthatwe’dgettoplayoutside.

Whilehewasdistracted,Itookthetimetolookattheguyfromtheside.He

waswearinglargespectaclesoverhiseyes,andtheglintfromhiscomputerkept

me from seeing what color his eyes were. His mousy brown hair was messy and

went in different directions, like he had jumped out of bed and immediately

started playing. His clothes were all wrinkly, like he’d slept on them, and they

had…BuzzLightyearprintsonit?Ifurrowedmyeyebrows.

“Dude, are you still wearing kiddie pajamas?” I couldn’t help but ask, my

mouthgaping.

I waited for him to reply, but he didn’t say a word and just kept playing his

game. I shook my head and grabbed my duffel bag, wondering if I could chance

letting my cameras out while my roommate was distracted and get started on

placingthemeverywhere.Imean,heseemedprettyimmersedwiththatgameof

his—

“ToyStoryiskindofmything,”Iheardasqueakyvoicecomingfrombehind

me,andIturnedaroundalmosttoshitmyselffromhowclosemyroommatewas

standingnexttome.

Headjustedhisglassesandblinkedhislargegreeneyesatme,andIblinked

back,leaningback.

“Whoareyou?”heasked,leaningcloserandpeeringupatmyfacewiththose

ridiculouslybugeyesofhis.

“I’m your new roommate,” I said quickly. He stepped back and I righted

myself up, coughing a little to hide my initial freak out. “I’m Spencer, and you

are?”Iaskedpolitely.

Hecontinuedtoholdthestemofhisglasses,staringatmesilently.

“ElliotFerguson,”hesaid.Heturnedawayandwalkedbacktohiscomputers,

pickinghiscontrollerupfromhisseatandsatdown.Hewentbacktohisgame,

andIjuststoodtherelikeanidiot,wonderingwhatthehelljusthappened.

“Uh,” I said, trying to come up with something to say. Fuck it, I sucked at

smalltalk.“So,um…youhittingthispartyupatAvery?”Iasked.

HepausedhisgameagainandturnedhisheadaroundtolookatmelikeIjust

askedhimthemostridiculousthinghe’deverheard.

“DoyouhonestlybelievethatIamthesortofpersonwhowouldblendinata

party?”heasked,thequestionalmostsoundingrhetorical.Ishrugged.

“Idon’tknow.I’mnotmuchofapartygoermyself,”Iadmitted.

“Now you are just trying to sound sympathetic,” he said, scoffing a bit. I

crumpledmybrowsathiminannoyance.

“QuitactinglikeyouknowwhoIam,”Isnappedathim.“Look,dude.Idon’t

know how the system works around here, and frankly, I don’t give a fuck. I’m

trying to talk to you because we’re staying in the same room together, and it’s

going to be a huge hassle for me if we didn’t. So stop being so defensive,” I told

him.

HiseyeswidenedinshockandIsighed.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just been a long

day,”Isaidasanexcuse.Henodded.

“Iapologizeformybehavioraswell,Spencer.I’mquiteusedtostudentswho

belittle and humiliate me, so I have kept my guard up in order to avoid such

altercations,” he said, and I held my tongue from asking why he talked like a

robot.“Shallwestartover?”heasked,andInodded.

“So,areyousureyoudon’twanttogotothisparty?”Iasked,andheshookhis

headwithagrimace.

“Psi Gamma Alpha’s parties are not really my cup of tea,” he explained.

“They’retooloudandtoorowdy,andmostofthepeoplewhoterrorizemewould

beinattendance,andIwouldreallyappreciateapeacefuldaywithoutbecominga

targetforthoseimbeciles.”

Icouldn’ttakeitanymore.Ireallyhadtoaskhimaboutit.

“Dude, no offense, but why do you talk like you swallowed a dictionary?” I

asked, realizing too late how crass I sounded. He shrugged and didn’t seem to

mind,though.

“I’ve always thought that a rich vocabulary showcased intelligence,” he said,

matter-of-factly. I bit the inside of my lip, unsure of how I was going to say my

nextwordswithoutoffendinghim.Hestaredatmeandsmirked.

“You don’t have to censure yourself to me, you know. I am quite capable of

tellingthedifference,”hesaid.

“Dude,I’mnotstupid.Butmaybeyoucouldtrytodumbitdownjustalittle

bit?I’dreallyappreciateit,andIthinkotherpeoplewouldappreciatethat,too,”I

blurtedout.Hecastedhiseyesdownontheground,andIquicklytriedtoamend

mystatement.“Imean,noteveryoneisabletokeepupwithyou,man,”Iadded.

Hekepthiseyesonthefloorbuthenodded.

“Youhaveapointthere,Spencer,”hesaid,andIreleasedasighofrelief.He

lookedbackupandgrinned.“Itwasnicetalkingtoyoutoday,Spencer.Ishalltake

your suggestions into account,” he turned back towards his game and continued

playing,andIturnedbackandfellonmybed,spread-eagledandexhaustedallof

asudden.TalkingtoElliotreallytookalotoutofme.Studentsherereallycomein

allshapesandsizes.

JustwhathaveIgottenmyselfinto?

Chapter8

Georgiana

The scent of her skin was intoxicating, driving him almost to the brink of

madness.Hisfingertipstingledasheexploredeachandeveryinchofherbody

withhishands,feelingthesoftandsuppletextureofhercreamywhiteskin.She

arched her back as his hands explored her, his lips following the invisible trail

they left behind until she could feel his breath hitting her core. He flicked his

tongueoutandshecriedout,thepleasureshootingthroughherlikea—

“Whatareyoudoing?”Rebeccaasked,andIsnappedmylaptopshut.

“Nothing,”Ilied,lookingatherinnocently.Shenarrowedhereyesatme,and

I grinned, hoping she would drop the subject. She shrugged and walked back to

hercloset,riflingthroughherclothes.

“Youshouldstartgettingready.Theparty’salreadystarted,”shesaid.Ibitmy

lipnervously.

“Yeah, listen, Rebecca. I don’t think I’m going to go,” I said softly, and she

turnedherheadtolookatme.

“What do you mean? I thought you wanted to experience every college

milestone,”sheasked,andIsighed.

“I know, I know. But like I said earlier, I’ve never been to a party before. I

wouldn’t know the first thing about how to fit into that kind of scene. What if I

mess up?” I asked. Rebecca rolled her eyes and walked over to me, placing her

handsonmyshouldersandsqueezing.

“First of all, George, relax. Second, this is a party. There’s no proper way to

act, so just be you. No one is going to care,” Rebecca said. “And if anything bad

happens,whichIassureyoutherewon’t,”shesaidquicklyasmyeyeswidenedin

fear.“I’llberightbesideyou.I’llmakesurenothinglikethateverhappens,okay?”

Inodded,feelingalittlebetter.RebeccasmiledasIgotupandshowedherall

of my clothes. After a long moment of her mixing and matching my stuff, she

finallydecidedonapowderbluecroptop,andmyblackpairofjeans,allthewhile

muttering we needed to overhaul my entire wardrobe. I just rolled my eyes and

worewhatIwastold.

Shesatmedownafterwards,andcurledmyhairabitbeforedabbingalight

pinkshadeonmylips,andthenbrushingmycheekswithmakeup.

“How can a girl never learn how to use any eyeliner?” Rebecca asked

incredulously, and my cheeks blushed in embarrassment. “It’s practically a

necessityofliving!”

“Maybetoyou.I’veneverhadtowearitbefore,”Ipouted.Sheshookherhead

as she finished putting all the makeup she deemed ‘necessary’ to complete my

look, and then we were off to the party. We saw Cassie headed in the same

direction,sothethreeofuschattedaswemadeourwaytotheAveryHouse.

IimmediatelyfeltreallyoutofplacethemomentIsteppedinsidethehouse.

Theplacewaspacked.Therewasabigpooltableatoneendofthefloorwithafew

guys standing around it clutching beers and laughing loudly, while there was a

biggercrowdgatheringaroundabigrectangulardiningtablewithbeerfilledsolo

cups lined up, and a couple of ping pong balls on top of them. Cassie waved

goodbyeatusanddisappearedthroughthepeopledancingaround,whileRebecca

followedmylineofsight.

“They’replayingBeerPong,”shestated,andItiltedmyheadcuriously.“See

thatguyholdingtheball?”shesaid,pointingtothebrown-hairedguystandingon

theedgeofthetable.“Ifhelandstheshotinanemptycup,hewins.Ifhedoesn’t,

hetakesadrink,”sheexplained.

“Whathappenswhenhewins?”Iasked,watchingastheguythrowstheball.

“Depends.Usuallytheyjusttakeadrink,too,”sheanswered.Iwrinkledmybrows

ather.

“Thenwhat’sthepointofthegame?”Iasked,flummoxed.Sheshrugged.

“Togetdrunk,”shesaidsimply.“Buthey,sometimesthere’smoreinvolved.I

justtoldyouthebasics.Thisone’sprobablygotsomebetsridingonit,”sheadded.

I looked back towards the game and see another guy approach the player, and

handhimacoupleofbucks.Inoddedinunderstanding.

Rebecca pushed me forwards lightly, and I squeezed through the people,

muttering apologies just in case I stepped on their toes accidentally. I looked

around for someplace to sit, and perked up when I spotted an empty loveseat. I

signaled Rebecca over, and pointed towards the seat, but I suddenly a couple at

downandstartedgropingeachotherandmakingout.

Rebeccasawthelookofhorroronmyfaceandlaughed.

“Shouldn’ttheybedoingthisinprivate?”Iasked,unabletotakemyeyesaway

fromthelivesexshowhappeninginfrontofme.

“Alltheroomswereprobablyoccupied,”Rebeccasaid,shruggingagainlikeit

wasnobigdeal.MyeyeswentwideassaucersasIturnedmyheadandstaredat

her.

“You mean everyone’s having sex upstairs right now?” I asked, and she

snickered.

“Well,whatdidyouexpect?It’saparty.It’skindofagiventhatsomeonewas

boundtogetlaid.”

Ishookmyheadindisgust,andRebeccalaughed,pattingthetopofmyhead

likeIwasapuppyorsomething.

“You’re so innocent. It’s so adorable,” she said, tapping my nose lightly with

herfinger.“Don’tworry,youngPadawan.Youwilllearntheropessoonenough,”

sheassuredme,andIgulped.

I’mnotsurethosewerethelessonsIhadinmind.

I turned away from the couple, and was looking around for the kitchen,

because I felt parched all of a sudden when I saw Spencer coming from another

hall. I smiled brightly and started waving my hand in the air, trying to catch his

attention. He saw me and grinned before turning his head and addressing

someone behind him. Finally he nodded towards me, and a guy wearing glasses

followed him, the latter pulling at his collar with a grimace. Spencer stopped in

frontofmeandsmiled.

“Hey, fancy seeing you here,” he said. I felt Rebecca sidle up next to me

whisperinginmyear.

“Whoareyourfriends?”sheasked,crossingherarmsandlookingatSpencer

up and down with her eyebrows raised. Spencer tilted his head and checked

Rebecca out in the same manner, while his friend just adjusted his glasses and

lookedatallofus.Icoughedandwenttointroduceeverybody.

“Spencer, this is my roommate, Rebecca,” I said. “And Rebecca, this is

Spencer.Wemetontheplaneandlaterfoundoutwewereactuallyenrolledinthe

sameuniversity,”IlookedatSpencer’sfriendandsmiledpolitely.“Andyouare?”

“This is Elliot, he’s my roommate,” Spencer said. “So, did you guys just get

here?”heasked,andInodded.

“Yeah,prettymuch.Whataboutyouguys?”Iasked.

“We’vebeenhereawhile.Theparty’skindofadrag,”Spencerreplied.

“Actually,weweremakingourwayoutofthisplacewhenyoucalledusover,”

Elliotsaid,andIcaughtSpencerelbowinghiminthestomach.

Excuse us for a sec, okay?” Spencer asked. He pushed Elliot back into the

kitchenandRebeccaexcusedherself,sayingshehadtotakeacall,andthemusic

wasdrowningouteverythingelse.Ilookeddownatmyshoesandsighed,feelinga

littleabandonedandalotlost.NowwhatwasIsupposedtodo?

Ifeltataponmyshoulder,andIturnedaroundandsawaguywithspikyhair

dyedwhite,andacockysmirkdecoratinghisface.

“CanIhelpyou?”Iasked,furrowingmybrows.

“I sure hope you would,” he said, nodding. “Because I have been wondering

what a gorgeous girl like you is doing all alone in here,” he said confidently. I

blushedandscratchedtheinsideofmyelbowinembarrassment.

“Idon’treallyknowanybodyinhere,”Isaid,andhesteppedupclosertome,

almostbutnotquiteinvadingmypersonalspace.

“ThenIhopeyouwillallowmetokeepyoucompany,”hesaid.“I’mRoss,”as

heextendedhishandandIshookit.

“I’mGeorge,”Ireplied.

“Shortfor‘Georgina’?”heasked,andIshookmyhead.

“Close,”Isaid.“It’sGeorgiana.”

“Beautiful,justlikeyou,”hebreathed,andIbitmylip,lookingdownonthe

floorandlettingmyhairfallovermyface.Hesweptmyhairback,tuckingitinmy

ear,andIfeltmycheeksflushfromhistouch.

Hehandedmearedcupfilledwithbrownliquid,andIgrimacedatthesmell.

“What’sthematter?”heasked,asIgavehimahalf-grin.

“I have never drank beer before,” I admitted. Actually I’ve never drank any

alcohol,period,butthatsoundedmoreembarrassing.

Hechuckledandraisedmyarmholdingthecup,eggingmetobringittomy

lips.“There’safirsttimeforeverything,”hesaid.

I looked at the cup, and then to Ross uncertainly, and then back at the cup

again, peering at the dark liquid. I took a deep breath before raising it up to my

lips,mytoescurlingastheliquidburneditswaydownmythroat.Iclosedmyeyes

and chugged the whole thing before putting the cup down, making Ross whistle

andwhoopasheclappedhishands.

“Alright, babe! That was awesome,” he praised, and I wiped my mouth with

the back of my hand and gave the cup back to him. “You know what, babe? You

areexactly…,”heleanedforwardandIshiveredashisbreathtickledtheshellof

myear.“Mykindofgirl,”hewhispered.

Ismiledandturnedmyheadtolookathimonlyformyvisiontostartshifting

allofasudden,makingthefloorandthewallandthepeoplespinonitsaxis.Ilost

myfootingandclutchedatRoss’sarmtomaintainmybalance,butmymindand

bodygrewgroggy,andmylegsfeltlikejelly,unabletosupportmyweight.

MyeyesgrewheavyasItriedmybesttolookatRoss,andIthoughtIsawa

dark smirk across his features until I lost my energy. I closed my eyes and

everythingwentblack.

Chapter9

Spencer

“Dude,whatiswrongwithyou?”Iasked,half-glaringatElliotinannoyance.

“Nothing!Iwassimplyexpressingmydesiretogohome,”hehuffed,brushing

attheinvisiblelintstuckinhisclothes.“Yourfriendsseemverynice,”hesaid.

“Friend.Singular.Ionlyjustmettheothergirl,andsheseemslikeastuck-up

bitch to me,” I said, scoffing. “Dude, I asked you to come with me so you could

practiceyourpeopleskills,notdrivepeopleaway.”

“I can’t help it! This place is too loud and too crowded, and I feel like we’re

practically in a sardine can! And the music is probably higher than a hundred

decibels, I’m afraid that if I stick around for long, I might lose a few brain cells!

Andmyhearing!”heexclaimed.Twogirlscomingfromthebackdoorlookedatus

likewewerecrazyandIgroaned.

“That’sanotherthingIaskedyoutotryout.Dumbitdownanotch,willyou?

Noteveryoneisgoingtowanttotalktoyouiftheyneedadecodertounderstand

halfthethingscomingoutofyourmouth,”Isaidharshly.

“You’re quite rude tonight, Downing. Perhaps you’ve already had one too

muchtodrink?”hesaid,cleaninghislenseswiththeendofhisshirt.

I gritted my teeth and made my way back to the living room. I was getting

antsybecausemydecisiontobringElliotwasseriouslywreckingmyjob.Ithought

I could kill two birds with one stone, make an ally out of my roommate, while

beingabletowatchoverGeorgeatthesametime,butImiscalculatedonElliot’s

stubbornness.MaybeIshouldn’thavebroughthimalong.

InarrowedmyeyesasIsearchedthecrowdforGeorge,spottingherchatting

withsomeguywhohandedheradrink.Itriedtoreadtheirlips,curioustoknow

whattheyweretalkingabout.Sheraisedthecuptohermouth,slowlyliftingthe

containeruntilthebottomwasupintheairasshechuggedallofit.

