Only For You Page 14

  “Hey,” I yelped while trying to right myself.

  “Where’s your guard dog tonight, princess?” he whispered in my ear while pulling me against him painfully.

  I was at an unfavorable angle and his arm locked me against him, restraining me diagonally from below my left breast to right shoulder. My left arm was trapped, unusable. I had hooked my feet around the legs of the stool to prevent from falling, but this left me without the use of my legs and at his mercy. I scanned the area to see if anyone would intervene, but no one had noticed.

  Looking over my shoulder, I verified it was Heath who had imprisoned me. I used my right elbow to jab him in the ribs, but couldn’t generate enough force behind the blow to make any meaningful impact.

  He laughed at my efforts. “You’ll have to do better than that, kitten, but make it count because I’ll give it back to you two-fold.”

  “Let me go or I’ll be at the fourth precinct filing a complaint before your daddy can speed dial the family lawyer.”

  “I’ll just tell them you’re retaliating because I shot down your sexual advances. Who do you think the police will believe—a poor girl dressed like a hooker or the respected son of a prominent executive? Any skeletons in your closet will be on the nightly news before you can say boohoo.”

  “You pompous prick,” I shouted, “You can’t get a woman to consent willingly so you try to force her compliance? You know what the problem is, don’t you? Those Facebook pictures of your microscopic dick are enough to chase women away, even if your disposition isn’t.”

  My plan was to keep him talking by spouting concocted yet plausible accusations until I could get help. I was screaming, but the music was so loud I was muted to all except those right next to me. The people to my right had turned their backs, purposefully missing the confrontation, and Heath’s friends were blocking the rest of the club’s view.

  “You fucking bitch!” Heath’s hand left my shoulder, about to grab my neck when something, or rather someone, flew over the bar.

  I didn’t see, but heard a fist connect with Heath’s face causing him to stumble back, as Griffin’s voice screamed for the bouncers. I tumbled back without Heath bracing me, but the other bartender grabbed my hand from across the bar steadying me.

  “If you ever step foot inside my bar again it will be the last time you have use of any extremities. Don’t you ever lay your hand on a woman, you pathetic piece of trash!” Griffin roared ferociously.

  Two bouncers made their way through the crowd and dragged Heath out of the bar with his friends in tow. Griffin approached me, slowly placing a hand on my shoulder and scanning for injuries.

  “Are you okay, Ev? I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. I didn’t see what was happening until you started screaming. Did he hurt you?”

  “I’m fine Griff, just a little shaken up. That’s the second time he grabbed me, I have no idea what his problem is.”

  “His problem is he’s a fucking narcissistic sociopath.”

  “Is that your professional opinion?” I joked to ease the tension gripping Griffin’s entire body.

  “Actually, it is. I can’t believe he put his hands on you before this. You need to call the cops and file a complaint,” he counseled insistently.

  “What’s the point? I’m not going to have any marks to substantiate my claim. All you saw conclusively is that he had his arm around me awkwardly. It will be a ‘he said/she said’ complaint. Best-case scenario will give him a slap on the wrists, but I don’t think daddy’s lawyers would even let it get that far. He’s not worth wasting my time.”

  “You’re making a mistake, Ev. You’re minimizing what he did because you don’t want to deal with the consequences of reporting him. I understand, but it’s the wrong decision. He’s a classic bully, those types of personalities will continue to push until someone pushes back. He most likely had his father to clean up any trouble he found in the past, but with enough complaints on record the next district attorney may not be willing to turn a blind eye to his aggressive behavior.”

  “You’re blowing this out of proportion, Griff. He’s a spoiled, egotistical jackass with major roid-rage, but I don’t think he is a real danger to me. I pricked his pride.”

  “It’s your call, but I still think I should get the cops here.”

  “No,” I declared firmly with no room for negotiation or persuasion.

  Griffin sighed dramatically, “Fine.” I could tell he was frustrated. He suddenly spun to the trio standing to my right. “And you three…get the hell out. You stood there and pretended to be deaf and dumb when there was clearly a woman in trouble.”

