Unforgettable (3 page)

“No…I remembered. I just thought you only worked on highways.”

He didn’t respond to me. “I’m leaving now.”

“Shouldn’t I go?”

“No. Someone needs to watch the house.” He walked out without looking back. I wanted to be held, to be loved by him.

But those days were over.

When he returned, he immediately began working on the door. It didn’t take him long. He did it so well that it was clear he’d done it a hundred times. Within a few hours, a new door was on the frame.

He handed me the keys. “They’ll be different from your garage, but at least you can lock it.”

“Thanks…” I still couldn’t believe all of this happened.
Why did bad shit always happen to me?

He checked the door again before he opened it. “Well, I’ll see you later.”

“Wait,” I blurted.

He turned around but didn’t come closer to me. A blank look was on his face. He almost seemed bored. “Thank you for everything. I didn’t know whom to call. You were the first person that came to my mind.”

“You don’t need to thank me. You can call me for anything, Livia.” He turned around and stepped out again.

“Wait.”
What was I doing?

“Yeah?” Now he seemed annoyed, like he wanted to get away from me as quickly as possible.

“I…I don’t want to stay here tonight. I guess I’m a little freaked out.”

He stared at me but said nothing.

“Can I stay with you…?” He always made me feel safe.

The anger shined through. “Maybe you’re perfectly fine with this break up, but I’m not. I’ve never been so depressed in my life. My parents passed away, burned to death, but this still hurts more.” His body was tense, in defense mode. “So, don’t be so insensitive as to assume that I would be perfectly okay with sleeping with you in the same house. That damn place still reeks of you and I’m trying to get rid of your ghost. Don’t torture more than necessary. I have no problem helping you when you need it, but don’t slap me in the face like that again.” He breathed hard, the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

I was winded by his words. “I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Well, think before you speak. I was so patient with you for being so guarded. I was always sensitive toward that. Now think about someone else besides yourself for once.” His face was red, his eyes wide.

“Scotty, this has been hard for me too…”

“Yeah, it seems like it,” he said bitterly.

“It has.”

“You don’t love me, right? So why would it be difficult for you?”

I didn’t have a response to that.

“You can stay with Ash if you’re really that scared.” He walked out and slammed the door, almost breaking it all over again.

CHAPTER THREE

Scotty

I didn’t mean to snap at Livia like that. I don’t know what came over me. I just got mad—really mad.

It was a combination of everything. The psycho-piece-of-shit-I-hope-he-rots-in-hell-motherfucker had my blood at boiling level. No one—I mean no one—comes to her house and harasses her like that.

Not when I’m around.

It disgusted me that such dicks lived in the world. If I ever have kids, I better not have girls. They won’t be leaving the house—ever.

In addition to the dickhead, she looked so fucking beautiful. She wore shorts and a loose top, and her hair was over one shoulder. I missed those high cheekbones, those pink lips, and those legs—don’t even get me started. It was like looking at a candy bar when you’re starving, but you can’t have it.

And then, she asked to spend the night.

Spend the fucking night.

Where in her pretty little head did she think that was a good idea? That I would be perfectly fine sleeping down the hall from her? Did she think we were friends or something? Maybe she didn’t love me. Perhaps I fantasized the whole thing until I thought it was real.

Anyway, my point is, I didn’t mean to howl at her like that. I was just under a lot of stress. Everything was making my head spin. But seeing her face to face like that was the worst part.

My natural instinct was to hold her. I wanted to rush to her and wrap my arms around her, holding her to my chest. I wanted to kiss her, to tell her everything would be okay. There were so many things I wanted to do…but none of which would have been appropriate.

Now I was sitting at home, back in the dark like usual, wishing I hadn’t fallen in love with her to begin with. She was the devil in a pretty package. She bewitched me, making me fall for her harder than humanly possible. Why couldn’t I want Amanda? She was there and ready for me. It wouldn’t be complicated. It would be easy.

But no. I had to become obsessed with a damaged girl that didn’t want anything to do with me.

Life sucks.

“You ready to do this?” I asked when Liam answered the door.

“Yeah.” He turned to Keira. “I’ll be home in a few hours.”

“Where are you going?” she asked.

He leaned close to her. “This is the one I can’t tell you about.”

“Oh.” She nodded her head in understanding. “Okay. Text me when you’re on your way home.”

“I will.” He kissed her then walked out.

