Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
“What’s going on?” Shayne frowns, looking to me for answers.
“This have anything to do with why Dad has called me no less than five times in the last few days?” Thayer asks, arms folded across his chest.
I scratch behind my ear. “That’s probably a safe bet.” He’s called me, too, but he hasn’t left a voicemail, and I haven’t been in the mood to get my ass chewed out, so his calls remain unanswered.
“Samuel knows you guys were snooping around on New Year’s.” Valen surprises everyone, me included, by coming right out with it. Leave it to her to not beat around the bush. “And he knows I was attempting to stall him.”
“I knew that was a bad idea.” Shayne points a finger at Valen. “What did he do? Are you okay?”
Valen looks to me, for reassurance? For backup? I nod for her to continue.
“Remember when I thought you returned my earring that I lost on New Year’s?”
“Yeah,” Shayne drawls out, seemingly confused on how this ties into the current topic.
“Apparently, creepy Uncle Sam brought it upon himself to return it. Without either of us knowing.”
“He was here?” Thayer raises his voice, directing the question at me. “When?”
“Day before you guys left,” I say.
“And you didn’t fucking think to mention that before now?”
“Wait, he was here? In our dorm?” Shayne asks, looking horrified.
“Again, why the fuck are we just now hearing about it?”
I open my mouth to answer, but Valen beats me to it. “Because I told him not to. We didn’t realize what happened until you guys had already left, and it’s not like Shayne was in any danger.”
“But you were!” Shayne yells.
“It was an intimidation tactic. A head game,” Valen says, sounding unaffected. “Nothing happened.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. Why Valen?” Shayne muses aloud.
“Same reason he had Christian target you,” Grey says with a shrug. I tense at the implication. Shayne was Thayer’s weakness. Our show on the patio made Valen mine.
But Shayne doesn’t know that. She shakes her head. “No. I posed a threat because he knew if we stopped hating each other for five seconds, we’d communicate and find out the truth about what happened the day Danny died. Valen was just…a decoy as far as he knows. She could be irrelevant to us.”
Valen’s eyes flick up to mine, guilt shining back at me, before she looks away again.
“The point is, historically, he preys on women,” Grey says. “He goes for what he deems the weaker target.”
“You’re calling me weak?” Valen asks, raising a brow.
“I’m saying he deems women weak,” Grey corrects. “Plus, he knows you two don’t give a fuck about yourselves.” He gestures to Thayer and me. “Threatening you does nothing. Threatening the people you care about might get you to back off, though. I’m sure he’s done enough digging to know Valen’s in your inner circle.”
“You’re not staying here,” Thayer tells Shayne. “You stay at my apartment most of the time, anyway.”
“Uh, yes, I am. I’m not leaving Valen alone.”
“No one has to go anywhere. Valen already had residential services deactivate her key, and I’m right across the hall,” I cut in.
“Lot of good that fucking did,” Thayer scoffs.
“That’s what I said,” Grey mumbles his agreement.
“No one’s talking to you,” Thayer spits back, earning a middle finger from Grey.
“No offense, Grey, because I’m glad you’re here, but where do you come in?” Shayne asks.
“Oh, Holden called me to help him fuck up the judge, and you know I’m always down to put an Ames in their place.” His words are said with a smirk, his tone light and casual, meant to piss us off. It works.
“Aren’t you technically an Ames?” Valen asks.
“No!” all four of us answer in unison, some of us sounding more defensive than others.
Valen holds up her hands in mock surrender, but I don’t miss the amused smile she’s trying to smother. Brat.
“Wait, back up. You beat him up?”
I blow out a breath, pinching the bridge of my nose. “He was in your dorm,” I remind her. “He wanted a reaction, and he got one. He’s lucky that’s all I did.” I look over at Valen for that last part, making sure she knows it’s directed at her. I don’t mention the security camera footage out loud. Just like I didn’t tell Valen about the thinly veiled threats he made against her. But I should have done worse. Much worse than a broken phone and a bloody face.
“What else?” Thayer asks, instinctively knowing there’s more than what I’m saying. If everyone would shut the fuck up, I could get to the point sooner.
“Christian turned over the video like he said he would. Samuel found out about it, used his connections to bury it, and then Christian disappeared.”
Arms crossed over his chest, Thayer drops his head back, looking up at the ceiling. “Fuck.”