8. Drew

EIGHT

drew

Steam billowed out of the enclosed shower when I opened the door. My mood had greatly improved since I'd watched the cops haul Bellamy away in the back of a police car. I knew he wouldn't stay in jail for a dime bag, but that hadn't been my intention.

Last night, the entire point had been to show Bellamy West that he was not screwing with some "wet behind the ears" little rich girl. That I could, in fact, get to him.

I wrapped a towel around me, then wiped a visible patch through the fogged-over mirror to clean up the mascara below my eyes before I headed into my room. I made it two steps over the hardwoods then froze before stumbling into the doorframe on a scream when I noticed Bellamy's tall frame stretched out across my bed.

"You always scream like that when a guy's in your bed?" Bellamy asked. One arm rested behind his head like he belonged here. "Huh, baby girl?" He glanced up from the picture of Genevieve and me he held in his free hand, then tossed it to the foot of the bed. That was when I noticed the metal baseball bat beside him, nestled among my blankets.

Something crashed downstairs, followed by a guy shouting. More things shattered. And I was frozen in place, freaking out completely.

He was in my house. And he didn't come alone. Fear shot to the forefront of my mind, full force. An alarm wailed at me to run, or at least try to make it to my dad's room where he kept a gun, but I didn't even know how to use a gun. My heart pounded out a frantic rhythm as I pressed my back to the wall, trying to keep as much space between myself and the baseball bat-wielding maniac as possible.

"Is this where you murder me?" I whispered.

A deep chuckle crept through his lips as he shoved to his feet, wrapping his fingers around the metal bat. "Couldn't fuck you if I killed you, now could I?" he said, twirling the bat as he took slow steps toward me. "And that is what I promised, isn't it? To fuck up your life. Then fuck you?" He lifted the bat, then swung it at the pictures and figurines on my dresser, sending them crashing against the wall. Then he moved closer.

And I didn't want him anywhere near me.

I edged toward my bedroom door, trying to keep a clear escape route.

"Aw. What's the matter?" A mocking frown settled on his perfect face. "Scared?"

The noise of the house being completely destroyed echoed up the stairwell, and I wondered how many of them there were. "How did you get into my house?" I took a couple more steps, trying to stay calm, trying not to have a complete breakdown and beg him not to hurt me. Because the look on his face said he was about to.

"Well…you see, Drucella . I'm a criminal. But you know that." Then his expression shifted, and he rushed me. "Since you got me fucking arrested."

I yelped when his hard body forced me to the wall.

"Still wanna be the worst thing to happen to me?" His finger traced the top of my towel.

When it hooked beneath the edge, my pulse jumped into a frenzy, but I somehow managed to summon the courage to still his hand against my chest. "What are you going to do, Bellamy?"

He focused on his hand now resting over my bare skin, then smirked. And if I had to guess, what had him so amused was the ever-quickening thump of my heart against his palm.

"Where would the fun be if I told you?" His hand slid up my chest until his fingers wound around my throat. "You fucked up, Drew." His body pressed harder to mine until I could feel every ripple, every bulge of muscle tensing and coiling in anger. "You really, really fucked up…"

I closed my eyes while willing my knees not to buckle. He tapped the bat over the floor for a second, then stopped, slipping it underneath my towel and pressing the cold metal between my legs, making me flinch.

"I could fuck you up..." His hot breath washed over my lips. "Real good, baby girl."

These were not the games we played at Black Mountain. This wasn't manipulation or payback. This was crossing a line I was not prepared to go over, but it was too late; Bellamy was right here, like a devil dragging me right over it.

He slipped the bat against my pubic bone, right over my clit, and my body reacted in ways I wished it hadn't. A combination of fear and arousal that made my skin tingle with awareness.

"The thing is, your getting me arrested really fucked some shit up. So, you understand why I have to fuck your shit up, right?" He brushed his lips to mine. "No hard feelings, right?" He dropped the bat back to his side, but his hold on my throat remained.

