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“And you would?” Silas retorts, shutting down the snicker.
“Okay, fine, but I did kiss Scarlett behind the church when we were—” Dan starts to say, getting interrupted by Silas.
“You what? You kissed her?” he asks, a hardness to his voice that surprises me. He’s turned toward Dan, his jaw clenched.
Dan holds up his hands. “What? Why do you care?”
They begin to bicker back and forth.
I tune them out, focusing on how to survive the night if Harley is talking to another guy. She wouldn’t, would she?
I’ve learned not to assume the worst of her, but my fears are difficult to push down. What will I do if there’s a guy there who she’s…with? I decide not to dwell on it as nausea rides in my throat.
It’s still early as we step onto the girls’ floor, but there’s already a significant amount of students littering the hallway. Loud, pulsing hip-hop music fills the air. The “small, intimate” gathering looks a lot more like an actual party starting off.
We’re pushing our way through when I see a guy with a shaved head, absolutely every inch of his skin covered with tattoos. He’s got more than I’ve ever seen on a human body. I see another one who could be his twin, only shorter and heavier.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up as their shifting eyes roam over the scantily clad young crowd of mostly girls in the hallway. They’re too old to be college students, so why are they here? Either one is definitely not a student’s father.
I’m about to approach them both to ask them what they’re doing here when they push through the crowd, straight through the open door with the number thirty-four.
Lunging after them, I panic as the door shuts. I don’t even think. Alarm bells start sounding in my head like sirens.
Get to Harley now. Right now.
I try the handle, but it’s locked. Dan and Silas have caught up to me, both with stunned looks on their faces. I take a long stride back, moving a girl out of the way.
“What’s wrong?”
“What happened?” they say in unison.
I ignore them, raising my foot in the air and breaking the door down. It cracks open, the latch and knob hanging on by a splinter as it swings wide, thudding against the wall. Everyone close by turns to stare with open mouths, but the music masks most of the sound. I step into the room.
The taller, bald man is on Harley’s bed. She’s huddled in the corner once again, but he has his hand resting high on her thigh. Her face is ash, but she jolts as I break into the room. The bigger guy steps toward me, nearly touching my chest with his.
“Hey, get the fuck out,” he barks at me.
I turn my face to him, the adrenaline still rushing as I shove his chest hard, and he stumbles. I feel Silas and Dan enter behind me, thankfully both big and muscular from our long days on the farm.
The taller one looks over at me with a cold smile as his hand drags off Harley’s thigh. I take several long strides toward the bed, red beginning to rim my vision.
“Touch her again, and I break your fucking hand,” I growl, barely restraining myself from reaching over and doing it anyways.
I’m trying to handle the situation without murdering someone, but it’s difficult. I can’t let her get hurt.
He snickers at me, looking over at Harley’s frozen form, then back at me.
“We only just met. How do you already know my biggest weakness?” his slithering voice responds. He surveys me from his position on the bed, reclining his head back on the wall like it’s a normal Friday night.
Harley is a statue, a dull, hollow expression on her face.
The bigger man is standing where I shoved him, unsure of what his boss wants him to do next.
I glower at the tattooed man.
“Either get up and leave now or I will physically remove you,” I threaten him, ready to carry it out in the next three seconds.
He turns to look at Harley, then back up at me. He decides he wants to live another day without being permanently crippled.
