Page 104 of Gabriel
What is he doing here? I glance at the clock. Soccer practice must have just ended, but it doesn’t explain why he’s here. Or why he’s heading straight for me.
His expression is dark. Angry. My stomach drops, and I quickly scan the room. No one seems to have noticed his arrival. Either that, or they don’t care.
He’s dressed in a pair of loose-fitting jeans and one of the University’s navy blue hoodies. A wolf is outlined in white and neon green, with the school’s crest taking up most of the center. His hair is damp. Freshly showered. Which means he came here immediately after leaving the locker room. But why?
What can he possibly want with me?
My breath catches in my throat, panic rising up inside me with each step that brings him closer. I try to get my legs to move, to run the opposite way, but they refuse to obey me.
Frozen in place, I hold my breath as Parker draws closer, his dark blue eyes locking onto mine.
His lips curl into a sinister sneer, and a shiver runs down my spine. A thousand questions swirl in my mind. What does he want? Why is he so angry? How do I get myself out of this?
Despite all of my questions, I have no answers.
My heart races, and my palms grow damp with sweat. My chest tightens, and all of a sudden I feel exposed in my conservative one-piece swimsuit. The urge to cover my body, to hide, sweeps through me, but worse is the desperate need to run fast and far away. Only, I can’t. My feet refuse to move. It’s like the wires have short-circuited inside my brain.
I feel like I’m drowning on dry land and any moment I’m going to black out and Parker will be free to do whatever he wants to me.
The memories of that night come rushing to the forefront of my mind. I can’t escape them.
What. Does. He. Want?
As he approaches, his voice reaches my ears, a low and mocking tone that sends a fresh wave of fear down my spine. “For someone so small,” he snarls, his words dripping with malice. “You’re turning into a big fucking problem.”
I open my mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. My voice abandons me, leaving me mute and defenseless.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
He steps even closer, his presence overwhelming. “You’re fucking up soccer for me,” he growls, circling me like a predator closing in on its prey. “You’re messing with my future.”
Every fiber of my being screams at me to run, to cry out for help, but I’m paralyzed. My fear has taken hold of me, renderingme powerless. All I can think about is when he and the others shoved me to my knees. How he shoved his cock into my mouth while Austin held my arms behind my back. How he violated me.
“Hey! Back the hell up,” a woman bites out, and both Parker and I jerk in her direction. One of the team swimmers climbs out of the pool and approaches us, tearing her goggles and swim cap from her head.
“Are you deaf or some shit?” she snaps, her gaze trained on Parker. “Or are you just an asshole? I told you to back off. No girl wants you up in her personal space like this.”
Parker scowls, but doesn’t bother giving her his attention. “Walk away. This doesn’t concern you.”
She scoffs, “Pass,” and moves closer until she’s standing so close that if she takes one more step, she’ll be smack dab between us. Her proximity forces him to pay attention to her now. “Back the fuck off, or we’re going to have a problem.” Her voice is even. Sure. She doesn’t have to raise it to get her point across. You can hear the threat in her tone, or at least, I do.
My breathing becomes ragged. She shouldn’t have said that. I don’t know what Parker will do, but I can’t imagine it’ll be anything good.
With exaggerated slowness, Parker turns his face toward her. “Who the hell?—”
Everything happens so fast. One second, Parker is towering over me. We’re near the edge of the pool but a safe enough distance away that no one is going to accidentally fall in. Then the next second, he’s tipping over the edge, exhaling a harsh note of surprise.
The girl shoves him hard and fast, seemingly out of nowhere.
Parker loses his balance and his body careens over the ledge, colliding with the surface of the pool at an awkward angle. The water sucks him under and rushes over his head.
Holy shit! I stand there frozen and wide-eyed, watching the water lap over him. Did she just?—
I turn to look at her.
She stares down at the water, a satisfied smirk on her face.
Oh no. This is bad. Really bad.
Parker resurfaces and sputters out an angry curse. “You fucking bitch. You’re going to pay for that.”