IrecognizedtheguystandingnexttoherasoneofthemenwithTylerearlier,

theonewiththewhite-coloredhair.Ross,Ithinkhisnamewas.Ishookmyhead

at how ridiculous he looked. Seriously? White hair? The anime craze must’ve

spread through the world, because who in their right mind would dye their hair

white?

IsawtheguyleanoverGeorgeandwhispersomethinginherear,andItensed

up,myfistsclenchingautomatically.Whothefuckdidhethinkheistobeallupin

herlikethat?

MyeyeswidenedasIsawGeorgestarttoswayinplace,andIpushedagainst

thethrongofpeopletogettoher.Hereyesrolledtothebackofherheadandher

kneesbuckled.Imanagedtocatchherbeforeshecollapsedalloverthefloor,my

hand clutching her shoulders, and her back lying against my chest. Her head

turned to the side, and I noticed how flushed her cheeks were. I looked at Ross

withaglareandheglaredback.IsawthecupGeorgedroppedonthefloorandI

realizedsomething.

“You,”Isnarled.“Youdruggedher,didn’tyou?”Rossscoffed.

“Oh, please. The chick couldn’t hold her liquor. You can’t accuse me of

anything!” he insisted. He looked over George’s face and smirked. “Besides, that

girlwaswaytooeasy.Idon’tneedtowastedrugsonapatheticgirllike…”

I handed George over to Elliot, who was right next to me, and in the next

moment, I had sent my fist flying straight to Ross’s mouth. He staggered

backwards,crashingdownonthecouplemakingoutonthecouch,andmakingthe

girlscream.Thesoundeffectivelycutthemusic,andeveryoneinthepartystared

atus.

Rebecca came in followed by Tyler, and they saw Ross’s split lip, George’s

unconsciousstate,andthehalf-crazedlookinmyeyes.

RebeccawalkedovertoElliotandcheckedonGeorge,whileTylerwalkedup

tome,andCarlosgoingovertopullRossupright.

“Whathappened?”Tylerasked.IturnedawayfromhimandpushedRebecca

tothesidebeforetakingGeorgeintomyarms,carryingherbridalstyle.Iturned

backtowardsTyler,addressinghimwithastormygazebeforeglaringatRoss.

“Askyourfriend,”Ihissedathim.IadjustedmygripandcarriedGeorgeout

ofthere,RebeccaandElliotfollowingafterme.ThecrowdpartedliketheRedSea,

andIcouldhearthemmutteringbehindmeasIwalkedout.Ididn’tgiveadamn.

Myfocuswasallonthisgirlinmyarms,andhowIfuckingfailedmymissionon

thefirstday.

Icouldn’tstopmymindfromthinkingabouttheconsequencesthatcould’ve

happenedbecauseofmyinattention.Thatsonofabitchcould’verapedher,andit

would’vebeenmyentirefuckingfault.

“I’llgoandfetchtheschoolnurse,”Elliotcalledout.Icouldtellfromthelook

on his face that he felt a little guilty for what happened, and this was his way of

makingupforit,soIjustnodded.Herantowardstheotherendofthecampus,

andIkeptwalkingtowardsWinstonHouse.

Rebecca led me up the stairs and into their room, and I placed George very

gently on her bed. Other than her flushed face and sweaty forehead, she looked

fine,butIwasn’ttakinganychances.Ididn’tknowwhatthatsonofabitchhad

givenher,oriftherewereanylingeringsideeffects,andIcursedmyselfagainfor

myincompetence.

I felt Rebecca’s hand clamp my shoulder, and I turned my head to the side,

lookingatherfromthecornerofmyeye.Shecastedhereyesdownwards,herface

mirroringtheguiltylooksheprobablysawonmyfacerightnow,too.

“Listen,I’matfault,too.Ishouldn’thaveleftheralonetotakeastupidphone

call,whenIknewhowcluelessshewasaboutit,”Rebeccasaid.

Ibitmyliptokeepfromagreeingwithher,becausethatwould’vebeenreally

shittyofme,andjustprayedthatElliotarrivedwiththenursesoon.

Nosoonerthanthatthought,therewasaknockonthedoor.Rebeccaopened

it, and Elliot came with a middle-aged woman holding a first aid kit. She was

followedcloselybyatallgirl,butIignoredherandfocusedonGeorge,watching

thenurse’severymovelikeahawk.

Afterafewminutes,thenursetoldustherewasnothingtoworryabout,and

thattheeffectofthedrugwasgoingtowearoffinafewhours.Shealsoassuredus

thatshewasgoingtoreporttheincidenttotheDean,andthepersonresponsible

for giving George the drug was going to be punished severely for his actions.

Rebecca continued to ask the nurse some questions while I stayed where I was,

kneelingbyherbedside.

I took George’s hand and rubbed the smooth skin of the back of her hand

lightly.

“I’msosorry,”Imurmured.

“Hey, Spencer?” Elliot called. “I’m going back to our dorms. Will you be

stayinghereforawhile?”heasked,andInodded.“Alright.Seeyoutomorrow,”he

said,wavinggoodbye.

“Youcangobacktothedorms,Spencer.IcantakecareofGeorge,”Rebecca

said. I opened my mouth to argue when the tall girl I saw earlier blocked my

vision.

“She’s absolutely right! Rebecca can take it from here. We don’t allow male

studentstostayinourdormsthislateatnight,soI’mgoingtohavetoaskyouto

leave,”shesaidfirmly.Iopenedmymouthtoarguewithher,butsheheldupher

hand,indicatingshewasnothavingit.

“Whoareyouagain?”Isighed,allofmyenergyseepingoutofmysystem.

“I’mCassie,andI’mtheResidentAidehere.Look,IassureyouthatRebecca

andIwilllookafterher,andifyouleaveyournumberwithme,IpromiseIwill

textyouassoonasshewakesup,”sheassuredme.

Shegavemeherphone,andIkeyedinmynumberbeforehandingitbackto

her. I stood up off the floor and looked at George’s face one more time, and a

thoughtpoppedintomyhead.

IhadonemorethingtodobeforeIgo.

Chapter10

Georgiana

My body felt really stiff as I opened my eyes slowly, and then the harsh

sunlightfloodingtheroomputastrainonmyeyes.Iheardrustlingcomingfrom

theotherside,andthenIsawRebecca’sfacewasabovemewithamixtureofrelief

andconcern.

“Thankgoodnessyou’reawake!”shecried,andIwincedasIgotup,myback

feelingallkindsofstiffness.Jesus,Ifeelterrible.

“How long was I out?” I asked. Feeling like it was a hundred years of

numbnessfromlyingdownsolong.

“About half a day, give or take a couple of hours,” Rebecca replied, and I

groaned.“Youmissedtheorientation.

“Whathappenedtome?Ifeelsosluggish,”Isaid.Herfaceturnedgrimatmy

question,andIrealizedwhateverhappenedlastnightprobablywasn’tgood.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” she asked. I worried my lip while I

rackedmybrainfortheeventsoflastnight.

“IremembertalkingtothisguywithwhitehairbeforeIblackedout.Iforgot

hisnamethough,”Isaid.

“Doyourememberwhathegaveyou?”shepressed,andIrememberedared

cupfilledwithbeer.

“He gave me a drink,” I answered, and grimaced. “Why? Is there something

wrong?”Iasked.

Rebecca looked at me for a long moment, not saying a word. Finally, she

shookherheadandgavemeaforcedsmile.

“We don’t have anything to do after orientation, so do you want to go

somewhere?”sheasked.

“Um,Iwasgoingtocheckoutthewritingcenterafterorientation,butsinceI

missedoutonthelatter…,”ItrailedoffandRebeccanodded,gettingthepicture.

“Alright.I’mgoingtogoandmeetupwithafewclubmembers.Let’smeetup

forlunch,okay?”shesaid,andInodded.

IwavedgoodbyeasshelefttheroombeforeswingingthesheetsoffofmesoI

couldstandup.Ireachedmyarmsovermyhead,stretchingmystiffmuscles.

Thankgoodnesswescoredtheroomwithitsownbathroom.I’mgoingtogive

myselfalongwarmsoakinthebathtubbeforeIleave.Thatwouldsoftenupthese

achesandpainsrightup.

***

Cassiesmiledwidelyasshesawmecomingdownthestairs,waitingformeat

the last step. She laced her arm around mine, and we walked out of the house

together,andsheloweredherheadtopeeratmyface.

“It’ssogreattoseeyoufinallyupandabout,”shesaid,andInoddedweirdly.

ShemadeitsoundlikeI’dbeeninacoma,jeez.“Youhadalotofusveryworried!”

shesaid.

“It was no big deal,” I replied, although I still couldn’t remember what

happened. “I just crashed so hard, that I’m still feeling pretty exhausted.” She

lookedatmeallweirdlybeforeshakingherhead.

“Doyounotrememberanythingfromlastnight?”sheasked,andIshookmy

headinadmission.“Youwerecarriedtoyourroombythisreallyhotblondeguy,”

she revealed. My eyes widened, my mind immediately going to Spencer at the

mentionof‘hotblondeguy’.

“Iwas?”Iasked,eggingheron.Shenoddedvigorously.

“ItwassuchaPrinceCharmingmoment.Heliterallycarriedyoualltheway

fromthepartyanduptoyourroom,andwouldn’tbudgeuntilthenursesaidyou

wereA-OK!”shecried.

She took a deep breath and sighed dreamily, making me feel a tad annoyed,

andalittlemorethanatadpossessiveofthepersonshewassighingabout.

“Oh my God, he was so chivalrous and mysterious at the same time,

Georgiana. How I envy you for having such a boyfriend like that,” she said. My

eyeswidenedatherremark.

“B-boyfriend?” I repeated, stammering. “Spencer isn’t my boyfriend!” I

exclaimed.

“Really?He’snot?”Cassieasked,andInodded.

“He’sjustanacquaintanceofmine.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” she said, shrugging. “He certainly acted way too

concernedforyouforsomeonewhowas‘justanacquaintance’.”

“Noway,”Isaid,laughinguncertainly.Shewasprobablyexaggeratingagain.

“Oh, and I just remembered that before he left, he kissed you on the

forehead,”Cassieadded,asifitwasjusttrivialinformation.MyeyeswidenedasI

turnedmyheadsharplyather,butshewasalreadypullingawayandwavingher

hand as she went back up to the house. I remained standing by the entrance,

frozeninshockasmymindrepeatedCassie’swordsoverandoverinmyhead.

Hekissedyou.

Spencerkissedyou.

I snapped out of my thoughts and continued on towards the writing center,

stillponderingCassie’swords.Couldshebetellingthetruth?WasSpencerreally

thatconcernedaboutmelastnight?AnddidSpencerreally…kissme?

IheardmyphoneringingDarcy’sassignedjingle,andpulleditoutfrommy

bag, picking up the call. He was probably pissed off because I didn’t call him as

soonasIgotherelikeIpromisedIwould.

“Hey,IknowImessedup,I’mreallysorry.Ijustgetreallydistracted,”Isaid

insteadofgreeting.Iheardhimclickinghistongueontheotherline,expressing

hisdisappointment,andIbitmylipguiltily.

“”Well,aslongasyouknowyou’reatfault,”hesaidpetulantly.“Iwasreally

worriedyourplanemayhavecrashedorsomething,”hesaid,andIrolledmyeyes

atthecomment.

“Sure,youwere.Youdon’thavetorubitin,Darcy,”Isaid,andhechuckled.

“Now that I know you’re alive, how was your first day? Anything interesting

happen?”Darcyasked.

Mymindwenttolastnight’spartyandhowIhadtobecarriedhome,andI

shookmyhead.LikehellIwasgoingtotellhimthat.

“Nothing really. I’m just here at the writing center to fill up my schedule,” I

toldhim.

“Haveyoumadenewfriends?”heasked,theeagernessevidentinhisvoice.I

hadtolaughathowboyishhesounded,butatthesametimeittuggedatmyheart

a little. I wished my parents acted all excited for me too, but instead it was just

Darcy.

“WhatamI,inkindergarten?”Iaskedjokingly,tryingtolightenthemood.

“Youwerehomeschooled,”Darcyremindedme.

“Yes, Daddy. I made some new friends to play with on the sandbox during

recess,”Isaid.

“Don’tcallme‘Daddy’.Itsoundsdisturbing,”hesaid.IlaughedasIimagined

Darcy’sdisgustedfacewithhistonguehalfhangingout.“Andthat’sgood.You’re

actually mingling with other members of the society. Quite a feat, dear little

sister,”hesaidproudly.

“Andnowyou’remakingmesoundlikeI’manalien,”IspottedElliotbythe

registration’soffice,andIimmediatelyraisedmyhandtowaveathim.Hewaved

backsomewhatreluctantly,andItoldDarcyIwasgoingtocallhimback.

Iaskedtheregistrarforthescheduleofclassesavailablethissemester,before

turningtowardsElliotwithasmile.

“Hello,Elliot.Didyousignupforsomewritingprograms,too?”Iasked.

“Actually,IonlycamehereasafavortoSpencer.Heaskedmetograbacopy

ofthescheduleforhim,”heexplained.

“Spencer’s taking writing courses?” I asked, intrigued. Elliot nodded,

adjustinghiseyeglasses.“Whydidyoupickuphisschedule?Whereishe?”

“He said something about scouting the perimeter, but I’m not sure what he

meantbyit.Sometimeshetalkslikehe’sadrillsergeant,butIguessthat’sironic

comingfromme,”Elliotsaidsardonically.

Italkedwithhimsomemoreaboutschoolandelectiveshecouldrecommend

before parting ways, and I wondered where Spencer could be. I didn’t have

anythingelsetodo,andIwasn’thungryyetdespitemissingoutonbreakfast.

Maybe I should’ve asked Elliot what else I could do around here on my

downtime.

“Ohwell.Icouldalwaysjustwalkaroundandseewheremyfeettakeme,”I

saidtomyself.

And maybe I’ll bump into Spencer on the way, I thought gleefully. Oh my

God,Ididnotjustthinkthat.Whydidthatpossibilitymakemesohappy?

Ireallymustgetaholdofmyself.Ihardlyevenknowtheman.

…Butthenagain,thatdidn’tmeanIshouldn’tgettoknowhimalittlebetter.

Chapter11

Spencer

“Alright,thattakescareoftheeastsideofcampus,”Isaid,dustingmyhands

offbeforeclimbingdowntheladder.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead, and squinted as the sun hit my eyes. I

asked Elliot to pick up my schedule earlier but he hasn’t sent me a text about it

yet.

I packed the empty boxes of cameras back into my backpack before anyone

noticed. I didn’t want to have to think up some bogus explanation on the off-

chancesomeonecomesbyandseesthem.

ThehairsonthebackofmyheadstoodupasIheardfootstepsapproaching,

andIquicklyfoldeduptheladderandstasheditbehindthenearbybushes.Islung

my bag around my shoulders and turned to look towards the noise, when I saw

Tylercomearoundthecornerandwaived.

I raised one eyebrow at him in acknowledgment, my distrust in him having

intensifiedduefromwhathappenedtoGeorgeandhis‘friend’.

“Hey,Spencer.What’sup?”heasked,puttinghishandsinsidehispockets.

“Whatdoyouwant?”Iaskedsnidely.Ididn’thavetimeformakingsmalltalk.

“IjustwantedtotellyouthatRosshasbeenkickedoutofourfraternity,”he

said morosely. I straightened up, listening now. “What he did to your girl was

unacceptable,andIcameheretotellyouI’mgoingtogivemyownaccountstothe

DeantomakesureRossgetswhathedeserves.”

Iblinkedmultipletimesindisbeliefwhilehekepthisheaddown,refusingto

lookmeintheeye.Finally,Ispoke.

“Youdidn’thavetodothat,”Isaid,andhelookedupwithadeterminedand

severevisage.

“No,Ihadto,”heinsisted.“Whathedidwasdisgusting,andnottomention

despicable. It broke the very foundation of our fraternity, and someone like him

would’vebecomethepoisonthattearsthebrotherhoodapart.”

Ididn’thaveanywordstosaytothat,soIjustnodded.Tylersighed.

“Ijustfeelreallybadaboutwhathappenedtoyourgirl,man.Ican’thelpbut

feelresponsibleforit,asRosswasamemberofmyfraternity,”Iinterruptedhim

withbothhandsraisedandmyeyeswideastennisballs.

“Hey,hey,hey.Holdup,man.Whatareyoutalkingabout?”Iasked.“Who’s

mygirl?”

