Page 42 of I Don’t Need Your Protection (Harrington Bay Academy #1)

Addie

My friends and I are in Sophie and Raven’s room as we do our homework. We take breaks, watch some TV, and chat. We stay away from the topic of boys because it still hurts that Caleb brushed me away.

It’s close to nine when I leave their room. As soon as I shut the door behind me, I scan around for Caleb. But I don’t see him anywhere. He’s probably hiding behind a statue or something.

In my room, I plop down on my bed and stare at the ceiling. He’ll slip into my room in a second and then things will be awkward again. He always looks at me, but it’s hard for me to look at him. Because the second I do, I get all tingly.

My eyes narrow at the door after a few minutes pass and he doesn’t show.

That’s weird. Is he guarding outside because he doesn’t want to be in the same room as me?

My entire body sags at the thought. I really wish we could go back to when things were okay between us. When we had fun hanging out together.

But would he risk hiding in the hallway and getting caught? Does he not want to be around me that badly?

As I continue sitting on my bed, I decide something doesn’t feel right. He wouldn’t abandon me alone in my room all night, would he?

Getting to my feet, I go to the door and peek out. The hallway is basically empty as everyone is doing their own thing in their rooms. I squint as I try to check behind the statues and plants, but it’s impossible to see all of them from here.

With my eyebrows pinched, I shut the door, walk to my window, and peek out. There doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

Should I text him? Would that just annoy him?

But what if he’s in danger? Someone like Caleb wouldn’t be in danger—he’s the best at what he does. But then again, he’s only human.

Just as I reach for my phone, there’s a knock on my door. A huge sigh of relief seeps out of me. Maybe he forgot his key or something.

I open the door, expecting to see my bodyguard. My eyes go wide when I spot Hudson standing there.

He and I have barely interacted, so it’s very strange that he’s here. And after hours? What’s going on?

“You need to come with me,” he says. “Warner and Caleb got into a fight in the forest. They’re going to kill each other. ”

“What?”

“Maybe not kill, but beat the living crap out of each other. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn’t listen to me. You need to come.”

Warner and Caleb fighting? About…me? Did Caleb confront Warner for treating me like crap?

“There’s no time,” he urges. “I really think one will beat the other one badly. They’ll listen to you. Please . Warner’s a pretty face. He’s not a fighter. I can’t lose my best friend.”

I nod and follow him out the door. He tells me we have to be careful to avoid the security guard outside.

We manage to sneak outside, and Hudson leads me into the forest. There’s light around campus, but as we enter the forest, it gets really dark. And spooky. I hug my arms around myself, mentally berating myself for not fetching a jacket.

Why did Caleb go after Warner? Was he angry with him for mistreating me?

“Darn it, Caleb,” I mutter under my breath. “You couldn’t just leave things be?”

It’s like he’s my knight in shining armor fighting for my honor or something. Gosh, I hope neither of them gets hurt.

“Where are they?” I ask Hudson, hugging myself tighter due to the cold.

“Just a bit further.”

As we walk deeper into the forest, the hairs on my arms rise. Something doesn’t feel right. I can’t explain it, but I start to wonder about the truth of Hudson’s story.

In the distance, I spot a group of guys. Guys who don’t look like Warner or Caleb. They’re older, like in their thirties.

Hudson turns his head to me, and there’s this look in his eyes that makes a strong shiver rush down my spine.

Someone on my left grabs my arm. It’s a guy dressed in black, wearing a mask to hide his identity.

Oh my gosh. It’s the people who want me dead. They’re here. In my school. They’ve come to finish me off like they did my parents.

“Let me go!” I cry as I struggle against his hold. But he’s got a good grip.

He reaches into my pocket and tosses my phone away. If there was any chance of me calling for help, it’s gone.

He holds onto me tightly and starts dragging me somewhere, ignoring my kicking and screaming. He covers my mouth to muffle my yells. Is he going to kill me and hide my body? No. I will not die tonight. I’ll fight until the end.

I slam my leg into his shin, and he cries out, releasing me. I scramble away from him, running as fast as I can.

“Get her!” someone shouts.

Glancing behind me, I catch Hudson and a few others chasing after me.

This can’t be happening. This cannot be happening. Where’s Caleb? Where are the security guards my grandfather planted here? Did everyone abandon me?

Is Caleb in on this, too? Has he been pretending to be my bodyguard all this time when he’s really with the enemy?

My heart and entire body shatter at the thought. Tears fill my eyes when it dawns on me that I can’t trust anyone. I’m totally and completely alone in this world.

As I run for my life, I realize this is just like my nightmare. Except, I’m not searching for Mom and Dad because they’re dead. Killed by these people who want to kill me too.

Every part of me urges to call out for help, but that would pinpoint my exact location to the people chasing me.

I focus on running. I have no idea where I’m going, but the important thing is that I’m fleeing from these people. I can hear branches and twigs snap under their shoes as they hunt for me.

Will rushing back to school help me? What if every single person there is in cahoots with the enemy? Who can I trust?

Caleb…Caleb. How could he betray me like this?

I don’t know how long I run, but my feet are killing. They feel like lead. How much longer can they support me? Will I soon collapse and will these people succeed in their mission?

“Mom, Dad,” I whisper. Tears splash down my cheeks as I continue sprinting. “Help me. Please help me.”

A body slams into mine and I tumble to the ground. Three men stand over me. Hudson isn’t here.

