Shattered Kingdom: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Royal Falls Elite Book 2)

by Kristin Buoni

  She wiped her face with her other hand. “I know. But all I’ve ever wanted to do is protect you. I messed up by not seeing the signs with your father while he was still alive. Not until it was too late. So I could never bear the thought of adding any more suffering to your life. Not when I already caused so much.”

  I got up, went over to her side of the table, and leaned down to give her a hug. “It’s not your fault,” I murmured. “You didn’t cause any of it.”

  “I certainly feel like I did.” She let me hug her for another moment, and then she broke away to grab a tissue and blow her nose. “I’m so sorry,” she muttered. “Someone’s just tried to kill you, and I’m making everything about me.”

  “Mom, it’s fine. I understand,” I said. “But I have to go now.”

  Her eyes widened. “But… you only just got here. You’ve barely even touched your drink.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I really need to sort something out,” I said hurriedly.

  “What’s wrong? I’ll help.”

  I shook my head as I grabbed the necklace and phone. “I don’t think you can. But I promise, I’ll come and see you again as soon as I possibly can, and we can talk more then.”

  “Okay.” Mom gave me a watery smile and hugged me again.

  I raced outside and got back into the car. Hunter was staring at the windshield with his jaw clenched. His hands were on the steering wheel, gripping it so tightly that his knuckles had turned pale.

  “Did you hear all of that?” I asked in a soft voice, reaching over to touch his right leg.

  He didn’t move or respond. He just kept staring straight ahead, like he was shellshocked. Then he finally closed his eyes and bowed his head, face crumpling. I’d never seen him look so tired before.

  “I heard,” he muttered. “It’s Adam.”

  I nodded, lips pressed in a thin line. It all made a sick, twisted kind of sense now.

  After Adam pushed Lindsay off the roof, he must’ve decided to give her necklace to my mom in order to frame her if the police determined that the death was suspicious. No doubt an anonymous tip would’ve made its way into the inbox of one of the investigating officers, from a person stating that they’d seen one of the Connery maids’ daughters wearing the dead girl’s jewelry. If my mother tried to tell them that Adam gave it to her, he would deny the whole thing and act like she was simply lying to save her own ass.

  That never happened, though, as Lindsay’s death was presumed to be a suicide from the very start, so Adam never had any need to frame my mother.

  After that, he must’ve thought he got away with the murder scot-free… but then I told him right to his face that I was going to look into it with his brother.

  Given that I had the key to the awful crime literally hanging around my neck, he must’ve realized that he had to get rid of me to save himself. All it would take was me finding out that the necklace used to belong to Lindsay (and then asking my mother where she really got it) for his house of cards to come tumbling down around him. So he did whatever he could to throw me off for a few days. He pretended to be super-invested in the search for Lindsay’s killer, and he ‘helped’ me come up with a list of possible suspects, all of whom were people other than him.

  He made Trina seem suspicious—in a very sneaky, roundabout kind of way—along with various other people from Royal Falls, and he also lied to me when he said that Lindsay had accused my mother of theft a few days before she died. That was why Hunter didn’t remember the incident happening… because it never did. It was just another lie Adam made up to make me focus my suspicion on literally anyone but him.

  While I was caught off guard with that inaccurate list of suspects, Adam was plotting ways to get rid of me.

  First, he posted that video of me at the school assembly, hoping I’d immediately drop out of RFA due to the sheer humiliation, run back to Silvercreek with my tail between my legs, and forget all about the investigation into Lindsay’s death.

  When I didn’t do that, he pretended to be a supportive friend and acted like he wanted me to stay. All the while, he was figuring out his next move.

  Not long after that, he set up the incident in the abandoned building at RFA. He must’ve slipped something into Trina’s lunch that day to make sure she got sick and didn’t show up to our little afternoon adventure as planned. Then he purposefully scratched his arm, waited until I was close, let out a few fake screams, lied about being attacked, and waited for me to read the threatening notes he’d left around the room. He even tried to pin the whole thing on Trina or some other girl by claiming he was attacked by a woman, and he also tried to plant the idea of the notes being about Lindsay in my mind right away.

