“I know you think I don’t care, Harlow, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Yeah. Whatever. She barely even visited me in the hospital from what the guys have said.
“Let’s talk inside.” Saint scans the grounds with suspicious eyes before he opens the door, gesturing her inside.
“I came alone,” she volunteers, sliding past him into the barn.
Saint plants his hand on my lower back as we follow her inside, closing the door behind us.
“Wow. I love what you’ve done with the place.” Mom looks around, smiling widely until her eyes land on the framed posters of nude chicks on the walls. She hastily looks away, and Saint and I share an amused grin.
It reminds me of something I had planned, and I make a mental note to follow up on it.
“Coffee, Giana?” Theo asks, handing her a mug as Caz comes up on my other side, grasping my hand.
“Thank you, Theo.” She smiles before spotting Galen leaning against the edge of the table, and it fades from her face as concern replaces it. “Galen. You should be in bed too.” She clucks her tongue at him.
“Don’t worry,” Caz says. “Harlow and Galen got plenty of rest in bed, among other things,” he adds, under his breath, and I elbow him in the ribs.
“No sex for you for a month,” I hiss in his ear. He pins me with a horrified look, and a burst of laughter pushes up my throat. “I’m joking,” I whisper. “Kind of.”
“Don’t torture me like that,” he whispers back as I watch Mom quizzing Galen out of the corner of my eye.
“Why don’t we sit in the living room and talk?” Mom suggests, circling her arm around Galen and herding him forward.
“She did come here for a reason,” I murmur. Caz keeps a firm hold of my hand, leading me over to the couch.
I sit beside Caz and Saint while Mom sits on the other couch with Galen and Theo takes the chair. “Why are you really here?” I inquire, watching her knotting her hands in her lap and chewing on her lip with growing trepidation. “And how did you know about this place?”
“Don’t be mad,” she says, “but I followed you here one time.” I grind down on my teeth in frustration, and a muscle ticks in my jaw.
I’m calling bullshit on that.
There is no way she tailed us here without us knowing. The guys are way too smart for that, and I’ve never come here alone. She didn’t put a tracker on us either, because we’ve been checking daily.
Why the fuck does she keep on lying? I could call her out, but she’ll just deny it, so what’s the point in even going there. I don’t believe a word that comes out of her mouth anymore.
“I knew the guys must have another place as they didn’t always stay at the house,” she continues, pretending she doesn’t feel the wave of hostility emanating her way. “I wanted to ensure you were safe and resting up.”
“Did you tell him?” Saint asks.
She shakes her head. “I didn’t see the need to.”
Well, that’s reassuring. Not.
“I’d prefer it’s kept that way,” Saint says, placing a warning hand on my knee. He can tell I’m seconds from implosion.
“I’m betting Neo already knows,” Mom replies. “There isn’t much that gets past him.”
Which is pretty much the conclusion we’ve already drawn. But I’m sure she didn’t come here to talk about the barn. “What is it, Mom? Just tell us.”
“I know what he expects of you, Harlow.” Her pained eyes meet mine, and I can’t work out if she means his plans to gang-rape me with his buddies and call it initiation or that he wants me to assassinate the commissioner.
“Which is?” I prompt.
She twists her hands in her lap. “I know he wants to fuck you. He taunted me with it last night.” She raises a shaky hand, pulling it through her hair, and her long-sleeved blouse moves down her arm a little, revealing heavy bruising around her wrists.
Acid crawls up my throat. “He hurt you again.” I glare at Saint. So much for his spy. This is what I was afraid of.
Her cheeks flush red, and she waves her hands about. “It’s nothing, Lo.”
“Just more rough sex, huh?” I bite out, because I’m getting sick of her dismissing his treatment of her. Fuck. I can’t deal with this today. My emotions are veering all over the place, and I can’t handle it.
“Harlow.” Her tone brooks no argument.
“Say what you came to say, Mother,” I snap. “You’re pissing me off now.”
“I’d like you to get out of town for a while. Just until he calms down and I can find a way to keep him away from you.”