One guy grabs my arm, yanking me to my feet.

“Please,” I beg. “Don’t hurt me.”

Another guy grabs my other arm and they lead me further into the forest. I try to thrash and free myself, but their grip is too strong.

“Help!” I yell. “Someone help me!”

The third guy chuckles. “No one can hear you, girlie.” His evil voice sends a shiver down my spine. Oh my gosh. I really am going to die tonight .

“Please, what can I do?” I beg for my life. “Is it money? My grandfather will pay you a thousand percent more than whoever hired you. Please let me go. I’m just a kid.”

They ignore me as they continue dragging me to wherever.

“Help! Someone help me!”

“Shut her up,” one of the guys orders another.

As he slams his hand over my mouth, I bite his finger. The guy I bit curses under his breath.

“Help!”

But I know no one is coming to save me. Not Caleb. Not the security guards. No one.

Suddenly, one of the guys, the one not holding me, is slammed into a tree. His body goes limp on the ground. One of the guys clutching me lets go as he fights whoever attacked his friend. The last guy releases me as well to fight their attacker.

Squinting through the darkness, I take in the tall body and large muscles.

Caleb.

He came. He’s here for me.

He’s fighting both guys at once. They’re nearly as buff as him and he’s doing crazy moves to take them down. It doesn’t look like he’s having an easy time. They punch just as hard as he’s punching them.

My eyes shoot to his face as I watch them pummel him. “Caleb,” I whisper, more tears entering my eyes. The thought of something happening to him…

He manages to knock out one guy and now it’s one versus one .

There are voices in the distance and then security guards swarm us. For a second, I think they’re on the other side, but some help Caleb while others dash off to search for more people who might be a threat.

One security guard takes hold of my shoulders. “Are you all right, miss?” he asks.

I don’t answer him, I just look at Caleb. He and the others have neutralized the enemy and Caleb drops to the ground, breathing heavily. He’s pretty banged up.

“Caleb!” I drop to his side. “You’re hurt.” I touch his face and he winces. “I’m so sorry.”

“Addie.” He places his hands on my cheeks. “You’re okay.” There’s so much relief in his voice that it makes my heart sing.

“We need backup!” someone calls from one of the security guard’s communication device.

Caleb waves at the guys. “I got Addie. You guys go.”

They nod and take off.

Caleb still has his hands on my face and he stares at me like he can’t believe I’m sitting right beside him in one piece.

“Addie, you’re okay,” he repeats. “You’re okay.” He strokes my cheek with his fingers.

“I was scared you abandoned me,” I whisper.

He shakes his head. “They ambushed me outside Sophie and Raven’s room. They caught me off guard and locked me in a supply closet. I managed to break down the door and ran to the forest. I was so scared. I thought something happened to you.”

He bends forward and connects his lips with mine. He kisses me in this desperate way, showing me just how worried he was and how overjoyed he is that I’m okay. He’s showing me so much.

He pulls back and says, “I’m so sorry I pushed you away these past few days. I—”

“Never mind that.” I kiss him, pressing myself as close to him as I can, wanting to become one with him.

“Addie,” he whispers. “If I would have lost you...” His lips are on mine again, even more intense and passionate than before. He holds onto me like I’m precious to him, like the second he lets go, I’ll shatter into pieces.

When we stop to take a break, I ask, “How did you find me?”

“I put a tracker on your phone. I didn’t want to do that at first because I wanted you to have some independence.

And it felt wrong to invade your privacy, and your grandfather agreed.

But after the sleepover, I didn’t want to take any chances or ask permission.

I traced your phone to the forest, but when I got here, I found it on the ground. You were nowhere in sight.”

“They took it from me.”

He nods. “I was about to give up hope, but then I heard you shouting. I followed your shouts and then found you.” He grits his teeth.

“When I saw them with their hands on you, I nearly lost my mind.” He wraps his arms around me.

“You have no idea how glad I am that you’re okay, Addie.

” He draws back. “Did those jerks hurt you?”

“No. They just grabbed my arms. It stings a little, but I’m okay.” I trace his swollen eye. “But you’re hurt. ”

He shakes his head. “I’ll be okay. The important thing is that you’re okay.”

His phone beeps and he answers it. After listening to the person on the other end, he hangs up and says to me, “They caught the guys who infiltrated the school. The police are on their way to arrest them. They’ll interrogate them and find the people who hired them, and arrest them as well.

Don’t worry, Addie, it’ll all be over soon. ”

“Infiltrated the school?”

“Yes. I’m not entirely sure yet how they did it, but they must have found out you were here and placed fake security guards around.”

My eyes widen. “Hudson was in on it, too.”

He nods. “I know. He was also arrested. We’ll learn more soon. Right now, I need to take you back to campus.”

He stands and helps me up. He winces as we return to the school building, but he’s pretending like he’s not in pain.

I hold my hand out to him and with a sweet smile, he places his inside.

“Caleb?” I ask.

“Yes?”

“Thanks for saving me.”

He stops walking and faces me. He bends forward and presses his forehead to mine. “Like I’ve said a million times, I’d do anything for you, Addie.”

He sweeps his lips across my cheek until they meet mine. His arms come around me as he kisses me softly and gently, savoring every single second. I kiss him back just as gently .

I don’t know what this means—whether we’re more than friends now—but I don’t really care. I’m just glad to be in his arms again.