Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
“What…what are you doing here?” Brandon’s voice is choked as his feet scramble against the dirt. “Let me down!”
“No fucking way. I ought to kill you for what you just said to her. Put your head on a fucking spike.”
“To her? What do you care what I say…oh, fuck, I get it.” Even held as he is, Brandon is grinning as his eyes dart my way. “You and him? Really? Oh, that’s priceless.”
Max doesn’t wait for another word. He thrusts Brandon away, letting him stumble back, trying to keep his footing but ending up on his ass. Then Max walks to my side and puts his arm protectively around my shoulders.
Brandon is laughing, even as he struggles to breathe, winded by the fall, and my heart is in my throat.
“These two!” he shouts, looking around at the small crowd of onlookers that’s gathered at the spectacle. “He’s her fucking teacher. Fucking disgusting. What’s the deal here, Keryn? You suck his dick and he gives you a good grade, is that it?”
I don’t intend to respond, I’m too shocked, but I hear my own voice. “It’s not like that. We love each other. You have no…” My eyes dart to those same onlookers, and then I glance down, embarrassed. How can I expect any of them to understand?
“You fucking little shit,” Max says, and he starts to take a step away from me, but I wrap my arm into his.
“No, don’t,” I beg. “Please, don’t do anything. Just…let’s get out of here.”
Eight
Keryn
“They’ll split us up,” I murmur, tears in my eyes. “We should have known this could never be. Did you see their faces?”
We’ve stepped away from the stalls, back to Max’s car, but in my mind’s eye I can still see the shock and amusement on the faces of those that were around us. And Brandon’s stupid smug little face, knowing he had the last word. Everyone except the stall holder who sold me the dress and the jeans was shocked. She told them all to stop staring and distracted them while I fled, but I know they were all judging us. Judging me. Brandon knew exactly what to say to get to me, and it worked.
“I don’t care what they think, baby,” Max says, pulling me in close to him. “They don’t know what we know, they don’t know how we feel about each other.”
“It doesn’t matter though, does it? The authorities won’t allow this. The police will probably be at your place the moment we get back. It doesn’t matter that we love each other, you’re a teacher and I’m a student, and that’s all they’ll see.”
My phone dings in my purse. Then dings again. Then starts ringing. I screw up my face in annoyance, but I’m working on reflexes at this point and automatically reach for it.
“Baby, nobody is going to split us up. I promise. Try to calm down. Look, I wasn’t going to tell you this until—”
I cry out, my hand going to my mouth, the phone falling to the ground, and Max steps forward to catch me as my legs give way.
“What is it? Keryn?”
“Cyn. They…” How can I explain it? On top of everything else?
Max leans down, still holding me tight, and grabs the phone off the floor, turning it over as he stands back up. I see his brow scrunch up, his nose flaring in anger as a low rumble comes from his chest.
“They’re fucking dead,” he mutters. “Fucking dead.”
“We have to call the police,” I tell him, grabbing his face to turn his eyes my way, away from the phone. “They’ve taken Cyn, Max. We have to get the police involved in this.”
He shakes his head. “No, baby. You think these guys care about the police? That just complicates things, means Cyn is a witness they don’t need any longer.”
My mind is racing, thinking how scared she must be right now. The text message was from the drug dealers, saying they followed Brandon when he met up with Cyn at the hotel, and since he was being too cautious, sticking to the main roads where there were plenty of people, they thought they’d just snatch her instead. Now they’re demanding money in compensation for their drugs and the injuries Max caused, otherwise they’re going to…
God, I can’t even think about it. I can’t even bear to let the thought enter my mind of what they said they’re going to do with her. Kill her, sure, but not before they’ve… Oh, God, this is my fault. Should have let us take Brandon, the message said, and they’re right. If I hadn’t told Max to save him, none of this would have happened.
“Fucking Brandon,” Max murmurs. “You going to be OK here for a moment, baby?”
I nod, and he lets me go, unlocking the car so I can sit in the passenger side. And I watch him go. I don’t know where he’s going, but a few minutes later he’s back, with Brandon stumbling along in front of him as he guides him by the collar.