56
THEA
Damian’s fingers intertwine with mine as we step onto the patio. The energy is upbeat and lightens my mood a little. I don’t see anyone I recognize at first, but then I spot Wesley. He grabs a plastic cup and comes over to us.
His eyes sweep over me appreciatively. “Wine?” Wes extends the cup to me. I take it eagerly, drinking the whole thing in one go—needing something to calm my nerves. “Damn. Long day?”
“Something like that,” I reply, distracted and searching the crowd to see if Cole’s arrived yet.
My vision goes black and I feel hands come across my eyes. “Guess who?” Cassie’s unmistakable voice teases in my ear. My body instantly relaxes and I turn, throwing my arms around her.
“I’m so glad you’re here! You too, Anthony!”
I hold Cassie out at a distance, giving her a once over. She’s in a pale yellow romper and white sandals. Her hair is pulled half up so it’s out of her face, making her beautiful brown eyes pop. Anthony stands a good foot taller than her. His tan skin looks even darker against his white shirt and khakis.
His black hair is cut short all over while his trimmed dark beard frames his beaming smile. Anthony’s always smiling. I like that about him. He evens out Cassie’s serious personality.
“How many drinks do I need to have to catch up to you?” She asks, glancing around for a cooler.
“Only one glass of wine, thank you very much. Although, I haven’t eaten in a while,” I admit, feeling a haziness around the edges of my mind. “So it feels like three,” I laugh out. I need to keep my wits about me tonight if I’m going to have a conversation with Cole. Still, I can’t help feeling relieved that the wine is easing my tension.
“Hey, man, good to see you.” Wesley claps Anthony on the back. “Been a while. We’ll have to do another game night soon.” Wes carries that same wide smile as Anthony. However, now that I know him better, I know it’s often a mask covering what’s going on deep inside.
Cassie levels a gaze at Wes. “As long as it’s not Uno.” They both chuckle.
“On that note, I’m going to get you something to eat. Don’t want you passed out on a lounge chair in an hour.” Damian lets go of my hand and walks off.
“C’mon, let’s get them some drinks,” Wesley motions for Anthony to follow him. I hook my arm through Cassie’s, leading her to the pool.
I sit on the edge and dip my legs into the water. Cassie slides off her shoes and does the same. “Jesus. I can’t believe you get this view any time you want,” she comments, admiring the world beyond the patio.
The sun is setting over the tree line. Strokes of pink and purple push into a dusky blue. I wish I had my camera.
“I still can’t believe it, either.” I say it more to myself than anything.
Her shoulder bumps into mine. “You look really happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”
I smile, although it doesn’t reach my eyes.
When I woke up this morning, I would have completely agreed with her, but now… Now, I don’t know what my future looks like once I have this conversation with Cole. I’m not sure I can get past his deception.
Despite Damian’s words that I’m theirs forever, I know they will always choose each other over me. Will tonight be my last night here? Will they side with him? My chest aches at the thought of my support system turning on me. I push away the tears that tickle my eyes.
“You alright?” she asks. I don’t miss the concern in her voice.
Grinning widely, I assure her. “Yeah, I just need to get some food in me.”
I waste no time digging into the food. My teeth sink into the burger and the juices run down my chin. Damian assured me that the bun was gluten-free. He’s piled my plate with corn on the cob, a baked potato and some fruit.
“We’re thinking of a May wedding, next year, at a vineyard. We have a few in mind.” Cassie’s in full bride mode and I love seeing how excited she is planning her special day. I watch Anthony, who’s staring at his fiance with admiration as she passionately talks about the color schemes she’s going back and forth on. “I better see all of you there,” she insists.
“Yes, no exceptions,” Anthony adds. “You have plenty of notice.”
Damian swallows a bite of food. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world. We know how important it is for Thea to support Cassie.”
I check my phone, but don’t see any missed messages from Sutton or Cole. I turn to Wesley. “When is Sutton supposed to get here?”
“He texted me about an hour ago. He’s on his way.”
I’m about to take another bite of my burger when my eyes connect with a familiar face across the patio. He doesn’t see me, but I would recognize him anywhere.
Tipping back a beer, I watch in silent panic as that night rushes back to me. His face flushed red and a vein bulging in his forehead as he screamed at me after opening my passenger door.
My food drops to my plate and my eyes search for an exit strategy. There’s no way out without possibly catching his attention.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Cassie’s hand rests on my arm and it makes me jump, knocking over Wesley’s drink.
“I-um…I need to go inside.” My voice shakes and my vision blurs. Logically, I know I’m safe with Damian and Wes here. Still, I can’t push the panic away.
Damian’s head turns and his gaze follows mine before returning to me, confused. “Thea, what’s going on?”
“How do you know him?” I point to the man that has me terrified.
Wes looks behind him this time. “Who? Jake? The one with the beer? In the blue shirt?”
I nod, my eyes wild. A name to put with a face.
“He’s an old friend. Lives a few towns over. We don’t get to see him much, but he always comes to our summer barbecue,” Wes explains. “Do you know him?”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Do you remember the night Cole first brought me over? When that guy opened my truck door and started screaming at me? That’s him.”
Damian and Wesley’s faces twist. “No, that can’t be right,” Wes objects.
I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. Then they shift to Damian as he stands abruptly, nearly knocking the table over. He stomps over to the man and Wesley follows behind.
They’ll throw him out. Then I can relax, I tell myself.
But that’s not what happens. Damian grabs Jake by the shirt and drags him towards me. I fumble backwards. My legs don’t want to cooperate, making me nearly fall into Cassie’s lap. My heart pounds with each step closer.
Damian doesn’t stop until they’re at the table and then he’s slamming Jake’s face into it, holding him down. Jake’s eyes find mine. He suddenly seems to realize why he’s being manhandled.