“ThatgirlRossdrugged.Theonewithaguy’sname,”Tyleranswered.

“What the fuck? Dude, she’s not my girl, man!” I cried. “She’s not my

anything!”

“ButIsawyoutakeherhome,andyoubeattheshitoutofRoss,too,”hesaid,

furrowinghisbrowsinconfusion.

“Yeah, but that didn’t mean anything, dude,” I said, shaking my head

adamantly.“Ijustcarriedherhomebecauseshefainted.Nobigdeal,”Isaid.

He looked at me sideways with an amused smirk, obvious he was thinking

aboutsomethingelse.

“What?”Iasked,alittleparanoid.

“Funny,” he said. “It kind of sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself

morethanme,”heobserved.

“You’reinsane,”Itoldhim.Hereallywas.100%certifiable.

“Anyways, I just came to tell you that, and if you need our help, PGA’s got

yourback,”Tylersaid,nodding.

“Uh,yeah.Thanks,Tyler,”Ireplied.

Hegavemeatwo-fingeredsalutebeforewalkingaway,andIjuststoodthere

staringafterhimlikeanidiot.Huh.IguessTylerwasanicebloke,afterall.

MyheartwasbeatingsofastthatIfeltlikeIhadjustrunamarathon.Iplaced

my hand on top of my chest, right above my heart, as I took a deep breath and

expelledslowlysoIcouldcalmdown.

“I thought I might find you here,” I jumped at the sound of George’s voice

beforeIturnedaround.

She looked a little different today, and I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason

why.Herclothesweresimpleenough,awhitet-shirtpairedwithablackvestand

pleatedblackskirt,herlegscoveredupbylongblackstockingsandcladinblack

dollshoes,makingherlooklikeafancyschoolgirl.Herredhairwascombeddown

herbackandclippedattheside,showingoffherear.Thesunwasalsohittingher

injusttherightangletomakeherskinlookradiant.

She was a vision in black and white, and the sight of her sent my heart into

overtime.

“EarthtoSpence,”shesaid,wavingherhandinfrontofmyface.Damn,even

the way she says my nickname sends shockwaves straight to my groin. “Are you

alright?”sheasked.

“Yeah,ofcourse.Whywouldn’tIbe?”Iasked,snappingoutofit.

“Oh,Idon’tknow.Maybebecauseyou’vebeengawkingatmeforfiveminutes

withoutsayingaword?”shesaid.

Iscowledandwalkedbacktowardscampus,notbotheringtocheckifshewas

followingme,becauseIalreadyknew.Mystomachgrowledpainfully,makingme

realize I had gotten up at the break of dawn to install these cameras, and still

hadn’teatenbreakfast.Georgemust’veheardmystomach’scryofhungerbecause

shesidledupnexttomeandsmiled.

“I’mstarving.Wanttohavebreakfast?”sheasked.Iraisedaneyebrowather.

“HowdoyouknowIhaven’teatenyet?”Iaskedback.“Areyoustalkingme?”I

teased.Shegapedatmeinoutrage.

“I most certainly did not!” she cried. “And if you had eaten anything, then

yourtummywouldn’thavemadeasound.”

“Icouldhavehadalightmeal,”Itoldher.

“Areyougoingtoacceptmyofferornot?”sheasked,hereyebrowsscrunched

togetherasshestompedherfootimpatiently.

I looked over at the lake, thinking it over. Breakfast sounded nice, but for

somereason,Iwantedtodosomethingmorethanjusteattogether.Butwhatelse

couldwedooncampus?

Awoodenboat—orwasitagondola?—caughtmyeyeandIsmirked,anidea

forminginmyhead.Iturnedaroundandshestaredatmecuriously.

“Whydon’twegoordersometakeoutanddosomethingelse?”

***

“OhmyGod,Ididn’tknowthereweregondolarideshereoncampus!”George

shriekedexcitedly.Shewasclappingherhandsinearnest,hertoestappingonthe

floorwhileIhandledtheoars.

We decided on buying some sandwiches from Subway before coming back

towardsthelakewheretheboatsare.ShealmosthadamentalbreakdownwhenI

keptpushinghertorideoneoftheboats,askingwhethershewasgoingtosurvive

ifshefellin.ThankGodshewasabletocalmdownonceshewasseated,although

shecould’vebeenmorehelpfulandhelpmerowtheboat.Sheesh.

Sheleanedovertothesideofthegondolasoshecouldwadeherhandintothe

water, making me grimace in disgust. The water could very well be unsanitary,

andIhadhalfamindtotellhersowhenshesighedhappilyandspoke.

“Youknow,I’veexperiencedmoreinjusttwodaysofcollegethanIeverdidin

mywholelife,”shestated.Iscoffed.

“Thatcan’tbe,”Itoldher.Shewidenedhereyesandshookherhead.

“No, it’s true!” she cried. “I’ve lived under my parents’ roof and never, not

once,havetheyeverhadmetrysomethingfunifitinvolvedleavingthehouse.”

“Why? That’s kind of a peculiar thing for them to do,” I replied. “Were you

sickly when you were little? Maybe they were worried you’d get sick or exhaust

yourself,orsomething,”

“Nope!MybrothersaidIwashealthyasahorse.”Shesighedagain,onlythis

time,thesoundwasn’tofanexcitedyoungwoman,butmorelikeaabirdwithits

wingspluckedoff.

“I’ve tried to ask them why they went to the extremes of sheltering me,

keepingmelockedupathome,buttheynevergavemeastraightanswer.IwishI

knewsoIcouldunderstand,andsothatIwouldn’tfeeltheywerehorribleparents,

butIdo.”

Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes downcast, lost in thought and looking

utterlydefeated.IhadhopedtousethisopportunitytogettoknowGeorgebetter,

and I didn’t realize she was a girl who carried such heavy amounts of emotional

baggage.

“Your sandwich is getting cold,” I said, hoping to sway the conversation

somewhere simpler. She smiled apologetically, almost like she knew what I was

thinkingabout,butshechosetopickuphersandwichandbegintounwrapit.

“Youknow,youshouldn’tgettoomadatyourparentsfortryingtolockyouup

inthehouse,”hesaid.Shetookabiteoutofherfoodandlookedatmecuriously.

“I’mjustsaying.Parentsdon’tdothingswithoutanyreason.Maybeit’ssomething

scarier or traumatizing than you realize, for you and for them, so they couldn’t

bringituponthemselvestotellyou,”Iexplained.

“Youmightberight,”shemurmured,staringoffintospaceagain.

“I’malwaysright,”Iteasedher.Sherolledhereyesandsuddenlystoodupon

theboat,startlingmeasshebegantowobble.“Hey,whatareyou—you’regoingto

fallover!”Iyelled.

Hereyeswerewideasshewavedherhandswildly,tryingtofindherbalance

in an increasingly precarious gondola. I stood up and pulled her down, spinning

aroundatthelastmomentsothatIwouldhitthewoodinsteadofher.Painshot

throughmybackassoonasIbangedontheunevenfloorbutallofmyfocuswas

onthegirlontopofme,hereyessqueezedshut,andherfingersclutchingatmy

shirtlikealifeline.

We stayed there staring into each other’s eyes, not saying a word. I couldn’t

takemyeyesaway.Timepassedby,andwhatwasreallyjustafewsecondsfeltlike

alifetime.Myheartwasbeatingloudlyinmychest,crashingagainstmyribcage

withanalmostpainfulforce.

She snapped back into her senses first, blinking her eyes rapidly, and then

pushingherselfoffofme.IwincedasIplantedmyelbowsonthewoodenplanks

andraisedmyselfup.

“One of these days, I’m going to have to charge you for saving your life,” I

said, half-serious. I was truly contemplating whether this girl had some sort of

DeathMarkonher,orsomethingelsefromthenumberoftimesI’vehadtosave

hersofar.

“W-Whatareyoutalkingabout?”shescoffed,lookinganywherebutatme.

“Seriously,Ithinkyou’reinsomeFinalDestinationtypeofshit,”Ijoked,and

sherolledhereyesatmeagain.

“One moment you’re decent, and the next you’re kind of a jerk,” she said,

making me chuckle. “Which one is the real you, really?” she asked, but her

innocentquestionsoberedmeupmorethanitshould.

Why was I doing this? She’s just another job, and my job doesn’t require

pretending to be her friend. What she asked had no correct answer, because

neitheroneofthemaretherealme.

Andshewasnevergoingtofindout.

Chapter12

Georgiana

Six months had passed since I first stepped foot on campus, and every day

givesmeareasontobegratefulthatItookthatfirststep.Ihaddecidedtopursue

adegreeinEnglishLiterature,andthewritingcenterhadhostedacreativeoutlet

intheformofacontesttowhichIwascurrentlyfocusingon.

Otherthanmystellaracademiclife,IfinallyhadfriendsIcouldhangoutwith

andtellstoriesto,classesheldinanactualclassroominsteadofavirtualone,and

aboywhoIwasn’tsurehowIfeltabout.

Rebecca had joked that my life on campus has become one of those

melodramas her mother watched on TV, and despite my annoyance, I had to

admitshewasrightonthemark.

IfeltlikemyrelationshipwithSpencerwasakintothatofawaveonthesand.

It would come closer and closer to the edge, only to backtrack with even greater

distance. Spencer would act so sweet and caring one moment, and then be

completely cold and aloof the next. He was driving me crazy, and the bastard

doesn’tseemtonotice.

IhadtoldRebeccaaboutmyobservations,andshejustlaughedherheadoff

to my annoyance. My mind was going bonkers and she was laughing at her best

friend?

“Youknow,allthisinterestinDowningisreallymakingmethinkthatyou’re

theonewiththeproblem,”shecommented.

“Howcouldthatbe?He’stheonewho’sgivingmeawhiplash,”Icried.

“Yeah,butwhyareyougettingsoworkedupandaffectedoveritifyou’renot

interested in him anyways?” she asked. I blushed immediately at her words, my

mouthopeningandclosingasItriedtostammeroutanexcuse,butRebeccajust

laughedharder.

“Sortoutyourfeelingsfirst,George,andthenyoucangoconfrontSpencerfor

whyhe’sbeingsuchamercurialbastard,”sheadvised,standingupfromherseat

andstruttingofftohernextclass.

All throughout the day, what Rebecca said about sorting out my feelings for

Spenceoccupiedmythoughtsdespitemymanyattemptstoshutitout.Itpained

metoadmitthatdespitemypassioninwritingromance,Iwascompletelynaïvein

mattersoftheheartwhenitpertainedtome.

AndnowIjustrealizedthatwhenI’mdeeplytroubledbysomething,mymind

takesonaslightlyBritish-soundingaccent.Gofigure.

“Youshouldlayoffonthinking.Youlooklikeyou’reinpain,”IfrownedasI

recognizedSpencer’scondescendingtonecomingfrombehindme.

“Shutup,”Igrumbled,ashesatdownontheseatRebeccavacatedmoments

before.Heplantedhischinonhisknucklesashelookedatmepensively.

“What’swrong?”heasked,andIraisedaneyebrowathim.

“Oh,isthisthemomentwhereyou’renicetomebeforeyourunawayagain?”

Iasked,lacingmyvoicewiththesweetestofhoney.TheamusedlookonSpencer’s

facedropped,changingintoamixtureofguiltandembarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” he said, not bothering to explain himself. I waited for him to

elaborate, but moments passed, and he just held his head down, keeping his

mouth shut. I sighed and picked up my bag, throwing my books into it

haphazardly.

“I don’t know why I even bothered asking,” I whispered. “If you don’t even

have good reasons for leading me on, can you do me a favor and stop playing

around?”Iasked.Istoodupandwasabouttowalkpasthimwhenhegrabbedmy

wrist,stoppingme.

“I—I—,”hestammered,conflictreflectinginhiseyesastheymovedrapidly.I

tried to wrench my arm away, but he tightened his grip around my wrist. “Meet

meinfrontofthewritingcenterat9pm,”hesaid.Heletmegoandwalkedoff,

leavingmetostareafterhim.

***

IputmypendownandstretchedmyarmsabovemyheadasIpeeredupat

Rebecca’swallclock.8:57pm.Spencerwasprobablyalreadytherewaitingforme

toarrive.Isnortedatthethought.Serveshimrightforbeingsosketchy.

IhadtakenRebecca’sadviceandmulledovermyfeelingsforhim,andeven

thoughIconfirmedIlikedhimmorethanIshould,Istillwasn’twillingtotalkto

him.WhyshouldIbetheonlyonetosuffer?Iwasn’tthesecretiveonehere,and

heshouldn’tmakefunofmelikethat.Whetherhelikedmeornot,heshouldpick

asideandstandbyit.

My phone rang and I answered, my lips forming into a smirk as I fully

expectedittobetheguyIditched,onlytohearmybrother’svoicefromtheother

line.

“George,areyoubusy?”Darcyasked,andIstraightenedup.Heneverasked

methatquestionunlessheneededtotellmesomethingurgently.

“No,what’sup?”Iasked,mymindalreadygoingtoamillionplaces.

“IfinallyfoundoutwhathappenedyearsagotomakeMomandDadscaredof

lettingyouleavethehouse,”hesaidinarush,andmybreathcaught.

“Howdidyoufindout?”Iasked.

“I’llexplaineverythinglater,becausethat’snottheonlythingIfound.Look,

I’malreadyonmywaytotheairport,andifIdon’tcatchtheredeyetoNC,I’llsee

youtomorrowwhenIland,alright?”hesaid.

“Okay,becarefulonyourway.Iloveyou,”Imurmured.

“Love you too, sis. Gotta go,” I put my phone down and prayed for my

brother’ssafeflight.IwasabouttogetoutofmybedwhenIheardanincessant

tappingonmywindow.Iwalkedovertoitcautiously,swallowingbeforecarefully

sweepingthecurtainsback.

IletoutashriekasIsawSpencer,croucheddowninmyveranda,tappinghis

fingeronthewindow.Hemouthedthewords,“Letmein,”andImovedtolockthe

door first before doing what he asked. He climbed in and collapsed on his back

withanexhaustedsigh.

“Whatareyoudoinghere?”Iasked,glaringathim.Heglaredbackandsatup.

“Youdidn’tcome,”heanswered.

“Andthatgaveyoutheideayoushouldscalethewallsofthehouseuptomy

window?”Icriedloudly.

“Willyoupipedown?Idon’twantyourfreakyRAtocomeupandkickmeout

of here,” he said, covering my mouth with his hand. I narrowed my eyes at him

andextendedmytonguetolickhispalm,makinghimretracthishandandlookat

mewithrevulsion.

“What is so important that you had to sneak into my room at this hour?” I

demanded. He winced and turned away from me, grabbing a fistful of hair from

thebackofhisheadandpullinginfrustration.

“I’vebeenthinkingaboutitallday,andbeforeanythingelse,Ihavetotellyou

thatIcannotgiveyouthewholestory,”hesaid,finallyturningaroundtofaceme.

“Ican’tgiveyouafullexplanation,butIcantellyouaboutthingsthatI’mallowed

totalkabout.”Ifurrowedmybrows,notunderstandinghim.

“Whatareyousaying?”Iasked,makinghimsigh.

“I’m sorry if I keep pushing you away,” he said softly, his eyes revealing his

remorse.“BelievemeIdidn’twanttodoit.Iwanttostaywithyouallthetimeand

teasingyouuntilyou’reblueintheface,butbecauseof—,”hecutoff,wincing.“Of

whatIam,Ican’tdothat.BythetimeIrememberthatIshouldn’tbeflirtingwith

you, it’s already too late, and the only thing I could think of was escaping,” he

admitted.

Istilldidn’tunderstand.

“Whydoyouhavetoavoidme,though?”Iaskedhim.Hereacheduptocomb

hisfingersthroughhishairagain.

“There are just some things in this world you’re better off not knowing,” he

saidbywayofexplanation.

Iplacedmyhandsoneithersideofhisface,cuppinghischeekstenderlyasI

lookedupathim.

“Whateveritisthat’sholdingyouback,Iwantyoutodropitnow,”Iordered,

and his eyes widened. I brushed my thumb against his cheek, smiling at him

softly. “You don’t know how many nights I have agonized over you, wondering

what you really feel about me. And all I ever really wanted as an answer was

whetheryoulikedmeornot,”Isaid.”

“Idolikeyou,”headmittedquickly,andIstooduponmytiptoestopeckhim

onthelips.“Ireallylikeyou.IlikeyoumorethanIshould.”

“Thenshowme,”Iwhispered,pleadingastheheatbetweenourbodiesstarted

toriseupanddrownme.

