Secrets, Lies, and Summer Skies

Chapter Thirty-Eight

My first instinct was to slam the door in his face.

Unfortunately, Mark was faster than I was.

The door had barely moved before he thrust out his hand to hold it open and barged against it with his shoulder with such force that it banged against the interior wall.

"Let's not be rude, beautiful."

I jumped back in horror when Mark stepped into the hallway uninvited, his damp shoes leaving wet footprints as he approached. Without another word, he turned to close the door gently. Honestly, that was more intimidating than it might've been if he'd been violent or careless. It was the action of a man who knew that he had all the time in the world to say whatever it was he'd come to say to me.

"Get out." The order would've been intimidating if my voice hadn't quivered. I balled my hands into fists and steeled my nerves. "Leave, or I'll call the police!"

"Why? Because I want to talk?" Mark's voice was gentle and even like he was talking to an old friend instead of someone he'd tried to assault the last time he'd been in their home. And, just like the last time, I could smell the alcohol on his breath. "I just want to put things right, Chaise. Surely, you can give me a chance?"

I paused for barely a second before I took off at a run towards the kitchen. My bare feet squeaked on the tile when I took the corner, and I bumped my hip painfully off the island as I veered toward the landline. Mark was hard on my heels. His arm caught my waist in a suffocatingly tight grip. I was hoisted off my feet, turned around, and only released when he stood firmly between me and the phone. I darted away from him and placed myself behind one of the island stools. It was a pathetic obstacle, but it was something I could launch at him if he tried to touch me again.

"That was stupid of you," he pointed out. "Let's not try that again."

"I'll scream. And – and my dad is home, so–"

"Is he?" Mark asked, a glint in his eye. "Should I test that theory? HEY! CHAISE'S DAD!"

Mark's voice echoed through the cavernous house. As expected, there was no response. Not a footfall on the floor, nor the turn of a handle. We were surrounded by the fading echo of his voice and the chilling confirmation that we were, unfortunately, utterly alone with one another.

Satisfied, he asked, "How stupid do you think I am?"

"Stupid enough to come here after what Grayson did to you."

The reminder of that night was enough to make his eye twitch. For a moment, the façade of serenity he'd plastered across his face slipped and I could see the seething anger beneath. A sensible woman wouldn't have provoked a man like Mark to anger. Not when he'd proven that he was capable of being forceful. It wasn't a stretch to think that he might escalate to violence.

"Grayson is why I'm here." There was an edge to Mark's voice. It was enough to make me flinch. Noticing my reaction, he cleared his throat and forced a smile. "I need you to pass on a message for me. Tell him that he's going to hire me back, or I'll make his life very difficult from here on out."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?"

"Don't you think I would've if I could get close to him?" Mark snapped at me.

"Why would I tell him to hire you back? You deserved to be fired. You're lucky we didn't call the police and report you for what you did! And, you know what? If you don't get the fuck out of my house right now, I'll do exactly that!"

"I don't think you will, Chaise. In fact, it's not just Grayson's life I plan to ruin if you don't do as you're told."

If Mark thought he could make my life any worse than I already had, then he was delusional. I mean, I'd already lost my relationship with Grayson, the trust of my father, my freedom for the rest of the summer, and I was being forced back to a college I never wanted to step foot in again because I'd be faced with Trey and Anna. There was nothing on Earth that could put me in a deeper hole than the one I'd dug myself during the summer.