Don't Tempt Me: A High School Bully Romance (Broke & Bullied Book 2) Read online

  "A couple miles."

  I'm shaking, which could be because I'm cold but is more likely because I'm scared.

  Danny glances at me. "Try to relax. I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe it's like Eve said and he just fell asleep."

  "He wouldn't have slept for this long. And why would he fall asleep right after texting me? He sent the text right before he would've left for school."

  "Just try to calm down. We're almost there." Danny turns down a side street. "This fucking cop won't get off my ass. I thought I'd lose him when I turned."

  "Please be okay," I whisper to myself, closing my eyes and praying Dean isn't hurt.

  "You love him, don't you?" Danny asks.

  "I do." I look at him. "We were going to tell people today. That's why I got so worried when he didn't show up. It was Dean's idea to do this. To tell people. He was excited about it."

  "Tell them what?"

  "That we're a couple." I look down at my hands in my lap, which are clutching my phone, hoping a text from Dean will pop up on the screen. "Dean called me last night and told me how he feels." I swallow. "He said he loves me. He called me his girlfriend. He wanted to tell everyone at school today."

  Danny doesn't respond.

  "What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"

  Danny glances up at his rearview mirror. "I'm trying to get away from this cop so I can go faster."

  It's not just about the cop. I sensed a shift in him. An urgency he didn't have just moments ago.

  "You think something happened. Something bad."

  He blows out a breath. "What you said just now...if that's true, then yeah, he wouldn't have missed school. He wouldn't let you down like that. He loves you too much to do that to you."

  "You knew? He told you how he felt about me?"

  "He didn't tell me. I just knew. It was obvious from the way he talks about you and how he looks at you. I've never seen him act that way with any other girl. But I didn't think he was ready to tell people. Honestly, I didn't think he ever would. I thought he'd make you keep it a secret."

  "He wants people to know. He said he didn't want to keep hiding it."

  "Shit," Danny says, rubbing his jaw. "He loves you even more than I thought."

  Tears well up in my eyes. "I'm so scared. What if something happened to him?"

  "We're almost there. We'd already be there if it weren't for this cop following me." Danny turns down Dean's street. "You gotta be kidding me."

  "What?"

  "The cop is still following me. What the hell?"

  As Danny pulls up in Dean's driveway, the cop car pulls into a driveway two doors down. It's the house the little girl ran out of when she came over to show me her dog. That was a few weeks ago and I haven't seen her since. The little girl said the lady who lived in the house was her grandma.

  "Why would the cops be going to the old lady's house?" I ask as Danny turns the truck off.

  "You know who lives there?"

  "I don't know her, but I know her granddaughter. I met her a few weeks ago when she was walking her dog."

  "Old people are always calling the cops. They think every little noise is someone trying to break in. My grandma's the same way."

  We get out of the truck and go up to Dean's house. Danny knocks on the door really hard so Dean will hear us if he's sleeping.

  As we wait for him to answer, I look down at the old lady's house and notice the cop talking to her at the door. He glances over at Dean and me, then looks back at the old lady.

  "I don't think he's home," Danny says, knocking again. "Dean! Open up! It's Danny and Brook!" He knocks again.

  "I'm sure he's in there," I say, hoping he's asleep in the bedroom and just can't hear us knocking. I want it to be true but I know it's not. Something's definitely wrong.

  "Hey!" a man yells.

  Danny and I look over and see the cop heading toward us.

  "What the hell?" Danny mutters. "I wasn't even speeding."

  "I don't think this is about your driving," I say, a sick feeling coming over me.

  "What are you two doing here?" the officer asks.

  "We're looking for a friend," I say. "He didn't come to school today and we were worried."

  The officer steps up on the porch and stands in front of us, his hands on his waist, one placed right over his gun.

  "What's your friend's name?" he asks.

  "Dean Sanders," Danny says. "We've been calling him and texting him but haven't heard back. Nobody else at school's heard from him either."

