Scarred: A New Adult Romance (The Anderson Brothers Series Book 1) (26 page)

“Denise?”
I call, but there’s no answer. “Denise!”

Chris’s
door is wide open, and when I flick on his room light, I discover it empty. He
must still be at Adrienne’s.

I
peek out the living room window. Denise’s car is gone, and I frown.

She really is gone. What the
hell happened?
I rush back to my room and check my phone. She’d left a text two hours
ago.

Needed to go home &
see Lauren. Call u later. gl on finals. <3

I
exhale, a little relieved, but still curious about what happened. I text her
back.

is everything ok? i was
worried. gl on finals, too. Love you.

I
wait for her to respond as I get ready for class, but she doesn’t, and the
tightness in my throat never leaves.

* * *

Even though Denise’s text sounded like she was okay, I
can’t help but worry about her, and it affects my concentration on my systems
analysis final. I’m scheduled to retake my circuits final later this morning.
It’s been a rough few days cramming, and I’ll be glad when the semester’s
finally over.

By
afternoon, I’m on my way to work. I don’t feel like talking to anyone but
Denise today. Not even Larry.

Arriving
at the shop, I find Larry under a car on a lift, fixing a muffler. Paul is in
bay two, working on brakes on another car. Nate’s sorting through a new shipment
of parts. I scan the whiteboard, and I’m tasked with a head gasket replacement
on a mid-sized car that’s parked outside. Looks like Frank’s handwriting again,
damn it.

Outside,
I pop the hood and get to work. But I still can’t get this morning out of my head.
Maybe Larry knows what’s up.
I pull
up from the hood and wipe my hands on a towel. I’m heading toward bay one when
I hear a car behind me, crunching sand and loose gravel beneath its tires. I
glance over my shoulder just in time to see that blue car from the other night
creeping past along the street. Then it quickly speeds up and rounds a corner.

I
still have this feeling I’ve seen that car before, a long time ago, but I can’t
remember where. But with it being the second time this week I’ve seen it, it’s
obvious that whoever it is is watching me.

And
I don’t like being watched like that.

I
wait a few moments to see if the car returns, but it doesn’t, so I head to bay
one. Larry’s still under the lift, small sparks showering down around him while
he welds a muffler pipe.

“Larry,
did Lauren talk to you today?” I ask.

Larry
stops welding and lifts the iron mask up from his face. “No, why?”

“Denise
left at four thirty this morning to see Lauren. It’s not like her to just up
and leave like that, so I thought maybe something happened to Lauren.”

“I
talked to Lauren just last night, kid. She was fine.”

“But—”

Larry’s
nostrils flare. “Look, if it’ll make you happy, I’ll call her after I finish
this. Now just calm the fuck down, will you?”

I
open my mouth to argue again, but close it instead and look to the floor.
“Yeah, sure.”

“Good.
Now get back to work.”

As
I’m walking back to my car, Denise’s ringtone goes off, and I quickly pull the
phone from my pocket. “Hey, Denise.”

“Hi.”
She huffs a little, and sounds like she’s outside, maybe walking.

“Where
are you?” I ask, my heart pounding nervously.

“I’m
just leaving my life science final, my last one of the day. On my way home.”

The
pounding in my chest still doesn’t let up. “Everything okay with Lauren? You
left early this morning.”

“Yeah,
I know, and I’m sorry. Lauren had a severe migraine and needed me to get some
more painkillers.”

“Damn,
what were she and Larry doing last night?”

She
chuckles softly. “Nothing that I know of. Sometimes she gets these really bad migraines
during her monthly.”

It
takes a moment for me to process that. “Oh.”

“Hey,
can you come over today? I got three unknown missed calls on my phone. I have
this weird feeling. I’d rather stay with you, but I should stay with Lauren in
case she needs me.”

My
skin prickles. “Okay. I’ll be over there after work.”

“Thanks,
Dominick. I love you.”

* * *

Quittin’ time. Thank God. I clock out not a minute
later.

“Hey,”
Larry calls as I’m mounting my bike. He looks at me with concern. “I called
Lauren, but she didn’t pick up.”

“She’s
probably asleep, man,” I say. “All drugged up on painkillers.”

