I glare at him, knowing I shouldn’t poke the bear but not able to hold back. “Fuck you. Why don’t you go crawl back into the hole you came out of?”
His eyebrows raise. “Speaking of holes, should we talk about yours?”
Everyone thinks it’s some sexual dig, but I know the underlying meaning. He’s holding my secret over me like a guillotine. One wrong word and the rope will snap, cutting off my head in the process. My breath hitches as I prepare for impact, but he remains quiet.
“I’m all out,” he acknowledges, looking down at his cup. “Anyone want another drink?”
Everyone shakes their heads, and he walks over toward the keg. Carter brings the conversation back to something neutral, like I can always trust him to do. As soon as their attention is off me, I slip away and to the hall I saw Grayson go down.
“You didn’t tell them,” I say as I see him leaning against the wall.
He takes a sip of his drink. “Nope.”
“Why?”
The storm brewing in his eyes is intense and dangerous as he stares me down. I swallow hard, wondering how I wasn’t aware that the boy I used to call my best friend was capable of such hatred.
“Because this is more fun.” He takes a step closer. “When they find out—and they will—I want to make sure you feel it. I want it to hurt.”
10
Grayson
To be in possession of the exact thing that could cause Savannah’s downfall feels like glorious retribution. Not only could I turn all her friends against her and strip her of the people who make her strong, I can make her anticipate and fear the moment her world comes crashing down. While I had the perfect opportunity to break her tonight, my plan is to play her like a fiddle.
When Travis wrote down the address, I thought there must have been a mistake—until he told me what a piece of shit her father has become. Originally, I was going to come after him once I was done with taking down his daughter, but it appears that won’t be necessary. At the rate he’s going, he’ll drink himself to death before Savannah graduates high school.
In all actuality, he’s probably getting drunk and high to block out the guilt of what he did to his best friend. My father was hurt, being forced away from his family like that, but nothing was quite as painful as the betrayal of the man who helped frame him for the crime. I don’t believe he ever got over that before the riot that took his life just six months later.
I watch as Savannah sways from side to side, too intoxicated to realize she’s dancing alone. At some point after our little conversation in the hallway, she switched from beer to something stronger. I don’t know what exactly is in the drinks Carter keeps passing her way, but I can only assume his motives are less pure than I’m willing to allow.
She may be a liar—a deceitful little bitch—but she’s mine and mine alone.
“So, you know a little more about Montgomery than I thought, huh?” Jace appears next to me.
I shrug. “You could say that, I guess.”
“What the hell happened between you two?”
Knowing better than to think I can trust him, I take a sip of my beer as I ponder my answer. “Nothing really. Sorry to disappoint.”
He snorts. “Well, it must have been something if it got to her like this.” Nodding toward Savannah, I spot her now dancing on top of a table, drawing a crowd. “I’ve never seen her so drunk.”
I try to keep my composure, and my distance for that matter, but the second a guy reaches up and gropes her ass, I see red. I’m up in seconds, pushing through the group of people who have all gathered around to watch Haven Grace’s favorite cheer captain put on a not-so-flattering show. Just as I get to the front, she slips and falls back—landing directly in my arms.
“You caught me,” she slurs and wraps her arms around my neck. “My hero.”
The close proximity we’re in, paired with the fact that she could have gotten really hurt, has my need to protect her on overdrive. I don’t question the decision for a second as I walk her right out the front door. Carter spots us from where he stands in the front yard and jogs over.
“Whoa, what happened to her?” he questions, following me to my car.
“Whatever you were putting in those drinks you made her.” I manage to pull my keys from my pocket and unlock the doors. “Do you mind?”
He opens it and helps me place her in the passenger seat, then steps back as I shut her in. “You taking her home or taking her home?” He raises his eyebrows at me in a suggestive manner.
I roll my eyes. “The first one. Passed-out drunk isn’t exactly a turn on.” I glance inside to see her holding her head. “All right, let me go before she vomits in my car.”
“Good luck.”
I walk around and get into the driver’s side. As I pull out of the driveway, I can feel Savannah’s eyes on me—burning into the side of my head. I steal a glance at her, just to be sure, and she smiles.
“What?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing. You’re just pretty.”
I snort. “Pretty?”
“Yeah.” She reaches across and runs her fingertips down the side of my face. “Like a manly kind of pretty.”
Taking her wrist, I place her hand back on her lap. “Let’s keep our hands to ourselves, shall we?”
“No fun.” She hiccups and turns to look out the window.
By the time I get across town and pull up to her house, I can’t believe what I’m looking at. This place looks like something that should have been condemned years ago. The porch is missing some planks, the railings are rotted and the roof is sagging. Judging by how dark it is, I can only assume no one is home.
I look over at Savannah to find her sleeping soundly. I know what I should do. I should bring her inside, put her in her bed, and leave—but I can’t. She’s too drunk, too vulnerable, if someone breaks in. I may despise her, but no one gets to cause her pain but me.
Putting the car back in drive, I pull away from her four walls of hell and head toward my own.
THE LIGHTS IN MY house are on, telling me that even though it’s close to midnight, my mother is awake. This should be interesting. I go and open the front door before coming back to my car and lifting Savannah out of it. By the time I get inside, my mom is standing by the stairs, concern etched across her face.
“What’s going on?” she asks, her eyes widening when she sees who is in my arms. “Oh my God, is that Savannah?!”
I shake my head. “Everything’s fine, mom. She just had a little too much to drink.”
Carrying her up the stairs, she stirs awake and nuzzles her face into my chest. “Mmm. You smell good.”
Her drunken honesty is comical to me. “You’re just full of compliments tonight, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” As I slip into the guest room, she sighs. “Is this when you have your way with me?”
My steps stutter, and my lungs forget how to breathe. Am I hearing things? Did she really just ask that? “No, Savannah. This is when you go to sleep.”
“Oh.” She sounds almost disappointed before nodding. “Well, that’s good, ’cause I’m a virgin, and it would probably hurt.”