Saint and Galen lock eyes, and my curious gaze bounces between them.
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Galen says. “We have a way to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“You do?” I blurt, because this is news to me. From the expression on Caz’s and Theo’s faces, it’s the first they’re hearing of this too.
“We’ll discuss it later,” Saint says in that commanding tone he likes to use.
Mom’s shoulders visibly relax. “I knew I could trust you boys to take care of my daughter.”
“Lo doesn’t need us to take care of her,” Theo says. “She’s very capable without our interference.”
“That I know as well.” Mom’s smile is tinged with sadness. “Lo’s had to grow up way too fast.”
“Why are you with him, Mom? Please tell me.” I’ve asked her before, and she usually deflects.
She tilts her chin up, and all hint of sadness disappears, replaced with a steadfast confidence Mom used to always convey. “Don’t go there again, Harlow. As much as I want to give you answers, I can’t. Just trust that I know what I’m doing, and don’t worry about me. Focus on looking after yourself.”
That is the closest she has come to telling me she’s working some angle. The conversation I had with Saint and Theo in my closet returns to the forefront of my mind, and I drop the subject even though I’m tempted to push her buttons to try to get her to open up. The guys are right. If Mom has an agenda, she’s keeping me out of it for a reason. I’ve got to let it go and concentrate on dealing with my own shit.
“Okay, Mom. I won’t ask you again.” My tone is devoid of emotion because I’m so done with this.
Her shoulders relax again. “I’d still like you to get out of town. Neo is unpredictable right now, and I want you out of his crosshairs. He’s furious someone tried to take you all out, and he’s seething that The Arrows ambushed his delivery. Who knows what he’ll do when he’s like this. I’ve never seen him so angry. It would give me peace of mind to know he can’t vent that anger in your direction. Staying here is too risky, but he doesn’t know about your father’s cabin. Go there for a few days.”
My mouth hangs open, and I stare at my mom in complete shock. “You know about it?”
“There’s a lot I knew that your father wasn’t aware of,” she cryptically replies, standing. “And don’t ask, Harlow. You agreed.”
I absently nod, thrown for a loop. I want to ask her if she knows it was Sinner who kidnapped and tortured me, but I’m also afraid to ask, because if she confirms it, I have no idea how I’ll stop myself from murdering her with my bare hands.
“Have you contacted the school?” Saint asks. “Or do you need us to cover it?”
“I’ve spoken with Vice Principal Pierson. It’s handled.” She stands in front of me. “Walk me out, darling?”
Caz helps me to stand, and I follow Mom outside.
“I’m so sorry about Sariah, Harlow.” She holds my face in her palms. “I know how close you two were.”
I gulp over the fresh lump in my throat, beseeching Mom to drop it.
She nods briefly before clearing her throat. She releases my face, clasping my hands in hers. “I know I’m asking a lot, but I need you to trust me and believe me when I say you are the most important thing in my life. Everything I have done is to protect you. I almost lost you too.” Tears well in
her eyes. “I nearly died when Saint called me.” Tears stream down her face. “This is not the life I wanted for you, and I can’t stand by while others try to harm you.”
“It’s okay, Mom. We know who’s responsible, and we’re dealing with it.” Although, I’m far from safe, but articulating that point won’t help either of us.
“I’m so proud of you, Harlow.” Her eyes shine with the truth of her words. “You never stop fighting, no matter how many times life tries to drag you down. I always thought you were more like your father, but I think there’s more of me in you than I realized, but you’re stronger than we were at your age.”
“Was it real, Mom? Did you really love Dad?”
“Oh, honey.” More tears pool in her eyes. “Trey Westbrook was the love of my life, and I loved him with my whole heart and soul. I miss him so much.”
Tears gather in my eyes. “Me too. He was the best dad.”
