Until Darkness Comes (7 page)

Olivia slammed her Spanish book shut as the seventh hour bell rang. Her oral report had been a complete disaster. She was supposed to give a five-minute dissertation on how to make authentic tamales. By the snickers and amused looks of the class, she was pretty sure that’s not what she’d said. She couldn’t concentrate—her nerves were fried—thanks to Liam.

“It wasn’t that bad, Liv,” Ashley said, trying to cheer her up.
She shot her a look that said “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Okay, it was pretty bad.”
Olivia stuffed her books in her backpack and slammed the locker door closed, anxious to leave. She didn’t want to keep Max waiting. Her face fell when she looked over at the empty parking space where Max’s Harley should have been.
I can’t believe he just left and didn’t come back for me.
She hoisted her backpack over her shoulder and descended the stairs. At least the sun was shining, because a six block walk in the rain would’ve sucked ass. She pulled her iPod out of her bag and hit her favorite playlist. She was a block down the road and halfway through
Fergalicious
when the hum of bass and the low rumble of an idling engine reverberated inside her chest. When the car didn’t pass, she shot a scowl at the black Camaro with illegally dark tinted windows. The car pulled up beside her and stopped. A second later, the passenger window lowered, and Olivia bent over to get a look at the creep inside.
A fountain of anger rose up inside her as she gave Liam a serious glare. Olivia stood up straight, her back ridged as a board. She looked straight ahead, pretending he wasn’t there, and kept on walking.
“Olivia?” he called to her.
“Leave me alone, Liam,” she snapped, marching down the sidewalk like a soldier.
“Can I talk to you? Please…”
She resisted the sudden urge to stop and give him a piece of her mind. Instead, she chose not to reply and kept on walking. What would be the point of talking to him anyway? Guys like that only understood one thing— violence. The car continued to idle slowly, following beside her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him bent forward, watching her out the side window as he drove along.
“Maybe I could give you a ride home?”
Boy—this guy doesn’t know when to quit, does he?
She suddenly stopped and spun toward him. “No, I don’t think so. But maybe you could stop beating up my boyfriend? I’d appreciate that!” she snapped sarcastically. Surprise crossed his handsome face. He certainly didn’t look like the same guy who was choking the life out of her boyfriend just a few short hours ago. “So, did you really hurt him this time or what? Is that why he didn’t come back to class?”
“Trust me, he’s not hurt.”
Liam definitely sounded disappointed, guess this was the same guy after all. “Oh, well, that’s too bad. Maybe you’ll get lucky and break something next time.”
“It’s not like that, Olivia.”
“Oh really? Then how is it? Go on, enlighten me.” She’d had just about enough of him.
“I’m sorry that I’ve upset you again. That was never my intention.”
“What is your intention, exactly? And why do you care what I think anyway? You don’t even know me.”
“I do care—”
Olivia leaned forward, pinning him with an “I mean business” glare. “I think it would be best if you didn’t. I have a
boyfriend
.” She said the last word slowly, just in case he was a little slow on the uptake.
Liam’s breath audibly caught in his throat. His eyes no longer held hers. Olivia looked down, following the direction of his dark violet gaze. Her black hair hung loosely over her shoulders, brushing against a generous view of cleavage.
Olivia gasped indignantly and cleared her throat, sending him a seething glare. Nothing could prepare her for what she saw when he met her eyes again. His deep violet eyes were now predominately dark blue.
Impossible.
He looked nervous, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
His unexpected vulnerability surprised her, ebbing her anger. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings…” she said a little begrudgingly.
The intensity in his beautiful eyes caught her off-guard. Her heart beat a little faster, her hands suddenly grew clammy. “You don’t have to apologize, Olivia. You didn’t hurt my feelings. I’m not that fragile.” His flirtatious smile disarmed her.
She stood there a moment studying his strong, proud jaw, his aquiline nose, and those full, almost too perfect lips. He truly was stunning. “Beautiful” kept coming to mind, but she quickly dismissed it. That word was too feminine, and there was definitely nothing feminine about him—wide muscular shoulders, strong thick neck, and amazing eyes that could change from soft and alluring to hard and menacing in less than a second.