  After Hunter showed up, and we assumed that the Network-Medusa ring was responsible for the attack, we also started to think that they might’ve been responsible for Lindsay’s murder. That bought Adam some more time without any suspicion aimed his way, but he must’ve known it wouldn’t last forever. With Charles and the other Network men vehemently denying any involvement in Lindsay’s death, he knew we’d eventually start looking again.

  Bullying tactics and threats obviously hadn’t worked on me before, so he moved onto something much more drastic to ensure my silence. He planted a bomb under my car, assuming I would die in the blast and thus never have the chance to work out the truth.

  I really should’ve known it was him when the car exploded. He was a genius when it came to most tech or engineering-related stuff, so he was more than capable of figuring out how to rig up an explosive device. I knew he was no stranger to building things from scratch at home, either.

  As a kid, he made fireworks to amuse himself and his siblings.

  As a young adult… he made bombs to save his own skin.

  I haltingly went over all of this with Hunter. When I was done, he took a deep breath and put his head in his hands. “It doesn’t make sense,” he muttered.

  “I know it’s hard to hear, but it all adds up,” I said softly.

  “I get that. I just mean it doesn’t make sense in terms of the big picture.” He sat up straight and looked at me, forehead creased in a baffled frown. “Why the hell would Adam ever hurt Lindsay?”

  “I don’t know,” I murmured. I’d been wondering the exact same thing.

  “He adored her. You could just tell by the way he looked at her—he cared about her more than anything. When we were kids I was actually kinda jealous that they were so close.” He paused and shook his head. “There’s no way he could’ve faked loving her that much.”

  “Love can turn to hate pretty quickly,” I said softly. “I know that better than anyone.”

  “But what could’ve made him suddenly turn on his own sister like that?” Hunter’s voice sounded slightly hoarse now. “They were so fucking close.”

  “I have no idea,” I said, slowly shaking my head. “It could’ve been anything.”

  “Like what?” He threw his hands up. “I can’t think of a single thing she could’ve done to make him throw her off the fucking roof.”

  I hesitated for a moment. “People can do terrible things when they get really heated. Things they’d normally never even dream of doing,” I finally said. “Maybe Adam was seeing a guy Lindsay didn’t approve of, and she told him he had to choose between him or her. Then they got in a huge fight over that, and he pushed her. Or maybe she’d started hanging out with people that he didn’t approve of, with the same end result. It really could be anything like that.”

  “Huh?”

  I started repeating myself, but I only got halfway before Hunter lifted a hand and cut me off.

  “Why do you keep saying Adam might’ve been seeing a guy?” he asked.

  “Because he’s gay.”

  “No he isn’t. Is that what he told you?”

  “Yes, I—” I cut myself off abruptly. “Wait, no… he didn’t. I guess I just assumed.”

  “Why would you assume that?”

  My brows dipped in a f
rown as I pondered it. “I just got that impression from him when we first met,” I said. “I asked him why he didn’t hang out with you and the other Princes, and he made some comments about you guys always talking about girls and sex, and other stuff like that. I can’t remember his exact wording, but he said something about how he didn’t have the same tastes or have anything in common with any of you. I know it sounds like a huge leap to assume he’s not into girls based off something as small as that, but while he was saying all of that stuff, he was staring at Kairo.”

  “Kairo Belmont?”

  “Yes. He was looking at him with this weird expression on his face. It was like… longing.”

  “Like he wanted him?”

  “Yeah, exactly. So I figured he might’ve had some sort of unrequited crush on him. After that, I just assumed he was gay or bi,” I said, cheeks flushing hot. I’d never felt so stupid and ignorant in my entire life. “But now that I’m thinking about it, he’s never actually said anything about his sexuality either way. I’ve seen him hanging out with guys before, but I guess they could just be friends or classmates.”