Larry
blinks. “What?”

“Eh,
female problems, according to Denise. Might wanna stay away from her today.”

“Damn.
We had a date tonight. Guess it’s another night of overtime at the shop for
me.”

I
gear up and start the bike. “Take it easy, man.” I ride cautiously through the
streets, anticipating seeing that car again. Rather than going my usual route
to Denise’s place, I take a lot of side streets. It takes longer, but if someone
really
is
watching me, hopefully I’ll
throw them off.

I
ride through the winding streets of Denise’s neighborhood. It’s still rush
hour, and many of the neighbors haven’t gotten home yet, so the neighborhood
seems pretty quiet. When Denise’s white house comes into view, I speed up. I
have no stop signs on this road, so it’s a straight shot. That eerie feeling in
my gut returns, and I grip the handlebars tighter. I see Denise’s car parked
out front, but that doesn’t make me any more relaxed.

Only
a block away from her house, as I cross an intersection, a large blue object
pulls out in front of me. A car, perhaps, or maybe a truck. It’s there and
gone, so I have no idea. I try to stop—at least I think I do. My ears ring and
patches of blue sky spin in my vision. My heart drops into my gut like I’m on a
rollercoaster, falling, falling. I slam into something solid, the inner
cushions of the helmet yielding to the back of my head. Sliding to a stop
across the hard surface, I let out a groan. My body goes numb, and the sky
darkens until all I see is black.

Chapter 27

The darkness slowly lifts, and my vision blurs and
clears as I regain consciousness. How long have I been out? I can feel my body
being pulled somewhere. Who the fuck’s touching me? I try opening my mouth to
yell, but no sound comes out.

I
glimpse my motorcycle helmet on the ground nearby, scuffed and the plastic face
shield cracked. My jacket lays next to it in a heap of torn material.

“Jesus,
Nick, hurry up before someone sees us!” says a male voice. It’s distant, but my
mind is too jumbled to try and recognize it.

“He’s
fine,” Nick says, his voice much closer.

Nick. Oh, hell.

My
mind starts to piece things together. But before I can think any more, I feel
soft cushions beneath me. The scent of pine trees hit my nose, further rousing
me. I’m in the backseat of a car. A Christmas tree air freshener hangs from the
rearview mirror, and the tops of two heads are visible over the two front
seats.

Fuck, no.

Grunting,
I will the rest of my body awake. “Let me out,” I say through a loud groan.

“Shit,
he’s coming to,” the guy in the passenger seat says. “Hurry up and get us outta
here.”

The
engine starts, and adrenaline pumps through me. I’m still winded, but I’m
strong enough to push myself up. “No,” I groan. I get a good look at the two
guys. William’s in the passenger seat, and Nick’s driving. “You,” I say, eyeing
William. My mind is fuzzy. “The cops arrested you.”

“He’s
got friends in high places. Unlike you, man,” Nick says, putting the car in
gear. “Now shut the fuck up.”

I
lurch for the driver’s seat and grab Nick in a headlock as his foot hits the
gas. He gasps and lets go of the wheel, and the car jolts forward out of
control. His foot desperately searches for the brake.

“Shit!”
William reaches for the wheel with one hand and under the front seat with the
other. I catch a glimpse of a shiny object.

No! No, No, No, No.
I thought that shit only
happens in the movies.

“Let
him go, or I’ll blow your fucking head off!” William growls, pressing the gun into
my temple.

For
a moment, I can’t breathe. The cold steel of the gun barrel sends shivers
through me. The smell of gunpowder is strong.
So this is what it’s like to have a gun pulled on you.
But I’ll be
damned if I let these motherfuckers drive me off to hell knows where.

And
Denise is so close.

I
slowly unwrap my arms from Nick’s neck and lower myself into the backseat. Nick
quickly stops the car then goes into a coughing fit before gathering himself.
Out of one of the back windows, I see a woman, half a block away, jogging along
the sidewalk in our direction with a small dog on a leash. She stops short of
the intersection and notices my motorcycle laying in the street. Then she looks
in our direction.

