Page 47 of Dear Roomie
“Just go, Morgan,” she snaps.
Unease gnaws at me as I watch her join her boyfriend. She tries to hug him, but he blocks her attempt, snarling something at her in response. He grabs her arm, and she visibly recoils.
A hazy red clouds my vision.
I stalk toward them, but Tanner meets my glare from over her shoulder and smirks before pulling her deeper into the sea of people. My heart takes off in my chest, and I break into a run to catch them. By the time I join the throng, they are gone.
The unease grows, solidifying into a heavy knot in my chest as my fingers make a pass through my hair. I don’t know where to go or how to make this right, but I need to make sure James is safe.
Without a better plan, I book it back to where I left our friends. The knot loosens some as I catch sight of them still dancing. Karis and Gage have joined the group, Karis dancing while Gage hovers off to the side. I pivot my path and beeline toward the intimidating man.
He raises an eyebrow at my near-frantic approach, his mouth opening to speak, but I cut him off.
“I need your help,” I manage to say around short, gasping breaths.
Gage stands a little straighter, his forehead furrowing at my demands. He places an arm over my shoulder and pulls me further off to the side, flashing Karis a reassuring smile when she gives us a questioning look.
“All right, what’s up?” His tone is no-nonsense.
“Tanner showed up, and James went with him.”
“And? He’s her boyfriend, that’s expected.”
“I just have a really bad feeling about it,” I say, pushing my hand through my hair. “He looked really mad, and I think he might have hurt James. She winced when he grabbed her arm.”
His eyes bore into me as he studies my face. He’s going to say I’m being stupid, that this isn’t my place. I try to convey how serious I am about this, andhe must see it because he nods and turns back toward our friends. He makes eye contact with Nathan and flicks his head back. Without any hesitation, he breaks away from the girls and joins us.
“All right, Morgan, explain the situation to Nathan as we walk. Let’s go save your girl.”
Chapter 18
James
Pain blossoms under the vise-like pressure of Tanner’s fingers as they dig into the exposed flesh of my upper arm. He wrenches me forward, dragging me through the sea of students congregated on the beach. Splotches of red and black blur past my vision, creating a swirling, expressionist image of hedonism at its peak. No one spares me a second glance as we pass, too self-absorbed to notice my silent pleas, or maybe too drunk to realize what they mean.
His grip is unrelenting as he maneuvers me through the throng of people. He drags me behind him with strides longer than I can match, forcing my body to contort into an awkward angle with my feet lagging behind the rest of me. I jerk my shoulder back, attempting to dislodge his grasp, but he clamps down harder. A small whimper escapes my lips, and only then does his grip relax, but he doesn’t release me completely.
It’s as if his hold is on both my body and my mind, but as he eases off my bruising shoulder, the binds that kept me locked in shock break, setting my fury free. How dare he think he can treat me like this? Never in the fifteen years I’ve known him has he put his hands on me in an unwelcome way. Even as a kid, he was always gentle to the point it was almost insulting. He got even worse once we started dating, always treating me like I was made from glass. It’s such a contrast from now that I don’t even recognize the man in front of me.
Sand gives way to pavement as he continues to haul me further from the beach and into the public parking lot. I plant my feet, stop dead in my tracks,and jerk my arm again, this time with enough force to pull it free from his steely claws.
“What the hell, Tanner?” I shout, my outburst catching the attention of a few drunken stragglers.
The stranger wearing my boyfriend’s skin whirls around to glare at me, his eyes alight with a manic intensity that looks alien on his face. His lips curl into a sneer as he stalks toward me, radiating malicious energy. My heart takes flight in my chest, beating hard enough to break free from the confines of my rib cage.
For the second time in twelve years, Tanner scares me.
I take a step back.
Then another.
I go to take another step, but my retreat is blocked by the cold frame of a stranger’s SUV. He is on me in an instant, slamming his hand into the metal near my head, boxing me in.
“Shut the fuck up,” he snarls through clenched teeth. He doesn’t raise his voice; he doesn’t need to—the loathing that drips from every word sends a spear of icy fear through me in a way shouting never could.
“You don’t get to say shit,” he continues, looming over me further. His eyes bore into me, his pupils so dilated that only the barest hint of his icy blue irises peeks out from behind them. “What the fuck were you doing with the roommate?”
“With Morgan? I wa—”
