Page 39 of Ruthless Legacy

“Fine, then you can buy me one. Meet me where we met, at nine?”

He looks around the gym before saying, “Good workout, LaReaux.”

He’s late. I stare at my phone. No missed texts or calls. I toss back my second drink, bitter disappointment slides through my gut. There’s only one thing to offset the feeling of nothingness I’ve been trying to fight off all day. I get to my feet and head towards the door.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Wolfe asks as I step outside.

I take in his caramel blonde hair and thick brows, the ever present smirk on his face. I shove past him. “Somewhere else.”

“You’re mad.”

“Not at all. Girls love being stood up.”

“I’m here.”

“You’re late, so go back wherever the fuck you were. I’m moving on to part two of my evening.”

“Part two?”

“That’s right. Part one was drinks. Part two, coming right up.”

He snatches me off my feet and tosses me over his shoulder. “Hey! Put me down.” I pound on his back as he crosses over to the parking lot and growls as he shoves me into his car from the driver’s side. “What are you doing?”

“Me? What the fuck are you doing? Talking about ‘part two’. You think I can’t figure out what that means?”

He snaps my seatbelt into place and throws the car in drive. I assume we’re heading back towards Canyon Falls, until he turns off before we reach the exit that leads to campus. With a scowl on his face, he navigates to a part of town I’ve never been to before. The houses aren’t as big as where Moira and Scott or LJ live, but they’re a decent size.

He pulls off onto a road that I can’t really see, but I smell the salt water from the ocean. Five minutes later, he pulls into a driveway, shoving the car door open and exiting the vehicle without a word. I sit in my seat, fuming. How dare this asshole kidnap me.

Eventually, my curiosity gets the best of me and I scramble out of the car, following him to the side of the house. He’s left the door open. I close it behind me and slip off my shoes so I don’t scuff up the floors or stain the carpets with whatever gook is on my soles from the bar.

I find him in the kitchen, slamming back shots. He pushes one towards me. Antagonizing him seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I’m rethinking that choice.

“You okay?”

“Am I. Okay?” He knocks back another drink. “Let’s see. I find you at a bar, drinking alone.”

“I told you where I’d be, and you were late, so of course I drank alone.”

“I was late, and you decided to walk out and commence parttwoof your evening.”

“I didn’t know you were coming. You never actually responded when I said to meet me.”

He sets his shot glass on the counter and drops his voice. “Which means part two of your plan was always in motion, since by your own admission you didn’t know I was coming.”

I work through what he’s saying. “Um…”

“Oh, no, LaReaux. Don’t get tongue tied now. Tell me all about what part two entailed.”

He nudges the shot glass towards me again. “Here’s a little liquid courage to help you get the words past those lips.”

I drink, grimacing at the burn from the scotch. “Dancing. I was going dancing.”

“Dancing, where?”

“Club Nyquity.”

He refills my glass. “I see. And considering you’re running from something, after a night of drinking and dancing, what happens next?” He slides the glass over.

---