Hehesitatedforamoment,soItookchargeandplacedmylipsonhisagain,

this time deeper and with more urgency. He wrapped his arms around my back

anddeepenedourkiss,histonguetakingadvantageoftheopeningIgavehimasI

moaned. Our tongues clashed in a wet, slippery dance as he angled his head to

gainbetteraccess,andIwrappedmyarmsaroundhisneckinreply.

We kissed each other for a while, and feeling a little daring, I took the hand

thatwassqueezingmywaistandhitchedituphigher,higheruntilitwascupping

myrightbreast.

Spencerpulledhismouthawayalmostimmediately,shakinghisheaddespite

thedarkeningtingeofhiseyes.

“No, I can’t,” he gasped. “You deserve better than this,” he said, staring into

myeyes.HeloweredhishandandIcovereditwithmyown,preventinghimfrom

pulling away. I bit my lip as I shook my head this time, looking at him with

loweredeyelids.

“Ideserveyou,”Iwhispered.Ididn’tknowwhatcameovermetonight,or

whyIsuddenlygrewabackbone,butonethingwasforsure:IneededSpencer

Downing,andIneededhimnow.

Hestilllookedatmewithconflictedeyes,andsummoningallofthecourageI

gained,Itookastepbackfromhimandraisedmyhandsuptothestrapsofmy

nightie, my fingers taking the thin material and letting it slide passed my

shoulders, down my arms, and onto the floor, revealing myself in all my naked

glory.

Hestoodtherewithhisjawclenched,hiseyestracingeverypartofmelikehe

wascommittingtheimageofmybodytomemory.Istaredbackandlethimlook

hisfill,myconfidenceincreasingasthebulgeinhispantsgrewbiggerandtighter,

makingmefeellikeIwasagoddesswhocamedowntobewiththismortalman.

Alongwiththegrowthofmyconfidencecamemyimpatience,whichledmeto

finallysnapathiminirritation.

“Well,areyougoingtohavemeorjuststareatme?”Igrowled.

He covered the distance between us in just two steps before wrapping his

arms around me and putting his mouth over mine, kissing me with renewed

passion and energy. It wasn’t the sweet, gentle kiss he gave me earlier. It was

rougher,deeper,almostlikehewasravagingmeinstead.

His hands continued to travel all over my body, his fingertips tracing across

mynakedskinandmemorizingthetextureofmyflesh.Theywentlowerandlower

until his hands reached the two ample cheeks of my buttocks, squeezing them

hardbeforeoneofhishandsfounditswayintothePromisedLand.

Itiltedmyheadbackandcriedoutashisfingersslowlymovedinacircular

motion, rubbing against my nether lips, and the bud hidden between them. His

other hand was holding me by my breast, squeezing and twisting my nipple

betweenhisfingersashismouthtrailedalongpathtowardsmyotherbreast.

His lips merely brushed at the skin, but goose bumps quickly emerged

afterwards,likehewascarvingapathtowardstheareolae.Hetwirledhistongue

onmydarkmoundbeforetakingmyelongatednipplebetweenhisteeth,nipping

them hard enough to make me hiss before soothing the pain with the wetness

fromhistongue.

My knees were getting weak. I used my hands and anchored them on

Spencer’s shoulders as he continued to suck mercilessly from my bosom. I

couldn’tkeepmyselfuprightanymoreandIslowlysliddowntothefloor,onlyfor

Spencertopickmeupandplacemeontopofmymattress.Heraisedhisarmsand

reachedbehindhisheadasheleaneddownbeforepullingattheendofhisshirt,

takingitoffcompletely.

Imarveledathowtonedandmuscularhisbodywas,similartothebuildofa

competitiveswimmer.Ilickedmylipsandmyfingerstingled,longingtoexplore

all of that newly uncovered flesh, but Spencer had other ideas. He pushed me

furtheruponthebedsomybuttwashangingoutontheedgeofit,andthenhe

spreadmylegswide.

I tensed up, anticipating his entrance but instead he started peppering my

innerthighswithkisses,slowlycreepingitswaydowntomyverycore.

He looked up at me from over my mound, and licked his lips deliciously. I

closedmyeyesandgaspedasIfeltapinchinmyinnerthigh.Ilookedbackdown

onSpencerandhesmirkedatme.

“Iwantyoutowatchyourselfuntilyoucrumble,”hesaiddarkly,andthenext

thingIknew,mybackshotstraightupandthetopofmyheadwasdiggingintothe

mattress as he drew one long lick between the apex of my thighs, the tip of his

tonguehittingfrombowtostern.

I mewled wildly. It was beyond words, this sexual act, or maybe it was

Spencer’s skilled tongue, but in all of the books I’ve read, they have never been

abletodetailwhathappenswhenamanperformscunnilingussowell.

My fingers buried themselves into Spencer’s scalp, pushing his face deeper

intomypussyandegginghimtokeepgoing.Histongueandlipswererelentless,

and when he swirled his tongue around my clit and bit it hard, that was when I

reachedthatelusivepeak.

IfeltmyorgasmragethrougheverynerveendingsandIcollapsedonmybed,

utterlyspent.Butdespitemyexhaustion,Icouldtellfromthedarkhazethatstill

filledSpencer’seyes,thenightwasfarfromover.

Infact,Ithinkithadjustbegun.

He unbuckled his belt from his pants and then zipped it down, making the

bulge in his pants grow even bigger, something I thought wasn’t possible from

howlargehehadlookedalready.Hepulledthemdownalongwithhisboxers,and

myeyeswidenedashiscocksprungout,juttingproudly.

MyinitialbravadowasimmediatelyblownawayasIstaredathisenormous

erection. Suddenly, the innocent virginal girl inside me took its place, and I felt

nervousatthethoughtofthatpushinginsideofme.

Igulpedandlookedathiscockuncertainly.

“W-willitfit?”Iasked,stammeringslightlyandbetrayingthatmyconfidence

hadgone.Henoddedinaffirmation.

“It’llfit,”headded,butIstillhaddoubts.

“How could you know without giving me proof?” I asked, and he guffawed

loudly. He approached the bed with almost predatory movement, his shoulders

low and his eyes determined and filled with lust that was probably the same as

mine,onlythelatterwashidinginfear.

“I’ll be so good to you, baby,” he whispered, his voice sounding low and

pleasantlydeep.“Ipromise.”

Hewascrawlingovermenow,hishandsfindingmymouthandstrummingit

withhisfingerslikeaguitar,makingmetwirlmyhipsinpleasure,andmymouth

toformasmall‘O’asIsilentlypanted.

“You’reready,”hesaidalmostreverently.“You’resoreadyforme,baby.”

Ifeltthetipofhiscockbrushingagainstmysensitivenub,andIgaspedatthe

contact.Hetookhismemberinhishandandrubbeditovermycoreafewtimes,

gatheringtheclearliquidthatmust’vegatheredtherefrommyinitialorgasm,and

thenhewasgoingin.

His face was a picture of strain and pressure as he inserted himself ever so

slowly inside of me. I bit my lip to keep myself from whimpering in pain as my

wallslooseduptoaccommodatehisgirth.Wewerebothsweatingnow,andwhen

Ifelthimbrushagainstsomethingfromwithinme,Inoddedathimandhekissed

me slowly, distracting me a little from the pain as he tore my maidenhood and

forcedhimselfinsideofmecompletely.

Mytoescurled,andasmallcryescapedfrommymouth,tearscomingoutof

myeyesasIshookfrommyverycore.Hewhisperedapologies,kissingeveryinch

of my skin and wiping at the tears that fell from my eyes. We didn’t move for a

minute,andthentwo,untilIexperimentallymovedmyhipsalittle.

Spencertookitasasignalandheslowlymovedhishipsback,pullinghiscock

out almost completely before driving it back inside again with equal slowness.

Therewassweatgatheringinhisbrow,andIlovinglywipeditawaywithmyfinger

witheachthrust.Thepainebbedandsomethingelsetookitsplace.

I moaned in utter ecstasy at his next thrust, and Spencer’s control snapped.

He pistoned his hips like a madman, increasing in speed and power with each

push and pull, driving my butt into the mattress. I wrapped my legs around his

hips, and started to meet him thrust for thrust, something which he growled

loudly in response. He snapped his hips even deeper, making my breasts swing

wildlyuntilheexpertlycaughtoneswingingnippleintohismouth.

Mypleasurewasrunningthroughmefromallanglesnow,andthehummingI

heardfromdeepinsidemeindicatedIwascomingclosertocompletion.

Spencermust’vefeltittooandhegroaned.

“Come with me, baby,” he whispered harshly, and my body followed,

triggering one powerful orgasm out of me, and making my inner walls clench

tightlyaroundhistalentedcock.

Spencer roared and I felt hot spurts of his semen hit my inner walls, the

impactsendingmeintoobliviononcemore.IwasshakingasIheldSpencerclose

tome,ourskinstickingtoeachotherfromthesweatofourlovemaking.Hepulled

outandIwincedatthebloodbetweenmylegs,mixedinwithhiswhitehotseed,

andhequicklygotupandgrabbedacoupleoftissuesfrommydeskandcleaned

meupverytenderly.

HecrawlednexttomeandIsnuggleduptohim,wrappingmyarmsandlegs

aroundhimlikeakittenafteradeliciousmeal.

“Don’tleaveme,”Ipleaded.

“Never,”hewhispered,holdingmetightlyagainsthim,hisbreathticklingmy

forehead.

Isighedhappilybeforedriftingoffintoablissfulsleep.

Chapter13

Georgiana

“I’mgoingtosignournamesonthesign-upsheetforthevolunteertrip,sothe

two of you better be dressed when I get back,” Rebecca threatened, and Spencer

andIbitourlipstokeepfromlaughing.

Earlier this morning, Rebecca came home to the sight of Spencer and I

wrapped around each other while in our birthday suits. Her scream had startled

us awake, resulting in Spencer falling out of my bed and Rebecca receiving an

eyefulofhismorningwood,whichalsoresultedinanotherscream.

Shecamerighttohersensesthough,andcoveredforuswhenCassieknocked

on our door to know what happened. Rebecca said she saw a giant roach on my

bed,andalthoughSpencerdidn’tlikebeingreferredtoasapest,hegruntedand

said nothing, grateful for Rebecca’s help. She came back and gave us the box of

donuts she bought from the café and even two cups of coffee from the vending

machineforbreakfast,ontheconditionshewouldneverseeuspost-coitalorany

coitalphaseeveragain.

Rebecca took one last look at us before closing the room, and finally it was

just Spencer and me again. We kept quiet as we scarfed down the food my best

friendbrought,contentwithstealingglancesateachotherandsmilingwhenthe

other caught one looking. We were acting like a bunch of fluffy teenagers, and I

lovedit.

Spencertookasipofhiscoffeebeforetappingthebackofmyhandtogetmy

attention.

“You’re meeting your brother later, right?” he asked, and I blinked in

confusion.“YouweretalkingtohimonthephonebeforeIbargedin,remember?”

heremindedandInodded,finallyremembering.

“Yeah, he told me he was going to shoot me a text as soon as he arrived,” I

replied. I bent over to reach my phone, and sure enough, there was a message

from Darcy saying he was going to meet me at a café nearby the campus. I sent

himareply,tellinghimIwasgettingreadytoleave,andIputmyphonedownon

thetable.

“Are you busy today?” I asked, feeling shy all of a sudden. He looked at me

sweetlyandgrinned.

“Whatdoyouhaveinmind?”heasked,rubbinghisindexfingerontheback

ofmyhand.

“Iwasthinkingmaybeyoucancomewithmetoseemybrother,”Isaid,and

hestoppedhisministrations,lookingatmewithaguardedexpressiononhisface.

“I mean, I know you think it’s going too fast, or whatever, but I really want to

knowwherewestand.Ifwe’reonthesamepage,I’dliketointroducethespecial

maninmylifetomyfamilyatsomepoint,andmybrotherwouldbeagoodstart,”

Iexplained,ramblingabitasIsaidmypiecequickly.

Spencerstayedsilentandcontemplative,whichmademeanxious.

“We…weareatthesamepage,aren’twe?”Iaskeduncertainly.

Hesmiledthistimeandgrabbedmyhand,bringingituptohislipstokissmy

knuckles.

“Ifbythesamepage,meaningIconsideryouasmygirlfriendnow,thenyes,I

think we are,” he said nonchalantly. I bit my lip to keep from squealing in

happinessandnodded.

“Soyou’llgo?”Iasked,myheartbeatingfastwithhope,andhenodded,still

smiling.

“Yes. But can I head over to my place first? No offense, but I want to take a

showerandchangemyclothes,atleast,beforeImeetyourbrother.Ireallydon’t

wanttomakeabadimpression,”hesaid,andInodded.

“I’llmeetyouatthecaféthen,”Isaid.

***

“So,whatwasthereasonyouhadtocomeallthiswaytoexplainittome?”I

asked,settlingintotheseatacrossfromDarcy.IhadtextedSpencerthedirections

andhesaidhe’llbeoverinathirtyminutes.Tillthen,Ihadplentyoftimetoprep

mybrotheraboutmynewboyfriend.

“TherearetwothingsIcametotellyouabout,remember?”Darcysaid,taking

asipofhiscoffeebeforecontinuing.“First,thereasonwhyourparentsaresodead

setonkeepingyoulockedupathomehassomethingtodowithme,”hesaid.

“Whatdoyoumean?”

“Iwaslookingupsomeoldnewspaperclippingsforresearch,andIstumbled

acrossacoupleaboutourparentsandme,”Darcysaid,sighing.“Apparently,back

whenIwasasmallkid,somethugsthoughtitwouldbeagoodideatokidnapme

andholdmeforransom.”

“What?”Icried,myeyeswidening.

“I know. Insane, right? But don’t worry, the kidnappers were apprehended,

and nothing much happened to me, apart from the fact I was too young to

rememberwhathappened,”heexplained,pacifyingme.“Iguesstheydidn’twant

arepeatofthat,andthebestwaytheythoughtwastokeepyouinsidethehouse.”

“Butthat’snotmuchofalifeforme,”Igrumbled,stillthinkingitwasunfair

on my part despite now knowing the reason behind my parents’

overprotectiveness. “I mean, how was I supposed to go on with my life like a

prisonerinmyownhome?”Iaskedhim.

“Exactly,thisisprobablywhytheyallowedyoutobesofarawayfromthem.

ButIfoundsomethingelse,”hesaid.Heopenedhisbagandpulledouttwofolders

beforehandingthemovertome.

“What’sthis?”Iasked,openingthefirstfolder.IfrownedasIsawRebecca’s

photofastenedoverthefilesinside.“Havetheybeeninvestigatingmyroommate?”

Iasked,outraged.

DarcyshookhisheadandIfrowned.

“Thenwhatthehellarethese?”Iasked.IputRebecca’sfiledownandpicked

thesecondfolderupasDarcyspoke.

“It seems the reason why our parents are uncharacteristically not worried

aboutyouisbecausetheyhiredpeopletokeepthemupdated,”heremarked.

IfrozeinshockathiswordsasIstareddownatthefile.Noway.Howcould

theyhavedonethis,too?

“George,”Darcysaid,hisvoicegrowingsoft.“Theyhiredbodyguards.”

TheworldstoppedspinningonitsaxisformethatdayasIstaredatthefile,

Spencer’ssilvery-blueeyesstaringbackatme.

“Hello.I’mreallysorryI’mlate.”

Ilookedupattheveryrealfaceofmyboyfriend,andhiseyestookonelookat

myface,thendownonthetabletowherehisfilelaid,andbackintomyeyes.

Thoseeyes…wentwidewithfear.

Chapter14

Spencer

I looked at the files on top of the table and saw my photograph on the first

page before snapping my eyes back up to George’s, and reality hit me like cold

waterintheface.

Shefoundout.

Theshockedlookonherfaceturnedintoamixtureofangeranddevastation

asshegotupandranoutthedoor,evadingmyhandwhenIreachedouttotryand

stopher.

Herbrotherstoodupandglaredatme,grabbingthecollarofmyjacketwith

onehand.

“You,”hesaidgruffly,tighteninghisgriponmyclothes.“Tellmeeverything.

Now,”Islappedhishandsoffofmeandlookedaway

“I’llexplaineverythinglater,butrightnow,Ihavetogo,”Isaid.

Iranoutofthecafé,ignoringhiscall.Shecouldn’thavegottenfar.

Theskycrackledandhissed,thecloudsdarkeningthesky,andIcursedasthe

rain pelted heavily, soaking me in an instant. She didn’t bring an umbrella with

hereither,soshe’sprobablyinthesamestateasIam.Goddamnit,whydidshe

havetorunofflikethat?

