Chapter 53 – Vest

Margot’s POV

SHIT.

I jolted upright, spine snapping straight as panic buzzed through my every nerve ending. My hands flew to my chest, eyes dropping down in horror—and there it was. No fucking vest. Just the thin white cloth of my sports bra stretched tight across my chest, baring a sliver of my stomach and enough cleavage to make me want to crawl inside my sweatshirt and disappear entirely.

“I thought I wore the vest today!” I hissed, frantically patting at the waistband of my joggers as if that would somehow produce the missing layer. “Cara – I swear – I thought I had it on!”

Cara’s face was frozen, her mouth slightly parted in disbelief, eyes flicking from me… to behind me. To him. Everything from that point happened fast… A loud clatter echoed through the gym like a gunshot – metal slamming on metal – followed by the unmistakable sound of Leo swearing and yelling… “What the fuck, Santo?! Could’ve broke my damn foot!” Oh god. I whipped my head around, heart ramming against my ribs. Coban was no longer beside Leo. The weights he’d been holding moments ago were now scattered across the floor like the aftermath of a wreck, dumbbells rolling wildly in opposite directions. And he was storming towards me. Not walking. Not pacing. Storming. Like an avalanche of fury in human form. My mouth went dry. “Shit, shit, shit-” I scrambled to grab the jumper, fumbling with the fabric as if it weighed fifty pounds, arms flailing for the sleeves that were now inside out and upside down. “Help me, help me, help-” “I told you!” Cara hissed, wide–eyed as she reached to help shove the material over my head. “Why would you take that off in the gym if that’s all you had on under, Margot?!” “I already told you, I didn’t mean to – I thought I wore the goddamn vest today, I swear!” My voice cracked, panic clawing at my throat as her shared panic didn’t help matters. “Margot,” Sarah said behind me, frozen in her seat. “He’s he’s really coming over here. Oh my god, I think he’s actually going to kill someone-” “I know, Sarah!” I wheezed from inside the tangled mess of cotton now strangling me. “I’m trying to fix it!” The air shifted around us, electric and suffocating. I didn’t even need to see him to feel him, to sense the dangerous heat radiating off his sweat coated body as he closed in on us like a damn heat–seeking missile. Cara shot to her feet in front of me, throwing her hands up in a desperate attempt at defense.

“Wait! Coban, please! It was an accident! She didn’t mean to – she forgot to wear something underneath, but she’s covered now – see?! It’s fine!” she rushed, words tumbling out in a single breathless stream. His voice was low. Deadly. Flat. Monotone. “Move.” Cara froze, palms still raised. “Coban, come on. Don’t do this. It doesn’t need to be any worse. Everything is fine now!” “I said, MOVE CARA.” I heard him thunder back, as my eyes squeezed shut in horror. What if he kills my friend too?! This could be the end of us both in here! All because of me and my damn stupidity! The tension was a blade, slicing straight through the center of the gym. From the corner of my vision, I saw Leo jog up behind Coban, one brow raised in confusion as he tugged at Cara’s arm. “Come on, sweetheart,” he murmured gently, pulling her back. “Let him deal with his own shit, it’s got nothing to do with you.” She resisted for half a second, attempting a ‘but’ that was quickly silenced by Leo, before she allowed herself to be dragged back, biting her lip, clearly torn between defending me and not getting decked by Coban. My head finally burst through the top of the hoodie just in time to see Coban’s hand reach out and grab a fistful of it. “No, wait!” I squeaked, half–shocked, half–choking as he hauled me upright in one clean motion. I barely had time to plant my feet before I was moving, stumbling beside him, hoodie still bunched in his grasp like a leash. “What are you – Coban, wait a sec- can we just talk about this? It’s nothing, really!” But he didn’t answer. Didn’t even turn to look at me. Didn’t say a single word. His jaw was locked, eyes forward, nostrils flaring like a bull ready to charge at anybody in his path. I turned my head desperately over my shoulder to find both Cara and Sarah standing now, watching in stunned silence together. Sarah looked horrified, mouthing something I couldn’t quite make out. Cara’s face was twisted with guilt as though she could’ve done more to prevent this. But I knew it was all my own damn fault. We passed Newman on the way to the doors too. He stood rigid near the benches, eyes narrowed, clearly tracking every movement with a sharpened focus I didn’t like one bit. I saw his hand twitch toward his waistband like he wanted to follow, to intervene – but a single look from Leo seemed to halt him in his tracks.

Coban wrenched open the gym doors, the sound loud and jarring, then yanked me through like a rag doll. “Coban!” I gasped, trying to dig my heels in, useless against the force of him. “Coban, slow down, I can’t keep up!” Nothing. Not even a flicker of recognition that I was even here, under his grasp. He was breathing hard now, chest rising and falling in quick, violent bursts. I tried to read his face but it was like trying to read the weather in the middle of a hurricane. Still he didn’t speak. The corridor blurred past as we moved in silence, the sharp echo of our footsteps bouncing off the walls like gunfire. Where the hell were the guards when I needed them?! Can’t they see he’s going to end me for this?! We pressed on, I’m assuming towards the cell, as I finally glanced up to see one of the security officers stationed outside the rec room. He glanced up, eyes widening at seeing Coban’s mood drifting towards him, and to my great horror, he chose to say absolutely nothing! Probably decided that whatever was happening, he wasn’t paid enough to stop Coban Santorelli… By the time we reached our cell, my breath was ragged. Coban wasted no time before launching me inside, sending me tumbling across the floor, landing in a heap. The door slammed, the sound making my heart pound faster. In that moment, all I could muster were tears. Panicked, wet and desperate tears. “I’m sorry!” I cried, curling my arms up around my head on the floor, knowing from experience that it would be the best position for me to get in to. I became a sobbing mess, choking on breaths and feeling my chest shake… But nothing came. Not yet. Just sheer silence as I held my eyes shut, waiting for what would be next…