“I need to get something out of my car real quick, and then I’ll help you find Kylie. Come with?”

  “Okay. Then we find Kylie, right?” I ask, feeling a little uneasy as I follow him across the lawn toward the driveway.

  “Then we find, Kylie. I promise.”

  His car is parked further away and nestled under some trees where the property meets a vacant wooded lot. By the time we finally reach it, both our solo cups are empty as he takes mine from my hand and sets them both on the hood of his car.

  “I just got this car last week,” he grins. “You’ve got to see the inside. The backseat is huge.” He opens the door, and I shake off my gut feeling that I should go back to the house as I climb inside.

  Sliding into the backseat, he shuts the door, and the world I once knew as light suddenly slams me into the dark.

  NINE

  KNOX

  I don’t know how I managed to walk away from her, but I did. Needing time to get myself under control, I tell Miles goodbye before quickly leaving the bar. My usual way of dealing with emotions is just to pick someone up for the night, so I don’t have to think…so I don’t have to feel.

  It doesn’t feel right tonight, though. All my thoughts lately keep coming back to her. I don’t know how much longer I can keep telling myself this isn’t a good idea when all I want to do is give her what she wants.

  At this point, I don’t know which is more terrifying…agreeing to her little proposition or leaving her to fend on her own with another guy. After tonight, I’m clearly not okay with option two since I wanted to break the guy in half when I saw them together.

  I drive around for another two hours, making sure she will be asleep by the time I get home. Walking away twice in one night would use strength I’m not sure I have anymore.

  Parking my car next to hers in the garage, I start to head toward the side door leading out to the backyard when I hear a muffled scream. My blood turns to ice as I quickly change directions and run into the main house. Bypassing the kitchen, I open Savi’s bedroom door and see her curled up in a ball, silently crying in her sleep.

  Her covers are thrown everywhere as if she were fighting the devil himself, which I know all too well.

  “No,” she moans. “Please stop,” she cries, and my heart feels like it’s shattered into a million pieces as I walk over to her.

  “Savi…baby, wake up. It’s just a dream,” I say softly, wanting more than anything to take away her pain and hold it for her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I brush back her damp hair and gently swipe away her tears with my thumb.

  Her eyes slowly blink open, and she focuses on me. “Knox?”

  “Yeah, sunshine. It’s me,” I smile.

  “Oh, thank God,” she cries out before jumping into my arms and holding me tight. “I was so scared you were going to get in trouble, and I couldn’t get you to stop,” she sobs. “But you’re here…you’re safe.” She buries her face in my neck, and I let myself sink into her embrace as my arms come around her.

  “I’m here. It was just a bad dream.”

  “They always feel so real,” she quietly cries into my neck. I feel her tears dampen my skin as I allow myself to hold her tight. Her heart is beating frantically against my chest as I start to rub her back in soothing motions.

  “How often do you get them?” I ask softly.

  “Not too much anymore,” she hiccups in my ear as her breathing begins to level out. “I used to get them every night that first year, but it’s only once every few months now.”

  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there sooner. If I had just been faster getting there, I could have stopped him.” My voice catches as the guilt consumes me all over again.

  “What are you talking about?” She pulls back, her eyes wide. “You have nothing to be sorry for. What you did…” She stops as the words fail her. “You saved me, Knox. It could have been so much worse if you hadn’t stopped him. He was talking about his friends coming to have fun next,” she swallows hard as her lips begin to tremor and the tears start to fall again.

  Anger slashes through me, and for once, I wish he weren’t dead so I could seek him out to punish him more.

  If it hadn’t been for her, I would have killed him.

  Memories resurface in a rush as I hold her while the dark secret that binds us pulls me back to that night.

  Knox - Twenty-One Years Old

  “What do you mean she’s there? She’s fifteen fucking years old, and it’s a college party,” I yell into the phone as I whip my car around and head in the other direction. “How long has she been there?”

  “I don’t know, man. I just got here, and Kylie’s brother told me he let them stay to keep them quiet so they wouldn’t tell their parents about the party. You told me to call you if I ever heard news about her. I’ll let you know if I see her, but she’s probably hanging out with Kylie somewhere.”

  Ben isn’t the only one who keeps tabs on Savi for me. When I got called up to New York, I made sure there were eyes on her everywhere. I know she has her brothers, but I needed the extra protection on her for my own peace of mind.

  “I’m on my way now. If you see her before I get there, don’t let her out of your sight.”

  Thoughts begin to race through my head of all the things that could go wrong.

  “Will do.” He hangs up, and I throw my phone on the seat next to me.

  “Fuck!” I yell, stepping on the gas and weaving through traffic. I know Kylie’s brother and the crowd that usually shows up at his parties. He doesn’t care who he lets in as long as they show up with drugs and alcohol.

  I debate whether to call Miles, but I’m closer to Bryce’s house than he is. I’ll have her out of that scene before he can even make it there. He’ll bring his brothers too, and there’s no telling what will go down, not to mention how much trouble Savi will be facing.

  Right now, I just need to make sure she’s safe, then I can decide if her brothers need to be involved.

