Salvation and Secrets (8 page)

A loud bang rang out through the dorm room, startling me. I dropped the scissors in a panic and scrambled to my feet, trying to dry off my face with the back of my hand.

"Ana, it's me, open up," Paul's voice pleaded, and I paused trying to formulate a plan. What was he even doing here anyway? In our all-girl dormitory?

"Ana? Open up. Don’t make me kick the door down."

A small chuckle escaped my lips at the image of Paul trying to bust his way in. Even in my desperate state, he could still elicit a laugh from me.

"Coming. I'm coming."

Rubbing one more time at my eyes, I unlocked the door and stepped to the side granting him access. "What the hell, Paul?"

He turned, his eyes narrowing at me, and I could only imagine the mess I looked. "Elena sent me."

"Wh-what?" The words rushed out.

"She saw you making a run for it after class and texted me."

“Oh.” My eyes darted to the floor and then to back to Paul. His eyes held me, begging me to talk.

And something in me broke.

My body slumped into him, and he opened his arms just in time to catch me. He wrapped me in him and cradled me while I sobbed uncontrollably into his shirt. Clinging onto him like my life depended on him.

I wasn’t sure how long we stood there while Paul whispered soothing noises into my ear trying to calm me. All feeling left me, numbed by the ferocity of the tears pouring out. Vaguely aware of Paul leading me to my bed, I let him pull me down next to him and wrap his arm around me once more.

“Talk to me, Ana.” His voice sounded all choked up.

I shook my head from side to side, unwilling to meet his eyes as they burned into me.

“Ana.” He lifted my chin with his finger, forcing me to look at him. “You have to talk to someone. We’re all worried about you. About whatever the hell went down last year.”

Jackson Pierce. Jackson Pierce is what happened to me
. I couldn’t say the words. Even though he knew it had to do with Jackson, saying them would only make it even more real.

“You’re one of the most amazing girls I know, Ana. You’re funny, and smart, and so stubborn it irritates the shit out of me. And it kills me to know that something is going on with you and you won’t let any of us help.”

My head whipped up and I gaped at him.

“Don’t let a guy do this to you. You’re stronger than that.” A hint of a smile played on Paul’s lips and I sniffled, making a disgusting noise through my nose. Paul exploded with laughter, and before I knew it, I was laughing through my tears.

“Thank you.” I reached for his hand and wrapped my fingers around his, squeezing gently.

I didn’t say anything else, but he had just saved me in more ways than he would ever know.

Chapter 10

~JACKSON~

Ana had let me go. Given me an out. Fuck. I should have been relieved—she understood why I walked away. But when she said the words, I felt like my heart was shredded into irreparable pieces. Of course, I knew it was only what I deserved, but she was mine. I wanted her. I needed her more than the air I breathed.

Ana was a game changer. I knew that the moment I saw her standing there with her one duffle bag looking so lost. It didn’t take long, and I knew, just knew, we were meant to find each other. But our lives were more fucked up than any Shakespeare tragedy.

“Pierce, what the fuck happened with Briony?” Braiden didn’t bother knocking as he stormed into my room.

“Knock, why don’t you.” I continued pounding the free weights, trying to ease the tension in my muscles.

“She’s been bitching to me all morning about the mixer. Said you abandoned her or some shit?” He moved to the end of the bench and glared down at me, and I raised an eyebrow at him. “This is Briony we’re talking about.”

Braiden snapped his neck from side to side, and I knew I’d said the wrong thing. Pushed the wrong button.

“She’s my fucking sister, bro.
Your
family, or have you forgotten that?”

I was off the bench in a second, the weights crashing to the floor. My body squared up to Braiden’s and he smirked as if my outburst amused him. “I told you not to push things with us. She
is
family
,
my sister too. Or did
you
forget that?”

Laughter rumbled deep in Braiden’s throat and he shook his head. “Family, yes, blood, no. It would be good for the family for you two to hook up and make it permanent. Dad would love nothing more than to have his golden boy as his official son-in-law.”

Ignoring his dig, I focused on the thing we could talk about. “Fuck, Braid, are we really having this discussion? I’m almost twenty. Twenty, man. And you’re talking like you want me to propose. She’s as good as my sister and that shit is fucked up!”

He murmured something under his breath and then grunted. “You need to get laid then. Move on. Prove to me that you’re over her.”

The blood in my veins hit its boiling point and my fists clenched at my sides. Aware I needed to rein myself in, and quick, my eyes bore into Braiden. “Don’t we have more important things to deal with than whether I’m getting laid or not?”

