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When Raina got to me, I could see she was concerned about why Tucker was around. Her face was pinched with worry as she put a hand on my shoulder and looked me over. I was currently in some pain from the tackle Tucker had given me, and it seemed she noticed.
"What did he do to you!"
I shook my head, waving off her concerns as I shuffled my way towards my next class.
Nonchalantly, I asked her, "Would you believe me if I told you he wanted to talk, and we both ended up being attacked by a snake?"
Raina’s snorted. "Good one, Daniels." I stayed silent as we walked and Raina’s eyes got big. "You’re serious?"
I huffed. "As serious as I am about your brothers."
"Whoa." She quickened her stride to step in front of me, effectively blocking my way to go any farther. Her eyes narrowed as she asked, "What happened. All of it, Faith, or I’m calling Wendy and my brothers."
I stared at her, contemplating whether she would and broke, not taking the chance that she wouldn’t. "I guess we’re both not going back to our next lecture, huh?"
Raina led me to her small SUV, and she started to drive. From the direction she turned I figured we were going toward the diner, but she drove right past it heading more into town.
"Where are we going?"
Raina gave me a quick glance before looking back to the road, "Urgent care. Your ribs must be killing you."
I panicked. I didn’t need to be in any more trouble with Brady than I already was. "No. They’ll call Brady or Sarah, and I don’t want to bother either of them again. Just pull into the nearest drug store. We can pick up some pain meds there."
Raina pursed her lips as she drove on, apparently not liking my idea, but didn’t cave to my demands either. Instead, she directed the conversation to the real reason I was this way. "I don't like that Tucker got you alone. When I tell—"
"No! Please don't tell your brothers."
"Why not?! He trapped you in a lecture hall with him! He could have done anything."
I sighed and rested my head back against the headrest in defeat, and then I rolled it to the side to look out my window. "He didn't though. And what is the deal between them anyways?"
Raina shook her head. "It's something that happened a few years ago. You'll have to ask Tyler."
I sighed when Raina drove on towards where I figured an urgent care was. It didn’t matter what I said; she was still going to take me there.
"So what did happen in there, Daniels? This time, I want all of it."
I twisted my lips and gave her what she wanted. When I was done, she was even angrier than she had been before. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought she’d be breathing fire with her growling and nostrils flaring. She looked fierce.
"The bastard! I bet he set that whole thing up!" she finally spit out, as her hands twisted on the steering wheel.
Yep, no fire, but a hell of a lot of venom in her words.
"He was just buying time until he had a chance! And with that stupid stunt, he could have seriously hurt you!"
"I don’t think it was a planned thing, to be honest, Raina. He seemed just as surprised as me to see it there."
"Uh-huh," she said with disbelief.
I sat there and thought about what had happened in that lecture hall. He had pulled me in there and locked the door. I was scared he was going to rap—No. If he were going to do that, he would have gotten on with it. He wouldn’t have stopped to have a conversation. He wouldn’t have asked me out. His overbearing attitude seemed to be just who he was. When he lunged at me, I did have my doubts that somehow I had been wrong in my assumptions, but his surprise to the snake being in there was genuine. I was sure.
Unless... unless he wanted me to view him as a hero. To give him a hero complex to gain favor in my attentions. If that was the case, then he was more dangerous than I thought. Not because I would ever view him like that, but because that would mean that he was scary good at manipulation and could manipulate in a moment’s notice. Even if it wasn’t planned.
I hoped my first impression of him was right, and the one I had currently come up with was wrong. I didn’t need any more complication in my life. I had enough to last me into my next lifetime, if I ever made it there.
I was jarred out of my thoughts when Raina pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store. I sighed, grateful that she opted to do what I had asked, instead of going to urgent care. I turned and gave her a sincere smile, "Thank you."
She just gave me a pointed look and twisted her lips. "Don’t thank me yet, wait until I get you back to my house, and my brothers get a look at you. Then you can ‘thank me’ if you still feel I deserve that sentiment.” She pushed open her door, and I reached for my seat belt to unbuckle, but sat back with Raina’s next words. "Don’t even think about getting out of this car with those ribs. I’ll be right back." Then she shut her door, leaving me waiting for her to come back.
When we arrived at the McGuire’s household, we were met with Mrs. McGuire shortly after opening the front door, and that conversation went sideways.
Yes sideways, not straight. If it had gone straight, it would have gone something like this....
"Oh my, goodness, home already?"
She would smile, then Raina would say something like, “Yes, Mom, we're home."
And she would most likely kiss her mother’s cheek as she pulled me into the living room for a movie before she shot me up with pain pills.
That would have been easy. Nice. But no, my life had to be complicated. That scenario would have been too easy, too normal. And you would think the forces above would have pity on me with all the heartache I had gone through in my short life. But no, I got drama. And Mrs. McGuire seemed to be high on it today.
"Raina Tessa McGuire!" was the first sign that something was off and the second was what came next as her mother appeared with a hand on her hip, carrying something in the other.
"Tell me, child, is there a reason I should be worried?" she asked, holding up a plastic zip-lock bag with what looked like condoms in it. They were both used and held a very colorful variety. Kane must have some unbelievable stamina to use that many. All I could think was... Stuff was about to hit the fan. And that’s how the conversation started out sideways. Thankfully, not my way, though.
"Mother!" Raina shrieked as she reached over to try to grab the evidence, but failed as her mother pulled it out of reach.
I would be interested in knowing how she got them all in the bag, but was satisfied with Raina’s horrified expression as she stared at them. I smirked. Bagged. Kane sure did that. Like, Every. Time. Such a good boy. Wouldn’t want any little ‘Kane and Raina combos’ running around just yet. Any child of theirs was destined to be a hellion on wheels with their genes.
"Don’t think so, Dear." Mrs. McGuire glared at her daughter and then turned to head back down the hall, "If you want to do the hanky-panky in my house you should learn to clean up your evidence! Punishment deserved!"
I think her mother actually had fun with this. Yeah, Raina was in her twenties, but she was living in their home, and no parent wanted to know, for sure, that their only little girl was ‘shacking it up’ in her childhood bedroom.
I wanted to know what punishment entailed, because I honestly needed to be prepared. I knew I would eventually get to that stage with the guys, but if this is what she did when she found evidence, what would she do when she found out it was me moaning her sons’ names as I came.
My breath caught as I imagined that moment. Holy Hotness. Geez, I think I was gonna need new underwear.
After all of that, Raina made me take four pain meds and then had me lie down on the couch. I had been doing that for all of ten minutes when my phone rang. It was Tyler.
"Where are you?" I groaned. I forgot to tell him that his sister took me home, or in this case to his house.
"Raina drove me."
"Why didn’t you just wait for me?" I could hear the confusion and worry in his voice. I glanced over to Raina, who was lying down on the other couch, shamelessly listening in to our conversation. I bit my lip. "My ribs started to ache again. She saw me and offered to take me home. I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you."
"Did you take your pain meds?" His voice held concern.
"Yep. I’m now lying on the couch watching a movie with Raina."
"Tell her to go home. I’m coming your way."
I grinned. "She is home. I’m at your house and guess what happened..."
My phone was yanked out of my hands as Raina pressed the end button. She gave me a pointed look and pointed between the two of us, "I don’t think so, Girly. You want to keep what happened today quiet, so do I. Not a word."