A pang of guilt stabbed her heart for standing here carrying on a conversation with Max’s assailant. “I have to go,” she said, willing her feet to keep moving. It was difficult to break his penetrating gaze. The depth and color of his eyes mesmerized her.
“You sure I can’t bring you home?”
“No, I’m sure. It wouldn’t be right.”
Liam leaned over the passenger seat and opened the glove compartment box. He pulled out a pen and piece of paper, wrote his name and number on it, and handed it to her.
“Take it, in case you ever need anything.”
Olivia hesitated a moment before accepting the paper. Her fingers brushed against his when she took it, sending a rush of heat tingling up her arm. Surprised, she snatched her hand back as if he’d shocked her and quickly shoved the paper into her jacket pocket. “Good-bye, Liam,” she said, turning to walk away.
Olivia still stewed over her conversation with Liam as she walked in through the front door. She threw her jacket and bag on the couch and proceeded down the hall, into the kitchen. She pulled a roast out of the fridge and threw it into the oven. Her parents would be home soon, and tonight was family night.
Shit!
She smacked her hand up against her forehead, remembering, too late, it was her turn to pick the movie. She was supposed to stop by the video store on her way home, but she’d completely forgotten. Not that she could have stopped anyway, because her
ride
hadn’t come back to pick her up after school.
How rude. He knew I didn’t have any way home and would have to walk. He shouldn’t assume I would catch a ride with my friends. It would have served him right if I had accepted a ride home from Liam.
Liam had been there for her when her own boyfriend wasn’t even considerate enough to give her a ride home. Ashley was right—he really was a big d-bag sometimes. Olivia picked up the phone and called her mom, asking her to pick a movie on the way home.
She had a hard time concentrating on the movie that night. Max wasn’t returning any of her text messages, and she was getting more and more worried about him. What if he really had been hurt?
“You’re chewing on your bottom lip. Is there something wrong, honey?” her father asked.
“I’m fine, Dad,” she denied. “Do you think it would be all right if I ran out for a little bit? It wouldn’t be more than an hour. I just want to check on Max.”
“Sure, is everything all right?”
“Yeah, I think so. I just need to talk to him for a few minutes.”
Olivia tried calling Max again as she drove over to his place. The lights were off except for the single light in the living room. The place looked empty.
Where could he be?
She pulled into his driveway to turn around. A flicker of movement from the curtain caught her headlights, and Olivia parked the car. She sat there a moment, letting the SUV idle as she stared at the window. Maybe it was just her imagination. If Max was home, he would have taken her calls, and the house wouldn’t be so dark.
The curtain moved again, this time she was sure of it. Olivia climbed out of the Jeep and walked up to the front door. She knocked, quietly at first—no answer. She rang the doorbell—still no answer. After a minute of standing outside in the brisk night air, she wiggled the doorknob— locked.
Huh.
She waited another minute before turning back to the Jeep. She climbed inside and drove home, unable to shake the uneasiness that settled in the pit of her stomach. Something just didn’t seem right…
***
“Shh…” Max whispered as he held the woman pressed against the front door. His hand clamped tightly over her mouth, smothering her whimpered cries. Her tears rolled down her cheeks, collecting around his fingers. Her nostrils flared as her breath came in fast rapid bursts, tickling the fine hairs on his hand. The tangy scent of her fear clung to the air so thick he could taste it. The bittersweet flavor made his mouth water for more.
He physically restrained himself from opening the door as Olivia knocked outside, wanting so badly to pull her in to join the party. Max slid his hand away from the woman’s mouth as Olivia climbed back in the Jeep. Watching her through the spilt in the curtain, he leaned in close and slowly dragged his tongue up the woman’s cheek, reveling in the salty taste of her tears while imagining it was Olivia in his arms. His body stiffened as desire shot through him like a bolt of lightning.
He shouldn’t have brought the female here. It was careless, and he was better than this. He’d acted on impulse. The warrior had pissed him off so badly, all he’d been looking for was a quick release. Oh well, what’s done was done, and he wasn’t about to let a good piece of ass go to waste on account of location. She’d nearly gotten away from him—sneaky little vixen. “It’s a little late for buyer’s remorse, sweetheart.” Max pressed his mouth against hers, swallowing her protests.
I do believe this one will be better than the last.