“I’m having a party this weekend. It’s your birthday. You will be there, and you will act like everyone else wearing a Fallen jersey on their back. You’re a Donohue and a Fallen, start acting like one. Your shit is getting old real quick.” Braiden turned and left the room.

As the door closed, my fist made contact with the wall, pain exploding through my knuckles and wrist as I sank to the floor.

~

“Happy Birthday, fucker.” Dennis clapped me on the back and I forced a chin nod.

True to his word, Braiden had pulled together a party at the house in honor of my birthday. Not that I felt like celebrating—I didn’t want to be anywhere near him.

“It’s the birthday boy! Where have you been all day?” Kyler didn’t approach me, instead calling out to me over the counter in the huge kitchen.

I shrugged. “That’s for me to know.”

“Oooh, someone has their panties in a twist again. Braid says we need to find you some pussay tonight. Work off some of that tension.” Shaun grinned, but I ignored him, my eyes finding Braiden across the room, standing in the corner watching me with a shit-eating smirk on his face.

“Pussay! Pussay! Pussay!” The goofy cowboy started cheering, waving his beer in the air, and the other guys started laughing hysterically.

Taking a long pull on my beer and clenching and unclenching my sore hand, I watched them dancing around like total goons. Braiden didn’t join in, either. He remained leaning up against the wall, glaring at me. His eyes spoke volumes and he didn’t need to say the words. I was expected to join in tonight…or there would be consequences.

Pushing off the counter, I cleared my throat. “What are we waiting for then?”

A couple of the guys stopped and gawked at me like I had grown a second head. But they soon filed out of the kitchen to Shaun’s chants of pussy and a night filled with booze and hot girls.

“Happy Birthday, Pierce.” A hand snaked around my waist and I turned to find myself face to face with Tammy, head cheerleader and the team’s biggest groupie. She pressed up against me on her tiptoes, brushing my cheek with her lips.

I felt Braiden watching and knew he had put her up to this. Another test. Detangling Tammy from me, I held her at arm’s length, but in a way that made it look like I was checking her out, my eyes involuntarily skimming down her body. There was no denying she was hot, but the girl had slept with half of the team, and sloppy seconds wasn’t my style. Besides, she had nothing on Ana.

“Looking good, Tammy.” I smiled and made small talk, making sure I had Braiden’s full attention. When he finally moved deeper into the crowd, I relaxed and ended the conversation. “Enjoy the party. I need a drink.”

A look of disappointment washed over her heart-shaped face, but I didn’t hang around to nurse her feelings. I needed another beer if I was going to survive the night and Braiden’s games.

“What can I get you, Pierce?” a voice called out as a crowd of students parted as if I was Moses with the power to part seas.

After all these years, I still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the way people treated me, like I was better than them. Growing up with Braiden was like that. He said jump, people asked how high. And I was his best friend. Brother. His other half. People just expected us together. At school, parties, even football—our whole lives it had been Braiden Donohue and Jackson Pierce. Of course, people knew our history. Sons of Marcus Donohue and Michael Pierce. We were expected to follow in their footsteps, which didn’t bode well for me, considering Dad died on family business.
Fuck…Dad.
I didn’t let my mind wander there very often, but whenever I did, it left me gutted. Even after all these years.

Shutting down the thoughts, I grabbed a beer from Kenny, the designated bartender for the night. I nodded at the Patrón, and he lined me up a glass. Something stronger wouldn’t hurt. Snatching it off the counter, I downed it in one and made my way outside. Dennis spotted me, and beckoned me over, handing me a second beer. “You all right?”

I lifted my chin to him, and he shook his head. “What’s eating you? It’s like you can’t stand to be here.”

I had to hand it to Dennis; he had his head screwed on tighter than most of the team, who were only interested in partying, getting wasted, and getting laid.

“It’s complicated.” It wasn’t like I could tell him the truth.

“You’re not fooling anyone. Something is going on between you two. We’re not all his foot soldiers you know. You can talk to me. Door’s always open.”

“What’s this? Are you pussies having a heart to heart?” Kyler slung his arm around Dennis and grinned like the Cheshire cat, a slight glaze to his eyes, and I wondered if beer and Patrón were all he’d ingested tonight.

“Just scoping out the talent. You know how it is, Ky,” Dennis said in a stone cold serious tone, and I looked away unable to contain myself. The dude was two-hundred and forty pounds of solid muscle. Towering over six feet, he looked like an ironclad giant. Some girls dug it, but he never searched them out. Always let them come to him and they usually did. In droves.

