Chapter 57
I’d been shocked to see Jill when the door opened. No masks, no disguises, just her proud smile shining back at me, like she’d accomplished something she’d been working on for a long time.
“You came!” She gestured for me to come in like I was there for a friendly nightcap. “Come in, please!”
I walked past her into the dark hotel room, my anger growing now that I knew she was responsible. I wanted answers.
“Jill, what the fuck? You did this?” I demanded, turning back to her.
“We did this!” I hadn’t seen the man in the corner, but he quickly rushed behind me and put a cloth over my mouth before I could put my hands up to deflect him.
I struggled against him but everything faded to black.
Now, I struggled against my restraints in the dark, grunting and growling with fury.
The two of them stood at the foot of the bed, staring down at me. I could barely make out their faces. I could see Jill, but I had no idea who the guy was.
“Why are you doing this? Who the fuck are you?” I demanded.
“See?” Jill said, glancing at the man. “Just like Everleigh. They don’t even remember us.”
“Of course I remember you, Jill, you bitch! How could you do this?”
My head spun. How could it have been her all along? How could I have missed this? I was furious that she’d been the one to hurt Everleigh. Rage filled my veins. I’d actually thought she wanted to be my friend and reconnect. How could I have been so wrong?
“Me?” she cried, her voice rising. “What about what you did? What Everleigh did?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think we all know what we’re talking about here.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
He scoffed, shaking his head and looking down at me with disdain.
“You don’t recognize me? I guess we’ve all changed a lot. Not you, though, Theo, you look like the same rich prick you’ve always been.”
“Are you waiting for me to guess?”
“I’ll give you a clue, how about that? You killed my best friend, you fucking prick!” He leaned down into my face, shooting his words at me like long pent up daggers.
I nodded, recognition slowly dawning on me.
“Right. Hello, Harlan. So nice to see you again.”
“Fuck you!”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. I’m the bad guy. We killed your rapist best friend.”
“He didn’t fucking rape her!” He insisted.
“And why not, Harlan? If you know everything then surely you know that was his intention.”
“That slut wanted it!” His sneer disgusted me. But I didn’t give a shit about either of these assholes, I just wanted out of there, now that I had all the answers I needed.
“You’re pathetic. Both of you. But none of this matters anymore. We all know you’re only here for the money. And I just gave you a ton of fucking money and so did Everleigh, which is what you said you wanted. So do you want to explain to me why I’m all tied up in this bed?”
I don’t know why I was shocked that he punched me square in the face, but I was. I didn’t think Harlan had it in him. And he looked so proud of himself. A sudden wave of sympathy washed over me. His life must have been horrible to pull something like this. And Jill’s, too.
Still, I laughed. “I remember you, Harlan. I do. I remember that time you slipped in the lunchroom and spilled chili everywhere. You kept trying to get up, but every time you made it back on your feet, you’d fall again. It was right by the table where all the cheerleaders sat and the entire room was laughing at you.”
His eyes widened in anger and I knew I’d hit a nerve.
“That was fucking funny, Harlan,” I said. “That’s what I remember about you.”
“You’re such a bastard, Theo,” Jill said and she was right. Or, at least I used to be. Everleigh’s love had changed me.
Now, I was just doing whatever I needed to do to get back to Everleigh. I didn’t mean to be so cruel. But I had a plan and if my intuition was correct, I’d be back in Ev’s arms soon.
“And yet, you followed me around like a fucking puppy dog, didn’t you, Jill?”
I kept going. I had a plan, but I was also pissed these two fucking losers had caused all this damage and chaos in our lives.
Avett treated Harlan like a dog. And he was trying to avenge his death? Seriously?
“Look, I know you don’t care about Avett. He hated you, Harlan. So, what’s this really about? Can we move it along? Do you need more money?”
The look that passed between them chilled me to the bone, but I didn’t let on. Their silence was meant to break me. I’d never let that happen.
Wild and feral, Jill’s eyes were full of rage.
Harlan sat in a chair in the corner, his face in the shadows as he watched. My aggression had only riled them up, especially Jill, who was now standing over me and ranting relentlessly about the past.
“I was in love with you,” she whispered. I tried not to roll my eyes at her ridiculous comment. I’d barely known her. Fuck, it had taken me a while after seeing her in the coffee shop that day to even remember the time we spent together in high school.
Everything was overshadowed by my life with West and Everleigh. Once we left Texas, I let those memories stay in a dusty corner of my mind, rarely ever acknowledging them.
Now, here was one very insignificant memory that’s come to life and spitting words at me like an overly dramatic preacher.
“Everyone wanted to be a part of your little clique, and you doled out your attention like breadcrumbs, making us all think we had a chance.”
“I was just a kid, Jill. So were you. What’s the point of all this?”
I’d been begging for a solution to all of this. I’d offered money. Hell, I was even willing to throw in a mansion or two, but they weren’t budging, giving me no indication of what their true plan was.
“I held up my end of the deal. You said you wanted money to avoid going to the press. So, will you finally fucking answer me?” I was shouting now, my voice booming through the room.
Harlan stood up again, slowly walking over to me, evil storming in his eyes.