Devious Intentions (Carson Cove Sandals Book 3)

by Kelli Callahan

  “Leigh?” I walked up the stairs and knocked on the only door that was still closed.

  “Damien?” I heard her voice from the other side of the door. “Just a minute…”

  “I got rid of everyone.” I leaned against the wall and sighed.

  “Thank god.” Leigh opened the door and immediately hugged me. “How bad is it?”

  “There won’t be any fixing it before my father gets back from his trip.” I shook my head back and forth. “I’m more worried about Pennington at the moment—or when he wakes up, I should say.”

  “Jenny put something in his drink.” Leigh looked at me. “I made sure he had a pulse…”

  “This is a nightmare.” I lifted my hand to my head. “Pack your stuff—there’s no way either of you are staying here tonight.”

  “I’ll just grab a few things.” Leigh nodded and walked back into her room.

  I walked back downstairs and checked on Jenny. She was still passed out in the living room. Whatever she gave Pennington must have been strong because he didn’t even move when I nudged him with my foot. I sat down in one of the other chairs and put both hands over my face. I was doing my best not to get upset, but the situation was hopeless. There was no coming back from it—it wasn’t something that could be easily fixed. I was going to have to get Jenny out of Carson Cove and hope that I didn’t get arrested for kidnapping.

  “Okay, I packed a bag.” Leigh walked into the living room. “Should I try to pack anything for her?’

  “No. Most of her stuff is at my house anyway.” I shook my head back and forth. “I’ll carry her to the car.”

  I got up from the chair and lifted Jenny off the couch. She mumbled something and opened her eyes for a second, but she wasn’t fully conscious. Her eyes closed again, and she laid her head on my shoulder. I took a couple of steps, and then I heard something in the distance—sirens. Leigh heard them too because she grabbed my arm and looked at me with panic in her eyes. I tried to quicken my pace, but they were getting closer—there was no way that I was going to be able to get Jenny to the car before the cops got there. Even if I did—they would see me driving away and probably try to stop me.

  “Fuck!” I grunted and carried Jenny back to the couch.

  “What are we going to do?” Leigh looked around the living room. “Oh god, we’re all going to jail, aren’t we?”

  “I’ll handle it.” I held up my hand. “I just need you to promise that you’ll get Jenny out of here.”

  “What?” Leigh’s eyes shifted from panicked to absolutely terrified. “How?”

  “Find a way.” I walked over and grabbed her hands. “Please, you have to do this.”

  “Damien, no! You can’t go to jail!” Leigh’s lip started trembling.

  “There’s no other option.” I pulled away when I saw the blue and red lights flashing. “Use the back door.”

  Leigh called out for me, but I couldn’t even risk staying behind long enough to hug her. I had to get in front of the problem—literally. It was the only chance any of us had. I walked outside and held my hands up as the police officers started to step out of their cars. Talking my way out of it wasn’t an option. I had to bluff—and hope they bought it. I squinted against the darkness and the beams from the flashlights as they zeroed in on me.

  “Keep your hands where we can see them.” A police officer barked orders and started to advance on me.

  “Yes sir.” I nodded.

  “Damien?” A flashlight lowered, and I saw the face of someone I went to high school with.

  “Hey there, Brock.” I forced a half-smile. “I didn’t know you became a cop.”

  “I didn’t know you became a criminal.” He stepped in front of the other officers. “Why are you vandalizing your dad’s house? We had a call that there was some kind of party going on that got out of control.”

  “Just me…” I shrugged. “You know I’ve never gotten along with my old man.”

  “So there’s nobody else in the house?” He aimed his flashlight behind me.

  “Nah, if there was anyone else here, they would have probably tried to stop me.” I shrugged.

  “Should I check?” One of the other officers stepped forward.

  “Hold on…” Brock waved him off and reached for his handcuffs. “I’ve gotta put these on you, Damien.”

  “I understand.” I nodded and carefully moved my hands in front of me.

  Just take me to jail—or take your sweet time doing it so that Leigh can figure out a plan that doesn’t involve both of us wearing bracelets tonight.