Olivia lay in bed staring up at the ceiling when her alarm went off. Sometime in the middle of the night she stopped trying to sleep. Thoughts of Max and Liam ran through her head like a freight train. She sighed heavily, throwing back the covers, and climbed out of bed to get ready for school.

She anxiously glanced out the kitchen window, waiting for the sound of the Harley’s low rumble coming down the road. Max didn’t show. Olivia waited as long as she could before catching a ride with her dad, holding out hope he would be waiting for her at the end of the day.

As the hours crawled by, her mood grew increasingly foul. She overheard some of the guys talking about the “new guy” and how he’d “kicked Max’s ass” in first-hour English yesterday. Guys were so barbaric and immature. They almost sounded pleased that it had happened. Why did everyone seem to hate Max so much?

Olivia walked into the locker room after gym class. She sat down on the bench beside Ashley, bending over to unlace her shoes. The hushed whispers from one aisle over echoed throughout the room.

“Did you see him yet? He’s sooo gorgeous! And I don’t mean Cromwell High hot. I mean ‘your place or mine’ hot!” The girls laughed.

“I didn’t get to see him since he got suspended before second hour. I heard he drives a smokin’ black Camaro. I wonder how comfortable the back seats are.” The girls giggled again.

Anger sparked Olivia’s temper like a light fuse. Listening to them swoon over how gorgeous they thought Liam was—it made her sick. She shot off the bench and marched up to Melissa and her little group of followers.

