I stood there, not knowing what the hell I could do to salvage this. How did I get her out of here and gone and make this all go away so she never found out the nightmare that was happening out there right now?
But behind me, I heard an engine racing at full speed down the driveway.
She knew something was wrong. She wouldn’t run with me like this.
And they were already here.
Dropping my shit, I dug out a cigarette and lit it, staring at her with the sheet wrapped around her body and just wanting to dive into her hair and lips and the warmth of her bed just minutes ago.
How did so much change in such a short time?
She heard the lighter, smelled the smoke, a troubled look crossing her beautiful face. “You smoke?” she asked so quietly.
I could hear the tires screech to a halt outside and the doors slam.
I darted my eyes to hers. “Don’t let me go,” I told her, breathing hard. “No matter what you hear or what they say, don’t let me go.”
She shook her head. “What do you mean?” And then she turned to where her phone sat again, flustered. “My phone’s going berserk. What’s happening? Please?”
“Winter!” her father shouted from downstairs, suddenly in the house.
And I dove in, brushing her lips with mine as he charged up the stairs.
“Don’t let me go,” I whispered.
But then her door was thrown open, her father entered with another man in tow, and he charged me.
“Oh, you son of a bitch! Get away from her!”
He threw a punch, and it was the first time in years I hadn’t been ready to fight back. I didn’t even want to. If I lost her, I didn’t even care.
His fist landed across my jaw, and I fell into her nightstand, the lamp on it crashing to the floor with me.
Winter started gasping. “What’s going on?”
A kick shot into my stomach, and I grunted, wincing as he did it again.
“Dad, stop!” she cried, climbing off the bed. “Leave him alone!”
The other guy pulled her back, and I recognized him as Mr. Kincaid, my old dean. He gripped Winter by the arms as she struggled to free herself.
“You sick little shit!” Ashby growled at me. “I threatened a restraining order and you do this? You’re going to fucking jail for this. How dare you!”
He came down, landing another punch, and I clenched my teeth, holding my stomach.
Winter.
“Restraining order?” she repeated. “What?”
Please no. Please don’t find out like this. Fuck.
“How could you have sex with him, Winter?” her father shouted. “What were you thinking?”
She held the sheet around her body, shaking her head. “How do you know that? What’s happening?”
She doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t know about the video being leaked, me…
“Call Doug Coulson,” Ashby told Mr. Kincaid. “Tell him we have Torrance here and to get his ass over here on his rounds picking up all the rest of the little shits.”