A Hurt So Sweet: Complete Dark Bully Romance Series Box Set: Elite of Eden Falls Prep

by Isabella Starling

  "She always saw you as her father," I nod. "Too bad you didn't understand that. Either way, she was safer with me. And everyone in this room was fucking safer that way, too. I'm assuming you heard about Lai?"

  "What about him?" Oakes feigns nonchalance, but I can see how pale he is. He already knows it was her. "He's gone. Dead meat."

  "Because of her," I grind out. "Because of Lily Anna. She killed him, and escaped. And now she's after Pandora."

  "Why would she try to hurt Pandora?" Oakes asks. "She has no motive."

  "I'm the motive." I get up from the desk and pace the room until I reach the bar cart. Pouring myself a glass of expensive bourbon, I ignore Emilian's judging stare and throw the drink back. "She doesn't want to share me with anyone. And it's been that way since the beginning."

  "So you know," Emilian mutters. "You know about your parents?"

  "If you mean that Lily Anna killed them, yes," I hiss. "Anything else you hid from me?"

  The man shrugs carelessly. "She's my priority, not you. I protect my own."

  "You also fuck them up," I mutter. "You're the reason she's like this."

  "Now, now, gentlemen," Easton interrupts. "Let's not point fingers. Our number one priority is finding Pandora, and Lily Anna."

  "I'll make a call," Emilian grunts, pulling out his phone. "Try to get my friend to get us the CCTV feed from the train station, where she probably boarded the train for Stormcliff."

  I busy myself by talking to the guys until Emilian calls us over to his desk. He's got the security feed pulled up on his computer. We all watch the stranded platform in Eden Falls. Some commuters board the train to Northcliff. There's a hooded figure on the platform, lying on a bench with their cap pulled over their face.

  And then she appears.

  Pandora Oakes, with a small bag in her hand, and a determined stride. She boards the train. My heart fucking stops when I see her, but the quality of the feed is too shitty for me to make out anything other than the fact it's unmistakably her.

  I'm so focused on Pandora I barely notice the hooded, capped figure moving on the other end of the screen.

  But Julian points to it, and we watch in silence as the person pulls their hood back and watches Pandora board.

  It's Lily Anna.

  There's no mistaking her frail, petite figure. I'd recognize her anywhere.

  My eyes snap to Emilian's. I feel sorry for him then, seeing his fisted hands and his pale face. He does love her. As sick and as wrong as that love is, he wants the best for her. And he's starting to recognize his love of the girl is wrong. Maybe he'll even let her go after all this is over.

  If I don't fucking kill her first.

  "It's her," I mutter. "We need to go." Emilian picks himself up and I glare at him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

  "Coming with you."

  "Like fuck you are." I glare at him. "Pandora doesn't need you there."

  "But Lily Anna does," he hisses, shoving me aside.

  This time, I don't object. At the very least, Oakes will stop me from committing a murder for real. Because the moment I get my hands on Lily Anna, she should fear for her life.

  I'm not beyond killing her to save Pandora.

  ***

  The ride to Stormcliff is four hours. We sit in the Oakes' limo, with Kelley in the driver's seat. There is no conversation, no unnecessary words. All of us are in our heads, contemplating how this face-off will go, and likely wondering how much damage Lily Anna has done already.

  My nails dig into my palms. Pandora can't be gone. Pandora can't be dead. Pandora's fucking mine.

  When we arrive, even my jaw drops at the sight of Angela's house.

  "You financing this?" I mutter at Emilian as we park in front of the gates.

  "None of your goddamn business," he hisses back, getting out of the car and answering my question for me.

  The four of us watch his heated debate on the video intercom, and then the gates roll open. We're fucking in.

  Kelley pulls into the driveway, where we all file out of the limo. There's a woman waiting on the steps leading up to the house with a giant, pearly-white smile. She's wearing an all-pink outfit complete with a feather boa, and holding a martini glass with a matching baby pink drink that looks vile.

  "Darling!" she speaks up. "We meet again."

