Page 16

Olivia

Looking at the Devil by Seibold, Neutopia, and Leslie Powell

T he man in front of me is not the man I thought I knew. The rage radiating off him in waves is so unlike the calm and collected lawyer that I thought he was. In front of me is not the man I went on a date with. In front of me is the devil within.

“Let him go, Luke,” I plead as he holds Will tightly against the wall. His face contorts as he wars internally with my request.

I have no idea what happened between them. All I know is I was talking to my father one minute, and the next, the man I had gone on one date with had my blackmailer pinned to the wall of a bar. Like, what the actual fuck? However, when I stormed over I saw the look in Luke’s eyes. It wasn’t the typical drunken anger you see on the face of most douchebag alpha males. No, this was one of pained fury. I don’t know what’s going on but I do know that something here is very, very wrong.

His dark eyes swirl with obsessive rage as he stares down at me. I should be scared. This man is clearly unhinged. But there’s something about him that calls to me. It’s like my soul recognizes something in him that I can’t yet see.

“Flower?” he whispers as if seeing me for the first time.

“Yes.” I nod reassuringly as I slightly pull at his arm, asking him to let the other man go. Even though the asshole he currently has bloodied and beaten against a wall absolutely deserves to have the shit beat out of him. But now is not the time or place.

Luke releases Will who falls to his ass with a flop. I let out a soft sigh of relief. I have no idea what the issue is between them, but Luke doesn’t need the type of trouble that Will could bring his way. The fight broke out while my father was in the bathroom. I need to get Luke and myself out of here before he gets back. None of us need any more trouble from Will.

“Luke,” I plead as I pull him away. “Let’s just go okay?”

He nods once, wrapping his arm around me tightly and letting me lead him toward the doorway. As we’re about to exit, Will shouts at our backs, “Don’t forget Olivia, you have until the end of the month.”

Heat sears my cheeks. I don’t need anyone, certainly not a well-off professional like Luke, knowing about this. I have until the end of the month to find some way to raise all the money my father owes, or I’ll be paying with my body. The thought sends a shiver down my spine. I’m desperate not to do that. I don’t want him anywhere near me but I’m not sure where I’ll get that kind of money.

Luke leads me outside swiftly with a possessive hand on my lower back. Before we leave, I shoot my dad a quick text to let him know that an emergency came up and I had to leave. He won’t ask questions about my sudden departure, he never does. The drizzling rain hits my cheeks and cools my heated skin; the fresh air immediately soothes my soul. I know most people hate the cold, rainy winters here—but there is something absolutely refreshing about weather like this. Luke guides me to his bright red Audi parked in the corner of the lot. I don’t know how I didn’t notice the flashy vehicle when I came here, unless of course, he came here after me. Maybe he’s been following me. The car opens with a pretentious beep as we approach. Luke opens the passenger door and uses his hand to guide me into the seat. I have to hold my dress down with my hand and contort uncomfortably to get into the bucket seat without flashing him. The smell of spice and smoke hits me immediately, confirming what I already knew. Once I’m settled, he leans in across me and fastens my seatbelt.

“I’m not a child; I can buckle myself in just fine,” I snark at him as he adjusts the strap to make sure it’s snuggly across my chest.

“Just fucking let me take care of you, okay?” he snarls before closing the door and rounding the car.

The brat in me wants to undo the belt just to prove a point, but I won’t. Something is clearly eating at him, and I don’t think that right now is the time to push his buttons. Clearly Will said something, or did something, that truly upset him. He’s always so calm and composed, but this … unhinged side of Luke is unsettling, and honestly a bit of a turn on. Crazy likes crazy, what can I say? Without another word, he revs the car and peels out of the parking lot.

I wait until we’re cruising on the interstate, far from the casino, before braving to say anything. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” he states matter of factly, but fuck that.

“Too fucking bad, cause we’re going to talk about it. You want to get to know me? Fucking open up and stop acting like an asshole.”

His eyes fly to me in surprise before swiftly returning to the road. He lets out a long sigh and I’m convinced he’ll shut me out, but he surprises me. “Will, that guy in there, was my foster brother. My mom wasn’t well, and my dad was out of the picture, so I ended up in the system. Unfortunately for me, I ended up in Will’s home. His parents were nice enough, strict, but nice; but their son is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

I don’t disagree. He looks attractive, put together, and appears nice enough. But the things he asked of me, the way he wants to exploit me, is unthinkable.

“He didn’t just fuck with me,” Luke continues as his knuckles turn white on the wheel. “He and his cronies hurt girls at our school. Will was older, graduated before us, but he’d be home from college, come to the high school parties, put things in girls drinks, and have his pals all take turns on her.”

My stomach rolls at the thought. I know what he propositioned of me was bad, but to do it to girls. High school fucking girls. And to include others in his sick and twisted shit—I should have let Luke beat the shit out of him. And the way he won’t say exactly what Will did to him, he doesn’t need to say it, I can feel the scars that mark his soul. My heart aches for the memory of the young man sitting next to me.

“He filmed it, too.” Luke’s voice is barely a whisper now, so low I almost can’t hear it over the sound of the rain on the windshield. “He put the videos online. I don’t even know if all the girls know what he’s done, how he’s profiting off their assault. It’s—horrib—vil—”

“He’s a fucking asshole who deserves to have his cock ripped off and shoved down his fucking throat,” I finish for Luke.

“Yeah.” He nods in agreement. “He and the entire group of guys who helped him all deserve to get fucked up.”

“And those girls deserve justice,” I add and he nods again.

We sit for a moment in silence before I’m brave enough to tell him the truth. “He’s still doing it. He’s still filming women for money and putting the videos online. He propositioned me.”

We pull up next to a nice looking building. The brick facade is bright red against the gray northwest sky. The large windows are outlined in matte black, giving it a very modern vibe. Luke puts the car in park and turns off the engine before shifting to face me.

“I won’t let him hurt you, Flower. I promise. Just stay the fuck away from him, okay? I’ll help you file a restraining order or whatever it is you need.” He takes my palm in his. His hands are large, warm, and strong. They feel reassuring wrapped around my own.

“I wish it were that easy Luke, I really do.”

And I mean it. I wish I had been born to a family without the weight of addiction constantly weighing us down. I would have loved to have had a childhood free of worries about money for food and making sure my only parent didn’t lose our house by gambling away the rent. I would have given anything to just be a carefree kid and to lessen the grip that addiction seems to hold on my father. But I’m not that girl. This is my cross to bear. We’ve been in tough situations before, and I’ve always figured a way out. I’ll figure a way out of this one too.

“Do you want to come up?” Luke asks as he motions to the building we’re parked in front of.

“Up? Like to your place?” I ask, glancing at the posh exterior behind us.

He chuckles before exiting the car and coming around to my side. As he opens my door, he holds out his hand to me. Willingly, I slip my hand into his and let him lead me inside.