  "They took him away," the officer says.

  "What?" I ask, my heart slamming against my chest. "What do you mean they took him away?"

  "The ambulance. Your friend's in the hospital. He was beat up pretty bad."

  "Beat up?" I say, my throat going dry. "By who?"

  "That's what we're trying to find out. So far it looks like a robbery that went bad. The guy probably thought nobody was home. When he saw your friend, he attacked him, then ran."

  "What do you mean he attacked him?" I ask, my voice shaking. "What happened?"

  Danny puts his arm around me, both of us staring at the officer.

  "He was unconscious when we got here," the officer says. "Pretty serious head wounds. A lot of bleeding from the neck. Dislocated shoulder. I don't know what else, but he was in bad shape when they took him."

  "Oh my God," I say, struggling to breathe. I turn to Danny. "We have to go. I have to see him."

  "What hospital?" Danny asks the officer.

  He gives us the name, then pulls out a small notepad. "Do you know if Mr. Sanders had any enemies?"

  "No," Danny says, shaking his head. "He kept to himself. Didn't bother anyone."

  "Do you know if he had anything of value that might make him a target?"

  "Look at this place," Danny says with a huff. "You really think there's anything valuable in there?"

  The officer's brows rise. "Any illegal substances your friend might've been in possession of?"

  "Dean's not a drug dealer!" I yell at the cop, angry he'd even ask that.

  "Dean wasn't into that shit." Danny pulls me into his side as he talks to the officer. "He didn't do anything illegal."

  "Did anyone see anything?" I ask the officer. "Did they see who did it?"

  "No. That's why I'm here talking to the neighbors. Earlier this morning, one of the neighbors called in complaining about a noise. Said it sounded like a man yelling and then something banging against a wall. We sent our officers out, thinking it was a domestic disturbance. When they got here, the back door was open and they saw blood in the kitchen. We assume it was from the young man, although we're running tests on it to make sure."

  "There was blood?" I ask.

  "What else did they find?" Danny asks the officer. "Did the guy take anything or did he just beat up Dean and go?"

  "It's hard to say until we talk to your friend. The place has been torn up like the guy was looking for something but I can't say if anything was taken." He cocks his head. "You sure your friend didn't have any enemies?"

  "His dad," I say, knowing it had to be him. I don't want to believe his father would do this but from what Dean's told me about him, I know he's capable of it.

  "Did you say his dad?" the officer asks.

  "Yes. Dean was worried he might show up here."

  "He wouldn't do that," Danny says. "He's only got three years left. He's not gonna risk getting more time for doing something stupid."

  "His father's incarcerated?" the officer asks.

  "Yeah," Danny answers. "Been locked up for seven years."

  "He was up for parole but didn't get it," I say. "Instead they gave him work release. It was supposed to start today. Check with the prison. See if he showed up to work today."

  "What's his name?"

  "Joe Sanders," Danny says.

  "I'll check into it," the officer says, "but I doubt he'd do this to his own son."

  "He would," Danny and I say at the same time.


  The officer looks at us both, then says, "You're free to go." He hands me his card. "Call me if you think of anything else that might help us figure out who did this."

  "Let's go," Danny says, walking to his truck.

  I hurry and get in the passenger side.

  "I can't fucking believe this," Danny says. "What if he really did it? What if he beat up his own son?"

  "Drive faster," I say, rubbing my arms to stop the shivering. "I have to see him. I have to know he's okay."

  We drive in silence until we're almost at the hospital.

  "He'll be okay," Danny says.

  "He was bleeding. He wasn't conscious." I look at Danny. "That's not okay. That's serious."

  "But Dean is tough. He's been hit on the football field a million times and come out okay."

  "This is different. He was attacked. Someone purposely tried to hurt him. Even the officer said it was bad."

  Danny parks the truck and I meet him on the sidewalk, practically running on my way to the hospital entrance.

  "Wait up," Danny says as I reach the door.