  “Thank you Griff. I don’t know what else to say.” I climbed off the stool and hugged him.

  “What is going on over here? You getting snuggly with Griffin?” Sam came up beside us sounding confused.

  I gave her a brief rundown of what had occurred; subsequently Sam…lost her mind. She let fly a string of curses that would have made the most hardened ‘Sons of Anarchy’ biker blush, in combinations I was certain had never before been conceived before. She threatened every part of Heath’s person ending with a threat to castrate him and shove his balls so far down his throat that he would have breasts. She raged while pulling her earrings from her ears and slipping off her shoes, threatening to find him at the frat house or wherever he may be. She was so out of control that Robbie could not contain her, despite his best efforts. Griffin, giving up on Robbie’s ability to take care of Sam, swept her up bridal style, and carried her out the back door of the bar. Once outside he began to whisper to her. He soothed and implored her to calm down while holding her securely against himself to prevent either of them from being injured. Finally, she was mollified after Griffin swore he had delivered several shots guaranteeing Heath wouldn’t be able to breathe comfortably for days. Having finally regained her composure, Sam noticed she was in Griffin’s arms and Robbie was standing to the side impotently. Suddenly she was as red as my dress.

  “I think I’m done, you can put me down,” she demurred. “Thank you.”

  Griffin reluctantly began to lower her to the ground when he noticed her bare feet.

  “Where are your shoes?”

  “Umm, I’m not sure. I have one, I think I may have thrown the other.”

  Sam raised her hand demonstrating her lone shoe. If possible, she would have crawled under a rock and emerged after an indeterminate period of time, such was her mortification.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll find it when the bar closes. You can pick it up tomorrow,” Griff offered as if hurling her shoe across a bar was the most mundane act in the world. Maybe it was more common than I realized. “I’ll just carry you to your car.”

  “No,” Sam nearly shouted, “I mean, that isn’t necessary. Thank you.”

  “Samantha, I’m not putting you down on the dirty ground barefoot. It’s not a problem; you weigh less than my ten year old niece,” he endeavored to ease her discomfort.

  I knew Griffin was enjoying these few moments holding Sam in his arms and, after his rescue I was inclined to enable him.

  “Robbie, why don’t you take Sam’s keys and pull her car around? I can drive us home,” I suggested.

  “Okay, I can do that. Where is your purse, babe?” Robbie asked Sam mildly. I’ll never know what the trigger was, but Sam lost her mind again. This time, Robbie bore the brunt of her wrath.

  “Don’t you dare call me ‘babe.’ It was your motherfucking friend that touched Ev, again. This is the second time that he laid his hands on her, Robbie. What are you going to do about it, huh?” Sam was gesturing wildly but Griffin kept a secure hold on her, not interfering, but ensuring her safety.

  “Why are you blaming me? I was not even there this time. Heath is not my friend, you know that. He is the president of Kappa Sigma Tau so I have to interact with him, but that is all. I don’t know what you want me to do.”

  Robbie was hurt by Sam’s censure. I could understand how he must feel, but he w
as missing her point entirely.

  “What I want you to do is not associate with a fraternity who would choose a felon-in-waiting as their president. I want you to be a man, stand up to your father, and quit the damn frat because it’s the right thing to do. I want you to recognize that my best friend, who also happens to be your friend, has been hurt by your brother twice. Twice! What is it going to take before you separate yourself from him completely? Grow a fucking pair! If you won’t do it for your own self-respect then do it out of respect for me!”

  “Sam, there are four weeks left of school. There is only one mandatory frat event remaining. What would be the point of quitting now when I suffered for three years to keep the peace with my dad and have the benefit of the networking frat alumni provides after graduation? I agree Heath is a worthless piece of crap, but if I quit now he wins. I need to stick this out. When you calm down you will see my perspective. I’ll go get the car.”

  Robbie walked away, ending the conversation before it could spiral any further out of his control.

