7. Travis

Five laps for being late,and it’s worth it if it means I can fuck Bea in the locker rooms again. Just when I think I’m figuring her out, she throws something else at me. Was I expecting her to say the words “Choke me harder?” No, but they did excite me. Sex toys and choking is a fucking dream.

“Too slow, Parker!” Coach shouts, and I hear laughing from the team. A few of the guys shout that I was too busy fucking and have nothing left. They aren’t wrong, the only thing I can think about is being buried deep inside Bea again.

Tapping the wall with my stick, I get back to the coach. He looks at me with a smile, which is never a good thing.

“Five more?—”

“Coach—” I go to plead my case, but stop when he puts his hand up, and looks up at Bea laughing. “Next time you want to fuck your girl?—”

“Not his girl!” Bea shouts, and I shake my head, and look over at her smiling at me.

“I like this one, not going to just let you do what you want, unlike the one you had last year.” His comment makes me glance over at Britney and her friends. “Five more.” He walks away from me, I see Logan and Blake laughing. I tell them to fuck off, and get started on my laps again.

Coach is trying to fucking kill me, there is no way I’m going to be able to do anything after this. As I skate I hear Bea laughing, so I look up at her not even paying attention to the ice, I could be on the ice with my eyes closed and I know what I’m doing. Bea and Quinn are laughing and joking about something, she isn’t one to let new people into her life. I know August and Meadow have spoken to her. They have said openly they love how she is with me, but she’s not interested in sitting with them.

Now I’m all for secrets, but I have a feeling she’s hiding a lot more than I think. I’ve tried to find out things about her, and found nothing. I told the guys I think she’s changed her name, which they both thought was stupid, and it might be, but how the hell is she hiding herself so fucking well.

I know there is one person out there who is good at hiding themselves, maybe he’s the one I need to talk to. Cain Crawford, Logan’s half-brother, also someone Logan would like to stay away from as much as he can. But we’ve always been there for each other, so he might say yes to asking him.

Finishing another five laps, I join the team with what they’re doing. Coach throws a puck my way, as I get close, and points to Logan. I see we’re playing a game of three.

“Pretty boy, still got the energy to?—”

“Knock you to your ass.” I cut the prick off.

This is the one thing about hockey I hate, being stuck with assholes you don’t want to be around. There might be two other guys, outside Logan and Blake, I like well enough to not hurt them anyway.

“You want to try?” He snaps, and I start laughing. He won’t last five seconds with me.

“Are you sure?” I skate closer to him, when he makes a move to come closer he is pulled away from me.

“Leave it, you know what the three of them are like.” Without another word he backs away. I smile, shaking my head, and shoot the puck toward Logan.

“You might want to look at your girl.” Logan nods his head, and I turn around to see Britney with her friends standing in front of Bea. I don’t think Bea needs me to protect her when it comes to Britney.

Bea starts laughing at Britney and stands up and walks over to the side of the rink. “Babe!” She shouts at me, and I know she’s only doing it to piss Britney off, but I like it.

I skate over her, already knowing, coach is going to hate it, yet I don’t care. I take my helmet off, as I stop. She grabs my jersey to pull me closer, and kisses me, making me move a little closer to her, so I can kiss her harder.

“Travis, five more laps.” Bea pulls away from me laughing.

“You’re going to kill me on and off the ice, and yet, I’m already planning my weekend with you tied to my bed.” I give her a wink, and she leans in closer.

“I’m looking forward to the piercing, playboy?—”

“Every minute is another lap, you’re on seven!” Coach shouts.

“Fuck,” I whisper to myself and Bea laughs. She walks over to Quinn and leaves the rink. Before I can start my fucking laps again, Britney stands in front of me.

“She will be gone soon, and you’ll be back—” before she can finish what she has to say I skate off. I’m not in the mood for her crazy today.

I have a feeling I’ve been skating for ten minutes, which is going to fucking kill me, and then I have a two missions. Find Bea’s number, and see if Logan is willing to speak with Cain to find information about Bea for me.

Saturday is here, and I don’t have Bea’s number. Why is it so hard to get any information about her? We got into the dean’s office, and the number on there was Quinns’, then I got a number by talking to a few members of the swim team, and that got me nothing either.

Is she hiding from someone? That could only be the reason you hide everything about yourself.

At first I thought she was messing with me, so I called every number I could find, listened to it ring while watching her, and she didn’t answer the phone once.

So, I lost the bet. I don’t think I’ve ever lost a bet before. Bea is going to be a lot of firsts for me. She knows how to keep me on my feet, and it’s the reason I’m so attracted to her. It’s good to have someone fight you, in a way, someone who won’t just open their legs for me. I mean she would, but I like the fight she gives me at the same time.