IgaspedinreliefasIsawherrunningaheadofme,andIincreasedmypace

untilIwasrightbehindher.Ireachedoverandgrabbedherbythewrist,pulling

her towards me. She spun around and I caught her in my arms to steady her. I

openedmymouthtoexplainbutshelookedupandstaredatmewithsuch…rage.

InallmyyearsservingasaMarine,Iwascertainthatmytraininghadreadied

meforanything.Beitrainorsleetorsnow,orevenfuckingsandstorms,I’vefaced

anykindofbattlethroughtheharshestofelementsintheworld.I’velivedthrough

multiple types of torture, pain, gunshot wounds, road rashes, broken bones, and

eventhenastieronesthatcould’vekilledmeifIhadn’treceivedmedicalattention

soquickly.TheseexperiencesmademeconfidentthatIcouldwithstandanything

lifethrewatme.

But right now, under the devastated look in her eyes, as they pooled with

unshed tears, her nose flaring with anger, her mouth stuck in a grimace as she

tried to keep herself from crying or maybe from screaming at my face…nothing

couldhavepreparedmeforthis.

Iwantedtoholdherbytheshouldersandstartshakingher,yellatherthatit

wasn’tmyfault.Iwantedtotellherthatthiswasmyjob,andthatIneverwanted

tobetrayhertrust.Butinsteadwhatcameoutofmymouthwas—

“Ididn’tmeanforittogothisfar,”Isaid,chokingonmywords.

Idiot.

ShelookedatmelikeIhadjuststabbedherrightintheheart,andshetooka

step back from me, her bottom lip shaking. Snow had started to fall, and she

lookedsobeautifulwithitdottingherhairandeyelashes.ItamazedmethatIwas

stillabletothinkaboutherlikethatwhenshelookedsoheartbrokenoverme.

“Thatcameoutwrong,”Isaid,tryingtotakeitbackwithashakeofmyhead.

“WhatImeantwas—,”

“Stop,”shepleaded,andIlookedatherhelplessly.Icouldn’tstop.Ineededto

explain!

Iopenedmymouth,butsheraisedherhandtostopme,shakingherhead.

“Please,”shewhispered,andthewordsdiedinmythroat.

“I’m tired of this, Spence,” she said. “I’m tired and I don’t want to hear any

moreofyourlies.”

“Youdon’tunderstand,George,”Ireplied.“Ihadtodoit.”

“Youcould’veexplainedwhy!”shecried.

“Itwasmyjob!”Iyelledback,stoppingmyselffromreachingformyscalpand

pullingmyhairout.“IhadtolietoyousoIcoulddomyjob,”Isaid,hopingshe’d

understand.“It’snotlikeI’mtheonlyonewholiedaboutit!”

“Butyou’retheonlyonewhomatteredtome!”shescreamed,tearsstreaming

downherfaceasherdeclarationstruckmetothecore.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a long moment. She opened

themagain,andhersofteyeswerenolongerpresent.Hereyeshardened,steeling

theirgazeonme.

“And I suppose that…,” she quipped, and my heart broke at the lack of

emotion in her voice. “That being with me was just another part of the job, too,

huh?”

“George—,”Istartedtosay,butsheliftedherhandtostopmefromspeaking.

“Idon’twanttohearit!”shecried.

“Listen to me!” I bellowed, making her jump. “It may have started out that

way.Iadmitthat!ButIsweartoGod,Georgiana,eachdaythatpassed,eachdayI

got to spend with you, talk to you, hell just being with you, stopped being about

myjob,andbecamemorebecauseIcouldn’tgetenoughofyou!”

Igrabbedbothofhershouldersandsqueezed,begginghertolookatmeand

understand.

“ThereasonwemetisbecauseIwashiredtobeyourprotector.Butthereason

IstayedisbecauseIloveyou,”Iwhispered.Shelookedupandglaredatme,the

hatredinhereyescreatingcracksinmyheart.

“Saveit,”shehissed,clenchingherteeth.

Shetookastepbackandthenturnedaroundtowalkaway.Ijuststoodthere,

nottakingasinglestep,asinglemove,tocomeafterher.

The war couldn’t break the great Spencer Downing, but a girl named

GeorgianaPrattsurecould.

Chapter15

Georgiana

Iunhookedallofmyclothesfromtheclosetandfoldedthemneatly,thesame

way Rebecca showed me how to conserve space the first time she saw how

disorganizedmystuffwas.Shestoodinthecornerwatchingmeanxiously,butI

wastoodisappointedtocare.

I had called Darcy and told him I was home safely, but I refused to tell him

why I was so upset when I found out about Spencer. I didn’t think he would’ve

takentookindlytothenews,especiallythefactthattheguywhowassupposedto

protectmehadsexwithmeinstead.

“George,Ireallyhopeyou’renotleavingbecauseofme,”shesaidsoftly,andI

sighedasIputthelidofmysuitcasedown.

“AlthoughI’mdisappointedyoudidn’ttellmeyouwerehiredbymyparents

as my bodyguard too,” I said, and she flinched. “I have to admit, you’re not the

onlyreasonIwanttogetoutofhere.”

“Look, I know it sucked that Spencer and I didn’t tell you, but you have to

understand,wehadourreasonstodoso.Wedidn’tevenknowwewerebothhired

byyourparents,andI’mprettysureSpencerstilldoesn’tevenknow.Iwashired

asafailsafe.”shetrailedoff,andmynostrilsflaredasIturnedaroundandlooked

atRebeccahard.

“Letmeaskyouonething,”Isaid.“Wouldyouhavegottenclosetomeifyou

weren’thiredtobemybodyguards?”Iasked.

She took a step towards me, and leveled me with a stern expression of her

own.

“Would you have let us get close to you if you had found out we were?” she

askedback.

MyjawvibratedasIheldbackmytears.Thatwasalowblow,Rebecca.

“Ihavetofinishpackingmystuff,”Isaid,turningawayfromher.

“Areyoutransferringroomsnow?”sheasked.

“Not for a while, but I’d like to be ready when that happens,” I answered

honestly. “But right now, I’m packing my stuff for the volunteer camp at the

elementaryschool.”

“Ihaveabadfeelingaboutthat,George,”Rebeccasaidseriously.

“Well,tough.I’mstillgoing,andthere’snothingyouoryourfeelingscando

aboutit.”

***

Volunteeringatasmallelementaryschooloffcampuswasquitefulfilling,and

itdistractedmefromthinkingaboutSpencer.

I knew avoiding him was a coward’s way out, and wouldn’t ever solve the

problem,butIdidn’tknowwhatelsetodo.Iwasconflictedaboutmyfeelings,and

ifIcouldevertrustSpenceragainafterwhathedidtome.

IwasstillpissedoffatRebeccaalittletoo,andIsnubbedhereveryattemptat

conversation. It ruffled my feathers more when I found out she still went and

signed up for this volunteer trip as well, but after a while, I got used to it. She

didn’tbothermemuch,anyway.

“Bigsister,lookatthisdrawingImadeforyou.”

I wiped the single tear that escaped from my eye and greeted little Timothy

with a big smile. The five year old loved to draw, and it warmed my heart every

timeheaddressedmeashiseldersister.

And it wasn’t just Timothy I had bonded with during my stay, but the other

littlekids,aswell.Takingcareofthemhelpedmeforgetallaboutmyworries,and

Spencer,andeverythingelse,evenifjustforalittlewhile.

I oohed and aahed over Timothy’s drawing before checking in on the other

children’sprogresswhenaloudbangrangoutandsentchillsdownmyspine.

The children immediately stopped whatever they were doing, startled by the

noise,whenanotherbangrangout.ThistimeIwascertainwhatthesoundswere.

Gunshots.

Thechildrenlookedateachotherinfear,andIquicklyrushedtothedoorand

pulleditshut,puttingthelockinplace.Iputafingeratmylipstotellthekidsto

be quiet before ushering them behind the teacher’s desk. I let a few of them get

underthetable,andIhuggedtherest,hopingthechildrendidn’tnoticehowfast

myheartwasbeating.

I saw my phone light up on the other side of the room, and I grimaced as I

realizeditmust’vefallenoutofmypocketearlier.Rebeccawasontheothersideof

the school in charge of another class, and I prayed the shooter didn’t come into

eitheroneofourrooms.

Please,God.Letusbesafe!

***

Spencer

“Whatdoyoumeanbackupisn’tontheway?!”Iexclaimed,asIglaredatthe

computer screen, watching reports of a school shooting where Georgiana was.

Elliot was typing rapidly on his keyboard using the other monitor, trying to find

outwhatwashappeninginside.

“I’msorry,Spencer,butthemenIsentoverwon’tbethereintime.Theschool

isinaruralsmalltown,andIbelievetheyonlyhaveacouplesheriffs.Thereisno

waythey’regoingintheregunsblazingtostoptheshooterthatquickly.Itmaybe

toolate,”Chasesaid.

“Then what about George? What about those children she’s with? Each

secondwewasteisanothervictimtoaddtothebodycount!”Ibellowed.

“Youdon’tthinkIknowthat?”hecriedback.“Ididn’tthinkanythinglikethis

wouldeverhappen.”

Idroppedthecallandslammedmyfistintoawallinanger,startlingElliotso

muchhejumpedinhisseat.WhatthefuckwasIgoingtodo?

Myphonelitupagain,andIhadhalfamindtotellChasetoshoveitwhenI

realizeditwasTylercalling.Suddenly,Ihadanideaandansweredthecall.

“Hey, Tyler? Can you and your frat boys come over to my dorm?” I said

desperately.“Ineedyourhelp.”

As soon as Tyler, Carlos, and a few of their frat guys arrived, I immediately

toldthemaboutthesituation.Ialsocamecleanaboutmyidentity,andhowIwas

hiredbyGeorge’sparentstobeherprotector.Theguysalllookedateachotherfor

afewsecondsbeforenodding,andthenTylerlookedatme,theirfacesfilledwith

determination.

“Sowhat’stheplan,brother?”Tylerasked,andIsmiled.IlookedoveratElliot

next,andheadjustedhiseyeglassesashestaredbackatme.

“Surelyyouweren’texpectingmenottoparticipate?”heasked.

“Shorty,nooffensebut—,”Carlosstarted,andElliotnarrowedhiseyesathim.

“Whatcanyoudo?”heasked.Elliotsmirkedconfidentlyandcrackedhisfingers.

“You Neanderthals listen to Downing’s plan while I use my hacking skills to

openupapathforyou,”hesaid.

“Youcandothat?”Iaskedinamazement.

“Idon’tjustplaygamesonmycomputer,youknow,”Elliotreplied,rollinghis

eyesatme.

I smiled and discussed the plan, as Elliot would provide us with additional

inforegardingtheschool’slayoutandfastestroutetogetthere.

“I’llhackintotheirsecuritycameras,soI’llupdateyouonyourphoneonceI

getin,”Elliotsaid.

Icouldn’tbelievetheluckIhad.Hereweretheseguysreadytohelpmeata

moment’snotice,andwithoutaskinganythinginreturn.IhadsomenewfriendsI

couldcounton.

IrodeinCarlos’scaralongwithMitchellandEvan,whileTylerandtherest

followedinNick’sSUV.Theplanwasprettysimple:Tylerandhisguysweregoing

to create a diversion and distract whatever cops might be there guarding the

school, while I sneak in. I asked Carlos and the others to let me go by myself to

reducetheriskoftheirlives,buttheyrefused.Still,Itoldthemnottogetaheadof

themselves,ortakeanyactionontheirown,buttocallmeiftheycaughtanysight

oftheshooterorGeorgiana.

Wearrivedattheschoolandstillnocopsyet.Whatthehell?ItoldTylerand

theboystohangback,whileIwentinquietly,closingthedoorbehindme.Ipulled

thegunfrombehindmybackandhelditattheready.Ikeptmystepslightand

quiet,peekingthroughtheemptyroomsforanysignofGeorge.

Myphonevibratedinmypocket,andIcheckedonElliot’stext.

Gotcamerafeed.Can’tlocateshooteryet.

Hesentmeanothertext,andmyheartskippedabeat.

Foundher!Headdownthehall,turnright,6doorsdown.

I put my phone back in my pocket and headed down the hall to turn right,

whenaflashoflightcaughtmyattention.

Thefootstepsquickened,andIplacedmyflashlightunderthebuttofmygun,

pointingitdirectlytothenoisewhenafigureemerged.

ItwasRebecca.AndRebeccawaspointinghergunatme,too.

Chapter16

Spencer

I looked at the gun in Rebecca’s hand, and then to her face in complete

confusion.WhywasGeorge’sfriendpointingagunatme?Andwhydoesitlook

likeshe’shandledweaponsbefore?

Theexpressiononherfaceclearlyreflectedmine,soIwhispered.

“Whatareyoudoinghere,Rebecca?”Iasked.

“Icouldaskyouthesamething,”shefiredback,makingmebaremyteethin

frustration.Wedidn’thavetimeforthisshit.

“I’mGeorge’sbodyguard,”Iadmitted,andshelookedatme.

“Yes I know, but so am I,” she said, shaking her head. My eyes widened in

disbelief.Whatthefuckwasshetalkingabout?

“Herparentshiredme,”Isaid,keepingmyguntrainedonher.

Sheclosedhereyesandstraightenedupwithascoff.Ifurrowedmybrowsat

herandwaitedforhertoelaborate.

“Look,theyhiredmetoo,justincase.”sheadmitted,andIcouldtellfromher

eyesshewastellingmethetruth.

Sonofabitch.Rebeccawasafailsafe.TheyhiredherjustincaseIdidn’tdo

myjobright.Unbelievable.SothatwaswhyIcaughtheraroundcampuslooking

allsuspiciousonceortwice.Becausewewerescopingoutthesameplaces,making

sureitwassafe.

Clearly, the last thing we expected was a school shooting where George was

volunteeringat.

Idroppedthematterfornow,andturnedmygunawayfromher,pointingit

towards the narrow hallway instead. “Do you have a location on the shooter?” I

asked,andsheshookherhead.

“Iheardgunshotscomingfromthesecondfloor.Ijusthopenoonegothurt

or…,”shetrailedoff,andIdidn’twanttothinkaboutthepartsheleftunsaid.

“Comeon.ElliothackedintothecamerasandtextedmewhereGeorgeis,so

let’sgo,”Isaid,andshenodded.

We ran towards the room and tried to open the door but it was locked. I

knockedontheglassandcouldn’thelpbutcryout.

“George!It’sme!Openup!”

Isawaheadpeekoutfrombehindthedesk,andIcouldn’thelpbutsmilein

reliefasIrecognizedthetopofGeorgiana’shead.Shestoodupandrushedoverto

open the door, and Rebecca and I went inside, locking the door again. I yanked

Georgianaintomyarms,embracinghertightasIsilentlycommandedmyheartto

calmthefuckdown.

Shewashere.Shewassafe.Shewaswithme.

“Howdidyou—?”IplacedafingeronGeorge’slipsandshushedher.

“I’lltellyoulater,butrightnow,wehavetogeteveryoneoutofhere,”Isaid.I

feltmyphonevibrateagain,andIpulleditoutandreadthemessage.

Shooteriscomingcloser!

I pushed Georgiana away and cupped her cheeks in my hands, making her

lookdirectlyintomyeyes.

“I need you to stay here a little bit longer,” I said, and she held my wrists

anxiously.

“W-whatareyougoingtodo?”sheasked,andIhushedher,pushingheraway

fromme.IlookedovertoRebeccawhowaskeepingpostbythedoor.

“Guardthedoor,andmakesurenothinghappenstothem,”Iordered,andshe

clenchedherjaw,nodding.

“Becarefuloutthere,”shesaid.

“No, Spence! Don’t!” Georgiana cried, reaching out to clutch at my shirt. I

pulledherhandsawayfrommychestandkissedherforehead.

“I’llcomebackforyou.Iswearit.”

Iwalkedoutoftheroomandwaitedinthemiddleofthecorridor,mymuscles

tensingasIsawafigureapproachfromthedarkness.

Ishinedmyflashlightathimandhesquinted,bringinghishandsuptoshield

hisface.Judgingfromthewayheswayedashewalked,andthedisorientedlook

onhisface,itmademerealizethisfuckingdouchebagwasonsomething.Hewas

holdingarevolverlooselyinhishandanddragginghisfeettowardsme.

Hedrunkenlyraisedhisgunup,andIwenttofirebutmygunjammed.Shit!

