9. Travis

“You think you know anything?” Dad punches me in the face again. This shit has been going on for twenty minutes, he wants to take out his frustrations and I’m the target, all because I asked about my mom. “She was a whore?—”

“No she wasn’t!” I push him away. “You used her!”

Grandad told me, dad might not like talking about mom, but grandad always did.

“I did, and look at me now.” Dad punches me a lot harder, making me fall to the floor. “You’ll learn?—”

“Leave him alone!” I hear my sister shout. “You want to send him to the hospital again?”

“You can’t protect him forever—” Dad turns to face me as I stand up, and look at him. “Women, you can’t trust them, you never know where they are.”

“I’ll always know where mine is. Remember, one day I’ll be bigger and stronger than you?—”

“Oh look at you talking all big, I’ll finish you before you get the chance.”

“Travis!” Blake shouts, pulling me out of the past. “You with us?” He glances over at Quinn quickly before staring at me again and gives me a nod.

“Yeah.” I turn to the game on TV. The guys have their girls, but I know they still have a moment where the past eats at them, a reminder that no matter what you can’t forget everything. “Haven’t heard anything from Bea yet, have you?” I ask Quinn, not turning to face him, as I still feel him watching me.

“I’m in the same chat as you.” I have to laugh to myself, how stupid do they think I am? “What’s so funny?”

“You think I don’t know you and Bea have been messaging each other, in your own chat? All I care about today is if she’s okay.” Shaking my head at the game, how the hell are they missing shots like that, too fucking easy. This should have been an easy game, not sure what the hell they are doing.

“Bea is a lot stronger?—”

“I know she’s strong, she’s proven that, but—” I stop talking before I say too much, and glance over at Logan shouting at the TV, while Meadow and August have a little chat of their own. “Has she messaged you?” I have no idea why she has to be so fucking stubborn. I don’t mind the fight, fuck I enjoy her smart mouth, and attitude, but not today when I know she’s with him. I couldn’t tell her what he did, I couldn’t say the words out loud. Just the thought of saying them makes my body tense up.

“She has, but it’s been a while. I’ll send her one now.” Quinn sends a message. “Happy?” he says, looking back at the TV.

Before I can answer him he shouts ‘foul’ at the TV, which makes the three of us laugh.

“You know hockey?” Blake asks, still laughing. Now I do look at Quinn, while he looks between the three of us.

“So you think because I’m gay, I don’t watch sports?” Quinn asks, and the three of all say yes at the same time. “I like hockey, don’t mind watching the players loosen up before a game.” He looks between the three of us, and I shake my head at him. “You know it’s the reason so many people come before a game.”

“We know,” Logan tells him, standing up and shouting at the TV. “Fucking hell.” he turns to face us. “We’re not winning this season. Two fucking warm ups, and can’t even win them.”

“Watch the words.” Blake looks over at the door and I roll my eyes, which asshole is it today. “Travis.”

“Fuck,” I whisper to myself. What the hell does he want today? Does he not think my day is already fucked up; he needs to fuck it up even more.

“I see you three are doing what you do best. Nothing.” My dad locks eyes with me, and I glance back to the game. I’m not letting him get to me, repeating the words over and over to myself, knowing I won’t be able to stop myself when it comes to him.

“Where are the other two?” I hear Blake ask. I’m surprised they aren’t here, they never leave without the others.

“Busy. Travis, wanted to ask if your girl went?—”

“Why are you really here?” I cut him off, I don’t even want him to say Bea’s name, never mind know what she’s doing.

“Touchy subject, she looks?—”

“So you’ve come here to see if her pussy is worth getting under my skin?” I ask with a chuckle to my tone, shaking my head, I look at him. “Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not.” I know what he’s doing, the man is playing a game. He knows we’ve taken down two of them, and it’s only him left standing. I’m not going to show him if I have a weak spot.

“I bet she tastes good—” The corner of my lips curls up, “Remember son, woman leave, one day they wake up and poof?—”

“I’m not you, I’ll make sure I know where mine is all the?—”

“Are you sure? Where is your little whore now?” I stay quiet, but this means one thing, Bea isn’t with Jasper anymore. “She’s a little treat?—”

“She is a treat, and that’s all she’ll be.” What fucked up game is he playing with mentioning her so much? I need to get it into his head that she means nothing to me.

“Once you’re finished, I’ll have her then—” He laughs, when I press my lips together, and glance back over the game. “Did I hit a nerve?”

“I need to care for you to hit a nerve.” I snap while continuing to look at the TV, but I glance quickly over at Blake and Logan watching me.

It won’t take long for me to lose it with him, a reason to punch him, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself today. Bea hasn’t messaged in a while, he thinks he knows where she is. That’s just pushed me over the edge.

I hear my dad laugh, shaking my head, I finally look at him smiling. “Whatever you’ve come here to do. It’s not working. So why don’t you go join your friends, I’m sure they need money from you.”

Both Blake and Logan’s dads have had a slap in the face from us, which means they don’t have as much as they normally would, and they know we have a lot more on them too. So it’s got the three of them on the edge of their seat, waiting for us to throw them over.

