Bexley’s arms cage me in against the wall as I glare up at him. “I said back the fuck up.”
“Remi, come on. Why are you being like this?” he drawls. “We used to be friends, didn’t we? Until Jagger—”
“You think this has anything to do with Ace?” Disbelief coats my words. “Things went wrong between us long before he ever showed up.”
“We could be so good together.” He leans in closer, his bitter breath wafting over me.
Bexley is on something. That much was obvious when he grabbed me while I was standing right beside Ace. Everyone had been too busy watching Vager about to announce Homecoming king and queen to notice me march him out of there to give him a piece of my mind.
I thought he was just drunk, but his pupils are blown, and he’s acting jittery, his wild gaze darting around my face and then off at nothing.
“What happened to you, Bexley?” I ask. This isn’t the boy I’d once shared my secrets with.
“It should have been you and me.” He repeats the words again, as if it changes anything.
“I should go before Ace realizes I’m gone.” Pushing one of his arms away, I duck around him but Bexley snags my wrist, yanking me back. My ankle rolls in the stupid boots I let Mom talk me into wearing, and I lose my footing. The world tilts and I’m falling. Pain explodes in my head as it smashes into the brick wall.
“Remi!” someone yells. “Get the fuck off her!”
“A-Ace?” I cry, bringing a hand to my head only to be met with sticky blood.
“Fuck, man, I wasn’t… she fell. I didn’t mean… Remi?” Hands grab at me but Ace growls, “I said, get the fuck off her.”
I can suddenly breathe again as Bexley is ripped off me.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Ace’s tone is cold, deadly. I try to sit up, to see what’s happened, but everything is spinning.
“Remi? Oh, my God,” a familiar voice cries, and then Hadley’s blurry face appears.
“Hads?”
“It’s okay, you’re okay.” She pulls me up and wraps an arm around me. My vision slowly returns, and I can see now, see as Ace and Bexley circle each other.
“You’re going to pay for that,” Bexley spits.
“I’m going to pay?” Ace chuckles darkly. “I’m going to fucking end you for ever laying a hand on Remi.”
“Hadley, stop him, please.” A garbled cry spills from my lips as Ace lunges for Bexley, the two of them crashing to the ground with a thud.
“She was mine,” my ex-childhood friends roars. “And you fucking stole her.”
The two of them are a blur of fists and limbs as they roll and jostle each other for dominance. Bexley might be a well-conditioned athlete, but Ace fights like he always has.
To survive.
He rains hellfire down on Bexley, his fist slamming into his face, his nose, and ribs. Bexley grunts and groans, blood trickling from his eye and a deep split in his lip.
Ace relents, letting Bexley clamber to his feet. He glances back at me, his expression so dark I shudder. “Is she okay?”
“She’s bleeding, and I think she might have a concussion,” Hadley says, hugging me tighter.
“I feel…” My head rolls as I try to stay lucid.
“Fuck,” someone else says, and Cole and Conner jog into view. There’s no light back here, just the silvery hue of the moon. It’s ethereal, illuminating them like three fallen angels stalking their prey.
“What the fuck?” Cole asks.
“The motherfucker was trying to hurt her.”
Conner jogs over to us and crouches down, brushing the hair from my face. “Hey there, Princess. How are you holding up?”
“A-Ace…” my voice cracks.
“Shit.”
“Fuck,” he breathes.
“We should get her out of here.”
“No.” I grab his shirt. “A-Ace will take care of it. I don’t…” The words are gone before I can get them out.
“You like hurting girls?” Cole’s low growl vibrates through me, and I whimper.
“Shit, budge up, Hads. Let me get her.” My body is twisted until I’m seated across Conner’s lap. He presses something to my head, and I wince in pain.
“Shh, it’ll help with the bleeding until we can get you looked at.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“He’ll only lose it if I try to take her anywhere.”
“Conner,” I whisper.
“Shh, I’ve got you, Remi. Ain’t no one going to hurt you again.”
“H-he… texting me. T-think he… stalking me.”
“Fuck,” he hisses. “Did you know about this?”
“Not a word,” Hadley says. “I knew he had it bad for her, but I didn’t think…”
My eyes are heavy, but I can just make out Ace and Cole beating the crap out of Bexley. “S-stop.” I tug at Conner’s shirt. “Don’t let him…”
“You’re done, Danforth. I’m going to take everything you love, everything you hold fucking dear, and destroy it. Starting with your throwing arm.”
“N-no,” I croak, desperate for somebody to stop Ace.
I may be slipping, but I know I don’t want to be the reason Ace loses himself.
