“I didn’t ask for your opinion on my life choices, asshole! And I don’t have to explain jack shit to you.”
He ignored that and kept picking apart what I’d said. “And I’m not trying to control you. I’m trying to understand you, maybe help you avoid making the same mistakes I did.”
“What the actual fuck are you talking about?” I dropped my head into my hands. Usually I at least partly enjoyed the challenge of verbal sparring, but today, I was just exhausted, beaten down. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. “You can’t keep demanding to know deeply personal shit about me while not offering up any of your own, Hendrix.”
He was silent for a long time. I just enjoyed the peace and quiet and watched a line of ants marching between the pavers near my feet.
“I moved here from New York, where I was born and grew up.”
I lifted my head to look at him. He was in the same position across from me, but he was looking out at the view beyond the pool now, squinting against the sun just as I had.
“My parents are just as filthy rich and influential back home as yours are here,” he continued. “I went to the best, most exclusive school on the East Coast—the only place harder to get into than Fulton. And I ruled that place. I’m not saying that to talk myself up. You know exactly what I mean, because it’s the same position you’re in at Fulton. People look up to you, follow your lead, want to be your friend. You can ruin their lives if you really want to. That’s why I came to you at the very start—I knew if I wanted to be left alone, the quickest way to ensure it would be to piss you off.”
He sighed and looked me dead in the eyes. “I know what it’s like to have all those eyes on you, because I had them. I know what kind of immense pressure you’re under, because I was. I may not know exactly what makes you crave the depravity and danger of Davey’s, but I know that look in your eye. The desperate one that tells me you’ll do anything to keep chasing that feeling you get. I had it too. Until I went too far. I did something . . . unforgiveable. Something that ruined everything. I just want to help you avoid it.”
“What did you do?” I couldn’t help myself. I had to know.
He winced and rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t talk about it. I . . . I’m not sure if I can trust you with that. Yet.”
“You know I could just find out, right? You’ve given me enough information to do some digging. It wouldn’t take much.”
“I know. But I also know you like a challenge.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. And he was right, damn him. I wanted to hear it from his own lips.
“Donna, I know you’re a strong, intelligent, independent woman.” I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling at the compliment. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do. But you know just as well as I do how dangerous Davey’s is. After what happened last night, that should be painfully obvious. It’s just not worth the risk anymore. Please stop going there.”
He made good points, but it still felt as if he was telling me what to do, and I hated that beyond measure.
“No.” I sat up and crossed my arms. “I’ve been going there for over a year. Last night was a first, and I won’t let it happen again.”
“For the love of . . . just. Let’s try something else. Whenever you get the urge for some danger, just come to me. We’ll go speeding on highways, or I can take you to an abandoned warehouse and we can break shit if you need to let off steam.”
I was shaking my head. He didn’t get it.
“Is it the random hookups? If it’s sex you’re after, I’m more than willing—”
“Don’t.” I pointed a warning finger in his face and got to my feet. “This conversation is over. You’ve said your piece. Now leave.”
Motherfucker thought he was god’s gift to women and his dick would solve all my problems. The arrogance. Although . . . if he fucked with his dick as well as he had with his fingers . . . No! I cut that train of thought right off.
He stood too, putting his Ray-Bans on. “If you continue to go to Davey’s, I will find out, and I’ll have to tell someone.”
“Tell who? Who would even believe you?”
“Your friends? Your family?” He shrugged. “I’ll just keep talking until someone takes it seriously. If you die and I did nothing when I knew you were going there . . . I can’t have that on my conscience, Donna.”
“Oh, so this is about you and your conscience? Fuck you!”
He started up the path back to the front of the house as I stared daggers at his back.
“I’ll be watching you,” he called over his shoulder.
I stuck both middle fingers up at him and gritted my teeth.
Once he was out of view, I took the other path up to the house and let myself in through a back door. Hoping Harlow and Mom were still glued to the front window, watching Hendrix leave, I rushed up the back stairs and into my room. I’d just lock myself in there and refuse to speak to them until they dropped it.
Mom was nowhere in sight, but Harlow and Amaya were perched cross-legged on my bed, looking at me with expectant expressions. As if it were fucking story time at the library and they were a couple of five-year-olds.
I heaved a defeated sigh and shut the door, leaning back against it. “Hey, Amaya. What are you doing here?”
“Harls texted me that you had an interesting visitor. I came right over.” She grinned.
“And you didn’t think to invite Mena?” I gave my sister an exaggerated look of disappointment.
She shrugged. “I did. She had to work. But demands a full blow-by-blow when she gets off.”
“Blow-by-blow?” Amaya repeated, barely containing laughter.
Mirth bubbled up inside me too, and my shoulders began to shake. “When she gets off?”
All three of us burst into laughter. For the first time that morning, I felt a little better. They were being nosy and annoying, but at the end of the day, I knew they cared. They wanted the best for me, just as I wanted the best for them.
“OK, that’s enough with the stalling.” Amaya wiped the tears from under her eyes and fixed me with a look. “Spill.”
I dragged my feet across the room and flopped onto the bed, face-first. “I don’t wanna,” I mumbled into the soft comforter.
Harlow kicked my hip. “Start talking or I’ll tell Mom and Dad what really happened that time I had to get stitches at the back of my head.”
I turned my head to glare at her. “You wouldn’t.”
“D, come on.” Amaya started running her fingers through my damp hair. It felt like heaven.
“It’s not that big a deal, really. He’s just being annoying.” What the hell was I supposed to tell them? It all revolved around my trips to Davey’s, and I couldn’t tell them that. They’d make me stop going, or worse—try to go with me. I couldn’t put them in that kind of danger.
“There had to be a damn good reason he came to our house,” Harlow argued. “This is more than just your usual mutual disdain for each other.”
“Just admit you hooked up with him. We won’t judge you,” Amaya said matter-of-factly.