Broken Trust: A Dark High School Romance(63)

The whole thing was turning my stomach, so I just gave him a tight nod of acceptance.

“Sebastian, wait,” I blurted as he started to leave the bathroom. He turned back to me with interest in his gaze, and before I could second guess myself, I grabbed his face and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

It had caught him by surprise, no doubt, but not so much that he didn’t grab me back before I could pull away, deepening the kiss to something much hotter than I’d intended.

“I don’t know what’s going on with you this morning, Butterfly,” he whispered in a husky, lust filled voice. “But I like it.” He pressed another kiss to my swollen lips. “I’ll be back with those aspirin in a sec.”

He left the bathroom, and I hurried to shower and dress for the day. Beck had left the aspirin on the bathroom counter along with a glass of water so I gulped them down while blow-drying my hair. By the time I emerged ready for school, I was already feeling better.

“Coffee,” Beck said when I met him in the kitchen. He placed a steaming mug—my queen mug—in my hand, and dropped another quick kiss on my lips. “I just need to grab something from Dylan, I’ll meet you at the car?”

“Yep.” I nodded and took a long sip. Holy damn, Beck made an orgasmic cup of coffee. I might just keep him around to make me coffee for the rest of my life ... among other things. He bent down to pull his boots on, and I didn’t even try to pretend I wasn’t checking his ass out. He had a really great ass.

He glanced back, catching me staring, and I just shrugged.

After he left, I allowed myself a couple more minutes to drink my coffee while Richard’s threat echoed through my head. There were two major things I could take away from what he’d said.

One, Oscar had been murdered, and I think he suspected another council member. Just like Beck did. And two, I was sort of falling in love with Beck. Okay, fine. It had already happened, but my anger toward him had masked it all. Hearing his life threatened in such a callous way had sent such potent, soul crushing fear through me, that I couldn’t keep burying my head in the sand.

So now what the hell did I do?

Panic, I guess? For today, though, I would allow myself a little indulgence. Would it really be so terrible to drop my guard around him for one day and just see what it was like? After all, Dante himself had told me to let it go...

Lost in thought, and practically buzzing with butterflies in my belly, I made my way down to the parking garage. I was so distracted, I didn’t see the dark figure waiting between the cars until it was almost too late.

As it was, it was my heel catching in a drain grate that saved me when the person took a swing with his knife. Terrified, I let out a scream and ducked out of the way when he stabbed at me again. He didn’t get a chance to try a third time as a shot rang out with a deafening crack, and my attacker crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap.

“Riley.” Beck rushed over, his gun still in his hand and his eyes darting all around us, even as he crouched beside me. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” He must have been satisfied that there was no one else jumping out of the shadows, because he tucked his gun away and pulled out his phone instead. “Dylan, parking garage, now.”

“What the fuck just happened?” I squeaked, staring wide eyed at the dead man. Blood had begun pooling under him and was slowly crawling toward the drain that had saved my life.

Beck gathered me up in his arms and stood, carrying me away from the body and placing me gently down on the fire escape stairs. “Riley, baby,” he coaxed. “Tell me if he hurt you anywhere. Did he hit you? Cut you?”

I shook my head, numb. “N-no. No. I caught my heel and tripped...” I waved a hand at the drain grate which was now stained red with my attacker’s blood. “He just came out of nowhere. What the fuck just happened, Beck?”

His face tightened, the skin around his eyes pinching as he cringed. “Please don’t, baby. Please don’t shut me out again. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone.” He wrapped his arms back around me, hugging me tight to his chest. His heart was thundering, and the way he stroked my hair it seemed like he was shaking a little.

I frowned, confused, then it clicked. I’d called him Beck again, and he’d taken it as a sign that our earlier progress was ruined.

“Hey.” I pushed back from him just far enough that he could see my face, see the sincerity in my eyes. “Sebastian. I’m fine, I promise. That scared the shit out of me, no joke. But it’s pretty far from the worst that’s happened in the last few months, you know?”

He looked unconvinced, but Dylan arrived then and it was suddenly all business again.

“Did he say anything to you?” Dylan asked, after he’d checked behind every car, pillar, and shadow in the whole damn parking garage. “Anything at all?”

I shook my head, hugging my knees as I remained on the steps where Beck had put me. “Nothing at all. Just popped up out of nowhere and started swinging his knife.”

Dylan and Beck exchanged a look. “He was trying to be quiet,” Beck said gruffly. “A gunshot would have alerted us. He was no amateur.”

Dylan shook his head. “They’re getting bolder. They really want Riley out of the way, but I can’t figure out why.”

I eyed Beck closely. “So Katelyn can have Beck. It’s the only explanation.”