Logan Mitchell.
The blond-haired, blue-eyed troublemaker of Becca's hometown. He stood before us, smug smile across his plump lips. With corded arms crossed over his chest, his lean physique was shown off under the white t-shirt he wore.
Becca told me once how she had crushed hard on him growing up, but back then, she was a dorky little girl with glasses and braces. Instead of paying attention to her romantically like every young girl wanted, he picked on her with her graduating class mean girls.
Her life spiraled out of control as they tried to make every moment of everyday completely miserable. My heart broke for my friend when she told me, but I was happy knowing Noah picked up the pieces. He made sure she never felt the sting of regret or betrayal, and I loved him for that.
“f**k off, Logan," Becca snapped, turning away from him and leaving me standing there looking a little more lost and confused than I wanted. I hadn't expected her to address him so passionately, but I suppose the run-in with Heather earlier had left a sour taste in her mouth.
“Is that the way you greet your oldest friend?" Logan replied mockingly, “we had good times Becca."
Oh s**t.
Becca stopped dead in her tracks where she was filling a solo cup with a liquid from a blue liquor bottle. I had no doubt as to how this was going to play out in a moment. After high school Becca completely made herself over, and she vowed to never take Logan's s**t again.
Slowly I watched her set the bottle down as she chased back whatever the hell she had poured before glancing over at me. “I think I need the bathroom; I'll be back."
The f**k?!
“That's right!" Heather laughed. “Run off like you always do."
Before Becca could say anything though Logan snapped his gaze to her and scowled. “I know you aren't f*****g speaking to her like that, Herpies Heather. Why don't you go find some other poor sod to f**k with. I don't even know why you were invited."
Oh snap… maybe coming to this party was better than I expected. I quickly covered my mouth to hide my amusement as I glanced at Becca, who had a look of thanks in her eyes as she stared at Logan before she turned to Heather and watched her leave the kitchen with tears in her eyes.
Serves you right. If you can't handle the s**t you dish out being used on you. You shouldn't be running your mouth. At least, that's why I believed.
Becca left me in the kitchen alone with Logan as she disappeared through the doorway towards what I presumed was the bathroom. I wanted to be pissed at her, but I had a feeling she really did need a moment to herself.
Narrowing my gaze, I turned to Logan watching the amusement dance within his eyes as he turned his attention to me. “Something wrong, little spitfire?"
“You're pathetic," I muttered, shaking my head. “Are you so desperate for attention that you can't just let her enjoy herself?"
“Desperate for attention?" He scoffed with laughter. "You have no idea who I am. Plus, why are you acting like that? I just helped your friend."
“You mean the friend you have been a d**k to for years?" I said sternly. “Yeah… look, why don't you go find someone to entertain yourself with and leave us the f**k alone, dickwad."
He pushed off from where he had been leaning against the counter and strode the three steps between us until he was standing toe to toe with me. I wasn't scared of Logan, but there was definitely something about him that made me uncomfortable.
“You know, maybe I should just entertain myself with you."
“Or you don't…" a familiar voice called from the doorway, the same brunette guy I had seen with Nash in the hallway before stepped into the kitchen with a busty blonde girl attached to his arm. Her ass hung out from beneath her dress and her n*****s threatened to say hello to everyone around her.
Logan turned to the man and laughed. “Mind your own business, Brady. I don't know why you're getting involved."
Brady… so that was his name.
Brady quietly said something to the blonde that caused her to laugh before she walked off, his hand swatting her ass causing her to giggle more before she disappeared from the room leaving me, Brady, and Logan alone in the kitchen.
Brady stepped closer to Logan, his eyes never looking my way as he seemed to size Logan up with a smile on his face. “If you don't know who that girl is you need to make a point of figuring it out. Otherwise, Nash will make you."
The moment that Nash's name left Brady's lips, Logan glanced toward me with a shocked wide-eyed expression. “What? Her?"
There was some unspoken conversation going on between them as Brady nodded. “Yeah, her. So I mean, you can continue if you want but if Nash comes for you then that's on you. We won't protect you."
“You've got to be f*****g kidding me…"
“And yet, I'm not. The same goes for her friend. She isn't up for grabs either, so keep f*****g with her and you will answer to that knight as well."
Knight? I didn't have the slightest clue what it was, but Logan threw his hands up in surrender and quickly backed out of the kitchen through the doorway without saying a f*****g word.
“Well… that was fun," I muttered in surprise.
Brady turned to me with a slight chuckle as he made his way towards the liquor counter. His back towards me as he began to speak. “What are you doing at the party, little bird?"
“Little bird?"
He glanced over his shoulder at me with a smile. “My nickname for you. Seeing as Logan tarnished the phrase spitfire. I have to call you something."
“Why not call me by my name?" I countered as I watched him. “Nessa is perfectly fine."
He shook his head again before he turned to face me once more. “Where's the fun in that, little bird? Now, does Nash know you're here?"
I wasn't sure why it mattered considering I was nothing to him but for some reason, the way Brady was asking me that made my heart stop a bit as the small ball of anxiety I had worked so hard to push down slowly surfaced.
“Why does he need to know? I don't belong to him," I snapped with a look of defiance etched into my face.
“I didn't think so," he muttered as he pulled out his phone.
“What are you doing?" I asked quickly as I glanced towards the open doorway wondering where the hell Becca was. “Are you telling him?"
“First off, of course, I am. I'm not stupid. Second off, your friend Becca is preoccupied. Seems Noah didn't take kindly to her being here without him. And third, why are you so worried? I thought you didn't belong to him?"
There was a teasing to his tone that made me clench my fists to bite back the comment that threatened to escape. I wanted to throttle him for being such a douchecanoe but I couldn't. I may have been more than happy to speak my mind, but I wasn't someone who got physical.
“What?" I gasped slightly confused. “How the f**k did Noah find out, and how do you know Noah?"
Again, Brady shook his head with a smile as he finished whatever he was doing on his phone before he glanced up at me with nothing but amusement dancing upon his face.
“You have already been here for a year and you really know nothing about this place, do you?"
I wasn't sure what he was referencing but I was definitely not going to stay around to continue whatever conversation he wanted to have. If Nash was on the way my ass was leaving. The last thing I wanted to do was end up getting caught up with him here.
I had a feeling it wouldn't end well.
“Look it's been fun, but I'm out."
I turned quickly and made my way out the doorway, my eyes scanned the sea of bodies searching for Becca. Frustration filled me as I realized my short stature wasn't doing me any good. It wasn't until I stepped outside that I spotted her arguing with Noah. Brady had made good on his word that she was okay, but when I heard a familiar roar of a bike heading down the road, I had a gut feeling that I was f****d.
There was no way in hell I was going to be able to leave before he saw me.
“Are you really trying to run?" Brady called out from the doorway behind me. “There is no point in trying to avoid him. He will find you."
“Shut up, Brady. You're not helping."
He chuckled again, irritating me further. “He is a Bedlam Knight, Nessa. Good luck."