  “Yeah, they would be. Adam’s definitely not gay.”

  “Are you sure?” I said, brows knitting. “Maybe he just doesn’t like to talk about it.”

  Hunter shook his head. “I’ve accidentally walked in on him jerking off to pornos filled with women before, and I don’t know any gay guys who like to watch naked girls getting fucked,” he said. “I mean, I guess it’s possible—anything’s possible—but it’s probably not very common.”

  “Maybe it just took him a while to realize what he was into,” I said.

  “The last time I walked in on him was only three weeks ago.”

  “Oh. Well, he could be bi. It wouldn’t be unusual for him to enjoy looking at women then, as well as men.”

  Hunter frowned. “Even if he is bi, why would he look at Kairo like that? There’s no way he’s secretly in love with him. He fucking hates the guy.”

  My brows shot up. “Really?”

  “Yup.”

  “But he’s always made it seem as if he likes him. He told me he thought he was a really nice guy and a good boyfriend to Lindsay.”

  “Oh, yeah, he was nice to his face. But trust me—behind his back, he fucking hated him. In fact, he hated anyone Lindsay dated or hooked up with,” Hunter said. “He was always like that. He never thought anyone was good enough for her. I guess it was like an overprotective twin thing.”

  A cold jolt hit my spine as a recent memory flitted back to me, and I clamped a hand over my mouth. “Oh, no…” I mumbled into my palm.

  “What’s wrong?” Hunter asked.

  Nausea was rising quickly in my throat, filling my mouth with a sour tang. I shook my head and lowered my voice. “Nothing,” I said.

  “Tell me.”

  “No, it’s not even worth saying.”

  “Tell me,” Hunter repeated, eyes narrowing.

  I turned my gaze to the dash and folded my hands in my lap. “I… I don’t even know where to start,” I murmured.

  “Just say it.”

  I took a deep breath and turned to look at him again. “This is going to sound totally crazy, and I fully realize that, but I just remembered something, and it might be relevant,” I said. “A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with Adam and Trina at Café Seven. While we were talking, Trina made some gross offhand joke about incest. When she said it, Adam froze. He looked like he was totally panicking. Like he’d been caught out. We asked him what was wrong, and he acted like something else was going on, and that was why he looked so horrified. But now…” I paused and took another deep breath. “Now I’m wondering if maybe he loved Lindsay a little too much. Maybe he was worried we’d suddenly figured him out that day, and that was why he looked so panicked until he realized it was just a joke.”

  Hunter’s face had turned a sickly shade of white again. “No,” he muttered, shaking his head. “No fucking way. That’s disgusting.”

  “I know. I’m sorry for bringing it up, but when you said he always hated everyone Lindsay dated or hooked up with, it made me wonder,” I said. “What if he hated them because he was jealous of them? And what if he was looking at Kairo like that because he reminds him of Lindsay, seeing as the two of them dated for so long?”

  Hunter’s eyes shuttered, and he put his face in his hands again. “Stop,” he said. “That can’t be true. It’s too fucked up.”

  “I know it’s fucked up. But it could explain why he pushed her,” I said. “Maybe he tried to confess his feelings to her, and it didn’t go the way he thought it would. He could’ve built it all up in his head for years as some huge romantic thing, but then she rejected him, for obvious reasons, and it all came crashing down. The shock could’ve been enough to make him snap and do something he never knew he was capable of until that moment.”

  “So you think he could’ve pushed Lindsay in a sudden fit of rage to make sure she kept her mouth shut about him?” Hunter said, shoulders sagging. “The same way he tried to keep your mouth shut.”

  “Yes.”

  He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck…” he muttered. “Maybe you’re right. It’s fucking sick, but I guess it makes sense.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I know it’s awful, and I shouldn’t have—”

  He held up a palm and cut me off. “Don’t apologize,” he said. “You’re only trying to help, and like I said… you might actually be right.”

  I swallowed hard and rubbed at the back of my neck. “So what do we do now?”

