Page 44 of Pit

She jumps from the bike the second we get back and removes her helmet, shoving it against my chest. Then I watch as she rounds the back of the building. I get off the bike just as Axel comes out. “Done?” he asks.

“Yep,” I mutter, pulling out my mobile to send him the photographs.

“Where’d she go?” he asks, nodding in the direction Tessa ran off.

“I dunno, to clear her head, I think.” She won’t get far, so I don’t rush after her, but once Axel is back inside, I head off in that direction. I stop by the open basement door. There’s no way she’d be down there alone. No way. But as I stare out across the dark field, I can’t make out any movement.

“Te?” I call out. There’s no reply, so I head down the stone steps. I find her sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest and her forehead resting on them. “Te?” I repeat, but she doesn’t respond. “You hate it down here. Come inside.”

“Go away,” she mutters, and I realise she’s crying.

“You’d rather stay here in the dark, alone, than come inside and shower?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“He deserved it,” I tell her again.

“I didn’t,” she mutters. Then she looks up and the moonlight catches the angry look in her eyes. “I didn’t deserve any of this.” She throws her bloodied arms up in the air in exasperation. “I just wanted to get married and have some fucking stability in my crappy life. For once, I wanted to be happy,” she cries. “And somehow, I ended up here, meeting you,” she spits the words like they leave a bad taste in her mouth. “And now, my life is more fucked-up than it’s ever been.”

“Tessa,” I mutter, unable to find the words she needs to feel better about any of this. I sigh heavily. “It was just crap timing. Wrong place and wrong time.”

“That’s it?” she yells, pushing to her feet. “That’s all you have to explain the shitty way you’ve treated me and continue to treat me?”

“What did you expect?” I yell, and she takes a step back. “You sold yourself to a scumbag. That was never gonna end well. What kind of man buys a virgin? What sort of morals is he going to have, Tessa?”

“You just killed a man in cold blood,” she screams angrily. “Don’t speak to me about morals.”

“I have morals,” I hiss through gritted teeth. “If I didn’t, I’d have fucked you by now.”

She scoffs. “I’m so fucking happy you didn’t.”

“Bullshit,” I spit. “You’ve been desperate for me since you started sucking my cock.”

“You make me sick.”

“I make you horny, and you fucking hate it. Your body reacts to me, and you lose control,” I say, smirking. “If I pushed you against that wall right now,” I add, stepping closer, “and kissed you . . .” I back her to the wall without touching her, and she inhales sharply, tipping her head back to look at me with disdain. “You’d let me. Do you know why?” She gives her head a slight shake. “Because you want me.” I press my lips to hers, swiping my tongue against hers and placing my hands against the wall either side of her head.

Her fists come between us, shoving hard at my chest. I laugh, breaking the kiss and stumbling back. “Get out,” she growls, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. “And don’t come back.”

I snigger, trying to hide my anger. “Fine, Te. Enjoy it down here covered in another man’s blood.”

By the time I get into the clubhouse, I’m raging. I almost turned back more than once to drag her back here, but walking away is a good thing. It’s the break I need to stop this bullshit idea I have in my head that we can be something more.

Axel is at the bar nursing a whiskey. I head over and take the seat beside him. He glances behind me and asks, “Where is she?”

“Basement.”

He smirks. “Thought she hated the dark.”

“She does.”

“Right.” He frowns but chooses not to comment further. Instead, he nods to the prospect, who pours me a drink before topping up Axel’s glass. “You’ve got your evidence. That will protect you. I’ll make the arrangements for her to go back where she belongs.”

“Okay,” I mutter, knocking my drink back.

“And you can hit the road when you’re ready.”

“Right.”

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