Pucking Stepbrother (Devils of Sable Lakes #1.5)

Chapter Five

Nate

Darkness envelopes me as I sit alone in the center of the ice rink, still tied to this fucking chair, and waiting for someone to come untie me. It’s been hours and I’m freezing my balls off, the cold air numbing my hands and feet. I’ll probably be here until the morning when the first practice begins.

“Fuck!” I scream at the top of my lungs and try to pull my hands free from the restraints, but it’s useless, they’re tied too tight.

After what feels like fucking hours, the overhead lights flick on, making me squint from the sudden assault. My shoulders ache from their position and my hands are freezing.

The janitor appears behind the safety glass and glares at me before he makes his way down the ramp toward me. “Jesus Christ, you kids and your fucking pranks,” he grumbles.

“Think you can cut me loose instead of just standing there gawking?” I raise my eyebrows at him.

Moving across the ice shuffling his feet, he doesn’t bother to speak to me again, but he does mutter unintelligible things under his breath. Pulling out a Stanley knife from his belt of tools, he slides behind me and cuts the cable ties before handing me the knife to cut me legs free.

After cutting the ties around my ankles, I hand the knife back. “Thanks,” I say, standing up and stretching my half-frozen limbs and rubbing my hands together to get some blood flow back into them.

“Get out of here.” He looks at me like I’m a freak before shuffling back off the ice.

As I head outside, I notice I don’t have my phone on me. Those fuckers probably threw it in the bin as they left earlier. It’s pitch-black outside and eerily quiet. I have no idea what the time is and as I stalk back to my car, dread pools in my gut at the thought of them doing something to her. I’ll skin them all alive if they touched my car.

Picking up my pace, eager to see if my car is still where I left her, I’m surprised when I round the corner and see her sitting alone in the parking lot, waiting for me. Unlocking the driver's side door, I slide in and breathe in the smell of the old leather.

Placing the key in the ignition, she rumbles to life, and it eases my anxiety knowing no one messed with my car. She’s the only constant reliable thing in my life and to have someone fuck with my property would definitely land me in jail. My gaze catches something sitting against the windshield, and I realize it’s my phone. I climb out and grab it before sitting back in the driver’s seat and slamming the door. Opening up the screen, I see it’s just after midnight and I have missed several phone calls and unread texts. Ignoring them all, I take the piece of paper with the frat address and type it into my phone for directions before easing my car out of the parking lot and driving to this new place I’m supposedly living at for a while.

It's a windy drive through back roads flanked by tall trees that loom over the road as you navigate through them. The seclusion of this area is unnerving, and I can feel my skin prickle the deeper I drive into the dense forest. Easing into the cobblestone driveway, it becomes apparent this isn’t your typical frat house. This motherfucker is massive and looks like one of those medieval castles that you visit in Scotland.

There are cars parked haphazardly out the front, so I pull up next to one of them and cut the engine. I can’t believe I’m entertaining this whole bullshit idea of me living in a fucking frat house. A few days, I repeat in my head. A few fucking days to work my shit out and then I can leave this place behind and never have to see any of my family ever again. As much as it kills me knowing I’ve left my sister behind, I focus on the thoughts of being able to get her to move in with me in a few months.

Climbing out of my car, I stare up at the sheer size of this place, and slam my door closed before stomping up the front steps. I don’t bother to knock; I fling the front door open and storm inside in search of the bastards that left me at the ice rink. I slink through the front hall toward the voices I can hear and when I step through the door, my heart slams into my throat.

“Did we start the party without me?” I stride to the nearest couch, dropping into it, pretending like I didn’t give a fuck the police were here.

“Nate. The police have a few questions for you,” Asher smiles at me.

I scan the room and spot him as he hovers in the background. He’s changed out of his tarnished ice hockey gear into a comfortable pair of grey sweats and a tight black t-shirt. Despite the fucked up situation, my dick twitches at seeing him in those fucking grey sweats.

“Ask away.” I spread my tattooed arms across the backrest of the couch in an attempt to look as though I’m cool, calm, and collected. I’m everything but.

“Where were you tonight?” The police officer closest to me asks.

I looked at him. “At the ice rink.” My eyes slice to Asher before I stare blankly at the police officer.

“What were you doing there this late?” he continues.

A wide grin spreads across my face as I side-eye Asher. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

“Young man, be serious here. A significant sum of money was stolen from there. Can you tell me anything about this?”

“You’re fucking kidding, right?” I launch out of my seat. My anger burning through my veins as it all clicks together. There was a reason I was left there tonight; I was set up.

“Calm down. We’re here to help you.” The cop tries to dissipate my anger.

“I didn’t fucking steal any money,” I growl at them through clenched teeth. “I’m not a fucking thief.” I wonder if I told the truth about why I was there so late, would they even believe me.

“The video surveillance tells otherwise, young man. We’ll have to take you to the station for questioning.” The second officer pulls out the handcuffs. “We can do this the nice way if you comply or the hard way.”

My cold stare zeroes in on Asher as he waits in the shadows like the sneaky fucking lying cunt he is. I knew he’d set me up to get me the fuck out of his town. Turning around as my anger is about to burst, I hold my arms out behind me ready for the police officer to handcuff me.

“It won’t be necessary, young man. Just walk out to the police car with us.” He taps me on the shoulder before pressing his hand into my upper back to steer me toward the door.

Pausing at the door before I’m led outside, I turn my head slightly and find Asher amongst the guys. “Don’t worry, big boy. Your dirty secret is safe in me,” I chuckle as I step over the threshold and never look back.

Thank you so much for reading this little novella!