by K. Walker
"What makes you, my guardian?" Hands-on hips, I glared at him. If he thought he was going to waltz in here and just whisk me away, he had another thing coming. Momma had long ago taught me not to trust strangers, and this man was as strange as they got.
"Legally speaking? This pretty paper signed by a judge." He smirked as he held the paper up. "Morally speaking? Because I was probably the closest thing, your father ever had for a best friend."
All the air was knocked from my lungs as I stared at him. Had he known my father?
"Thought that might get your attention." That smirk of his was really starting to annoy me. But I had to admit; it was probably the one thing he could've said that kept me from running out the back door. "Now, let's get your things. We can talk more in the car."
Chapter 7
I stared at the tinted window as the SUV sped down the highway. The sun was setting now, and it would be dark soon enough. Despite his promise to talk in the car, Lucas hadn't been very talkative since we'd left JP's place. Then again, glaring out the window the entire time probably wasn't the most helpful for starting conversations.
But even though I was curious about this man and what he knew about my father, I was still pissed at him, showing up at JP's with a freaking militia and all but dragging me out of there. I'd gone with him though, and while I wasn't sure I would stay with him, once we got where ever we're going, I wanted to at least get some information out of him first.
"How'd you know my mom was dead?" I asked at last. He had told JP how he'd followed the breadcrumbs to find me. But that didn't explain how he'd even known to come looking for me.
"I've been keeping an eye on you for years now. Your father asked me to." Lucas shrugged. "Wasn't any reason to reach out before now, but he'd wanted someone to watch out for you."
"My dad... He knew about me?" That shocked me even more than this guy showing up out of nowhere claiming to be my guardian. Mom had never given me any indication the man had even known I existed.
But Lucas smiled and nodded. "There wasn't much he didn't know. He figured you were better off with your mother, but he wanted me to keep an eye on you, just in case."
"Where'd you get the guns?" I asked next. My mind was still reeling with that little bit of information about my father. I figured it was better to switch topics until I had fully processed that. As much as I wanted to know everything about my father, I wasn't sure I was ready for it yet.
And I was really curious about the firepower the man had brought. I had seen both JP and Chrissi's faces when they'd eyed the men. They were around guns and weapons every day. Very little surprised them, but this—this had surprised them enough for JP to put his gun away with three strangers at his door.
Lucas shrugged. "Just men who work for my security detail. You never can be too careful in a place like that."
"You have your own security detail?" I asked next, raising an eyebrow. Just who was this man? Everything about him screamed wealth. His clothes were obviously expensive, no doubt tailor-made to fit him. The two SUVs were larger and nicer than I'd ever seen around town before. I was pretty sure just one of these cost more than Mom had made in her entire lifetime.
And now he was telling me he had his own security detail? What was he, some kind of millionaire?
Lucas laughed and smiled at me. "You really have no idea who am I, huh?"
I shrugged. None of JP's guys had known who he was apparently. "Just that you're not a local."
"Oh, definitely not." Smiling, he held out his hand for me, as if this were just some friendly chat in an office somewhere. He waited until I took it and shook hands with him before continuing. "I'm Lucas Cabot, owner of Cabot Industries, the largest provider of cybersecurity services in the country."
I blinked at him in response. Largest provider of cybersecurity services? I only vaguely understood what that meant. He helped businesses keep from getting hacked, right? Did that mean he actually was a millionaire?
And if he was, what the hell would he want with me? Mom hadn't mentioned my father being anything special, but if he was friends with a rich guy like this, could he have been?
Lucas must've noticed my bewilderment. He smiled again and let out a slight chuckle. Here, with just the two of us in the back of his SUV, he was almost a completely different man than he'd been at JP's doorstep. He was almost friendly. While he'd been jovial at JP's, there had been an undertone of menace in everything he said and did. Now, that undertone was gone. When he smiled, it looked genuine.
