No One's Hero (Chadwell Hearts) (12 page)

The bartender’s fist is at his side, and he looks ready to blow. “You messing with my sister, freak?” His chest puffs out as he crowds too close to me. Beside him, Megan’s face is smug.

People nearby have turned to stare, but I tune them out, letting them fade to a buzz in the background. Any one of them could have seen that Megan’s story is false, but I know better than to expect someone to speak up. Most people, when faced with conflict or staying quiet, stay quiet.

“You’ll need to come with me.” The bouncer puts his hand on my shoulder, but I shrug him off.

“There’s no problem here, man. Let’s not make one.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that. You disrespected the lady, and we don’t stand for that.”

Marines, on the other hand, don’t have a habit of staying quiet, in the face of conflict or not. “Unless you want to talk about how your boy here is serving drinks to minors, I’m not going anywhere with you, and I suggest you remove your hand.” I keep my tone even, but I know damn well he can hear the threat. “Check the stamp on her hand.”

Indecision clouds the bouncer’s eyes, and he glances briefly at Megan. His fingers loosen on my shoulder, and I use that moment to attempt to dart away. I’m not looking for a fight, I just need to get to Lexi before she does something completely foolish. Like run off with a guy she barely knows, who for all we know could be working for Nick.

Or worse, loses her virginity to him in the back of his truck.

I almost get away, but just when I think I’m clear, a hand snatches at the back of my collar.

I sigh, then spin, fist drawn. Fight it is.

—-♥—-

L
exi

Tanner’s outdated car reminds me more of my own than of Kevin’s fancy SUV, and that somehow puts me more at ease. It’s like he’s from my world, and after spending the week around my fellow equine majors who seem more than a little entitled, it’s a welcome change. Tanner, however, doesn’t seem so comfortable. His shoulders are drawn up around his ears, and his smile has faded. “Sorry. I’m sure it’s not what you’re used to, but it runs good.”

“Then it’s a step up from mine.” I glance anxiously behind me, expecting Kevin to sprint out of the club at any moment. Tanner shoves various papers, textbooks and fast-food wrappers into the floor, then holds the door for me as I climb in. Only once we’re pulling out onto the street do I breathe a sigh of relief, but my relief is short-lived when we turn left, instead of right. “Isn’t the campus that way?” I ask, pointing backwards. I’m not sure if my heart is racing from the thrill of escape, or from the fear of the unknown.

Tanner glances at me, then turns his eyes back to the road. “I thought maybe I could show you some of the local sights. Going back to the dorm wasn’t really what I meant when I asked if you wanted to get out of there.” Tanner lifts his hips slightly, giving himself the room to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. He flicks his gaze to the screen, punches a few buttons with his thumb, then shoves it into a compartment in his cluttered console.

What did he mean? More importantly, what did I want him to mean? “I’ve got an early class tomorrow, but seeing the sights for a little while would be cool.” Hopefully he can’t hear my nervousness.

“How’d you get unlucky enough to have class on Saturday?”

I groan just thinking about it. “The drill the other day interrupted my riding lesson, so we have to do a make-up lesson tomorrow. It sucks, right?”

He nods. “The place I was thinking of isn’t far, about twenty minutes down the road, if that’s all right?”

My wristlet vibrates in my lap, as the silenced phone inside it rings. Sure it’s Kevin, and also sure he’s angry, I don’t pull it out. “Sure. So where are we going?”

Tanner gives me a mischievous smile. “You’ll see when we get there.”

I laugh, but an uneasy knot is forming in my stomach. How much do I really know about this guy? “You’re all about the mystery, aren’t you? Won’t tell me your room number, now you won’t tell me where we’re going.”

“That’s me. Man of mystery.” Tanner glances down as my wristlet vibrates again. “Seems your bodyguard doesn’t approve of you being off-leash. What’s the deal with that guy, anyway?”

Wouldn’t I like to know. “He’s just doing his job,” I mutter, remembering the way he rejected me earlier tonight.

“Hey, forget him. He doesn’t matter.” Tanner snatches my wristlet and tosses it over the backseat. “There. Now it’s just us.” He gives me his devilish grin again, and my heart speeds up. This is what I wanted, right? Alone with a cute boy who’s obviously into me. Encouraged by my tentative smile, Tanner puts his hand on my knee, and leaves it there as his attention goes back to the road. I can feel the warmth of his palm through my thin leggings as his fingers start to wander. “Did anyone tell you how hot you look tonight, or do I get to be the first?”

