Chapter 178
Lucca
My brain shuts off. All rational thinking is gone and replaced with pure unbridled rage. I shove the table aside like it weighs nothing. Carter jumps up from his seat, his eyes wide with fear like I’ve never seen. He knows what’s going to happen next. That’s why his hands go up to protect his face, but we both know it’s no use.
His hands will not stop me from beating the fuck out of him.
“Lucca, I swear-” he starts, but I cut him off with a fist to the face.
I’m vaguely aware of someone screaming. My anger is not only blinding, it is deafening as well. All I can think about is hurting the man who touched Claire. The man who took her innocence. The man who claimed a piece of her. A piece he didn’t deserve.
With one hand, I grab onto Carter’s shirt, holding him in place while I punch his face with the other. His arms flare out to defend himself, but I easily dodge him and continue my assault.
My heart beats against my ribcage furiously, blood pumping through my body at double speed. I feel someone’s hands on me, trying to pull me from Carter. I shrug the unknown person away, ignoring the constant screaming echoing through the room.
Only when I see a head of red hair out of the corner of my eye do I tear myself away from Carter. I glance to the ground beside me, my eyes falling on Claire, and I freeze. My fist stops mid air as if time itself pauses.
My vision adjusts back to reality as the fog of rage lifts from my ears and eyes.
Claire is sitting on the floor, cradling her arm to her chest like she is hurt. Her eyes are red, and her face is tear-stained.
“It’s not true,” she croaks. “I lied. I’m sorry, I lied… I lied.” She repeats it over and over again, almost frantically.
She lied. Her words sink in like a slow-moving creek.
“You and Carter…?”
“We’re just friends. I swear. He never touched me. No one has. I just said that to… I don’t even know,” she shakes her head, “make you jealous, I guess… It was stupid. Really stupid.”
While I’m still working on getting my ragged breathing under control, I swing my gaze back to Carter. His head lulls to the side, his face already swollen, and his lip and nose bloody.
Fuck.
I release his shirt, and he slumps back into the kitchen chair with a groan. Claire gets up from the floor and scurries past me to check on Carter. Her concern for him fuels my anger, like gasoline to a simmering flame.
“Leave him,” I growl, grabbing her arm to pull her back. “He is fine.”
“He is not fine!” She tries to pull away, but I don’t budge.
“He will be, and now you know what will happen to anyone who I think touched you, so don’t go around flirting because I will hurt them.”
“You’re a monster,” she spits out with venom dripping from her voice.
I curl my lip and give her the same ominous look she gives me. “You’re right, Claire. I am a monster, and I’m glad you finally see it.”
“I hate you,” she hisses. Her rage only turns me on. “Just leave again. Go wherever you’ve been hiding for the last two years and leave me be.”
“No can do, butterfly. Clearly, Carter cannot keep you safe. You’re coming with me. Go pack your bag,” I order.
“No! No fucking way are you doing this to me again. I’m not going with you. You can’t make me.”
I raise an eyebrow at her, and if I wasn’t still angry, I would probably laugh too. “We both know I can make you do whatever I want to.” At my threat, her body visibly shivers. I’m not completely certain if it’s from fear or something else.
“What about my parents? I can’t just leave. I’m about to start college. I won’t leave.” She keeps shaking her head as if she actually has a choice.
“I’ll call them on the way. Let’s go. Pack some stuff.”
“No!” She stomps her foot before trying to pull away from me once more. I tighten my grip on her arm, making her wince.
“Fine. No bag then.” I let go of her arm so suddenly, Claire stumbles forward.
As soon as she realizes she is free, she tries to make a run for it, but I’m faster. I scoop her off the ground and throw her over my shoulder. She beats her small fists against my back, which reminds me to teach her some self-defense when I get a chance.
I quickly carry her out to the car, hoping none of the neighbors are going to come out and try to stop me. I’d hate to be forced to kill someone else in front of Claire.
As gently as I can, I shove her into the front seat. “If you don’t stop fighting me, I’ll tie you up and stuff you in the trunk.
“You wouldn’t…” She looks at me wide-eyed and in disbelief before I see realization settle in. I would. I absolutely would.
Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she settles into the seat while I walk around and get into the driver’s seat.
“Where are we going?” she asks as soon as I pull out of the neighborhood.
“My place, in the city,” I explain.
“What city?”
“St. Louis.”
“St. Louis? What do we want there?”
“I live there. You’re staying with me from now on.”
“You can’t-” she stops herself from finishing, knowing that I can and will make it happen. She turns her head away from me, silently signaling that she is done talking to me for now.
The drive takes only an hour and a half. We spent the entire time in silence, which I was fine with at first, but once the anger about Claire lying to me passes, something else enters my mind. I can’t get the image of Claire coming all over my hand last night out of my head.
My cock strains to get free, pressing uncomfortably against the zipper. Claire squirms around in the seat next to me, and I wonder if she is thinking about it too. Of course, I don’t even know if she remembers last night, and I’m not about to ask.
When we finally pull up to my apartment complex, I feel relieved and somewhat excited to have Claire in my space. Glancing over at her pouting and staring daggers at me, I gather she feels anything but.
“Are you going to walk in there like a normal person, or do I have to throw you over my shoulder again?”
“What do you know about being normal?” She snorts.
“I know how to act normal. I’m great at it, or I would have been thrown in prison a long time ago.”
“That’s where you belong.”
“Probably, but I can’t protect you from a jail cell, so I’ll make sure I’ll stay out of it.”
“Great. I’ll walk inside. Like a normal person.” Claire opens her car door and steps out into the parking lot. I do the same, walking around the car quickly just in case she has the dumb idea to make a run for it.
Surprisingly, she lets me walk her into the building without problems. I unlock the door of my apartment and motion for her to step in. She walks in front of me, arms crossed in front of her chest and a frown plastered all over her face. She isn’t happy to be here, and she is going to be even less happy with what’s coming next.
Walking to the kitchen first, I open the fridge and grab some bottles of water and a protein shake. From the pantry, I snag some granola bars and an apple. With snacks in hand, I walk to my bedroom, passing a confused Claire on the way.
I dump the snacks on my bed and go back to the living room where Claire still stands awkwardly.
“Come on.” I take her wrist gently and tug her toward the hallway.
“What are we doing?” I don’t miss the slight nervous tone in her voice.
“I’m sure you want to lie down a little more. You must be tired.”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
“I’m fine,” she tells me, tugging her wrist away.
“Well, you’ll still rest for a little bit.” I pull her into my bedroom. “Drink a lot of water, eat some snacks.” I point at the bed. “Take a shower,” I say, pointing at the attached bathroom. “But most importantly, relax. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just taking care of something. Nothing to worry about,” I tell her, and before she has the chance to read too much into it, I leave the room.
Closing the door, I take out the key from my pocket and lock her in. She is not going to like this one bit, but this is for her safety. She’ll be safe in there. Safe from everything except me.