Hunter remained rooted to the spot for a few seconds longer, his gaze shifting from Myles and then to the girls shuffling out of their table only feet away. Finally, he obliged, following behind me.
Neither one of us said a word as we made our way outside and started toward the dorms.
“Do you think he’ll hurt her?” Hunter asked once we approached the steps to the building.
“I know he’ll hurt her,” I admitted, ignoring the unease that was sprouting in my gut. “I just don’t know when.” Glancing over at him, curiosity gnawed at me. “Why do you care?”
“It’s not that I care,” he explained. “I just don’t want another mess to clean up. The bitch could die, and I wouldn’t bat an eye.” Despite being able to feel the anger pouring off him, I didn’t believe him. There was something about this girl that had all of us in some kind of chokehold. We needed to do something about that.
Warmth enveloped us as soon as we stepped into the building. Before we even had time to breathe, a ginger haired girl approached, her gaze darting between the two of us frantically like she was afraid we’d eat her.
“Hunter,” she acknowledged, her tone shaking slightly.
His eyebrows furrowed, concern taking over his expression as he assessed the state this chick was in. “What is it?”
She looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. This had the hairs on the back of my neck prickling to life. What had her so freaked out? Motioning toward her, Hunter obeyed and leaned forward so that she could whisper in his ear. Something she said seemed to piss him off because his jaw clenched as she fed him whatever piece of information she had.
Pulling away, he nodded at her. “Thanks, Josie.”
She shot him a tightlipped smile. “Anytime.” And with that, she turned on her heels and started toward the lounge area.
Once she was far away from us, I looked at Hunter. “What the hell was that about?” I demanded.
His brown eyes clashed with my blue ones, determination swimming through them. “We have a spy. And I know exactly who it is.”
Chapter 23
Aspen
When I first entered the cafeteria with Foster and then sat with them, they both had a lot of questions. I told them the truth—kind of. That he had groped me and then helped me with some homework.
As we shuffled out of the booth, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and they only tended to do that around one person. Throat tightening, I glanced to my right only to see Myles striding toward us with purpose.
“I-I’m going to go shower,” I blurted out the first thing that came to mind and mentally cursed myself after. That didn’t sound weird. Internally rolling my eyes, I started toward Myles who had halted his movements, cocking his head to the side as he waited to see what I’d do next.
My hands clenched into fists as I approached him. I knew they were watching my every movement; I could feel them staring. As soon as I was within touching distance of him, he surprised me by slinging his arm around my shoulders and tugging me into his body. The hard planes of his body pressed against me as his breath fanned over my ear, eliciting a shiver from me.
“You better not have said anything to them,” he growled in warning. “I’ll find out, and you won’t like it one bit.” Nodding, I sunk my teeth into my lower lip as my heart thrashed wildly against my ribcage. He nipped at my ear, the sensation sending a bolt of electricity to my core. A surprised gasp slipped from my lips, and I jerked out of his hold, hating the effect he tended to have on my body.
Grinning at my reaction, he moved to stand beside me. “You’re mine tonight.” His gaze flashed with something dark as the words left him, and bile rose to the back of my throat.
“No, I’m not.”
He smirked. “Don’t be scared, little dove,” he mocked. “I won’t hurt you…a lot.”
Panic started to set in, crippling me. What had I been thinking coming up to him like this? Was I really willing to just hand myself over to him like a steak on a platter? Memories invaded my mind. Him grabbing my throat and pinning me into the small mattress as he drove into me again and again, our gazes boring into one another as he took what he wanted. His friends cheering him on from the sidelines, patiently waiting for their turn.
Backing away from him, I started looking around the room frantically. The only exit was the main entrance.
“Don’t even think about running,” he warned. “You will be punished when I catch you.”
Punish me with what? The cell? That seemed to be their favorite thing to threaten me with, and right now, that seemed like a better alternative.
Keeping my eyes pinned on him, I took a step backwards, stumbling slightly as nerves ate away at me. Without another thought, I turned on my heels and booked it through the cafeteria, moving as fast as my legs would allow. My feet pounded against the tile as I moved through the room, not caring how many people stared or looked at me like I was deranged.
Adrenaline swam through my veins, urging me on. Once I shoved through the doors, my legs started moving faster into a full-on sprint. The sun beamed down on me, and the cool wind attacked my face. Noting that there wasn’t a second pair of footsteps behind me, relief flooded my system.
Once I reached the front steps of the building, my lungs seized, and I slowed to a stop before doubling over and sucking oxygen into my lungs.