PACING the length of the apartment I share with the guys in the summers, I replay the last twenty-four hours in my head as if doing so is going to solve all my problems.
I need to talk to Riley. She needs to understand I wasn’t in my right mind when I started framing her for those murders. I saw her as a threat to the only relationships I have and I wanted her gone. But that was before I fell madly in love with her.
I haven’t decided if I’m going to tell her it was Ridge who killed those men, because I probably shouldn’t burn any more bridges with the only people who give a damn about me. But I won’t lie. That, I know for sure.
No more lies.
Dammit. I need to make a move. Be it offing my uncle, or torturing the fuck out of that scumbag therapist, Dr. Edmonds. Only then will I be able to go to her safely.
I snatch up my notepad on the small round table off the kitchen. It was left on the bed in my dorm room. It’s the same engraved notepad we get at the beginning of each school year with our assignment listed on the front page. The thing is, I already got mine.
Opening the page, I read the note again.
Find and capture, fellow Blue Blood member, Riley Cross.
You have been sentenced, and she will be punished.
If you fail, you will face the consequence of total banishment as a member of The Society.
Sincerely,
Austin Pemberley
“Over my dead body.” I growl as I chuck the notebook at the wall.
Not only did that son of a bitch work with my therapist to keep me on meds that made me feel fucking insane, but he’s also doing it to try and claim that I am insane, so he can be named my guardian. All because he wants my damn money. Money that I don’t even want. Yeah. I’m filthy fucking rich—set for life. But what good is money when you have no one to enjoy it with?
My mind is made up. I know my next move.
Austin Pemberley, aka Uncle dearest, needs to fucking die.
With the pedal to the floor of my black Bugatti Veyron, I drive as fast as I can back to Boulder Cove. Students aren’t allowed to have vehicles but fuck the rules.
I know he’s there. Not only did he leave the notebook on my bed, while I was caught blindsided by Riley at my cabin, but I also saw him. Walking with his shoulders drawn back and his chest puffed out like he’s The President of The Society and an untouchable force. Granted, he’s the leader of all The Punishers, but he’s not untouchable. He’s as replaceable as the cellphone I’m powering on.
I press the button on the steering wheel and wait for the beep. “Call Ridge.”
I’m sure I’m the last person Ridge or Maddox want to talk to, but I need to know Riley is safe. I’ve also gotta fill him in on my plan. In the past, I’d work alone, not giving a damn who knew what I was up to. But that was then, and this is now. I feel more myself than I ever have, and the old me would have made sure my friends knew what I was about to do.
The phone rings through the speakers of the car and after the fifth ring, it goes to voicemail.
“It’s Ridge. You know what to do.”
“Hey, man. Call me as soon as possible. We need to talk.”
I end the call and bite the bottom of my lip, wondering if it’s even worthwhile to try Maddox. It’s apparent they’re ignoring me. Don’t blame ’em, really. They know I’m the one who killed Zeke and assaulted Riley. Once again, it wasn’t me. And it wasn’t even really assault. Jesus, people are so quick to assume these days. First of all, I never drugged her. I must’ve just dropped the pill I stuffed in my pocket when I decided I wasn’t going to take it. I didn’t even know she was drunk until I got her halfway to her orgasm. She got off on my fingers inside her and never once asked me to stop, so I didn’t.
If at any point in time she said ‘no’ that would have been the end of it.
I think.
Maybe not because I don’t know who that guy was who entered her room that night. But there isn’t a doubt in my mind I would’ve stopped now.
“Fuck!” I slam my hands to the steering wheel. When did all this shit get so fucking messy?
I’m snapped from my thoughts when my phone starts ringing. Ridge’s name flashes on the screen, and I immediately hit Answer.
“Where the hell are they?” he shouts before I can even say hello.
I turn the volume down a few notches, so he’s not screaming in my ear. “Where the hell is who?”
“You know exactly who I’m talking about. What did you do with Riley and Maddox?”
My hands coil around the steering wheel as my foot smashes down hard on the brakes. I skid off the road and onto the shoulder, throwing a cloud of dust in my wake. My whole body lurches forward against the seat belt as I come to a complete stop. ‘Riley’s missing?’
“Don’t play games with me, Lev.”