Four days, and I haven’t had her in my bed again. One second she’s in front of me, I blink, and she’s gone. She can move. I haven’t been able to watch her swim either, since I’ve had hockey practice at the same time. Even went to her dorm, but my little firecracker knows how to avoid me. I’m working on a plan, between the three of us we have got to find something on her.

The thought of getting my dick pierced is fucking crazy, but a deal is a deal. She has never said when I have to get it done, so I can still have fun for a while. A few days ago, I bought her a gift, I can’t wait to give it to her. She likes toys, and I’m about to give her the best one ever.

It’s Saturday night, and the last place I want to be is here, at this event I don’t want any part of. I turn to see Blake and Logan walking around the kitchen, looking at all the food being served today. Our dads went out for this one. They have enough food here to feed the whole town. Which makes me laugh, because knowing them, they’ve invited the whole town.

We’ve been here two hours, and the small auctions are complete. Now, the big auction is about to start, and we’ve asked around to see what it is, but no one knows. Our dads really are keeping this one a surprise for everyone.

“You want a drink?” Logan holds up a beer, and I take it from him. It’s been a long evening, and our fathers have been making sure people here know they’ve got their kids serving them. Anything to belittle us, they will do it. Assholes.

The only reason we come is to keep the memory of our Granddad with us. Logan’s Granddad is still alive but won’t set foot in this place while the three of them are in control, which won’t be for much longer. It’s time to finish them and bury my dad in the ground where he belongs.

“You want to go to the bar after this?” I ask.

After this auction, there is nothing else to do. Might as well have some fun for the rest of the evening. I have Quinn’s number and will message him to get Bea there, too, I’m not sure if he’s on my side or not, but he hasn’t told me to fuck off yet.

“Sure.” The word trails off for a while before he nods his head for me to look around.

Turning around I see Bea and Quinn walking over to us, and she looks breathtaking. I take in her body as she walks over to me, she stops with a few steps between us, and spins around.

“So, how do I look?” she says.

“So beautiful.” I lean in closer to her, and whisper. “You want to see my old bedroom?” I ask, making her laugh.

“Now that would be fun, but first I have to do what I’m here for.” She takes a sip of my beer, before handing it back to me. “Do you know about this?” she asks.

“Know about what? Our dads aren’t telling us anything,” I tell her, and she looks around, making me look around the house too. The whole swim team is here, why would they be here?

“The swim team is being auctioned, twelve hours we’re yours. I feel cheap.” She laughs at the last words, making me smile at her.

“You’re not cheap, you look beautiful, and no one is getting you but me.” There is no way I’m going to let anyone have her for twenty-four hours. She’s mine, and she’s going to stay mine.

“How much am I worth?” She teases me, but before I can answer her she continues to talk. “I hate men who think they can buy me.” She shakes her head, but there was so much hate in the words, and for a split second her eyes changed, as if she’s remembering the past.

I know that look, I do it enough myself.

So, who bought her, or who hurt her?

“I’m never going to buy you, but I will stop other people from buying you.” I take a step closer to her, and lean down to give her a small kiss on her lips. “You taste good,” I whisper against her lips.

“I know.” She laughs, and the sound makes me smile, it lifts the worry I have building inside me.

I look behind her and my body tenses up, I stand up straight and lock eyes with the one man I want to fucking kill. The one fucker who should be behind bars, or if I had my way dead, and now he’s back. I will end him, even if I have to spend time behind bars myself.

Before I can take a step closer to him, Blake and Logan block my way.

“Leave it,” Blake says, not looking at him I keep my eyes locked on Jasper. “Travis, leave it.” I finally look at Blake, who whispers. “Too many people.”

“Yeah, Travis leave it,” Jasper mocks, and slowly walks into the area we’re standing in, but stops an arm’s distance away from Bea. No way he is touching her, never mind looking at her.

Every inch of my body is burning to punch him in the face. The fucking asshole left town last year, after he ended up in hospital; where I put him. So why the hell is he back?

He turns to Bea, and I go to move forward, but Logan stops me, and there is nothing I can do to stop him. I take a quick look over at Bea, who is looking between the two of us. Quinn moves to the other side of Bea, standing between her and Jasper, and he gives me a small nod.

I have no idea what my body is telling them, but Quinn sees it, and for the first time I’m so happy my girl has a guy best friend.

“She’s pretty?—”

“Fuck you,” I snap at him, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Bea.