  I speed onto the street that takes me further out of town, where the house is tucked away on a dead-end street. Cars line the curbs on either side and fill the front yard as I quickly shove my car into park and jump out, as I scan the area for any sign of her.

  I ask every person I see as I walk toward the house if they’ve seen the person I describe before someone finally thinks they saw her with Todd a few minutes ago walking down the road toward the woods along the property line.

  My heart hammers in my chest as I jog in that direction, praying the feeling in my gut is dead wrong and I’m not too late.

  I see movement in a car as I get closer, and when a muffled scream fills the air, I break out into a run and yank open the back door. I grab the guy from the back and throw him out of the car, not even knowing if Savi is in there.

  When I peer in, all the blood drains from my body as I realize it’s her. The blue eyes that were once so full of light are filled with so much fear that it cuts me to the core. Torn fabric is on the seat, and her clothes are askew as she curls herself into a ball and cries. When I see the blood, I feel a rage like I’ve never felt before rear up inside me as I turn toward the guy who’s about to take his last breath.

  “What the hell, man? Can’t you see I was busy in there?” His eyes go wide as I descend upon him with the wrath of fury nipping at my heels.

  I see red as my fist slams into his face, one after another. Blood pours from his nose as he falls to the ground, but I keep going as he tries to dodge the blows.

  Savi’s voice barely registers in the background. Something about how I’m going to kill him and my career.

  Fuck my career. He needs to die as I get another blow in, sending another spray of blood from his mouth.

  Then I hear it.

  “I need you,” she cries, and then begs for me to take her home. Her sobs break through the red haze I’m in as I push off the guy and leave him coughing and spitting out a tooth on the ground.

  Without saying a word, I pick up Savi and cradle her to my chest. She continues to sob against me as I walk down the dark road and put her gently in the front seat of my car.

  “I…I can’t go home like this,” she says, her voice in a complete panic. “Please take me to your place.”

  “We need to go to the police, Savi. You need an exam and…” I swallow down the guilt that’s suffocating me. “They need to make sure there isn’t any damage. You’re bleeding,” I say, straining to breathe through the pain in my chest.

  “And I will go. I promise. I just need a minute. Please Knox. Don’t make me go now. I can’t face everyone just yet. Please,” she says, breaking down again and burying her face in her hands as sobs wreck her small frame.

  “Shhh. It’s okay.” I put my hand on her leg to try to soothe her, and she flinches at my touch. She curls up into a ball further, and I hate that she’s afraid of me.

  I quickly pull away as my fingers curl into a fist. It’s killing me to see her eyes still wide with fear. My fingernails dig into my palm painfully as I resist the violent urge to seek him out again.

  I suck in a painful breath, knowing she’ll never look at me the same way again. Can I blame her?

  She just watched me practically kill a guy in front of her. I’m the last person she’s ever going to feel safe with now that she knows what I’m capable of.

  “Just for a few minutes, okay? Then it’s straight to the police, and your family will make sure you’re taken care of.”

  “Thank you,” she whispers, hugging her knees to her chest and sniffling.

  The drive back to my place is silent while we both deal with our own personal hell of what just happened. When we get to the Airbnb I’m staying at for the week, I get out and pick her up again, carrying her inside and gently setting her on the sofa.

  Walking to the kitchen, I get her a glass of water before handing it to her.

  “Thanks,” she sniffs, taking a small sip before her eyes get wide. “You're hurt,” she whispers, grabbing my right hand and lightly touching my knuckles that are split wide open and coated in dried blood.

  She’s the one who’s been through hell, yet she still wants to take care of me.

  “I’m fine,” I say quickly, not wanting her to waste a single second worried about me. I pull my hand away just as my phone rings. I see Ben’s name on my screen and should probably answer it. He may know more about this Todd guy and where I can find him later.

  I step away, putting the phone up to my ear, making sure I keep a close watch on her as she drinks some more water.

  “Knox, are you here? I can’t find you anywhere. Kylie’s looking all over for Savannah.”

  “She’s with me. Tell Kylie she wasn’t feeling well, and I took her home.”

  “Oh, good. I’m glad you found her. You won’t believe what just happened. Some dude just wrapped his car around a pole and got himself killed. He left the party, and people were saying he was wasted. Bryce is freaking out that it’s going to get back to the police that it was his party he was leaving.”

  “Who was the guy?” I ask, gripping the phone tightly.

  “Some guy named Todd. Guy wasn’t even from around here. Was on spring break with some of his friends.”

  My brain tries to wrap around what he’s telling me.

  He’s dead.

  “I’ve got to go, Ben. Thanks for calling me earlier. I owe you one.”

  I hang up before he can reply and walk back to Savi. Sitting down next to her, I notice the blood under her fingernails and the bruises starting to form on her thighs and arms. I suck in a painful breath and try to rein in the anger I feel towards this dead guy.

  She’s what I need to focus on now…not him.

  “That was my friend Ben on the phone. He was at the party you were at.” Her eyes lift to mine, and I see the worry in her eyes and shake my head.

  “No one knows. I told him you weren’t feeling good and to tell Kylie I took you home.” I hesitate briefly, and she picks up on it.