“When are you making your move? I me?—”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re another thing I don’t care for. Plus, I don’t need anything from you. I have everything which is mine.”

Blake and Logan had to finish their dads, they held the money which was owed to them. But me, I don’t need him or his money. When I turned eighteen everything was mine, and there was nothing he could do about it. My grandparents and my mom didn’t trust him, so they made sure I got every cent that was owed to me.

I want him dead for other reasons. It will be the best day of my life when I can finally push him in the grave I’m going to dig for him.

He looks between the three of us then turns to Quinn and smiles. What is he up to? He’s here for a reason, and I have no idea what it is.

“You know, you’re sounding more and more like your mother.” I stand up quickly pushing him hard enough to take a few steps back. “There’s the nerve. It will always?—”

“Now you’ve hit it, you can fuck off. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but you won’t win.” I stand face to face with him. He won’t get in my head, I can’t let him get to me but he always knows my weak spot.

“You might want to ask your sist?—”

I swing my arm, and my fist connects with his jaw. Blake and Logan stand between us and Blake pushes me away.

“Leave it, he wants you to lose everything. Leave it,” he tells me. I look at Blake and he gives me a small nod.

“I’m not your fucking punching bag anymore.” I feel my body begin to shake with the anger coursing through me.

He should have protected her, but he didn’t. And I still don’t know why.

Why was it so hard for him to protect his family?

“Travis, always know to never trust the ones close to you.” Tessa’s voice is low.

I hate when she’s like this, even though I’m old enough to protect her now, she still never tells me anything. She looks behind her at the door, and takes a deep breath as she moves closer to me.

“He’s always watching us. He’s hiding something and?—”

“Tessa, tell me I can help.”

“Travis!” she whisper shouts at me. “Once I know something I will. But don’t trust him.” She plays with her necklace, mom’s necklace.

“I never have, not since Mom.” I stopped talking in case he is in the house. One mention of mom and he goes crazy. I might be bigger and stronger so I can fight him, but I still worry for Tessa, what would he do to her if I wasn’t in the house?

“Travis, I don”t know what he is capable of,” she whispers even quieter than before, so I move closer to her. “Always have your find my phone on and I’ve got this made for you.”

She gives me a box, I open it and take out the leather bracelet. Taking a closer look at it, the sturdy black weaving linked together with a matte black coated steel. With the words ‘You are never alone’ inscribed on it,

“I have one too.” She looks toward the door and whispers. “They have a tracker in them.”

What? Why is she making things with a tracker in it? What does she know?

“You know?—”

“Get the fuck out my house.” I snap at him sitting back down.

All this happened in front of Quinn. What the hell is he gonna tell Bea? That I have a fucked up relationship with my dad. I think she already knows that.

“Oh, son?—”

“You have no son here. You lost him a long fucking time ago.”

He isn’t leaving so I walk off into the kitchen. I could kill him now, if I really wanted to, but he’s still walking and breathing. Why? Because he knows something about what happened to my mom and I need to find out what.

“You should leave before we let him finish you.” I hear Logan.

I take out my phone so I can send Bea a quick message.

Travis - Everything okay?

Where are you?

Hearing the front door slam shut, I make my way back to the living area and turn to Quinn.

“Where is she?” I ask, looking at him sending a message. “Quinn!” I shout his name. If he has touched her, he will not be living a long life. He is not hurting anyone else.

Bea might be this stubborn, strong woman, and I enjoy her fight, but I know what mind games Jasper can play.

“Quinn, your fucking silence isn’t helping!” I shout at him again, because he is doing nothing to find out where she is.

“She’s not replying, and she’s turned off her ‘find a friend’.” Quinn tries to call her, if she’s not answering for Quinn, there is no way she will answer for me.

“Her battery probably ran out.” I hear Logan behind me. I don’t say anything, because I can hear it ringing.

“She’s not answering.” Quinn looks down at his phone, the guy can’t even look at me.

“Your dad isn’t stupid enough to hurt her, she isn’t anything to you, yet,” Blake says, but I don’t trust him.

My fingers move over my bracelet, remembering my sister’s words.

I don’t know what he’s capable of.

Would he be stupid enough to hurt her?

“Dad wouldn’t do anything now, everyone knows where she is, so nothing happened.” I start pacing the room, thinking about what could be happening. “She’s not with Jasper, Dad already said that, she’s not with him, so where would she go if she needed to clear her head?” I lock eyes with Quinn, he knows her better than me. I would say she would go swimming, but where?

“She would be in the water?—”

“I’ll drive, just tell me where.” Before anyone can say a thing to me I grab my keys, ready to leave. Already knowing the guys will be following me, because we’re always there for each other.

I need to know she’s okay.

Jasper has already taken someone from me, and Bea might be a girl who I’ve seen just a handful of times, but I still won’t let him hurt her.

“You’ve got ten minutes before we come in.” Logan shouts behind me.

“What if I’m fucking her?” I shout back at him, and I hear them both laughing.

