CHAPTER 2: The Maybach Incident

Cassy

The freezing rain hit my face like hundreds of tiny, sharp needles. My thick, round tortoiseshell glasses were completely plastered with water drops, blurring the dark world around me into a wet mess of yellow streetlights and shadows. My dark chestnut hair was soaked to the root, clinging to the back of my oversized hoodie like a heavy, icy rope.

"Get back here, Cassy!" a guy yelled from somewhere behind me near the stadium exit doors.

"Is that her? Did she really slap Hendrix on live camera?" a girl shouted, her voice shrill and full of malicious excitement.

Flashbulbs popped in the dark. Dozens of students were running out of the arena doors with their phones held high in the air, trying to get a clear video of my ruined, sobbing face. The intense humiliation burned hotter in my chest than the freezing downpour soaking through my clothes.

I ducked my head down low and ran faster, my scuffed sneakers slapping loudly against the wet concrete pavement. My heart was pounding like a sledgehammer against my ribs, making my chest ache with every single step. I couldn't go back to my dorm. I couldn't face anyone. I just needed to hide. I needed to vanish off the face of the earth.

I turned a sharp corner, cutting straight through a heavy metal gate that led directly into the VIP athletic parking lot. It was private, fenced off, and strictly reserved for the university's star players and coaching staff. It was dark, quiet, and away from the main campus sidewalks.

"Please, just let me get away," I sobbed under my breath, my voice shaking so hard my teeth clattered together. "Please, god."

My lungs burned for air as I stumbled through the rows of luxury cars. I couldn't see clearly. The rain was pouring down in thick sheets, blinding me completely.

Right in front of me, parked near the dark edge of the fenced lot, sat a massive, intimidating SUV. It was a sleek, matte black Maybach, completely blacked out from top to bottom. It looked like a giant shadow sitting in the dark storm.

I didn't care whose car it was. I just needed to duck out of the line of sight before those students turned the corner with their glowing phone screens.

I sprinted straight for the passenger side of the Maybach. Blinded by the rain and my own burning tears, I reached out with a trembling hand and grabbed the heavy front door handle. My fingers were slick with water and cold sweat, making me slip the first time. I grabbed it again, pulling with all the desperate strength left in my small frame.

As I pulled, the cheap, sharp metal ring on my finger—the simple band I had worn every day for two years—slammed hard against the custom door panel right next to the handle.

A sharp, hideous screeching sound tore through the thunderous noise of the rain.

My stomach dropped straight into my shoes.

The metal ring dragged violently across the pristine matte black paint, carving a deep, ragged white scratch straight through the luxury custom finish.

"Fuck!" I choked out, horror freezing the blood in my veins. "No, no, no!"

Panic surged through me like an electric shock. I heard shouting near the gate of the VIP lot. The students were getting closer.

Without thinking, I yanked the heavy front passenger door open and threw my soaking wet body inside the cabin, slamming the door shut behind me to block out the world.

The sudden silence inside the vehicle was deafening. The roar of the torrential thunderstorm was instantly muffled by the heavy, soundproof glass windows. The air inside smelled rich, warm, and distinctly masculine—a sharp mixture of expensive leather, dark cedarwood, and fresh rain.

I sank deep into the soft leather seat, pulling my wet knees up against my chest as my whole body shivered violently.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god," I whimpered, pulling off my thick tortoiseshell glasses with shaking fingers to wipe the rain off on my damp sweater sleeve. "What did I just do? What the fuck did I just do?"

"Who the fuck are you?" a deep, dangerous voice growled from the darkness beside me.

I froze completely. My breath hitched in my throat, locking up in my chest.

I slowly turned my head to the left, my hazel eyes widening in absolute terror.

Sitting in the driver's seat was a towering, massive man. He was built like an absolute fortress. His broad shoulders and thick chest completely filled out the front seat of the SUV, making the huge vehicle look small around him. He sat like a giant carved out of solid stone, his thick neck leading up to a rugged, square jawline set in a lethal, stoic line.

It was Karius Hidalgo.

The star hockey co-captain. The silent, terrifying protector of the team.

He was six-foot-four of pure, heavy muscle. He wore a simple, functional dark flannel shirt left unbuttoned over a fitted dark Henley that stretched tightly across his barrel chest. A faint, jagged scar sat right above his left eyebrow, making his rugged face look even more terrifying in the dim dashboard light. On his left wrist was a worn, dark leather wristband, contrasting with his fair skin and the light dusting of freckles across his broad shoulders. His dark ash brown hair was cut short and military-neat, slightly damp at the tips.

