Chapter thirty-five
Bexley
Unfortunately, Lark turned out to be correct.
There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that we’d be speaking to the police again soon—I just didn’t think it would be because of something like this.
We made a quick detour on the way home to see Arch so I could let him know I was okay.
Abs was there too, and naturally, the only reasonable thing to do was get dinner.
I wasn’t going to ditch Lark after he drove all the way here to save my butt from police custody.
At least let me feed the poor guy and give him a chance to catch up with Archie before sending him back on his way.
By the time Lark had then driven me back to Willowbrook after dinner to fetch my car, it was too late in the evening to do much else.
The sun set hours ago, and after reassuring everyone I was fine to take myself home, I drove back, ready to shower and crawl into bed.
Part of me hoped that the guys would be waiting here for me since I gave them a spare key. But it’s empty.
Sort of.
I’m frozen in the doorway, trying desperately to grasp what’s in front of me.
Stepping inside the house, broken glass crunches under my shoes, but I barely notice. I’m too grief-stricken and horrified by the smashed up bits of granite scattered at the end of the hall near my bedroom.
A small voice inside my head screams at me to stop and turn around, alarm bells ringing as I walk slowly down the hall.
How can I, though? I’m completely on autopilot, lured by the sight of Mom’s shattered name.
When I reach the largest piece of stone, my feet pause in front of it.
Staring back at me on the hallway floor is Mom’s once intact tombstone.
It looks like someone has ripped it out of the ground at the cemetery and taken to it with a hammer.
Then following that, they’ve clearly gone through the rest of the house as if this wouldn’t be painful enough.
Everything is gone. Destroyed.
The walls have been smashed, chunks missing in various sizes. Our personal belongings have been ripped from their places, strewn all over the ground. Furniture is upended, nothing left untouched.
I enter the kitchen and find the same inspired mess—broken glasses and plates leaving a deadly sharp path. The fridge door is wide open and I think that’s what finally sends me spiraling.
For the first time in years, I had proper food in the house.
It sounds ridiculous, but when I did my first proper grocery shop with my paycheck from the coffee house, I felt proud.
I finally felt like I was landing on my feet and that everything would be okay.
It was that small moment of achievement that gave me hope, believing I wouldn’t need to struggle again.
And now all of that is gone. Every single item has been touched. Spoiled food and drink is splattered across the floor and walls, the fridge entirely bare.
A light breeze whips the loose tendrils that have spilled from my ponytail around… and I realize it’s because I no longer have a window.
It’s all gone.
I feel sick when I walk the remainder of the house, hoping that something—anything—survived. Of course it hasn’t. Whoever did this ensured they were thorough.
Which means until everything is fixed, which could take weeks even if I had the money, I can’t stay here. My home is no longer liveable.
And I have nowhere else to go. No money to pay for accommodation.
It hits me. His promise.
I’ll make you leave.
Mayor Astor really kept his threat—driving me out of the one place I had security; the one certainty in my life. By cutting off Rylan’s access to money, he’s also ensured his son can’t step in to save me either.
I’m willing to bet that Hunter and Tai will be in the same boat. This was a planned attack—their long game. Everything was set in motion and we didn’t see it coming.
Stepping over the broken picture frames, tears well in my eyes at the ripped photos, my memories taken just like the photo in my locker at Cedar Heights. They’ve stolen everything from me. Things I can’t replace.
I can’t bring myself to check Mom’s room, not trusting I won’t break down entirely if I see it.
Lawless Dragons starts playing and being fully in survival mode, or shock, I reach for my phone. Steele’s name is flashing on the screen, and I know I should ignore it for now, but I answer anyway.
“Hello?”
“Hey Bex,” he says quietly. “I’m sorry for calling so late, but I needed to tell you something…”
I’m spinning in slow circles, staring blankly at the ruins. “It’s fine,” I murmur monotonously. “What’s up?”
I hear a deep sigh on the other end of the line, followed by a faint feminine voice in the background.
“Peyton said we should call. It’s about Astor.”
Apparently money can buy you just about anything. When finance is unlimited, there’s no rule that can’t be broken, no line some people can’t cross.
When I arrive at the Ridgeview Medical Center, still in some weird trance, I expect to be ushered away. But even late at night, the moment I mention the Astor name, I’m greeted happily and directed to Rylan’s room.
I walk in without knocking, spotting him sitting up in the bed, phone in hand. Ry does a double take when he looks up, surprised at my appearance.
“Bex,” he says quietly. “What are you doing here so late?”
Not answering him straight away, I scan the room, almost breaking down at how clean and tidy it looks in comparison from where I’ve just come from.
“I’ve been trying to call,” I finally say, eyes drifting to the phone in his hand.
Ry frowns. “I only just got my phone back. Tai had to go fetch it from the impound lot out of my car and charge it.”
I nod, as if it’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for his silence. I mean it is, but considering I’ve only just heard that Ry was in a fucking car crash, I’m not sure what else to think or do.
“Are you okay?” I ask instead, still standing close to the door.
He lowers the phone, brows knitted. “What’s wrong?”
For once, I don’t bother to dodge the question or hide the truth. We’re past that now, beyond all the bullshit and lies. “I didn’t know you were in an accident until just now.”
“What do you mean?”
He throws back the blanket, starting to swing his legs over the side of the bed. I finally move, crossing the floor before he can climb off to get to me. We’re not doing the running thing anymore. I can’t anyway.
