Cobie has always been one to use music to help her disappear.Okay, disappear is a bit of a stretch.More like, disassociate.Now that I know what she’s been up to, I guess I don’t blame her.The girl’s been busy as fuck right under our noses, and none of us knew a thing.Gotta admit, I’m almost impressed.
Jagger dips his chin and lets his girl go.“I promise, I’ll go easy on her.”
Satisfied, Violet replies, “Thank you.”She rises onto her tiptoes and gives him a quick kiss.“I’ll be upstairs.”Then, she heads to Jagger’s room so we can have some privacy.
After our conversation with Daddy Dearest, we left his office, and my brothers cornered me in the parking lot, demanding an explanation.Instead of giving it to them, I figured it’d be best if they heard it straight from the culprit.Now, here we are.In the family room of Harden Estate after the contractor confirmed the renovations were complete, and we could move back yesterday afternoon.I lift my nose an inch and breathe in deep.The smell of smoke and ash is missing, and I have to hand it to Cobie.Whoever she hired knew what they were doing.
Even so, it feels a little strange being here.At the scene of the crime, if you will.I cross my arms and look around the family room before my gaze falls on Cobie’s bare feet propped on the edge of the coffee table.
Impatient, Jagger slaps his hand against it.So much for him playing nice.
Cobie jumps in response.Reaching for her earbud, she pulls it out and glares at him.“Seriously?”
“Oh, you don’t like surprises?”Hawke interjects from behind Jagger.He crosses his arms and leans against the wall, his gaze pinned to our baby sister.
She purses her lips.“Okay, so I guess you guys probably deserve an explanation?—”
“No, shit,” Roman growls from the edge of the room.
My eyes widen.Damn.Rome isn’t known for treating Cobie with anything but kid gloves.The fact that he just snapped at her is…damn.He strides to the back of the room, refusing to give her another look as he collapses into one of the wingback chairs near the window.All the while, Cobie’s neck cranes, following his movements and noting firsthand how quickly he shuts down when someone lies to him.
Gulping, Cobie scoots back on the leather couch and tucks her hands beneath her skinny thighs.“Okay, well, uh.I’m not really sure where to begin?—”
“The torched dorm feels like a good place to start,” I offer.
Her head bobs.“Right.Uh.So, I kind of left the candle lit on purpose in my dorm.”She grimaces.“I also may have tipped it over on a magazine doused in nail polish remover.”
“You serious?”Jagger pushes.
“As ED,” I confirm.“And the only people who knew were the dean and Daddy Dearest.Am I right?”
Cobie nods.“He wouldn’t let it go.I mean, obviously.Who doesn’t love a little blackmail, right?”She shakes her head, attempting to focus.“Anyway, after I moved back, he kept saying weird stuff.Suggesting I eavesdrop on you guys, tell him where you were, when you got home.Kept reminding me how much I owe him, and how lucky I am to be his daughter.And then, he started asking about the fire.At first, it was little things.If I wished I hadn’t gotten caught.Duh.”A quiet scoff escapes her.“What I would’ve done differently.How grateful I should be that he paid off the dean, so I wouldn’t go to prison for arson.It was all very…dad-esque.”
She goes quiet as if relieving the interactions one by one while the rest of us wait for her to continue.
“Yeah, he’s a peach,” I mutter.“Go on.”
“He, uh, he always made it clear that just because he paid off the dean, it didn’t mean I didn’t need to pay him back.So, I came up with an auction to pay for it.”Her gaze falls to her lap.
“You mean, the auction we participated in,” Jagger says with a coldness I can feel in my bones.
Damn, Cobes.You managed to piss off Jagger, too.
Eyes glassy, she tears her attention from her lap to her big brother.“I know it wasn’t okay to swindle people, let alone you guys,” she rushes out, “but I didn’t know what else to do, you know?I didn’t know if I could handle Dad holding this one mistake over my head for the rest of my life.The problem was, handing over your money felt wrong, so I decided to sit on it until I couldn’t anymore.Until Dad pushed me too far, and the pros of paying him off would outweigh the cons of breaking your trust.”She nibbles her bottom lip.“And then, he called in another favor.”
“The fire,” Hawke murmurs from beside the fireplace.
She nods.“Yeah.He promised this would be the last time.If I went through with it, I wouldn’t have to pay him back, my debt would be wiped clean, and…I don’t know.I wanted to tell him he could shove his request up his ass, but the way he said it?I think he was going to find someone to do his dirty work no matter what.Even if I said no.Even if I paid him the money for my mistake, so he couldn’t blackmail me into helping him.He’d find another lackey.So, I went with it.I said, I’d do it.”She squeezes her eyes shut.“And I felt terrible.Trust me, you guys, I couldn’t eat or sleep.I’ve been a mess.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you were really broken up about it,” Roman mutters.
It isn’t much, but it’s still enough to make Cobie look like she’s been slapped.Her lips part and her eyes well as she brings her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around her shins.
Ignoring him, Jagger urges, “Go on, Cobes.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“Go on,” Jagger pushes.
