He gave in and said yes.
But there were conditions.
He told me he would be meeting Jacob before the date and waiting up for me to come home, and if I was home even a second later than ten, he was beating the shit out of my date.
His words, not mine.
I agreed. Deep down inside I liked that Rake was looking out for me, so I never argued when he placed rules on me. I was a young girl with no father and a mother who didn’t give a shit, so when Rake cared, I needed that.
He met with Jacob before my date, and I could tell he didn’t like him. But me, being young, idealistic, and naïve, thought he was a great guy. We went to dinner and the movies, and then he dropped me back at my house. The problem was, we came home early. Rake was expecting us at ten, and we were home at nine. What I didn’t know was, Rake was seeing a girl of his own and was planning on coming home by nine thirty to make sure he was here to see that I was home safely. So when Jacob walked me to the door and asked to come in for a drink, I didn’t think anything of it. I’d called for Rake when we’d walked through the house but soon realized we were alone. I got him his drink and we sat on the couch, where he kissed me. I was okay with the kissing. It was when his hands went wandering that I told him no, I wasn’t ready. But the bastard didn’t listen. Rake came home just in time to stop something that could have been a hell of a lot worse than it was. Still, he blamed himself for not being there earlier. I remember just being happy I still had my virginity.
As if sensing someone watching him, Jacob turns and looks in my direction.
At me.
He studies me for a few tense moments, grins slowly. Not a friendly grin. No, more like a leer.
Yep—he saw me.
Fuck.
Creepy bastard.
“Who’s that guy you’re staring at?” Arrow rumbles from behind me.
I turn around, putting my back to Jacob. “No idea.”
“Then why you fuckin’ watching him?” he asks, narrowing his eyes.
“Maybe I think he’s good-looking,” I manage to get out, the words tasting like acid on my tongue.
Arrow stares at Jacob, but I don’t turn around to see if Jacob is staring back. If he was smart he wouldn’t, but he’s not. At least, he never used to be.
“Will Rake know who he is?” he finally asks. “I don’t like the way he’s looking at you right now.”
Shit.
I start to feel panicked. “Please, don’t tell him, Arrow. Rake will kill him! Do you want my brother to go to jail?”
Arrow crosses his arms over his chest and leans down. “Who you really protecting here, Anna? Your brother or that preppy-looking dickhead?”
I huff. “Definitely not the dickhead. Trust me on that.”
“Well, then you better get talking,” Arrow says, waiting patiently.
I sigh, knowing he isn’t going to let this go. “Did Rake tell you about Jacob? The guy who didn’t know no was no . . .”Arrow takes a few steps in Jacob’s direction. I put my hand on his chest, my eyes pleading with him. “Don’t, Arrow. It was years ago. Like ten years. He’s probably still pissed Rake kicked his ass.”
My voice sounds doubtful to even my own ears.
“How far did it go, Anna?” Arrow asks through clenched teeth. His chest is heaving slightly, and I can tell he wants to go over there.
I lick my lips. “He didn’t rape me. He put his hand . . .”
Arrow cups my face. “He touched you with his fingers?”
I nod, looking down, but Arrow lifts my face up. “Don’t be embarrassed, darlin’, you did nothing wrong. That fucker clearly doesn’t know how to treat a girl, and that no means fuckin’ no under any fuckin’ circumstance.”
“It was a long time ago, but I don’t want to face him and I don’t want to make a scene, so can we please just go?”
Arrow stares behind me. “He’s the one making a scene. He should have fled the moment he recognized you.”
He didn’t want to let it go.
I grab ahold of his bicep. “Please, Arrow.”
He sighs and scrubs a hand down his face. “Get in the car, okay?”
I slide in. When he closes the door behind me, I know.
He isn’t letting it go.
I watch from the window nervously as he walks right up to Jacob and punches him.
Right in the nose.
Jacob holds his face in his hands, blood spurting everywhere. The men Jacob is with don’t step in. They take one look at Arrow and take a step backward.
Arrow says something to him, then walks back toward the car.
Jacob lifts his head and looks through the window, right at me. He can’t see me, because of the darkness and the tinted windows, but I feel like he can. My body shivers, and I watch him as his friends help him up and they leave the parking lot.
Good fucking riddance.
Arrow leans back on the car and lights a cigarette.
I open my mouth and then close it again. How can he act so casual after that?
“Who’s the guy Arrow hit?” Tracker asks, making me jump. I didn’t even realize he was in the car. I turn my head to see Lana, who has fallen asleep against Tracker—who is staring at me with an amused raised eyebrow. It pisses me off; he does not get to be amused right now.
“Some dickhead that Rake doesn’t need to know about,” I murmur.
Tracker chuckles. “Rake will find out; we don’t keep shit from each other.”
I grit my teeth, then turn the tables on him.