  Brock put the handcuffs on my wrists and led me to the police cruiser. I walked as slow as possible and pretended to struggle when I tried to climb in the backseat. I was buying seconds—maybe enough of them would turn into a minute. I wasn’t sure that would be long enough, especially since Jenny was out like a light.

  Pennington was another matter entirely. I was going to have to confess to drugging him if they found him. My father would press charges, which meant it might be a while before I was out of the legal cluster-fuck that was coming my way. There was a chance I would even serve time for it—but I would gladly sit behind bars if it meant that my sister got the hell out of Carson Cove before she faced my father’s wrath.

  “Alright.” Brock tapped the top of the car. “We’ll sort all of this out in just a few minutes.”

  “Down at the station?” I looked up at him.

  “Nah, we’ll figure it out when your dad gets here.” He sighed. “Maybe he’ll decide not to press charges, and there won’t be any paperwork.”

  “Wait; what?” I felt panic shoot through my veins. “What do you mean? My dad is away for the weekend.”

  “He was.” Brock nodded. “Until someone called him about this. He contacted us as soon as his jet touched down—probably will be here in a few minutes.”

  Oh fuck!

  As if on command, headlights appeared at the end of the driveway and started creeping towards the house. Every bit of hope that had been building with the passing seconds was extinguished in an instant. My father was home. Two of the most important people in my life were inside Sinn Manor—and they were about to come face-to-face with the devil himself. I wanted to believe that Leigh had escaped with Jenny, but there was no way they could have gotten far. My bluff wasn’t going to work with my father. He knew Jenny was supposed to be there—and while we hadn’t been close for a long time, he wouldn’t believe for a second that I decided to go on a rampage for no reason at all.

  “I’ll be right back.” Brock sighed and started walking towards my father’s car.

  My father stepped out of his car, and I stared him down. There were a few cops standing between us, but they weren’t paying any attention to me. I could get to him—the handcuffs could turn into a weapon. I didn’t have it in my heart to kill the bastard, but I could hurt him—I could send him to the hospital. That would give Leigh all the time she needed. It would definitely be a one way trip to prison, but it would be worth it—if it kept Leigh and Jenny safe from him.

  I have to do this. I don’t have a choice. He certainly deserves it.

  One of the officers must have been reading my mind because he walked up and slammed the door before I could fully formulate the plan in my head. A second later, I realized that the plan would have never worked—Martinez was with my father. He immediately started walking towards Sinn Manor with Leigh’s mother in tow. If Jenny was inside, they would find her. They would find Pennington. I regretted asking Leigh to help—she should have put as much distance between herself and Sinn Manor as possible in the precious time I was able to steal before it completely ran out.

  I’m trapped, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it…

  Chapter Nineteen

  Leigh

  “Jenny, come on—you have to wake up.” I grabbed my stepsister’s wrist and pulled as hard as I could.

  I managed to get Jenny to wake up long enough to stand—then she walked to on
e of the chairs and sat down. She was wasted, and getting her to follow me out of Sinn Manor seemed like it was going to be impossible. I ran to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of water. I didn’t know if that would work, but I had to try something. Damien was outside with the cops, and I wasn’t going to let him take the fall in vain. I splashed cold water in Jenny’s face, and she swung an arm at me. Another splash caused her eyes to open. She wasn’t sober by any means, but she seemed to have rejoined the land of the living where panic was the only emotion we could feel in the moment.

  “We have to go.” I grabbed her arm. “The cops are here.”

  “What?” She blinked a couple of times. “Shit!”

  “Yeah.” I nodded quickly.

  The fact that the cops were at Sinn Manor was enough to bring her back to her feet, but she was still out of it. I gave her the bottle of water, and she took a few sips—then I realized it was a mistake. Her face turned green, and she bolted for the bathroom. I don’t know if she made it to the toilet or the sink before she hurled, but the alcohol returned with a vengeance. I peeked out one of the windows that wasn’t broken and saw Damien being placed in the back of a police car. It took everything inside me not to burst into tears. Damien didn’t deserve to get arrested, and it was my fault that he was going to jail—I was the one who called him.