“You recognize her?” Damian growls, his fist tightening on his shirt.
Jake’s eyes are wild and I’m sure he knows he can’t lie. They’ll believe me over him. “Ye-yes,” he stutters.
I look up to see Wes’ face contort in anger. He just defended him, only to be proven wrong.
“Start explaining,” he commands.
“I was doing him a favor. I didn’t think anything of it. I was never going to hurt her,” Jake sputters out. “I swear, I was never going to hurt you.” He’s staring at me as he says it. There’s no way I can believe him. The anger that was pouring off of him that night was too strong a memory for me to dismiss as acting.
Damian lifts him by his shirt only to slam his face back down. “Who?”
Jake looks like he’s on the verge of tears. “Man, c’mon. I can’t tell you that. Listen, I’ll leave, you’ll never see me again. I swear it.”
My fear subsides a little and I’m curious who would have put him up to this. Gavin? It’s the only logical answer. That was the same night I found the note in my truck. Had Gavin made him do that as well? Was it pure coincidence that Jake knew Damian, Sutton, Cole, and Wesley?
Then it clicks. My veins turn icy.
Cole was the one to pull Jake out of my truck. They would have recognized each other. Cole would have said something to him or to me about knowing him. Instead, he acted like this man was a stranger.
“Jake, this is your last fucking chance to tell me who asked you to do this. The next word out of your mouth better be a name.” His voice is threatening. But Jake doesn’t have to answer. I can.
“Cole,” I mutter. “It was Cole.”
Cassie gasps and I feel her hand on my back. She was right. Of course she was.
Damian and Wes look at me, confused. Then, suddenly, they seem to realize what I have. Jake’s body is being lifted off the table and Damian has him by the throat, squeezing tightly. “Tell me.”
He only nods.
Wesley tips his chin down, glaring at Jake with darkened eyes. “You’re sure?”
Anger pushes past my fear and shock. Why do they need any more confirmation? It all makes sense. I take a breath, trying to see things from their perspective. This isn’t something they’d expect from their brother. They’re in shock too.
Jake’s hands come up defensively. “Hey, man. I can show you the messages.” He moves his hand towards his pocket slowly. “I’m going to get my phone,” he announces cautiously.
“No, you’re not.” Wesley’s words halt him. He reaches inside of Jake’s pocket instead, pulling out his phone. He holds it up to unlock it using the Face ID.
I watch in anticipation as Wes scrolls through it. He turns the phone for Damian to see and his jaw clenches.
“Tell me everything,” Damian grates out.
Jake recounts how he ran into Cole when he was running errands in Willow Hill a few months ago. He needed help with getting his nephew a job, so Cole hired him at the bakery. In return, Cole asked Jake to scare “this chick”. He looks at me when he says this.
Cole showed him a picture of me and gave a description of my truck. He told him to figure out a way to really freak me out and to go along with whatever happens. Cole told him to shake me up, but not to touch me.
“I purposely stepped out into the road and flew into a rage as if you were being reckless. Then Cole was behind me, throwing me to the ground, so I took off. It seemed innocent enough. He texted me the next day apologizing about getting rough with me and thanked me for the help.” Jake turns to look at me. “I’m sorry. I really wouldn’t have hurt you. I was just trying to help an old friend.”
Damian’s grip tightens, making Jake’s face redden. “Let this be a lesson. Don’t blindly follow some idiot’s plan. Might get you killed next time.” He pushes Jake back and releases him. “Get the fuck off my property.”
Jake doesn’t hesitate. He takes off.
My shock slowly wears off and my body shakes as my mind shoots in a million directions. Cole set up the attack. He set up running out of gas. This wasn’t some innocent ploy to spend more time with me. He’d coordinated these things. Why?
I’d willingly wanted to spend time with him. I genuinely liked him and hadn’t given him any reason to orchestrate any of this.
Damian and Wesley don’t know what I found on Cole’s computer earlier. Considering how Damian reacted to Jake, I’m not sure it would be the best idea to tell him right now. I want my own answers from him. If Damian gets his hands on him, I may not get them.
I need to confront him by myself, somehow.
A scary realization hits me with brutal force. These are only two things that we know of. What if there are more? Between Cole and Gavin, I’m not sure where their manipulation ends and the other begins. The starter, the notes, the flooding, the studio break-ins. I need some fucking answers.
My head snaps to Wes. “The night the guys attacked me. How did you guys get into the studio? I locked it behind me.”
Damian answers instead. “Cole had a key. He opened the door.”
My stomach feels like lead. I never gave him a key.
Damian puts two and two together because his brows drop as he glances at Wes. “Find out where Cole is. Now.”
Just as the words come out of his mouth, Damian’s phone rings. “Hey, Sutton. Where are you? We’ve got a big problem.”
Damian’s face falls and his jaw goes slack. Dread creeps over me. I can sense something’s wrong. He’s barely saying anything.
“What is it?” Wes asks impatiently.
He hangs up the phone and his hand falls to his side limply. Damian’s face has drained of all color.
“Everyone, get the hell out.” It comes as a low order at first. “Get the fuck out!” Damian roars. Someone cuts the music and suddenly the energy shifts. People are grabbing their things and filing out of the patio gate. Hushed whispers follow.
Cassie gives me a tight hug. “Do you want to come home with me?” She offers.
“No, I need to be here.”
She grips me harder. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll come get you right away. Please be safe.” I let her go, watching as they leave.
I turn to Damian. “What is going on?”
My heart pounds against my ribs as I notice his eyes are glossy, holding back tears. “Sutton’s been in an accident. He’s in surgery. They don’t know if he’s going to make it.”