8. Chapter 8
Chapter eight
Jinx
The walk to the main building is quiet. Ashton is too busy scoping out every inch. I’m trying to act naturally, as if nothing bothers me, and my body will tell me if something is wrong. And so far, nothing is wrong. Probably because Roan should be in the board room, but if he is my stalker, why is he waiting to make a move?
If it’s money he wants, he can suck it. I’m not handing anything over. Stalk me forever because I won’t cave.
“You can stay out here. It’s a private business. Sorry,” I tell Ashton when we reach the director’s board room.
He shrugs and leans against the wall. “All good, yell if you need me and I’ll be in there before you can blink.”
I lean up on my tiptoes, placing a kiss on his lips. “Thank you.” I go to turn when he grabs me.
“Not so fast. I need more.” His mouth hovers over mine as his fingers trail up my thigh under my dress. “It’s too bad you're wearing these.” He tugs at my tights.
“Yeah, too bad.”
He takes my mouth in a hot, demanding kiss, stealing my breath. I can feel his fingers dig into my thigh as the kiss grows more profound. When I think I can’t take anymore, he buries his hand into my hair and moves his lips across my jaw.
“Fuck, Ashton.” I push my body into him, feeling his hardness on my stomach.
“Trust me, Little Swan. I know.” He nibbles my earlobe. “Best hurry up with your meeting so we can continue.”
How am I supposed to concentrate now when my brain is going to be thinking of this moment? Reluctantly, I turn and push the boardroom doors open. Barnaby, Roan, and Archer all snap their heads in my direction when I step inside.
“About damn time. We’ve only been waiting twenty minutes,” Archer snaps.
“The world doesn’t revolve around you, Archer. Things came up that weren’t my fault.” I watch Roan when I say this, but I don’t get a response from him.
Barnaby hums in response but says nothing further. He never does. I don’t mind him, but we’ll see how that goes after this meeting.
“Why are we all here, Miss Hawthorne?” Roan finally speaks.
“Ask Archer. It’s his grandson that brings us all together once again.” I sit in my seat, glaring at the asshole.
He smirks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Odette. After all, this is your school. Maybe you should keep better tabs on what’s happening in it.”
I jump out of my seat. “You sonofabitch, you know exactly what you did,” I call out. Barnaby moves out of his seat, taking my arm.
“Take it easy. We can’t have you getting into trouble, Miss Hawthorne. Archer, what did you do?” He turns his attention to Archer.
Archer leans back in his seat, clasping his hands behind his head. “I didn’t do anything, ask Roan. He’s been quiet this entire time,” he says, unbothered.
I never thought of Roan. He could do this as torture. But he can’t sign off on this without my signature or Archer’s.
“Roan?” I raise a challenging brow in his direction.
“What if I did Odette? What are you going to do to me? Kick me off the board? You can’t.”
“What did you do?” I spat each word out around clenched teeth.
Barnaby still has a hold of me, and I’m thankful for that because I would be flying across this table and trying to scratch his eyes out. Roan pushes his seat back and slams his hands on the table. He shakes his head when he looks at me before turning around and walks to the window.
“You know, Jinx. I thought you would be different. I had hopes for you once your father was out of the picture. But you’re just like him. Serena was right. You need to die, too.”
“Roan!” Barnaby roared. “You need to calm down.”
Archer sits up straight as if he’s on high alert now. “What has gotten into you, Roan?”
“You need to leave and calm down,” Barnaby tells him.
I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the words he said. He still doesn’t gain anything if I die, so what would it matter? Serena needs to leave and has nothing to do with anything happening here. She’s being a petty fucking cunt. If this is her trying to scare me, it isn’t working.
“This meeting is over. Roan, get out. If I ever see you back on school grounds, I will not hesitate to call the cops and have you arrested. You can also tell Serena the same thing. This will always be my school. Thank you, gentlemen.”
I watch Archer leave first, followed by Roan. Barnaby hesitates.
“It’s okay. I have someone waiting for me. You can leave. Thank you for standing up for me.”
“I cared for your father, Odette. Don’t think I wouldn’t do the same for you.” With a nod, he leaves.
I sink back in my seat, releasing a breathy laugh. What a shit show that was. I still never got answers on how to get Maddox out of the deep-ass pickle that he is in. I might have to call another meeting and pray that Archer and Barnaby can pull some strings. I hope they hate Von just as much as I do.
