Playing With Fire

Adam Anderson

I hadn't realised my eyes were closed until I couldn't feel Ryan on top of me anymore. I fluttered my eyes open and could hear a scuffle nearby, with men's voices and Ryan's slurred yells.

I took a deep shaky breath and slowly sat up to see Adam and Damien from the club holding Ryan forcibly up against the wall. I gasped a little as I noticed his face had blood on it, they must have hit him.

My eyes caught Adam's as he turned to look back at me. Damien and Adam let Ryan slump down the wall and onto the floor.

"Sophie are you okay?" He asked me, still restraining Ryan. I had no idea how to answer him. I knew I had been hurt, but the shock of what I had seen from Ryan was what was making me not okay.

Adam walked towards me and dropped to one knee placing a hand on my shoulder. I noticed Ryan using that as a distraction to run, Damien went to follow.

"Damien just let him go," Adam's eyes still stayed on mine. "Go get a car, we have to get her back to ours," I shook my head at his words. "I'm not arguing with you, Sophie." He fought back as Damien ran to presumably get the car.

"Marc will be worrying, I have to call him." I looked at Adam, who was shaking his head.

"You can call whoever when we get back to our place."

I tried to protest but I gave in as I noticed a black range rover pulled up and a door open and I was sitting in the leather interior as it whizzed away.

In hindsight, I should never have gotten into a car with strangers. Particularly to men, but I was tired and something made me trust Adam.

I wasn't in the car long as we pulled up in a private gated area. They pulled up on a drive of one of the exclusive houses. Both Adam and Damien helped me into the house and found their way to a living area where they sat me on a cream sofa in the spacious living room.

"Boys?" A male voice hollered from somewhere before appearing in the doorway, he looked at me instantly, "Hello?" the older man looked at me.

"Hi," I said weakly and a little awkwardly, as Adam sat on the coffee table that was directly in front of me.

"I'll get her a cup of tea," Damien said as he walked out of the room walking past the older man at the doorway.

"You're Sophie Hart." He said looking at me, I flushed how did he know that?

"Yes," I said weakly, as I looked at the man his eyes matched Adam's and his hair was dark with flashes of white, he was clearly Adam's dad.

"I best call your dad." He sighed as he looked at my face. I shook my head.

"You can't, he's at the club, only Marc is home." I couldn't have my dad racing here. He would be so mad.

"I have to call someone Sophie, and get them to sort you out." He explained I nodded he was right and better Marc than my dad.

Then Marc, he's-"

"Yes," he smiled warmly. "I know who Marc is. I will call him now and get him to collect you."

The room was then empty with just me and Adam, I went to speak but Damien returned with a mug of tea.

"Tea, milk and sugar apparently are magical cures." He smiled as he handed me the tea, I smiled at him and he went to sit on the sofa opposite me and behind the coffee table. I took a sip of the tea, it was nice to get something warm in me. The heat burned my lip which was sore. I had no idea what state Ryan had left me in.

"I feel like an idiot." I looked at Adam, and behind him on the sofa Damien.

"You're not an i***t, Ryan Miller is the idiot." Adam reminded me, I looked back down at the mug of tea and then back at the two men in front of me.

"Thank you, I thought I could handle Ryan. He's never done that before." I said as I remember how angry he was, how he ripped my hair from my head.

"Yeah, people can surprise you," Damien commented from behind Adam, I smiled at him weakly. I heard his dad back in the doorway, I looked at him with his phone in his hand.

"Sophie, Marc is on his way." He said I nodded my heart was racing. What was he going to make of all of this? I looked down at my mug of tea.

"It'll be okay Sophie," Adam said I looked at his warm smile as I looked up from the tea. We all heard the car pull up on the drive and Adam's dad went to the door just as the engine turned off.

"Crap." I sighed under my breath, I heard Marc greet Adam's dad briefly before he entered the room.

"Sophie!" He spoke as he came towards me, Adam moved from his position on the coffee table and stood beside it and Marc took his place in front of me. I noticed a second person entered the room with Marc and it was my brother Ben.

"Ben?" I said as I looked at his grey eyes, he instantly sat beside me and wrapped me in his arms.

"f*****g Miller!" Marc muttered, I could feel Ben tense up at Ryan's name. I watched as Damien left the room as his phone rang.

"A word James and you too Adam!" Marc demanded as he got up from the coffee table and Adam followed him out and shut the door. I could still hear everything as Marc spoke to Adam and his Dad.

"Look, thanks for helping her out, Sophie's always been courageous and has no sense of danger," Marc said in a low voice I don't think he knew I could hear them. Ben kept me close but I could tell he wanted to rip Ryan's head from his shoulders.

"I suppose being around men all her life will make her feel immune to them, Marc." Adam's dad said.

"That might be part of the problem and we told her to stay clear of him, Sophie's always been headstrong," Marc muttered, my throat choked back my pain, Marc was right, my family told me to stay away from Ryan Miller but I didn't.

"Let me take it from here and I would really appreciate it if we kept this between ourselves," Marc instructed.

"Of course Marc, this has nothing to do with us. We don't want to cause the poor girl any more stress." Adam's Dad replied for everyone

"What about you Damien?" Marc said.

"Of course, Marc." That was Damien's voice.

"Good, I'll take her home now," Marc announced, and the door opened. "Ben." He said and Ben gently got up, bringing me up with him, he put his around my waist.

"Come on Sis." He said, as he steadied me and took the mug from me and gave it to an outstretched hand.

"Thanks for tonight," I said to all of them, but it was Adam's green eyes that caught mine, he smiled at me and I smiled weakly back as I was escorted out of their lovely house.

"Take care, Sophie." Adam's dad said his voice was strong and purposeful.

I just nodded at him as Ben took me to the car and put me in the back seat. I watched as Marc spoke to Adam and his Dad before joining us in the car.

"Come on sweetheart let's get you back." Marc said as he pulled away. I put my heavy head against the headrest of the backseat of the car. Marc and Ben spoke about how everyone would still be at the club and how I could get back without anyone asking anything. We pulled into our cul-de-sac and I slipped out the car when we pulled up on the drive.

"Let's look at your face Sophie." Marc said as I followed him into the living room, but I just shook my head.

"I'm fine, Marc honestly just tired. I am going to clean up and go to bed." I said Marc's dark eyes looked at me.

"Are we not going to talk about what happened with Miller?" He asked I shrugged.

"What's there to say, he hit me, we are over and I am not even upset about it," I said simply, "goodnight, I have work tomorrow." I said as I mentally cursed Zoe for convincing me to go out. I walked out of the room to the hallway and walked up the stairs to my room.

My room was as I left it when I went out with Zoe. My bed straight ahead of me had my work clothes on from yesterday. I walked to my window which was to the right and closed the curtains. And against the wall opposite the bed and next to the door was my dresser. I sat at it and looked at my face as I pulled out a face wipe. My lips had a little cut in and a little bruising but nothing too serious. I removed all the makeup from my face and took the brush from the dresser and brushed the curls that Zoe had made and put my hair into a ponytail. I tidied the dresser and changed for bed, walking to my en-suite to brush my teeth.

I climbed into my double bed and stared at the ceiling. I was relieved that Ryan was out of my life forever. I never really understood our relationship, we hadn't slept together or even loved each other. He just liked control and women. But it was over and I was relieved. I rolled over and closed my eyes and I had someone else's eyes looking back at me. They were a striking emerald green colour and I knew instantly he would be too hard to get out of my mind.