“Flat white.” His long pointer finger stretched over mine, and together, we pressed several buttons. The grinding of the coffee rang out, and I said, “Thank you.”
He was silent for a beat, his hand still attached to mine, and then he whispered, “You’re welcome.” His hand lifted off mine, and I hated how I missed the feel of his skin against me. He leaned closer to me, his breath on the side of my neck causing goose bumps to break out. “Enjoy your date tonight, Skylar.”
I closed my eyes as he backed away, too scared to look at him, and stared at my coffee. As soon as it was done, I grabbed the cup and went right back to my bedroom where I’d be safe from any Carter mishaps, at least for today anyway.
Chapter Nine
The date with Guy had gone like all the others. We went out to eat, we chatted mostly about what side projects we were working on. The only difference this time was the amount of alcohol he’d consumed. It was normal for him to have a glass of wine or two, but as we exited the restaurant in town, he stumbled to the side.
“I don’t think you should drive,” I said, frowning at him as he held his hand up in a wave to the hostess.
“I think you’re right,” Guy slurred, his glasses drifting down to the edge of his nose. He wasn’t as put together as he usually was, and I wondered what had happened. He’d acted weird in school this week, and now this. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if everything was okay, but I somehow didn’t think it was a good idea while he was half drunk. “You drive.” He threw his keys at me and they landed right in the middle of my chest. I huffed out a breath at the impact, and rubbed the spot.
“I...I’ve never driven your car before.” I hated how I sounded—like a scared little girl—but, his car was so much bigger than mine.
“Come on, Skylar. Live a little, what’s the worst that could happen?” I could name all the bad things that could happen while in a moving vehicle, but now wasn’t the best time to do that.
He stumbled toward his car parked a couple of spaces down from the restaurant, and I stared at it. My cell burned a hole in my pocket, tempted to call Carter and have him come and pick me up. But...I couldn’t. There was a reason I’d accepted this date with Guy so quickly, because I needed to get my mind off Carter, not bring him into the fold.
So...I pulled up my big-girls panties and pressed the fob to unlock Guy’s black sleek car which was twice the size of mine. It took me a couple of minutes of controlled breathing for me to start his engine and pull out onto the road. I knew I was going even slower than I did in my own car, but it was the only way we’d make it safely back to my house.
“Come on, Skylar. Faster!” Guy slapped his hand on the dash, and I jumped in my seat, causing my hands to veer the car to the left. Luckily, the road was empty because we were only two blocks away from my street.
“Don’t shout at me while I’m driving,” I tried to grit out, but it came out shaky, and his answering laugh didn’t help any.
“God, you’re such a fool.”
I pulled into my street and saw my car sitting in the driveway. Carter had borrowed it to go out in tonight, but with it sitting there and the light shining from the window to my living room, I knew he was home. And the prospect of him being so close by had a breath leaving me in a whoosh.
“Did you hear what I just said?” Guy asked, his voice deeper than usual. He was still slurring his words, but not as badly as he had been when we left the restaurant.
“I...no, what did you say?” I pulled up outside my house and turned the engine off. The inside of the car was too stuffy, so I pushed the door open and slid out, breathing in the cool night air. The world was spinning a little, and I placed my hand on the hood of the car, feeling the warmth of the engine seeping into my palm.
“Jesus fuckin' Christ,” Guy growled out, and I glanced up, seeing him now only standing a couple of feet away from me. “He was right about you.”
“What?” I blinked several times. “Who was right?”
Guy laughed, his features changing in an instant as he pulled his glasses off his face and pushed his shoulders back. Gone were the effects of the alcohol he’d drunk, and in its place a sober man I didn’t recognize.
“He said she’d ask you to take him in. He knew exactly what moves you’d all make, but now…” Guy smirked and glanced down at his watch. “It won’t be long now.”
“What…” I cleared my throat and tried to swallow past the lump building in my throat. My gut told me the truth as I started to back away and toward the house.
Guy’s gaze didn’t veer from mine as he narrowed his eyes on me. “James.” One word, and I knew exactly what was about to happen.Carter’s dad knew where he was.I didn’t hesitate this time, not now that I knew what Guy was saying. “He’ll be here shortly.”
“No.” I spun around and ran up the driveway, but something hit my back and I went flying forward. My knees were the first thing to scrape against the concrete on the driveway, and my palms connected with it to stop it hitting my face. Hands gripped my hair and yanked me back, and I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Stop!”
Guy growled and slapped his hand over my face as he pulled me up into a standing position but flung me right back down to the ground, only this time, my hands weren’t quick enough to stop my fall and my cheek slammed against the rough surface.
“Shut up,” Guy demanded, but I didn’t, I shouted and shouted until my voice was raw, and finally I heard the click of my front door opening.
“What the fuck?”Carter. He was here, and I needed to tell him to get away. James would be coming any moment for him, and I’d promised to make sure he was safe from him.
Guy’s foot stamped down on my back and then the toe of his shoes jabbed at my ribs, and I tried to roll away from him. A roar rang out, one so guttural I’d never forget the way it sounded and was followed with the crunch of knuckles hitting flesh.
I crawled away, just enough to not get hurt again, and stood on shaky legs. I didn’t care about the blood dripping down my face, all I cared about was getting Carter out of here and away from any danger.
“Carter.” I stumbled forward just as he raised his fist and slammed it into the side of Guy’s face again. I wasn’t sure when he’d lost consciousness, but that didn’t stop Carter from pummeling him over and over again. “Carter! Stop!”