Gasping, I shout, “Holy fuck!”
“They killed her?” Shay looks gobsmacked.
I brace my hand on the wall, preventing myself from tipping over at the revelation of a young life snuffed out. This town was supposed to be a fresh start. It was supposed to be safe. Instead, I’m being threatened, and teenage girls are being taken and returned in pieces.
It was a mistake to move here, but now I’m stuck, with no parents to speak of, locked in a game that I’m beginning to believe could cost me my life.
40
ARIAH
After the death of Bethany, the town feels more on edge. They had her funeral last week. I didn’t go. I didn’t know her, and when she was alive, we weren’t friends. It’s tragic how she died, and her loss will be felt profoundly in a small town like this.
What’s sadder is Sam’s behavior. She’s capitalizing on her friend’s death, garnering sympathy from anyone who’ll give her the time of day. The same girl who looked ecstatic over the possibility of being her replacement is now walking around pretending to be forlorn.
“Riah.” Kellan reaches up and yanks on my shirt, garnering my attention. I was so distracted by my thoughts I didn’t hear him walk into the room. “Are we still going over to Mr. Grant’s house today?”
Is it Sunday already?Time seems to have a mind of its own these days. It feels like we just moved to town, and Mom was promising how different things would be here. I guess she wasn’t technically wrong. Things are different. Our parents are both gone, and one of them signed us away like we didn’t matter. Maybe she did it because she knew she was fraying at the seams? Perhaps she did it to save us from her? I’m still struggling to make sense of her choices, and Kell reminds me I haven’t answered him.
“Riahhh?”
“Sorry, bud,” I say, wrinkling my nose and answering, “Yes, we have dinner there every Sunday. Remember?”
“Yes!” He shouts, running from the kitchen.
“Excited, is he?” Tabitha smiles warmly, walking in from the hallway Kellan just ran down.
“Yup, it’s our weekly dinner, and they love it over there.”
Wyatt’s dad has been really great. I’m not eighteen yet, but he gives me the run of things, and he doesn’t enforce that stupid ass dress code. There wasn’t a chance I’d be wearing polos and khaki tennis skirts.Gag me.
“Mr. Grant is a great man. You won’t find many like him these days,” she sighs.
“He is, and so is his son.” Wyatt truly is amazing. Slightly intense but great. Plus, I have to admit I like his intensity, both his and Owen’s. They feel all-consuming in that way that you’d welcome their devouring.
Looking at my watch and seeing we have about an hour before we need to head out, I talk with Tabitha a bit longer and then head for my room.
* * *
We’rein Mr. Grant’s office, discussing the formal and going over the details of the trust. My birthday is a week away, and he wanted to make sure I understood what would take place once it arrives.
“Do you have everything you need for the formal, Ariah?” Mr. Grant asks from behind his desk.
“Yes, Celeste has already stopped by the house and measured me for my dress. She said it should arrive in the next couple of weeks.”
“Good, good. Now, on the morning of your eighteenth birthday, I will come to your house and have you sign the papers to assume legal guardianship of your siblings,” he explains, pointing to the lines of the contract detailing the process. “You will need to make sure you understand that these rights can be rescinded at any time if you are not in compliance with the terms of your guardianship.”
I want to roll my eyes at the said terms, the ones that essentially make me a fucking potential bride for some pompous heir. Instead, I bite my cheek and respond, “Yes, I understand. I’ll have to participate in all of the outlined requirements of being a selection. Even if it’s archaic and sexist.”
He chuckles but nods, understanding that this is me on my best behavior. I might have to go along with this farce to keep my family together, but I never agreed not to make my opinion known.
His face losing its humor, his next words are delivered with stern care, “Of course. Just remember to keep your ire behind closed doors and not in mixed company. You never know who’ll hear and who it might get back to. I don’t want any hiccups in your ability to be autonomous.”
Understanding his point, I acquiesce. We finish our conversation, and I walk down the hall, taking in the many baby pictures of Wyatt lining the wall. There’s one where he’s holding up the Joker, smiling excitedly at his new Christmas present.
“It’s still one of my favorite gifts,” I startle at his voice on the back of my neck, his body only centimeters away from my ass.
“You and Owen need cowbells or something. How the hell do you two always sneak up on me like that?” I ask. Not moving, I turn my head, so his mouth is inches from my lips. The heat of his body presses into my back.
