Blackmailed by Her Bully Page 8

  The snap had been instant. Staring at it now, Logan knew there was no getting away from it. Something had gone on between Luke and Ava.

  Why would one of his best friends send pictures like this?

  More importantly, why would Ava scribble out Luke’s face or deface them in any way?

  The answer had to be right in front of him, but there was no way to see it.

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Come in,” he said, gathering up the pictures and putting them back into the box.

  “It’s nice to see you up and all,” Luke said. “What happened to the nights you were passed out cold?”

  “I’m not a teenager anymore. I can handle my liquor. What do you want?”

  “What? A friend can’t come and see an old friend?”

  “I know you, Luke. You have the pick of maids, and rather than getting your dick wet, you’re here talking to me. Are you wanting to suck my dick?”

  “Hardly. You should get your resident whore to do it.”

  “I don’t have one.”

  “Please, you’re still pining after Ava when she did what she did. Reporting you for sexual assault, when let’s face it, the girl was probably begging for you to touch her.”

  Logan thought about the time in the classroom. It was the last time before he’d been arrested. He’d done a jail term for the accusations thrown at him, and he’d been put on the offenders’ register, and for five years after leaving prison, he had to report to his case worker. That hadn’t been too hard, not after he’d earned his way to the top of the food chain. He’d still been kicked out of town he’d grown up in, and asked not to have any contact with Ava Marshall.

  His father had the best lawyers at the time.

  Everything he and Ava had done, she’d been a willing participant. Knowing what she had said, it had driven him to have power, wealth, and people afraid of him.

  Luke liked to think he ran the show, but he couldn’t wave his hand and have a man kill at his whim.

  Logan could.

  The money was all his.

  People didn’t fear Luke. He was a small fish in an ocean full of sharks.

  “Do you still have the hots for this girl?” Luke asked. “I mean, I figured your tastes would have improved.”

  “Ava is exactly where I want and need her to be. Why are you in my room?” he asked.

  “I was wondering if your sharing spirit was high on your list today.”

  “Sharing?”

  “You know, I could have Ava for the day. You could pass her around. I’m sure Riley and Marvin would love to have a turn with her.”

  “You want to fuck her.”

  “I want to hear her beg. I know what she did to you, remember? What she did to all of us.”

  “None of you had your life taken away. You all had your lives. You left town, but you could have stayed.”

  “We’re your friends.”

  “I’ve already got plans with Ava today. It’s time the town saw how afraid she is of me, or how not afraid, depending on your point of view. You can amuse yourself with whatever and whomever you see fit.”

  “You think you can just boss me around now, is that it?”

  “I don’t think I can do anything, Luke. This is my house. This is my call. I told you that. You got a problem with how I handle things, I can have you back in your cozy little apartment within the hour.” He stepped up close to Luke. He was taller, stronger, and bigger than Luke. “Do not interfere with my plans.”

  “I do have another question,” Luke said, as Logan went to the door.

  “What?”

  “How far did you want Grant to go?”

  “What do you know about Grant?”

  “I know a great deal. Everything you’ve done to manipulate this point in time is not very hard to see.”

  “Grant was used for leverage.”

  “Did you want him to fuck her?” Luke asked.

  “I told Grant to get me what I needed. Ava, she wouldn’t want her sex life on camera. Not after what she accused me of. I knew it would be the only way I’d get leverage over her. Your point?”

  “I was wondering if you knew he fucked her in the ass?”

  Logan stared at his friend, and it was like he was seeing him for the first time. There were only two people who would know what Grant had done. One of them was Grant, and he wasn’t there yet. Logan didn’t want Ava to have to confront her past just yet. That would all come soon enough. Grant had told him what he’d done. It hadn’t been caught on tape. He’d gone to her house and things had gotten out of control.

  The only other person was Ava herself, and seeing as the two hadn’t had contact in twelve years before yesterday, Logan knew for a fact Luke had visited her.

  “Why do you care?”

  “I knew how much you wanted to be her first. You couldn’t have her pussy. I bet she hadn’t been a virgin for a long time, but her ass, that could have been your little cherry.”

  “Get out,” Logan said.

  “Have I hit a nerve?”

  “I said get out,” Logan said.

  Luke held his hands up. “It’s just a little fun between friends, right? I’ll go. No need to shoot the messenger.”

  Logan waited for Luke to go before heading toward the security room.

  Hunter was there, drinking a coffee.

  “How long have you been here?” he asked.

  “Ten minutes. I figured I’d come and check on a few things. None of the men had reported anything.”

  Logan didn’t see a reason to have a man on the cameras twenty-four seven. He’d installed the security out of curiosity and a precaution.

  He didn’t have them in any room.

  There was some privacy. The corridors, main hallway, dining room, and his study each had a camera. He’d also installed a few into the library.

  Finding the screen with Ava’s door, he rewound the footage.

  He stopped as he watched Luke coming out of her room, smiling as he did. Checking the time, he rewound the tape showing his friend had been in the room for ten minutes.

