DIRTY ALPHAS Page 9

  “That’s why he hasn’t returned my texts for a couple of days?”

  “Yeah. He’s been out. Dead to the world.”

  “Well, I want to see him. You guys should’ve called me. I have a lot of experience with taking care of John when he’s sick.”

  I make a move to their apartment door behind him, but he blocks my path. “I wouldn’t, Nicki. He’s contagious and it’s pretty fucking gross, to tell you the truth.”

  “Mitch, I want to make sure he’s okay.”

  “No. He just needs rest. He’ll be fine in a few more days. I’ll tell him you were asking after him.”

  It’s clear that no matter what I say, Mitch isn’t going to let me in. I step back and let out a frustrated breath. “Does he have a girl in there? Is that what this is really about?”

  “No. Fuck no. I can’t remember the last time he had a girl in there. He’s going through a goddamn dry spell right now.”

  Really? He hasn’t slept with anyone else? “Oh. Okay.” I guess he is sick then. “Well, if he does need me, I’m right down the hall. Anything. Tell him I said that. Okay?”

  He smiles kindly. “Of course. I absolutely will.”

  Reluctantly, I start to walk away.

  “Axel is dangerous, Nicki!” Mitch calls out.

  I spin around. “What?”

  “He’s dangerous. Stay away.”

  Before I can respond, he walks into his apartment. I hear the door lock.

  What the hell was that all about?

  It takes me barely a second to realize.

  Mitch knows!

  Shit, he knows about the stuff that happened with me and John. Dammit!

  Chapter 18

  ~Nicki~

  I’m not going to that frat party tonight. I was way out of control earlier around Axel. I’m not used to it. I let it take me over completely. I need to get a grip. I should stay away from him until I can do that.

  Forget all that crap. It’s not important right now. I’m worried about John. What is going on with him? I’ve always taken care of him when he’s been sick. What’s changed this time? Of course, I wouldn’t put it past Mitch to have lied to me. Maybe he’s not sick. But what is it then?

  I return my attention back to the movie I’m watching. Rocky I. I love these movies. I lean back against my propped up pillows on my bed and shovel another scoop of cookie dough ice-cream into my mouth. I’m glad I picked up a two-liter tub earlier in the week. I doubt it’s going to last me the night. I’m planning to watch the first three movies in the series tonight. And, yeah, I’m a pig. I eat like an animal. John says it’s the boxing thing; that boxers eat a lot. I think he was just trying to make me feel better though.

  My phone starts buzzing on my bedside table. I answer it without looking.

  “Nicola,” a familiar voice answers before I can get a word out.

  I freeze. Oh my God. It’s her.

  “I told you not to call me. Ever.”

  “It’s important,” she responds.

  “Impossible,” I fire back.

  “I need you to listen to me, darling—”

  I hang up abruptly and stare in shock at my phone. I can’t believe it. It’s been two years and nothing. Since I went off to college at nineteen, I cut all contact with her. And now, suddenly, out of the blue, she calls me? How did she even get my number? That’s the most disturbing thing. Shit. I’ll have to change it yet again. What did she want? No, that doesn’t matter. I don’t give a crap. I don’t put up with her bi-polar crazy ass crap any more.

  She lost that when she let that psycho in. When she let him do those things to me.

  God, I feel sick. I climb off the bed and slam my ice-cream tub down on the kitchen table.

  “Argh!” I scream.

  I haul open the fridge and pull out the six-pack of beer inside. I rip open the box, screw off the top of one bottle, and down half the damn thing. I wipe my mouth and lean over the counter and try to catch my breath. My chest is tightening with anxiety. I can barely breathe. I need to calm down. I finish the rest of the beer and start on another. I need to be numb. I can’t process this right now.

  This is what that bitch does to me. Just hearing her voice ripped right through me, instantly bringing back every memory of all that hell four years ago. I hate her!

  I need to call John. No, I can’t. He’s sick…or something. He’s got his own things to deal with right now. Besides, if I tell him about this he’ll freak out and overreact…worse than I am.

