“I’m selling tickets to this show,” Zander said with a satisfied smirk. “And I’m also starting a betting pool as to how long it takes Silas to correct her way of thinking.”
19
Hayley put away her violin and closed the case before rising to head for the exit to the smaller auditorium where rehearsals for their spring recital were being held. She was excited to perform for the first time in front of such a crowd. It was a new experience for her, to be certain. In the last year since beginning her studies at the small but prestigious academy, she’d certainly had her share of recitals and performances, but they’d always been on a much smaller scale and never open to the general public.
But the summer symphonic production was the academy’s biggest fund-raiser of the entire year. Every year toward the end of the spring semester, a select few students were chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall. It was an honor to be chosen and an even bigger honor to be awarded a solo. Hayley had been shocked when she, a first-year student, had accomplished both.
She could hardly wait to share her exciting news with Silas and the guys. Okay, so maybe not Silas, since she was certain he wouldn’t care one way or another, and by then he very well could have moved on from her and their relationship. Not that he wouldn’t congratulate her and even tell her how deserving she was. Silas was nothing if notcompletely supportive of her talent. But it wouldn’t mean as much as she wanted it to mean.
Sighing morosely, she hefted up her case, nearly grinning in delight at the looks of pure envy the other students cast her way. They’d been awestruck the first day she’d brought her new violin to school and more than a little jealous. Well, and she could hardly blame them. She would have been envious in their shoes too. It was not only a gorgeous-looking instrument. It played like pure magic, capturing the essence of every note. Every time Hayley played she lost herself in the beauty of her music, letting it flow into and out of her soul as her fingers danced across the strings, her other hand sliding the bow over the violin like a caress.
A crack of thunder boomed very close by as she followed the flow of students out the door and down the long hallway to the front entrance to the school. She flinched, startled by the loud noise. And then she heard the sound of the sudden downpour unleashed on the roof of the building and grimaced in sympathy for those who had to either walk home or to the subway station.
Maddox and company would be waiting for her out front, illegally parked as always, and she grinned, lengthening her stride. She was eager to see them and share her exciting news. Maybe she would even work up the nerve to invite them, though she wasn’t so certain of that. She didn’t want to set herself up for rejection. God, she was such a coward. But rejection sucked. No two ways about it. She ought to know, having faced it already with Silas, though his was far more embarrassing than if Maddox, Justice, Zander, Jax, Thane and Hartley turned down her invitation.
She paused in the doorway, staring out at the rain coming down in sheets. Her cell phone buzzed and she fumbled with her purse with one hand to grab the phone. She rolled her eyes when she read the text from Maddox.
Don’t come out. Give me a second and I’ll come in to get you.
As if a little rain was going to hurt her. Still, she wouldn’t argue, not with such an expensive violin that she did not want to get wet. She glanced out to see Maddox step from the car, opening a huge umbrella that would easily cover them both. She rocked back on her heels to wait for his arrival when a hand suddenly curled painfully around her elbow, yanking her around.
She let out a startled cry of pain that abruptly ended when she came face-to-face with a sullen-looking Christopher.
“Where the hell have you been?” he demanded. “I went to your old place, but those idiot old people you house-sat for wouldn’t tell me where you’d moved to.”
“Let me go, moron,” she hissed. “Why do you think they wouldn’t tell you? Maybe because I didn’t want you to know? Ever consider that?”
“You’re the one being ridiculous,” he said, moving closer until he was pressing into her body.
She stumbled back, nearly tripping on the door guard on the floor. She felt an icy blast of rain douse her entire back and realized that in her haste to back away from Christopher, she’d backed right out of the open door and into the rain.
Christopher came right out with her, not backing down an inch. He was furious, his eyes so dark with rage that it was instinctive to shrink away and thrust her violin case between them in an effort to ward off his advances.
“You stupid little bitch,” he seethed. “Do you not understand who I am? No one says no to me.No one!”
“I know exactly who and what you are, asshole,” Hayley shouted. “Don’t you ever touch me again. Don’t even speak to me or I’ll swear out a restraining order on you. Wonder what Mummy and Daddy would think of their precious little boy then?”
He drew back his hand to strike her but a much larger hand suddenly wrapped around his, stopping his blow in midair. Christopher let out a squeak of surprise and pain and just as suddenly as Maddox had prevented him striking her, he had Christopher on his knees, screaming in agony as Maddox continued to twist his wrist at a backward angle.
Maddox towered over Christopher like an avenging angel, his hair dripping wet, his eyes glacial and so intimidating that if Hayley didn’t know for certain he would never hurt her, she’d be peeing in her pants about now. Judging by the terror on Christopher’s face, he likely already had.
“Get the fuck away from her. Now!” Maddox barked, fury edging every single word. “You don’t touch her, you don’t look at her, you don’t talk to her. You get me? If Ieversee you near her, if I so much ashearyou’ve been within a hundred yards of her, I’ll break every bone in your fucking body and dump what’s left in the Hudson for the fish to eat. You understand me, boy?”
Christopher’s eyes went wide with fear and he garbled ineffectively for several long seconds before he finally found his voice.
“Y-yes, s-sir,” he stammered out as tears streamed down his cheeks, his face a wreath of agony.
“You owe the lady an apology, boy,” Maddox roared.
“I’m s-sorry, H-Hayley.” His eyes pleaded with her to do something, anything to get Maddox away from him. But she merely stood there staring coldly back at the entitled, insolent brat. “Hayley, please! Get him off me!”
All Hayley could think about was the attack on her nights ago, when she’d prayed for the men to stop. When she’d begged them to let her go and not to hurt her. If it hadn’t been for Silas then, would anyone have even found her body after they’d raped her? And now, what if Maddox hadn’t been here? She’d have liked to think that Christopherwouldn’t have gotten away with assaulting her on school premises in broad daylight, but things like this happened every day.
Tears burned her eyelids and she hugged her violin case to her chest, uncaring of the rain that pelted down on her head, drenching every inch of her body.
“Come on, darlin’, let’s get you to the car and leave Maddox to clean up the trash.”
Thane’s soothing southern drawl sounded just behind her, and she gratefully turned around. Then she launched herself into Thane’s arms, nearly dropping her violin, but Thane caught it, transferring it to his other hand so he could wrap his free arm around her. For a minute, despite the rain, he simply held her, as her sobs mixed with the downpour. Then finally he started her toward the car, his arm solidly around her waist as they approached an enraged Jax.
