almost poetic. That piece of shit you’ve been cockblocking me for is none other than Braiden Donohue, the person at the top of your daddy’s shit list.”
“What?” She started to turn around, but somewhere out in the hall a voice boomed, “Everyone out of the way. What in the hell is going on in here?”
“Shit. Shit. You need to go before she calls campus security.” Cara turned, searching my eyes for the truth, but the anger was too strong and I gave nothing back. “Just go. Get out of here. You can slip out the back door. I’ll distract her. Go.” She turned away from me to face him. “Jason, go to your room.”
Cara pulled me toward the door and started pushing me away in the crowd that had gathered outside. I spotted a red-faced woman storming in our direction, barging through the crowd yelling, “Miss O’Connor, what on earth is going on?”
O’Connor?
No.
No!
My world zeroed in around me and I froze.
“Go. Before she sees you,” Cara hissed, and with one final push, I was moving through the crowd in a daze.
That fucker knew. And soon, Cara would find out the truth. The truth behind who I really was.
Which meant I was too late.
Chapter 12
I paced back and forth waiting for Luke to answer. When he finally picked up, I growled, "Tell me you didn't know."
"Know what?" he replied. "Yeah, yeah, it's Braiden." I heard my sister murmur something in the background, and I squeezed my eyes tight hoping this wasn’t going to end the way most of our conversations did because I had questions that needed answers.
"Did you know she was here?"
"Who? You've got to give me a little more, man."
"Cara O'Connor. Tell me you didn't hide me away in the one fucking town where the daughter of the man who wants me dead goes to college."
Silence.
Luke cleared his throat and said, "Oh shit, hang on a minute. Get me a beer, babe? Yes, you can talk to him when we're done."
I could hear shuffling and a door closed, and then Luke’s voice came over the line. "How do you know about Cara O'Connor?"
"So it's true? You knew she was here?"
He groaned down the line. "There were rumors. O'Connor is very protective of his only daughter. But I got a tip she was in Forest Grove studying."
"And you thought it was a good idea to put me here? Are you fucking insane?" I gripped the edge of the counter with my free hand.
"Shit, it wasn't supposed to be an issue. You weren't supposed to find out. Ro said I could use her apartment, and it seemed perfect. It wasn’t as if your paths would ever cross. Why, what's happened? Tell me you didn't fuck her? Oh shit, did you fuck her?" Panic wavered in his voice.
"No, I didn't fuck her, but she knows I'm here. So does the goon O’Connor sent out here to protect her." And try to fucking rape her. My blood boiled as the color drained from my knuckles.
"Fuck."
"Yeah, I’d say fuck pretty much sums it up. I need to get out of here, and since you did such a bang-up job of hiding me the first time around, I'm on my own this time. I'll call you when I'm off the radar."
"Donohue, hang on a minute. Don't you think-"
“Tell my sister I'll text her." I hung up and threw my cell phone down on the counter.
Fuck! I slammed my fist down and pain shot through my body. The aftermath of Jason's fists going to work on me. I needed a shower and then I needed to get the hell out of Forest Grove and quick, but I couldn't just leave. My eyes fell on the cell phone. Could I risk texting her? Cara was still in a building with him. What if he tried to hurt her again? What if he was with her right now trying to finish what he started?
A growl burst from my throat, and I heaved, overwhelmed with all of the feelings rushing through me. The sensible thing was to hotfoot it out of Forest Grove and never look back. But when had I ever been that guy?
I dragged myself into the bathroom and cleaned up. An ugly bruise was forming on my left cheek, and when I hiked up my hoodie, I had a tender spot along my
“What?” She started to turn around, but somewhere out in the hall a voice boomed, “Everyone out of the way. What in the hell is going on in here?”
“Shit. Shit. You need to go before she calls campus security.” Cara turned, searching my eyes for the truth, but the anger was too strong and I gave nothing back. “Just go. Get out of here. You can slip out the back door. I’ll distract her. Go.” She turned away from me to face him. “Jason, go to your room.”
Cara pulled me toward the door and started pushing me away in the crowd that had gathered outside. I spotted a red-faced woman storming in our direction, barging through the crowd yelling, “Miss O’Connor, what on earth is going on?”
O’Connor?
No.
No!
My world zeroed in around me and I froze.
“Go. Before she sees you,” Cara hissed, and with one final push, I was moving through the crowd in a daze.
That fucker knew. And soon, Cara would find out the truth. The truth behind who I really was.
Which meant I was too late.
Chapter 12
I paced back and forth waiting for Luke to answer. When he finally picked up, I growled, "Tell me you didn't know."
"Know what?" he replied. "Yeah, yeah, it's Braiden." I heard my sister murmur something in the background, and I squeezed my eyes tight hoping this wasn’t going to end the way most of our conversations did because I had questions that needed answers.
"Did you know she was here?"
"Who? You've got to give me a little more, man."
"Cara O'Connor. Tell me you didn't hide me away in the one fucking town where the daughter of the man who wants me dead goes to college."
Silence.
Luke cleared his throat and said, "Oh shit, hang on a minute. Get me a beer, babe? Yes, you can talk to him when we're done."
I could hear shuffling and a door closed, and then Luke’s voice came over the line. "How do you know about Cara O'Connor?"
"So it's true? You knew she was here?"
He groaned down the line. "There were rumors. O'Connor is very protective of his only daughter. But I got a tip she was in Forest Grove studying."
"And you thought it was a good idea to put me here? Are you fucking insane?" I gripped the edge of the counter with my free hand.
"Shit, it wasn't supposed to be an issue. You weren't supposed to find out. Ro said I could use her apartment, and it seemed perfect. It wasn’t as if your paths would ever cross. Why, what's happened? Tell me you didn't fuck her? Oh shit, did you fuck her?" Panic wavered in his voice.
"No, I didn't fuck her, but she knows I'm here. So does the goon O’Connor sent out here to protect her." And try to fucking rape her. My blood boiled as the color drained from my knuckles.
"Fuck."
"Yeah, I’d say fuck pretty much sums it up. I need to get out of here, and since you did such a bang-up job of hiding me the first time around, I'm on my own this time. I'll call you when I'm off the radar."
"Donohue, hang on a minute. Don't you think-"
“Tell my sister I'll text her." I hung up and threw my cell phone down on the counter.
Fuck! I slammed my fist down and pain shot through my body. The aftermath of Jason's fists going to work on me. I needed a shower and then I needed to get the hell out of Forest Grove and quick, but I couldn't just leave. My eyes fell on the cell phone. Could I risk texting her? Cara was still in a building with him. What if he tried to hurt her again? What if he was with her right now trying to finish what he started?
A growl burst from my throat, and I heaved, overwhelmed with all of the feelings rushing through me. The sensible thing was to hotfoot it out of Forest Grove and never look back. But when had I ever been that guy?
I dragged myself into the bathroom and cleaned up. An ugly bruise was forming on my left cheek, and when I hiked up my hoodie, I had a tender spot along my
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