Page 38 of Smoke the Enemy

“I’m sorry, Taylor,” he murmurs, and glances around just as I did. “I shouldn’t have stayed away, but there were so many things going on. My dad, things with Bryce Van Doren, Alex, the code we live by…I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

I run my eyes over him, my protector, the one who shoulders everything even when it’s not on him to do so. Steffan is not as free spirited or wild as Soren. I know he didn’t come to me sooner, not because he doesn’t care, but because he cares too much. He’s more cautious out of the three of us, but I can still sense the danger he wears like armor.

“I know,” I tell him, wanting him to feel how much I care about him because he protects me, he makes me feel safe, and I know I can trust him with my life. He may be deadly, they both might be, but not to me. I slide my hand into his under the desk and he glances down. His jaw twitches, and when he glances up again, the smile on his lips makes my heartbeat jump. I want to do this for him. I need him to know I care about him just as much as I do Soren. We spend the rest of class that way, our hands joined under the desk, while taking notes one-handed. It’s a start, but I know what it means to him. I can feel it in the way he sneaks glances at me. Steffan will always pull back until he is sure things are safe for me. He just needs to know I won’t bail when things get tough for any of us. And knowing these two, we haven’t even scraped the surface yet.

The chill in the air is enough to bite. I’m wrapped tightly in my jacket as I hurry to my car, the plastic bag bouncing off my leg as my legs move quickly to get to warmth. I hate having to go to the store late at night, but of course, I forgot about a project tomorrow, and we’re out of printer paper. I do not want to fall behind in class, my scholarship depends on it. Kali got a new bartending job, so it’ll be two in the morning before she gets off work, otherwise I would’ve begged her to go for me.

The lights blink as I unlock my mother’s car that I’m borrowing until I can get a new one. I open the driver’s door enough to climb in, and then quickly close and lock the door. Tossing my bag and purse into the passenger seat, I start the car. When I look into the rearview mirror my heart slams against my ribcage and my throat closes. I can’t even force a scream out.

“Hello, Taylor…” Bryce Van Doren greets me from the backseat. “Congratulations, you’re going to be my ticket out of here.”

“How do you figure that?”

“You’re going to drive me out of town, you’re going to get your boys to send money, and once I’m safe and settled, I’ll leave you for them to find.”

“Will I be left alive…or do you mean just my body?”

“That depends completely on you.” He leans back in the seat, and I can hear the amusement and bewilderment in his voice. “Man, I don’t get it. You’re hot and pleasant enough, but three of the major players have a bad hard-on for you. What do you have between your legs, huh? Think if I touch it, or taste it, I’ll be addicted to that pussy like they are?”

My skin crawls at his crass words. Hot, raging anger courses through my veins. My cell phone rings and instantly there’s a knife is at my throat. “I have to answer. It’s probably Kali, and she’ll be worried if I don’t answer.”

“Answer it. But know this, you’ll still be of use to me with a few missing parts.”

“Understood. But you’re going to have to lower the knife so I can reach inside my bag.” My phone is under my bag, but he doesn’t need to know that. Once he’s lowered the knife, I reach inside my bag and wrap my fingers around the pepper spray. I inhale and exhale.I can do this.I unlock the safety on the can and whip the can out ready to spray. Using my other hand, I grab my purse and cell phone, all the while blasting him in his eyes and holding my breath so I don’t inhale any of it. I grab my keys from the ignition and jump out of my car and slam the door behind me. I repeatedly press the lock button behind me andkeep pressing the lock button as I run toward the store, hoping to slow him down. Once inside the store, I pull out my cell phone.

I call the one person who I am absolutely certain will not let me down.Soren.

“Little Mouse.”

“Help me! Please! Bryce Van Doren just tried to abduct me, and I’m pretty sure he’s still after me. I tried to trap him in the backseat of my car after I pepper sprayed him.”

“Where are you,” his voice sounds menacing, and I love it. I tell him where I am, and the location of my car in the parking lot. I wander the aisles of the store when I spot a worker restocking cans.

“Somebody is following me. Can I please wait somewhere safe? In the back, perhaps, until my boyfriend arrives?” Soren isn’t exactly my boyfriend, but I don’t know how else to describe him.

The nice worker leads me through two large, swinging double doors, and through a warehouse of storage and into a small room. There’s a table and a few scattered chairs, and a refrigerator and television in the corner.

“You should be okay here in the breakroom.”

I nod and smile in appreciation. We sit down, and I take out my phone, ready to call Kali, when the lights go out. I hear screams and murmurs of concern from the store customers. The intercom static sounds through the speaker.

“Taylor… Taylor… Taylor… I know you’ve probably called your little snakes to come slithering in here and strike me down. But you forget, I’m from the Brotherhood as well. Or… maybe you didn’t know. Have you underestimated me, little one?”

“What in the hell is going on?” the employee who walked me back here frantically asks.

“I’m so sorry. It’s him, the guy who was coming after me. I figured he would just go away. I’m sorry.”

“Come out… come out…” Bryce coaxes through the speaker. “I’ll spill blood if you don’t. Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘Mors tua vita mea,’ Taylor? It meansyour death is my life.I’ll do whatever is necessary for survival.”

So will I, asshole.I turn on my phone flashlight and look at the employee. “Where is he? Where would he have access to the speaker system?”

“The front of the store. Customer Service.”

I ease out of the door, but before I close it, I say, “Lock this behind me. Thank you for trying to help me.”

“Taylor Lake. Pssh. Taylor Lake. Please come to the front of the store, your party is waiting for you. Pssh. Taylor Lake. Paging Taylor Lake.”And just like that, the psychopath has a sense of humor.

Customers are huddled together in groups. I’m sure some might blame me, but I didn’t bring this on them. I didn’t ask for Bryce to pull a knife on me in my car, or to follow me into this store. This is him, all his doing.

---