I need to keep them here as
long as I can.
I turn to William, who’s more focused on Nick. I notice a missing tooth
on the side of William’s mouth, and a few scars on his face from where I’d
pummeled him that night. “What the fuck, man?” I say. “Why are you kidnapping
me?”

William
points the gun at me. “Shut up. Just shut. The fuck. Up. You ruined me, you
know that? Ruined my fucking life!”

“Why?
Because I saved a girl from getting raped by you?”

“It
was
not
rape. She wanted it.”

“Yeah,
once you got her all drugged up.” I watch the woman in my peripheral vision.
She starts jogging a little faster in our direction, and the little dog barks
crazily.

Ignoring
me, William shoves Nick. “Hurry the fuck up and get us out of here!” He peers
out the driver-side window. “Shit! Someone’s coming!”

While
William’s distracted, I lunge between the two front seats for the gun. Grabbing
William’s wrist, I twist it and the gun toward the passenger-side window. Bones
break in his wrist, and William screams. A loud bang drowns out the sound of
window glass shattering, and then my right ear rings like a motherfucker. The
smell of gunpowder assaults my nose.

Nick
reaches for me, and I slam my left elbow into the side of his head. He grunts,
his head snapping to the side and smashing into the driver-side door.

I
deactivate the locks and scramble out of the backseat. As soon as my feet hit
the asphalt, my knees buckle and I collapse. Crawling away from the car, I see
William lumber out of the passenger side, aiming the gun at me with his uninjured
hand.

“Get
the fuck back here!” I hear him yell through the ringing that still lingers in
my ears.

The
lady runs across the street, away from the danger, her phone to her ear. Her
tiny dog is barking madly, tugging on the leash in our direction.

A
car turns down our street and stops. A man gets out and looks in our direction,
phone in hand.

“Shit,
man,” Nick says nervously. “You’re on your own. I’m not gonna get arrested over
this shit.”

William
locks and loads the gun with a single click. “Don’t you leave me, man,” he
says, not looking at Nick. “You promised you wouldn’t.” His hand shakes
dangerously.

More
cars stop in the street, people coming home from work and school. All of them
are on their phones. Nick runs away, and some people yell and point.

“It’s
over, William,” I say. “You gonna kill me? Then do it, man. Get it over with.
But Denise still won’t love you.”

His
gaze tears into me like he’s looking into my very soul. And I stare back, ready
and waiting for him to pull that trigger. This is not the way I thought I’d
die, but at least I’ll die knowing that he’ll never have Denise’s heart.

He
sneers. I wish he’d just shoot me already and get it over with.

His
shaky hand lowers the gun. He sinks to his knees and shudders. “You stole her
from me.”

Sirens
echo down the street, and I exhale. Thank God.

Two
houses down, the front door to Denise’s house swings open, and there she is,
standing on the stoop, looking in my direction.

I
want to yell for her to stay away, but I know she wouldn’t hear me, and it’s
too late to stop her. I watch her run toward me, her jean shorts showing off
those sexy legs.

Two
police cars pull up before us. Officers jump out and move in on William,
disarming him, then hefting him up in handcuffs. A third police car zooms past,
in the general direction Nick had run.

Denise
stops short of the scene, her face pale as she watches William being escorted
into one of the cruisers.

Another
officer kneels down before me, his radio blaring with voices and static. “You
okay, buddy?”

I
manage to nod and then look in Denise’s direction. She bites her nails as she
watches.

“There’s
an ambulance on the way,” the officer says. Then he stands and talks into his
radio.

Ugh, no hospitals!

The
adrenaline has subsided and weariness overtakes me. Drawing my eyes back to
Denise, I stare until my eyelids grow heavy and all I see is darkness.

* * *

We leave the hospital a few hours later. Thankfully,
the doctors said I only have some minor bruises. Denise drives me to her place,
and the neighborhood’s quiet once again. Larry’s truck is parked along the curb
as we pull into the driveway.

Denise
shuts off the engine and traces her finger along the steering wheel.

I
reach over and caress her cheek. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

She
looks at me sadly and then shakes her head. “I just can’t believe it.
Everything. I mean—”

“The
motherfucker must’ve gotten bailed out or something. I doubt he’ll get out so
easily this time.”