We both headed to the truck.

“She trusts you implicitly,” I noted.

“Yeah. It’s nice.”

We got into the truck then headed to the university.

“Have you talked to Livia?” he asked.

I didn’t want to discuss the fiasco with William. “No.”

He seemed disappointed. “Maybe you should try talking to her tomorrow.”

“There’s nothing to say.”

He sighed. “Come on, man. Fight for her.”

I wanted to. But I didn’t think it would change anything.

“She’s obviously hiding something from you. That’s the only explanation. Pull it out of her.”

“I know her pretty well. When she’s set in her ways, she won’t change.”

“Then that’s it? You just give up?”

I didn’t respond.

“We’re on our way to find out who raped her.” His voice sliced through the air. “And when we find him, we’re going to destroy them. You’re willing to go to such great lengths to protect her when she has no idea, but you aren’t willing to talk to her? Makes no fucking sense.”

“I just don’t want her to reject me again, okay?” There. He pulled the truth out of me. “I’ve never been so hurt in my life.” I decided not to hold back. I pretended I was fine when I wasn’t. “When my parents died, I was miserable. I still am miserable. Livia fixed that hole in me. She made me better. And now she’s gone… If I put myself out there again and she rips me apart…I can’t even contemplate it.”

Liam kept his eyes on the road while he drove. The silence stretched for a long time. It didn’t seem like he was going to respond but I didn’t expect him to. What did you say to something like that? “I know how you feel. Keira broke my heart a few times. But like I said, she’s the only girl who’s ever claimed my heart. If she were somebody else, I wouldn’t have bothered. But she’s the one. And if Livia is the one to you, you have to keep risking the pain. Because the alternative is worse, much worse.”

Everything he said made sense. I tried to lighten the mood. “Are you Yoda in disguise?”

He smirked. “Does that mean you value my advice?”

“A little.”

“Talk to her.”

I looked out the window.

“Scotty,” he pressed.

“Okay. I will.”

Satisfied, he fell silent.

We reached the Sigma Pi fraternity house. We both stared at it, arms across our chests.

“How do you want to play this?” Liam asked.

“What do you mean?”

“We obviously aren’t in the fraternity. And we aren’t chicks. They are going to notice.”

I smirked. “When they see us they won’t say shit to us.” Liam and I were practically gorillas. He was still larger than me, but our bodies were tight with muscles. And we were trained fighters. They’d be stupid to touch us.

“Good point.”

We walked inside, hearing the loud music. All the girls were wearing bikinis. It seemed to be a pool party theme. All the guys were shirtless.

“If we take off our shirts that should solve the problem.” I pulled mine off then shoved it into my back pocket.

“Good idea.” Liam pulled his off.

A group of girls suddenly stared at us, liking what they saw.

Liam and I ignored them.

“Are your friends here?” I asked.

“They are more of acquaintances…”

“How do you know them?”

“They bet on my fights.”

“Who doesn’t?” I teased.

We moved through the crowd, searching faces. It made me sick to know that fucker was probably in the same building as I was.

A blonde moved in front of Liam, poking him in the chest. “I know you from somewhere.”

Liam stared her down, clearly annoyed.

“You’re going to be in my bed tonight…I can see the future.”

Liam stepped around her and pretended she didn’t exist. “I just wish we would get married already so I could wear a damn wedding band.”

“I don’t think the girls would care,” I said honestly.

We searched the second floor until we found his buddies.

“Hey, man.” Liam shook hands with them. “Fun gig.”

“Yeah.” A guy with surfer blonde hair swayed while he held his beer. “The Phi Beta Kappa Sorority has so many hot chicks. I want to nail them all—twice.”

Liam nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Aren’t you married or something?” Another guy asked.

“Or something,” Liam responded.

“Man, that blows,” the first guy said. “I’m going to be a bachelor for life.”

So far, these guys weren’t my favorite people in the world.

Liam introduced me. “This is my buddy, Scotty.”

I shook hands with them, putting on a face.

“You married too?” one guy asked.

“No. I’m a terminal bachelor.”
Not really
. I just wanted to pretend to be a manwhore. If I were, maybe I could find the other perverts, the one with the date-rape drug.

“I like this guy,” he said. “He’s one of us.”

Liam didn’t respond.