"Don't worry. I'm sure this is all a lot to take in. There will be plenty of time to adjust, though. Once we get back to the house, we'll get you some food and then you can rest. Everything else can wait until morning."
"Where are we going?" I blurted out. He'd told me he was taking me home with him, but I had no idea where home was. We'd been driving for almost forty-five minutes now and were definitely outside of Compton. It didn't take that long to get across our tiny little hood.
"To my house in Huntington Beach," Lucas said like that should've been obvious. And maybe it was, to someone like him. But for all I knew, he could've been taking me to Mars.
And he might as well have been. Huntington Beach was only like thirty miles or so away from Compton, but it might as well have been in a completely different country. I couldn't think of two cities more different from each other.
In Compton, the only ones making a decent living were the ones running the gangs. If you topped out at fifty grand a year, you were hot shit there.
In Huntington Beach? Shit, you'd be lucky if you could find somewhere to park there for fifty grand. If Lucas had a house there, then he was doing damned good. Even a modest place there probably cost more than JP made running the C-Kings.
But when we pulled up in front of a gate about fifteen minutes later, all I could do was stare out the window with my mouth hanging open. This wasn't a house. This was a freaking mansion!
Even in the dark, it was lit up like a beacon. It was at least three stories tall and, Christ, it looked as wide as an entire block back in Compton! And this was where he lived?
JP's place had been okay. It was in better shape than the shithole Greg had owned, but damn it looked like an abandoned shack compared to this place. How the hell could one person ever afford anything like this?
Why the hell would one person even need a place like this?
Lucas laughed at my reaction. He reached out and patted my knee. If anyone else had done that, I'd have thought they were trying to cop a feel. But with Lucas, even though I barely knew him, I could tell he was just trying to be comforting. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it? I've lived here for quite a while now and sometimes it still takes my breath away, too."
The gates swung open in front of us, and the SUV pulled inside, stopping right outside the front door. Well, I say right outside it, but we still had to walk up at least a dozen steps to get to the massive double doors leading into the house.
"Come on," Lucas said, patting me on the knee. "Let's get you inside and introduce you to everyone."
Everyone? I stared at him, eyes wide, wondering what he meant. He hadn't mentioned anyone else being there!
Chapter 8
Lucas must've noticed my look of shock. He winced and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I guess I didn't fill you in on everything, did I? I have three sons. Two of them live here with me. Chuck is off at UCLA. He comes by every other weekend or so to visit, but otherwise, he's off living his own life these days."
The way Lucas smiled told me he was proud of his son. Which, I figured he had every right to be. UCLA was a pretty good school. It was one I'd looked at wanting to go to, though there was no way I could afford it without selling my soul. Chuck probably didn't have that problem.
"Then there's Wes and Sebastian. Wes just turned eighteen. You two will be in the same grade together once I get you enrolled. Sebastian's fifteen. He's a sophomore." Lucas pursed his lips together, his eyes going up to the ceiling as he th
ought. "There's also Kathy, my girlfriend. We've been together a couple of years now, but she's on some girls' trip, so you won't meet her until she gets back in a few days. Plus, there's the household staff, but you won't have to worry about them much. They mostly keep to themselves."
I stared at him, my mind going into overload as I took in everything he'd told me. So that meant there'd be at least four other people living in this place, five when Chuck was home. I turned and stared up at the mansion again. It could easily hold three times that amount without feeling cramped.
And here I'd thought I was lucky when Mom moved in with Greg and I'd gotten my own room instead of having to sleep on a couch. Christ, in this place, each person could practically have their own floor!
Lucas reached out and patted me on the knee again. "Just take it one step at a time, okay? Come on, let's get you inside and settled. I'm sure you're starving."
At that, my stomach rumbled, and I flushed. Thankfully it was dark, and I didn't think Lucas noticed. There was no way he could've missed the sounds my stomach was making, though. I'd only had a light breakfast this morning at JP's. He'd given me free rein over the kitchen, but I hadn't had much of an appetite since everything had happened with Mom.