  “Why is Luke sneaking around your house to go and see Ava?” Hunter asked.

  “I want you to bring the sheriff to me. Make sure Luke, Riley, and Marvin are gone by the time I return. I need to clarify a few things.”

  Getting to his feet, he walked out of the room.

  He couldn’t go throwing accusations at Luke, not when he didn’t know the full reasons for it. Luke had never turned his back on him, and he wasn’t about to accuse him of shit he didn’t know.

  Heading to Ava’s room, he unlocked the door, and she stood in the bathroom doorway, staring at him.

  She was pale.

  “We’re going out. Come on.”

  “Can I leave?” she asked.

  “We’re about to leave.”

  “What do I have to do to earn my freedom from you? To stop you from sending out the tapes of my parents and myself?”

  He stopped and stared at her. “Do you really want to know?”

  “Yes.”

  He stared at her. She was shaking, but he wouldn’t allow himself to care.

  She was a first-class bitch, and he had to stop seeing the girl from his past and realize this woman tried to ruin his life.

  “You’ll know all in good time.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her from the room.

  “Logan, you’re hurting me.” He got to the end of the stairwell. Shoving her up against the wall, he wrapped his fingers around her throat. He didn’t like being lied to, and he certainly didn’t like to have liars near him.

  “This is not a vacation for you. You don’t get to scream and beg, or make demands. You’re here for me. For what I require of you. If that means prancing around naked, you’ll do it. If it means getting on your knees and sucking my dick, you’ll do it. No matter what I demand, you will give it to me, am I understood?”

  “And if I don’t?” she asked.

  He smiled. “Ava, you
seem to think I’m the guy you knew from high school, the one who didn’t really hurt you. Pushed you around a little bit but helped you when you fell. Gave you your first kiss. You seem to think that’s me. It’s not. It’s not me. It will never be me. You destroyed any chance you had of ever seeing that guy again. You want to push this, then you will get to see the real monster you created, and once he’s out, you better fucking run.”

  He grabbed her arm again and dragged her downstairs. His men moved out of the way as he hauled her out of the house and toward his car. No one made a move to stop him. He could start hitting her, beating the shit out of her, and no one would move a muscle. They were his men, and he’d told them not to intervene. This was between him and Ava, and now he had a feeling the sheriff had some explaining to do.

  “Try anything funny and I’ll give you to my friends for an afternoon of fun.” He slammed the car door, walking around to the driver’s side.

  He climbed in.

  “Please, Logan, let me go.”

  She shook, and he ignored it.

  Starting the car, he pulled out of the driveway and headed right into town.

  “What is going on?”

  “You better get yourself together. If you don’t convince them how happy you are with me, I release the tapes.”

  “You release the tapes, you don’t have any leverage over me.”

  “I’ve still got another one of you begging me to touch you. Try to beat me at my own game, Ava, you will lose.”

  She sat back down, and he drove into town.

  “There’s a brush in the drop-down. Do something with your hair. Look decent at least.”

  “While we’re in town, I want my toothbrush.”

  “We’ll make a stop at your house before heading back.” It was on the tip of his tongue to call it home, but he stopped himself. It wasn’t their home, or even his home.

  Gripping the steering wheel, he pulled outside of the diner. There were already people there enjoying the morning breakfast.

  “If you try anything in here other than the pleasure of my company, you’ll be with Luke within the hour.”

  “I won’t try anything.”

  Again, more questions. He wondered what she’d say if he offered her to Hunter.

  “Wait.” He climbed out of the car, rounded the vehicle to her side, and held the door open, offering her his hand.

  She took it, and he felt the tremors of her body.

  He gripped her hand tightly as they entered the diner.

  There were a few private booths in the back, but he had no use for them. The idea was to be seen.

  Sitting at the table in the center of the room, he pulled out Ava’s chair before taking one himself. Picking up the menu, he already knew he was having the waffles.

  “People are staring.”

  “Of course they are. You’re sitting with the guy you accused of hurting you,” Logan said. “You don’t look very afraid to me.”

  “You’re doing this on purpose.”

  “I’m doing what I need to do. You’re just the price I’ve got to pay in order to do it.”

  The waitress came to the table, and he reached over, plastering a huge smile on his face as he gripped Ava’s hand.

  “Hi, hot coffee for me and my friend here. Waffles, two plates, extra syrup.”

  “Logan Stanford, it has been an age since I’ve seen you,” the waitress said. “Rebecca Driver. We took sex ed together.”

  “Ah, I remember.” He didn’t have a fucking clue. Ava had been in the same class, and he used to love watching her blush. He didn’t need to know how sex worked. You bagged your dick, fucked the girl, and never during her time of the month, unless you had a blood fetish. He didn’t.

  “How have you been? What have you been up to?”

  “Please, I’m kind of on a date right now.”

  Rebecca looked toward Ava, who failed to even smile. Ava lifted her free hand as if to wave.

  “Oh, right. Yes, of course.” She laughed. “Waffles and coffee coming right up.”

  “The gossip train will be flowing tonight,” he said.