  “Jenny, come on…” I ran to the bathroom.

  “I…” A gagging noise followed her words.

  Jenny started to throw up again, and I realized I wasn’t going to get her out of Sinn Manor. It was only a matter of minutes before the cops came through the door. They were going to find Pennington—a drunk teenager—and me. There was no way I could talk my way out of it. I needed to go, but I promised Damien I wouldn’t abandon his sister. I could hear another car pull up outside and voices—but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. A few seconds later, the front door opened, and I peeked around the corner to see Martinez—and my mother. Martinez started checking the rooms, and my mother just stood in the foyer with a stunned look on her face—then I saw tears in her eyes.

  She might be married to a guy that she doesn’t really know, but she did put a lot of work into making this place her home—and I let Jenny ruin it.

  “Jenny!” Edgar’s voice boomed through the house as he walked in behind my mother.

  “Edgar, it’s awful!” My mother grabbed her husband and started bawling on his shoulder.

  “Boss—you gotta see this.” Martinez ran into the foyer and motioned to Edgar.

  He must have found Pennington…

  Edgar pulled away from my mother. She just stood in the foyer and cried while Edgar went to check on his other bodyguard. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw my mother cry. She was always so flippant and carefree about everything—even when she was trying to tell me how I should live my life. There was no way that Jenny and I were getting out of Sinn Manor. I didn’t hear vomiting from the other side of the bathroom door—which meant she could have just passed out again. I pushed the door open as quietly as I could and saw Jenny leaned against the wall. Her eyes met mine, and I knew she wasn’t getting up. She certainly wasn’t going to be able to run. All I could do was reveal myself and face the reality of the situation I was in. I had failed my mother—failed Jenny—and failed Damien.

  Damien, I’m so sorry…

  “Mom…” I walked around the corner, and it felt like my legs were turning into jelly.

  “Leigh!” She ran to me immediately and pulled me into a tight embrace. “You’re okay—I was so worried!”

  “I’m fine.” I leaned against her shoulder and fought the tears.

  “How could you let this happen?” My mother’s words changed from emotionally concerned to accusatory the second that she let go of me. “I trusted you!”

  “Mom, I…” I was so caught off guard by her sudden about-face that I didn’t even know how to respond.

  “The house is ruined! I told you to call if there was a problem!” She took a step back.

  “I know, I just…” A lump began to form in my throat.

  “It—isn’t her fault.” Jenny’s voice echoed behind me, and I turned my head to see her walk out of the hallway. “She wasn’t even here.”

  Did she just—cover for me?

  “Jenny!” Edgar’s voice boomed so loud that the pictures on the wall would have probably started shaking if they weren’t already on the floor.

  “Leigh, go to your room.” My mother pointed towards the stairs. “If there’s anything left of it…”

  “Mom, no—he might hurt her!” I shook my head back and forth.

  “She deserves what she gets.” My mother grabbed my arm and started trying to drag me to the stairs. “This isn’t our concern.”

  Edger walked out of the living room and started to berate his daughter. I tried to pull away from my mother, but she just tightened her grip and forced me up the stairs. Whatever concern she had for me was gone—she just wanted me out of the way. I stopped fighting when I realized that the only way I was going to get away from her was to start swinging. I might have been pissed at my mother for her decision making, but I couldn’t hit her. She waited until I was in my room and then started walking back downstairs. I waited until she was downstairs and then walked close enough to hear the conversation—and intervene if things started to get out of control—although I wasn’t sure what I could do.

  I can’t even call Damien for help.

  “I know your brother didn’t do this. He’s not that fucking stupid!” Edgar’s anger was off the charts.

  “You ruined our home!” My mother was trying to match his rage—and she was obviously past the point of crying about it.

  “Then throw me out.” Jenny was still defiant. “Then you’ll never have to see me again—just like Damien.”

  “You’ll be leaving Sinn Manor soon enough.” Edgar’s voice sounded like gravel. “But you sure as fuck won’t be going anywhere tonight.”

