“Excuse me?”

“What could he possibly do to you besides spread rumors?”

Hurt my aunt. Hurt Willow. Hurt me.

“You don’t know him. You don’t –”

“You’re right, I don’t. But I can find out.” With that he trudged down the bleachers toward the field and began walking across it. While the game was playing!

“Jesse, stop!”

I wasn’t as brave or as crazy as he was but I quickly ran around the track to try to intercept him. The crowd in the stands was throwing a fit and some of the players had a few choice words for Jesse. Some of them from school recognized him and greeted him even though he basically interrupted the game and ruined the play. This of course caught Keiran’s attention. If he was surprised he didn’t show it as he looked directly at Jesse. His eyebrow rose and a smirk crossed his face. Damn, it. He would know exactly who Jesse was by now.

“Masters,” Jesse called, walking up to him. “I want to talk to you.” Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

Keiran gave the football coach a look and he walked away immediately, which was seriously ridiculous. “So talk,” Keiran said, crossing his arms.

“Jesse, no. Let’s go.” He ignored me and squared up with Keiran.

“You need to leave her alone.”

“Why would I do that?”

The air around us was charged with tension and people were beginning to notice the tension between Jesse and Keiran all but forgetting the game was happening. Even the players had stopped playing.

This was bad. I had to stop this….somehow. “Guys that's enough. You're causing a scene,” I scolded, stating the obvious. Real genius, Lake.

Jesse glared at me while Keiran watched me silently with no expression. That was the biggest sign that he was planning something bad, specifically to me.

“I'm taking her home,” Jesse gritted turning back to Keiran. Keiran passed a fleeting look to Jesse, then me. He looked bored when he leaned back against the metal stands, casually.

“You do that.” He stated, shocking us both. He nodded his head toward the field and I could hear the beginnings of the game restarting, along with a lot of mumbling and hushed voices.

I didn't know what to say as I stared at him. His attention was already refocused on the game. Keiran wasn't one to be told what to do so I knew something was up because he moved in silence, never showing his hand. Jesse thought he had the upper hand now but he didn't know how wrong he was.

Jesse walked over to me and grabbed my hand. Funny thing was; I didn't want his hand on mine. I didn't want him to touch me at all. Not even in a friendly way. I wasn't mad at Jesse for helping me but I didn’t want to be touched by anyone else.

He turned with me and tossed over his shoulder as he walked away. “Stay away from her.”

“Don't push it, Fitzgerald.” Jesse stopped and turned to face Keiran again. “Take your hand off her. She's mine.”

"She isn't property to be owned." Jesse argued. Keiran laughed, stood up and sauntered over to us, his eyes locked with mine the entire way.

“Well then you've never had Monroe,” he said cockily. My hand itched to slap him. I knew the meaning of his words and I guess Jesse did to when his eyes flew to me accusingly. “Everything about her is meant to be owned. She makes you want to own her because she likes that type of control.” He grinned at me, sneakily. “Don't you, Monroe?”

When he reached me, he grabbed my neck right there in front of the view of others and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“Let go of his hand and maybe I'll let you come tonight when I fuck you.” I immediately wrestled my hand from Jesse, cursing the fact that I wanted him. “Good girl,” he praised. “I wouldn't want to have to fuck up your little friend and have a real reason to go to jail. No one touches you. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I whispered. I hated the eagerness apparent in my voice.

“I'll see you later,” he said. His words were both threatening and lustful and I since learned they were one in the same with him and me.

* * *

“I'm sorry, Lake. I thought he could help!” I signed and shook my head.

“It's okay, Willow, at least there wasn't blood spilled,” I said as I spoke into the phone.

It had been an hour since Jesse brought me home. I apologized to him and made him leave immediately. I wasn’t dumb enough to rock the boat. I was just one incident shy of being sent to the crazy house. I tried to catch up on homework but my nervousness wouldn't let me concentrate.

Willow had called me wanting to see how things went and I tried not to let my frustration with her show. She was just being a friend but Keiran now thinks I didn't obey him and worse...he thinks I lied to him about breaking my friendship with Willow. How could he think a ten-year friendship like ours could be so easily broken anyway?

“Where did you disappear to anyway?” The other line became so quiet that I had the check to see if we were still connected. “Willow?”

“Oh um, well Dash he...”

“Got it. Willow, are you sure about Dash?”

“What do you mean?”

“I just want to make sure you're being careful.”

“Well we used protection every time –”

“Jeez Willow! Not what I meant.”

“Oh, sorry,” she giggled.

“Willow, I don't want you to get hurt,” I said being serious again.

“Lake, don't worry. I'm not falling for Dash. We're friends.”

Despite her claim, I didn't miss the longing in her voice. It finally dawned on me that no matter the consequence, I couldn't let Willow be hurt. I'm sure my aunt wouldn't want that either. I had to find another way to protect them both.

“Willow, I have to tell you something. It’s about Keiran and Dash. They plan to –”

“I plan to do what?” Keiran's sudden appearance caused me to drop my phone. I spun around to see him standing in my bedroom doorway.

“How did you get in here?”

“Answer me,” he barked. I hesitated before answering.

“I was going to tell her.” It probably wasn’t wise to tell him the truth but I wanted him to know that I was stronger than he thought.

“Is that right?”

“I can't do this.”

“Fine,” he walked into the room. “Then I'll tell her.”

He scooped up my phone before I could process what he planned to do. When I tried to take my phone from him but he pushed me against the wall and used a strong hand to cover my mouth. All that could be heard was the muffled sounds of my protests and Willow calling my name over the phone,

“Willow,” Keiran's hypnotic voice spoke into the phone. “I would like to tell you something about your dear friend.”

I was shaking my head as hard as I could to unlatch his hand from my mouth so I could stop him. This was not how I wanted her to find out and he knew that. She would never forgive me hearing it from someone else.

“She is using you to –”

I didn't try to stop the tears that trailed down my face onto his hand. It caught his attention and he dropped his gaze from me to his hand.

“It seems she has had a change of heart.” He hung up my phone without saying goodbye and stepped closer to me pressing me against the wall. He planted his feet on the outside of mine and gripped my neck while keeping his hand over my mouth.

He pulled out his phone to dial a number and after a few seconds, begin speaking. “Yeah, you still on her? Where is she now? Good. Her loving niece is no longer interested in our deal.”

When it dawned on me what he was doing, I started to fight and scream against the hold he had on me but to no avail. I bit at his hand and clawed at his face but he didn’t flinch. As he watched me fight, a depraved smile spread across his face.

“Yes, I want you to kill her. Slit her throat but before you do that…let her know her dear niece sends her regards.” When he said the last, I managed to dislodge his hand from my throat and as soon as I was free a blood-curling scream ripped from the depths of my soul for my aunt. Her death would be my entire fault and if she died, I would die with her.