Page 5 of Beautiful Defiance

“My dad knows jack shit.”

“Did they kick you out of DU? Sent you back home to live with Daddy Dearest?”

Henry is a younger version of his dad. Dirty-blond hair. Square jawline. Expressive hazel eyes. Some would say they are classically handsome.

“Why are you here, Leigh?” He lowers himself onto the edge of the pool and sits. His friends do the same.

“It’s none of your business.” Tipping my chin, I move my arms back and forth, the strokes long and even. Inside, I am a mess of nerves. I should play nice. I can’t win this war of wills when my arms are getting tired. Soon, my legs will cramp up.

“You’re a stranger. A nobody. Why the hell did my father move you here?”

“You should ask Thomas.”

“Already did. He refuses to tell.”

“Then respect his decision. What he and I have is private.”

“What you and he have?” He glances in the direction of the guesthouse.

“The place isn’t yours anymore. Thomas made it clear it’s my space now.”

He points a thick finger at me. “If you’re sleeping with my father, I’m gonna make you regret you were ever born, Leigh.”

Huh? And gross! “As if. The Stevenson dick isn’t good enough for me.”

I pushed too far. Henry’s growl pierces the air. He launches his body at me. I rush to the opposite end of the pool. There is splashing behind me. Crap!

I scramble up the ladder and am about to make a clean getaway, but someone grabs ahold of my ankle and yanks me into the pool. My chin hits the ladder rung. I bite down on my tongue. Metallic taste in my mouth. I would spit, but I don’t want to get my blood in Thomas’s pristine pool.

“Fucking take back what you said, Leigh.”

I would but he’s dunking my head underwater. I claw at his hands. He doesn’t let up. I open my eyes. The chlorine burns them. I shake my head, trying to free myself from his grip, but he has a firm grasp on my hair. I slam my feet on his thighs and push off, but his fingers hold on to me by the front of my swimsuit, keeping me from making much leeway backward.

My vision goes in and out. My chest collapses onto itself.

This is it. Eighteen years of living going down the drain because I’d rather defy than admit the truth of what Thomas is to me.

I close my eyes and pray for my defiant soul. Hear yelling from a distance. Are my parents fighting in heaven? God, can they quit it? Fingers fist in my hair and yank my head out of the water. Large hands grab me under my arms and tug the rest of my body out of the pool. I sputter. Gulp air. Cough in fits.

Is Hannah home? Did she rescue me from Henry and the chip on his shoulder? I open my eyes and stare up into the blackest eyes I’ve ever seen.

“Oh, crap, I’ve died and gone to hell.”

The devil sneers at me. “And payback’s a bitch, Safari. You’re in my debt now for saving your ass.”

I glance off to the side, where there’s a commotion and yelling. Seven’s friends and Henry’s are holding Henry at bay. No doubt Henry wants to have another go at me. He’ll have to stand in line behind Seven.

I push myself into a sitting position. The world spins. I groan. Suddenly, my world shifts again. Seven picks me up off the ground and carries me to the front door. I give him the bad news.

“I’m staying at the guesthouse in the back.”

“Like in the waaay back?”

“Yes. Put me down. I’m too heavy.”

He scoffs. “Don’t think you can bolt. I’ll catch you every time.”

I should be put off by the idea of him chasing after me like I’m a criminal. Instead, a thrill passes through me. I push the unexpected excitement down, chalking it up to the traumatic experience of my near-drowning.

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