Tucker Chapter, PT. 3

“If you ever touch her again, I’ll kill you.”

Her mouth dropped. “Jesse, he—”

He ignored her and tried to lead her away. She dug in her heels.

“I’m not,” she began before Jesse turned, crouched, and tossed her over his shoulder. She braced her hands on his back so she could see Tucker. “He isn’t moving!”

“He’s fine,” Jesse said curtly as he set her down and yanked open the door of the SUV. “Get in.”

She stared up at him, unable to believe what he’d done. She had no idea he knew how to throw a punch, much less how to systematically beat someone to a pulp. Tucker had been in his fair share of fights, but Jesse had incapacitated him with shocking ease. She didn’t know Jesse had that level of violence in him, but the splatter of red on his shirt said different.

“Why did you do that?” she demanded.

It was an unfortunate moment for her gaping shorts to drop to her knees. In the time it took her to haul them up and fasten them, Jesse was already on his way back to Tucker to finish what he started. She hauled on his arm.

“Jesse, don’t!”

He stopped, but didn’t turn back toward the car. His arm was as hard as iron. He was breathing hard, and it wasn’t from the fight. He was angrier than she had ever seen him.

“Jesse?”

“Get in the car.”

His voice trembled with rage. She hesitated before she obeyed. She felt a modicum of relief when he followed her. She eyed him warily as she slipped onto her seat. Jesse’s expression was blank as he closed her door. She winced, even though he didn’t slam it. She almost wished he had.

As he stalked around to the drivers side, she turned in her seat to see how Tucker was doing and was relieved to see he was sitting up. Jesse got in, which made her face forward. As he fired up the engine, she thought of her backpack, which was on the side of Tucker’s car, but that didn’t seem important at the moment.

“Did he force you?” Jesse spat as they left the parking lot.

Her head whipped toward him. “F-force?”

“Did you want him to touch you?” he clarified impatiently.

She clamped her thighs together in mortification. For a second, she considered lying before the telltale wetness between her legs and honesty made her confess, “Yes.”

Jesse didn’t say a word, but his temper filled the cab, making her heart skip erratically. She ran a shaking hand through her hair. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Don’t talk,” he said harshly. “Before I crash the car.”

Sick to her stomach, she looked out the window, and bit down on her lower lip until she tasted blood. Jesse attacked because he thought Tucker was forcing her? His reaction was understandable if that’s what he believed, but she wished he’d said something before he reacted so violently. She closed her eyes and slumped against the car door. This was all her fault. She’d been so caught up in the moment that she lost her head. Anyone could have come by. It just so happened that it was Jesse who interrupted them. It escalated so fast that her mind was still spinning.

Fifteen minutes passed in complete silence. When Jesse pulled into the driveway, he braked hard enough for her to rock forward and have her seatbelt lock. She cast him a wide-eyed look he didn’t notice since he got out of the car and, this time, slammed the door behind him.

She sat there for a moment, unsure what to do. It wasn’t until he disappeared inside that she realized dad could be home. The bolt of terror that struck her caused her to undo her seatbelt and sprint after Jesse.

She burst through the front door and took in the empty living room and kitchen before she raced down the hallway. She got a glimpse of Jesse in his bedroom as she made her way to their parent’s bedroom at the end of the hall. The door was open, and she was relieved to see her father wasn’t sleeping after a long shift.

She let out a breath before she made her way to Jesse’s room, nervously plucking at her top as she stopped in the open doorway. He paced manically, a far cry from his controlled, athletic grace. She felt horrible. She didn’t know what to say to calm him.

They’d grown apart this summer. He attended summer sports camps and spent the rest of his time, helping renovate the church, dirt biking, hunting, and fishing while she turned into a social butterfly to make sure she was never home. Mom and Dad had remarked on her suddenly full social calendar, but they’d been happy for her rather than disappointed. Jesse had asked her a few times if she wanted to come with him to a gathering, but she made sure she was always occupied. She’d hoped that by creating a life separate from him that she wouldn’t respond to him and that she’d be so exhausted, she’d sleep through his visits.

It hadn’t worked, and now she was in a pickle. Their parents would be home in… She glanced at the clock and wrung her hands. Mom would be home in an hour… maybe an hour and a half? Ever dedicated, she tended to stay late and help with after school programs. Dad would be home in two, and she had to know what Jesse was going to say. If Jesse’s reaction was a preview of what to expect from their dad, she would do anything to gain his promise to keep the incident with Tucker to himself.

Dad was strict, religious, conservative, and had a touch of the Wild Wild West in him. Would he take matters into his own hands and go after Tucker with a gun for daring to touch her? Though it clearly pained him, he allowed her to date on one condition—that she would save herself for her husband. He made it clear that she should call the shots and if any boy made her uncomfortable, she should break it off. She hadn’t gone all the way, but that wouldn’t matter to her dad. Would he believe she’d been a willing participant? Would he lock her in her room for the rest of her life?

**This is a raw draft of the prequel for Corrupt Idol. Please do not share or distribute.

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