6: The Wrong Ride Home

MIA

Practice ran late. Coach had us drilling defensive plays until my legs were jelly and sweat glued my hair to my neck. By the time I stumbled out of the locker room, night had taken over the campus, the parking lot lights casting everything in a washed-out orange glow.

Exhaustion weighed on me, making every muscle ache so much that it forced me to forget my problems for a while. Silas’s escalating texts, my father’s warnings and the weird pull of Xavier’s eyes during drills.

I hitched my gym bag higher and headed across the quad.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood, a cold shiver skated down my spine. Instinctively, I looked up and my breath got hooked in my throat when I saw two men in dark suits standing in the shadows near the science building.

It was the one place that faced the quad and they had a good view of everyone coming out of the court.

My hands trembled at my sides as I debated the best way to get out of this. I couldn’t see their faces but from the dressing, I knew they were David’s men.

“Mia! Wait up!”

I jumped, nearly screaming at the loud voice. Madison jogged toward me, cluelessly bright with her ponytail bouncing. Relief and annoyance crashed into each other in my chest as I pulled away my gaze from the men watching me.

“You scared me.”

“Sorry!” She fell into step beside me, launching into a rant about practice drills. I barely heard her. My eyes kept darting over my shoulder to check if the men were still there.

“Madison, can you walk with me to my car?”

She blinked then shrugged like it was normal. “Yeah. Of course.”

We crossed the quad. Madison filled the silence with rambling commentary, something about upcoming games, annoying classmates, one guy she thought had a crush on her. I made appropriate noises at intervals but my full attention was on the other side of us so I knew the exact moment when they started moving.

If I had any doubt they were watching me. That just confirmed it.

We stepped into the parking lot. My old Honda waited in the back row.

Madison was still talking, but her hand was wrapped around my wrist now.

A sleek black SUV rolled up beside us and I froze.

The window lowered and another suited man with an earpiece in his ear was in the driver’s seat.

“Miss Winston,” he said smoothly.“We’re here to escort you home. Your father sent us.”

Ice slid down my spine and I shot a look toward Madison, who looked confused and a little scared.

“I’m fine,” I forced a smile, trying to sound casual. “I have my own car.”

“Your father insists.”

Before I could speak, the back door cracked open and someone stepped out. My feet moved on their own, inching backward. I could see the man reaching for me and for some reason, my legs refused to move.

Run! I screamed mentally but it was for nothing.

His hand had closed on my arm when something rough jerked me away from them. I blinked, staring at the back of the person standing between me and the SUV.

“The lady said no.” Xavier growled.

His stance was rigid, shoulders coiled and radiating a volatile energy that sped up the beat of my heart.

I’d forgotten Madison was beside me until I felt her hand squeeze my arm tighter.

The driver’s face hardened. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“She said no.” Xavier didn’t raise his voice but whatever the man saw in his eyes made him hesitate. “Leave.”

A flicker of something passed over the driver’s face. He looked at Xavier with fear marring his features. After a tense second, he gave a single nod to the other man and the car’s back door slammed in succession.

Tires screeched loudly as the SUV sped away.

Xavier stood there a moment longer, breathing heavily. His shoulders moved up and down for a moment before he exhaled loudly and then he turned to me.

“You okay?” His voice was rougher than I’d ever heard it.

“I—yeah.” My heartbeat was loud in my ears, I barely heard the words. “How did you…?”

“I recognized the vehicle.” He was too close now. The heat of his body wrapped around me. “You shouldn’t walk alone at night.”

“I wasn’t alone. Madison was with—”

“Madison,” he echoed sharply, as if her name irritated him. He shot her a look. “You should go.”

Madison hesitated, then squeezed my arm. “Text me when you get home.”

When she left, the air around us thickened.

“You can’t let them catch you off guard,” Xavier said, voice low. “You need to be alert. Always.”

My own frustration flared. “I can’t live in fear every second. I had practice. I have a life.”

“You need to be careful,” he insisted, the edge in his voice razor sharp.

“And you need to stop acting like you know everything about my life.” I snapped without thinking.

I should thank him for saving me from my father’s men. I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t showed up. But the thought of coming off as some type of damsel in distress, him saving me once again, rubbed me off the wrong way.

“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with,” he said quietly. Something unsettled flickered in his eyes. That made my brows raise, trying to decipher what it meant.

“What does that mean? What’s going on with you?” I stepped closer without intending to. “And why do you keep—”

“Mia, go home.” His voice was strangely soft all of a sudden. “Please.”

He backed away quickly, like distancing himself was the only thing keeping him steady.

When he reached his car, he paused, looked back, and said, “You have no idea how close you just came to…”

“Close to what?” I asked.

He didn’t bother answering my question. He got in his car and slammed the door, a second later, the engine roared to life and he sped off.

I stood there trembling. My entire body was buzzing with a mix of fear and adrenaline. But I was mostly confused, wondering what his deal was.

I drove home in paranoid bursts, checking my mirrors constantly. When I reached my dorm, I locked the door behind me and sank onto the bed.

I got a text from Madison during the drive but I only checked it then.

Maddie: You okay?? Xavier looked like he was about to rip that guy apart omg.

Another buzz. I glanced at the message from an unknown number.

I already knew who it was and it made my stomach drop.

‘Did you really think you could run from me? We’ll be seeing each other soon. And next time, your basketball captain won’t be there to save you. — S’

My hand went cold. The knot that formed in my stomach twisting even more.

I curled up on the bed with my mother’s necklace burning hot against my skin and a new, terrifying realization settling in my bones that I didn't know much of anything that was going on.

Silas, my father. They were hiding something.

And now, Xavier too.