Right now, his deep forest green eyes were fixed directly on me. They were hooded, unreadable, and colder than the storm raging outside the windows.

"I... I..." I stammered, my mouth opening and closing as I cowered against the door panel. "I'm... I'm sorry..."

"Did you just yank my car door open?" Karius asked. His voice was low, heavy, and rumbling, vibrating straight through the leather seats and into my spine. "Who gave you permission to climb into my vehicle?"

"I'm sorry!" I gasped, clutching the front of my oversized hoodie with soaking wet hands. "I... I just needed to hide... there are people outside..."

"Get out," Karius grunted. His dark forest green eyes narrowed as he looked down at my drenched sweater, my baggy jeans, and my muddy sneakers dripping water all over his pristine floor mats. "You're getting water all over my leather."

"Please," I choked out, my throat constricting tightly. My chest felt like it was being crushed by a physical weight. I couldn't draw in a full breath of air. "Please, just... just give me two minutes! There are students out there with cameras... they're following me..."

Karius didn't move an inch. He slowly shifted his massive frame, turning sideways in his seat to face me directly. His sheer size was suffocating. His broad shoulders completely blocked out what little light was filtering through the rain-slicked windshield.

"I don't give a single shit about your cameras," Karius said, his voice deadly calm and utterly cold. "I asked you a question. Who the fuck are you, and why are you dripping rain on my seats?"

He leaned in closer, his sharp green eyes scanning my face behind my thick, rain-spotted glasses. His strong jaw tightened, his brow furrowing slightly as he studied my features.

"Wait," Karius muttered, his deep tone shifting from dark irritation to cold, sudden recognition. "You're that girl. Cassy. Hendrix's girl."

Hearing that name felt like a serrated blade plunging directly into my chest and twisting.

"Don't..." I wheezed, my hand flying to my collarbone as my throat closed up completely. "Don't... don't call me that... I'm not... I'm not his anything..."

"You're the one who caused a scene on the arena floor," Karius said, his dark green eyes locked tightly onto mine. "The one who slapped him in front of thousands of people."

"He humiliated me!" I tried to yell, but my voice cracked violently, coming out as a weak, desperate choke. Fresh tears rushed into my eyes, burning my cheeks as they mixed with the rain on my skin. "He... he proposed to Portia... right in front of me... after two whole years of hiding me..."

My lungs locked up entirely. The air refused to enter my chest. I began to hyperventilate, my body twitching as I took rapid, shallow, useless gasps. My vision swirled with dark spots, the cabin spinning around me as severe panic completely took over my body.

"Hey," Karius said, his deep voice dropping an octave, losing a fraction of its harsh edge. "Hey, breathe."

"I... I can't..." I gasped, my fingers clawing at my neck. "I can't... breathe..."

"Stop hyperventilating, Cassy," Karius commanded, leaning in even further.

His heavy, warm breath fanned across my cold, rain-chilled cheek. He smelled overwhelmingly like cold ocean air, clean soap, and dark cedarwood.

"Look at me," Karius growled softly, his large hand coming up to hover near my face without touching me yet. "Look at my eyes. Take a breath, damn it."

"I... I'm going to..." I stuttered, my stomach violently twisting into a tight, agonizing knot.

The overwhelming shock of Hendrix's betrayal, the public humiliation, the freezing rain, and the terrifying reality of being trapped inside a blacked-out luxury car with the most intimidating hockey player on campus proved to be too much for my body to handle. My stomach revolted instantly.

"What?" Karius asked, reaching out to grab my shoulder. "What's wrong with—"

Before he could finish his sentence, my body completely surrendered.

I let out a harsh, gagging gasp and vomited directly onto his chest.

The warm, sickening mess splashed straight across his dark flannel shirt and his clean dark Henley underneath, dripping down the heavy fabric and pooling over his lap.

The inside of the Maybach fell into absolute, suffocating silence.

I froze in pure horror, my mouth hanging open, my eyes wide behind my tortoiseshell glasses.

Karius completely froze, too.

His massive body went rigid as granite. He slowly lowered his head, staring down at his ruined designer clothing, then slowly raised his dark forest green eyes back up to mine. His square jaw clenched so hard I heard the joint pop in the quiet cabin. The faint scar above his left eyebrow twitched violently.

