Chapter 48 The Turning Point
The Turning Point
Eli
Harper’s eyes widen as she looks at Luke. We can only tell her we want her. We can’t make her believe it.
For a moment, it’s like she’s digesting those words and taking them in. Luke doesn’t blink, and he doesn’t elaborate. He meant what he said. There’s no one else we want. Only her.
I don’t know if she gets it. She isn’t just another girl we’ve targeted.
She’s more than that to each of us. But maybe we don’t deserve her after all the shit we’ve done. She’s not like us. She doesn’t have this horrible history we have to contend with.
Her high school life might have been spent hiding, but she also didn’t hurt anyone intentionally. We did.
And it’s coming back to hurt her. The one person we don’t want to hurt.
Her face becomes determined as she turns back to study me. She doesn’t understand how much power she has in this relationship. All the cards are in her hands. We may keep forcing her hand, but eventually she could leave us all.
And I wouldn’t blame her.
She uncurls from beside Luke and straddles my lap. I don’t move, afraid this is some sort of test or trap. I’m out of my depth.
What I did to Rebecca is just one of the horrible things I’ve done in the last few years.
Do I regret doing it? I don’t. But telling this girl in front of me about it made me wish I hadn’t done it.
Watching the horror unfold in her eyes was almost too hard.
I want to protect her from me and the things I did.
“I don’t think what you did was right or moral.” Her dark eyes hold me captive as I await her judgment. Wait for her to draw away and not want to be with me anymore.
Who could love someone as cold and callous as me?
“I understand why you did it. I think.” Her hands grab my shirt, and I let her pull me upright. Let her draw me closer to her.
I readjust the way I’m sitting, and she gets comfortable on my lap. We’re eye to eye, chest to chest. She threads her fingers into my hair, and I lean into her touch, savoring it, worried this might be the last time.
“Our pasts will always haunt us in some way, but all we can do is learn from it.” Her vanilla scent wraps around me.
I’m tempted to kiss her. To taste her one more time before she leaves me.
“I trust you, Eli.”
My heart stops. Not comprehending the words she says. It’s not what I expected her to say.
“I trust you aren’t planning to do something like that to me.” She draws in a breath and rushes out. “I believe you want more from me than what I’ve already given you.”
I slide my hand into her hair to cradle the back of her head and rest my forehead against hers, breathing her in and letting my panic and fear subside. She trusts me. Fuck, that feels phenomenal.
“You’re too good for us, kitten.” It’s a whispered truth I’m sure my brothers all feel.
Her eyes widen, and I can see the protest in their depths. It’s one of the things I crave most about her. That desire to believe the best in us.
“But that won’t make me set you free. You’re mine. You’re ours. Anyone who comes after you, comes after us.” This is my truth. Would she be better off without us? Possibly. Would I ever let her go willingly? Hell, no.
“Good,” she whispers before pressing her lips to mine.
A lightness I don’t have a right to feel flows through me as I cradle her in my arms and claim her mouth with mine. She whimpers softly with need.
It nearly breaks me. She’s stronger than any of us gave her credit for at the beginning. But now that strength is what she’ll need to get us all through this school year.
Reluctantly pulling away, I look over her shoulder at my brothers. “We need to sort our shit out. We need to figure out who’s coming after ours.”
“We need to get any old shit they might use against us out in the open.” Jack leans forward with his hands clasped. “All the things we’ve done.”
I haven’t released Harper. Her hips are snug against mine and she can feel how much I want her, but she’s focused on me, not our desire.
“Someone is the ringleader. We just have to figure out who and why?” Caden rubs his hand over the back of his neck. “We need to stop waiting for them to attack.”
“If we can find out who’s working together and who’s working on their own, it would help.” Harper’s gaze meets mine. “We know Zach wasn’t working on his own. He got into the girl’s locker room, and it was a while after someone trapped me in. But was it Sidney’s group egging him on or someone else?”
“Sidney wants more from Luke.” I see the jealousy in Harper’s eyes rise like a wave. “She wants him all to herself. Something she’s never had but always wanted.”
“When the cheerleaders talked to me at breakfast, they said they just need me to keep you busy while they raise up their boyfriends to your level.” Harper narrows her eyes as she thinks back on that day. “It looks like they’ve claimed the basketball guys, and Zach is their leader.”
“We need to make lists.” Luke leans forward and trails his hand down Harper’s back. She shivers. “Everyone we’ve wronged. Everyone we’ve helped. Everyone we’ve punished.”
Nico sits back in his chair. “This could have been building for years. Someone might have been waiting for the right time, and Harper gave them a chance at their revenge. We need to look at every angle.”
We all nod in agreement.
“My father wants to have dinner with Harper.” Luke blows out his breath, and his hand stays on Harper’s back. “When we had our dinner the other night, he had a server who looked like Harper. Intentionally.”
She turns to look at him. Confusion plays on her face.
“It wasn’t pretty.” His eyes are anguished when he lifts them to hers. “I think I’ve stopped whatever he has planned, but he’s going to keep coming after you until we figure out what your father took.”
“Whatever it is has our fathers scared.” Nico runs a hand through his hair.
Harper turns back to me. Her dark gaze holds mine before she presses her lips softly to mine and whispers, “I trust you, Eli.”
