He hesitates and it’s damn clear he doesn’t want to tell me what I already know.
“What is it?” I cry. “Be fucking real for once, Noah.”
He lets out a heavy sigh and I shrug him off when he tries to reach for me again. His eyes drop, unable to keep looking at me, but whether that’s because he wants to mask a lie or because he’s ashamed of what I know…I don’t know.
“Everything,” Noah murmurs. “Whatever he needs. I do.”
I fall back a step, looking at the man before me as though he’s some kind of stranger. My head shakes, unable to comprehend what I’ve just been told as images of Noah getting around Haven Falls doing drug deals and jacking cars rush through my mind.
His phone goes off in his pocket while we stand, staring at each other. He lets it ring out, but when the caller immediately calls right back, he cringes and slips his phone out of his pocket, holding it to his ear and answering in short, one word replies.
I listen to his conversation and it’s clear he doesn’t want me knowing who’s on the other end but at the same time, it’s so damn obvious.
Noah ends the calls and looks at me with pools of regret and guilt within his eyes. “I have to go.”
A breath escapes me. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I’m sorry, Henley,” he sighs. “Believe me, I wish things were different, but this is how it is.”
Noah steps into me and hastily presses a kiss to my forehead before disappearing up the beach, leaving me behind feeling more lost than ever with way too many questions and accusations flowing through my head.
I turn on Tully. “How could you not tell me that?”
“I…it wasn’t my place to say.”
“Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? What they’re doing?”
“Believe me, I know exactly what they’ve got themselves into. Do you really think they listened to me when I told them to get out? They can’t. It’s not like they want this. They sold their souls and now they’re living with the consequences of that.”
“What the hell do you mean they sold their souls?”
She just shakes her head. “Why don’t you go home and cool off a bit?” she suggests. “You need to talk to Noah about this shit, not me. I’ll watch Ari for you.”
I pull in a deep breath, hating even more that she’s dismissing me, but she’s right. Yelling at her about something that’s out of her control isn’t helping anything. I look across at Ari to see her eyes already on mine, filled with concern and just a little bit of fear. Regret pulses through me. I bet she saw me push Noah.
“Shit,” I whisper.
“She’ll be alright,” Tully murmurs. “I’ll bring her home in a bit.”
I nod my head as the tears start to fill my eyes. With one last look at Aria, I turn on my heel and walk away.
Chapter 17
I stand in the foyer of the biggest mansion I’ve ever been in. I mean, what kind of rich bastards have enough money to have a foyer in their home? This shit is ridiculous.
But one thing’s for sure I seriously underestimated Broken Hill’s ability to throw a party.
It’s Kaylah’s eighteenth and just as she had told me, Jesse has offered up his home for the best damn party Broken Hill and Haven Falls have ever seen. Kaylah’s birthday is kind of like finding that happy medium for both towns to come together and actually get along.
All her friends and family from Haven Falls are here and all the new people in her life from Broken Hill are here. Though, apparently, they didn’t really need an excuse to come over here. Since Jesse became top shit at Broken Hill High, his home has turned into the place to be.
Jesse owns Broken Hill, but tonight Nate is here and it’s going to be fun watching the boys fight for control. You see, while Jesse owns Broken Hill, Nate is their King. Just as Noah is for Haven Falls.
I walk through the big foyer, still gawking and feeling like a bit of a loser too. The place is absolutely packed. This many people wouldn’t even fit inside my school, yet this is just a regular Friday night party for these guys.
I seriously underestimated them.
Usually, walking into things like this, I wouldn’t be alone, yet here I find myself as the loner I used to be. I haven’t spoken much to Noah all week. Hell, I don’t even think I told him I was coming here tonight, but he’d have to be stupid to not figure it out. Sometimes I think he knows me better than I know myself.
As for Tully, I don’t really know what happened to her tonight, but I’m sure she’ll turn up here at some point. If I had to take a wild guess, I’d say she’s in the middle of cursing out Rivers for the millionth time this week.
Those two have been a little unbearable and I feel like things are quickly falling apart. Noah and I are on the rocks. I’ve seen him a bit, but things feel different…strained. While Tully and Rivers are so close to saying or doing something they’ll regret.
I think maybe a few drinks and a good time tonight will do wonders for my soul and hurting heart. Hell, it might even help me to feel something good, even if it’s just helping me forget.
I follow the sound of the music through the house and end up walking down a massive open hallway into yet another huge room. A smile rips across my face. Kaylah wasn’t exaggerating. Jesse had wanted to make a massive indoor Slip ‘N Slide that goes from the top of the stairs, right down to the bottom that shoots out the backdoor, and that’s exactly what he’s done.
My smile only widens when Jesse stands at the top with a few of the other guys from Broken Hill, each of them half naked and looking like any girls’ version of a wet dream.
Jesse yells out a battle cry and before I know it, jumps and slides the whole way down the staircase on a surfboard.
“What the fuck?” I laugh as I watch this moron fly down the stairs on a Slip ‘N Slide like a damn pro. I mean, is he trying to break his neck?
“Tell me about it,” a familiar voice says from behind me.