“Won’t be the first time that we see you fucking a woman, and it won’t be the last, I bet.” Blake is the one to shout back this time.

I shake my head following Quinn into the swimming dome. On the way here, Quinn was telling me that the coach had given her a key. The star swimmer, of course he would want her to be in the water as much as possible.

“Do you three go everywhere together?” Quinn asks, but I choose to ignore him.

Most people are used to the three of us being everywhere together. If one of us isn’t there then rumors start going around that we’ve had a fight about something stupid.

“Seems like none of you know how to do anything unless the other ones are with you.” Quinn comments.

“The three of us have been through some shit together, and if I need someone in my corner, it’s them.” I let him know, if he’s going to be around us then he needs to learn that the three of us have a bond closer than anyone else he will ever meet, who aren’t brothers.

“Yeah, I understand. It’s good to have someone in your corner, like I have with Bea, and she has me. But she won’t trust you, not now. You never told her why Jasper was bad news.”

“Maybe I was telling you to keep her safe.” I could have told her, but then she would have asked more questions, questions I don’t know how to answer or want to answer.

“Yeah, well, she’s here—” we stop as we watch Bea at the side of the water, putting on a backpack. What the hell is she doing?

Quinn shakes his head and watches her. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?” I’m returned with silence, “Quinn?”

“Just leave her. Give her this moment. Just leave her.” Quinn looks at the time, watching Bea do the same thing. She takes a deep breath and jumps in. I run closer to the pool, and Quinn follows.

“Why the fuck is she not getting up? Someone has to go help her?—”

“She knows what to do. Leave her,” Quinn snaps at me.

But it’s not the snarky statement he usually gives me. He is pissed off.

Something’s annoying him, and he looks at the time. Why does it feel like that clock is going slower than it fucking needs?

“It’s been three minutes. Get in there and get her up,” I shout as I start taking my sweatshirt off.

“Leave her in there.”

“Quinn!”

“I know exactly what I’m doing,” he barks at me this time.

This isn’t the first time she’s done this, but why is she doing this?

What the hell is she doing? It’s close to five minutes when she finally comes up to the surface and continues swimming.

I don’t remember ever feeling that level of fear about something.

Would she do something so stupid?

No, I won’t let her life ever get to the point where she feels the need to do anything to hurt herself.

My heart is pounding, and flashbacks smack me in the face. Oh, I don’t want to relive the nightmare because she has left such an effect on me, but I have to—she’s leaving me with no choice.

Bea finally stops and looks up at Quinn and me, but she holds her eyes on Quinn longer. Like they are having a silent conversation, now I know how others feel when we do it.

I study her face, and my hands ball into fists. Quinn helps her out of the pool, and I pull her away from him and closer to me.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.” She finally looks at me, and I don’t believe her. I might, though, if only her eyes agree with her words.

“You can fuck with me as much as you want, you know I enjoy it, but not this. What happened?” I ask again, and she turns to Quinn.

“What happened, Bea? I’m with Travis on this one.” His voice is hard, filled with fear for his best friend, but you can also hear him trying to stay calm for her.

“He was a fucking creep and just got a little too much, but I got a punch in there too.” Quinn wraps a towel around Bea, and she turns to face me.

“I promise I’m fine…” She stops for a moment and gives me a small smile. “I’m going to get dressed. Quinn, have you eaten?” She grabs her tracksuit from the box.

“We’re going for dinner now,” I answer for him, making Bea laugh a little.

“Quinn, you want to tell the guys we’re going for burgers.” I wait for Quinn to leave, but he turns to Bea, who is still staring at me.

“See you out there,” she tells him, and Quinn leaves and I follow Bea into the lockers.

“Not really in the mood for a quick fuck?—”

“That’s a shame. My little firecracker looks sexy as hell, and now that I know you punched the asshole, it’s got me all excited.” I sit on the bench as she dresses.

I might be joking with her, but inside…knowing he hit her…if she didn’t fight back, what would have happened, how far would he have gone, and how the hell is my dad involved in all this? Why does he have an interest in Bea? I have fucked a lot of girls, and he’s never cared before. Am I showing her too much interest?

My fingers spin my bracelet around my wrist. How far will he go to get to me? How can I protect her?

“Travis!” Bea shouts my name, and I look up at her dressed in the tracksuit. She kneels between my legs and locks eyes with me, licking her lips slowly.

“I’m okay.” I place my hand softly around her neck, my thumb softly gliding up and down her neck.

I enjoy my hand being around her neck. It doesn’t have to be tight, but my hand feels like it belongs here.

She leans in closer to me. With her fingers moving through my hair, I move my thumb over her cut lip and take a deep breath. The asshole has cut someone again, and he’s gonna get away with it again.

“I’m sorry about what he did to your sister.” I close my eyes, he told her. He had no fucking right to talk about my sister.

Loosening my grip, I stand up, not wanting to talk about this anymore. Bea looks up at me, and I can’t help but smile. “Don’t you look all sexy on your knees.”

She slaps my leg, as she stands up, tiptoeing to give me a kiss. “And don’t you look sexy when you choke me.”