  “What does that mean?” Jenny’s voice echoed with concern.

  “I was going to wait a few days to tell you this but fuck it.” Edgar exhaled sharply. “Next weekend, there will be a wedding—maybe not here after what you’ve done…”

  What does Edgar’s surprise for my mother have to do with Jenny? Is he just keeping her around until then?

  “Are you already tired of your new wife?” Jenny scoffed. “That didn’t take long.”

  “No, Jenny.” Edgar’s voice evened out. “We’re not the ones getting married—you are.”

  “What?” Jenny’s voice echoed with shock. “Like hell, I am! I’m only seventeen years old! I haven’t even graduated high school yet!”

  He’s just messing with her, right? Damien said he likes to play mind games…

  “All it takes is a signature, Jenny. I tried to convince Leigh to consider it when she was your age.” My mother sighed.

  That—is true…

  “Yeah? What about the part where I have to say I do.” Jenny laughed—but there wasn’t much humor in it.

  “It really doesn’t matter. There will be plenty of witnesses to swear that you were the happiest bride to ever put on a white dress.” The anger returned to Edgar’s voice. “Martinez, please escort Jenny to her room—and lock the fucking door.”

  Oh my god, this doesn’t sound like an idle threat. He is—serious?

  Jenny started trying to argue, and I heard a scuffle. I looked around for something that I could use as a weapon if necessary—but then I saw her being dragged towards the stairs. I made a split-second decision to retreat to my room instead of trying to intervene. She wasn’t in immediate danger, and it would be better if they didn’t know that I overheard their conversation. Martinez dragged Jenny all the way to her room and slammed the door. I assumed it was locked because she started pounding on it as soon as he walked away. I barricaded my door just to be safe—not that it would have done much if Martinez wanted to open it.

  I sat on the edge
of my bed and tried to process what I had just heard. Was that Edgar’s plan—to force Jenny to get married? Was my mother really going along with something like that? I knew my mother was desperate to have the kind of life she always wanted, but I thought there was still some moral decency inside of her. I had been trying to save her from Edgar, but she didn’t sound like a woman who needed a saving—she sounded supportive of his decision. I wanted to believe in her—but my faith had finally wavered.

  Was all of this for nothing? Damien is in jail. Jenny is in more danger than I ever realized. I don’t think I can fix any of it…

  I didn’t want to spend the night at Sinn Manor, but I wasn’t sure I had much of a choice. There was still a commotion downstairs. I couldn’t just pack my bags and leave. It would be too suspicious, and I might just end up with a lock on my door to match the one that was keeping Jenny confined to her room. The best thing I could do was stay calm, pretend like everything was okay, and escape on Monday morning when it was time for me to go to work. I was done snooping. There was nothing on Edgar’s computer that would incriminate him.

  I turned off the lights in my room and laid down in bed. The entire situation felt hopeless. I was emotionally drained, and the only thing I had left were tears. They streamed down my face until I started sobbing, and I buried my face in my pillow. I couldn’t save my mother. I couldn’t save Jenny. I called Damien for help, and he ended up being led away from Sinn Manor in handcuffs. We all needed a miracle, and that wasn’t something that could be conjured out of thin air—the only thing I seemed to find was despair at every turn.

  Maybe it’s time to give up on all of this and try to figure out how to pick up the pieces of what I have left…

  I didn’t feel any better about my situation when I woke up the next morning. My brain felt like it was exhausted, but my thoughts wouldn’t stop spinning... I dozed, tossed, turned, and stared at the ceiling for most of the night. The few minutes of actual sleep I did get weren’t very restful. The only thing I could do was get up and face the world in front of me. I took a shower and stood under the water until it started to get cold. After I got dressed, I removed the barricade from my door and surveyed the scene. The house looked even worse than I remembered. I didn’t hear anyone in the house—there was no sign of Pennington or Martinez. I made my way downstairs and heard someone in the kitchen. I was terrified of running into Edgar, but when I peeked around the corner, I saw my mother. She turned towards me before I had a chance to head back upstairs.