Page 15 of Please Don’t Go (The Midnight Strike #1)

JOSIE

I don’t usually fall victim to being easily influenced, but tonight, I didn’t fall, I willingly took the drinks and shots. Now I’m paying the price.

My head is still spinning, my body feels heavy and sluggish, and my balance has long left me. I’m swaying and tripping over my own feet as I stumble into my dark house.

I don’t bother with the lights or attempting to take my shoes off.

Why did I wear high-tops again?

Ambling into the living room, I throw my phone and keys onto the table and drop onto the couch, face down, reveling in how cool it is.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, I close my eyes and attempt not to think about Daniel, his persistence to be around, and the girl that had her arm around him. Unfortunately, I do a shit job. The last thing on my mind before I fall asleep are those soft amber eyes and her arm.

The long chime of the doorbell pierces the dead-silent house. The sound echoes throughout, waking and frightening me.

I quickly scurry up to sit, searching for my phone until it dawns on me that I threw it on the coffee table. I reach for it in the darkness and squint when the bright light blinds me.

With bleary eyes, I read the time on my phone: 2:36 a.m .

Though that isn’t what has me blinking repeatedly until my vision focuses, has my heart slamming against my rib cage, or is scattering my thoughts all over the place.

It’s the four messages from Daniel.

Daniel: Are you awake?

Daniel: I found something that belongs to you. I can wait until Monday to give it to you, but if you want it now, I can take it to you

Daniel: I feel like this might be very important, so I’m going to take it now

Daniel: I’m here

That last message was sent two minutes ago.

My fingers hover over the keys as I contemplate whether I want to reply to him. As far as I know, I didn’t drop or leave anything. I only took my phone and my house key, and I have those with me.

I almost type to leave whatever he found on the doorstep, but my fingers work of their own accord, typing what they please.

Me: I think you got the wrong person

Daniel: No, it belongs to you

Me: I’m pretty sure it doesn’t

The thought of him accidentally bringing me something that belongs to another girl does weird things to my chest. But more than that, I feel a flash of anger coursing through me. It makes me wonder if he confused me with her, if he was with her after I left and mixed us up. Because Bryson did that.

My phone buzzes in my palm, interrupting my thoughts and horrid memories.

Daniel: I promise it’s yours

Daniel: Let me give it to you and I promise I’ll leave

Huffing out a harsh breath, I stalk to the door, unlock it, and pull it open.

The light fixture that’s pinned to the wall helps slightly illuminate Daniel’s figure.

He stands on the other side, now wearing a backwards cap, still shirtless, wearing swim shorts, socks that reach his midcalf, and sneakers.

The gold chain with the safety pin somewhat glints in the darkness.

“What is it?” I ask, getting straight to the point. The sooner he leaves, the sooner I can go back to sleep and pretend like I didn’t enjoy having his hands around me earlier.

He digs into his pocket and opens his palm. I scoff a laugh because I see nothing until a small glint catches the corner of my eye. I turn my phone light on and stare, dumbfounded, at the tiny round rhinestone sitting in the middle of his palm.

“You drove all the way over here to bring me that? How do you even know it’s mine? The girl who had her arm around you had some on too.” I stare at him, irked and bemused.

“I didn’t drive, I, uh, ran here.” He scratches the nape of his neck.

I peer around him and only spot my car in the driveway, which shocks and somehow melts the frustration away.

“And I know it’s yours and not hers because you have ten of these on each eye.

You’re missing one right”—he lifts a finger and points beneath my right eye, faintly touching the skin—“there.”

I don’t want to stand here and act oblivious, but I’m having a hard time grasping the fact that Daniel counted the rhinestones on my face. I don’t know when he had the time to do that. And he ran here. That explains the little beads of sweat clinging to his temple.

“Oh.” I bite the inside of my cheek, hating the way it warms. “You didn’t—you shouldn’t have bothered. I was just going to throw them away.”

“Oh,” he chuckles sheepishly, slips the rhinestone back in his pocket, lifts his cap, and runs his fingers through his hair. “I guess I should’ve waited until Monday.”

I fidget with my ring. “You should probably get back to?—”

He laughs this time, but it holds no humor, just bitterness. It shocks me because I’ve never heard him sound like that before. Granted, I’ve not known him for long, but he’s always so happy.

He sighs deeply and exhaustedly, and again he removes his cap and runs his fingers through his hair. God, why does he keep doing that? And why do I so badly want to touch his hair?

