Chapter 19
Cassie
It’s halfway through the season and Brianna is being a little bitch. Apparently too sick to come with me to the boys’ game tonight.
“Please,” I beg for the twentieth time to a girl who has been vomiting non-stop for the past twenty-four hours.
“You’ve got to be kidding, right?” She groans at having to engage in any type of communication. “You know I’d love to go, I hate missing games, I mean, I don’t think I’ve missed one of Bobby’s games since we were kids.”
“I know,” I mumble, as I sulk on the couch.
“And?” she prompts.
“And I’ll text you updates as it goes.”
“And?”
“And I’ll video all the important parts,” I say, mimicking her voice as I roll my eyes at her. “Though, I’m pretty sure you can watch it live somewhere.”
“Ugh,” she groans. “I don’t have the energy for that shit. Just send me the good things.”
“Fine,” I grumble, sinking back into the lounge again.
“Oh, and you better take your car. I think the boys would flip if they knew you walked all that way by yourself,” she tells me.
“Yes, mother,” I smirk as she quickly sits up and holds her stomach.
We both sit in silence for a few moments as we wait to see what little game her stomach wants to play right now. She lets out a breath. “False alarm,” she says relieved before laying back down and pulling the blanket back over her shivering body.
I check the time on my phone and I know it’s either leave now or miss the opening, and I have to admit, watching Jax take the ice looking like an absolute god, proud and full of confidence kind of gets me hot, like really hot and I don’t want to miss that.
I stand up and pull Jaxon’s jersey over my head. A thrill runs through me at getting to be the woman who gets to wear his name and number on my back, it makes me proud to be his girl. “Alright,” I tell Bri as I grab my keys. “I better go, do you need anything?”
She looks up at me with big puppy dog eyes. “Could you grab my soup first?”
“Really?” I grin. “Maybe you should get your boyfriend to come and take care of you.”
“Shut up,” she says with a grin that she couldn’t possibly avoid as her mind goes straight the guy who swore he would never be a one-woman kind of man, but I guess miracles do happen. “Carter doesn’t do sick and besides, I don’t want him to see me like this. His idea of looking after me is sexual and as much as I want that, I’d probably blow chunks all over him and ruin any chance of him returning.”
I try my best to shake the image out of my head as I head to the kitchen to fetch the wrench her soup. “You’d be surprised by the kind of stuff Carter would put up with for the woman he loves.”
She looks doubtful but eventually allows me to leave.
A moment later I am piled into my car and backing out the driveway. I turn up the volume on my playlist and belt out a little Celine as I trek over to the ice rink. I watch the clock as I get stuck in the roadworks on the main road. A chuckle rips from my chest as I remember Jax and Bobby getting stuck at this exact same place only a few short months ago and stumbled across Brianna and I in our pole dancing class.
The clock continues to tick and I get a sinking feeling that I’m going to miss the opening that I love so much. I fidget and tap my nails on the steering wheel as I anxiously wait for the traffic to move along. I pull out my phone and send a quick text to Jax.
Cassie – I’m running late, don’t let that game start without me. Love you.
Jax – And deprive you of that tingly feeling you get when you watch me skate? Wouldn’t dream of it. Drive safe.
Another ten minutes later, it finally starts to move and I gun it. I get to the ice rink a few minutes later and just my luck, only find a spot right up the back of the parking lot, so rather than have to run all that way, I pull into the athletes parking and park across the back of Jax’s and Bobby’s trucks, I mean, it’s not like they would be leaving before I am.
I quickly check the time as I put my Beetle in park and turn off the ignition. Relief washes over me. If I run, I might just make it. I notice a few other people also rushing to make the start of the game and I pull out my phone once again as I rush forward.
Cassie – Just running in now. Kick ass tonight.
Jax doesn’t reply, but I didn’t expect him to. Coach Harris is probably giving the players their pep talk before sending them out to the ice.
I slip my phone into my jeans pocket and push forward, trying not to physically run as to not look like a desperate fool but honestly, I’m walking pretty damn fast. The doors to the stadium come into view and I grin knowing exactly where my seat is, unlike the idiots around me who are all going to have to search through the crowd for their spots.
I rush up the side of the stadium when my body is yanked backward. I’m pulled completely off balance by who the hell knows and I scramble to catch my footing but it’s no use, the concrete path is coming fast. A dark shadow crosses my vision but my first thought is about trying to save myself from this fall.
My ass hits the floor and I know without a doubt that there is going to be a bruise. I hardly have a moment to dwell on it before the dark shadow appears directly in front of me with a sick, twisted grin on his slimy face.
Shit. The guy from Micky’s.
I try to scream and look around for help but everyone seems to have already gone. He slaps his hand over my face and I flinch at the pain it causes or maybe it’s the feel of his skin on mine once again.
I try to scream against his hand but it’s useless. His eyes sparkle, enjoying my fear and I know I have to get out of here.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he tells me as his eyes flash with something darker and I realise just how much trouble I’m in right now. He grabs me by my hair and yanks me to my feet. My feet scramble beneath me trying to catch myself to relieve some of the pain. I scream out but once again, his other hand remains firmly over my mouth. My hands fly to my hair as I try my hardest to claw his hand away.
Shit. My heart beats rapidly in my chest and I promptly begin to freak out. What the hell am I going to do? How am I going to get out of here?
I kick my legs out and attempt to hit him but he jumps back out of the way. “Mmmm, feisty,” he moans, momentarily closing his eyes, only to open them again to reveal even more darkness.
I continue to claw at his hand in my hair, trying to free myself and I know it must be cutting him as I feel the wetness beneath my fingers but all it does is spur him on. He adjusts his hold in my hair and uses the hand over my mouth to slap me hard. I whimper in pain as the hand returns to my mouth. “You’re going to regret that,” he tells me before he uses his hold on my hair to lead me back towards the car park.
I try everything I can to get free, I kick my legs out, drop all my body weight to the point he has to drag me but nothing works, I swear if I had something to use as a weapon, I’d be using it or at least attempting to cut my hair from my skull. We reach a dark car and I continue fighting, trying my hardest to get free from this bastard. All I know is I cannot be forced into that car. I don’t know what could possibly happen to me or where I would end up. The thought alone terrifies me and has me begging for freedom.
His hand covering my mouth finally releases me and I instantly scream out which only makes him smirk a little more. Tears of pain or fear stream down my face but I don’t even get a chance to look around to see if anyone is coming to help before he puts his other hand to the back of my head and slams my head down into the metal framing of his car.
My head spins and the world around me instantly falls to nothingness.