Withouthesitation,andclearlynoticingthestatehewasin,Iwastentimesfaster,

soIjustrushedathimashardasIcould,andslammedhimdowntothefloor.I

smackedthegunawayfromhishand,punchedhimintheface,andthenjustsat

onhischest,disablinghim.

I heard Rebecca come out, and then Georgiana’s voice speaking over the

phonetellingthecopstheshooterhadbeencaught.Rebeccakneltbymysideand

helpedmesubduethefucker,wrappinghisarmsupwithhisownjacketwhilewe

waitedforthecopstogetin.

“Youknow,Iwasactuallyhopingformoreofafight,”Iadmitted,andIfelta

handgripatmyarmstrongly,makingmegrimaceinpain.

“Don’t say that! Something bad could’ve happened to you!” Georgiana cried.

Shequicklypulledaway,hercheeksturningred.

Shebitherlipandlookedawayfromme,playingwithherfingersnervously.

Myjawtensedup,andItiltedherchinupwithmyfinger.

“I’mreallysorryabout—,”Istartedtosaybutshecutmeoff.

“No,I’msorry,”sheinsisted.“Ishouldn’thavebeensomadatyou.IthoughtI

wouldbeabletotakecareofmyself,andIfailedtorealizethatyouandRebecca

werejusttryingtohelpme.”

“Iwasplanningtotellyou,”Itoldheragain.“Thatnightinyourroom,Ihad

alreadymadeadecisiontotellyoueverything.Ididn’twanttolietoyouanymore,

andIdidn’twantyoutothinkIwasusingyou.”

“So,whenyoutoldmeyoulovedme,youwere…,”shetrailedoff.

“Iwastellingyouthetruth,”Isaidsoftly,myhandcominguptotuckawaya

strayhairbehindherear.

“Shelovesyoutoo,youknow,”Rebeccasaid,andInoticedGeorgianaglareat

herbestfriend,whoshruggednonchalantly.“What?Youwouldn’thavegottenso

madathimifyoudidn’tcare,”shesaid.

“Isthattrue?”Iasked,teasingmygirl.Sherolledhereyesandtappedmeon

thenoseplayfully.

“It’strue,”shemumbled.Ichuckledatherreluctanthonesty,andplacedmy

handsonherhips,squeezinglightly.

“Justmakeupandkissalready!”Rebeccashouted.

“I really hate your best friend,” I muttered, scowling. George giggled at me,

coaxing a smile from me in return. “So, are you ready to give us another go?” I

asked,alittleworriedofheranswer.

“You have to promise me something,” she said, looking at me seriously. “No

morelies.”

Inoddedandleaneddowntopeckheronthelips.

“I promise, baby. All truths from here on out, I swear.” And I wasn’t just

sayingthattomakeherfeelbetter.Iknewthatforthistowork,mywordwasmy

bond,andIabsolutelywithallmyheartwasgoingtomakegoodonthatpromise.

IhadfallenhardforGeorgiana,andItrulylovedthiswomantomyverycore.

SoIkissedhertosealthedeal.

Epilogue

Georgiana

4yearslater…

We threw our matriculation caps high into the air, signaling the end of our

journeyascollegestudents,andthebeginningofmylifeintherealworld.

After that promise to always tell the truth, there were so many things that

happenedtoSpencerandme.

TherewereperiodswhereIcrawledintoSpencer’sarmsbecauseIwantedto

giveuponmystudies,onlyforhimtobuildmeupagain.Therewereothertimes

whereIcametohimtodelivergoodnews,andhe’dalwaysmakesureIcelebrated

with everyone I valued. There were other moments where Spencer was the one

whofeltdown,anditwasuptometopickhimupagainandmakehimhappy.

Even on the days we clashed, and went without talking to each other, we

always made up and later talked about what happened. Because we knew were

alwaystellingthetruth,itmadeourrelationshipstronger.Itwasn’tperfect,butit

washonest,andthat’sallIcaredabout.

Besidesmylovelife,alotofotherthingshappenedaswell.

I made up with my parents after talking everything over, including Darcy’s

past and my bodyguards. Although they weren’t too keen on Spencer being my

boyfriend as well, they trusted me enough now to make my own decisions,

especiallywhenSpencerpromisedtoalwaysprotectmeandmakesureIwasokay.

MyfriendshipwithRebeccaremainedintact,too.Sheofficiallyresignedfrom

beingmybodyguardonmysecondyearinUNC,andshegraduatedonherowna

yearbeforeme.Iheardshe’sprotectingapolitician’sdaughternow.

Spencer’sbrother,Chase,hadorderedSpencertofinishhiscollegeeducation,

and to everybody’s surprise, he switched his course to Philosophy. He had also

pledgedunderPGAnottoolongaftertheshootout,draggingElliotwithhim,and

Tylerandhiscrewwelcomedbothofthemwithopenarms.

“Georgiana! Honey! Over here,” I shook my head as my parents strutted

towardme,mymothertacklingmewithabighug.“Mydaughter,agraduate!Iam

soproudofyou!”mymothersaid,hereyesslightlytearywithjoy.

“You ready to move back in with us, kiddo?” Dad asked, handing me a

beautifulbouquetofroses.Itooktheflowersfromhimandgracedthemallwitha

bigsmile.

“Oh, didn’t Darcy tell you?” I asked, mentally laughing as my parents’ faces

morphedintoworry.“I’mmovinginwithmyboyfriend!”

As if on cue, I felt Spencer’s arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me

againsthischestbeforegivingmeasmackonthecheek.Henoddedtowardsmy

parentspolitely.

“Hello,Mr.andMrs.Pratt,”hegreeted.“Ifyoudon’tmind,I’llneedtosteal

yourdaughterawayforamoment.”

Not bothering to wait for their reply, he took my hand and pulled me away

from my parents with the crowd of students still gathered in the hall. He spun

aroundandplacedhishandsonmyhipsagain,leaninghisforeheadagainstmine

withanexhaustedsigh.

“What?Didmyboyfriendgettiredaftergivingagraduationspeech?”Iteased

him.

“Ha. Actually, I can’t wait until we get to our new apartment,” he answered.

“Haveyoutoldyourparentsalready?”

Inodded.

“Howdidtheytakeit?”heasked.

“Youwereabletopullmeawaybeforetheycanprotest,sogoodjob,”Isaid,

praisinghisperfecttiming.Hechuckledandtippedanimaginaryhatatme.

“Iaimtoplease,mydear,”hereplied.Ireachedupandgavehimakissonthe

cornerofhislips,andhiseyesdarkened.Iknewthatlook.It’sthelookhealways

gotwheneverhewantedtoravageme.

“I really want to christen every inch of our apartment now,” he whispered,

makingmebitemylipexcitedly.

“Well then,” I murmured, lowering my voice into a soft purr that always

seemedtodrivehimwild.“Maybeweshouldgetaheadstart,”Isaid.

Hedidn’tneedmetotellhimtwice.

TheEnd

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Prologue

Angela

IneverthoughtthatthiswashowIwasgoingtodie.

My heart was hammering in my chest as I looked into his wild, wide hazel

eyes.Hisjawwastaut,hisnostrilsflaring,buthisgazewassteadyandunwavering

ashestarednotintomyown,butatthebarrelofthegunthatwaspressingharder

againstmytemple.

ThearmholdingmearoundmynecktightenedandIcouldn’tstopthetears

from forming in the corners of my eyes. I could feel this crazed man’s breath

againstmyscalp,couldsmellthealcoholandsmokefromhismouthanditsenta

chilldownmyspine.

“That’s right, big guy,” my captor said, taking a step back and dragging me

with him, using my body as a shield. “If you try anything, I’m gonna blow her

brainsout.”

HisAdam’sapplebobbedupanddownagainasheswallowedbeforeglancing

at me. I looked at him in despair, hoping that my eyes translated everything I

wantedtosaytohim.

I’msorryIgotyouintothismess.

I’msorryforlettingyoudown.

I’msorryforcomingbackintoyourlifeandruiningitforyou.

I’msorryforbeingme.

Hisexpressiondidn’tchangeandsodidhisgriponhisgun,keepinghisarm

straightandpointedatus.

Ifeltmycaptor’sbreathchangequicklyandheadjustedhisholdaroundme.

“I’m serious! Aren’t you going to put the gun down? I’m gonna kill her!” he

exclaimed.

Danielpulledatthesafetyoffthegunbeforeshakinghishead.

“No.”hesaidcurtly.

Iclosedmyeyes.

Andthenabang.

Chapter1

Angela

I adjusted my hoodie over my head as I walked the few blocks back to my

apartment,ortherubbleIcouldbarelyaffordafterscrapingupeverylastdollarI

had left of my savings. Travelling and acquiring new IDs and documents had

takenthebruntofmymoney,buttherewasn’tmuchIcoulddoaboutthat.

Ihadtogetoutofthatcity.Stayingwouldhaveledtomydeath.

I see a couple of people walking at the other side of the road and I keep my

head down, trying to make myself as small as possible. I turned my head to the

sideandwatchedthemturntheotherwayandIletoutasmallsigh.Iwassafe…

fornow.

Theconstantparanoiaofsomeonefollowingmeandwatchingmyeverymove

waseatingawayatmyremainingsanity,butitwastooearlyformetorelax.Big

Boss and his henchmen might not have figured out where I am now, but it was

onlyamatteroftimeuntilhedidfigureoutmywhereabouts.

Granted,goingbacktomyhometownhereinLouisianawasprobablynotthe

bestidea,butIcountedontheBigBoss’sknowledgeofmyhistorytoassumethatI

would never go back here. My parents were long gone and I didn’t have any

brothersorsisters.Myparentsdidn’thaveanylivingrelatives,either,oratleast,

notthatIknowof.AndIdefinitelydidn’thaveanyfriendshere,notsincemyonly

friendleftandjoinedtheArmy.Ididn’tevenknowifhewasstillalive.

Ireachedmybuildinganddecidedtotakethestairsinstead.Thebuildingwas

old and rundown and I highly doubt the elevator was in a better condition. It

would probably break into a stop in between floors and I’d get stuck inside for

hours…yeah,notmyideaoffun.

Iturnedtowardsmyapartmentdoorandquicklydidthelockbeforeheading

insideandplacingthebagofinstantnoodlepacksonthekitchencounter.These

could probably keep me full for a couple of days, but they weren’t going to last

long.Ihadtofindajobsoon.

I went inside my room and fell back against the mattress, feeling the

adrenaline leave my body and making way for exhaustion to take over. I was

gettingusedtomybodyalwaysonthealert,thehairsonmyneckalwaysraisedup

andmyeyesdartingleftandrightforanysignofdangeruntilIgothomeandmy

mindhadsettledtotheideaofsafetyitprovided.Iturnedonmybellyandsighed.

Where had my life started going downhill? What did I do in the past life to

deservethis?WhydidIchoosetogetoutoftheclubthatnightandseewhatIhad

seen? If even the last thought hadn’t happened, my life would be so much

different.

ButifIhadn’twitnessedwhathappenedthatnight…wouldIhavestayed?

Maybe not. Maybe I still would’ve left LA, but probably after I had saved

enoughmoney,hadmoreofaconcreteplanthanpackingmybagsandgettingon

thenexttrainboundtoanywhere…

Afterall,workingasastripperwasn’texactlythedreamjobIhadinmind.

Mymindimmediatelywentbacktothatfatefulday,andIswearitwaslikeI

wasbackintheclubagain.Theheadyperfumeoftheotherstrippersandtheblast

ofmusicfromthestereoslowlyfilledmysenseslikeIwasactuallythere.

I had just finished my first set and was circling the tables for anyone

wanting a lap dance when I saw the owner, Alfred, call me over from the VIP

Booth.Iwincedalittleatthis.Itwasabaddecisiononmyparttosuccumbtohis

advances.Evenataplacelikethis,arelationshipbetweenanemployerandan

employeewasneveragoodidea.ButAlfredwassoaggressiveandhot,itonly

tookhimafewweeksuntilmydefensescrumbled.

Itwasgoodforawhile,buthispossessiveyetsecretivenaturefinallyate

awayatourrelationshipuntilIfinallyhadtocallitquits.

Yes,itwasprettyballsyofmetobreakitoffwithmyboss,butithadtobe

done.IshouldbegratefulIstillhaveajob,nomatterhowhumiliatingitis.

Butcallingmeoverlikethis?It’snothelping.

I squared my shoulders and walked up the steps to the VIP Room, the two

burlyguardsstandingbythedoorsgivingmeaquicknodbeforemovingtothe

sidetoletmein.

MyeyesscannedthetwogentlemensittingadjacentAlfredandtheotherone

occupying the solo sofa on the side. Judging from the suits they were wearing,

they were probably here to discuss business with Alfred. Other than the club, I

didn’tknowwhatelseAlfredoccupiedhimselfwith,andtheonetimeIaskedhim

aboutotherbusinessdealings,thechillinglookhegavemesentshiversdownmy

spinethatIdarednotaskhimagain.

AlfredflickedhiswristoveratmeandIquicklysaunteredoverandsaton

hislap,myarmswrappingaroundhisshouldersdaintily.Heplacedhishandon

myhipsandsqueezed,hardenoughtomakemebitemyliptokeepfromcrying

out. The three men ogled and leered at me creepily, despite the fact that there

weretwootherofmyco-workerskeepingthemcompany.

“She’s quite a looker there, Alfred. Is she the one I’ve been hearing rumors

about?”oneofthemensaid,hiseyessweepingovermybodyandlickinghislips

likehewasstaringataprimerib.Menlikehimmademefeelworseaboutdoing

thisjob.

Alfredsmirkedandplacedhishandonmyback,rubbingitincircles.“Angel

here is our best dancer. She’s frequently asked for by the clientele,” he boasted

proudly,andIgavetheseassholesmybestflirtysmile.JustbecauseIhatethem

doesn’tmeanIshouldn’ttrytosqueezeeverylastdollarIcouldgetfromthem.

I could feel the glares coming from the other women and I rolled my eyes

slightly at them. If they were pissed off that I could be getting a tip from their

guys, then I don’t care. A girl’s got to make a living, after all. Besides, Alfred

wouldn’thavecalledmeoverhereiftheyweredoingtheirjobsright.

“Do you mind if we have a turn with her?” one of them asked, and Alfred

shookhishead,stillsmiling.

“Nah,boys.Ilikekeepinghertomyself,ifyouknowwhatImean,”hesaid,

raisinghiseyebrowsmeaningfullyandmakingthemenallroarwithlaughter.

That’sright.I’mjustatrophytoshowoffforhim.

I didn’t pay attention to what the men talk about next, and instead I busy

myselfwithservingAlfreddrinksorwigglingmyassinhislaponceortwice,the

way he likes it. I let my mind wander until he ordered me to leave, but before

that,themenbeggedmeforadanceonthepoleatthecorner.IlookedtoAlfred

forapproval,andhegavemeaslightnod.

Aftermydance,IcameoutoftheVIPRoomwithawadofcashandasighof

reliefthatwiththisamountofmoneyIearned,Iwasdonefortheweek.

Istillhadonemoresettofinishthough,soIbracedmyselfforthetwohour

waitbeforeanotherroundofdancingandstrippingonstage.

Iwasfeelingabitparchedafterthat,soIwentovertothebartogetadrink.

IsawAlfredandhiscompanygetoutoftheVIPRoomandoutbythebackdoor,

which was funny because only employees got to use that exit. I shrugged it off

and had some wine before heading off to the dressing room to get out of my

costumeandintomyclothes.Isaidmygoodbyestotherestofthefolks,tookout

mypay,andheadedouttheback.

ThatwaswhenIheardthesoundofgunshotscomingoneaftertheother.

I woke up in my bed, my hair clinging to my face and neck because I was

sweating.Islammedtheheelofmypalmdownonmyalarmclock,cursingitfor

startlingme.Ididn’tevenrealizethatIhadfallenasleep.

MystomachgrumbledandIwipedthehairoffofmyfacewiththebackofmy

handbeforegettingoutofbed.Ishouldcookupthosenoodlesfordinnerandtry

toforgetaboutwhathappenedforabit.

The image of those three bloody bodies in the alley popped into my head

again, making me shudder. All three of those lecherous men died at Alfred’s

smokinggun.IrememberedIwastooshockedtomove,andIwasbarelyableto

stiflethegaspthatescapedmymouthbycoveringitwithmyhand.

Heheardmethough.Ispunaroundandpressedmyselfagainstthewallthe

momenthelookedup.WhenIheardhimandhismenstarttomovetowardsme,I

ranbackinsidetheclubandgotouttheotherway.