“I didn’t want to say anything because it wasn’t the time and I figured maybe it wasn’t something you wanted to know. But the girl who stood next to me is my ex-girlfriend , Amanda.”

My jaw goes slack. It physically drops and it takes me a few seconds to recover, and Daniel must know that much because he doesn’t speak—probably letting me absorb the information or connect the dots. Though I don’t need to. I recognized her the moment I laid eyes on her.

“The one who?—”

“Slept with Bryson,” he says.

“Wow…”

“Yup…”

“Did you get?—”

“The video?” He sardonically laughs. “Yeah. I got it.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah…” He tucks his hands in his pockets, shrugging and chuckling. I also find it comical, but I don’t outwardly show it.

“So…not that I care, but she was very comfortable around you.”

He rolls his eyes irately. “She likes to believe we’re going to fix things and get back together. She likes to pretend she didn’t cheat on me with my teammate. And she likes to pretend she didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”

Now I understand why she was staring up at him like she was in love with him and why he was quick to remove her arm and stand next to me.

“Wait, so she knew—” I stop mid-sentence, remembering how Bryson insisted she didn’t know about me because he didn’t tell her. “I can’t believe I believed that fucking piece of shit. God, I’m so stupid.”

“Don’t say that. You’re not stupid. He?—”

“No, I am because he said she didn’t know. He was very insistent about it and because I was over it, I believed him. I didn’t want to be that person. I didn’t want to be the girl who blamed another girl because her boyfriend is a fucking—fuck!”

I inhale a breath and blow it out harshly as I stalk back into my house. I faintly hear Daniel ask what I’m doing. When I march back out with a knife and my car keys, his eyes go round.

After I shut and lock my door, I turn and see the shock on his face swiftly shift and become grave, but that doesn’t stop me from walking past him.

“So, we need to have alibis and shovels, and we need to make it quick. Also, we need to keep the blood to a minimum because you know that’s hard to get rid of, or at least it’s what I’ve seen in the shows.”

I halt in my tracks and spin around. He almost crashes into me, but he manages to stop in time. “What are you talking about?”

“Are we not murdering Bryson?” he asks casually, but I hear the hint of amusement and confusion in his voice.

I cock a brow. “We?”

“I got your back, Jos,” he states, no amusement or confusion in his voice this time.

My heart does that weird thing again. I’m almost tempted to stab myself in the chest to make the rapid beats stop, but I don’t want to traumatize him again.

“I’m not murdering anyone. If I’m going to keep existing, I’m not going to do it behind bars.”

It’s meant to come off as a joke, but I deliver it too dryly. I internally wince, but Daniel smiles, decreasing my desire to slip into the corner of darkness.

“ We would be behind bars. Bryson’s not much taller than you, but, and I hate to admit this, he’s pretty strong. I’ll knock his ass out for you and you can do all the stabbing. Not a big fan of blood.” He scrunches his nose.

The corner of my lip jerks upward and before it disappears, his gaze lands on it and it stalls there briefly before his eyes lift again to meet mine.

Surely there must be heart condition problems running in my family I don’t know about because the way my heart is racing is terrifying.

“I don’t want to kill him. I’m going to slash his tires. It won’t hurt him physically, but it’ll hurt nonetheless. And that’s good enough for me. I’m sure you know how much he loves his Audi.”

Aside from how much Bryson loves himself, that car comes in second.

He nods, grinning. “Remind me to never piss you off.”

“I’m still a little drunk if I’m being honest with you. I’m not sure I’d do this sober and I might regret it in the morning, but he didn’t give a fuck, so why should I?” I lift both shoulders apathetically as I start walking backward.

“I’m going with you,” he adamantly states.

“Uh, no, you’re not.”

“Uh, yes, I am.”

“Daniel.”

“Josefine.”

I drop my head back, groaning. “No. The last thing I need is for you to get in trouble. It’ll be quick anyway.”

His grin broadens. “You care about me?”

“You and your assumptions. You’re an athlete and I assume you’re on a scholarship.

If you get arrested, you’ll lose it. So go home.

I’ll see you on Monday.” I go to walk away but stop in my tracks, peering over my shoulder.

“If you want to send me her address, I’m more than happy to also pay her car a little visit.

” I wave the knife and then pretend to slash the imaginary tire.

He throws his head back and laughs. It’s hearty and the deep timbre feels like it’s touching me, the vibration shocking every nerve in my body. I shouldn’t like how his laugh sounds, but I do, a lot.