Page 38 of Beautiful Nightmare
Star:Hey! There you are.
Me:Sorry. In bio.
Star:Yep, them. Tied to four different trees near Royal Bridge.
Raven:Holy shit.
Star:Their faces were bruised-up messes. Black eyes.
Star:And two of them had broken noses.
Star:Their mouths were taped shut.
Me:Oh, man.
Star:That’s not the best part.
Me:???
Star:They were in their underwear.
Star:And on their chests in a thick black Sharpie, someone wrote…
Shit, Star. Way to keep me on the edge of my seat. Then, the dots start moving again.
Star:“I give girls date rape drugs.”
Raven:Whoa.
Star:Right?
Star:And since we know it was them…
Several seconds pass where neither of them says anything. I guess they’re waiting for me to come to the obvious conclusion.
Me:Yeah. We know who took care of them.
I press a few fingers to my temple. Hawk not only came to my rescue that night, but he no doubt led the attack on the pricks who drugged me and were going to rape me. And from our history, that shouldn’t make any sense to me at all. But in the present, it kinda does. It also explains why he’s not here this morning, if he was out doing that last night. I’m suddenly very irritated I have two more classes before I can head back to the dorm.
* * *
By the timeI finally finish my classes for the day and make an unplanned pit stop at the library to check out a book for my lit class, it’s midafternoon. I don’t even bother stopping in at our suite, and instead go straight to Hawk’s, wanting confirmation about what he did last night and why. I knock, then turn the knob. I figure if he can sneak into my bedroom all the time, then surely it’s not a big deal for me to walk into their unlocked suite after knocking.
Inside, my eyes widen as I look around. Okay, maybe I should have thought twice before intruding. This place is an absolute wreck. In the kitchen area, my gaze lands on an empty liquor bottle on its side along with three shot glasses. Dirty bowls with milk and cereal remnants still sit on the table. Glancing into the living area, it’s more of the same. Pillows on the floor, a standing lamp tipped over in the corner, the list goes on and on. My eyes ping from one thing to the next, then take in the sheer quantity of blue, orange, and yellow toy darts freaking everywhere. Stepping forward, to where I can see what’s on the couch, it all makes sense when I spot three huge Nerf guns. These dumbasses must have come home from their revenge adventure and gotten drunk to the point where an insane Nerf gun battle ensued. I’m surprised we didn’t hear them from the chaos apparent in the suite this afternoon.
Shaking my head, I pick up the dirty dishes and put them in the sink, then go back to the table with a wet paper towel to wipe away the sloshed milk and the sticky whiskey residue. I right the lamp and pick up the pillows from the floor and put them back on the couch.
Much better. But no way in hell am I picking up all those Nerf dart bullet thingies, though.Nope.
Biting my lip, I look at the three doors, noting the guys didn’t get fancy letters displaying their names. Simple Post-it Notes adorn the guys’ doors. One foot in front of the other, I walk toward the one designated as Hawk’s room and, drawing in a breath, I turn the knob and let myself in. Immediately aware of movement in front of me, I let out a gasp and stumble backward into the door with an indelicate thud. Hawk looms over me, and with his sleep-rough voice he grits, “What are you doing?”
I swallow hard, looking into his eyes. In the dimly lit room, I can’t see him so well yet, and that sets off my flight instinct. I turn around and try to open the door, but Hawk’s hand on the door above my head slaps it shut.
“I asked what you’re doing.” He steps closer, his body curling around mine from behind. His free arm loops around my waist and draws me back against his chest. He murmurs, “I thought we established in the locker room that this thing between us—”
Before he can finish, I stutter, “D-did you really do that to those guys?” I try to breathe, but my heart is in my throat. “Because of what they did to me?” A final question is in my head, but I struggle to voice it. Had he done it because he cares about me, even with all our history? Despite all the shitty things he’s been doing to me?
For a second, I think he’s not going to answer me, but then, close to my ear, he rasps, “I sure as fuck did.” His lips graze the shell of my ear, and he holds onto me tightly. “Lux, it makes no sense to me, but I would do anything to protect you.”