I turn around and throw my arms around Kaylah. “Happy Birthday,” I squeal. “Sorry, I’m a bit late.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘late’ tonight,” she tells me, looking back at Jesse as he flies out the backdoor and falls off the end of the Slip ‘N Slide, tumbling into a roll and knocking the people watching at the end over like bowling pins. “Can you believe these guys?” she laughs. “I swear, this is just asking for trouble, but do you think I could convince them it was a bad idea? Hell to the freaking no.”
“Don’t stress,” I laugh. “They’ll realize it’s a bad idea when someone shoots through the window.”
She groans and rolls her eyes, watching as Jesse’s best friend follows him down the stairs. “Puck already did go through the window,” she tells me “That just made them laugh and see if they could do it again.”
“Geez, I’m so happy my boys seem to have a little more brains than yours.” The second the words are out of my mouth, I realize they’re a lie. My boys don’t have brains, far from it.
“Yeah, I wish,” she says over the loud, pulsing music. “Where are your boys and Tully? I thought they were coming.”
I shrug my shoulders. “Beats me,” I tell her.
“You still not talking to Noah?”
“Kinda,” I grunt, dropping my eyes. “We talk, but it’s not the same. I haven’t been over there as much as I usually would.”
“Sounds like we need to get you wasted.”
“Sounds like a damn great idea.”
Kaylah grins proudly and drags me across to the biggest bar I’ve ever seen, and I mean, it’s not just a drinks table like you see at all the movies, this is a legitimate bar, with little chairs and everything. Jesse really went all out for his girl on her birthday. It’s actually kind of sweet and makes me want to hate her at the same time.
I wish me and Noah had something like this. Well, I guess that's not fair, up until last week, we did have something like this. He’s my world but now when I look at him all I can see is Anton Mathers a
How dirty are his hands? Is there blood on them?
Kaylah orders me her signature cocktail from the guy they’ve hired to tend the bar and before I know it, I can hardly remember my own name as we shake our asses on the dance floor, screaming out the lyrics to every Katy Perry song we know.
This is exactly what I needed.
Kaylah introduces me to a few of the girls she’s become friends with at Broken Hill. Tora comes and says hi and I stumble over an introduction as I meet her boyfriend, Nate. I mean, he’s wicked hot, but nothing compares to Noah’s green eyes and the ink covering his body, despite the fact that I’m livid with him right now.
I meet some other guys, Puck, Tyson, and Maxen, then this chick Brooke, but by the end of all the introductions, I have a hard time remembering who’s dating whom and how they all know Kaylah.
I shrug it off because a massive grin rips across my face. “Jackson,” I squeal, so freaking happy to see him again.
He barges his way past Jesse and pulls me into a massive bear hug. He kisses my cheek before introducing me to his girlfriend, Elle, and I pull her right in, feeling like she’s already part of my family.
As I watch Jackson with Elle, I can’t help but feel so freaking happy for them and realize that all those years I spent being boy crazy over him were a waste of my time. He was never meant for me just as I was never meant for him. I know my place now and that’s right by Noah’s side, even if it means beating a little bit of common sense into his thick head.
Tully shows up just after midnight and I storm over to her, pulling her in and demanding every ounce of her attention. “Where the hell have you been?” I question. “And what happened to your brother? I haven't seen him all night.”
She shrugs her shoulders. “Who really cares what he’s doing? I need a drink.”
I resist telling her that I’m the one who cares what he’s doing and I hope to whatever god that exists above that he’s somewhere sulking about us rather than doing another job for Anton. “Come on,” I tell her. “You have to see this bar.”
We squeeze our way through the massive crowd that lingers at the backdoor, watching the people idiotically coming down the Slip ‘N Slide, and I have to tear Tully’s attention away. She’s been feeling a little reckless this week, but I’m drawing the line at an indoor Slip ‘N Slide.
“What’s up with you?” I ask before ordering us each a drink.
Tully’s eyes cut away. “Nothing,” she says, not ready to talk about whatever’s bugging her, but I shrug it off and instead, take my new drink eagerly and watch in amusement how Tully instantly throws hers back before ordering another and requesting a few shots to go with it.
I guess we’re getting a little messy tonight.
“Is that Monica?” Tully questions, looking over at the furthest corner of the yard and taking in the girl who has been watching me like a hawk all night.
“Yep,” I tell her, popping the ‘P’. Monica had no choice but to come tonight. Her not showing up would be admitting defeat after struggling to claw her way back up the social ladder the past few weeks, but little does she know, I’m about to knock her the fuck down.
Monica has kept her eyes on me everywhere I go. She knows something is coming and the fact that she doesn’t know what it is making her paranoid, which naturally, is extremely satisfying to me.
Candice showed up tonight which I wasn’t surprised by. She’s working hard to save face after my little stunt last week. When she walked in tonight, she even managed to give me a smile. It was forced and I don’t doubt that it nearly killed her doing it, but I respect the effort and appreciate that she’s stuck to her side of the bargain and left me the hell alone. Maybe she has a little more common sense than I gave her credit for.