  She exchanges cool kisses on the cheek with Emilian. It's obvious there's something unspoken between them, but none of us mention it. Angela's hand lingers on Emilian's shoulder, but he pulls back quickly, and she tries hard to hide her disappointment.

  "We're here for Pandora," Emilian says.

  "Oh?" Angela laughs melodically. "My, quite the turnout for such a plain little girl."

  "Where is she?" I demand, taking a step forward. "Where is Pandora?"

  "Oh, she's not here," Angela chirps, laughing. "They left this morning."

  "They?" I hiss, approaching her. She glances at Emilian as if to see whether he'll protect her from me, but he doesn't make a move to stop me. Swallowing thickly, Angela returns her attention to me.

  "She had a girl with her," Angela mutters, waving her hand dismissively. "Someone called Alli something or other."

  "Didn't you recognize her?" Emilian hisses. "Didn't you realize who that was?"

  "No," she says, looking confused. "Some stray she picked up along the way, from what I heard. A no one."

  "It was your daughter," Emilian mutters, the disgust so plain in his voice it leaves no room for questions about why they broke up. He doesn't love this woman. She's so vapid, so self-involved, she doesn't give a shit about anyone. "It was Lily Anna."

  To her credit, the bitch actually blanches. "Lily Anna's dead."

  "She's not," I hiss. "But she is fucking dangerous, and she's out to hurt Pandora."

  "Oh, my darling girl would never hurt Pandora," she smiles. "She was such a good girl. Such a good baby."

  "You didn't even recognize her, so don't feed us that bullshit," I mutter. "Where are they? Where did they go?"

  "I don't know," she shrugs helplessly, fluttering her lashes at Emilian. "How could I possibly know?"

  "How could you let them go without knowing where they went?" I demand. "How could you let her leave with a goddamn killer?"

  "Pandora is a killer?" she asks, fucking clueless.

  "No, Lily Anna!" I've had enough, and I smash my fist into the limo, leaving behind a dent. Everyone's fucking silent as I face Angela. "You need to tell us when they left and where they went. Right the fuck now, woman. Your daughter—your biological daughter—is in danger. And so is Lily Anna, if I get my hands on her."

  "I don't k-know w-w-where they went," she stutters pathetically. "They were gone this morning."

  "Why would they just leave like that?" Emilian asks. "Without telling you? What the fuck did you do?"

  "Nothing!" she cries out before bursting into tears and covering her face with her hands. "I didn't do anything wrong, nothing, nothing..."

  "Cut the fucking theatrics, Angela," Emilian demands. His voice leaves no room for argument, and Pandora's mother sniffles a few more times before pulling her hands back. There are no tears on her face. She looks as calm as ever. "Just tell us where they are. And what you did. Are they okay? You didn't hurt them, did you?"

  "I did what was for the best," she hisses. "I did what I had to do."

  Emilian pales. With a single step, he approaches her, wrapping his arms around her. But this is no lover's embrace—no, his grip on his ex-wife carries a warning. She knows he's going to hurt her now, and her Botoxed face pales even more.

  "What did you do?" he demands. "What did you fucking do?"

  "I gave her some medicine," she smiles sweetly. "What else was I supposed to do? Let her end up like me?" She laughs bitterly, shaking her head. "No. She couldn't handle this. Loving a man who doesn't give a shit about her. Pining after someone who has a new family. Because that's what would happen to her. Just like it did to me."

  She sh
uts Emilian up with those words, pushing past him to glare at me.

  "Are you Dexter Booth?" I nod, and she smiles weakly. "You look just like your father."

  Her words mean so much to me I almost choke up, but then I remember why we're there. "Where is she?"

  "They ran away," Angela mutters. "I don't know where. But I'm warning you now, Dexter Booth. You don't get to break that girl's heart. And you'd better take care of the kid if it isn't gone already."

  "What?" I grunt. "The fuck are you talking about?"

  Her words wake up Oakes too, and he grabs her, demanding, "What kid?"

  "You don't know?" Angela smiles blissfully with the knowledge none of us have. "Your precious Pandora is pregnant. Congratulations, Dexter Booth. You'll be a daddy soon enough."

  Chapter Seven

  Pandora

  "Are you sure this is the right address?" I ask again.

