Page 50 of The Sandbar saga

Chapter 18

A high-pitched screamcame from outside. Race dropped the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter and looked across the living room, through the sliding doors, and spotted several bodies around his pool. Not recognizing any of them, he walked out of his house and stood looking around the entertainment area.

There were six, no seven boys, drinking, and two in the pool tossing a football back and forth. His heart pounded, and he stepped closer to the group and found Katie tucked under a scrawny arm, clutching her swimsuit top as the boy played with the string around her neck.

"What the hell is going on?" he barked.

The boys spread out, and he walked straight up to the kid with his hands on Katie, and said, "You have ten seconds to grab your buddies and get off my property."

"Race. Stop bullying." Katie laughed, throwing her arms around the boy's thin waist. "These are my friends. I thought you were going out to dinner, so we're using the pool."

He'd gone to dinner with Sharon and called it a night before they ordered dessert. During the whole evening, he kept checking his phone, looking at the time, and wanting to come back home.

Disappointing Sharon by calling an end to their date, he'd picked up ice cream and toppings on the way home with the plan to share it with Katie, expecting her to be alone.

Over the last six months, Katie had only gone to work and come straight home. A few times, she'd gone on shopping trips with her female coworkers or went for a walk and chat, but far as he knew, there were no men involved in the outings.

Glancing over at her arm wrapped around the boy's back, he couldn’t stop his lip from curling. "Your guests need to leave. Now."

"We'll be quiet." She gazed up at the boy. "Won't we, Pete?"

"Yeah, man." Pete slapped her ass.

Katie squealed and jumped forward. Race glared. "Have you been drinking?"

Her eyes rounded. "No."

"Who are these boys?" He ignored Pete, who wasn't leaving her side. "Where'd they come from?"

"Pete lives on Hill Street, too, about five houses down. We went to grade school together. He stopped by when I was washing my car in the driveway earlier and helped me." She half-turned, which pressed her breasts against Pete's chest. "That's Keith, Lyle, Greg, and...I forget the rest of their names. They're friends of Pete's. I don't think they live in Sherwood Community."

He planted his hands at his waist. "And, you invited them over to party?"

"They're all over twenty-one years old." She shrugged. "You said to treat the house as if it was my home. I didn't think you'd mind."

He turned away from them, barely holding on. When he'd told her to make herself at home, he was only talking about her. He never planned for her having a party or bringing over a load of boys.

"You've got an hour. Then, your friends are gone." His gaze lowered. "Get a damn sweater. It's October. You're going to catch a cold wearing that if you're not in the water."

He'd bought her the two-piece swimsuit at the same time he'd purchased a one-piece suit, knowing the school rules stated a full suit for swimming. What the hell was going through his mind buying her a bikini?

He looked at Pete and stuck a finger in the boy's chest. "She's nineteen years old. Remember that."

"Yes, sir." Pete saluted him with two fingers to the forehead.

He wanted to punch the little asshole.

"I'll be inside." He looked at Katie. "One hour."

She jumped, hugging Pete around the neck, and kissed him. He gritted his teeth and walked back into the house. Those kids out there had no idea how to take care of a young woman like Katie. They would never understand what she'd gone through or that she'd spent six years at an all-girl private school until a year ago.

Most of all, he feared Katie would turn toward sex to soothe the pain overwhelming her. It was a classic remedy.

Like an alcoholic taking up smoking to keep from drinking. There was always a bad habit at hand to try and numb the pain.

She was self-destructing, and she wouldn't realize it until she hit rock bottom. He put the ice cream in the freezer and the toppings in the pantry.

Staying within view of the pool, he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. If he hadn't gone out with Sharon, he would've been here to keep the boys away from Katie.