I have to admit, watching Monica hurry to her side when she got here tonight was pretty damn funny, especially when Candice shrugged her off and walked the other way.
“Is this still going down tonight?” Tully asks, throwing back a shot of Tequila.
“Depends,” I grumble. “Will you still be able to walk in another few minutes?”
“Uh huh,” she murmurs. “I’m good now. Just needed to feel the burn, besides, if I can’t kick Rivers’ ass tonight, then I need to find someone else to go down and there’s no one better than Monica.”
“Good,” I tell her. “Because honestly, I was going to do this with or without you.”
“Geez, thanks,” she grumbles. “Great friend you are.”
All I can do is grin. “My pleasure.”
I stand up and climb on top of the bar stool, looking over the top of all the dancing bodies, trying to find the one face that somehow has become a crucial part of my payback plan.
Candice looks up and I wave my hand in the sky to get her attention. Her eyes lock on mine and the second I give her a firm nod, a seriousness ripples over her face.
Next up, I search out Kaylah and grin excitedly as I find her standing amongst her whole Broken Hill crew. I bring my hands up and circle them around my mouth. "It’s go time,” I yell over the top of the crowd.
Kaylah laughs excitedly while Tora pumps her fist in the air. Her boyfriend, Nate, bends down and says something in her ear and I watch as Tora points me out and explains something, probably the whole ‘Monica’ situation. Nate’s back stiffens before his eyes lock on mine. He gives me a firm nod, and just like that, I have Nate Ryder and the whole of Broken Hill on my team.
They start towards me as Candice does the same with everyone she and I asked to come along tonight.
This is going to be fucking epic.
Just as I drop down from the stool, a muscly, tattooed arm curls around my waist. “What the fuck is going on?”
Shit. I probably should have let him in on the secret.
Oh, well. Too fucking late now.
Chapter 18
I push out of Noah’s arms, hating how desperately I want to stay safely wrapped up in them. I have to remind myself how angry I am with him. “Monica’s going down and it’s happening right now. Either get on board or fuck off,” I tell him, letting the fact that I’ve had no idea where the hell he’s been all night fuel my anger. Seeing Rivers stroll through the back gate at the same time that Noah just happened to show up doesn’t exactly help their case. They were out together which means they were doing a job.
I walk away and Tully instantly falls in beside me. As if sensing that something’s about to go down, Rivers falls in beside Tully and Noah because he would never let the three of us step into any kind of situation without him, so he steps into my other side just as I knew he would.
The four of us walk towards the back of the property as a pack, but for tonight, this pack has a new leader. I don’t turn to look at Noah. I know exactly how he would feel about not being front and center. The fact that he doesn’t know the plan or what I have to take her down, that’s probably making it a shitload worse.
Noah’s like me. He likes control and he likes being the one in charge. The unknown doesn’t sit well with him, and I don’t doubt we’re going to have words about this when it’s all over. But first, he’s going to sit back and watch me take her down because he knows that’s what I need to finally move on from this.
After all, he might hate it, but Noah always has my best interests at heart. It’s a part of the reason why I’m falling for him so hard. So, he needs to sit back and watch his queen work.
As we walk towards the back of the property, I curse how damn big it is. The further we get, the quieter the music becomes, or maybe someone is turning it down.
Shadows fall to both sides of me and I glance across to my right to find Nate Ryder standing front and center before every damn Broken Hill High student at the party. He has Tora, Jesse, and Kaylah at his sides with the boys I had met earlier making one hell of a show of force. Nate nods my way and I quickly realize that he’s a man of little words, but it doesn’t faze me, the fact that I have his support right now speaks volumes.
Looking to my left, I find Candice. She doesn’t look happy to be there, but with the whole cheer squad standing at her back, she has no choice but to stand with them. Besides, I’ve spent my whole week working my ass off to ensure that each of those girls knows exactly why they’re here, and believe me, they’re more than happy to stand by me, especially if it means Monica going down. They’ve been waiting for this even longer than I have.
The whole party comes to a standstill and I have I have no idea how we swung a private room, but if I had to guess, I’d say the boys had something to do with that too. Though a brief flash of guilt flares through me. This is supposed to be Kaylah’s eighteenth and here I am, about to steal the limelight, but if I take the wicked grin pulling at her lips as she tries her hardest to appear tough, I’d dare say she doesn’t mind.
Though I have a sneaky feeling that being with a guy like Jesse, she would have to get used to sharing the spotlight. But that’s alright, growing up with me, we were always having to share it. She can handle it.
As the massive group surrounds Monica into the back corner of the property, she becomes a timid little rabbit, nothing like the proud cow we’ve all come to know. Though, no doubt having at least three hundred people staring at you, waiting for you to fall wouldn’t exactly be the best feeling in the world. Yet, I can’t find it within me to give a shit how she feels.
Her eyes remain locked on mine despite the three hundred locked on hers. She knows I’m running this show and she would be foolish to assume otherwise.
Monica straightens her shoulders and steps forward as though she has some sort of chance in hell. I smile, there’s the Monica we all know. Feigning confidence when her whole world is literally standing against her.
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