  “What is it?”

  “Todd’s dead. He must have gotten in his car when we left and tried to drive home. His car ended up wrapped around a pole. People are saying he was wasted, but after the hits he took…” I don’t finish the sentence, but we both know the bloody state I left him in. It would have been a miracle if he had been seeing straight after the blows I delivered.

  She chews on her bottom lip as what I said sinks in.

  “I’m not going to the police,” she finally says. “There’s no point now. If I mention what happened, they’ll start to question you, and I will not let you get in trouble over this. You just signed with the Devils. This could ruin…”

  “I don’t fucking care about that,” I say, cutting her off and angry she’s even thinking about me when she’s all that matters. “This is your life we are talking about. You need to let them know what he did to you. At least get examined.”

  “I’m sore, but I’ll heal,” she says, shaking her head. “The blood made it look worse than it was. It was my…it was my first time, so it’s normal. I can hide the bruises until they fade.”

  “You can’t hide this from your family, Savi. The bruises will fade, but the real trauma is on the inside. You need to talk to someone, or it will eat you alive. Trust me…I know,” I say quietly.

  “I will find a number to call and talk to someone. I see ads for help like this all the time. Just not my family. There’s nothing that can be done. It’s bad enough you had to see it. I won’t hurt them too,” she softly cries.

  “Your brothers are going to take one look at you and know something is up,” I argue, trying to make her see reason.

  “Then, I’ll tell them half the truth. I was at a party and drank too much. You pulled a guy off of me before anything happened. They will be pissed at me for going to the party in the first place and the drinking part, but it would make sense why I would be unsettled for a bit.”

  “I won’t lie to your family, Savi. Miles is my best friend. I can’t keep this from him.”

  “This is my choice, Knox, not yours,” she says with a conviction that has me lifting my head to meet her heated stare. “Mine. I didn’t have a say in what happened to me tonight, but I need you to give me this. Promise me you will keep this between us. I want to forget tonight ever happened, and I want you to forget it too.”

  The fire in her eyes gives me hope that she’ll get through this. Anything is better than the fear I saw in them earlier. I couldn’t stop what happened to her, but I can give her this to hold on to and fight for.

  “I promise,” I find myself saying, unable to deny her anything.

  She sighs in relief like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

  “But you have to promise me that if at anytime it gets too hard, you’ll tell them so they can help you. You have an amazing family, and they would want to help you.”

  “If I can’t handle it on my own, I promise to tell them, and I know I have an amazing family. They would do anything for me just like I would do anything for them, which is why I want to protect them from this.”

  “I get it,” I sigh. “I fucking hate it, but I would do the same damn thing if I were in your shoes to protect someone I loved.”

  “Good. We agree,” she sniffs and wipes the tears away. “Do you mind if I use your shower and stay here for the night? My parents think I’m sleeping over at Kylie’s, and I really don’t want to face them right now. I need a night to pull myself together.”

  “Sure. You can take my bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch. The bathroom is that way.” I point to the hallway off the living room. “I’ll lay out some fresh clothes for you on the bed. They will be big, but you’ll be more comfortable.”

  “Thank you.” She gets up and walks slowly across the room. I can tell she’s trying to be brave, but she has to be in pain right now.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask, wishing there were something more I could do. This feeling of helplessness is gutting me in two, and I have no clue how to make this better for her.

  “I will be,” she says, turning and giving me a sad smile before walking away.

  Getting up, I walk to my bedroom and lay out some gym shorts and a t-shirt for her. I turn back the covers and set a glass of water with two Motrin on the nightstand to help with the pain. As I’m walking past the bathroom, I hear faint sobbing over the sounds of the running water.

  Every piece of me aches for the part of her that was taken away tonight, and it suddenly becomes too much as I sink to the floor with my back against the door.

  Bowing my head, my shoulders start to shake as I let go. I haven’t let myself cry since my mom died. Not even my dad’s hurtful words caused me to shed a single tear. He wasn’t worth my tears, but Savi…she’s worth them all.

  I feel her pain through the door, and I gladly take it on, hoping it might somehow ease hers.

  “This is the first time we’ve talked about that night.” She says suddenly, pulling me back to the present. Her tears have finally stopped, and her eyes are red and swollen, but she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. It kills me inside that he still has the power to hurt her after all these years. “You left the following week back to New York.”

  After I dropped her off the next morning, we stuck to her story, and we never spoke of it again. I came by every day to make sure she was okay, but she refused to talk about it whenever I would get her alone. She would barely look me in the eye, and when she did, I was just a reminder of the worst night of her life.

  After I left for New York, I distanced myself to give her space to heal, and this dark secret that bonded us became the one thing that tore us apart. We became each other’s outlet for all this anger, hurt, and guilt we had built up inside. It was easier to fight each other when we were together than to be reminded that it ever happened.

  “We never spoke of it again because you asked me not to. I promised you a lot of things that night that I wish I hadn’t. We should have told someone, Savi. You were too young to take that on alone.” I untangle myself from her arms and get off the bed—suddenly too anxious to sit still. We’ve buried a lot of things under the rug, and I need to get some things off my chest.