Page 91 of Saving the Halfback

His hair…his hair that Hadley often ran her fingers through. “Stop,” I whispered, breathless. What was I doing? Holy shit, Ed was right. I was a whore. Those boys would take and take and take until they screwed me, and I would be nothing but a whore. What was wrong with me? “Stop!” I said, louder this time.

Chase stopped, his eyes glowing as he met my stare. “Bailey…” He slowly set me down. “I’m sorry, I thought you—”

“What the fuck?” If I’d thought the cold stares Lachlan gave anyone who touched him were scary before, this was a different kind of scary. Lachlan was murderous as he glared at Chase’s hand on my shoulder.

“Are you all right, Bailey?” Nolan asked, but I couldn’t answer.

Chase stepped in front of me, blocking my view of them.

“I’ll fucking murder you,” Lachlan growled. Chase tensed, and that’s when I quickly came out from behind him. Nolan was holding Lachlan back, but he was struggling.

“Let him go, Reeves. You’ll be doing me a favor,” Chase spat.

“Chase.” Nolan struggled. “Leave.”

“Someone better tell me what the fuck is happening.” Ethan’s voice was low and steady, the perfect facade of calm.

“He attacked Bailey, had her pinned!” Lachlan yelled, still struggling against Nolan’s hold.

“She wanted it,” Chase said.

Nolan froze, and then he threw his hands up, off Lachlan. “Fuck it.”

Lachlan launched himself forward, fists ready. Chase braced himself, but I stepped in front quickly. “I did,” I quickly said. Lachlan stopped mere inches from me, his eyes inspecting me, as if looking for any harm. “I’m sorry,” I said shamefully.

Lachlan reached up and gently brushed the hair that had come loose from my braid out of my face, but his eyes remainedcold, like he hadn’t quite reined himself in. “If it’s what you wanted, you don’t have to say sorry,” he whispered to me.

“Great. Nice. So what, are you her handler now?” Chase scoffed.

“Go your separate ways,” Ethan said. “Nothing happened here.”

Chase chuckled. “Not how I’ll remember it.”

I felt sick to my stomach. Lachlan wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Yeah, make sure to tell your girlfriend that,” he said while guiding me in the direction of the house.

Nolan didn’t say anything, his eyes just shifting between the four of us. Once we broke out from the cover of the trees, I pulled away from Lachlan. “I need a minute.”

He seemed hurt but let me go. “You did nothing wrong, Bailey.”

I faced him. “He has a girlfriend, Lach.” I was an idiot. “The last few days, I’ve been leading you and Nolan on.Hewas right, I’m a whore.”

“Who said that? Chase?”

“No, just forget about it. I need a moment alone.” I turned away from him, walking the long way around to the front.

I had almost made it to my truck. I wouldn’t leave without Nolan and Ethan, but I could sit and wait until they were good to go.

I heard a noise behind me but ignored it, figuring it was Ed, his voice still mocking me in my ear. Then someone grabbed me from behind, and a burlap sack was shoved over my head.

“Stop!” I screamed, but it didn’t deter them.Them. Multiple hands had hold of me, shoving me to the ground, tying my hands together. “Help!” I screamed even louder, rocking back and forth to dislodge them from me, but no one heard me. The music in the house was still so loud, I could hear it from out here.

No one would hear me.

No one would know.

31

Bailey

---