She’s going back to Luke. I know it, but I don’t resent it. She’s what he needs, and I’m grateful we all have her.
Harper
I make sure I see the acknowledgement in Eli’s eyes before I return to Luke’s lap. His words still ring in my head and settle in my heart.
Our last.
I have to make a leap of faith they won’t do to me what they did to her.
The circumstances aren’t the same, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t slight them at some point, and this is their punishment. But the things we’ve been through together should make the difference obvious.
Maybe my heart is just weak when it comes to these guys.
But if they hurt me, I won’t stop until I hit each of them where it hurts the most. I’m not sure I can, but I’ll try.
Luke draws me against him. His forehead presses to mine. “I won’t let him touch you.”
“I know.” Putting my hands on his shoulders, I squeeze. He’s still bruised from his last run in with his father. “I won’t let him touch you either.”
“Fuck.” It’s a harsh whisper from him before his lips crash down on mine. I pull him close as he ravishes my mouth. When he finally draws away, he shakes his head. “That’s how he’ll get us. He’ll use us against each other.”
“We won’t let that happen.” Caden’s hand squeezes my thigh.
I can’t pull my gaze away from Luke’s pale blue eyes. There’s no ice when he looks at me anymore, only this tenderness I can’t explain.
Luke’s father controls him. He’ll use us against each other if he has to. It’s possible he figured out Luke comes here. If so, why couldn’t he make the other things happen too?
“Crazy theory. What if your father is masterminding this whole thing?”
Luke’s brow furrows as he thinks about it. I wish it was farfetched but his dad gives me the creeps. Luke tightens his grip on my hips.
“We’re not going to figure out anything tonight.” Jack stands and stretches. “We all have school in the morning, and if I don’t want to get my ass chewed out, I need to be home in five.”
I kiss Luke and climb off his lap. When I reach Jack, he draws me into a hug. He gives wonderful hugs. Something soft settles inside me.
“I’ll see what I can come up with.” Jack steps back and tips up my chin. “If there’s a connection, there’s a trail. Even his dad can’t cover everything.”
Nico stands and runs his hands down his legs. “My dad seems too eager to see Harper. After that phone call with Luke’s dad, I’m not letting that happen. I need to go home too.”
He draws me into his arms and kisses the top of my head. “Good night, sunshine.”
“Thank you, Nico.” I lean into him and squeeze him in a hug. It wasn’t on my timeline, but hearing this story was exactly what I needed.
He pulls away a little and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “We both needed to know. And Luke’s right. It was just festering inside you.”
When I nod my understanding, he tips my chin and touches his lips to mine.
“We good, sunshine?” It’s quiet and steady, like he’s looking for forgiveness.
I touch his jaw and breathe. “Yeah, Nico, we’re good.”
He smiles and my heart beats a little harder. Yeah, we’re good. It feels like we’re finally on the same page and not looking to our past to figure out our future.
“See you tomorrow.” Nico and Jack leave.
Eli stands and takes my hand in his. Sparks light my insides, but there’s a warmth there too.
“I wish I could stay or take you with me.” Eli draws me into his arms. “High school sucks. When we get to college, we’re getting a house where we can be together every day and night. All of us.”
I snuggle into him and inhale his cologne that reminds me of a sunny day in a field. “I don’t know how conducive that will be to studying.”
He chuckles darkly. “Incentive, kitten.”
I draw in a breath and squeeze him. “Thank you for being honest with me.”
His exhale makes my hair flutter, tickling me.
“I wish I didn’t have to tell you, but I’m glad you didn’t pull away.” He looks down at me. He threads his fingers into my hair.
“It’s not like you’d let me go.” I smirk meaning that as a joke.
His dark eyes grow serious. “I wouldn’t, kitten. I can’t.”
My breath catches before he kisses me with a softness that’s so unlike Eli. My heart skips and I’m not sure what to feel in this moment. But I’m caught up in him.
“Sleep well.” He looks at the others. “Take care of her.”
“We always do.” Caden draws me back against his chest and I lean into his warmth, resting my head on his solid chest.
Not that long ago I was touch-starved. Now I crave more of it.
Eli touches my cheek and nods before heading out. I exhale.
“What now?”
Luke steps beside me and runs his hand over my hair. “You got more homework?”
I shake my head. Caden’s hands rest on my waist. Awareness floods my system with anticipation of their touch. I want them.
Luke slides his hand into mine. “Let’s go to bed, princess.”
He’s talking about sleep. I almost sigh out loud.
Maybe I won’t get that orgasm after all. The mood definitely isn’t upbeat after everything we’ve discussed. I can’t help trying to sort through everything in my mind, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want them.
“Don’t worry, little nympho.” Caden leans down to my ear and his hand slides between my legs. I gasp at the electricity of his touch. “I’ll take care of you tonight.”
“It’s not—”
I grab the back of Luke’s head before he can finish that statement and kiss him. He moves in close and takes control of the kiss. I hum into his mouth as Caden presses in behind me and rubs my pussy through my pajamas.
“We should move back to your room, before Jack unloops the video feed.”
Embarrassed heat rushes through me. I forgot about the cameras.
Luke just chuckles and leads me upstairs. “I like it when you get flustered.”