Now it seemed like that was finally catching up to me.
The man in front stepped out, then walked over and opened the doors for us. I grabbed the backpack at my feet and slung it onto my shoulders. JP had given it to me to carry the few things I had. Pretty much everything I'd owned had been left at the house when I'd fled, but Chrissi had gotten me a few things to wear and had insisted I take them with me when I left with Lucas.
As we headed toward the large steps leading to the front door, I started to wonder what everyone would think of the ripped jeans and t-shirts I had. Chrissi had offered to get me more feminine clothing, but that wasn't really my style. Jeans and t-shirts had always been my go-to. They were comfortable and didn't take much coordination. Plus, they were cheap at the thrift shops.
Lucas put a hand on my shoulder as we walked. For some reason, it actually helped calm my pounding heart just a bit. Christ, I'd just met this man an hour ago when he'd showed up with five armed men and yet, I trusted him.
My instincts had never been wrong before, and I hoped they weren't this time.
Light shone through glass panes of the double doors leading into the house. That was something else that was new. A front door that wasn't solid wood? In Compton, you'd have just been asking for someone to smash the glass and let themselves in. Here though, that didn't seem to be a problem.
Hell, Lucas didn't even unlock the door before opening it and ushering me inside. But I guessed when you had armed guards at a gate outside the neighborhood, you didn't have much trouble with break-ins.
The door had barely shut behind us when I heard footsteps upstairs. My heart practically stopped beating as they grew louder. If it hadn't been for Lucas's hand on my shoulder, I would have turned and bolted from the place. But I managed to stay rooted to my spot as two guys descended the stairs.
The guy in front had to be Sebastian. He was tall like Lucas, with the same dark hair and tanned skin, but he would be lanky in comparison. It was easy to see he could easily become a brick house like his father, but right now, he was still slender and even a bit dorky looking. He grinned when he spotted me, at least, which was somewhat reassuring.
Three steps behind him was a completely different story. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at the muscular man, with wide shoulders and thick biceps. His t-shirt looked like a second skin on his body. He looked just like his father, with the same emerald green eyes that all the Cabot men seemed to share.
Unlike his father, though, he wasn't clean-shaven with neatly cropped hair. There was a five o’clock shadow painted across his strong jaw and his dark hair was shoulder length. It looked wild and disheveled with just a slight curl to it.
Christ, he was like a walking wet dream!
Lucas squeezed my shoulder again, jarring me out of my head. "This is Sebastian and Wes," he announced, nodding to each of the boys in turn. "Boys, this is Isabella."
"Bella," I corrected automatically. I'd always hated going by my full name. It made me think of a fairytale princess and I was anything but.
Wes and I locked eyes for a moment, and then he let out a snort. He looked at me the way you’d look at a piece of gum you had just stepped in.
"Nice to meet you, Bella," Sebastian said, smiling at me. His voice was just starting to deepen, still with a bit of a crack to it. His eyes darted to his father next. "Stella left food in the kitchen for you guys. She figured you'd be hungry when you got back."
"Perfect!" Lucas said, clapping his hands together. "Can one of you show Bella here where her room is while I go see what Stella left for us?"
"Sure, I'll do it," Sebastian said with a lopsided grin. He seemed like a happy guy, at least.
Unlike Wes, who hadn't done anything other than brood from the stairs. Nor did he say anything even when he turned around and headed back up the steps, retreating out of sight.
Lucas watched him go, frowning slightly. Then, he patted me on the back and smiled before heading deeper into the house toward the kitchen I supposed. When I looked back over at Sebastian, he just shrugged and grinned.
Whatever Wes's problem was, Sebastian didn't seem to share it. He nodded toward the upstairs, then turned and started heading that way. Clearly, it was my signal to follow, so I hiked my bag up higher on my shoulder and steeled myself for whatever would be thrown my way next.