  “It has nothing to do with sticking it out; he just wants to take the path of least resistance,” Sam said to herself.

  “Cut him a little slack, Sam. We are all emotional right now, and he is in a tough position. He does have a point about school almost being over. Don’t give him the ultimatum to choose between you and the frat unless you seriously mean it. Sleep on it before you make any rash decisions,” I encouraged.

  “I don’t know,” Sam sounded exhausted, “what do you think Griffin? You seem like a smart guy.”

  “It’s probably best if I keep my opinion to myself on the matter,” Griffin answered diplomatically.

  “Come on, don’t hold out on me. Give me your honest opinion.”

  “You can tell a lot about a person by those they associate with. In order to be a man you have to be willing to stand up for yourself and those you love. We are defined by the choices we make and must live with what they say about us,” Griff paused thoughtfully before staring deeply into Sam’s eyes. “I think if I had a woman like you, Sam…I would never make her feel second to anything for any reason. And as Ev’s friend, I would never tolerate anyone harming her.”

  “Wow,” Sam and I said in unison.

  Griff shrugged, “You asked my opinion.”

  Sam turned to me, “Is he always like this?”

  “Pretty much,” I answered truthfully.

  “Wow,” Sam reiterated.

  Unconsciously, she rested her head on Griffin’s chest as Robbie pulled up in Sam’s car and exited.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know where she parked.”

  He looked at Sam settled comfortably in Griffin’s arms, his displeasure showing. Griffin read Robbie’s discontent and moved to the car, gently placing Sam inside and closing the door, then turned back to Robbie.

  “Sorry man. I didn’t mean to step on your toes, but I had to get her out of the bar before she hurt herself or others. There aren’t many benefits to being an oafish leviathan, but one of the few is I can easily subdue and maneuver people when necessary. I hope there are no hard feelings.”

  He pacified Robbie’s injured pride at being unable to control Sam, deprecating himself to make it easier for both of them. I wanted to adopt him as my big brother and keep him forever. Seriously, if Sam was sticking with Robbie, which I was no longer certain I was in favor of, then I needed to find a special woman for Griffin.

  “Yeah, I get it man,” Robbie responded. “Hold on for a few minutes, Ev, I’ll get my car and follow you home.” Robbie walked away before I had a chance to assure him it was unnecessary.

  “I want you to know Griff, I’m proud to call you my friend. You were incredibly brave to protect me tonight, and to open yourself up with such honesty to Sam. You’re one special guy.”

  Griffin glanced behind me to assure himself Sam wasn’t listening. “Ev, between us—Sam’s right. The decisions Robbie made suggests a lack of conscience and weakness of character, the kind of defect that will not improve or change; he’s not the one for her. I’m not letting my covetousness color my opinion on this, I swear. I only want her happiness, even if I have no significant part in it. Think about what she said and come to your own conclusions, but if you want my advice, she is destined for disappointment with him. She’s too strong and principled for someone as biddable as he is.”

  “Griff, if I was not hopelessly in love with Hunter, I would marry you today.”

  “If my emotions weren’t otherwise engaged,” Griff’s eyes drifted to Sam, “I’d accept your proposal—maybe. You’re a bit of a handful.”

  I laughed, “And Sam’s not?”

  “She’s small enough I can practically fit her in my palm. Totally manageable.”

  Robbie’s headlights illuminated us, and I gave Griffin a fierce hug before departing.

  When we arrived home I parked in front of our apartment while Robbie idled, watching us walk to the door without attempting to engage Sam. He knew her well; she would need time to cool off.

  Once inside I remembered my promise to Hunter and sent him a text.

  Home safe. LOTS of drama tonight, but it can wait until tomorrow to share. I hope you fixed your problem. Nite Nite! xoxoxo

  After hitting send, I fell into a dreamless sleep.

  I awoke Sunday morning feeling hung over from the emotional tempest the night before. I needed to get moving if I was going to be on time for work. A shower was necessary to wash away my raccoon eyes—never a good look for a lady. By the time I finished two cups of coffee, showered, and dressed, Sam was also awake and staring at the TV with rapt attention.