  We go inside and I go up to the information desk. "I'm looking for a patient but I don't know where he is. He was brought into the ER this morning."

  "ER is down that hallway," the old guy at the desk says. "You'll have to ask someone there."

  Danny and I race down the hall to the ER. I see a nurse and stop her. "We're looking for Dean Sanders. He was brought in this morning."

  "You'll need to ask someone at the desk," she says, walking off.

  Danny races up to the check-in desk. "We need to find Dean Sanders. He was brought here this morning."

  "Are you his brother?" the lady at the desk asks.

  "No, his friend."

  "Sorry, but we can only give out information to immediate family."

  "She's his sister," Dean says, pointing at me.

  I look nothing like Dean. There's no way I could pass as his sister, but the lady at the desk believes it and looks Dean up in the computer.

  "He's been transferred to ICU," she says.

  "Intensive care," I say to Danny, tears welling up in my eyes. "It's bad. It's really bad."

  "When can we—I mean, she—see him?" Danny asks.

  "You'll have to ask the nurses in ICU. Second floor, down the hall to the very end."

  We take off for the elevator, then wait for it to open.

  "I think I'm going to be sick," I say, my hand going over my stomach.

  "You don't like hospitals?" Danny asks.

  "It's not the hospital. It's Dean, and not knowing what happened to him and if he'll be okay."

  The elevator doors open and we get on and go up a floor. As we get off, the stench of cleaning products hits me and I almost throw up. Normally that smell wouldn't bother me but right now, everything's affecting me. The sounds. The smells. It's all making me sick. I need to find Dean. I need to know he'll be okay. That's the only way I'll feel better.

  "I need to see Dean Sanders," I say to the woman at the nurses' station.

  "Are you family?" she asks.

  "I'm his girl—"

  "Sister," Danny says, interrupting me. I wasn't even thinking. Good thing Danny stopped me. "Can she go in and see him?"

  "Not yet," the nurse says. "He's recovering from surgery. She can see him later today."

  "Surgery?" I say. "What surgery?"

  "They had to stop the bleeding from his neck."

  "What happened to his neck?"

  "He was brought in with a knife wound." She gets up. "You should speak with the doctor. He can tell you more." She walks off, disappearing behind a closed door.

  I turn to Danny. "That's it? She just tells us that and leaves?"

  "Let's go sit down." He takes my arm and leads me to a chair in the waiting area.

  "I can't sit," I tell him. "I need to know what's happening. I need to find someone who can tell us something."

  "Brook, you heard what she said. You can't see him right now. He's recovering."

  I slump down in the chair. "Someone stabbed him. They were trying to kill him."

  Danny puts his arm around me. "He'll be okay. He's strong. I don't even remember him ever being sick."

  "We have to call Jake," I say, getting out my phone. "Can you go get him at school?"

  "Yeah, of course. You want me to talk to him?" He reaches for the phone.

  "No. I'll do it." I stand up as I call his number. It rings and rings until I get his voicemail. "Jake, it's Brook. I need you to call me back. It's really important." I end the call and send him a text, telling him to call me.

  "He's probably in class," Danny says. "Maybe I should just go there. It'd be better to tell him in person anyway."

  "Maybe I should go with you." I glance at the nurse coming out of the ICU. "If they won't let me see him, I might as well go with you."

  Danny gets up. "Come on."

  The nurse I talked to before returns to the desk and I race up to her. "I need to leave for like an hour. Please call me if anything happens with Dean." I give her my number, not sure she'll actually call but wanting her to have it just in case.

  "Ready?" Danny asks, his keys in his hand.

  "Just a minute." I turn back to the nurse. "Did Dean wake up yet?"

  "No, he's been out since he got here."

  "If he wakes, please tell him we were here and that we'll be back."

  She just nods as she types something in the computer.

  Danny and I leave and hurry out to his truck.

  "What if it really was his dad?" I say, staring out at the dark gray sky. It matches how I'm feeling, like a dark cloud blanketed over all the happiness I felt just hours ago. "Dean was worried his dad would show up at the house. What if he did?"

