The Lies We Tell (The Four #1) - Becca Steele Page 0,17
of my apartment building, heading towards the car park, and James fell into step beside me, slowing his usual pace to match mine. “What’s up, anyway?”
“You looked like you needed rescuing. I saw Cavendish following you.” He glanced at me, a small smile on his lips. “I like to think of myself as a knight in shining armour.”
I laughed. “Thanks, but I don’t need rescuing. I can handle Caiden.” We stopped at the entrance to the car park.
“Can you?” He gave me a doubtful look. “Listen, why don’t you give me your number? Anytime you want to talk coursework, or need me to rescue you again, I’m here.”
“Sure, why not.” As I stepped closer to James, pulling my phone from my bag, a chill ran down my spine, and I had a prickling sensation of being watched. I glanced around me, but the car park was deserted.
Shaking my head as I passed my phone to James so he could add his number, I groaned internally. The Four had me so paranoid, I was imagining things.
“You found Alstone Castle, did you?”
“Huh?” I looked up at him.
“Your phone. That’s a photo of Alstone Castle.” He tapped on the screen.
So that was the name of the castle ruins I’d found. I’d taken the photo when I’d discovered it on my bike ride and set it as my phone wallpaper.
“I didn’t know its name. Do you know anything about it?” I asked, curious.
He shook his head. “Not really, no. Not about the history, if that’s what you mean. The university use it for events, though. On Guy Fawkes Night, Bonfire Night, whatever you want to call it, they hold a party there. It’s one of the biggest events of the year. They have a big bonfire and fireworks—you know, all the usual celebrations. And games.”
“What kind of games?” The look in his eye really wasn’t filling me with confidence.
“You’ll see.” He tapped on my phone screen, adding his number, then met my gaze again. I raised a brow in a silent question, and he shook his head again. “It’s more fun if you don’t know beforehand. Believe me.”
“Hmm.” I wasn’t convinced, but I dropped the subject.
James called his phone from mine so he had my number. We made idle small talk for a bit, and he promised to send me some website links for one of my assignments. Then he hugged me goodbye and headed off in the opposite direction, while I started crossing the car park.
A sudden loud rumble sounded from between two parked cars, and a huge jet-black motorbike came roaring out of the space, heading straight towards me.
I froze in place, my legs unable to move.
Then my instincts kicked in and I screamed, diving to the side just as the bike reached me, collapsing onto the tarmac. The wheels came so close that I felt the whoosh of air as they passed me, the smell of burning rubber filling my nostrils.
What the actual fuck?
The bike skidded to a stop and slowly circled back towards me. I rose to my feet, my legs trembling, shuffling backwards into a small gap between two cars where the bike couldn’t reach me.
The rider lifted the visor on his helmet, and a pair of icy, soulless eyes met mine.
“What do you think you’re doing? You could have killed me, you absolute fucking lunatic!” My whole body was shaking. I’d never been so furious, or scared, in my life. Closing my eyes, I counted to ten, desperately trying not to fall apart in front of Zayde. Threats and being followed, I could handle. But endangering my life? What would have happened if I hadn’t jumped out of the way?
“Consider it a warning.” His voice was devoid of emotion, as he trapped me with his gaze.
I gaped at him. “What?”
“You should be very careful about who you make friends with.”
Almost the same thing Caiden had said to me earlier. “Have you been talking to Caiden?” My voice rose to a hysterical screech. “And I’ll ask you again, what do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to kill me?”
He ignored my questions. “Why are you here?”
“None of your business. I don’t owe you an explanation. And that goes for your friends, too.”
Curling his lips into a snarl, he spoke, low and threatening. “If you do anything to fuck with any of us, you’ll wish I had run you down. Your life won’t be worth living.”
With that, he snapped his visor back down and roared off, leaving me staring