Page 15 of Save Me
Shit! Alarm bells hit me while I consider the meaning of those words. Is something wrong with her? Is she sick? Everything automatically clenches up inside of me and I instantly want to go and question her about it.
“He rang earlier, wanting to talk to you,” he whisper-shouts as he moves closer to her, all the while running his hands through his hair. He looks like a hot ball of anxiety and agitation. “What the hell was I supposed to say to him?”
“That I was in bed, at a friend’s house, make something up! You’re so good at lying to Mum, I’m sure you could have thought of an excuse!”
“We need to get you back now!” he replies, not taking any notice of what she’s saying before grabbing hold of her arm again. “I said you were in the bathroom so he might call back.”
“Then let him fucking call back! I’m not going until I’m good and ready.” She wiggles out of his grip and pulls away, far out of reach. “You got us into this mess, now you can damn well think of something while I still have the freedom to enjoy myself.”
“Beth!” the guy yells after her retreating form with clear desperation in his voice.
The way she turns on him, getting up in his face like his presence physically repulses her, has all of us widening our eyes in shock.
“Back the fuck off, Dad!” she growls, sounding low and threatening. “Let’s get one thing straight, I am doing this for Mum and Riley, not you. You lost your right to be my father this summer, so don’t come down here chucking your weight around like some pathetic child! I will do what was agreed but I will not be ordered around by you; do you understand me? You are no longer my father!”
“Beth…” The poor guy sounds beaten, like he’s about to burst into tears or get on his knees and beg. Though, from the sounds of it, he’d be wasting his breath.
“Fuck you very much, Mal!” she calls out from behind him and continues to walk over to Bodhi without another word or glance back. Her father sighs heavily, looking full of remorse, then gets back into the car.
“What dafuq?” Mikey’s eyebrows pop up as he voices what we’re all thinking.
As soon as Beth reaches Bodhi, he wraps his huge arms around her while she buries her head against his chest. He holds her in a parental fashion and brushes her hair in slow strokes while she falls apart within his embrace. My mind is loaded with about a thousand questions, but most of all, I want to be the one holding her.
Without further invitation or thought process, I jump to my feet, ready to go and investigate. However, the sound of two black Aston Martins pulling up into the parking lot, stops me in my tracks.
Rein pulls me back when two guys jump out of the one that is parked directly behind us, both of them looking like they are security guards, moody-looking bastards at that. They walk over to the second car and open the door, being careful not to look directly at the man who steps out with a determined frown. Unlike them, he’s dressed in an expensive-looking three-piece suit, looking like the dog’s cojones and being very much aware of his own importance. He must be around thirty, not much older, and is attractive for a dude, but wears a resting bitch face that is no doubt intended to intimidate all who he meets. Without uttering a single word, he juts out his chin toward the beach, silently ordering his staff to walk over to where Beth is currently still wrapped up inside of Bodhi’s arms.
Bodhi’s seen them already. I watch as he reluctantly reaches down and says something into Beth’s ear. Whatever he says has her instantly turning around to face the suit who is now waiting by the edge of the sand. The guy does not look impressed at all and remains staring back at her. She eventually pulls away from Bodhi’s body and stands with her back to his naked chest, still not breaking her gaze from the asshole who is standing not more than a few meters away from me.
I begin to think about how I could take him, noting how tall he is. That, and the fact that he must work out. I’m not much different so I figure it would be a fair fight. I know Rein and Matt would back me up with the security, but then I begin to wonder if they have weapons. With that in mind, I reluctantly decide to keep my head down.
Bodhi crosses his arms and scowls when the man crooks his finger toward Beth to silently summon her over. She looks over her shoulder at Bodhi, mutters something, then makes her way over to where the guy is standing. By the time she reaches him, my fists are instinctively clenched and ready to go.
“Miss Taylor,” the guy says softly, but with a hint of malice in his voice, “we’ve come to make sure you get home safely.”
He smiles and steps closer toward her, causing her to flinch. She sighs and looks to the ground, becoming a completely different person from the one she was with her father.
“My bag-” she begins, but he cuts her off with a wave of his hand, then signals to one of the security guards who has magically retrieved her possessions from the beach. “I came with a friend,” she says to him, sounding both quiet and sad. “I won’t leave him here.”
“Him?” His tone turns angry, and his clenched jaw does nothing to hide the fact that he is now deeply unimpressed, even more so than before. “I don’t need to remind you of the conditions, do I, Beth?”
“Relax, idiot!” Bodhi snaps. He’s now standing not two meters away from them, along with Kaiden, a guy from our school. “You don’t need to worry about him.”
“Bodhi,” suit says in greeting, though his words are clearly laced with contempt, “I trust he isn’t a threat to me or our arrangement?” Beth shakes her head quickly with Kaiden looking a little shell shocked and intimidated. “Fine, he may travel back with you. Put him in the car!”
The man gestures over to one of the security guards, pointing at Kaiden like he’s one of Beth’s possessions. Kaiden looks beyond confused but chooses to follow the guard over and gets into one of the black cars.
“Now, leave us, Bodhi,” suit orders, but refuses to take his eyes away from Beth. He eyes her up like she is his possession.
“I’ll leave when she says so, asshole,” he answers in true Bodhi fashion, but his usual carefree smirk is now replaced by a thunderous scowl. Rein and Matt look at me in shock; none of us have seen Bodhi react this way. It makes the situation feel all the more insidious. Suit looks at him with murderous intent, almost readying himself to beat the shit out of our surfer friend.
“It’s fine, Bodhi,” Beth says, swallowing hard as she looks over her shoulder at him, “I’ll be fine. Go back to the party and I’ll call you later. I promise.”
Bodhi eventually sighs before shaking his head in defeat.
“Ok, water baby,” he replies as he begins to step back, “make sure you do.”
Beth watches Bodhi amble across the sand before she eventually looks back up at the suit. She is clearly scared and feels intimidated by this man. He smiles smugly, looking self-congratulatory over his small victory, then sweeps a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. It looks almost affectionate and gentle, up until he grabs her wrist and yanks it up behind her back. Her body has no choice but to bend itself into his much bigger one.