Where would I even run to?
“Lay back down,” I order, but the usual fierceness is missing from my demand. “You need to rest.”
I grab the blanket and pull it back up but Rylan reaches for my wrist. “Bex, talk to me.”
If I wasn’t feeling so defeated, I’d probably laugh at the irony. The memory of similar conversations feels like a lifetime ago. It’s crazy how far we’ve come.
“I’m not even sure where to begin,” I admit, sitting down in the empty visitor seat. “Liv got me arrested and someone has destroyed my home.”
Ry stiffens, eyes blowing wide as he flings the blanket off the bed entirely this time. Facing me with his legs hanging off the side, he leans forward.
“What? What the hell do you mean you were arrested? Your house?”
I sigh, slouching forward to bury my face in his knees, resting my arms above my head.
Warm hands rub my shoulders and I turn my head to the side.
“Your dad rocked up at Willowbrook and made some threats again. I’m fairly certain it was a distraction ploy because Dean Lannister then showed up with the cops and arrested me. ”
Pausing as his hands make their way up the nape of my neck and into my hair, a little groan slips out as he massages the back of my head.
“As for the house—someone broke in while I was in custody and destroyed everything. Everything, Ry. Even Mom’s tombstone which somehow made its way from the cemetery to my bedroom door. ”
I don’t realize I’m crying until Ry reaches under my face to lift my head. My tears are running down his leg, and he leans forward, kissing my forehead with a scrunched up, pained expression.
“Don’t you dare give up and let them win,” he growls quietly. “We’ll fix this. I’m calling the others.”
“I’m not sure we can fix this, Ry. He’s forcing me out of Ridgeview Valley.”
“You’re not leaving us,” he snaps firmly.
I rest my forehead against his. “What if I don’t have a choice?” I whisper. “I’ve got nowhere to go and nowhere to stay. And look what happened to you. I have no idea what went down but there’s no doubt in my mind they did this.”
Ry pulls back slightly to find my eyes. “Drunk driver ran the red.”
“And you believe that?”
“Not even a little bit,” he replies without hesitation. “Because I was on my way to you.”
Sighing, I loosely sling my arm around his neck, determined to hold him close in case we’re suddenly ripped apart. Not too close though… because the idiot is inches away from accidentally tearing out the cannula that’s sticking out of his hand.
I might not have a permanent solution yet, but I realize I have one for tonight. Standing, I gently push his chest with my hand, guiding his back to the bed. Ry already knows what I’m doing, shuffling over to make space as I climb in and curl up to his side.
Morning sunshine blasts me in the face as I wake, eyes watering as I adjust to the blinding evidence of a new day.
The room slowly comes into view and I blink rapidly, finding myself staring directly into vibrant green irises.
“Morning, Duchess,” Hunter greets warmly. “Why am I not surprised to find you here?”
“Fuck off,” Rylan mumbles sleepily from behind me, arm tightening around my torso and dragging me back to his chest. “Let us sleep.”
A familiar chuckle comes from the other side of the room. “For a morning person he sure is grouchy today.”
“You’d be grouchy too if you had a concussion and got woken up, Tai,” Ry grunts. “Bex is keeping me warm. Go away.”
“You have a concussion? You didn’t mention that part,” I say accusingly. “The last thing I want to do is smother your ass and accidentally cause more brain damage.”
Rylan shrugs lazily, hand sliding up my stomach. “I’m fine being suffocated by you.”
I laugh softly. “You get a free pass at the moment because you’re hurt. The other two however…”
“What did I do?” Tai groans. “I didn’t wake you.”
“Did you fuck with my phone?” I shoot back. “Or was that purely a coincidence along with the fact no one bothered to tell me Ry had been in an accident?”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh,” I repeat, narrowing my eyes at Hunter accusingly since I can’t do it at Tai. “Care to explain?”
Hunter smiles smugly. “As I said—nothing to be concerned about. You, on the other hand…”
“Me—nothing. We’ll talk about your cave man behavior later.”
A loud groan rumbles from Ry. “I feel like I’m missing a few chapters.”
“Join the club,” I mutter. “Since when do we keep secrets from each other?”
Hunter reaches over and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Yes, Duchess. When do we? Hmm?”
“Lark is a friend,” I shoot back. “A damn good one. But just in case you’re also suffering from some type of head injury, I’ll repeat that for you—Just. A. Friend.”
“Who’s just a friend?” Rylan demands.
Tai cuts him off. “Wait—Lark Kory?”
I sit up suddenly, searching over the top of Rylan’s body until I find Tai on the opposite side of the bed. “How do you know that?”
He stiffens, eyes widening suspiciously before he offers a sheepish grin. “Good guess?”
“Keep out of my phone, Beckett.”
“In my defense,” he rambles quickly. “It was before all of this. I’m completely innocent.”
I cock an eyebrow. “Is that what you tell yourself? Let’s not pretend Hunter’s the only guilty one here. You’re in just as much trouble as he is right now.”
Rylan chuckles quietly to himself, clearly pleased that he has a get out of jail card. No pun intended. “Sucks to suck.”
Laying back down, I snuggle back into him, deflating with a sigh. “No more secrets,” I tell them. “We can’t fight this if we’re still playing sides. Now, start talking Hunter. I want the full story. You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.”