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My heart squeezes from fear. The lesson from last week was bad enough. I don’t want to bring his attention to me again.
“I know,” I huff. “But he…he’d know.”
The confusion on his face clears when it hits him. “Alex,” he says seriously. “Does your dad track your phone?”
“Not my phone,” I whisper in embarrassment. My eyes dart down to my wrist. I feel hot sweat pearling on my lower back as Xi grabs my hand and looks at the gold bracelet there.
He cocks an eyebrow. “Tell me you’re joking.” I pinch my lips and fearfully watch the bronze in his eyes turn black.
“I’m sorry,” I panic as I try to drag my arm back.
His grip tightens, and his voice lowers. “Don’t say sorry when there’s nothing to be sorry about,” he snaps. “When will you fucking learn?”
Biting my inner cheek, I swallow back the other apology trying to make its way out.
“How long has he been doing that?” He hauls me to his car and opens the truck bed.
“Since sophomore year,” I admit shyly. “It used to be a locket my grandma had given me, but then…”
“Then?”
“Then I lost it. Well, it was stolen, and the tracker was broken when it happened.” There’s something profound in his eyes. Something serious and…apologetic.
Grabbing me by the waist, he lifts me up and sits me on the truck bed.
“Stay,” he growls as I try to slide back down.
“That locket was so special to me. I hated that my dad put a tracker in it, but had it been working, I could have found it again. Now it’s lost forever.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, baby. I understand you were attached to it.”
He grabs a duffel bag and searches through it, coming up with pliers.
“Oh god,” I gasp in fear. “Don’t.” I shift away, but he puts a hand on my thigh, stopping me. “Xi, please,” I whimper. “Don’t take it off.”
“Alex, you can beg all you want. You could get on your knees and offer me everything I want in the fucking world; this thing is still coming off.”
“No. Listen, my dad…he’s very strict.”
“Yeah? Guess what, I’m strict too. I’m firm about you finding your independence and becoming a woman who doesn’t live just to be a people pleaser. This fucking tracker is coming off, and you’re coming to have lunch with me. And if your dad wants to take it out on someone, he can come to me. I’ll happily have a talk with him. Although you know I’m not much of a talker, so forgive me if I use my fists instead.”
He slides the small pliers between my skin and the metal. The bracelet is so tight that the cutting tool digs into my skin.
“Take a deep breath from me.”
“Please tell me you’ve never chopped off someone’s fingers with these.”
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to. Now take a deep breath.”
Instead of fighting some more, I hold on to the hope he’s giving me and take a deep breath.
There’s a barely audible click before I feel it fall off my wrist and onto my lap.
Xi takes it and shoves it into my hand. He helps me off the truck bed and back on my feet. Grabbing my shoulders, he spins me around and points at the grass closest to the building.
“Do yourself a favor and throw that shit over there. I don’t want to see it no more; that way, he’ll think you’re still here while I take you for lunch.”
“Anymore,” I correct him mindlessly. It helps me deal with the anxiety.
