AllFreeNovel
Share Us
So many things happen at once. Piper gasps. Trevor backs up a step. And I freeze solid because I know that voice. I’ve heard it every night in my dreams.
I shove his arm away from me and spin on my heel to glare up at Colt, who has the nerve to sneer down at me like I belong to him. He’s here. Why is he here? “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demand. I don’t care who hears or if anybody gets the wrong idea. I’m too shocked, too flustered, and too damn angry. When will enough be enough? Why can’t he leave me alone?
“What do you think? I couldn’t reach you on your phone, so I had to come and see if you’re okay.”
“I’m fine, obviously. Now get the hell out of here!”
Trevor clears his throat behind me. “Do you need help with this asshole?”
Colt goes from sneering at me to glaring at him over the top of my head. “Back the fuck up, pal. You don’t know what’s happening here.”
“Don’t I? Because it seems pretty fucking clear she wants you to go away.”
“I don’t remember asking you for a recap, prick.” With that, Colt closes a hand around my wrist and pulls me off the balcony and back into the apartment. I throw a panicked look over my shoulder and find Piper weaving her way through the crowd behind us, right on my heels. Trevor’s back there somewhere, and I want to apologize to him, even if I’m not the one who’s being rude and obnoxious.
Only once we’re out of the apartment do I yank my arm free. “You’ve got a lot of nerve,” I growl, my teeth gritted. I’m practically vibrating with rage. “Who do you think you are? And why are you even here? You fucking psycho. You’re supposed to be at school. Are you seriously telling me you came all this way because I turned my phone off? And how did you even know where I was going to be?”
“Man, you’ve got a lot of questions. You’re giving me a fucking headache.” He jogs down the stairs, and for one moment, I’m tempted to let him go. It’s obvious he thinks I’m going to follow him, and the last thing I want is to give him what he wants.
At the same time, he knows where my dorm is. He could go there anytime he wants. And now I want to be sure he’s not going to hang out in front of my building or something creepy like that, demanding I talk to him if I want him to leave.
How does he always manage to put me in this position?
I hate myself for it, but I run after him, and Piper follows me. He wastes no time, walking with his hands jammed in his pockets, a man on a mission. Why me, dammit? Why does it always have to be me?
Rather than scream at him the entire way back to the dorm, I manage to hold back my anger until we’re inside the building. “Now. What are you doing here? Are you insane?”
“Yeah, something like that,” he retorts with a snicker, going straight to the stairs and climbing them two at a time. “Obviously, I’m smarter than you since you were practically letting that prick hang all over you.”
“He wasn’t doing anything like that. We were just talking. You know, like normal people do. I understand how you wouldn’t be able to relate to that, but it does happen.”
“Hang on a second. What are you doing?” Piper barely manages to get the question out before Colt opens our door like he lives here.
And nausea threatens to knock me on my ass when I find Nix sitting at my desk, doing something on my laptop.
“Get off of that!” I rush across the room and reach for the computer, but he holds it too far away.
“You should have let it go,” he says as I reach for the machine. “But no, you had to go digging, didn’t you?”
Dammit, I should have known better. They never give me anything without there being strings attached. “So what? You gave me this laptop so you could monitor what I do online? Do you have any idea how fucking sick that is? What are both of you doing here? Get out—now! I never want to see either of you again!”
“Just hold on, take a breath.” Colt gets between us. “You still don’t know how dangerous it is to fuck around with things you don’t understand, Leni. So yeah, that’s why we’re here. Making sure you didn’t dig up anything you’re not supposed to know about.”
“You guys need to go,” Piper tells them in a quiet but firm voice. “Now.”
I hear her, but there’s something else in my head. Something louder. “What happened to your mother?” I demand, my gaze bouncing back and forth between the two of them. “Obviously, it’s a big enough deal that I’m not even allowed to Google her without you coming all this way. How did she die? Tell me the truth. We’re not in the house now. Nobody is stopping you.”
Nix rolls his eyes. “Our father didn’t kill her if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking, now that you mention it.”
“Because she’s not dead.” When my head snaps up at Colt’s admission, he lifts a shoulder. “She’s still alive. And I’ll tell you everything, I really will. It’s safer for you to know than for you to get caught digging around. But you have to listen to us.”
“I don’t need to know that badly.” I fold my arms, shaking my head. “Absolutely not. I am not leaving this room with the two of you. You need to leave now. You do not belong here, and you were not invited.” But dammit, they’ve got a key. I should have known! Maybe we can get the lock changed.
“I’m not letting her leave with you, either.” Piper steps up next to me and puts an arm around my shoulders. That’s just what I need right now because I might seem big and tough on the outside but on the inside? I’m crumbling. I need her support more than I’ve ever needed it before. If she wasn’t here, I shudder to think of the lengths they might go to get me out of this room.
They exchange a look, and finally, Nix shrugs. “Whatever. Some people can’t be helped.”