“Shut the fuck up and tell me what the hell is going on right now, or so help me God…”
My heart hammers in my chest as a million possibilities cross my mind. Someone took her. What if it was my uncle? What if it was a family member of those men Ridge murdered, all because they think it was her?
“I swear on everything, Lev, if you’re fucking lying to me right now, I will hunt you down.” His voice rises with each word. “And I will slit your goddamn throat!”
Rage consumes me because this jackass is being impossible right now.
“Do it, asshole. I fucking dare you! Come find me and we’ll see who leaves with their vocal cords intact.”
“Where the hell is she?!” His screams are deafening to the point I’m forced to turn the volume down more. “Tell me!”
But I scream back just as loud because, who the fuck does this guy think he is accusing me of shit? “I don’t know!”
“I don’t believe you, Lev.” His voice lowers to a near shout. “I don’t believe a damn word you say now that I know it was you. You killed Zeke and framed Cade, then you killed Cade and you’re letting her take the fucking fall for it. What a man you are.” He laughs, though the sound is empty of humor. “Nah. You’re just a fucking pussy.”
“Is that so?” I hum. “You forgot a few people there, Ridge.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The ones I framed Riley for. All those men who were murdered. Their bodies were lit on fire and evidence was left behind that connected her to them. You all think I killed them, right?”
“I don’t give a fuck about those guys. This has nothing to do with them.”
“Doesn’t it, though? Isn’t Riley being accused of murdering them, too?”
The line goes silent for a moment before Ridge finally says, “It was you. I thought it was Cade, but it was you, wasn’t it?”
“If you’re asking if I killed them, I think we both know the answer to that.”
“Eric Mathers,” he says the name, as if it’s supposed to mean anything to me. “He was the last name on the list and once I crossed it off, I saw a shadow in the woods. I tried to catch the guy, but I wasn’t fast enough and he got away. I thought it was Cade, but it was you.” His voice rises a few octaves. “You knew this whole time it was me and you set her up! Why the hell would you do that?”
He’s right. From the very first murder, I knew it was him. Ridge stalked Riley, and I stalked them both. I watched everyone. I paid attention to every calculated detail and formed my own plan for the good of my future. I had to look after myself because no one else was going to. At that time, I was doing it to protect Ridge, and even Maddox, as I saw him slowly falling for Riley, too. With her out of the picture, they were safe, and what better way to get her out of the picture than to set her up for the crimes Ridge committed? She wasn’t innocent by any means—she killed our state governor. In my head, it was all justified. But my mind was in a fog and I hadn’t thought clearly in years.
I just never expected to fall for her, too.
“Answer me, dammit!”
I rest my head back with my hands still gripping the steering wheel. “I did it for you! Okay. Are you happy? I did it for you and Maddox. I saw her as a threat to you, and to our friendship. I knew they suspected her of the governor’s death and I thought for sure she was going to drag you both down. So I tried to get rid of her.”
“Why the hell didn’t you just tell us?”
“As if you’d listen to me. I was a joke to you and Maddox. I heard the whispers. Don’t act like you guys didn’t keep shit from me just because you were worried about how I’d react.”
“Well, for fuck’s sake, Lev. Do you blame us? Look at what you did?”
“Me?” I huff. “You murdered four fucking men for her. Is it so crazy that I assumed the girl had you in over your head?”
His silence is telling.
“Exactly my point,” I say. “Look. We all did some seriously fucked-up shit. We’ve all killed with her in mind.”
“We are pretty unhinged, aren’t we?”
I chuckle. “We’re fucking deranged. At least one of us turned out okay. There’s still hope for Maddox.”
“Speaking of Maddox, we need to find them. I’m not saying I believe you didn’t have anything to do with their disappearance. But if I did, do you have any idea where they might have gone, or who might have taken them?”
“One hundred fucking percent. It has to be my uncle.”
“I disagree.”
His words take me by surprise. “You do?”
“There’s a lot of shit we need to talk about. Where are you?”
“Heading back to campus as we speak.” I glance at the clock on the dash. “Should be there in about forty-five minutes.”
“Don’t go there. Meet me at the cabin.”
“Fine. But this better not be some sort of trap.”
“Ditto, fucker.”
The line goes dead and the only thought in my mind as I take off speeding to get to my friend is her. I need you to be okay, Trouble.
