His obsession with me was not my fault. This was one thing I wouldn’t blame myself for.
“I came up here to lie down because I have a headache. Now leave.”
“You don’t really want me to go.”
“I do! Louis, no!”
He grabbed after me, and I jumped away from his touch. It was one thing to do this when we were both sober, but he was drunk, possibly high too, and I wasn’t in a better state either.
“You always liked being chased!”
He caught one of my legs and pulled. I crashed hard into the bed, bashing my head into the bedhead. Pain exploded through my skull. The room spun, tilted, and everything went black.
I couldn’t tell how long I’d been out, but it was long enough for me to have been pushed onto my stomach and my jeans and underwear shoved down my ass. Louis straddled my hips, and despite my fucked-up state, I heard the ripping of a foil.
“Louis, please, no!”
“You like it rough,” he slurred so badly I was hardly able to make out the words. “I remember you telling me how you liked it when they choked you while they fucked you. I remember every single thing, Ash. I used to pretend I was the one choking you while I fucked my fist, but I don’t have to do that anymore. I’m going to finally fuck you, and you’ll beg me to do it harder. Just as soon as my stupid dick gets up.”
Chapter Seventeen
Callum
Since I’d walked to the restaurant, Dane offered me a ride to the address Rue gave me for Ashton. Tense, I clutched the handle of the door and said nothing.
“You gonna be okay, man?” he asked me.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look it. Relax. I bet when we get there, everything will be fine.”
I grunted a response but didn’t say much. All I could think of was Ashton getting himself into some kind of trouble. Rue had told me about the party going on at his brother’s. According to him, Ashton hadn’t started the party, but I couldn’t tell if he’d only said that to spare my feelings.
Turned out I was about to crash the party Phil had shown me on his phone.
“This is the street, isn’t it?” Dane asked, making a left turn.
I didn’t need to answer him. My heart threatened to leap out of my chest at the chaos that was ahead. Two police cars were parked in the driveway. People milled around on the sidewalk, some making their getaway in waiting cars.
They were a mess. Girls walked by wearing only one shoe or went barefoot. One was completely topless, and a boy was running past us with nothing on but his shirt.
“Jesus,” Dane breathed beside me. “I forgot how wild college parties could get.”
I swallowed the bile in my stomach at what Ashton could’ve gotten himself into. They must’ve really been disturbing the nice neighborhood for the police to be here. The local media was going to have a field day with this when it got out, and it would.
“Park here. I’ll hop out and see what’s going on.”
“I’ll come with you,” Dane said. “Just give me time to park properly.”
But I didn’t. As soon as he slowed down, I jumped out of the car, ignoring his shout. I ran up the driveway, sidling between two girls, one who was crying and the other consoling her.
I grabbed the arm of the one closest to me, and she screamed.
“Please don’t hurt me!”
“I’m not going to hurt you.” I eased the pressure of my grip. “I just want to know what’s going on.”
She shook her head and buried her face into her companion’s bosom.
“Dude, leave us alone. We just stopped by with some friends.”
I couldn’t hold them against their will, so I released her hand, and they hurried away.
“What’s going on?” Dane appeared at my side.
“I don’t know yet.”
I forged ahead and entered the house, Dane following me. In the hall, I almost bumped into two police officers and two handcuffed boys Ashton’s age. One looked completely high, and his face was a bloody mess.
“Everyone needs to evacuate the premises except for the owners,” the police officer said to me, blocking my entrance.
“I’m Callum Davidson,” I said, and when he just stared at me, I continued. “I’m the owner’s partner. Ashton Keyes.”
The boy with the battered face got a panicked look in his eyes.
“He didn’t do it,” the other boy said. He had only scratches on him. “I stopped him before he