Dynasty Boys

Chapter 28

Elle

I sat on Nicole's bed, my mind racing with anxious thoughts, heart pounding in my chest. What was Carter going to do when he got here? The worst part was, I was pretty sure he wasn't coming alone. He'd probably bring his friends with him, and I had no idea how to handle that. I stared at the ceiling, trying to calm my racing thoughts, but they only seemed to get worse the longer I sat there.

What had I done? I should have stayed home, faced Carter, faced everything. Instead, I'd dragged this mess to Nicole's doorstep. And now, I couldn't help but feel guilty. I felt horrible for involving her in all of this. She didn't deserve to have her life turned upside down just because I couldn't make a decision.

The minutes stretched on, and my thoughts kept spiraling. I kept thinking about how they probably knew where Nicole lived. After all, Vaughn had dropped her off that day after we'd gotten drugged. The image of him with his cold eyes and smug grin flashed in my mind. Nicole still hadn't told me what happened that night. I thought she was ready to open up when we were talking about Vaughn earlier, but she didn't say anything.

The silence in the room was deafening. I glanced at my phone. It had been about three minutes since Carter's last message. I needed to wake Nicole. She would not want to wake up with Carter and his friends standing in her bedroom.

"Nicole, wake up!" My voice was sharp, panicked. "Carter and the guys are coming here right now... damn, I'm sorry! He just texted me." The guilt weighed heavily on me as I spoke, knowing this wasn't her problem to deal with.

Nicole stirred slowly, her eyelids fluttering open. A soft moan escaped her lips as she rubbed her eyes. "Right now?" Her voice was thick with sleep, groggy and confused. Before I could respond, we heard the unmistakable sound of a door opening and then closing, sending a jolt of terror through my body.

We froze, staring at each other in complete silence, our breaths shallow and quick. In that split second, the adrenaline hit me like a wave. Then, a sudden, irrational thought flashed in my mind.

It could be the masked man!

Nicole scrambled for something to defend herself. She grabbed a crystal lamp from her bedside table, and I snatched up the biggest pink stone I could find. I don't even know why I picked it; it wasn't practical, but it felt like something.

We tiptoed toward the door, the quietness of the house amplifying every step we took. Then it hit me. We looked ridiculous. I was wearing my cloud-patterned pajama shorts and a white crop top. Nicole was in a gray slip nightie. We looked anything but intimidating, and for a split second, I almost laughed.

I shook my head. It doesn't matter what we look like right now. I had to protect Nicole. I had to make sure we were safe.

Nicole stood behind me, holding the lamp like a real weapon, her body tense with the same fear I felt. I reached for the doorknob, my fingers trembling as I hesitated, trying to steady my breath. But before I could even touch it, the door burst open with a loud crash. We both screamed in unison, the shock and fear making our voices rise in panic.

Before our eyes stood Vaughn with a very angry face. However, he was not looking at me. Instead he was gazing at Nicole, his eyes raking up and down her body. Carter and Nate were right behind him.

"What the hell? Get out Carter! You're not welcome." I tried not to raise my voice too much but failed miserably. Carter walked towards me and grabbed my jaw to make me rise my eyes to meet his.

"Don't ever do that to me again. Answer your fucking phone next time!" he explained in a dangerous low voice and I kept eye contact with him for a few more seconds before pulling out of his grip.