“He was, darling, and he loved you so much. He was incredibly proud of you.” She kisses the top of my head, and we stand there, without speaking, both lost in our heads, but it’s not awkward, and the burst of angry frustration I was feeling inside dies out. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to feel Mom’s love or how deeply it cut me believing she didn’t care enough. I don’t understand why she’s doing what’s she’s doing, and I hate she is concealing so much, but I believe her now, and I hope we can find a way to permanently repair our relationship once that bastard is out of the picture.
“Take those boys and get away from this mess for a few days,” she says, breaking the silence. “When you return, we’ll talk properly.” She kisses my brow. “I love you so much, honey. Never doubt that.”
“What about you, Mom? Who’s going to protect you?”
She tucks my hair behind my ears. “I’m a big girl, Harlow. I know how to take care of myself, and I know the inner workings of Neo’s mind. I know how to play him, so don’t waste a second worrying about me.” She kisses my brow again. “Go. Rest. Eat. Heal. We’ll talk when you are back. I promise.”
I wait until she has driven out of sight before heading back inside, trying to figure out what the heck just happened.
“She gone?” Saint asks, and I nod.
“I think she’s on our side.” I lower myself on to the couch beside Galen.
“She’s definitely working an angle,” Saint agrees.
“And she’s doing it for you,” Theo adds. “That was crystal clear today.”
“What’s this cabin she mentioned?” Caz asks.
I wet my lips, preparing to eat humble pie. “I was going to tell you about it. It’s a cabin that’s been in my dad’s family for generations. It’s where we went once a month to train.”
“Wait! Granddad knows about it?” Saint looks seriously unhappy.
I walk over to him, climbing into his lap, ignoring the stab of pain that shoots through my ribs. “Don’t do that. Diesel knew about it because it’s where we trained. Period.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Theo asks.
I drag my lower lip between my teeth, trying to find the right words to explain it. “The cabin was something Dad and I did together. Our secret, or so we thought. After he died, it became my retreat from the world when things threatened to become too much. I planned to take you there, but we’ve only recently cleared up our differences, and with everything going on, there hasn’t been time.”
Saint peers into my eyes, and I let him see the truth. He nods, brushing his thumb against my lower lip, and a relieved sigh escapes my mouth.
“How far away is it?” Theo asks.
“It’s about a two-hour drive from here.”
Saint lifts me off his lap, placing my feet on the ground as he stands behind me. “So, what are we waiting for? Let’s make a move.”
CHAPTER 6
WE DEAL WITH Taylor first, adding a few more cuts and bruises to her pretty face, and I enjoy her anguished screams as I hack off her long blonde hair with my knife, leaving her with short, jagged ends that will take some time to grow back. I want that bitch to look in the mirror every day and be reminded of me and the danger she’s placed her family in by coming after us.
After her little makeover, we dump her on her father’s doorstep. We make it clear to him that we’re letting her live on the understanding they drop their vendetta. Taylor’s father is a member of The Bulls, so he understands we’ve shown leniency, and he’s clearly no fool, because he gives us his word that this ends now. Still, we’re taking no chances, and Saint makes the call to Marwan, the new Bull’s prez, ensuring he’s aware of what’s gone down.
“What do we do about Sinner?” I ask when we’re on the highway, heading toward the cabin.
“We can’t tell him the truth because he’ll start an all-out war with The Bulls,” Theo says.
“Not if we present it as an opportunity to ensure they are kept firmly under his thumb,” Saint muses while he drives. “I’ll call him from the cabin. Explain how we handled it and why.”
“He’ll kill her old man,” Galen pipes up from the back seat. “His daughter tried to take us out. He’ll never let that slide.”
“That can’t happen,” I say. “Taylor will come after us with all guns blazing if her dad dies.”
“We need to give Sinner something else to worry about,” Caz proposes.
“Maybe we give Darrow something,” I say, mulling it over in my head, before it comes to me. I glance over at Saint. “The location of the supplies warehouse.”
Deathly silence greets my suggestion.
“It’s too risky,” Galen says after a few tense beats. “That secret has been kept for generations. Sinner would go postal, and he won’t stop until he discovers who leaked that intel. We can’t take that chance.”