“Doing okay, Little Swan?”
I laugh at Ashton’s question. “No.” And then I burst into tears.
“Oh, shit. I’m coming.” He races across the room, grabs me out of my seat, and pulls me into his chest. “I’m here. It’s going to be okay. You don’t need to speak.”
The weight of the world is getting too much for me to handle. Everything from this morning to now is growing heavy, and all it took was one simple question to open the damn. And now, with Cam back, that’s one more issue to add.
Ashton presses me closer, and I wish there were a way for me to climb into his body. He makes me feel calm without even trying.
“Can we go back to my dorm?”
“No, it’ll be mine or Maddox’s. You won’t be staying in yours anymore.”
I pull away, raising my brows. “Excuse me?”
He pulls me back in. “Listen. Some wacko jacko broke into your place, and you expect us to let you stay there. No ma’am. Pick a boyfriend.”
“You want me to choose? Between you three?”
He shrugs. “The competition isn’t that hard. Atticus is an asshole, so he’s out. If I’m being honest, you should stay with Maddox. He needs someone the most.”
He does. We might need each other, if I’m being truthful. I have to tell myself that it’s not long-term and that living with someone else isn’t a bad thing. Besides, Maddox doesn’t mind my cello playing. I just don’t know how the entire floor will feel about it.
“Okay, Maddox’s place will work. And this way, I’ll be closer to everyone.”
He interlocks our fingers, bringing them to his mouth and kissing my fingers. “Good, let’s go.”
When we arrived at the dorms, I wasn’t expecting to find all my belongings already in Maddox’s place. Even Edgar’s treats are here. What was the point of asking me where I wanted to stay when they went behind my back and decided for me? This is what I mean about boundaries; they don’t have any.
“Seriously, even my underwear?” After searching through all the drawers in my dresser that they brought down, I asked.
“Hey, what can I say? We wanted you to have all the necessities. And don’t act like we haven’t seen them before, Jinx.” Atticus smirks.
“It’s not the point. That’s still my personal stuff.”
Maddox comes up behind me, placing a kiss on my neck. “Sorry, baby. The black lace thong is my favorite if it makes you feel any better.”
“It doesn’t.” I jab him in the stomach.
“Sorry, Little Swan. I knew you would pick this place, so they moved everything during your meeting.”
I cringe at those words—the meeting from hell is more like it. I don’t know what I would do if Barnaby weren’t there. There was a lapse in judgment, for sure. Because I would’ve knocked Archer out and Roan, Jesus Christ, I thought for sure he was going to kill me.
“Sorry, Maddox, I never got any answers from the meeting. Something else came up and ate up all the time.” I look back at him and give him a small smile.
“Hey, it’s okay, it’s all my fault, anyway. I was being a dumbass. I thought I was helping, but I made everything worse, as always. I need to take full responsibility for my actions. Don’t worry about trying to help me.” His eyes stayed fixed on an object over my head as he spoke.
“I have some plans in the works, don’t worry. It’ll all be resolved. I’m not letting you go to prison.” I cup his cheek, bringing his attention to me. “Trust me.”
I hope Allan is doing his part, too. Because if I do have to make a house call, it won’t be pretty, and I won’t be showing up alone this time. Why does it always take a man? I hope Allan realizes I can ruin his career alone. Having the guys there will be extra.
“Alright, love birds. We’re gonna head out. Jinx, have fun with this guy, and remember you could be sleeping next to this asshole.” Ashton smacks Atticus in the head.
“I’m gonna kill you,” Atticus snarls back.
Maddox laughed lazily, and it was a sound I had been missing.
“Go. I’ll text you guys later.”
Ashton places a kiss on my lips and moves for his brother. Atticus kisses my forehead but doesn’t move. His blue eyes narrow.
“You aren’t telling us something, Jinx. What happened in that meeting?”
I can feel the lump rising in my throat; no matter how often I swallow, it won’t go away. What am I going to say that Roan and Serena could be psychopaths?
And deep down, I don’t think Roan is my stalker. What is there to say?
“Nothing happened. We’re just talking about Cam, that’s all. Everything is fine, Atticus.”
He brushes the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip, then pinches it. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not. That’s what our meeting was about.”
He tilts his head, shaking it. “You’re holding something back, and I have ways of finding things out, Jinx. I wouldn’t keep that secret for too long.”
I watch him leave and pray that he doesn’t discover what happened.