My Next Door Neighbor

Chapter 17

"Well...well...well, who knew Carter here was just playing with us as he led the girl here." Howie looked happy, smiling at me evilly.

My eyebrows knot together in confusion as my eyes directed to Carter. Since my hand was covered I couldn't say anything.

"Don't listen to them Cassie." He said looking at me with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Well done Carter." The rich man threw a bag of something at as son who caught it easily. Carter looked defeated as he rubbed the back of his neck. Howie then turned to me. "What a beauty here." He ran the back of his hand down the side of my face.

I struggled, but the man holding me squeezed me tighter causing me to wince. I immediately stopped struggling and stood there, breathing heavy.

"Howie stop! Let her go, please." Carter stepped in, pulling his dad's arm back.

"What is she to you Carter? Why do you...wait a minute...do you like her?" He asked, turning his head to look at the speechless boy. I widened my eyes and looked at him, eager for the answer.

"What? No." My heart cracked a little. "I just don't think she's worth it." Woah, now that one really hurt. I teared up a bit and looked away. I mean, what about what he said in the hall the other day? Did he mean any of that.

"It seems that she has a different thought." Howie said.

A thought then came into my head. I pulled my head back up and bit down on the guys hand really hard. He instantly let me go and howled in pain. I fell to the ground and scrambled to get away but the sound of a gun cocking stopped me. I slowly turned around to see Howie with the gun and Carter being pulled back by three other guys.

"I don't want to do this Cassidy..." Howie said. I sighed a bit in relief, but when he spoke again I froze. "so that's why I'm going to let Carter do it." The guys let Carter go and shoved him forward. They out a gun to his head and Howie gave him the other one. "Shoot her."

My eyes widened. "Carter don't...please." I put my hands up in front of me.

"He pointed the gun at me. "Close your eyes." He said.

I did as I was told, shutting them tightly. Gun shots rang out causing me to scream, but when they silenced I opened my eyes and looked down seeing not a scratch on me.

"Let's go." A hand grabbed mine and pulled me away from the scene where a bunch of guys lay motionless on the ground. Howie was also there on hand ground, shouting as blood ran down the side of his face.

I followed the boy as far down the street as we could go. He opened his front door and ushered me in.

"Go up to my room, first door on your left. Close the door and wait for my two knocks." He closed the front door behind him and locked the door.

I ran up the stairs and straight into his bedroom, closing the door and locking it. My heart was racing as I paced the floor, wondering what was going on. A few minutes passed until I heard the series of knocks. I unlocked the door and there stood Carter in all his glory, but there was something unsettling about his presence and that could have been the gun he held in his hand. I stepped back, allowing him to come in then closed and locked the door behind him. He stopped and looked at me, put the gun on his messy dresser, and opened his arms. I ran straight to him and hugged him tight, tears streaming down my face from being so scared. He kept his arms around me, rubbing small shapes on my back.

"What's going on?" I cried into his muscular chest.

I heard him sigh. "Something I wish I never made you apart of."

We spent a ewe minutes standing like we did then we sat down and Carter began to tell me the whole story about how Howie was his stepdad and how Howie had taken an internet in me for some reason. Apparently I was suppose to be a present for Carter's sick and twisted stepbrother, Nathan. Through all of this I couldn't stop my heartbeat from racing in panic, but Carter promised that he wouldn't let anything happen to me.

"Carter, when you said I wasn't worth it..." I began.

"I lied. If I admitted that I liked you Howie would use it against me, but I think he's already figured it out by now." He said, but I only caught one thing.

"Wait, you like me?" Hope filled the space in me where worry had resided.

Carter just looked at me straight on. "Yes Richards, I like you."

I couldn't do anything but smile. Well, until I got a very worried and upset phone call.

"Cass where the hell are you?!" Derek's angry voice asked.

"You should probably stay here so I can make sure they didn't follow us." Carter said, trying to sound smart, but the small pink on his cheeks told me there was another reason.

"Calm down. I'm at a friends house, I was just about to call." I said trying to keep my voice normal.

"Oh, well, you should have called earlier." He said and I could tell he was blushing on the other line.

"Okay well I've got to go. Bye." With that I hung up.

ANOTHER CHAPTER. SORRY IT WAS CUT OFF LIKE THIS BUT I HAVE A BUNCH OF STUFF FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. SOOOOO WHAT DO YALL THINK OF IT SO FAR? SOME CRAZY STUFF GOING ON. ANYWAYS I LOVE YALL AND PLEASE COMMENT AND VOTE!!!