Page 9 of Puck'n Bully
“Yeah, sure,” I say, gulping down a mouthful of water.
Screwing on the cap, I move toward the overflowing bin and bring out a huge, bulging garbage bag. It’s so heavy, I have to nearly drag it out to the back of the diner.
A fresh cool breeze plays with my curls as I drop the bag in one of the dumpsters. My breaths come out in loud pants as I lean against a wall and gaze up at the sky.
It’s a moment before I realize I’m not alone. Just as I’m straightening up, someone pushes me against the wall.
“Hey!” I retaliate, feeling the hard impact on my back.
“Don’t make a sound,” a deep voice warns as thick fingers wrap around my neck.
“Get off me!” I shout, trying to push the stranger away from me.
“I told you to be quiet,” the assaulter says through clenched teeth. His fingers tighten around my neck, nearly cutting off my air supply.
I try to see who it is but his hood is up, shielding his face.
He’s taller and bigger than me. I hate to admit it, but he’s also a lot stronger than me. My fingers scrape uselessly against his hand and wrists, trying to break his hold on my neck.
“What do you want?” I manage to force the words out through my constricted windpipe.
“You recognized me, didn’t you?”
His fingers loosen slightly, allowing me to focus on him. Now that I’m no longer fighting for air, I recognize who’s got me in a chokehold.
“Pirate,” I blurt.
The name immediately has him choking me. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asks, bringing his face so close to mine I can feel his hot breath on me. “Did you follow me here? Are you here to expose me? Are you here to blackmail me?”
Hot fury bubbles up in my chest as I raise my foot and kick him in the knee. “What the hell are you talking about?”
A grunt escapes him but he doesn’t let go of me.
“You told me you were a Physics major at Kingston U,” he says, his dark eyes boring into me. “Did you lie to me?”
“I didn’t lie,” I say, continuing to struggle against him.
“Then why are you here?”
“What’s it to you?”
“Answer me!” he hisses, slamming me against the wall.
Pirate is built like a tank and his body vibrates with pure raw power. I feel like a rag doll in his hold but instead of feeling scared, I just get angrier.
“I transferred here,” I snap. “Professor Blanton wanted me to join his team here to finish up my research project. I’m here to use the laser lab so that I can gather the data I need. My transfer has nothing to do with you. I didn’t even know who you were until tonight. To be honest, I still don’t know what your name is, asshole.”
My rage-fueled voice must’ve finally made him see sense because he finally loosens his fingers around my throat and takes a step back.
“I will kill you if you tell anyone about what happened back in April,” he says in a threatening tone. He steps forward, crowding me against the wall with his massive body.
This close, I finally get a good look at his full lips and his rock-cut, clean-shaven jaw. His dark eyes glitter in the gloom as his fingers grip my chin.
“Mark my words, Liam. I can end your life in this town if you dare to tell anyone about my secret.”
The way he says my name has me feeling things I shouldn’t be feeling when he’s being such a jerk. Gulping air, I try to sort out my scrambled thoughts.
“What kind of a person do you think I am?” I throw back at him. “I saved your life back then. Why would I hurt the person I tried so hard to save from being drowned?”
