Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
My heels echo like rapid gunshots as I search desperately for Teagan. The abstract paintings hung throughout the many hallways of Windermere Castle flash by in a blur of color while I race to find her.
I need to fix this.
I’ve ruined everything, and I have no one to blame except myself.
I knew I’d have to tell Teagan about Josh and me one day.
I knew that day would hurt her, possibly destroy her.
I just didn’t expect that day to be today.
I thought I had more time. I thought Josh and I would finally be able to be together in the open and that I’d have his calming strength standing beside me when we finally told her about us.
How the hell did Capri even know?
She’s never said anything to me about Josh. We’ve been so careful to make sure that we kept our affair hidden from everyone.
I reach the end of the hallway. Left or right? Where would Teagan’s mysterious knight in shining armor have taken her?
“Lexi! Wait!”
I spin around and see Capri running towards me. Her heels are in one hand, and her phone is in the other. She must have gone back to her room to fetch it instead of looking for Teagan like the traitorous two-faced bitch she is.
“Haven’t you done enough?” I snap at her, causing her to stop short just a few feet away. I don’t miss the flash of hurt that flits across her face, but right now I couldn’t care less about her feelings. Not after the bomb she just detonated.
She wipes at her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Lex,” she cries out. “I thought they were going to hurt Lee. I panicked and—”
“I DON’T CARE!” My voice cracks as I scream at her. “I don’t care why you did it! I just care that you did it! That you could even do such a thing to me! To Teagan!”
Capri flinches at my harsh words. “That’s not fair. I’m not the bad guy here, and you know it.”
The broken laugh that escapes my lungs makes me even more furious with her.
“You don’t get it. You never have to suffer like the rest of us.
You have the perfect life. The perfect job.
The perfect husband. You have no idea what it feels like to claw your way up from the bottom to get the things you want in life. It’s all just been handed to you.”
I’m shaking as I step closer to her, the adrenaline in my veins pulsing with anger and rage.
“You have everything! You just destroyed Teagan because you were too selfish to give up one of your own coveted secrets. And yet you’re the one who still has everything!
But I’m the one being unfair? I’m not the only villain in this game, Capri. ”
The expression on her face and the tick of her jaw make me take an involuntary step back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Capri angry before, and if I’m being frank…it scares me.
Capri’s eyes bore into my soul. “You know nothing about what I’ve been through,” she hisses through clenched teeth.
Her body shakes with fury as she closes the distance between us again.
“You can blame me all you want for the mess you’ve put yourself into.
But don’t for a second stand there and assume you know a damn thing about me or my life.
You wouldn’t last a day in my shoes, Lexi. ”
Her hazel eyes are filled with a blazing fire that I’ve never seen in her before. I swallow hard and take another shaky step backwards to put some distance between me and that barely restrained anger pointed wholly at me.
“You’re right,” I say just as Lee comes running down the hallway towards us. “I’m sorry.”
Lee finally reaches us and wraps his arm around Capri’s shoulder. “You okay?” he asks her. His eyes meet mine, and he raises an eyebrow at me.
Capri’s face transforms before me. You’d never have guessed that she looked like she was moments away from possibly murdering me.
She smiles up at her husband and shakes her head.
“Perfectly fine. I’ve tried calling Teagan several times, but her phone must still be in her room.
” Her voice is calm and collected again.
So unlike the rage it was laced with just moments ago.
“And you?” Lee nods towards me. “Are you okay?”
I brush a hand through my ponytail, trying to appear as unaffected as Capri. But my entire body is on edge because my best friend is actually pretty terrifying when she’s mad. “I just really need to find Teagan and fix this. After that, I’ll be golden.”
“I think I can help you with that,” Lee says.
“Henry said dinner is being served shortly and was looking for everyone. He thought he saw her head into the garden not long ago. That’s why I came looking for you two.
I know the three of you can work whatever this is out.
You’re best friends, and that kind of thing doesn’t just get erased after one mistake. ”
My chest tightens with regret at his words. “Thanks, Lee. I’m going to grab my jacket and phone from upstairs before I look for her. Capri, do you want to come?”
She shakes her head. “No, I think this is something that you and Teagan need to talk about first. My being there might just make her even angrier.” Capri steps out of Lee’s embrace and places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing softly.
“But you need to fix this, Lex. I don’t know where any of us will stand if you can’t. ”
She doesn’t need to say it, but I know she’s telling me that she’s on Teagan’s side.
Why does everyone choose her over me?
The temperature here in Scotland is nothing like the hot, humid nights back home in the south. The air here has that bone-chilling quality to it, frigid enough that I can see my own breath as I exhale.
I wrap my brown peacoat tighter around me as I head into the garden with nothing but a heart full of regrets and my phone to use as a flashlight. The moonlight helps illuminate the area, but it’s still dark enough out here to make me jump at every slight noise.
I wonder what our host must think of us.
We got out of his twisted game and still haven’t met the man.
Not that I plan on giving him the time of day after this stunt he pulled on us.
If it were up to me, I’d be on the first flight out of here because I have zero intentions of meeting and swooning over my ex-favorite author after what he put us through.
