[SEASON TWO] Babysitting the Bad Boy of Kingsburg College

Anna

“Lift your fists higher,” Ash instructs. “Don’t leave your face open. Yeah,” His voice rumbles low against my ear when I do as he says, a raspy growl. “Good girl.”

I choke, twisting in his arms, but his grip on my wrists is firm where he holds them in place in front of me, and I can’t move enough to get a good look at his expression.

“Don’t stop now,” he murmurs in my ear from behind me. “You’re so close.”

He’s doing this on purpose. He must be, with his chest pinned against my back and his hands gripping my wrists, making me blush so hot I’m sure he can feel it.

He just likes messing with me, I know it. And I’m not going to let him find out it’s working.

“Like this?” I ask as calmly and professionally as I can, holding my fists in front of my face.

“Better.” Suddenly he lets go, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Hello?”

I watch as he turns, stalking out of the living room in the suite we share. And just like that, he vanishes into his room, slamming the door behind him.

I stare after him where I stand in my tank top and sweatpants in the middle of the floor, waiting for him to come back to our lessons. It’s Friday of my second week at Kingsburg, and he hasn’t tried to do anything crazy since we got back from the retreat, so maybe I’m getting a little comfortable.

Maybe that’s why I stand there patiently as one minute passes. Then several more. Getting bored and a little tired, I drop onto the sofa as I wait.

Who could even be calling him? His father? Whoever it is, it must be important. Important enough for him to interrupt our lesson and vanish in the middle of it, anyway.

But after ten minutes of waiting and he still hasn’t returned, I’m getting impatient. I head for his room and pause at the door, about to knock, when it swings open.

Ash stands in front of me, completely changed, and carrying a backpack. He looks like he’s about to go on a trip, I realize with shock.

“Hey! What happened to our lesson?” I ask as he pushes past me. “Where are you going?”

“Out,” he says simply, and the tone of his voice tells me he doesn’t want to talk about it.

Well, too bad. I’m his babysitter. And that means he needs to keep me informed, unless I want him to do something dangerous and lose me my scholarship.

“Hey, wait! Tell me where you’re going,” I demand as he presses the elevator call button. “You can’t just vanish.”

His eyes are dark and angry, his shoulders tense in his dark jacket, and if I didn’t know better, I might actually be afraid of him when he turns and glares at me. “Watch me, babysitter.”

I scoot into the elevator after him just before the doors close, and he glares at his phone instead of talking to me all the way down to the parking garage. When we get to his car—because I’m not letting him out of my sight—he doesn’t even look up. Just climbs in his side.

I wait there expectantly, assuming he’s going to unlock the passenger door, but the engine starts, and he still doesn’t open it.

My heart lurches, sinking into my stomach.

No. No way!

I knock on the window. “Hey! Hey, Ash! What are you doing? You can’t leave me—”

The engine revs in response, making me jump back.

Right. So much for that.

“Ash!” I yell, but it doesn’t matter. He’s already pulling away.

I have no way to track him. No way to know where he’s running off to. Everything was going so well, then he got a mysterious phone call, and now he’s gone.

Just like that, I’m left standing in the empty, echoing garage.

I wait a few minutes, half-expecting him to return, but he doesn’t. It’s just me and my lonely footsteps in here, echoing on the concrete.

At least I have my room key. I head back upstairs, grabbing my phone and sending him a barrage of angry messages when I get there.

Ash

I glare down at my phone as I lean back in the plane seat. I know better than to get my hopes up this time. Maybe that’s why I’m angry. I’m angry that my damn brother vanished, angry that everyone else believes he’s dead.

Everyone but me.

Because I know it’s a lie. It has to be.

They gave up too easily, and maybe that’s what he wanted, maybe he wanted to be left alone, but if so—if so, I’m going to find that jerk brother of mine and when I see him, I’m going to punch him straight in his stupid asshole face for what he’s put us through. Losing my stepdad was bad enough. Jared and I may only be half-brothers, but he’s the only brother I have, and I loved that jerk and trusted him more than anyone else in this damn world.

And then he faked his own death and vanished.

I know. I know I sound like I’m holding out hope, like I’m the one who’s crazy here, like I’m the one who’s mistaken.

Nobody else believes it. Nobody else believes he faked it, but they’re wrong. He’s alive.

That’s why I’ve got a private investigator on the case. And the lead they found may not be much, but it’s something.

That’s why I’m flying to Denver. It’s probably a false start just like every other false start, but I don’t give a damn. I’d drop everything for a chance to punch my stupid asshole brother in the face and tell him what he’s done to our mother.

And to me.

I miss the hell out of him, but that’s not all. Because he’s gone, I have to take his place. It’s not just my damn father’s expectations I have to bear now—it’s Mother’s, too.

Two different worlds, and I’m stuck in between.

My phone rings again, but this time it isn’t the private investigator. It’s not Anna or my father, either. It’s the police.

“What’s up?” I ask as I answer, glancing at the pilot where he’s working on his takeoff checklist or something up front.

“We have an update regarding the hidden cameras you reported recently,” comes the voice of a female officer on the other end. “We haven’t made any arrests, but we’re currently investigating a potential involvement with a larger trafficking ring. We’ll keep you posted as things develop.”

I stare blankly out the window at the bright, beautiful day beyond. It isn’t until I’ve thanked the officer and hung up that I process what she just said.

“Fucking hell,” I mutter under my breath. Standing up, I wave to the pilot. “Hang on. Delay the takeoff.”

I don’t want Anna with me right now. The last thing I need is my little shadow following me around and asking questions I don’t want to answer. Nobody knows I’ve hired a private eye, not even my mother. Especially not my mother. I don’t need her finding out I still don’t believe Jared is dead.

I don’t want to hurt Mother by bringing it up, and even more than that, I don’t want her to try to stop me. The last thing I need is her telling me I’m crazy.

Because maybe I am crazy.

I don’t need anyone finding out about my crazy hunt for my brother, but I can’t let Anna stay on campus by herself with that motel creep still on the loose. Not when the situation could be so much bigger than we knew.

What if the trafficking ring wants revenge?

I open my messenger app, and there’s already several texts from her waiting. I can’t help but smirk as I read the most recent one.

Anna: Seriously, where are you? Do I have to call your father? Because I will, you know!

Leaning back casually on the seat, one arm over the back, I snap a photo. I make sure to get a bit of the airport in view out the window. Then I send it to her.

Along with the address.