Chapter 9
Calling this place a house was being generous. It was a freaking mansion and was easily four or five times the size of JP's little place, if not bigger. When Sebastian led me into an open bedroom, I nearly had a heart attack. It was massive, at least as far as bedrooms went! In the center, against the right wall, as a bed bigger than any I had ever seen before. Even the one Mom and Greg had shared was smaller than that thing!
There was no way it would have even fit in my old room. And yet, it looked perfectly sized for this room. It was hard to believe a bedroom could have such a large bed and still have space to move around, but this one did.
"It's not much, but you can change it up if you want." I glanced over at Sebastian and he shrugged again. "Dad wanted to do it up all fancy with like pink hearts on the wall and frilly bed sheets and all that stuff. I talked him out of it, though. Wasn't sure if you were the kind of girl who liked frilly pink rooms." His eyes went up and down my body. I felt a bit self-conscious under his gaze, but he didn't look at all judgmental. "I'm guessing I figured right."
I nodded. Much to Mom's displeasure, I was not a girly-girl. When I'd been little, she'd scraped together enough money to get me into ballet classes. To say I hated it would be an understatement. You were more likely to find me on a skateboard than with ballet slippers on. The only "girly" thing I'd ever gotten into was when Mom and I would have our girls' nights and watch romance movies on the couch.
"Is that all you got?" Sebastian asked next, glancing at the backpack I was still carrying.
I blushed and nodded, tightening my grip on the strap. I wasn't sure what had happened to the things I'd left at Greg's place, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to ask. Lucas said he'd been keeping an eye on me, but how much did he know about what happened that night?
For that matter, how much did the police know?
I wasn't sure I wanted to stick my neck out if I didn't have to.
There was still no judgment in Sebastian's eyes. He just shrugged, like a teenage girl showing up to live with him with nothing other than a backpack with some clothes, was an everyday occurrence. Hell, for all I knew, maybe it was.
"You can hit the mall tomorrow and pick up some stuff. It's not too far from here." He grinned next. "Or you can wait for Kathy to get back. She's always up for a shopping spree. It drives Dad bonkers."
"That's his girlfriend?" I asked, vaguely remembering him mentioning that in
the car. But with everything happening all at once, it was hard to keep it all straight.
Sebastian nodded. "Five years now, I think."
"So, not your mother then," I said, then winced at how insensitive that sounded. For all I knew, his mother could've died some horrible, traumatizing death. You'd think after what had just happened to mine; I would have been a bit more sensitive.
But Sebastian just laughed and smirked. I was starting to think nothing could bother him. "Nah. Mom and Dad got divorced ages ago. Pretty sure Chuck and Wes still haven't forgiven Dad for that."
"But you have?" I raised an eyebrow. Another tick in the "lets nothing bother him" box.
"It's not like Mom really holds a grudge over it. And Dad's never tried to keep her from seeing us or anything. Plus, she got a boatload of money from him when they split and she's already remarried." Sebastian shrugged again. "Guess I don't think just cause they popped out three kids together they should be stuck together forever."
"You really don't let anything bother you, do you?" I finally asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest and fixing him with a look.
But even that didn't faze him. He just grinned. "It's easier that way. Why waste time worrying about shit you can't change?"
"You must be on some really good drugs," I said dryly. The only people I'd ever met that optimistic were high on something or another.
Sebastian gave me a dopy smirk and a shrug, not quite denying he wasn't high. But then again, wasn't that what rich kids did? Get high and wave their money around to get out of the consequences?
Okay, maybe that was being a bit petty. It wasn't like poor kids used drugs any less. They just had to hide it for fear of getting rounded up by the cops. Sebastian probably didn't have to worry about that, at least.
"Well, then you better share," I said, at last, giving him a slight smirk of my own. When he grinned again, I winked at him. Then, I tossed my backpack onto the floor next to the bed. I'd considered tossing it onto the bed itself, but with the pristine white blanket over top of it, I really didn't want to get anything on it. "So, you mentioned food?"