As if locking three grown women in a dark room and threatening to kill someone is just some sort of fun hobby for him?
He’s a freaking psychopath! Pierce and that stupid lizard shoes man are both on my hit list tonight.
I don’t know how, but I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done to us.
A frog croaks loudly from deeper in the garden.
I clench my teeth together to keep from screaming.
I’m already having enough trouble finding Teagan in this maze of roses; the extra tidbits of sound thrown in from Mother Nature are wholly unnecessary.
I strain to listen, hoping to hear my best friend’s voice.
There!
I creep around a perfectly trimmed square hedge and follow the faint sound of laughter.
I can’t tell if it’s Teagan, but I know I hear someone in this fortress of floral doom.
I’ve never been much of an outdoorsy girl, so as gorgeous as this estate is, I prefer to stay indoors.
Even if that means being caged in the same walls as a crazy pants author.
I swat at what I hope are imaginary bugs and continue down the trail—thankful that the owner didn’t decide to turn this garden into an actual maze. So far, it’s been a pretty straight path. It would be hard to get lost in here.
My heels sink into the plush grass as I stop short. I hear a man’s voice just beyond me, “I have to do this. Just once.”
I quickly turn the flashlight off on my phone and sneak around the bend as quietly as I can.
It’s Teagan and her mysterious acquaintance.
He has her pressed up against a large oak tree and has his hands pressed against the trunk just above her shoulders, boxing her in entirely as he whispers something to her.
Usually, this would be a cause for concern, and I’d be the first one in line to kick this man between the thighs for accosting my best friend. But the way Teagan is looking at him stops me. She’s completely and utterly smitten with the man as he snares her like a prized mare.
How can she be over Josh this fast? They just broke up, and she’s already throwing herself at the first man to give her an ounce of attention?
I know we both agreed to a solo-trip together, and even joked that we’d find our own hot Scottish men here—but I would have never actually gone through with that.
Not with how shattered I feel about Josh ending things with me. He’s the only one I want.
How can he want her back when his side of the bed isn’t even cold yet before she’s hooking up with someone new?
Teagan lets out a breathy moan of pleasure as her new friend kisses her thoroughly.
I can’t watch this. I’m so disgusted by her right now. How can she do this to Josh when he wants her back so badly?
Josh wants her back.
An inferno of fury alights under my skin as I continue to watch. I should go. I should look away. But my mind and my hatred for her at this moment can’t be reasoned with.
A bell rings from somewhere, and I know my time is almost up.
I check my phone to make sure my flash is off, then do something I know will truly be the end of us. I take photos of her being mauled by this man. Then I switch it to video mode and hit record as she grabs him and pulls his lips back to hers.
This will do just nicely. I hit stop on my phone and hold it to my chest before I turn and walk out of the garden.
The loud bell rings again near the front of the estate. I quicken my pace so Teagan doesn’t catch me out here. I don’t need to talk to her anymore. There is really no point in fixing this friendship when I’m so close to finally having everything I want.
When I exit the garden, I see Henry standing at the bottom step to the entrance, ringing a small silver bell.
“Hey, Henry,” I greet him with a smile.
He returns the smile and ushers me up the steps. “Ms. Lexi! I’ve been looking all over for you and Ms. Teagan! Dinner is about to be served, and Mr. Pierce would like you all in attendance.”
I roll my eyes and open my mouth to tell him that I have no interest in being Pierce’s guest just as Teagan and her new beau stroll out of the garden hand in hand.
Teagan sees me and immediately drops his hand and pulls away from him.
Her expression turns to stone as she sheds his jacket and hands it back to him.
He takes it from her with a smirk, throwing it back over his shoulder like some sort of male model.
He looks proud of her as he holds his arm out for her.
She takes it without argument. That pride turns to undiluted anger as he looks up at me. I glare right back at him.
Teagan was right about one thing: this man is obscenely gorgeous.
He has that Disney villain vibe about him.
Tall, dark hair, great body, and the most intense eyes I’ve ever seen.
He’s the type of guy who could flay you alive with a single glance.
If I weren’t entirely committed to Josh, he’d be exactly my type.
I can’t help but relish in the small kernel of victory that flares up inside of me, knowing that I have this type of effect on Teagan. To see that she still cares about my opinion enough to use this tall, dark, and handsome man as a crutch instead of facing me.
And here I was, just moments away from grovelling at her feet to forgive me. I don’t need her forgiveness. I need her out of my life so I can have Josh. Clearly, she doesn’t care about him the way I do, and this little video will show him that. This is just another game I’ll make sure to win.
“Oh! Ms. Teagan and Mr. Quinn! It’s time for dinner with Mr. Pierce. I will escort you both, along with Ms. Lexi, to the dining hall. Come, come! We mustn’t be late!”
I personally have no desire to meet this illustrious Mr. Pierce. Still, I find myself following right behind Henry, Teagan, and Quinn as we navigate through the crimson halls of Windermere.
Nothing this crazy author does to us will be worse than what I’m about to do to Teagan. I can’t stop the smile that snakes across my lips as I press send on the video message to Josh. There’s no way he’ll want her back once he sees this. Soon, I’ll have him all to myself.