Kevin called me trash, not hot, but at least his statement seemed more sincere. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“Only the ones with boyfriends, or bodyguards who could kick my ass.”

The answer is so unexpected, I can’t help laughing, and the tension that’s settled in my entire body begins to ease. At least until Tanner’s hand slips higher, creating a whole different type of tension. “I see, so you have a habit of wanting what you can’t have.”

“Who says I can’t have what I want?” His hand slides higher again, and I’m frozen, unable to move, unsure if I want to. The way he’s massaging my inner thigh feels good, and it’s clear where he thinks this is headed, but something inside me holds me back. I don’t know why, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m betraying myself. I want to live, and be free, but I want to also be able to live with the person I see staring me back in the mirror. I remember how I pitied the girls I used to see in school who let any and every guy who dropped a bit of attention in their lap use them, because they were so desperate for any affection. That’s not who I want to be.

I put my hand on Tanner’s, stopping him from going any further. “Tanner, I—”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He shakes his head in disgust, jerking the wheel to send us into a sudden left turn down a narrow street.

I recoil from his outburst. I didn’t mean to give him the wrong impression, but his response is over the top. “I’m sorry, I’m just think maybe we should get to know each other a bit, before taking this further, and I don’t want to lead you on.”

Tanner’s eyes are focused more on the rear-view mirror than on the road before us. “That’s not what I meant—not that it matters. I don’t think your bodyguard is planning to let us have a few moments to ourselves. Someone’s following us, and I’m betting it’s him.”

I twist in my seat to see what he’s talking about. Sure enough, a pair of headlights whip around the corner behind us. I’m about to argue that maybe they aren’t, when Tanner makes another right hand turn, and the pair of lights follow. The third right confirms it: Tanner was right. What’s more, the lights are getting closer.

Tanner makes a left, and now we’re on an open expanse of road, quickly leaving the more urban part of the town behind us. We’re rapidly gaining in speed, and Tanner doesn’t show any sign of letting up. “Maybe we should pull over, and I’ll just let him take me back.” While I don’t look forward to the inevitable confrontation, I don’t want this stupidity getting anyone hurt either.

“Fuck that. I’m tired of rich bastards like him thinking they can take whatever they want.”

I know Kevin isn’t as well-to-do as Tanner probably thinks he is, but this hardly seems like the time to argue that. The headlights are gaining on us, and Tanner’s lips are set in a grim, determined smile. I’m not sure which of them I’m more irritated at. Huffing, I unbuckle and climb halfway over the back of my seat, looking for my wristlet.

“That’s a view I could get used to,” Tanner quips.

“Eyes on the road,” I snap back as I finally find the small clutch.

“What the hell is he trying to do?” Tanner cuts his eyes to the rear-view again as I buckle myself back in. I twist again to look and my heart lurches. The lights are impossibly close now, and he’s going to hit us at any moment. My anger is instantaneous. I know I shouldn’t be mad, and it’s not like I expected him to let me run off without trying to stop me, but this is ridiculous. I frantically pull out my phone and select Kevin from my list of contacts.

He answers immediately, and I scream into the phone, “What are you doing? You’re supposed to be protecting me, not trying to run me off the freaking road!”

His tone is icy. “Where are you?”

Oh that’s just hilarious. “As if you don’t know. I’m in the car you’re trying to run down.”

“Lexi,” he says, his tone knife-sharp. “I’m still at the club.”

Dread grips my heart like an iron vice, and for a moment, I can’t breathe.

“What?” Tanner asks, one eyebrow lifting.

“It’s not Kevin,” I manage to croak out. “Whoever that is, it isn’t him.”

Tanner’s face drains of color and his hands tighten on the steering wheel so much that I’m afraid he’s about to rip it off the dash. He doesn’t look nearly as cocky now.

“Lexi, put me on speaker,” Kevin commands in my ear. Numbly, I press the button on my phone, and then his voice fills the car. “Tell me what road you’re on.”