“Listen to you! You’re all talking about him like he’s a piece of meat.”
“What do you care?” Melissa shot back. “It’s not like we’re talking about
your
piece of meat!”
“Mmm, I bet he’s yummy too,” Kelly added with a taunting smirk.
“Like she would know. I bet ‘little miss perfect’ hasn’t even sampled Max’s goods. Pity, if he were mine, I’d be all over that.”
Olivia lunged toward Melissa.
“You trashy little bitch!” Ashley grabbed her by the arm, yanking her back. The girls’ taunting giggles filled the locker room, and she lunged for them again. Unfortunately Ashley had a tight hold on her arm.
“Geeze, Liv, take it easy! This isn’t like you at all. I think Max is wearing off on you.”
“Did you hear them?” she yelled in her defense. “Could they be anymore crude?”
“Why does it bother you that they’re talking about Liam?”
“I don’t know. It just does—that’s all.”
“You like him, don‘t you?” she whispered. “Oh my gosh! Does Max know?”
“What are you talking about?” Olivia denied. “I don’t like him. You know I’m with Max.”
“Yeah, I know,” Ashley replied dryly. “Speaking of Max, have you talked to him since yesterday?”
“No, and he isn’t returning my texts. I don’t know where he is. I stopped by his place last night but he wasn’t there.”
“Hey, I know what would make you feel better,” Ashley said excitedly. “How about that girls’ night out you promised me? There’s going to be a live band playing at Waterworks.”
“I can’t tonight, it’s Tuesday. I have yoga class. I won’t get home until pretty late, and I’ll be exhausted. I haven’t been sleeping very well these days.”
Olivia wasn’t in the partying mood at all, but she didn’t want to turn her best friend down. It might be nice to get out instead of moping around the house, which was about all she planned to do until Max decided to call her back.
“How about tomorrow instead? Pick me up at six?”
“Sounds great! Come on, we’re going to be late for Spanish class.”
As the seventh-hour bell rang, Olivia tried not to get her hopes up that Max would be outside waiting for her. She purposely took her time gathering her books from her locker and hung back, waiting for Ashley. They walked out of the school together, and Olivia’s face fell when she saw the empty parking spot. She was a fool for even hoping Max would be there.
“What’s the matter, Liv?”
“Nothing—Max isn’t here,” she said sadly. “I thought maybe he’d pick me up from school.”
“No worries. I’ll give you a ride home.”
“Thanks…” Ashley didn’t quite get it. She wasn’t worried about getting home, she was worried because she hadn’t seen or heard from her boyfriend since before the fight yesterday.
As they walked to Ashley’s car, Olivia spotted the black Camaro sitting in the corner of the parking lot. Why was Liam here? Was he waiting for her? Probably, why else would he be sitting in the parking lot? He’d only been at the school for fifteen minutes before getting suspended. That was hardly enough time to make any friends.
She glanced over at the Camaro, but couldn’t see through the tinted window.
Why is he so interested in me when he could obviously have any girl here?
Five minutes in the girls’ locker room had been proof enough of that.
They pulled out of the parking lot and turned left. She watched in the rear view mirror as the Camaro pulled out behind them and turned right. She was briefly disappointed to see Liam drive away, and scolded herself for being so foolish. For all intent and purpose, she was being stalked. So why wasn’t she afraid? Truth be told, she didn’t think she’d ever felt as safe as when he was around her. It really made no sense at all.
Ashley dropped Olivia off at her house. “Thanks for the ride, Ash. You want to come to yoga with me? It’ll be lots of fun.”
“Nah, sorry, Liv, it’s just not my bag.”
“You should try it,” Olivia teased. “It’ll give you a great ass.”
“I already have a great ass.”
“Fine, it’s your loss.” She shut the car door and waved good-bye as she ran into the house to change. Class started in a half hour, and she needed to hustle. She promised Ronnie when he hired her that she could handle school and the classes.
Olivia spent the entire night distracted. She frequently glanced out the picture window of her classroom wondering if, and maybe even hoping that she’d see Liam looking back at her. Why she even thought of him in the first place when she should be thinking about her MIA boyfriend was beyond her.
She called Max in between classes—no answer.
Where is he? It’s not like him not to take my calls.
Her last class ran later than she’d expected. Two new students joined the class and needed some help with proper positioning. She glanced down at her watch—9:45 p.m.— too late to call or stop by Max’s now. Besides, it would be just like him to show up on her doorstep bright and early tomorrow morning, acting like nothing had happened.
Taking comfort in that thought, she resisted the temptation to drive past Max’s place again. Lights flickered from the living room TV, casting shadows onto the front porch as she pulled in to the driveway. Her parents were still awake—waiting up for her, no doubt. The missing girl from the bagel shop struck a little too close to home.
“I’m home,” Olivia called, kicking off her shoes as she dropped her purse and keys onto the bench beside the door. She walked into the living room, and was greeted by the anchorwoman delivering tonight’s lineup of bad news. “Police are now looking for another woman who was reported missing late last night. This is the second woman in the area who has disappeared in the last week. FBI officials are being brought in to investigate as police are no further in finding…”
“What’s this about?” Olivia asked.
Her dad paused the TiVo and turned to look at her. “Oh, hey, honey. I didn’t hear you come in. Just watching the news, it looks like another young woman is missing. Maybe for a little while, you should be extra careful, huh? Have Clay walk you to your car at night, or maybe Max could pick you up. I’m more than happy to do it too, just let me know.”
Yeah, that’d be nice—if Max would ever show up.
“Sure, Dad, I’ll be careful. I’m gonna go to bed.” Olivia walked upstairs, her muscles aching with fatigue. Maybe tonight she could finally get some rest—no such luck.