Page 13 of Surge

Jax walked out of the room without a glance back, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank fuck."

Tory laughed. "He is something else. I guess when you have a body like that there has to be some kind of flaw to make the universe happy." She picked up her bag and turned off her screen. "See you tomorrow."

I was left alone and shut down my computer before taking a minute to put my head in my hands. Senior year was supposed to be the best year of high school. We were entering adulthood and making decisions that would affect our futures. We weren't supposed to act like children. Targeting me for something my father's company did was ridiculous.

"Riley." My head snapped up and I was face to face with Jax, who had somehow snuck back in the room without a sound. He was leaning against the door.

I put my bag over my shoulder and stood. "Stay away from me."

He laughed and held up his hands. "What do you mean? I'm not even near you." He took a step toward me and I headed for the door connecting the classrooms.

I was just about to it when he grabbed me by the back of the neck and maneuvered me to face him, crashing his lips into mine. My hands came up to shove against his chest, but instead, fisted his shirt as he backed me against the wall and pushed his tongue into my mouth.

My mind was screaming at me to push him away, but instead, I moved my tongue into his mouth and my knees weakened. If I had known kissing was so great, I would have found someone to make out with a lot sooner. Someone that wasn't paying someone to beat me up.

But maybe I was wrong and it wasn't him in particular. It seemed more like something Morgan would instigate. He was the one that was the notorious bad boy of the three.

He pulled away just enough so our lips were almost brushing. "You need to tell us where your father is."

My feelings of lust toward him evaporated and I shoved him, moving him back a few inches. "I don't know my father."

"I find that hard to believe." He crossed his arms over his chest, drawing my attention to how the button-up shirt he was wearing clung to his biceps and pecs.

He smirked and brought a hand to his mouth, rubbing a finger over his bottom lip. I was distracted for a moment at how his lips seemed swollen from our kiss. Did mine look the same?

"Why is that hard to believe?" It was a struggle to keep my voice steady as my eyes tracked his every movement. "He left before I was one."

"Does your mom work?" He unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up to show his muscular forearms. "How does she make a living?"

I looked away to stop myself from ogling him. "What my mom does and doesn't do is none of your fucking business."

"I never pegged you for a girl that cusses." He stepped forward again. "By the way, where is your mom, Riley?"

My eyes met his and my heart stopped. Did he know where my mom was? I wracked my brain trying to remember if I had mentioned my mom going to the Maldives during the yearbook retreat. I opened my mouth to respond and then shut it.

"Here's what's going to happen." He trailed a finger down my jawline and I flinched away. "You're going to get your dad out of hiding."

"But-"

He pressed his forefinger to my lips. "Listen." I nodded. "Once you make contact with him, you'll text me and I'll give you further direction."

Tears sprang to my eyes because I didn't have the faintest clue of how to get into contact with my estranged father. I had asked when I was younger about him and my mother had shut me down, telling me never to bring him up again.

He removed his finger and wrapped his hand around the side of my neck, bringing his forehead to mine. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be, Riley. There will be consequences."

He released me, and I sagged against the wall as he walked to the door. "Consequences? Like paying someone to jump me or putting fish in my dorm?"

He turned the door handle and paused, looking back over his shoulder. The look he gave me was enough to make me piss my pants. "You have seventy-two hours."

---