  "It's possible. I just don't know why he'd do that. Why would he go there to beat up Dean? It's not like Dean has any money."

  "But he has Jake."

  "Yeah? So?"

  "Maybe his dad wants Jake."

  "Why? He can't raise him in prison. And Jake wasn't even home when this happened."

  "Yeah, I guess."

  "Call the cop," Danny says. "See if they found out anything."

  I yank the officer's card from my pocket and call the number.

  "This is Officer Simmons," he says.

  "Hi, this is Brook Turner, the girl you met this morning at Dean Sander's house."

  "Yes, I was hoping you'd call. Would you be able to come into the station?"

  "Me? Why?"

  "I'd like to speak with you about Joe Sanders and his relationship with his son. We'll be speaking with Dean as well but since he's unable to be questioned at this time, we'd like to speak with those closest to him, including the young man you were with this morning."

  "I don't understand. Why do you need to talk to us?"

  "Joe Sanders' employer has informed us he's not at work. He showed up this morning but somehow left without anyone noticing. They were unaware he was gone until we called just now to check on him. We're currently trying to locate him, but as of now we don't have any leads. We'd like to talk with anyone who might know where he—"

  "Wait—you're saying Dean's dad wasn't at work this morning?" I clutch my stomach as that sick feeling returns.

  "He was there but he left. We don't know when or how. We're assuming he had a friend who arranged to pick him up or get him a vehicle."

  It had to be him. Dean's dad had to be the one who attacked him. Who else would it be?

  Dean was right all along. When he said his dad would go to the house, I didn't believe him. It didn't make sense for him to risk having his prison sentence extended when he only had three years to go. But Dean was right. His dad didn't care about following the rules. He used the work release as his chance to escape. But why did he go to the house? Why did he attack Dean? What did he want?

  Chapter Three

  Brook

  "How is that possible?" I ask the cop. "How did he leave work without anyone not
icing? Don't they monitor prisoners?"

  "Unfortunately, there are ways around that. Do you have any idea where Mr. Sanders might have gone?"

  "To Dean's house!" I yell, my anger taking over. "He did this to Dean! I swear to you, it was him. It had to be."

  "Put him on speaker," Danny says as we wait at a stoplight.

  "Officer Simmons," I say. "I'm with my friend, Danny, right now. He wants to talk to you. I'm putting you on speaker."

  "Hey," Danny says. "I've been friends with Dean forever. I know his dad, and Brook is right. If Joe took off, there's a good chance he'd go to the house."

  "The house where his sons live," the officer says.

  "It's technically Joe's house," Danny says. "He might have stashed some money there or left something valuable behind. I'm guessing that's why he went there."

  "So you're saying Joe Sanders was the one who attacked his son?"

  "Yes," I blurt out. "It had to be him."

  "I don't know why he did it, but yeah," Danny says. "I'm guessing he and Dean got in an argument and Joe attacked him."

  "He almost killed him," the officer says. "Do you think that was his intent?"

  Danny glances at me. "You should be able to answer that better than me. You've seen Joe's file, right? Why he went to prison?"

  "I'm aware of his attack on his ex-wife, as well as the other women, but that doesn't prove he'd attack his own son."

  "It may not prove it but it shows what he's capable of," Danny says, turning into the parking lot of the junior high. The lot is mostly empty, which seems odd since it's only one-thirty.

  "We need to go," I tell the officer. "We're getting Dean's brother from school and then going back to the hospital."

  “That’s fine but I might have more questions for both of you as we do our investigation. Can you give me your numbers?"

  We rattle them off, then end the call.

  "Where is everyone?" I ask Danny as we get out of the truck.

  "Not sure," he says, walking up to the building. He tries the door but it's locked.

  "Do they always lock the doors?" I ask Danny.

  "Probably. With all the shit that happens at school these days, they lock them up like a prison."

  "Then how are we going to get Jake?"