That was the scariest moment of my life, even though, in a way, I was still

running.Ididn’tknowhowlongI’dberunningfor,andImightnotbeabletolast.

Ihadnofamilytoturntoandnofriendstoaskforhelpwith.Iwasalone,and

atthisrate,Iwasgoingtodie.

Chapter2

Daniel

Ispottedmydufflecomingoutoftheconveyorbeltandwaitedforittocome

near me before pulling it off and to the floor. I slung my backpack behind me

before heaving my duffel over my back, keeping a tight grip on the handle and

mademywayoutoftheairport.

Now,I’mprettysuresomeonewassupposedtopickmeup—

“Daniel!Hey!Overhere!”IheardsomeonecryoutandIturnedmyheadand

smiledatmyyoungerbrother,Ryan,runningtowardsme.Heskiddedintoastop

andplacedhishandsontopofhisknees,tryingtocatchhisbreathandIchuckled.

“Youknow,youdidn’thavetorunallthewayoverhere,”Itoldhim,andhe

lookedatmeindignantly.

“’I haven’t seen you in eight years! Did you really expect me to walk in

excitement?”heasked,andIruffledhishairaffectionately.

“Well, I’m glad to see you haven’t changed a bit,” I said, and he swiped my

handsawaywithascowl.

“Yes,Idid!Igrewoverafootandahalftaller!”hesaid,raisinghimselftohis

full height. He has grown a lot since I last saw him, but the physical changes of

pubertyaside,hewasstillthejoviallittlebrotherIsaidgoodbyetoyearsago.

“So,how’sMom?”Iasked,lettinghimhelpmewithmybackpack.

“She’s okay. She and Gran are cooking up a storm because you’re finally

home. It’s been a while since they made a huge spread,” Ryan said, turning his

headtolookaway.

Ialreadyknewthewordsheleftunsaid.Theyhadn’tbeencookingalotever

sinceDaddied.

I got into the car and put the windows down, letting the good old Louisiana

windhitmyface.I’vemissedit.Imissedhome.Iamsogladtobeback.

“Man,thebreezefeelsgreat,”Igasped,takingadeepbreathofthatfreshair.

Ryansnorted.

“Great?It’sactuallyprettydry.Jesus,bro,”hedisagreedwithmystatement,

andIshookmyhead.

“Try being stationed for a year in Afghanistan. Now that is dry weather,” I

countered.

He rolled his eyes as I recounted some military stories I’ve gathered on the

drive and when we finally arrived at home, I slowly got out of the car and just

staredatourhouse.

Homesweethome.

ItlookedcozierandwarmerthanIremembered.Therusticcabinwasasight

forsoreeyesafteryearsoflivingintentsandsufferingthroughsandstorms.

The front door opened and my face split into a wide smile as I saw my

Grandmothercomeoutwithabroomandstartedsweepingthefloor.Iwaitedfor

hertolookupandafterafewsecondsoflookingatme,hermouthformedasmall

‘O’assherealizedshewasstaringathereldestgrandson.

“Danny,isthatreallyyou?”shecried,andIhalf-wincedatthenicknameshe

willneverletmegrowoutof.

I walked over the front porch and enveloped her into a big hug, my arms

squeezing her little frame lightly into my chest. Her shoulders started to shake

fromsobbingandIfelthertearssoakthroughmyuniform.

“Comeon,Grandma.I’mreallyhungry,”Isaid,attemptingtodistracther.

She squeaked and pulled away from me with a jump before nodding. “Oh!

Goodness, you’re right!” she looked my body over and tutted. “You haven’t been

eating well! Look at you! You’re all skin and bone! Call your brother and come

inside. Your mama is probably about done cooking dinner,” she said, beckoning

mewithonehandtofollowher.IturnedbacktolookatRyanandhewavedme

off,sayinghecanhandleit,soIwentinside.

Sigh.Paradise.

The inside of our house was just as I left it, with one or two modifications.

Ryan’smedalswereallhungonthefarleftsideofthewallwhilemytrophiesback

whenIwasplayingfootballbackinhighschoolwereplacedontheright.TheTV

andsomeotherapplianceschanged,butthatwastobeexpectedbythechangeof

time.Therestofthefurniture,likethesofaIusedtonaponbackinmiddleschool

andstuffthatmyDadcollectedovertime,werestillthere,intheirrightfulplace.

“Helen! He’s here! Get the casserole out of the oven!” Grandma yelled, and

seconds later, my mom quickly walked out of the kitchen, clutching the sides of

herapronandhereyeslitupwithdelight.

“Daniel!”sheexclaimedbeforerunningtowardsme,herarmsoutstretched.I

chuckledandheldherinmyarms,liftingherafewinchesoffthegroundbefore

puttingherbackdown.“Comeon,youcanhavesomethingtoeatwhileyoutellus

allaboutwhatyou’vebeenupto,”shesaid,pattingmyarmlightlyandsmilingup

atmebeforewalkingbacktothekitchen.

Ishookmyheadandfollowedherwordlessly.Mommadeitsoundlikewhat

I’d been through as an Army Ranger was just a walk around the park on a

beautiful Sunday morning. There are some shits in the world you just don’t talk

about,andmostofthemhappenedbackinAfghanistan.AlotofshitIwishIcould

takeback.

During dinner, the women of the house just kept piling my plate with food

and I missed home cooked meals so much I let them keep coming. I was

practically filled to the brim when Mom started to ask me about my plans

tomorrow.

“I’mgoingtomeetupwiththeguys,haveadrinkortwomaybe,”Itoldher.I

turnedtoRyan.“DidyougettocheckwhatIaskedyouto?”henodded.

“Yes,sir.Thebuilding’sinaprettysweetlocationandit’sgotplentyofspace,

considering its price. Just needs a little paint job and couple of furniture and I

thinkyou’reallset,”hesaid.

“Why are you looking into real estate, honey?” Mom asked, and Ryan and I

staredateachotherbeforeIanswered.

“My guys and I are planning on opening up a security firm, offer up our

servicesforprotection.”

“Youmeanlikeabodyguard?”sheclarified,andInodded.

“Yeah,prettymuch.”

“But isn’t that dangerous?” she asked, her eyes wide with concern. Ryan

chuckledandGrandmarolledhereyes.

“Seriously,Cassidy.Yoursonhasjustcomefromoneofthemostdangerous

war zones in the world, and you’re worried about him jeopardizing his safety

now?”Grandmaaskedher,incredulous.“Isn’talittletoolateforthat?”

“Yeah,Mom.IthinkDaniel’sprettymuchprovenhecantakecareofhimself,”

Ryansaid,addinghistwocentsin.Mom’scheeksbloomedredinembarrassment.

“I-I just thought that he wouldn’t put himself at risk now that he’s finally

home,”sheexplained.IsighedandgotoutofmyseatsoIcouldwalktowardsher

andhugherfrombehind.

“Mom,don’tworryaboutme.ComparedtowhatI’vebeenthrough,thiswhole

securitydetailbusinessisgoingtobeapieceofcake,”Iassuredherbeforekissing

herinhertemple.

“Justtrustme.”

Chapter3

Daniel

I took a swig of my beer as I waited for my buddies to arrive. It took me a

whiletogetmymomtoquitfussingovermeandletmegetoutofthehouse,so

theslightbuzzwoulddomegoodwhenIgethome.Ilovethewomantodeath,but

herconstantmotheringwasabouttodrivemeupthewall.

“Danny-boy! You’re already here!” I smiled as my friend, Sgt. Major Jordan

came inside, adjusting his stance as he walked over to me with his crutches. I

stooduptohelphimsitoveronthestoolbutheshookhishead,wantingtodoit

onhisown.Ilefthimtoitandraisedtwofingersatthebartender,andhenodded

ashealreadyknewwhatourorderswere.

Jordanplacedhiscrutchestotheedgeofthecounterandleanedcloserwitha

smile.

“How’syourmom?”Heaskedcheekily,andIraisedaneyebrowathim.

“How’sthewife?”Icountered,andhetiltedhisheadbackashelaughed.He

pointedathismissinglegandshookhishead,stillsmiling.

“ShewasallwailingandcomplaininghowtheArmysentherbackhalfa

man,”hesaid,andIshookmyhead,forcingtheguiltfeelinginmygut.Hehad

losthislegwhenahugeshrapnelfromanexplodingtanklodgeditselfjustbelow

hisknee.Hislegwasunsalvageableandhadtobeamputated,andIblamedmyself

forwhathappened.IwashisCaptain,andIlethimdown.

Thedumbshitwouldn’tletmeapologizethough,andkeptsayingitwasn’tmy

faultthingshadturnedoutthatway.Ourunitwasorderedtostaythere,andIwas

just following orders, he said. No way could I have known that the enemy was

goingtoblowourtanktosmithereenswhilehewasstandingafewfeetawayfrom

it.

IheardthedooropenagainandIfeltahandgripmyshoulderwhilePrivate

BlakesatdownbesideJordan.IturnedmyheadtoseeLt.MichaelandIclapped

myhands.Finally,everyonewashere.

“Okay,whydon’twestartthebriefing?”Isaid,andMichaelrolledhiseyes.

“We’renotheretodiscussamission,Lynch,andthisisn’tabattlefield.Why

can’tyoutalknormally?”Michaelsaid.

“You’reextrasurlytoday,BigMike.Somethingwrongwiththemissus?”Blake

asked,andJordanhithimupsidethehead.

“Hey,shutyourmouth.YouknowMikehasn’tgottenoverthatnursebackin

Saudi,”Jordanjibed.Mikeflippedthembothoff.

“Come on, ladies. Enough of that. So, I wanted to hear about my fellow

retirees’input.Italkedaboutmyplantoopenupabusinesswithallofyouback

beforewewenthome,haveyouguysgivenitanythought?”

“I’min,”Blakesaideagerly,raisinghishandintheairandlookingateachof

uslikewewerecastingavote.“Beingasoldierisn’treallymyscene,butkicking

asswhilewearingasuitseemslikemykindofprofession,”hesaid.

“That right there is why all of us think you’re still a kid,” Michael said in a

monotone,anditwasBlake’sturntorollhiseyes.

“Well, of course you guys would think that. I’m only 24 years old. I’m like,

literallytheyoungestonehere,”hesaid,statingtheobvious.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to do the actual protection detail, Danny-boy. Not

with my leg and all,” he said solemnly, and I nodded in understanding. I had

brought up this idea to them back when he hadn’t lost his leg yet. “But I think

beingbehindadeskandwritingoffsomepaperworkwouldsuitmejustfine.Hell,

Ithinkeventhemissuswithapprove,”Hesaid,andIsmiled.

“Yeah,Ireckonyoucanhandlethebooksjustfine.Andyouwerealwaysthe

betternegotiatorbetweenthetwoofus,afterall.You’dhavethebetterchanceat

snaggingclients,”Itoldhim.IturnedtolookatMichael.

“Well?What’syouranswer?”Iprodded.

“I don’t think you have to ask. I already gave you my part of the payment,

remember?”Michaelsaid,referringtothemoneyIusedtopurchaseourbaseof

operations.

Michaelshruggedandraisedhisglass.

“To our new life as bodyguards,” he toasted, and we all clinked our glasses

together.

“Wecontinueddiscussingoverhowwe’regoingtosettheplaceup,potential

clientswecouldofferourservicesto,andotherplansweenvisionedforournew

businessuntilJordanfishedhisphoneinhispocket.Heswipedhisfingeroverthe

screenafewtimesbeforeputtingitbackinhispocketwithawince.

“Wellboys,lookslikeI’mturninginforthenight.Mywifejusttextedmeand

askedwhenIplannedoncominghome,andifIwanttogetluckytonight,Ishould

probablygetamoveon,”hesaid.Blakestoodupfromhisseatandsmiledathim.

“Comeon,I’lldriveyou,”hesaid,andtheboyswavedatMichaelandIbefore

leaving. I took another drink from my beer as we sat there in relative silence,

MichaeltiltinghisglassaroundtomakehisScotchswirlaroundinit.

“Somethingonyourmind,Lieutenant?”Iasked,andthecornerofhismouth

tiltedinasmirk.

“Ithinkwe’rethinkingaboutthesamething,Captain,”hesaid,andIsighed.

“I’ve been going around the city lately. Getting in touch with some of our

friendsbackinhighschool,reminiscingaboutthegoodolddays.Mostofthemare

doing pretty well, but…,” he trailed off and I looked at him, waiting for him to

continue.

“But?”Ipressedhimafterhetooktoolongtospeakformyliking.

“There’s one other person that I haven’t heard about, or from, other than a

few talks here and there,” he said. He turned his ice blue eyes to look at me

seriously.

“HaveyouevenheardfromAngelaatall?”heasked.

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CominginDecember

Prologue

“Hangon,kid!I’vegotyou!”Isaid,tryingtoreassurethelittlegirlassheheld

onastightlyasshecould.Igrittedmyteethandforcedmyeyestoconcentrateon

Beth’s face instead of the hundred foot drop below. I knew all too well what

happens to a person falling from that distance on solid concrete, and the

possibilityofgettinglightheadedfromthesightofitwasn’tgoingtohelpmekeep

thischildalive.

“Becca,I’mscared,”shecried,poolsofunshedtearsforminginhereyes,her

lowerliptremblingviolently.Ishookmyhead,tryingtoreassureher,andhoping

thepanicbeatingsofmyheartweren’tasloudasIthought.

“Everythingisgoingtobeokay,kiddo,”Iassuredher.Itriedtosmile,butmy

patheticattemptjustresultedinaslightgrimace.“Everythingisgonna—,”

My words turned into a cry of surprise as I felt the metal platform’s hinges

snap off the wall, shaking off slightly, and making Beth scream with fright. The

movementcausedmetoslidedownabit,andIheldmyotherhandoutforsome

purchase.

Miraculouslyenough,thepuffyskirtofthegownIwaswearingsnaggedinto

one of the pointy metal beams and stopped me from sliding to my death, and I

grabbedontoametalbartosteadymyself.

Beth was holding on to my hand with all the strength an eight year old kid

could summon, her eyes screwed shut as she whimpered in fright. I didn’t need

her to see what I looked like after sliding, because I was sure I was white as a

sheet.

“It’sgoingtobeokay,”Ireassuredheragain,thewordsstartingtotastelikea

lie. How was I going to guarantee her safety when I didn’t know how we were

goingtogetoutofhere?Itwastoounstabletopullherup,andweweretoohigh

up,andtherewasnothingdowntherebutspectatorsandconcretepavements.

My strength was also starting to fail me as my arm was nearly reaching its

limit.Icouldnotholdontoherforlong.

ButwhatwasIgoingtodo?THINK,DAMNIT!THINK!

I could feel my gown ripping to its last stitches, and I was starting to lose

hope,halfdanglingontheprecipicewhensomethingdownbelowcaughtmyeye.I

blinkedonce,twice,makingsureIwasn’tmerelyhallucinating.

Yes.Ithought,myconfidencerebuilding.Thiscouldwork.

IlookedatBethagain,thelittlegirltakingnoteofthedeterminedlookonmy

face.Isteeledmyvoiceandaskedheraquestion.

“Doyoutrustme?”Iasked.

Bethnoddedimmediatelyandwithouthesitation.

“Itrustyou,”shevoicedout.

Ismiledather,andtookonemoreglanceatthegroundbelow.Ilookedback

atheragain,thesmilestillonmyface.

Andthen…Ilethergo.

Chapter1

Rebecca

I crouched down and held my weapon at the ready, ducking to the side of a

wallforcover.Ilookedaroundtocheckiftherewereanyenemieslurkingaround,

almostjumpingoutofmyskinwhenJasonsuddenlyploppeddownontheother

sideandheldhisweapontightlyinhisfingers.Iglaredathim.

“Itoldyoutotapmeontheshoulderifyouwerecomingnearme!”Ihissed.“I

could’vescreamedbloodymurderandgivenawayourlocation!”herolledhiseyes

andscoffed.

“But you didn’t,” he said. I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back from

snarling a reply, and went back to surveying our surroundings. “How many are

left?”

Ismirkedathisquestion.

“Three,butoneofthemdoesn’texcelinsneakingaround,”Ianswered.Jason

chuckledandnoddedinagreement.

MyearstwitchedasIpickedupthelightcrunchingofbootsonthefloor,andI

signaled Jason towards its direction. The mirth on his face disappeared, and he

raisedhisheadslightlytopeekatthem.

“Allthree,presentandaccountedfor,”hemuttered.

“Stupid idiots,” I said, shaking my head. We nodded to each other and

listenedcarefully,waitingfortheperfectmomenttostrike.

