“Hey, Chloe,” I say. “Mind answering Hailey’s question?”
That earns me an elbow to the ribs and a drop-dead look from Hailey as she mouthsbehaveover her shoulder.
Slamming my cock deep into her pussy while she’s sprawled on the desk in her old room becomes even more tempting while she glowers at me, her alluring feistiness on display. She’s whipped-cream-with-liquor-filling now she trusts me again, and there’s nothing more titillating than her confidence.
“Of course I have your bags,” Chloe interjects, pushing the door further open to let us in. “Care to tell me what’s going on? Why did you disappear? You were hysterical that night, Hailey. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m sure and I’m sorry, but there’s not much I can tell you. Maybe one day, but not yet. There’s too much happening.”
Try as she might, Chloe’s nowhere near as good an actress as Hailey, so the hurt she’s fighting not to show is painted across her face.
“We don’t have much time,” I say. “Where are the bags?”
“Under my bed.”
I grip Hailey’s wrist, tugging her back when she twitches forward, ready to crawl under there. “Let me.”
She bites her lower lip, the gesture both arousing and hinting at the writhing anticipation inside her. There’s not one facial expression I don’t know. All those weeks spent watching her almost non-stop will forever come in handy. It’s like having a front-row seat into her mind.
I’d be lying if I said I was perfectly composed. I’m far from it. It’s been four months since Rhett told me about Aalyiah’s death, Hailey’s involvement, my task, and the evidence that’s been staring right at me this whole fucking time. Four months’ worth of anger, blame, betrayal, and lies stacking so high I can’t see over the wall they’ve built.
I pull both suitcases out, itching to open them right here, but that would be careless. I rein it in while Hailey says goodbye to Chloe and we trek back through the maze of corridors, down the stairs, then along the cobblestoned path toward the parking lot.
Hailey doesn’t say a word, keeping up with my step, eyes darting left and right like she expects someone to jump from the shadows and put a gun to her head.
“Which one?” I ask, glancing at Hailey once I’ve dropped the cases in the trunk of the Range Rover.
She elbows her way closer, forcing me to step aside, and within twenty seconds she’s digging through the larger suitcase, littering the trunk with her clothes. She’s trembling softly, muttering incomprehensible gibberish under her breath. The flimsy dresses she wore the whole time we were at Lakeside fly every which way, boiling my blood.
Each and every single one will burn. Over my dead body will she wear another piece of clothing Alex bought her.
Ryder leans against the car, laptop tucked under his arm. Smoke swirls around him as he watches Hailey’s every move, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Lucky fucking bastard.
Once all the clothes are out, Hailey finds a zipper at the bottom of the suitcase—a concealed pocket—slides it open and shoves her hand inside. Those pretty blues of hers widen on cue. Her lips part, letting out a soft gasp, and the aorta on her neck pulses in time with her erratic heartbeat. She carefully pulls the chain out to dangle the heart between us.
There’s a pause. Silence fills the air. The weight of what she holds makes us all hold our breath. That small silver heart is everything: an answer, a key, the means to an end.
The move to check the King...
I reach out but she jerks back, using her thumbs to slide both loops down. The locket pops open, revealing a micro memory card tucked into a narrow slit.
The tension that’s been tying up my muscles for months hisses out of me in a sharp gush and the adrenaline rush makes my heart fucking sing.
Finally.
The evidence I’ve been looking for all this time is here.
“My dad asked me to remind you about your deal,” Hailey says, pinching the card between her fingers. “What’s the deal?”
“He wanted me to call him first, before anybody else, once I saw the evidence.” I cover her hand with mine, squeezing gently. “Give Ryder the card. The sooner we see what’s there, the better.”
She hesitates, chewing the inside of her cheek while holding my gaze for the longest time. I can almost hear the thoughts rushing inside her pretty head... doubts and insecurities taking center stage.
The small card she holds is what I’ve been looking for since day one: the reason I came to Lakeside. The reason I got close to Hailey. She’s scared that once it lands in my hands, we’re done. Words pile up on my tongue, left unspoken as the dynamic between us changes for the second time.
I could reassure her, promise her forever, but it’sherwho has to burrow into her feelings and decide whether I’m worth her trust.