"Did you..." Karius breathed out, his voice dropping into a dangerously low, animalistic growl from deep within his barrel chest. "Did you just throw up on me?"

"I'm... I'm so sorry!" I shrieked softly, pure terror gripping every single muscle in my small body. I frantically reached out with my wet, trembling hands to try to wipe the mess off his chest. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to! I'm so sick, I'm so sorry—"

"Don't fucking touch it!" Karius snapped.

Before I could pull my hands back, Karius's huge, calloused hand shot out like a striking viper.

His massive fingers wrapped around both of my thin wrists at the exact same time, locking around my skin like a pair of solid steel handcuffs. His grip was insanely tight, firm, and completely immovable, trapping both of my hands together in mid-air right above his chest. He yanked my wrists closer to him, pinning me directly in place.

"Karius, please!" I gasped, my hazel eyes wide with sheer panic.

His physical presence was completely overwhelming. He leaned over me, his massive six-foot-four frame trapping me against the passenger door. His breathing was heavy, thick, and ragged against my face. The sheer, intense physical heat radiating off his massive body cut straight through the freezing chill of my rain-soaked sweater.

"Look at me," Karius growled, his deep voice vibrating straight through my trapped wrists.

I stared into his intense, unblinking green eyes, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. My breath hitched as his thick thumb rubbed hard against the sensitive pulse point on my inner wrist, feeling my racing heartbeat.

"You broke into my car," Karius said, his voice dropping into a harsh, possessive whisper that sent a strange, electric shiver down my spine. "You soaked my custom leather seats. You threw up on my clothes."

"I... I didn't mean to..." I whimpered, trembling beneath his heavy, dominating weight. "I was having a panic attack... please, let me go..."

"And on top of all that," Karius continued, ignoring my plea completely, his sharp gaze shifting away from my face to look at the passenger side mirror. "I heard that metal screech when you grabbed my door handle."

My throat went dry. "What?" I squeaked.

Karius released one of my wrists, keeping his unbreakable grip on the other. He used his free hand to reach over and adjust the side mirror so the ambient yellow parking lot light hit the side of his SUV.

Through the rain-slicked window, the long, ugly, jagged white gouge in his custom matte black paint job was glaringly visible. It ran halfway down the length of the passenger door, ruined beyond repair.

Karius's jaw clenched tightly. A dark, terrifying smirk touched his lips—a look full of pure dominance and dangerous intent.

"That's custom matte paint," Karius growled, his deep forest green eyes snapping back to mine with absolute focus. He tightened his grip on my remaining wrist, pulling me a fraction of an inch closer until our noses were almost touching. "That paint job costs more than your entire tuition for a whole semester."

"I... I can't pay for that!" I sobbed, fresh tears welling up in my eyes. "I don't have any money! I spent everything I saved on... on..."

"On Hendrix?" Karius sneered, his tone dark and full of contempt. "That gullible, arrogant asshole isn't here to save you now, Cassy."

Hearing my name roll off his tongue in that low, possessive growl made my core tighten with a sudden, confusing burst of heat.

"Please, Karius," I begged, my shaky breath fanning across his lips. "Let me out. I'll get a second job. I'll pay you back every single week, I swear to god!"

"You think I'm just going to let you walk away after you trashed my ride and threw up on my chest?" Karius chuckled, a dark, low sound that vibrated against my skin.

He leaned back just enough to reach the center console with his broad hand.

His thick finger slammed down on the master door lock button.

A loud, heavy mechanical thud echoed through the Maybach as every single door locked tight.

Before I could even scream, Karius grabbed the gear shift, threw the SUV into drive, and slammed his heavy foot straight down on the gas pedal.

The powerful twin-turbo engine let out a deep, thunderous roar, shaking the entire frame of the vehicle as the Maybach shot forward, peeling out of the VIP parking lot and tearing into the dark, rain-soaked night.

"Karius! What are you doing?" I screamed, grabbing his forearm with my free hand. His muscles felt like solid iron beneath my fingers. "Where the fuck are you taking me?"

Karius didn't even look at me. His forest green eyes were fixed strictly on the dark road ahead, his strong jaw set like stone as he steered the heavy vehicle through the blinding storm with one hand.

"You ruined my ride, Cassy," Karius said, his deep, stoic voice filling the locked cabin with absolute authority. "You're coming with me. And you aren't leaving until you pay for every single cent of damage you just caused."