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“What about your girlfriend?” I look around, trying tospot the gorgeous woman who is lucky enough to call herself his. “I don’t want to cause–”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go.” He gestures for me to walk in front of him, but I’m confused. I cast another quick glance around. He sighs, pushing the longer strands of hair back off his face. “There is no girlfriend. There’s no one.”
NINE
HARLEY
SOMEONE HURT HER.
Someone put his fucking hands on her to cause her pain. Her arms are covered in bruises that weren’t there four months ago, and I can’t stop myself from wondering if there are bruises elsewhere on her body.
It’s so hard to pretend like nothing’s wrong. I barely know this girl, but I hate that someone has hurt her, and I wasn’t there to protect her. How could someone do that? My fists flex, and I think about what I’d like to do to the asshole if I ever come face-to-face with him.
The flashing lights, loud music, and roar of the crowd makes it hard to think. But Lily is standing here blinking up at me, covered in bruises and the remnants of a broken nose hidden under all that make-up. Despite all of that, she is still as gorgeous as the night I met her in Kings Cross.
“Come on,” I say again, trying to keep my voice calm. Iwasn’t expecting to feel like roadkill after the fight. I’m barely able to see through my right eye, there’s a constant ringing in my ears, and my head throbs–an intense headache setting in as the adrenaline starts to recede. “I need to get out of here.”
Lily looks like she wants to say something, but to my relief, she just offers a small nod and allows me to guide her out into the icy winter night with a hand on the small of her back.
Some of the tension finally leeches out of my body as we make our way down the metal stairs to the parking lot of the gym. Everyone is inside watching the fights, so we’re alone.
“Where’s your car?” I glance around, figuring it will be easier to drive back into town, and I can get Tom to drop me off to pick up my bike tomorrow.
“I don’t have one,” she says softly. She tugs on her leather jacket unable to meet my gaze, and a heavy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.
“How did you get here? We’re twenty minutes out of town.”
“I heard you were fighting tonight, so I hitched a ride.”
I shake my head with an exasperated huff. She’s lying, and the bad feeling is only intensifying. “I didn’t tell you my last name. Why are you even in Blue Haven?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got time.”
“You want me to tell you here?” she asks, her eyes darting around the dark parking lot. I’m about to tell her to just spit it out when her stomach rumbles.
“No,” I concede with a sigh. I point to my bike. “Come on, let’s go get some food.” Lily hesitates, glancing back toward the building. “It’s perfectly safe,” I tell her. “I have a spare helmet.”
“I just need to grab my stuff.”
“Your stuff?”
She nods, and before I can say anything else, she hurries off around the side of the building. I don’t even have the chance to think about how strange she’s acting when my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I slip it out, eyes narrowing at the screen. Dad’s attempted calls have slowed down in the last couple of months. I reject it just as Lily returns with a large backpack–a skateboard strapped to it. I arch my brow. The skater girl in front of me in ripped, black skinny jeans, a leather jacket, and a baseball cap is not the same woman I met in Sydney back in March.
That night, she’d been wearing a little black dress that left little to the imagination. I remember the intricate lily tattoo on her right forearm, the delicate script between her breasts. She’d been wearing ten-inch heels and a diamond choker that looked like it cost more than my bike. Her mousy brown hair didn’t have a curl out of place. Her smile had been bright, even after she’d almost been run over. She screamed of money and oozed confidence.
“What’s your story, Lily? Why are you here?”
“Things in Sydney were…” She takes a deep breath before starting again. “I needed to get away for a bit. I was on a bus heading north when we stopped in Blue Haven.”
I stare at her, waiting for more. I can tell she’s not telling me everything by the way she avoids my gaze. “And…” I finally prompt.
She lifts one shoulder. “I remembered you saying you were from here and I was curious.”
“When did you get here?”
“Yesterday.”