  We stand in front of a huge holiday home. It's utterly secluded—in fact, the cab driver refused to take us all the way up here and stopped at the caretaker's cottage a mile away from it. After the long trek uphill to reach the cottage, I'm freaking exhausted, and the last thing I need is for Alli to tell me she made a mistake and we're at the wrong place.

  "This is it." She smiles as she heads to the porch, lifting up a flower pot and producing a key out of nowhere. "Oh, good. The key was hidden in the same place."

  I furrow my brows. Did she actually bring me here without knowing whether the key would be there?

  "What is this place?" I wonder out loud as she unlocks the heavy front door, decorated with stained glass like you'd see in a church.

  "It belonged to my father," Alli explains. "I don't think my... uncle uses it at all. We came here a lot when I was a kid. It hasn't been in use since."

  We enter the house. The furniture is covered in white sheets and the place looks deserted. I cough when Alli pulls a sheet off the couch, sending dust flying into the air.

  "It'll need a good scrub and clean," she goes on. "But we'll be safe here. No one will think to look for us in this place."

  I don't know whether that's comforting or scary, but I nod my approval anyway. I help Alli remove the rest of the sheets from the furniture. The place is actually quite okay—a little outdated, but nice enough.

  "There's a caretaker, too," she says. "Although I think he hasn't been in here. But he took care of the property, and he still lives in that shed we passed. We can get anything we need from him."

  "Great," I mutter, groaning when I feel another cramp in my stomach. "Fuck."

  "Sit down." Alli makes me sit on the floral couch. "I'll try to get the generator going so we'll have water and electricity."

  I nod, watching her leave the room and feeling utterly miserable.

  Did I really do the right thing when I left Eden Falls?

  I can't stop the thought from entering my mind. I keep wondering whether I should have left in the first place. Not my mother's home—I knew I had to leave that place, knowing what she had tried to do. But Father wouldn't have tried to make me lose the baby. He'd be proud. He'd place me on the highest of pedestals and the baby wouldn't be in danger.

  But by abandoning ship, I risked the baby's life. And if it hadn't been for Alli's quick, smart reactions, I wouldn't be pregnant anymore.

  We saw a doctor in Stormcliff, who confirmed with an ultrasound the baby was unharmed. It was also the first time I finally saw the little bean in my uterus, confirming what I knew already—I was pregnant, and in a few short months, I'd be a mother myself.

  "Thanks." I gratefully accept the glass of cold water from Alli and take long, deep gulps of the liquid. The water clears my head, leaving behind a determination to make things right, and return to Eden Falls and my Father. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

  "Go ahead." Alli sits down on the couch cross-legged, pulling a pillow into her lap and beaming at me.

  "I want to go back home." I watch her face for a reaction, but her smile remains frozen on her face. "I need to tell Dex what's happening. I need to go back to my father and tell him what Mother tried to do. I need to be somewhere where I can... work on my life."

  "And you think going back to your father's house will accomplish that?" Alli's question sends a pang of guilt through me.

  "Well, I can still be independent," I try to defend myself.

  "In Eden Falls?" She laughs out loud. "Yeah, good luck with that."

  I watch in disbelief as she stands up and walks over to the window. She opens the floral curtains and light spills into the dusty room. "No, no, I don't think that's a wise decision at all, my dear Pandora. I think you should stay right where you are and figure out your life, not run back home with your tail between your legs."

  "Well..." I bite my lower lip. "Dex would be happy to see me."

  "You mean your murderous ex?" she asks, shaking her head. "I don't think so."

  "He's not a murderer," I mutter, remembering the newspaper headlines we saw on our way through the Eden Falls train station. Dex has been discharged.

  "Just because they don't have enough evidence doesn't mean he didn't kill that Lai guy," Alli insists. "Is that really the kind of person you want in your baby's life?"

  "He's the father," I murmur.

  "Is he though?" Alli cocks her head to the side before sighing and sitting on the sofa next to me. She pats my knee. "Didn't you tell me yourself he might not be the father? That you have no idea who it is? That there are freaking four other guys who could've fathered this kid?"

