Page 6 of Pretty Girls Never Lie (St. Mary’s)

Slowly, I spin on the black-and-white checkered floor and sigh at the sight of a guy close to my age. He’s tall and has an emo look to him with jet-black hair and a piercing in his left eyebrow. His smirk is hot, but that’s all he has going for him after referring to me as an ice queen.

“Nice joke,” I say. “Very original.”

I turn and begin heading back to my dorm until I feel a hand on my hair. My head tilts backward with the gentle tug, and I bare my teeth when I catch the eye of my current admirer.

“Oh, come on. Gonna ice me out?”

His friend snickers, and my mouth parts with his stupidity.

“If you touch me again, I’m going to do much more than ice you out.” I roll my eyes and huff with a turn, but then his hand lands on my arm, and I’m furious. I fling his fingers off my elbow right before I’m shoved backward by someone else.

“Who gave you permission to touch her?”

I stare at the back of Brantley’s head. My finger twitches to shove his hat off and stomp on his foot at the same time.How dare he act like my hero again!There’s an insult flying out of my mouth before I even realize what it is.

“And who gave you permission to break into my house and shove me into a closet, Brantley?”

When his green eyes meet mine, my pulse skips. A flash of that night strikes me like lightning, and my eyes fall to the floor. Thomas’s cries fill my head, and I close my eyes to push the distant memory away.

When I feel a tight grasp against my upper arm, I snap to attention. My books tumble out of my arms and land on the floor, but I leave them as Brantley drags me through a nearby door, shutting out the rest of the school. I cough at the flying dust particles, and the smell of mildew burns my eyes.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” he seethes.

I fight through the darkness to see him, but I can’t. We must be in the janitor’s closet or maybe some secret hideaway. I wouldn’t be surprised in a fortress like this.

“Who the fuck do you thinkyouare?” I snap back. My arms cross against my chest, and my heart thumps with thunderous beats against them. “I don’t need you to come to my rescue!”

Brantley’s chuckle warms my skin, but a cold chill races down my back. I shiver at the sensation and ignore the dip in my lower belly. My thoughts are twisted, and memories are hitting me from every angle. I was forced to meet with numerous social workers, counselors, and therapists over the last four years to get a grasp on the past, but I can’t deny the push and pull I’ve always felt when I thought of him. It’s even worse after coming face to face with him again. There’s a very vulnerable part of me that wants to rush into his arms, because as much as he is a part of that awful night, hedidprotect me, no matter how hard I try to paint him as the bad guy.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

My legs tingle with fear, and I take a step backward. Something crashes to the floor, and a bang echoes throughout the tiny area. I yelp and jump at the same time. A gunshot distantly rings throughout my subconscious, and I try to escape the stark darkness.

I curse when my elbow hits something hard. I reach my hands out for the doorknob, trying to escape, but grab onto his shirt instead.

“For fuck’s sake, what the hell are you doing?”

I gasp for air and turn around. “Let me out of here.”

“No.” Brantley’s hands land on my waist, and he pulls me backward into his chest. His hot whisper coats my neck, and I freeze. “Not until you either leave this fucking place or keep your mouth shut.” I focus on his heart pounding against my back.Calm down, Isla.“You think it’s smart to go around and spew things about that night? In a place like this?”

“In a place like this?” My words are chopped between lungfuls of air, but I’m more grounded now that his hands are on me, which is so incredibly humiliating to my pride. “It’s a fucking high school.”

I gasp when I’m quickly spun around in his arms and slammed against his chest. The movement causes a dizzy spell to take over. The light flickers on, basking the small area with a warm glow. I blink until his handsome face is steady. He looks so much older than I remember, more rugged and sure of himself. The boyish vibe to him is replaced with something dangerous, and the rebellious part of me suddenly wants to play with fire.

“You have no idea what has happened in thisfucking high school,Goldilocks. So shutup.” His tone is lethal. “While you’ve been playing house in your comfy little witness-protection world, far away from men like my father, I’ve beenhere.” I stay still when his hand snakes past my waist to land at my neck. I swallow against his palm and know that I should be afraid, but I’m not. “Neverbring up that fucking night again. You got it?”

I dip my gaze down to his mouth. His kissable lips form a firm line, and anger radiates from his shoulders. There’s a bratty rebuttal testing my ability to listen to him, but I think twice with his hand around my neck. “Then never step in and try to protect me ever again.” I move closer to him and watch his eyebrows twitch with confusion. I grab on to his sturdy wrist that’s holding me in place and lean forward. “You got it?”

Our mouths are a breath away, and I want nothing more than for him to lean in and press his lips to mine just so I can draw blood and prove to him that WITSEC was the complete opposite of what he’s thinking.

“You think I’m protecting you, Isla?” he asks, tilting his head in the way that only a villain would. “I’m not protecting you. I’m protecting myself.”

I almost fall forward when he rips his palm from my neck and pushes past me, leaving me all alone in a small closet for the second time.

FOUR

Brantley

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