Page 42 of Hiding In the Dark (The Righteous 4)
“Hartley, come in here,” Coach called out as they moved passed his office on their way changing room to wash off the dirt and sweat of the game.
“I’ll meet you at the party,” she said to the other girls and peeled off to go see Coach. He closed the door and she took a seat, unable to stop the smile that was plastered on her face.
“That was a hell of a move you made out there.”
“Thanks, Coach.”
He picked up his pen off the desk and tapped his chin. “Have you considered your options for playing at the college level?”
“Not really.” Ashley lifted her shoulders and let them drop. “I love the game, but I don’t see myself playing outside of here.”
“I’d like you to consider it, Ashley. You have the talent to do really well at College and there are scholarships that will pay for your school, which I know you’re interested in.”
* * *
By the time she and Coach were done talking, the rest of the girls were getting dressed or already heading to the afterparty. She let the hot water of the shower soak into her shoulders as her whole body ached. She rolled out the shoulder that had taken a particularly nasty hit.
A soft thump echoed from the locker room area. She sucked in a gasp and pulled her head out of the water, her eyes searching the empty locker room for a cause. She needed to lay off the horror flicks because serial killer images were dancing behind her eyes. She stepped back under the spray but was unable to relax. Slapping off the tap, she grabbed her towel, wrapped it around her body, and shivered as she padded down the row of lockers toward hers.
Ashley stared at the bench and then at her locker. Where the hell were her clothes? She could’ve sworn she’d left them on the bench. She yanked open the metal locker, and it was void of everything. Her jacket and shoes, along with her purse, were all missing.
“What the hell?” She stepped back from the locker, her heart picking up pace.
“Missing something, Doll?”
Ashley let out a little scream as she jumped around to see Kes and a couple of the cheerleaders leaning casually up against a nearby locker. It was like they were fucking magic and able to appear out of thin air. The girls giggled their annoying, ‘I think I’m better than you because my daddy has money’ laughs as they held her clothes to their chests.
“What the hell, Kes? Can’t you let me have one good night? Give me back my clothes.” She tried for anger, but she was nervous for whatever it was they had planned. She’d known Kes and his creepy Stepford Wives long enough to know they wouldn’t be content simply taking her clothes.
“You really should learn to lock your locker, Doll.” He smirked, and she shivered for a whole different reason.
“And you really shouldn’t be in a girl’s locker room. I’m sure Coach would be pissed.”
Kes pushed away from the locker, and she stumbled back as he stalked toward her. His eyes were always intense, but the way they roamed over her legs and up to her eyes made him look more predatory than normal.
“Would he, though? I mean, Coach loves me, and I know you made a cute little play out there, but let’s face it, you’re not going to make his career. You’ll never be anything more than a high school memory for him.” Ashley sucked in a sharp breath as her back came into contact with the cool metal of the lockers. She gripped the front of the towel closed like it would somehow protect her. “While I’m one of the most sought-after quarterbacks to graduate this year. Who do you think he will believe?” Leaning against the locker with one forearm, he let his eyes flick down to her tightly-fisted towel. “I like this look.”
“Pervert.”
“Maybe.”
“What do you want, Kes?”
Kes leaned in close to her ear, the heat of his body pressing into hers, and she bit the inside of her lip hard so as not to moan with his closeness. He was a horrible person, and she was worse for wanting him. Her body always felt like it was on fire when he was near, like a lit wick being doused with accelerant—her gut clenched, and her blood seared in her veins.
“What I always want,” he said, the dimple in his cheek showing as the corner of his lip lifted. She swallowed hard as the girls ran for the door. All she could think was, ‘No, don’t leave me with him.’
Grabbing her by the arm, he held open her locker door with his other hand and her eyes went wide. “What are you doing?” She pulled hard on her arm, but he held her easily as he gave her a hard push into the stupidly wide locker, which she had thought was cool until that moment. Unable to grip the edge of the locker or fight back without letting go of the towel, she resorted to screaming like a banshee.
“Help, Coach!” she yelled, and it only made Kes laugh.
Panic clawed at her throat as he gave the door a hard shove and it slammed in her face. “No, no, no. Kes, please don’t do this. I’m claustrophobic.” Even as she begged, the sound of a lock clicking was loud in her ears.
“See you later, Baby Doll.”
Ashley could see his feet through the slats walking away, and then the room was plunged into darkness. Her fist hit the locker as she yelled hysterically. “Kes, come back. Please come back. Don’t leave me in here.”
The room was illuminated and then plunged once more into darkness as the door opened and closed, sealing her fate.
