Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 70574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“Where the fuck is the ambulance?” he demanded harshly as he tenderly worked the gel between my fingers.
“I don’t need an ambulance!” I quickly argued. They wouldn’t have called an ambulance for Seth. Maybe for Baker, though. Okay, I didn’t feel so bad about the ambulance. I did hurt all over.
“Two minutes out,” Landon answered. My dad’s voice was still laced with fear but this time, there was some bewilderment mixed with it. “The wagon to pick up these four assholes is pulling up now.”
Eli’s head whipped around to note the police cars that had just arrived. “I want to be there when they question them,” he growled…but then looked at me, a frown on his face. “Never mind. I need to go to the hospital with Ari.”
Seth reached down and gripped Eli’s shoulder. “You go with Ari. Baker and I will follow them to the station.” Giving Eli another squeeze, he added, “Don’t worry. Before we’re finished with them, we’ll know why they came for Ari and, hopefully, who sent them.”
“No! You can’t do that,” I argued. “It’s your party! Go back inside. I’m fine going to the hospital by myself.”
Baker snorted out a laugh like I’d just muttered the most ridiculous words in the world. “Sure, like we’d do that to you, Ari.” He shrugged. “Anyway, tonight was just for show. Seth collared me weeks ago when we were alone.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Now, that was a party!”
“I don’t think I need a hospital,” I muttered, still feeling like the party-pooper of the decade. “It’s just some bruises.” Then, to help my very bruised ego, I added, “I took care of the two wimpy ones. I would have probably taken care of the other two if Eli hadn’t interrupted.” That was a lie…but not the first one I’d told, of course.
Samantha stepped up. “Made some new enemies while running the IT department in your father’s office, Arizona?”
“Not that I knew of,” I answered. I wished I could just disappear. I’d spent most of my life being scrutinized under a microscope because I didn’t fit in, look right, or act right. Having the only important people in my life surrounding me like this was bringing back bad memories.
“Jeezus, Sam! Give him some space,” Eli ordered, as if reading my mind.
Baker and Seth took the hint and stepped away to speak with the policemen that were making their way toward us. My dad made certain we worked closely and stayed on good terms with the local police department, so at least they weren’t questioning us like we were the bad guys. A few seconds later, the sirens of the ambulance blasted through the quietness that had fallen on our small crowd.
“I’ll ride with Ari in the ambulance,” Eli said in a tone that left very little room for argument—just maybe a fraction of an inch.
My father, God bless him, barreled straight through the inch. “Somebody want to explain to me what in the hell is going on here?” His eyes leveled on Eli. “Why would you think you might ride in the ambulance with my son instead of me? Go ahead, try to convince me of that one.”
“Because I said so,” Samantha said before Eli could answer. When my father glared at her, she simply shrugged and said, “Sometimes it’s all in who you know, Landon. Sorry, that’s just how things work out sometimes. Life sucks.”
Chapter Two
Eli
I remained quiet and tried to stay out of the way while the EMTs loaded Ari onto the stretcher and then worked quickly to secure him with straps meant to keep him safe from further injury. All the while, though, I could feel Landon’s eyes boring into me…drilling a hole straight through the back of my skull. I winced—realizing my actions over the past few minutes probably weren’t the best way to make an impression on your new boss, at least not a good impression. While neither Baker nor Seth had ever once mentioned they knew anything at all about mine and Ari’s history, it had taken me less than a day to realize they knew something. After how they acted tonight, I suspected they knew everything. Landon, on the other hand, seemed to be lost in the dark.
Thankfully, I didn’t really give a fuck what any of them thought about me. Sure, I liked Landon, Seth, and Baker, but I wasn’t in Colorado for any of them. I’d come for Arizona Honeycutt because I’d waited about as damn long as I could. When I’d walked away from him at MIT, I’d promised myself I’d give Ari until he turned twenty-one. He needed to live a little, grow up a lot, and explore sex before settling down with one person in a serious relationship. I’d vowed to give him time to discover what he really wanted out of life…out of a partner. When I’d learned his true age, which still caused me to harbor some ill will toward him, I knew that stepping away was my only choice—for lots of reasons. Firstly, it didn’t take much pondering on my part to realize that Ari’s young age made him more vulnerable to the hormones that had been raging between the two of us. Secondly, I had to leave for my own protection. I feared that if I didn’t put the distance between us, there’d be a night when I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from crossing the point of no return in the bedroom. If that had happened, I would never have been able to forgive myself.