  "I..." I chew my bottom lip, burning up with shame. "I hope it's Dexter's..."

  "Well, hoping for something doesn't change the facts." She smiles patronizingly at me. "Stay here with me, Pandora. I'll help you figure everything out."

  "But I could just explain to Dex that-"

  "You fucked all those guys and one of them may have knocked you up?" She shakes her head. "And how do you think he'll take that, Pandora? Murderer or not, this Dex guy is volatile and dangerous."

  I'm rendered speechless, and I stare at my hands folded on my lap without replying.

  "I'm here for you, P," Alli says. "I'm the only one you have now. The only person you can trust. You can't even trust yourself, can you? You get all these silly little ideas in your head. You need me to tell you why they don't work, don't you?"

  I shrug noncommittally, and Alli squeezes my hand again.

  "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. And I know you feel like you owe me from protecting your baby. So do this for me. Stay here and let's make sure you give birth without Eden Falls watching every fucking contraction. Stay with me and let me take care of you, so nobody can hurt you or this baby." She puts her hand on my stomach with a sweet smile. "That's all I care about, P. You and this baby. Making sure you're both okay. Then you can go back, I promise."

  I look up into her eyes, finding myself nodding just to shut her up. She's annoying me, but I can't disagree with her. And she's been right in the past, so I really should listen to her advice and just do as she says.

  "Alright," I finally manage. "We can stay here for a while."

  Alli claps her hand with excitement, but I hold a hand up, not quite done with what I wanted to say.

  "As long as there's a doctor in the area that will make sure everything's okay."

  "Oh, there is." She beams. "There's a doctor in a town close by, and he even does home visits."

  "Great," I reply. "Although I have no problem going into town. I'd appreciate the social aspect." I laugh nervously, hoping I haven't offended her. As wonderful as Alli is, I'm sure we'd drive each other crazy in this house with only each other for company for months.

  "Really?" She cocks her head to the side, shrugging. "Well, whatever you want."

  "Wait." I tug on her sleeve when she tries to get up. "You don't think I should see a doctor?"

  "Of course I do." She pats my hand. "I just think you should take advantage of the home visits. I mean... You don't want someone in Eden
Falls recognizing you, do you? They'd tell Dex—and everyone else. Your father. All the other guys. And no offense, but you're already showing a bit. If you start appearing all over town with a huge belly, everyone will find out. Is that really the best? For them to find out through someone else?"

  "I guess not."

  "No, it isn't. So let's do the home visits. I'll make the caretaker get us everything from town. And I'll have the doctor come by every two weeks."

  "But..." I glance at her. "How will we pay for all that?"

  "I have a few tricks up my sleeve," she winks.

  "But we don't have any money."

  "We don't need money." She spreads her legs, making me flush when I realize she isn't wearing any underwear. "Why else would God bless us with these?"

  I'm so shocked I can't even manage an answer. I'm not sure I should assume, but I can't help it—is she paying the doctor the old fashioned way?

  "You'd really do that for me?" I ask before I can stop myself.

  "For you and the baby," she nods gravely. "I love him already. And I just know it's going to be a boy." She grins.

  "I love you, Alli," I mutter, taking her hand in mine. "Thank you for everything. Seriously. What would I do without you?"

  "Be very very lost," she laughs. "It's okay. I'm here for you."

  She sets off to the caretaker's cottage, making me wonder whether she'll use the same powers of persuasion on him as well, to make sure we have groceries.

  I'm so lucky Alli came into my life.

  Without her, I'd be totally lost.

  ***

  "Where are you going?"

  I turn over my shoulder, my hand lingering above the door handle. "Oh, hey, Alli. I was just taking the trash out."

  "No." She practically runs toward me and wrestles the trash bag out of my hands. "You need to rest. I'll take this out. Don't worry."

  She pushes past me out into the cold, and I bite my lower lip before walking over to the sofa. I sit back down, telling myself it's nothing.

  Alli just wants to help. She doesn't have an ulterior motive. Why would she? She didn't even know me until a few months ago. She's my best friend. The only person I can trust completely. Sometimes even more than myself.