I held my breath and trained my eyes on the ground, watching as my target

tookstepstowardsmyhidingspot.Justalittlebitcloser…

HisfootpeekedoutfrommycoverandIstoodup,holdingmyweaponout.I

aimedthetipatthesurprisedlookonhisface,andfiredbeforequicklyswitching

toanotherguy,takinghimouttoo.Besideme,Jasonhadquicklydispatchedthe

last of them, and I watched with smug satisfaction as the light on his vest went

out,signalinghisdefeat.

The sound of victory played from the speakers, further taunting the losers,

and making them groan as they pulled their masks off their heads. Spencer’s

blondeandslightlyspikyhairstoodupashescowledatme.

“Why do you have to take this so seriously?” Spencer complained, his half-

brother Chase snickering beside him. “I mean, we’re using wands, for crying out

loud!”

IshruggedasJasonpattedmyshoulder.

“Rebecca hasn’t changed one bit since I last saw her,” Jason said. “She’s

alwaysbeenafieryandcompetitivegirl,inandoutofthemission.It’swhyshe’s

regardedhighlyinherplatoon,”hecomplimented.

“Oh, so you’re some kind of big shot on your team, huh Red?” Spencer

drawled.Ishookmyheadinembarrassment.

“It’snotlikethat,”Imuttered.

“Well, either way, I’m glad she’s on our side now,” Chase remarked. “She’s

goingtomakeafineadditiontoourroster.”

“Why did you quit your old agency, anyway?” Spencer asked, one eyebrow

raisedinskepticism.Ishruggedagain.

“Iwantedmore,andtheydidn’tlikeit,soIquitandlookedforanotherplace

that agreed I deserved better,” I admitted. That was only half of it, though. The

otherhalfwasbecauseIlikedworkingwithSpencerandtherestofhisteamahell

ofalotbetterthantheuppitybastardswhereIusedtowork.SwitchingtoChase’s

firmwastheeasiestdecisionIevermade.

“Wherearethegirls?”Iasked,wonderingwhytheydidn’tcometoplaywith

us.

“Mygirlgotalittleoverexcitedaboutshoppingwithhercousin,sotheyopted

to meet with us at the restaurant after our game,” Jason said, making Spencer

snickerasheslappedhimontheback.

“Man, you’ve got it bad, huh?” Spencer drawled. “‘My girl’? Seriously?”

Jason’s cheeks colored into a tinge of pink, but he said nothing, not denying

Spencer’sclaims.

“Layofftheman,Spence.Theguycan’thelpitifhe’swhippedalready.Heis

gettingmarried,afterall,”Chasesaid,“Besides,likeyou’reonetotalk.Howfaral

—,”

Spencer’seyeswidened,andhefranticallycoveredhisolderbrother’smouth,

cutting him off from saying anything else. He looked at me with worry, and my

eyesnarrowed.

“Whatareyouhiding?”Igrowled.I’veneverlikedbeingkeptinthedark.And

I could tell from the look on Spencer’s face that whatever he was trying to keep

fromme,wassomethingIwasn’tgoingtolikeonebit.

“Let’s go and meet up with the girls first, Rebecca. I think telling you

aboutitwitheverybodypresentwouldbethewisestcoursehere,”Jasonsuggested

calmly,hisarmstensedup,readytobreakupafightifneedbe.

“It’ll be really obvious what it’s about once she sees her, anyways,” Chase

added,scratchingthebackofhishead.Iglaredatthebothofthem.

“Youtwoknew?”Iasked,betrayalevidentfrommyvoice.Chasewinced,and

lookedatmeapologetically.

“Later,Rebecca,”Jasonsaidfirmly.“We’redisturbingtheotherplayers.”

I looked around and saw a group of teenagers looking at us curiously while

giving us a wide berth. I sighed, then flashed a menacing glare at Spencer’s

direction before stalking off towards the exit, my hands clenching around my

plasticwandsotightIfeareditwasgoingtosnap.

IwonderedwhatSpencerhadfuckeduptopissmeoffnow.

Chapter2

Rebecca

“H-hello,Rebecca.Howhaveyoubeen?”

Her greeting had barely registered with me because my focus was on her

roundbellyshekeptrubbingwithherhand.Myeyeswerewide,butoneofthem

kept twitching, a physical manifestation of how my brain was fried upon seeing

mybestfriendheavilypregnant.

Six months. It had only been six months since we last saw each other, and

she’slikethis.

IcouldtellfromGeorgiana’shesitantgreeting,aswellasherinabilitytolook

meintheeye,thatshehadexpectedthisreaction.

Butshedidn’texpectmetodothis.

I grabbed Spencer by the collar and buried my fist into his face, digging my

knuckles deep into his nose, and feeling it crush underneath them. I heard

Georgianaandhercousin,Veronica,gaspandtrytopullmefromobliteratingthe

man.IsawChasestopGeorgefromgettinganyclosertome,whileJasoninserted

both of his arms underneath my armpits and wrenched me away from Spence,

gruntingasIrefusedtorelentfrommyassault.

“Rebecca,stop!Please!”Georgecried.

“Gentlemen, please! Restrain the lady or I will be forced to contact the

authorities!”themanageroftherestaurantshriekedashewalkedclosertous,his

balding head already glistening with sweat, worried about the scene we were

making.IslackenedmymusclesandallowedJasontopullmeoffofSpencer,the

latterturningovertothesidetospitoutbloodinhismouth.

Hisbottomlippopped,andhisnosewasbroken,hemurmuredashetouched

the bridge with two of his fingers. Still, his expression didn’t seem the least bit

mad that I mauled him. On the contrary, he looked a little relieved, and

apologetic.

“IguessIdeservedthat,”hecroaked.“Youthrowahellofapunch.”

Tohellwithhiscompliment.

“You stupid shit!” I hissed, my eyes flaring. Jason had wrapped an arm

around my waist to make sure I didn’t make a move on Spencer again. A smart

move, considering I didn’t know if I could control myself from strangling the

bastard.

“Itwasanaccident,”hesaidweakly.

“An accident?!” I repeated. “What? Was she crossing the road and tripped

over your speeding dick?!” I muttered expletives under my breath that would

makeasailorblush.

“My,my,whatanuncouthmouthonsuchawoman,”Chasemuttered.

“Shutup,Chase!”Veronicashushed.

“Okay,IadmitIdidn’tphrasethatverywell,”Spencersaid,wincing.

“Everybody’s staring at us. Let’s go talk somewhere more private,” Jason

murmured,lookingattherestaurant’spatronsandstaffwithasurreptitiouseye.

“Igotit,”Veronicasaid,walkingovertothehostandputtingherfametouse.

ShemanagedtosnagusasweetprivatetableattheVIParea,theplacealmost

deserted except for a couple sitting at the small table by the window. We were

seatedatthecorneroverlookingthehall,Jasonnotingitwasthebestplacetosee

anycustomerscomingorgoing.Ihadtoadmiretheguyforstayingtruetohisjob

ofprotectinghisgirlfriendevenwhileoff-duty,butIwasstillseething.

The rest of my group decided to sit themselves strategically, making sure to

keep Spencer at arm’s length, while George was seated next to him and across

from me, in plain view of my anger. She kept her head down because she still

couldn’tfindthecouragetolookatme.

“I’m sure your parents were delighted about this development,” I said, and

Veronica’snosewrinkled.

“Well, they weren’t exactly ecstatic that their precious daughter is pregnant

rightaftercollege,”sheexplained.

“Howfaralongareyou?”Iasked.

“Thirty-one weeks,” George murmured. I mentally counted the days and

snorted.

“Soyougotknockedupamonthbeforeyougraduated,”Isaid.“Goodjob.”

“Hey,it’snotherfault,”Spencersnarled,risingabitfromhischairinaneffort

toprotecthisgirlfriend.Iraisedaneyebrowathim,daringhimtodosomething.

“Ofcourseit’snotjustherfault,”Isaid.“You’reequallytoblame.”

“Guys,Iambeggingyou.Let’snotruinthemomenthere,”Chasestated,his

voice uncharacteristically firm. He turned his head to look at me sternly.

“Rebecca,Icanunderstandthismaybealittleupsettingforyou,buttobehonest,

thisreallyisnoneofourbusiness.”

Ilookedathimwithalarm,mymouthpoisedtoexchangebarbswithhim,but

hisunrelentinggazeshutmedownandhecontinuedtospeak.

“SpencerandGeorgearebothmatureadultswhocanmakeadecisionabout

theirlivesandrelationshipwithoutourinterference.Also,shouldn’twelookat

thisasittrulyis?”Heasked.“Thisisablessing,andI,forone,thinkweshould

celebrate.”

Chasewrappedhisfingersaroundthestemofhiswineglassandlifteditup,

raising his eyebrows up too, and looking at all of us with wide eyes, silently

imploring us to do the same. Taking his cue, Veronica smiled widely and raised

herownglass.

Feeling appropriately ashamed, I begrudgingly followed suit, murmuring

well-wishesasChasefinishedhistoast.Iplacedtheglassbackontothetable,and

pushed myself off the chair as they drank. They all turned their eyes up, and

lookedatmecuriously.Ishrugged,pointingmythumbatthehall.

“Going to get some fresh air,” I muttered before walking away. I pushed the

double doors out of the restaurant, and leaned against the brick wall, tilting my

headuptofeelthebriskcoldwindonmyface.

Nowthattheangerhaddissipatedfrommybody,thespaceitleftbehindwas

slowlyfilledwithregretandshame.Ididn’tmeantogoofflikethat.Iadoredkids

andvaluedthegiftoflife,andIamhappyforthem.Butapartofmestillthought

itwastoosoonaresponsibilityforthemtobear.

An image of me lying on the floor by the foot of the stairs, blood pooling

underneathmybodyflashedintomybrain,andIhissed,shakingmyheadtobe

ridofit.

“Damn it,” I cursed under my breath, closing my eyes. There was a reason

peopleburiedsomememoriesdeepintothedarkestdepthsoftheirminds,andI

didn’tneedthemresurfacingnow.

Memorieslikethatonlybredonething–weakness.

I felt something pull at my sleeve, and my eyes snapped open to look at

George, who gave me a small smile, her eyes sad and puppy-like. I frowned as I

sawherskinforminggoosebumpsfromthecold,andIshruggedoffmyjacketand

wrappeditaroundhershouldertokeepherwarm.

“Youshouldn’tbeouthere,”Iscolded.“It’snotgoodforthebabyifyoucaught

acold.”

Shesmiledatthis,reliefinstantlyfloodinginhereyes.

“You’renotmadatmeanymore?”sheaskedtimidly,andIsighed.

“I was never mad at you,” I said softly. She raised her eyebrow in disbelief,

and I rolled my eyes “Okay, maybe a little. But honestly? I was more…

disappointedthananythingelse,”Iadmitted.

“You’re too young for this kind of responsibility, George. You and Spencer

both.Therearesomanythingsyoutwocouldexperiencewithoutababyholding

youback,butnow,allofthosewouldbetentimeshardertoaccomplish.AndI’ve

metyourparents,soIdoubttheywereveryforthcomingaboutthis,werethey?”

Sheshookherheadsadly.

“Even Darcy got mad at first, but he came around after a few days, and told

mehewasgoingtohelpandsupportmeasbestashecan,”Georgereplied.

“SoyoucanseewhereI’mgettingat,right?”Iasked.Shenoddedoncemore,

tearsstartingtopebblefromthecornerofhereyes.Isighedagain,andwrapped

myarmsaroundthegirl,herbellypreventingmefromholdingherproperly.

“Look,Icanunderstandthesituationyou’reinnow,andasmuchasIthink

yourboyfriend’sanidiot,I’mgladSpencerhasyourback,”Icomfortedher.“Being

pregnantandaloneisreallyhard,andIwouldneverwantthattohappentoyou.”

Georgefrownedandfurrowedhereyebrowsatmywords.

“Whatdoyoumeanyoucanunderstand?”sheasked.

I blanched at my slipup and scrambled for an excuse when the restaurant’s

dooropened,andSpencerpoppedout,aworriedexpressiononhisface.

“Hey,thesnow’sstartingtofall,”hesaid.“Let’sgoinsideandeat.”

IsmiledatGeorgiana,andpushedhersoftlytowardsSpencer,coaxingherto

get inside. She looked at me curiously for a few more seconds before smiling at

Spencer and letting him open the door for her. I exchanged nods with Spencer,

ourfightforgottenandfollowedGeorgeinside.

“Finally!” Veronica said, rolling her eyes as I entered. “We totally need to

finishourfoodifwe’regoingtogettotheconcertontime.”Ifurrowedmybrows

ather.

“Concert?”

Chapter3

Tanner

“Remember,Tanner.Afterthisconcert,you’retogotoArts&Soulsoyoucan

take some commemorative photos with the VIPs,” my agent said, waving my

scheduleintheairlikehewasgoingtoswatafly—orme—withit.

“I’mnotfeelingthecrowdtoday,”Isaid,spreadingmyarmsupatthetopof

thesofa,andleaningmybackagainstthesoftcushions.“CanIskipit?”Iasked,

even though I already knew he was going to say ‘No.’ I just liked to rile him up

sometimes.

Sure enough, his left eye started to twitch, and his grip around his pen

tightenedthatIalmostthoughtitwasgoingtosnapintwo.

“Youabsolutelycan’tdothat,Tanner!”hejeered,hiseyesbulginglikesaucers.

“Your popularity could plummet! Your reputation to the fans would take a

nosedive,soyouabsolutelymustdothis!”

Isighed,rollingmyeyesathisoverreaction.Seriously,didhestillthinkIwas

buying this crap? I knew for a fact my fans loved my bad boy image; it was

basicallywhathadthemallpantingaftermeandensuringmyconcertticketswere

sellinglikehotcakes.Ratherthanruiningmyreputation,Iwasprettysureitwould

have the opposite effect and skyrocket. Girls loved it when the guy was

unattainable.

Besides,Imetthemanageroftherecord’sstoreearlierwhileIwentshopping

incognito,andIdidn’tliketheman.Hewasterrorizinghisemployees,andleering

atallthegirlsthatcamein.FuckingdisgustingpervertwaswhatIthought.

Myphonestartedtovibrate,andIgotuptoanswerthecall,frowningwhenI

seeit’smyneighbor,Adam,calling.

“Hey,Tanner.Whereareyougoing?You’reonstagein10minutes!”myagent

cried.

Ignoringhiscries,Iwalkedoutofthedressingroom,andwentintoasecluded

cornerwhereIcouldhearAdamfromtheotherendoftheline.

“Hey,buddy?What’sup?”Iasked.

“Tanner!Oh,thankGodyoupickedup,”hesaidquickly.

“Issomethingwrong?”

“SomethingreallyimportantcameupandIneedtoleavetownimmediately.

I’m dropping Beth off at your concert venue. It’s only a few blocks from here,

right?”myeyeswidenedinalarm.

“What?” I asked. “No, dude! You can’t! Listen, I’m going onstage in a few

minutes!Youcan’tleaveBethhere!”

“Well,Ican’tpossiblytakehertoWisconsinwithme,either!”hesaid,huffing.

“Just order one of your guards to pick her up, and I’ll meet them at the parking

lot.”

“But—,”

“Tanner,it’syourkid.Dealwithit!”hesaid,hangingup.

***

Iquicklyexplainedthesituationtomyagent,wholookedlikehewasaboutto

haveacoronary.

“This cannot be happening all at once,” he said, putting his hand on his

forehead dramatically, his chest rising and falling fast like he was about to

hyperventilate.

“Please,yougottosendoneoftheguardstomeetupwithhim.Ican’tgothere

now,”Isaidimploringly.Hewavedmeoffwithagrimace.

“I’llhandleit,I’llhandleit.Youjustgetupthereandwowyourfans,youhear

me?”herepliedandIsmirked,nodding.

“Youknowit,”Isaidconfidently.

I let my makeup artist do her final touches on my face, while my costume

designers made sure my outfit was perfect. The stage coordinator rapped on the

door and called me over, reminding me all my cues and stops as we walked

towardsthemetalelevatorsthatwouldliftmeupsmackdabinthecenterofthe

stage,wieldingmyguitar.IgavethecrewathumbsupasIheardthefirstblowof

thetorchlights,andtheintroofmymusic.

It’sshowtime…

CominginDecember

ConnectwithKayla

KeepupwithKaylaMylesusingthefollowinglinks:

BooksbyKayla:

TrustingDaniel(DeltaSecurity)

Collision(DeltaProtectorsBook1)

TornApart(DeltaProtectorsBook2)

Broken(DeltaProtectorsBook3)–cominginDecember

Document Outline

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue

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