  I fight the urge to call her back and rip into her. But that’s what she wants; my attention.

  Fuck you, Mom.

  ***

  “She knew I was lying,” Mitch tells me as he joins me on the couch for the game. College football. The Ivy leagues.

  “She doesn’t know. She suspects.” Shit, can’t we just watch a game without any fucking drama? Is that too much to ask?

  “Semantics, John. It’s only a matter of time before she steamrolls her way in here.”

  Fine. I guess not. He’s gonna keep pushing this. Argh! I blow out a breath and shift my weight to face him. “Well, how bad does it look now?”

  He scrutinizes me. “You still look like you’ve been used as a punching bag. The black eye is still there. The cuts on your face. Plus, you’re still having issues walking cuz of your ribs.” His expression becomes grave as he adds, “But you don’t have any more time to wait for it to heal.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He draws in a breath and breaks eye contact. Oh shit. This is bad. He looks nervous. Mitch never looks nervous. He takes a swig of his beer, but doesn’t offer up anything further.

  “Seriously? You’re not gonna tell me now?”

  He clears his throat and struggles to look at me as he says, “Earlier today, I caught Nicki and Axel…fooling around outside the Psych building.”

  “And?” I say as coolly as possible even as my stomach churns at the thought of it.

  “Don’t bother hiding it.”

  What? “Hiding what?”

  “You guys crossed the line. You’re not just friends anymore.”

  I change the subject. Avoidance is my specialty. “So they were…what?...making out?”

  “It looked like he was getting her off. Finger fucking her. She had her hands on his belt. I stopped it. The guy’s manipulating her. It was obvious—but not to her. I’m not sure she believed me. He’s stepped up his game, John. I doubt it will be long now. You need to do something.”

  They were doing what? She let him do what to her? What the fuck? I bolt from the couch and immediately regret it as my abs burn painfully. I grip the couch to steady myself. “What the fuck am I supposed to do? Look how it turned out the last time I tried to warn him off her!”

  Mitch’s voice stops me from spiraling off into a fit of rage as he says calmly, “He’s dangerous. He’ll hurt her and she’s too innocent to see it coming. She’s a virgin, isn’t she?”

  “Yes,” I snap.

  My mind goes a million miles a minute as I try to figure out what to do here. Shit.

  “You need to forget about warning him off. It’s not working. Talk to her instead.”

  “I already have. She thinks I’m just jealous.”

  “Well, why aren’t you guys together?”

  I stop short at his words. “Cuz I’m not a relationship guy.”

  He scoffs. “You’re such a dumbass sometimes.”

  He’s the only guy who can get away with saying shit like that to me. Why? Cuz I know his intentions are good. My eyes narrow anyway, though—a reflex. “What?”

  “You guys are the closest thing to a relationship that I’ve ever seen. You can barely go a couple of days without speaking. You sleep in the same bed. I’ve seen you sneak off to her apartment many nights. You argue like an old married couple. And although you haven’t fucked her; it’s obvious something has happened. On top of that, I haven’t seen a woman come out of your room for a hell of a long time.”


  “I need time.”

  He shakes his head at me. “Your time is up, dude.”

  “What am I supposed to do? Claim her? Like those frat guys?”

  “Tell her she’s yours, you dumbass. Make it clear.”

  “Just like that?” I ask, skeptical.

  “Yes!” he yells with frustration.

  “What about the band? If this doesn’t work out—”

  “Your shit is already affecting the band. Your arguments, you being out of commission for the last few days because your biggest competition with her attacked you. It won’t make a difference if you guys officially hook up. If anything, it will calm everything down.”

  I scrub my hand over my face. “Christ, I really fucked this whole thing up, huh?”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “None of us are perfect. Just fix it.”

  “Right. Yeah. I can do this. I can do this.”

  “Good mantra,” he teases me.