  “We’re going back to Royal Falls.” Hunter straightened his back and turned the car on, jaw set with determination. “We’re going to get to the fucking bottom of this once and for all.”

  19

  Laney

  We got back to the Connery estate a little before three o’clock. Adam’s bedroom door was locked, and he didn’t answer when we knocked, so we assumed he was still at school or out with Trina somewhere.

  Just as we were about to call him, one of the maids passed us in the hall outside his room.

  “Are you looking for your brother?” she asked, brows raised as she looked at Hunter.

  He nodded. “Yeah, but I think he’s still at school.”

  She shook her head. “No, he’s home. That’s why I asked,” she said. “He’s up in the rooftop garden.”

  “Of course he fucking is,” Hunter muttered under his breath. “Returning to the scene of the crime.”

  The maid looked confused. “Sorry?”

  “Nothing. Are you sure he’s still up there?”

  “Yes. I took some snacks up to him about fifteen minutes ago, and I haven’t seen him come down.”

  Hunter gave her a tight smile. “Thanks.”

  We hurried up to the third floor, and he directed me into a room on the western edge. A narrow balcony outside led to a steep stone stairway. We headed up the steps, staying as quiet as possible.

  The evergreen garden lay on the left and right sides of a flat sandstone surface between two of the mansion’s elaborate spires. A few pieces of furniture sat in the middle—a wooden loveseat, a velveteen lounge, and a low table.

  Adam was standing by the edge of the roof, peering into the distance. The carved stone balustrade barely reached his knees, and I was sorely tempted to run up to him and push him right over. I couldn’t, though. That would only drag me down to his level.

  He turned his head over his shoulder when he heard us, and he flashed a bright grin in our direction. “Hey, come and look at this!” he said, turning back to look into the distance. “There’s a snowstorm in the mountains over there. You can see it from here.”

  When we didn’t reply, he turned his head over his shoulder again. “What are you guys doing up here, anyway?”

  “We came to talk to you,” Hunter said flatly. His hands were curled into tight fists at his sides, and I could tell by the hard set of his jaw that he was only seconds away from beating his bro
ther into a pulp.

  Adam stepped over to us, still smiling and blissfully unaware. “Oh, cool. Help yourself to some food,” he said, motioning to a fruit and cheese platter on the table. He looked at me, brows knitting. “Did you hear anything from the police about your car?”

  If I didn’t know any better, I’d think his soft brown eyes were filled with genuine concern.

  “No,” I said stiffly.

  “Shit.” He scraped a hand through his hair. “They better fucking catch someone soon. It’s horrible knowing that there’s still someone out there who—”

  “Cut the shit, Adam,” Hunter snapped.

  “Huh?” Adam’s eyes darted from his brother to me. “What’s going on?”

  Hunter pulled out Lindsay’s necklace and held it up in the air.

  A flurry of emotions passed over Adam’s face as he looked at the dangling pendant. First there was confusion, followed by surprise, and then there was a mixture of worry, anguish and desperation.

  “You spoke to your mom?” he said in a low voice, looking at me again.

  I pursed my lips and nodded.

  He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. His whole upper body seemed to deflate, shoulders drooping and chest sagging. “How much do you know?” he finally asked, opening his eyes.

  “I know you killed Lindsay,” Hunter said, taking two slow, deliberate steps forward. His hands were shaking with anger now, and his lips had flattened into a grimace. “I know you tried to kill Laney too.”

  I held out an arm to keep him at bay. I knew how furious he was, and he had every right to feel that way, but if he dragged his brother to the ground and smashed his head into the stone floor until his skull cracked and his brains spilled out, we’d never get justice for Lindsay. We’d never know the whole story, either.

  Adam took a step closer, holding his palms in the air. His eyes were pleadingly wide. “Laney, you have to understand. I didn’t want to do anything to you! You’re one of my best friends!”

  “So best friends blow each other’s cars up?” I said, tilting my chin to the side.