But it’s too late.
A loud crack echoes through the air, followed by a blood-curdling scream… and then everything goes black.
I slowly peek open my eyes, only to be met with eyes so blue I’d know them anywhere.
“Thank fuck, Princess.” Relief floods Ace’s expression.
“W-where am I?” There’s a thick fog clouding my thoughts.
“The pool house.” He runs a finger along my cheek, pushing the hair from my face.
I try to sit up, but pain explodes along my forehead. “Ace?” I croak, fear gripping my throat like a vise.
“Try not to move too quickly. The doctor said it could hurt for a little while.”
“The doctor?”
“You don’t remember?”
I shake my head, immediately regretting it.
“James was able to call in a favor. I didn’t think you’d want to go to hospital.”
“Hospital? What happened?”
“What can you remember?” He eyes me warily as I search the recesses of my mind.
“It was Homecoming… we danced. There was a video.” Images of Michaela tied naked to a chair flood my mind. “You set her up.”
His lip curves smugly. “They announced Hayden and Lylah as Homecoming king and queen, and then Bexley—’
A pained sob slips from my lips.
“What the fuck were you doing out there with him?”
I rear back at his hostility, but Ace’s expression instantly softens. “Shit, I’m sorry… I’m not mad, I just…”
“He grabbed me at the dance, right after Hayden got crowned king. He said he wanted to talk. I didn’t want to cause a scene.”
“You should have told me.” His jaws clenches.
“So you could have beaten him half to death in front of the entire school?” I tremble. “I fell, Ace. It was an accident.”
Ace scoffs at that. “He was all up in your face, I saw him.”
I don’t argue because Ace is right. Bexley had been aggressive, and it wasn’t the first time.
“I think he was on something.”
“Yeah.” He ran a hand over his jaw, inhaling a shaky breath. “When I saw him with you, I lost it.”
My eyes flick to Ace’s hand, noticing his busted knuckles. “What did you do?”
“Taught that motherfucker a lesson.” His tone sends chills zipping up my spine.
“Did you… hurt him?”
Hazy images drift through my mind. Ace and Bexley fighting. Bexley screaming in pain.
“I broke his arm.”
“Ace…” I sigh. “The Danforths will press charges, they’ll—”
“You think I give a shit? He’s lucky I didn’t rip off his dick and feed it to him after that.” Ace leans closer, his eyes fixed right on me. “I wanted to kill him, Remi. I wanted to take my knife and drive it through his fucking skull.”
“But you didn’t…”
“No, I didn’t.” He releases a strained sigh. “I knew if I did, I’d lose you. I’m not that guy anymore.”
“So he’s okay?” I don’t know how to feel about what happened to Bexley.
Ace nods. “After I finally dragged Cole off him, we called 911 and James. I knew the fucker’s old man would come ready to go after me, so I told James he’d better do the same. James is over there right now.”
“He is?”
“Said he’ll handle everything.”
I sink back against the pillows. “I don’t know what to say. It wasn’t how I saw Homecoming going…”
“You don’t have to say anything.” Ace brushes his thumb across the curve of my hand. “The only thing that matters is that you’re okay.”
“You called James… You didn’t…”
“Take matters into my own hands? Trust me, I wanted to. I wanted to end him. But like Michaela, I realized that to hit him where it hurt most, we needed to go after his legacy. He’s out.”
“What do you mean?”
“The team. Sterling Prep. He’s done, Princess. Rumor has it, he’s been using for a while now. That along with how fucking weird he’s become around you is enough leverage to make him disappear. The Danforths might have deep pockets, but it won’t work. Not this time.”
I let Ace’s words sink in. I’d always known Bexley was a rich and entitled asshole. Sure, we used to be friends, but things soon changed when I got curves and grew boobs.
A tremor rolls through me as I consider what might have happened if Ace hadn’t found me.
Ace notices and his jaw clenches. “Remi, I love you. You’re my girl. It’s my job to protect you. I know I can be a bit hot-headed and wade into a situation without all the facts, but I’ve lost you before. I don’t plan on doing anything to jeopardize what we have.
“I don’t want to lose you, baby. Ever.”
“So Michaela…” Pain floods my chest. “What was that?”
“That was an error in judgement. I should have told you my plan. I should have made sure you knew that nothing happened.”
“But it did, didn’t it?”
Guilt flashes in his eyes and I know I’m right. “How did you—”
“When you came to my room in the middle of the night, I could just tell. I know you Ace. I see you.”
“Shit.” He sits back in the chair, running a hand over his face. He looks exhausted, a slight bruise mottling the skin around his eye.
