Without another look I threw the truck into drive and Kelsy punched my fender as I sped off. My heart slammed against my ribs, and my breath came in harsh puffs as I hurried out of Oliver Hall’s parking lot. I didn’t glance behind me, not once. I knew Kelsy stood there, staring in my direction. I had every single line on his face permanently etched into my brain, going from fury to forlorn, and no matter how hard I tried to purge both, his image wouldn’t fade. Wouldn’t go away.
Neither would the memories.
A sob crept up in my throat, and God, I wanted to let it out. Scream. Cry. Dirty swear to the top of my lungs. But I didn’t. I felt trapped, foolish, running away from Kelsy Evans yet again. Like a coward. I couldn’t escape him. I’d thought big, bad ass thoughts when he wasn’t directly in front of me. I became strong, brave, untouchable, when alone, or with my family. But now Kelsy Evans was here, I was alone, and he was poking around in my brand new life. Touching me. Cornering me. Threatening to let my secrets out. Then every ounce of bravery I thought I possessed flowed out of me like a bloodletting. Kelsy wasn’t a serial killer. But he was definitely unbalanced. What did he want with me? Why me? He’d always had a temper but his behavior seemed crazy and uneven. This was my life, my college career. My scholarship. The first day of class. What the hell was I doing? I couldn’t continue to allow Kelsy to rattle me so badly. I needed to get a grip. And I needed to get it fast.
By the time I pulled into the Science complex, and found a parking spot close to the observatory, I’d slowed my breathing down. My hands still shook as I gripped the Chevy’s big steering wheel, and for a brief second, I closed my eyes and concentrated on deep breathing. I couldn’t go into my first day of work shaking and breathless. I leaned forward and rested my forehead on the wheel, and the cool steel pressed into my skin. It felt good, and I pushed harder, trying to force the incident out. Away. Breathe. Just a few more minutes—
A knock at my window made me jerk upright, and when I turned my head, I met Brax’s strange gaze staring back at me through the glass. What was he doing here? Butterflies replaced the panic I’d felt seconds earlier. Quickly, I pasted a smile on my face, cut the engine, and opened my door.
“What’s wrong?” Brax said this to my back as I grabbed my scope bag.
When I turned and glanced up at his face, I noticed it was taut, unamused, and a muscle tugged the scar at his cheekbone. His acute perception rattled me almost as much as Kelsy’s unbalanced character. Brax saw too much of me. Kelsy knew too much about me. And both scared the hell out of me.
“Nothing, why?” I said, and closed my truck door. When I shouldered my scope bag, Brax eased it right back off and slipped it onto his own. He wore his silver and blue Silverback’s uniform, his hat was stuffed into his back pocket, and long dark socks that went from just below his knees to his cleats clung tightly to muscular calves. No clay or dirt, he must have been headed to practice.
We walked, but his eyes stayed on me, more likely than not weighing what I’d said. “Feeling dizzy again?”
I lifted a brow. “Dizzy?” My eyes were back on the ground, and I watched Brax’s big cleats hit the pavement as we crossed to the old brick observatory’s front entrance. At the steps, we stopped. I tilted my head, staring at the weathered white dome that housed the Mulligan.
“Yeah, you know, with your head on the wheel?” His harsh yet comforting Boston accent soothed me somehow.
I looked at him then. “Cat nap before work?”
Brax’s eyes narrowed. Those crazy blues were slits surrounded by ridiculously long dark lashes. “You were breathing too hard for a nap, Sunshine.” Hahd.
I sighed and peered at the sun. “I don’t want to be late on my first day.” I paused at the steps. “On your way to practice?”
His gaze still pierced me. “Nah, sweetheart, I wear this uni all the time.” He winked. “Chics dig it. Of course I’m going to practice. So are you going to get something to eat with me after work, or go do that thing with your girls?” He lifted my scope bag off his shoulder and eased it onto mine.
I climbed a few steps, leaving Brax at the bottom. I turned my head and gave him a look. “There is no thing with the girls. Tessa just doesn’t want me to go anywhere with you. You’ve a sketchy reputation, you know.”
Brax nodded, and his mouth tilted at one corner. “I figured that. So?”
I stared at him, the late afternoon sun shining on one side of his face, making the scruff stand out on his jaw. That barely-there grin pulled at his mouth. “I get off at eight tonight,” I said. “You can meet me inside by the front desk.”