“What if we do this in reverse,” Saint suggests, and all eyes dart to him.
“Explain,” Theo says.
“We get the location of The Arrows supply warehouse and feed that to Sinner. Give him a project to occupy his mind.”
“How?” Caz asks. “That’s as well guarded as our warehouse, and if Bryant knew anything, he’d have already told Sinner.”
“Valid point,” Galen admits. “We need a quick win.”
“Has anyone heard from Bry recently? Has he planted the hidden camera in Archer Quinn’s office yet?” I ask.
“He’s due to update us,” Saint says. “I’ll call him and see if it’s done.”
“That could be our best shot. If he can get details of the next Arrows shipment, we could feed that to Sinner and let him have at it.”
“I’ll make it happen,” Saint says. “And I’ll call Marwan and tell him to sit tight on the Tamlins so Sinner doesn’t hear about it before we’re ready to tell him.”
“I love it when a plan comes together,” Caz says, rubbing his hands in glee. “And I love going on a mini vacay with our sexy princess even more.” He pokes his head through the gap in the front seats, pinning me with a shit-eating grin. “Are we nearly there yet?”
_______________
We pull up to the cabin, late in the afternoon, after making a pitstop to grab some groceries and beer. Saint jumps out, inputting the code I gave him, and the gates open to grant us entry.
“Wowzers,” Caz says as we drive along the road leading to the house. “You own all this land?” His nose is pressed to the glass, and his eyes are out on stilts.
“Yep. It’s mine now.” Dad left the property to me in his will, although it was only disclosed to me after the main will had been revealed. He thought of everything, and he was still protecting Mom from the grave.
“I noticed the barbed wire and security cameras at the gate,” Theo says, looking left and right as we drive past the dense forest that surrounds the land on both sides. “It seems private and secure.”
“It is. Dad gave every consideration to my safety. The entire twenty-acre site is enclosed with high walls and barbed wire, and there are numerous cameras everywhere linking to screens
in my dad’s study. I’ve spent a lot of time here alone since he died, and I’ve never felt scared, because if anyone managed to breach the security systems, I would know about it before they made it to the house. He also has a secure panic room in the basement that is impenetrable.”
“I vote we hole ourselves up here forever and let Sinner seal his own fate,” Caz quips.
“I wish it were that easy.” I rest my head against the window, peering across the empty fields into the forest as we draw closer to the cabin.
A few minutes later, Saint pulls the Land Rover to a stop in front of the familiar two-story wooden structure.
Caz whistles under his breath as we climb out of the car. “Nice, babe. Very nice.”
I rest my head on his shoulder as Saint and Theo grab our bags from the back. “I love it here. It’s so peaceful. When I need to clear my head, I come here.”
“I can see why.” Galen comes up on my other side.
He’s hunched over, in obvious pain, and I press my hand to his brow, frowning at the heat radiating from his flesh. “You need to take more medication and grab some sleep.”
He takes my hand, bringing it to his mouth, kissing the back of my knuckles. “If you want to play nurse, you won’t hear me complaining.”
Caz snorts. “I can guess why.”
Galen flips him the bird, smirking. “Jealous, much?”
“Nah.” Caz carefully tucks me under his arm. “I’ll be the one taking care of our girl tonight.”
I was planning on sleeping with Theo so I can ask him what’s up, but I won’t deny Caz—if he wants me in his bed tonight, he’s got it.
“Asshole,” Galen mutters as I step up to the cabin and unlock the door.
I walk inside, moving to deactivate the alarm while the others stream through the door. Theo dumps our bags on the floor in the hall while Saint deposits the bags of groceries on the kitchen counter, and Caz and Galen set off exploring. I let the guys wander around by themselves while I unpack the groceries, fire up the Keurig, and make some sandwiches.
“This place is the shit,” Caz says, sweeping into the kitchen as I’m plating our food. He wraps his arms around me from behind, nuzzling his nose into my neck. “I already feel right at home here.”
The Sainthood : A Dark High School Romance (The Complete Series) Page 60
