“—coffees are ready, so I guess I’m heading back now.”
She walked out of the building and I started across the parking lot toward the cups. Those were only a few steps; I was there before she got to her next statement.
I frowned and Lachlan hit pause.
“She was over there,” he said pointing to the cups. Those might be hers but she walks faster than that…it’s the running.”
Without waiting for us, he rewinded the message then started across the lot again.
“Anyway—I can’t decide if—”
She grunted, and the phone skidded. I pivoted in a slow circle and so did the guys. If her phone went flying—had she tripped? Nothing here looked like that.
I didn’t see her phone.
I didn’t see her.
I saw the coffee cup.
“Get—off—”
The sounds that followed didn’t make sense. Grunts. Scuffling. Swearing.
They didn’t make sense unless someone was hurting her.
I looked at the crushed coffee cup then the other cups.
They were almost clear across the parking lot.
Which means someone threw them over there.
Her scream ripped through me.
She screamed.
Someone hurt her and threw them over there.
I reached the edge of the grass when I saw it. Blue and glittering.
Part of her phone case.
It was here. The coffee cups were here. But she wasn’t…
The call ended.
No KC and no sign of her.
Ramsey put his phone to his ear. “This is RA Ramsey Malone, I need campus security to meet me by the Pit Stop and I need someone to call the Admin. We’re going to want the dean down here too.”
It was barely seven-thirty in the morning. And we were calling security. I dug my phone out of my pocket. No messages from KC. Nothing.
Still, I called her anyway.
Maybe her phone would ring.
“It’s not here,” Lachlan said as Ramsey moved away talking on the phone. “I’ve been calling her every five minutes…thought maybe…”
Yeah, maybe. “I was hoping she tripped.”
Lachlan nodded once, before he glared at Ramsey. “You need to go.”
What…?
It took a minute to register that Lachlan was talking to me.
“Why?”
“Campus security is going to have questions,” Lachlan said as he cut a look back at me. “Ramsey’s about to get busted, and I’m on no one’s favorite list, but Dad scares the fuck out of them. You have a history of violence…”
I glared at him.
“If we’re tied up, you can continue looking for her.” The reminder dunked ice water over me. “Besides, her friend likes you more.”
“She might not anymore. Aubrey stopped talking to me around the same time KC did.”
“At least she doesn’t look like she’s planning your murder when she stares at you,” Lachlan said with a faint smile.
“Yeah, ‘cause I’m not a dick,” I commented. “You pissed her off.”
“Apparently, baby brother, so did you. So, J, take your shit and get the fuck out of here before campus security shows up. We’re already catching flack for sexual misconduct. Since Ramsey surely just committed that particular crime…”
“He’s gonna lose his job.” Guilt raked through me. He kind of deserved it, even though…
“Maybe, maybe not. Right now, not our problem. Finding Ace is our problem. Keep calling her and go find her friend. Don’t flip the fuck out and don’t beat up anyone.”
I scowled, but Ramsey got off the phone and looked right at me. “Jonas…”
Yeah. I got the message. “I’m going. Although I’m not going to stop looking for her.”
“Good,” was all he said and then he lifted his chin like he was telling me to move it.
“Running trails,” Lachlan said, pointing me away from the lot and toward the trees. “Go that way.” I was surprised he was sticking around.
The running trails criss-crossed campus but they were also tucked into the trees so there was an element of privacy. I was already heading back to the dorms when I heard the first cars. They weren’t racing in there, and there were no sirens.
I tried KC’s number again as I jogged up the trail.
No answer.
I tried twice more before arriving at the dorm. I headed straight upstairs and across the hall to Aubrey’s room.
Not even Payton’s presence living there was enough to keep me from knocking.
Three
KC
EARLIER…
When I opened my sore eyes, I found myself staring at a slumbering Ramsey. We were both sleeping on our sides. His disheveled hair and stubbled face made him seem almost human.
More than almost. I unfolded my hand and half-reached over to brush his cheek. The urge to touch him was right there, but… If I touched him, he might wake up; if he woke up, we would have to talk.
Did I want to even have that talk?
I didn’t have to dig too deep for that answer. Clearly, I didn’t.
Closing my eyes, I debated all my options, including grabbing my clothes and just getting out of here. Running away wasn’t the solution, no matter how appealing avoiding the confrontation might be. Before I made any decision about whether to run or to wake him up, I needed to pee.
Not quite sighing, I slid out of the bed and winced as I straightened. Okay, the ache was not entirely unexpected I supposed. At the same time, I glanced back to where Ramsey was sleeping. He seemed—softer somehow. Warmer.
Kinder.
The demand in his kisses and his touch seemed to linger and I suppressed a shiver before it made me pee myself. My bladder was not similarly distracted. I tiptoed into the bathroom and closed the door softly.
One look at myself in the mirror made me grimace. Wow—bedhead had nothing on me. My hair was completely flat on one side and standing up on the other.
Charming.
Shaking my head, I made use of the facilities. The relief was profound. Finished, I washed my hands, splashed my face, and used some toothpaste on my finger to clean my teeth.
Yes, I kissed Ramsey the night before—I kissed him a lot. I enjoyed the fuck out of that and having him shove his monster dick inside of me. At least it felt like a monster.
But I wasn’t using his toothbrush, ‘cause that was just gross. It took some effort to clean my teeth with a finger while the whole time staring at myself. Did I stay? Did I go?
None of my clothes were in here. Shit—where had I put them? All I remembered was stripping them off before the shower. Annoyed, I searched the bathroom, but they weren’t anywhere. When I checked inside Ramsey’s room, there was a laundry bag—and there were my clothes. Fuck. They were still damp and soaked in some places. So I went ahead and hung them in the bathroom since I couldn’t wear them.
Great. No clothes. I had sex with my TA, who was also my stepbrother, and now I was stuck naked in his room. How the hell did I think this was going to go?
I used my fingers to try and comb through the tangled mess of my hair. It wasn’t like he had product in here or hair ties. I looped it up and back, then tied it into a loose knot. Looking down, there were bite marks on my chest.