  I pull my phone out of my jean’s pocket. I’m about to call Nicki when my phone actually starts ringing. For a split second I think it’s her and I’m amazed by how coincidental it is. But as I glance at the call display, I see that it’s not her at all.

  “Chloe, now is not a good time,” I snap.

  I roll my eyes at Mitch and he laughs.

  “We have a problem.”

  “Problem?”

  “Yeah, it’s Nicki. When I picked her up she was already tipsy. But now…well…she’s wasted. You need to get down here.”

  My breath hitches in my throat. Nicki’s in trouble? I force myself to focus on the issue and not the fear rising quickly within me.

  “Where are you?”

  “The frat party.”

  “What? She’s at the frat house?” I pretty much spit out. “Are you with her right now?”

  “I was until a second ago when Axel led her away. He said he was gonna get her some coffee from the kitchen to sober her up.”

  Fuck, what a load of bull! “I’m on my way. Keep that asshole away from her.”

  “John, I don’t think he—”

  “Just do it, Chloe!”

  I hang up and turn to Mitch who’s already on his feet.

  “How many beers have I had?” I ask, too panicked to actually remember.

  “Two in the last three hours.”

  I nod. Good, I can drive.

  “You’re coming with me,” I tell him.

  “Sure, fucking up some frat boys has been on my agenda since freshman year.”

  “No fucking anyone up.” I stagger to the door, still feeling the burn from my damn injuries and grab my leather jacket off the back of the door. I turn around and tell him, “I just need you there to make sure I don’t kill him.”

  Chapter 19

  ~John~

  I storm towards the frat house with Mitch jogging behind to keep up with me. We’re a few feet out when I see Chloe bounding through the door and struggling down the steps towards us in her ridiculous high heels.

  “I thought I told you to stay with her?” I snap.

  “I couldn’t, okay? Two of his friends forced me away.”

  “Where’s Blake?” Mitch asks, sensibly, knowing that, as the head of the frat, all the guys inside will listen to him.

  “No idea. Probably in his room getting laid,” Chloe answers. She freezes suddenly and stares at me. “Oh my God! What happened to you?”

  Okay, so it does still look pretty bad then. “Nothing,” I mutter. I grip her arm gently and tell her, “Stay back. I don’t want you to get hurt in the crossfire. You got me?”

  She nods.

  “Why is she wasted?” Mitch asks her.

  “I dunno. She mentioned something about a call earlier. From her mom, I think. She wouldn’t say anything else about it.”

  My stomach clenches. Her mom? Oh fucking hell. No wonder she’s wasted right now.

  I break into a run and it hurts like hell. My body hates me for it. But I’ve got enough adrenaline pumping through my veins right now to override any resistance.

  “John!” I hear Mitch yell after me. But I ignore it.

  I reach the open door to the frat house and push myself through the crowd of people in the hallway. Is this damn house ever empty? Probably not. Guys like these frat boys need crowds of people around them to give themselves an identity. They don’t even know who the hell they are without that. They’re too weak to go it alone; they need an entire brotherhood at their backs. Pussies.

  I scan the area frantically, trying to locate Nicki. My eyes dart to the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. And that’s when I see her.

  She’s staggering unsteadily up the steps. Axel’s holding her hand and whispering something in her ear. I see him squeeze her ass roughly. And I know right then that he’s taking her up there to fuck her.

  “Move!” I yell at the people blocking my way to the stairs. Damn cockroaches! You move a couple out of the way and more take their place, like they’re multiplying or something. Argh!

  I lose count of the number of bodies I end up shoving out of the way and the number of them cursing me for being so rough. Well move then!

  Finally I reach the stairs and take them two at a time. When I get to the top I can hardly breathe, because my heart’s thundering so hard in my chest. I reach the landing and spin around anxiously. Shit, they’re too many doors. Which one is it?

  And then I hear his voice coming from the door right in front of me:

  “Just relax, babe. You’re gonna enjoy this.”

  Like fuck she is!

