Page 63 of Further To Fall

“Everything’s good, smartass. You going to be okay for the night?”

“Yup.”

“All right, I’m going to head out, I have some work to finish.”

“Thanks for driving me home.”

“No problem. Lock the door behind me.”

I dutifully followed Ford to the door and flicked the deadbolt behind him. A ding came from the direction of my purse, which I had let fall to the floor when I released Blue from his crate. I dug around for my phone, and just as I grabbed it, I heard it ding again.

Taylor:You’ve been outed,E-Newsidentified you as Austin’s girlfriend in those photos. I’m honestly surprised it took them this long. Thought you’d want a heads-up.

Taylor:On the plus side, my mom says Austin’s a hunk, and you better hold on to that man.

I sighed, deciding to text Taylor back later. “What do you say we go for a walk, Blue?”

He barked in response and started turning in circles. I knew that if I had told Ford I was taking Blue for a walk, he would have insisted on going with me, but I really needed some alone time to sort through what I was going to say to Austin when I called him tonight.

I quickly changed into workout pants and a tank, grabbing Blue’s leash, my keys, and for good measure so none of the boys could yell at me, my phone and pepper spray. Snapping Blue’s lead on, I headed out the door, making sure it was locked behind me.

My mind immediately drifted to Austin as I padded the pavement, pausing as Blue stopped to pee on something. When it came right down to it, any fears paled in comparison to how much I loved Austin. His kind heart. His generous spirit. And his hot body didn’t hurt. No one made me feel more alive than Austin did. I just needed to make him understand that I’d kick his butt if he kept things from me that he knew I deserved to know.

I spent the next forty-five minutes releasing any anger and hurt I’d been feeling and thinking about everything that I was grateful for in my relationship with Austin. By the time I’d circled back around to my house, I felt ready to call him. I just hoped he wasn’t pissed at me for waiting so long.

I punched in the gate code, and Blue tugged me up the path to the front door, excited for his post-walk treat. When I unlocked the door, Blue started sniffing the air and barking. What a weirdo. Was he trying to sniff out his treat? Instead of pulling me to the kitchen where his cookies were, he tugged me towards my bedroom, his barking growing more intense.

When we reached the door, I froze in shock. My bedroom was destroyed. Clothing was strewn all over the floor, ripped to shreds. The painting that usually hung over my bed was lying on the carpet, a huge slash through it. My bedding had also been torn to bits, feathers were everywhere. And above my bed, spray-painted in garish red was the word:Whore.

Blue’s low growl snapped me into action, and as I turned to bolt from my room, I caught a glance ofcuntsprayed in the same red lettering in my bathroom. I fumbled for my phone as I pulled on Blue’s leash and started running for the front door. My heart hammered against my ribs, sending vibrations echoing through my body. My thumb unlocked my phone’s screen as I cleared the front doorway. My recent calls appeared, and I shakily hit the first number I saw.

33

Austin

“You just have to be patient, man,” Liam said. We were at my house, having a beer after playing a little one-on-one. “Carter loves you. Never seen someone so head over heels. I honestly think it’s less about Lexi and more about the fact that you weren’t honest with her.”

I groaned as I ran a hand over my scalp. “Carter said she didn’t want to talk about the past.”

Liam sent me a pointed look over his beer. “But it’s not really the past if you see Lexi regularly, is it?”

Fuck, I knew it had been a bad idea not to tell Carter that Lexi was working for the UFL, but I had been so damn desperate to get us to a good place. I didn’t want to ruin my shot with her. “Do you think Carter can handle being around all the groupies, the crazies, the paparazzi? I love her, man. I want to make this work.” I blew out a breath. “But she pushes me away every time I screw up. She won’t let me close enough to try and make things right.”

“You need to give her time. She’s scared, Austin. Terrified out of her fucking mind.” My stomach dropped at his admission, and my heart clenched. “She hasn’t said as much, but I’ve known Carter a long time, and I recognize the signs. You were her first love, her first broken heart. She’s going to be a little gun-shy when things go wrong.”

“All right. I’ll try to give her some time.” I’d give her another week. Tops. After that, I was coming for her whether she liked it or not.

“Just stay away from Lexi in the meantime.” Liam shot me a pointed look over the top of his beer.

“There are rumors she’s talking about quitting and moving to New York to work in fashion.” I grinned, that had been the best damn news of my week.

“Praise the good Lord above!” Liam let a little bit of his former Southern twang into his voice. A ringtone trilled out, and he reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell. He shot me a grin as he answered.

“Hey, Carter, what’s up?” The grin fell from his face almost immediately. “Get out of the house, now.”

My heart stopped dead in my chest. Liam snapped his fingers in my direction as we both leapt to our feet. “Get the cops to her house now. Someone broke in.”

My fingers robotically dialed 911 as I heard Liam say, “We’re calling the cops and are on our way. I want you to stay on the phone with me until the police get there. Or we do, okay?”

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