“It’s not safe for Autumn to stay there,” I say, with Trevor adding his agreement.
“I agree,” Garrett says. “I haven’t talked with her about that yet, but I plan to.”
“What time are you going to her place? We’ll meet you there.” My tone doesn’t leave room for objections.
“Around five-thirty. I can text Trevor when Autumn and I leave work,” Garrett says.
“Sounds good.” With a nod, I hand the phone back to Trevor and return to my weight bench, where I hoist the dumbbell with extra vigor. Why do people have to be the way they are? That girl Autumn has probably never given anyone a hard time except herself, and some asshole of a person has to go and destroy her stuff.
I don’t like the sound of the slashed clothing at all, though. That’s the work of someone who would do worse, and Autumn needs to get out of the situation immediately.
The three of us don’t say much about it for the rest of the day, but Trevor and Adrian are both waiting by the door when the time comes to leave.
It turns out that Autumn only lives a couple of miles away in one of the nice older homes on the island. There aren’t any other cars in the drive, but just after we get there, one pulls in behind us.
“They’re here,” Adrian says.
Trevor pulls Autumn into his arms as soon as she gets out of the car. He smooths her hair back and talks to her in a low voice, and when he releases her, Adrian gives her a long hug. The two men seem to have forged quite a connection with the girl in a short time, and it’s obvious that it’s something deeper than just sex.
When they finally let go of her and I get a good look at her face, anger hardens in my stomach. Yesterday, she was fun-loving and lively; today, she looks like she’ll flinch in reaction to any sudden movement. When she looks at me, her eyes are wary and edged with red. Whoever this Lindsey person is, she’s lucky she’s not a guy, because I’d beat the shit out of her without a second thought.
“What are you doing here?” Autumn asks me, sounding not unkind, but curious.
“I work in security. I’m here to make sure you get in and get your stuff safely.”
She looks to Garrett, uncertain.
“The music store closes in about ninety minutes,” Garrett tells me and the other guys. “We need to take care of that before we move Autumn out.”
“I’ll drive you,” I say. “I have room for all of us in my truck.”
Autumn exchanges looks with the three other men, especially Garrett, who shrugs and agrees to my offer. It’s not that I don’t trust these guys to take care of Autumn, but now that I’ve seen the emotional state she’s in, I want to make sure she’s safe and that she gets her stuff handled.
“Do you need to go inside before we leave?” Garrett asks Autumn, gesturing with a nod toward the house.
“Maybe I should bring my guitar case?” she says, sounding uncertain. “I can run in and get it.”
“I’ll go with you,” I say, starting toward the door.
Night 3
25
Autumn
“No one else is home,” I tell Duke. “No other cars are here.”
“No problem,” he says as I search for the key and unlock the front door. “Three of you rent this place?” he asks.
“Kelly and I pay rent to Lindsey. The house belongs to her family.”
“Do you have a lease agreement?”
I nod. “It’s month-to-month, though.”
Once inside, Duke’s eyes scan the room. “Good.”
“Do you want to wait here?” I ask him.