  I hurry to the door and turn the knob. The stupid thing is locked. Dammit, this is gonna hurt like a bitch. I rear back and kick at the lock with my boot. The force of my kick reverberates right through my injured, worn out body. But I force myself to deal with it. All I can think about is getting the damned door open and stopping the sickening shit that’s going on inside. I‘m not gonna let this happen.

  I hear her crying inside. She’s scared.

  “Fuck!” I roar, pounding my fist on the door.

  I’m an idiot. This is all my fault. I pushed her away, right into the arms of that asshole. All because I couldn’t man up like she needed me to.

  I step up my assault on the door. Since the damned attack I’ve been weaker than normal, trying to recover. But right now, in this moment, adrenaline is spurring me on.

  The lock finally breaks and I shove open the door with both hands.

  My stomach lurches as I see what’s happening inside the room. I feel sick.

  Axel turns in surprise at my sudden entrance. The fucker is straddling her. Her skirt is bunched up at her waist, her panties around her ankles. His pants are undone and I can see he’s raring to go as she lies there crying and murmuring something about being scared.

  Before he can say a damned thing, I grip his shoulders and rip him off her, hauling him half-way across the room with the force of my rage.

  “What the hell?” he screams at me. “Get out!”

  “This isn’t fucking happening, Craven!”

  I turn away from him and tend to Nicki. I slide her panties back up her legs and pull her skirt back down over her thighs. But before I can do anything else, Axel comes at me from behind and wraps his arms around my shoulders, pulling me back.

  “Doesn’t look like you’re in any position to fight me, Johnny boy. Me and my boys fucked you up good.”

  He’s such an amateur that he’s giving me way too much leeway with his half-assed grip. I free my right arm easily and thrust my elbow back into his chest. He chokes and releases me. I lunge at him and drive him into the wall, my hands wrapping around his neck, choking him.

  “She’s coming with me. Right fucking now. Do you hear me? She’s drunk, you asshole!”

  I increase the pressure around his windpipe and I know if I don’t release him right now, I might not be able to. I might take it too far.

  And so I let go of him roughly and step back.

  “She wants it bad,” he
says as I turn back to her.

  That’s it! I spin back around and smash my fist into his face. It knocks him to his knees.

  “Shut your fucking mouth!”

  I shake my jacket off and hurry back to Nicki. She hasn’t moved from where I left her a second ago. She’s beyond wasted. She’s barely fucking lucid.

  “Sweetheart, it’s John. Time for bed, okay?”

  She nods, uncertainly. “John?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. You’re okay. Everything’s gonna be okay. No one’s gonna touch you.”

  “I’m scared,” she cries.

  “I’ve got you now. Nothing to be scared of. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she says quietly.

  I glance down at her. Normally seeing her in a skirt that barely covers her ass would be a turn on. But right now it just upsets me. The white top she’s wearing is no better with her tits spilling out of it. Chloe’s clothes, I bet. One of her come-fuck-me-outfits. It might work for her, but it does not work for Nicki.

  I cover her up with my jacket and then gather her in my arms. I can feel the strain on my injured body as I lift her off the bed. But I suck it up. She buries her face in my neck as she cries.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’re leaving now,” I tell her softly as I carry her out of Axel’s room.

  I see him getting to his feet as I walk by, but I don’t give a fuck.

  We’re almost at the bottom of the stairs when I hear his heavy footsteps behind me.

  “This isn’t over, John! That pussy is mine!”

  I freeze. I’m right on the edge. Fuck, I don’t know if I can hold back.

  “She wants my cock. Begged for it.”

  My blood boils. Even in my current physical state, I know I can take him.

  “John!”

  It’s Mitch’s voice. I see him standing with Chloe and watching me from the doorway.

  “Look at her!” he wills me.

  What’s he talking about?

  “Do it! Look at her!”

  I look down at Nicki in my arms. And that’s when I know.

  Axel Craven doesn’t matter. She does.

  I continue walking, pushing my way back through the throngs of people to the door. I hear Axel yelling and cursing me, but I ignore it.