“Pikestown Road, east of the city. About ten minutes from the club.” Tanner’s voice is strained. I haven’t seen any road signs, so I can’t confirm our location, but he seems confident about where we are. I guess that’s a benefit to growing up in the area. To me it just looks like we’re in the middle of nowhere, with no houses or businesses in sight. If whoever is following us does manage to run us off the road, I can’t help thinking that there will be no one to hear us scream.

I hear a series of electronic beeps, punctuated by my own heavy breaths and the sound of my heart whooshing in my ears.

“All right, I’ve got it up on GPS. Do you know how to get back to the freeway?”

“Yeah, there’s a road coming up on my left that will take me back to it. The exit is in less than a mile.”

“Take it north, looping back toward the club.”

Tanner looks at me for confirmation, and I nod. Suddenly all I want is to be back safely by Kevin’s side. “I’m sorry,” I blurt out. I’ve been such a fool, about so many things, but danger has a way of bringing about sudden, uncomfortable clarity.

“Not now, Lexi. Just keep your eyes open and stay alert. What color is the car following you?”

I don’t want to turn and look again, afraid they will have gotten even closer, but I can’t wimp out now. The night is heavy around us, and the headlights are bright in my eyes. “I can’t see what color it is. It’s bigger than Tanner’s car, and the headlights are right in the back windshield, sort of blinding. They aren’t low, like near our bumper, but up.”

“What type of car are you in, Tanner?”

“A Corolla.” He pauses, then adds, “It’s my mom’s.” His voice is barely a squeak, sounding more scared by the moment. I can relate, but in contrast, Kevin’s voice on the line is cool and collected, making me desperately wish he were here now.

“Color?”

“Gray.”

Something rustles through the speakers, and I hear papers shuffling, then Kevin talking to someone else—someone I can’t hear but he obviously can. “They’re in a gray Corolla. The tail is a larger vehicle, truck or SUV.”

“We just made the left,” I call out helpfully as Tanner speeds onto a side road. He takes the turn fast—not that I blame him—and it jostles me into the passenger door.

I wince as I nearly hit the glass. Tanner’s got both hands on the wheel now, and I don’t have to look behind us to know the other car made the same turn we did. His knuckles are white, and he won’t look at me. “It’s going to be okay,” I tell him. I don’t know how, but somehow, it’s got to be. Kevin will fix this.

“There’s the freeway exit,” Tanner says quietly.

“North,” Kevin says.

Tanner snaps, smacking the wheel. “I heard you the first time.”

“Lexi, take me off speaker.”

I do as Kevin instructs, pressing the phone to my ear, but keeping my eyes on Tanner. “Yeah?”

“Is he losing his cool? Do you think he can get you back here to the club?”

We’re pulling onto the circular exit that will bring us onto the freeway. A guardrail on our right protects us from a sharp drop off the ramp. Before I can answer, I jerk forward, then back into my seat, as Tanner’s car is rammed from behind. My neck hurts from the harsh bite of the seatbelt, but that’s the least of my worries.

“Oh my God, Kevin, they just hit us!” I scream as Tanner jerks the wheel. The front corner skids along the guardrail for a precarious moment before he straightens the car. “Hit the gas, hit the gas!” I lean back in the seat as far as I can, my hand clutching the seatbelt that goes across my middle just to have something to hold onto. If we crash, I want to be as far away from the door or windshield as possible. But I also want the seatbelt to work. I gulp and let go of the strap.

I don’t know if we can outrun them, but at least now that we’re off the exit and on the freeway, there’s more space. Tanner cuts across two lanes into the left-most lane, his foot hard on the accelerator. The engine complains loudly, but does as asked.

“Lexi, you still with me?”

I close my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart. “I’m here.”

“Okay, just sit tight.”

Where else would I go? A few car lengths back, red and blue lights flash along the side of the road. A patrol car darts into the flow of light traffic, and the truck following us moves into the middle lane with a roar of their engine, then speeds by. As he passes, the driver looks right at me through his open window and presses one finger to his mouth, puckering his lips like he’s shushing me. And I’m pretty sure he hopes he is.

“Son of a bitch,” Tanner curses as the patrol settles behind him, lights and sirens flashing. “That bastard nearly runs us over, and this fool pulls me over?”

In my ear, Kevin laughs, and I’m pretty sure I know why we’re being pulled over. “I’ll be there in five, stay on the line.”