His eyes searched mine, and a slow smirk pulled at his lips. "You like this shit, don't you?"

I would never, ever admit that to him, though. I didn't like feeling scared, and the fact that I wanted that bat between my legs in this situation had me questioning my sanity. His fingers twitched over my neck. "Someone's got some daddy issues..." He laughed before his grip loosened. He took a step back. "Sweet dreams, baby girl." Then he took a swing at my TV before passing into the hall. His footfalls moved toward the stairwell then down the steps.

The noise of things breaking fell silent, and seconds later, the front door opened and closed. I sagged like a puppet with cut strings and drew in a deep breath. This was insane. He was insane... I hurried to throw on clothes before rushing downstairs. It was carnage. The smashed big screen TV hung from the wall. Vases, artwork, furniture, all either smashed or broken. Even the couch looked like someone had sliced open the cushions and tossed the stuffing everywhere. I called the police and told them I'd come home to a break-in. Then I texted Olivia, asking if I could stay the night. Because the last place I wanted to be was here. Alone.

Olivia sat across her kitchen island, staring at me, wide-eyed. "He broke into your house? Shit, are you okay?"

Now the adrenaline had worn off, and whatever sick shit had been going on in my mind had left, I was terrified. My hands were shaking, heart racing.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

"He's Bellamy West, Drew! Those guys go to jail and burn cars and break legs." She spun the barstool around, shaking her head. "Shit. What did he steal?"

"Nothing." Just trashed the place.

Confusion blanketed her face. "Then why the hell did he break into your house?"

To threaten me? To trash it? Make it known that he could get in? "I..." I paused, drawing a line over the condensation on my water glass. "Might have gotten him arrested."

"You—" Pinching the bridge of her nose, she held up her palm. "Girl, you have no idea what you're messing with."

"Look, he got me fired!"

She slapped a hand over the counter and rolled her eyes. "You were working a gross drive-thru. He did you a favor, my God, you—"

"That's not the point! He's an asshole."

"Who's an asshole?" Olivia's brother, Jackson, walked into the kitchen, no shirt, just sweatpants, and his blond hair messy from a shower. He winked at me before opening the refrigerator. "Hey, Drew."

"Jackson!" Olivia huffed, thumbing back at me. "She got Bellamy West. Arrested!"

"Fuck those guys." A grin settled on his face as he grabbed an energy drink and closed the fridge door. Then he held up a hand like he expected me to high-five him. A high-five that Olivia promptly slapped away.

"Uh. No. Jackson! She got him arrested —" Her eyes widened. "And he knows . That's nothing to celebrate."

Jackson popped the top to the canned drink, then took a sip. "Want me to handle West for you?"

"Uh…" My gaze shifted from him to Olivia.

I liked Olivia, and I didn't want to be responsible for her brother getting his ass beat. Because Jackson was nice and Bellamy broke into my house with a baseball bat . Bellamy would slaughter him.

"Don't be stupid, Jackson," Olivia snapped. "It's Bellamy West and his little gang of thugs. He will pummel you."

"Screw you, dog-faced gremlin." He glared at her, then stormed into the living room.

Olivia mumbled about how stupid he was beneath her breath before she turned to face me. "Just…" She clasped my hand. "Tell your dad. He'll pull you out, right? I mean, this isn't even funny...."

That what? That Bellamy had gotten me fired from Frank's, then I'd had him arrested, and now he'd broken into our house and trashed it. No. That would absolutely be my fault in his eyes. I'd spend another two years owing him for all the furniture Bellamy and his friends just ruined.

Her fingers drummed over the counter on a concentrated stare. Then the drumming stopped. "You should just get expelled. That's what you do."

That...wasn't the worst idea.

Olivia went to the fridge, pausing in front of the opened door. "This is like, totally insane. Like binge-worthy Netflix insane."

For her maybe, sitting pretty in Barrington, but for me, I was about to have to walk back into the hell-hole, and I'd pissed off the Devil. "I can't tell him. And I have to go to school with him tomorrow." I groaned.