I hate how he’s looking at her. I hate how he can walk into this house like he’s done nothing wrong. When he knows what he did, fuck, even my dad knows what he did. Yet here the bastard is.

I blame myself for what happened, but I blame my dad just as much. They both started it, but I was too late to give it a different ending. I will never make the mistake again.

Jasper starts laughing and goes to take a step closer to Bea, and I push between Blake and Logan hard enough they can’t stop me.

“You take another step closer and I’ll rip your fucking eyes out.” I push hard enough for him to take a few steps back. I glance over his shoulders and see his asshole friends walking over to us. “You’re lucky you walked out of hospital last time, it might not happen again.”

“Looks like Travis boy has grown up, thinks he can play with the big?—”

“I’m sure when I put you in hospital I could play with the big boys.” I cut him off, and his lips curl up into a smile, and I can’t help but smile when I see the scar on his upper lip. Something I gave him, and I’m happy to give him another one, if he even thinks about touching Bea.

“Well, it’s nice to be back home.” Jasper turns to me, then looks over at Bea. “Hope to spend some time with you without this prick around.” I take a step to the side blocking his view of Bea, and then he turns to me. “You can’t be there all the time, you should know that, shouldn’t you?”

I go to punch him, but Logan grabs my arm to stop me, and Blake pushes Jasper away from me.

“Time to leave, before we set him free,” Blake warns him.

I will make sure he pays for what happened, he walked away when he shouldn’t have, because my dad pulled strings for him. He pulled strings for the man who tore apart our family, and I’ll never forgive him for it, and I still have no idea why he did it either.

Jasper tilts his head a little to the right, and he blows a kiss toward Bea, before walking away.

“What the fuck is he doing back here?” Blake turns around shaking his head while looking at me.

I take a deep breath, not turning around to face Bea, because right now I’m angry, and the only thing I want to do is kill someone.

“Showing his face in this house, has your dad seen him?” Logan asks, and I let out a little sigh when I look over the living room.

“I would say so, they’re fucking laughing like nothing has happened.” I lock eyes with my dad, while he’s talking to Jasper and his dad.

I can’t believe my dad is standing there like that family did nothing to break ours. My dad is laughing and joking with the men who paid the law to forget. But I won’t forget, I’ll never forget. I still believe my dad is where he is because of Jasper’s dad, and the price for that, is my dad not remembering what they did.

I blame myself for what happened, but the men standing over there are the reason it happened. I don’t care how much money they paid for my dad to forget, they paid for the law to forget, but I’ll never forget.

“Travis, it’s been four years?—”

“And you think I should forget?” I snap at Logan.

They were there when it happened, they were there when my world broke, they were there when I almost killed Jasper, they were there when I told my dad he would regret the day he ignored what had happened. They know, still to this day, I don’t sleep because I replay that whole night in my head.

“Fuck no, but there is nothing we can do right now, you know that?” Logan stands in front of me, breaking my view of my dad.

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” I snap walking away from them all, I need a moment to myself, I need to calm myself down a little, I look down at my hands shaking with the rage burning my body.

They will pay for what they did, even if it takes me another ten years, they will pay.

“Quinn, Bea.” I look up and see Bea staring at me. Being around Jasper I had forgotten she was there. “It’s about to start,” I hear the swim coach shout at them.

I don’t know what to say to her, I don’t want her knowing what has haunted me every single day for the last four years.

Without saying a word, she leaves with Quinn, but not before giving me a small smile, and even that smile isn’t helping me, but I wish it did.

I’m in a room with my dad, who I hate to even look at, and a man whose head I’d like on a stick.

“Come on, let’s get this night over with.” Blake pats my back, and I watch them both walk out the kitchen. I grab a tray and make my way out to the room, and get ready to bid for my little firecracker.

“First, I would like to say thank you to everyone being here tonight. The college is going to get a lot of upgrades with the money you’re spending today.” Blake’s dad smiles at everyone in the room. “So, the last part of this wonderful evening is the swim team.” He puts his hand out, and I see the team coming on the stage. My eyes move toward Bea, and she’s looking around the room at everyone. The moment she locks eyes with me, her body relaxes and she smiles. “You will be bidding, there is a max amount you can spend, and when the bidding hits the amount, they are sold. They are there to help you around the house, keep you company, they will be with you from eight in the morning, until eight in the evening. Are we ready?” Blake’s dad smiles and I look around the room while everyone gets ready to bid.

Bea is right, this does feel cheap, and I’m not the one being auctioned to the rich people in here.

