“Shit,” he muttered. “Did your roommates know that?”
“Yes. They asked questions all the time but they didn’t understand any of what I was telling them. In fact, at one point I thought one of them had stolen my notebook but I found it a few days later.”
“What was in the notes? What were you writing about?”
“It was for my master’s final project. It wasn’t my choice. My professor gave us the assignments. I was to write about the gas chambers and tortures of World War II and how they could have been improved.”
“Improved?” he frowned. “What sort of fucking psycho is he?”
“A very, very deranged one,” she frowned. “I was already mixed up with the gambling when he was fired from Duke. I don’t know what happened to him but other students complained about his assignments and tactics as well.”
They sat in silence for a while longer. The soft playing of the radio made Marissa turn to look at Joey.
“It’s almost new years’. I missed Christmas altogether,” she said. “Heck of a way for me to start a new year.”
“Maybe it is. I’m going to fix this for you, Marissa. We’re going to fix this. I called home. I called your father, grandfather, all of them. My dad and others are coming to help.”
She started to protest, started to yell at him but knew it would do no good. They knew now. She would have to face them all.
“Then maybe it is a good time to start a new year,” she whispered to herself. “You promise you don’t hate me?”
“I promise. In fact, I told your father that I love you.” She stared at him, unsure if she’d heard him correctly. “I mean it, Marissa. I’ve loved you for a while now. In fact, before all this happened I was planning to come to Raleigh to see you and spend the weekend.”
She said nothing, just staring at him, then looking off across the parking lot. She looked back at him and then slapped his arm.
“All this time. All this time you’ve been so close and you didn’t once reach out to me. Not once! Do you know how lonely I was? How desperately I wanted to talk to someone? To talk to you!”
“You wanted to talk to me?” he frowned.
“God, why are men such assholes? Yes. To talk to you, Joey. I was lonely long before all of this. I was scared, I wasn’t making a lot of friends, I was drowning in my studies, and I knew I’d fucked up at home. I needed a friend, more than a friend and you’re all I thought about.
“When Mom said that Bailey had gotten engaged, my heart sank. I just knew it was you. Then when I heard it wasn’t you, I had hope. I thought of calling you so many times but they took our phones and destroyed them.”
“You’re sure they destroyed it?” he asked.
“That’s what you’re worried about?” she yelled.
“Sorry. No. That’s not all I’m worried about,” he smirked. He pulled her across the seat, putting his arms around her. “Marissa, I’ve wanted to ask you out for years now but you were never home. I sent you e-mails, text messages, anything I could and you didn’t respond.”
“I-I didn’t get them,” she said shaking her head. “I swear. I never got one.”
“Okay. It’s okay. You’re here now and I’m not letting you go. Not unless you tell me to. If you say you don’t want to try, you don’t want this to work out, I’ll take you home and walk away. I’ll take care of this for you and never look back.”
“No! No, please don’t do that. Joey, I’ve been in love with you since I was a kid. I was shy and awkward and not like the others. I didn’t know what I wanted to do or where I wanted to do it. Just when I thought I was getting my life on track, all this happened.”
“You’re in love with me,” he smiled. Marissa laughed.
“Yes. I’ve been in love with you a long time. But you said you were in love with me, too.”
“I fucking am,” he said lowering his mouth to hers. They shared a long, passionate kiss and she pulled back when her stomach growled.
“I think I’m also hungry,” she blushed.
“Me too. Let’s get some food and then we figure out where we’ll hide until this is done.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
When there was a pounding at Joey’s door again, the three men stood, weapons ready, and flung the door open. Gator’s body filled the doorway, the others creating a black backdrop of massiveness. He looked at the weapons, then slowly looked up at the faces of the three young Rangers. He didn’t even flinch.