  “Have you heard?” Sam asked me grimly.

  “Heard what?”

  Sam muted the news, “They found a body in the lake near Telly Quad last night.”

  I gasped at the shocking news.

  Sam continued, “According to the news, the girl’s identity has not been released, but it’s confirmed that she was a student at Hensley. The police made a statement—they suspect the murder is linked to the attacks, but they will not officially acknowledge a connection until they receive the autopsy results. The detective said the death was not accidental, and police have requested assistance from the FBI. Hensley is going to be releasing a statement later today.”

  “This is awful. Who would do something so vile? Do you think it is the same person as the other attacks?”

  “I was thinking about it. The murder must not have been premeditated if the police are linking it to the assaults. I wonder if the attacker lost control and beat her to death and then threw her in the lake to cover it up. If it was an ordinary drowning they wouldn’t be so quick to make the connection,” Sam speculated, the years of watching primetime crime shows were showing.

  “There were probably indicators of the previous attacks too, like the rope marks the Gamma girls were talking about.”

  “That would make sense. The police are not releasing any more details while working with Hensley to identify her. My mom actually called to make sure I was alive after she saw the news this morning, that’s why I’m up. Can you imagine? She asked me to consider withdrawing from Hensley. She also said she would pay for you to finish school anywhere you wanted next year.”

  “I can’t Sam, I am a month from finishing. I made a commitment to Marty, and my future at Higher Yearning is dependent upon me being in the area. I will just have to be vigilant until the deviant is caught.”

  “I know. I feel the same, but I had to extend her offer.”

  “I hate to leave now, but I have to get to work.”

  Throughout the day, I received texts from friends checking in. Everyone was scared and needed to confirm their friends’ wellbeing. Linc texted me to call if I needed to go anywhere after dark and he would accompany me. Josh sent a text to see if I was okay and if I needed anything, which was especially sweet. Even friends from high school were texting me when hearing about the news. Hunter texted me to check in mid-day:

  Hu
nter: Ev, You okay?

  Ev: Yeah, just a little scared after the news.

  Hunter: Do you need me to come by?

  Ev: No, I’m fine. Sam and I have girl time tonight. She has a lot to figure out after last night.

  My phone rang. I looked at the screen to find it was Hunter. I told Regan I was going to take a call and to holler if she needed me before answering.

  “What happened last night?” Hunter greeted me.

  “Hello to you, too. Last night was nuts, although it seems inconsequential in light of this morning’s news. I presume you heard.”

  “Yeah, I heard. I didn’t text earlier because I knew you were safe. I wanted to talk with you and Sam about additional safety measures. I don’t want either of you going out alone after dark.”

  “Hunter, that’s impossible. We can’t have escorts everywhere we go. We will be careful, text each other whenever we arrive and leave a destination, and not go out alone.”

  He sighed his frustration, “Ev, this is critical. There have been twenty-three attacks and now a girl is dead. If the death is linked, as the police are indicating, that shows an escalation in violence. I have a feeling it’s a Hensley student since all the victims attended Hensley. It could be anyone, you have to be more than cautious; you need to be paranoid until they catch this scum. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”

  “I know, I’ll be careful. I won’t trust anyone other than my ‘safe list’, which consists of you and Sam. Oh, and I’ve officially added Griffin as of last night.”

  “Griffin? What exactly happened last night?” Hunter sounded serious.

  Remembering his reaction the first time Heath touched me, I regretted my allusion. With the tension from the murder, Hunter was already on edge. I decided it was best to evade his question to save him the unnecessary stress.

  “It was really nothing. Not even worth discussing. I’m sure you have a ton to do, I’ll let you go.”

  “Everleigh, I’m not going to ask you again. You can tell me now or I can drive to Higher Yearning and extract the information in person.” I knew he would make good on the threat. “As a side note, trying to divert my attention only confirms it isn’t something trivial.”