“Just tell me…”
“She kissed me. Fuck, I swear it wasn’t supposed to happen that way. But she caught me off guard and before I knew it she’d—
“Okay,” I hiss. “I don’t need details. Is that all that happened?”
“Yes. Fuck, Princess, I promise. I never touched her, and I certainly didn’t let her touch me. It was all a ruse to get her talking.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” He peeks over at me, and I nod.
“What’s done is done. I don’t want to look back, I just want to put this whole ordeal behind me and focus on the future.”
A future without Michaela on her throne and Bexley lurking around every corner.
“I love you, Remi. You know that, right?” Uncertainty glitters in Ace’s eyes.
I nod, and his shoulders sag with relief. “You know, I hated the idea of coming here, of starting a new life and leaving the Heights behind. But honestly, it’s the best thing that could have happened to me. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Tugging his hand, I manage to lean up and curl my hand around his neck, drawing his face to mine. “I love you too, Ace Jagger.” My lips find his. “Always.”
A few hours later, we’re in the pool house, curled up on the couch. The doctor stopped by earlier to check in on me. He thinks I have a mild concussion, but otherwise, I’m okay.
A loud knock startles me and Ace chuckles, dropping a kiss on my head. “It’s just James, see.” I follow his finger and find his father standing on the other side of the door.
“You can come in,” Ace calls, and James slips inside.
“It’s nice to see you up and about.” He smiles warmly. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ll be okay. Thank you… for everything.”
“Remi, you never have to thank me, sweetheart. You know I think of you like a daughter.” The blood drains from his face and he scratches his jaw. “I guess I might have to rethink that one.”
I smother another chuckle. I guess it is a little weird that, if James and my mom ever end up getting married, one day me and Ace could be stepsiblings.
“Don’t even go there,” Ace grumbles as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking. “I wanted you long before I found out James was my dad.”
“Yes, well,” James clears his throat, a slight flush to his cheeks. “I just wanted to come and tell you that the Danforths won’t be pressing any charges.” He gives Ace a pointed look.
“What?” Ace scoffs. “He got off lightly.”
“Son, you broke the boy’s arm. He might never throw a football again.”
“Do I need you to remind you that he’s been harassing Remi?”
“You’re right.” James’ eyes go dark, and he reminds me so much of Cole in this moment, it’s a little unnerving. “But the Danforths are a powerful family, they could have made life very difficult for you.”
“Good thing I have you then, isn’t it?”
A beat passes as father and son remain locked in a silent standoff. James relents first, giving Ace a slight nod. “You’re right, it is. No one messes with the Jaggers.” His lip curves into a half-smirk.
“I’ll call Sarah and tell her you’re staying the night?”
“For real?” I can’t hide my grin.
“Something tells me Ace isn’t going to let you out of his sight, and I’m sure we’d all feel happier knowing you’re safe.” He rubs his jaw as if he’s not wholly convinced by the idea, but I’ll take it. I’ll take whatever I can get where Ace is concerned. “But don’t get comfortable, it’s just for the night. The doctor said you need to rest. I’m trusting you to do the right thing.” He levels Ace with a hard glare.
“I’ll be the best doctor you ever had.”
Oh, Jesus.
I clench my legs together.
James shakes his head, amusement crinkling his eyes. I don’t know when it happened, but things between the two of them seem calmer. Easier.
We watch as he heads for the door, but at the last second, he glances back. “Oh, and before I go, I heard an interesting rumor about the dance. Apparently, there was a video… you wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” His brow arches, and I press my lips together, wondering how Ace will dig himself out of this hole.
I still don’t know how I feel about the video, but I can’t deny it felt good seeing Sterling Prep’s Queen Bee’s kingdom come crashing down around her.
“Nope.” Ace doesn’t even bother to hide his smirk. “No idea what you’re talking about. But given the things Michaela said about her classmates, it could have been anyone.”
James’ eyes narrow. “Very well. I’ll leave the two of you in peace.”
“He knows,” I say the second the door closes.
“And? James isn’t going to do shit, just like Michaela isn’t going to do shit.”
“You sound awfully sure of yourself.”
“Because I am, Princess. I may not live in the Heights anymore, but I’ll always be a Jagger. And I’ll always fight for what’s mine.”
My hands fist his t-shirt, pulling him down toward me. “So I’m yours then?”
Heat blazes in his frosty gaze. “Do you need reminding?”
My lips curve into a playful smile as I grip his jaw, brushing my lips over his. “I think that sounds like a very good idea.”