I wasn’t sure how Liam wanted to go about this. Should we just bluntly ask what we wanted to know, or should we not draw suspicion? I preferred being discreet. If I found the culprit and killed him, I wouldn’t want anything to be traced back to me.

“So, any easy girls you know of?” I asked.

“Most of them are easy,” the guy said with a laugh. “But they’re usually the mediocre ones. The hot ones are picky. You usually have to buy them dinner first.”

“Or slip something into their drink,” Liam added.

He laughed. “I can tell you had a wild time before you settled down.”

“I guess,” Liam said non-committedly.

“I wish they sold that stuff at Target,” I blurted. “Make my life a lot easier.”

He shook his head. “Nah. I don’t need help getting pussy.”

Okay…I liked him a little more now.
“Does that stuff come through here a lot?”

He shrugged. “It happens.”

Be more specific, jackass.

“I knew a guy doing it for a while,” Liam said. “He had to stop because he almost got caught.”

“Does he go here?” I asked.

“I think he was in this fraternity,” Liam said.

The guy shrugged. “I guess I’m not surprised. A few guys here are somewhat known for it.”

My heart kicked into overdrive. How did I ask without being obvious? “Are they selling any?”

“I have no idea, man. I don’t even know them.” He downed the beer from his red Solo cup.

“Can you tell me who he is so I can ask?”
Tell me. Come on, tell me.

He rubbed his chin. “I think his name is Connor…or is it Jet?”

How could you possibly get those two names mixed up?

“Do you know what he looks like?” Liam asked.

“Yeah, I’d recognize him in a crowd. I don’t know him that well so I couldn’t introduce you.”

“That’s fine,” I blurted.
We were so close.

Liam and I both stood there, waiting for the guy to move.

“What? You want me to show you right now?” he asked incredulously.

Liam pulled out a fifty and handed it to him. “If you would be so kind.”

The guy’s eyes flashed open before he tucked it into his pocket. “You got it, man. Follow me.”

We followed him through the three stories of the frat house. It was crowded, and a lot of people were huddled together, facing different directions. It was nearly impossible to get a good look of everyone. We ran into Ash but he seemed to drunk to even recognize us. After half an hour of searching, he shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t see him anywhere.”

“Is he usually at these parties?” Liam asked.

“Yeah. He’s one of the officers of the fraternity,” he answered.

“What was his name again?” I asked.
A name would help immensely.

“I think it’s Dylan…” He rubbed his chin again.

I hated him again.

“How many officers are there?” Liam asked.

“Are you guys detectives?” the guy asked with a laugh.

I guess we were making it a little obvious. “We’ll come by at the next party and try to catch him then.”

“Sounds good, guys. See you around.” He left us alone in the crowd.

I sighed in irritation. That didn’t go over as well as I thought. I assumed we would find him tonight and have the body buried before sunrise.

“We’ll find him.” Liam gave me a firm look. “Don’t worry about it.”

“It might not even be this same guy,” I argued.

“And if it isn’t, he’ll know someone else known for it. You know, it would be a million times easier if you just asked Livia.”

I glared at him. “I said no.”

“Fine.”

We headed back to the entrance.

I stilled when I spotted Livia at the end of the stairs.

Is that her? What was she doing here?

She had a fearful look on her face. It seemed like she might vomit. Then I remembered seeing Ash earlier. She was probably here to pick him up.
Couldn’t that drunk fucker call a cab or something?

“Isn’t that Livia?” Liam asked.

I didn’t respond because I was focused on reaching her. I shoved through the crowd until I finally reached the end of the stairs. When she looked at me, her eyes widened in surprise. Her eyes noticed my shirtless physique. She didn’t look happy to see me. Actually, she looked heartbroken.

“Livia, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She darted past me and headed up the stairs.

I went back upstairs and shoved Liam as I passed. “Livia!”

She turned around. “I’m picking up my brother and I’m in a hurry.” She continued up the stairs again.

I trailed behind her until I finally caught up to her. “Let me help you.”

“I don’t want your help.” She was practically on the verge of tears.

I grabbed her arm and steadied her. “Livia, what’s wrong?”

She yanked her arm away. “We’ve been broken up for two weeks and you’re already back to what you used to be.”

What was she talking about?

“I obviously didn’t mean as much to you as you claimed.” She turned her face away then searched for her brother.

I walked around her then blocked her way. “Back to what I used to be? I’m not with anybody. I’m not hooking up with anybody.”