  “Didn’t you go out with Rebecca?” Ava asked.

  “Not that I can remember.”

  “Just ’cause you can’t remember it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. I’m sure you did.”

  “There were a lot of girls I fucked in high school. It passed the time.” He lifted her hand and pressed kisses against her knuckles.

  She looked so miserable.

  “You better start acting or tape number one will come out to play.”

  She started to smile and lean in close. “You’re not going to win this.”

  “I already am.”

  “You don’t know the whole truth.”

  “And what is that?” he asked.

  She moved in close, her lips going to his ear. “I didn’t report you to the sheriff, Logan. I had no reason to.”

  Logan pulled away, and he stared at her. “I saw the reports.”

  “They’re wrong. I reported Luke.” She pulled her hand away from him.

  In the nick of time Rebecca was back and pouring them coffee. “It is so good to see you. I was wondering if you’d like to go out sometime. Catch up.”

  Logan couldn’t remember if he’d slept with Rebecca or not. There had been girls in the past, but they’d been play toys. He’d not really wanted them, but he wasn’t going to tell a girl no when she was begging to suck his dick.

  Staring at Ava, he shouldn’t believe her, but she was sitting, smiling up at Rebecca, playing her part.

  He’d seen the reports.

  She had reported him.

  She’d accused him of rape, which he denied. He’d never hurt her. Why did she report Luke?

  Their waffles arrived, and Ava took her plate, biting into them.

  He noticed her trying to hide a knife in her pocket. Grabbing her wrist, he squeezed hard. “Don’t push it.”

  Chapter Six

  Twelve years ago

  Being a senior should have been fun.

  The final year of high school. Preparing for college. She already had several she wanted to apply to, and she been trying to prepare her request letters for the past couple of months. Her parents wanted her to be prepared and not to be floundering at the last possible minute.

  She had plans, and they weren’t to stay in Crow Valley.

  At her locker, she put her books away. She picked out the ones she’d need for the upcoming class as she heard a cry.

  Glancing across the corridor, she saw Logan, Riley, Marvin, and Luke, in a circle. They were the school bullies.

  They came and went as they pleased. Their parents were some of the richest in town, and if anyone spoke out about them, they were always getting away with everything.

  In the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but feel a little relieved it wasn’t her they were picking on. She’d borne the brunt of a few of their cruel tricks in the past week. She’d opened her locker to find tampons spilling out. Another time there had been condoms, and some of them had looked used. She wasn’t the only one though. Other people, the losers as the crew liked to call them, had all been on the receiving end of their bullying.

  Any other time, she’d walk away.

  She didn’t know why this time was any different. Sliding her books into her bag, she rushed toward where the crowd was cheering.

  There was a small gap, and she saw Dillon. He was a year younger than they were, with a face full of acne, and was short as well.

  People thought this was fun, bullying him?

  They’d poured what looked like acne cream all over him. Everyone was laughing as Luke shoved him down hard.

  “Enough!” She couldn’t take it.

  Shoving herself into the crowd, she stepped between Luke and Dillion.

  Why the fuck are you doing this?

  It’s not your fight.

  “Well, well, well, look at this. Little miss prim and proper has come to save
the young little pimple. What’s the matter, you see it as extra food?” Luke asked.

  “You’re disgusting.”

  “I’m disgusting? Why don’t you go and have a pie-eating contest where you’ll be the winner?”

  Ignoring him, she turned to Dillon, holding out her hand.

  She wasn’t exactly happy about what she was doing. She was freaking out inside, trying not to panic.

  Ava cried out as she was shoved hard and landed on Dillon. She tried to catch herself but was unable to. The ground was slippery from all the cream thrown at him.

  “Look at this, fatty and pimply. If they have kids I wonder if they pop?”

  A round of laughter ensued.

  “I’m sorry.” She scrambled to her feet hoping she’d not hurt Dillon. He was so small.

  She held out her hand, and Dillon took it.

  When Luke went to push her again, instinct took over, and she slammed all of her weight behind the shove she gave right back at him.

  He clearly wasn’t expecting it and ended up on his ass in the acne cream he’d done for Dillon.

  Grabbing Dillon’s hand, she didn’t wait around to see what the consequences were for sticking up for herself.

  When they were all clear and out in the yard, she turned to him.

  “You okay?”

  “You shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Push him or help you?”

  “Both.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “He’s going to be pissed, you know that, right?”

  “Oh, I know.” She took a deep breath. “Believe me, I know. I can handle myself, I hope. Are you okay?”

  ****

  Present day

  After waffles, Logan made her sit with him as he finished up a second cup of coffee. People came and went. All the time, Ava felt their gazes on them.

  “That’s Logan Stanford.”

  “What’s he doing sitting with her?”

  “I knew it was all lies.”

  “That guy could have anyone. Why is he sitting with her?”

  When they left the diner, she expected them to go back to the car. Instead, he took her hand, and they headed down the street. “Where are we going?”

  “You have way too many questions.”

  “And you don’t have any answers.”