“Man, you get pussy on tap. You don’t need to put in the work,” Kyler drawled, swaying a little on his feet.

Dennis’ eyes narrowed in on him, and he said, “You high?”

Kyler shrugged. “It’s a party, and Travis got hold of a little white. No big deal.”

“It’s a big fucking deal if Coach hears about it. After everything we talked about.” Dennis was drawing a crowd, and I laid a hand between the two of them, stealing a glance at him. “Leave it. Not here. Basement.”

We made our way back into the house, passing Steve and Tripp as we headed down to the basement. Music blared out, a different beat to the one playing through the house, but it did little to drown out the girl’s moans filling the room.

“Someone’s getting lucky,” Kyler whispered.

The lights were dimmed, but not enough that we couldn’t see Travis pounding into a leggy blonde from behind, pants around his ankles while Shaun watched from one of the chairs.

“Ah, fuck. Get them out of here. Ah, ah, oh God, this wasn't part of the deal.” Horror washed over the girl’s face as she tried to wriggle free, but Travis clamped his hand around her hip, grinning up at us, unaffected by our presence.

“I’m up next, pretty,” Shaun drawled, making no attempt to hide the boner in his skintight Levi’s.

My eyes looked anywhere but at them, unlike Kyler, who moved straight to the empty chair next to Shaun. “Me, too," he all but panted. "Please say you do three-ways.”

The blonde flipped him off while trying to stifle her moans, rolling her head back in pleasure. I couldn’t hang around and watch this shit, so I stalked to the small side room used as the office and kicked the door shut behind me. It didn’t block out the noise, but it was better than watching that freak show out there.

Punching out a text for Braiden to meet us in the basement, I clamped my eyes shut, trying to prepare myself for whatever was coming. Because something was headed straight for us, we just didn’t know what yet. But it was impossible to concentrate as the girl’s moans grew louder and louder, and Kyler started cheering like a crazed banshee.
Fuckers.

Travis grumbled and things quietened, and I risked craning my head around the door. He was zipping up his pants while the girl was readying to lower herself onto Shaun, who was wearing a shit-eating grin as her tits spilled out of her dress, pushing up against his face, knocking off his Stetson in the process.

"You," I called out to her, and she locked eyes with me, half straddling Shaun. Her eyes lit up with recognition and she purred, "You want some too, Pierce?"

My eyes narrowed at her. She disgusted me; they all did. "Get the fuck out, NOW," I roared, and she scrambled off Shaun, who frowned, trying to collect up her clothes.

The guys all exploded with laughter, watching the blonde clamber up the stairs, yanking her dress over her head, tears lacing her eyes as the realization of what had just gone down hit her. Except for Dennis, who just shook his head. He didn't agree with the girls and what went on down here, either, but it was just how it was. Didn't mean we had to like it, though. Or participate.

"Dude, couldn't you have waited like ten minutes before pulling that shit? Now I'm hard with nowhere to stick it." Shaun moaned, rubbing his crotch.

"Fuck man, how do you do it?" Kyler pretended to bow down to Travis's feet. "That was Brandi Meers. She despises us."

Travis barked out a laugh. "That's what they all say until they meet my Southern charm."

"I almost came in my pants watching you two. I'm not gay bro, but fuck, that was hot."

Braiden appeared at the top of the stairs and the conversation died. "Why the fuck am I being summoned? Just as I'm about to get my dick sucked by Kacey?"

I pointed at Kyler, and he squirmed in his seat, his eyes still glassy. "Do you want to tell him, or shall I?"

Kyler stuttered and then groaned, dragging a hand over his eyes.

"Will someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?" Braiden moved into the center of the room, waiting for an explanation.

"Kyler snorted some of that shit. Travis, too."

Travis's eyes widened and then the color drained from his face. "Braid, man, it was just one line. Not enough to let our guard down."

Braiden might have supplied CFA's student population with all of their extracurricular needs, but he had one rule where the inner circle was concerned. Get caught doing anything more than smoking a bit of pot and you were out.

“I should kick your asses out, you know that, right?” Braiden said with an eerie calm. I had expected him to lose his shit, but he seemed so controlled. “Coach is looking for the perfect excuse to bench me and you pull this shit?”

Kyler and Travis hung their heads. Kyler, chewing frantically on his bottom lip, coughed something under his breath.