“Okay, give me five, so I can change.”
“You have two minutes,” he grunts before disappearing into his room with his phone pressed back to his ear.
What a dick.
The thought flutters across my mind, but I bite my tongue to keep from calling out my big brother, well aware it won’t do me any good.It’s not that I don’t love Ethan.I do.It’s just, ever since he got out of prison, he’s been…cold.And a dick.And a bully.And a few more adjectives I’m too tired to name, especially with my impending shift at The Body Shop ahead of me.
“Two minutes, it is,” I mumble under my breath.I walk into my bedroom and close the door behind me.Why?Why do I have to work tonight?Don’t get me wrong.The money’s great, but all I really want is to take a hot shower, warm up a can of soup, and watch a movie.Is that too much to ask?
A hand reaches out, enveloping my wrist, while another covers my mouth.My eyes bulge, and my heart rate skyrockets as I’m shoved against the wall.It happens so fast, my mind feels like it’s been put in a blender.
What the hell is happening?
The air whooshes from my lungs, and my nostrils flare, attempting to extract oxygen from the air surrounding us while my brain races to piece together where I am and who’s in my bedroom with me.Heat licks my front thanks to a hooded figure dressed in black caging me in as I weigh my options.
Here’s the thing about The Drift.Bluntly put?It’s not a safe place.I know it.My brother knows it.Anyone who’s crossed into Drift territory knows it.But growing up here, you learn pretty quickly about certain rules.One.Always keep your doors and windows locked.Duh.Two.Never walk alone at night or during the day in the shadier parts of town.And yes, some parts are shadier than others.Three.Always carry pepper spray…which is tucked in my purse…which is sitting on the counter in the kitchen.Lucky me.And four.Never let your guard down when you’re alone.Never.
Yet, even with these rules, every girl from The Drift finds herself in a less-than-savory situation or two.Whether it’s a guy leering at you in a parking lot or one who’s extra handsy when you’re at work.You learn how to deflect or address the situation, or simply pull out the big guns and knee them in the balls before reaching for said pepper spray, which I could really use right now.
Focus, Lexie!
Lifting my knee, I try to hit the stranger in the balls, but he twists his waist, blocking the movement and giving me more of his weight in the process.Between the wall, the guy’s massive body, and the bear paw over my face, I feel like I’m suffocating.
Shit!
I fight against his hold, squirming and whimpering, but the intruder doesn’t budge.Not one fucking inch.My nails dig into the stranger’s forearms as I grapple with his hand covering my mouth.One second.All I need is one second to let out a scream so Ethan can hear me fighting someone, then this motherfucker will be in the ground.Good.I’ll get the damn shovel.One second.All I need is one second.I jerk my head to the side, but the stranger follows the movement, his palm smothering my protest.
Dammit!
I glare back at the hooded figure, determined to freaking neuter this asshole once I break free.And that’s when I catch a glimpse of his face.
Sharp jaw.Five o’clock shadow.Straight nose.And eyes so piercing and cold, I’d have to be blind not to remember them.
Holy.Shit.
Like a bucket of ice water has been dumped on me, my body freezes in place, and my chest heaves.What the hell is Hawke Harden doing in my room?Slowly, his hand on my waist disappears, and he lifts his forefinger, pressing it to his full lips hovering an inch from mine in a “shush” gesture.He wants me to be quiet?I’ll show him quiet.Or maybe I won’t.Seriously, what is he doing here?If Ethan finds out, my brother will kill him.Like, literally.And why do I care?I shouldn’t care.Should I?Oxygen.I need oxygen if I have any hope of thinking straight, and the only way to get it is to agree to Hawke’s order to stay quiet.My head bobs ever so slightly, giving in to his request, no matter how pissed off I feel.With the same slow movements, he removes his palm from my mouth, and I rest the back of my head against the wall, studying him.
What.The hell.Is he doing here?
Hawke Harden is everything that’s wrong with the world.Entitlement.Money.And an ego the size of Texas.Yeah.This guy thinks he knows everything.Sees everything.Hears everything.Owns everything.And in a way, I guess he does.His family owns Harden Heights, the rich side of town.Full of power-hungry snobs and entitled pricks like the man standing in front of me.
He’s been stalking me for months.At work.When I’m out with my friends.Hell, even sometimes when I’m at home, I swear I can feel him watching me.Or maybe I’m going crazy?Honestly, ever since he started popping up, it’s felt like it.Like I'm going crazy.Like my entire world has flipped on its axis, and I don’t know what way is up and what way is down.
Why is he here?
“Lex!”Ethan booms through the door.“You ready?”
Something sparks in Hawke’s eyes as he holds my gaze hostage.Trust?Fear?A warning?A freaking dare?It isn’t the first time I’ve seen it.Something in this man’s eyes I can’t place.Seriously, he’s impossible to read.I’m not used to it.This feeling.Growing up in The Drift, you learn how to read people.Their thoughts, their intentions, their actions.But Hawke?He’s so mercurial and quiet and observant.Man, is he observant.It’s like he sees everything.Even the things most miss.And here he is.In my room.Giving me the same look I’ve seen him give a hundred times over the past few months.
What are you thinking, Hawke Harden?
“Lex!”my brother calls.
My tongue darts out, wetting my lips.Hawke doesn’t try to cover my mouth again.Doesn’t do anything at all.He simply stares, and I swear I can feel the weight of it from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.It’s more familiar than I care to admit.The feel of his stare.How many times I’ve felt it or, at the very least, imagined feeling it.The way I’ve replayed those moments.At the club.With my friends.At Harden Nights—before my brother banned me from attending them anyway.Which reminds me… Hawke’s the enemy.And he broke into my room.He shouldn’t be here.
This is it.The moment I can bury Hawke and all of his arrogance once and for all.
Or I can protect him from my brother’s wrath.