The bidding starts, and I walk around giving out the drinks, as I wait for Bea’s turn. There is no way I’m letting anyone else have her, I’ll double anyone else’s offer, even if they hit the highest bid.

“Didn’t think our dads could get any lower?” Logan stands next to me, and I nod agreeing with him. “Your dad is looking very friendly with Jasper and his dad, what do you think they’re talking about?”

“How they can let another asshole free on the streets.” I say, quickly, putting the tray on the table when I hear Bea’s name.

“Now we have this beautiful lady,” Blake’s dad says, and I hate others calling her beautiful. “We will start the bidding at five hundred dollars.”

“One thousand.” I snap my head toward Jasper, who turns to me with a smile.

“Two,” I shout.

“Four,” Jasper follows.

“Five.” I will fucking give my dad every dollar I own to keep Bea away from Jasper.

“Seven.”

“Eight,” Jasper shouts before I can even finish my number, so I do the same.

“Nine.”

“Ten,” Jasper says with a smile.

“Sold,” Blake’s dad shouts, and I look over at him in shock.

“I’ll double it.” I walk closer to the stage, and Blake’s dad stares at me. “I’ll fucking triple it.”

“Travis, ten thousand was the cut off.” He looks back up at the crowd in silence staring at me, and Jasper.

“And I’m giving you triple, so fuck what the cut off is.” I get on the stage and my dad stands next to Blakes dad. “Is this some type of fucked up game you’re playing, because I won’t play happy family?” I ask him.

“Son—”

“Don’t call me that. What you’ve done here, you’ll never get the one thing you want. Your son, back.” He lost me a long time ago, fuck I don’t think I’ve ever been his son, and I’m going to make sure he lives the rest of his life as a lonely bastard.

My dad stays quite, and I see Jasper walking on the stage, with a fucking smirk on his face.

“Don’t worry I’ll look after her.” Jasper provokes me, and I lean over punching him in the face, but before I can do it again, Blake and Logan grab me, pulling me away from him.

Jasper starts laughing and looks over at Bea. “He has a temper, you know. I’ll see you at eight, don’t be late.” He blows her a kiss, and I fight with Blake and Logan, but he walks away laughing with his fucking friends.

“There are witnesses.” Blake pushes me back a few times. “Let’s get some fresh air.”

“We’re out for the night.” I hear Logan behind me as we exit the house.

“I’m going to rip his head off,” I shout, making sure my dad can hear me, because this is more fucked up than I thought even he could be.

I take a few deep breaths in, trying to get my heart rate to slow down. I look up into the night sky, then back to the house.

My lips curl into a tiny smile when I see Bea standing by the door, Quinn behind her. How am I meant to explain what happened in there? I can’t tell her the truth, but I can’t lie to her either.

“So this temper of yours?—”

“Don’t give me your number if you don’t want to, but promise me, the only promise I’ll ever ask from you. You tell Quinn your every movement. The second you get outside his house, if he takes you somewhere, every movement you tell him.” My voice escapes shaky, with worry, and still anger moving through my body. I can’t have it that I don’t know where she is, I can’t. “Put your phone location on. This is the only thing I’m asking.”

She walks closer to me, and just stares at me for a moment, and I’m waiting for her to tell me to fuck off, because it’s something she would say to me.

She places her hand in my pocket, and pulls out my phone, and starts tapping her number into my phone.

“How worried should I be about him?” she asks.

She sees it in my eyes, she sees my panic, and there is nothing I can do to protect her right now.

I look over at Logan and Blake, who both stay quiet. “Honestly, I don’t think you need to worry, he just wants to fuck with me, and he’s found my weak spot.” Letting out a sigh, I turn to Blake and Logan giving them a nod so they know to leave for a moment. Quinn walks away with them, but not too far, because Jasper is still around here, and they will be making sure I don’t lose my cool again.

“Please, just let me know where you are…”

“But?” My silence must be annoying, because there is something I need to tell her, but don’t know how. “Travis, you have to tell me something, because I don’t know what’s happened in the past, but you scared me. You were angry to the point you would have—” She stops, and I take her hand in mine.

“We have a fucked-up history, and he has...a part of it.” I rub my forehead with my hand before running my hand through my hair. “Taking things from girls, they don’t want to give.” Her body tenses up, and I move closer to her, to let her know I’m here. “It’s never been proven, but I know. So please?—”

“I will call and message you. Promise.” She leans up and gives me a kiss. I hold her close for a little longer, because tomorrow is going to be a very long day, and my phone won’t be leaving my hand.

The prick is back, I don’t know why, but I won’t let him get away with anything again. I’m going to make him pay for what he did, if it’s the last thing I do.