Page 145 of Their Wicked Secrets: Untouched, Vol 5 of 6

I jerk my head toward the patio doors. “Talk outside.”

When I take Ava with me outside, Zoey follows like I figured she would. I close the glass door and some of the loudness of the party is muffled.

“What were you saying?” I release Ava and cross my arms.

“These girls at the game.” She glances at Zoey.

Zoey sighs and looks at me. “Rachel Hayes, Autumn Cook, and Heather Parson. All color guard.”

“They were talking about how Harper was in the locker room last game and they trapped her in the laundry room. They laughed about it and talked about doing it again after the Homecoming ceremony to teach her her place.” Ava glances at Zoey before returning her gaze to me. “I figured you’d want to know.”

I nod and narrow my eyes at Ava. “Stay close to your bodyguards. They can’t do their job if you run off. The last thing Caden needs to worry about is having to save your ass.”

Ava presses her lips into a thin line. She’s always been stubborn.

“It’s not forever.” I try for a softer approach. “Just until we get our house in order.”

Ava glances at the patio doors. The three younger football players are tearing the rec room apart looking for her. She turns to Zoey.

“Will you say I was with you?” Ava’s almost pleading.

Zoey sighs. “Yeah. Come on. I’ll cover for you but stop wandering off.”

They open the glass door, and the young guys look up to find them. The door shuts, muffling the rising voices inside. I shake my head and turn to look out over this part of the yard. The only light spills from the glass doors behind me though the back of the house is bright.

I can hear people up the hill and behind the house, but this is a side entrance, and no one is out here. It’s quiet and peaceful. I soak this in, like those quiet moments of the early morning with Harper soft and asleep in my arms.

This last year was supposed to be an easy one. One where we ruled the school and left it to the next generation when we went off to college. But then Harper happened.

I run my hand through my hair. Who knew a girl is what would draw us closer together? Sure, we all talked about going to the same school or in the same town at least, but would it have happened?

Could I have turned down Stanford if Luke got into Harvard?

Fuck if I know, but now I’m determined. Wherever my kitten goes, I’ll follow. I can get my degree anywhere and prove my worth to employers. But I won’t find someone like Harper again.

I blow out my breath and turn to the glass doors. Time to find some guys who want to fight and get it set up. So we can blow off some steam before we take Harper home.

Luke

Harper’s case saved her phone. The first phone must be the one Zach ditched. It took enough time to find Harper’s phone that the other guys were long gone as we made our way out of the high school. If we were up to mischief, tonight would be the perfect night to do something.

What, I don’t know. But without power, the security cameras are useless around the school. I’m surprised there aren’t at least patrol cars outside the school.

“We need to make sure we don’t get caught with Zach’s phone,” Caden says as soon as we’re in the car.

I take the phone out of my pocket and nod. Might have useful data on it, but likely not linked to anyone in particular, especially if Zach dumped it. “Probably his burner phone. Wish we’d known. I would have returned it to his pocket before he left for the police station.”

Caden chuckles as he drives around the school building without his lights on, just in case. “I’m sure it will come in handy. He’s not done with our girl.”

I look out the window. Fuck, he’s right. We all know it, but part of me is glad that Zach made his move tonight. Harper wasn’t looking forward to being in front of everyone on stage anyway. But she’s looking forward to the dance, and I don’t want him to ruin that for her.

I rest my head back against the seat and turn my head to look at Caden. Speaking of the dance, he said she loved two dresses but decided to only buy one. Given what happened to her first dress, maybe we should have bought more.

“You bought both dresses?” I confirm.

Caden smirks. “Yeah. Jennifer looked like she wanted to argue, but she saw Harper’s face in those dresses and they weren’t cheap. Harper needed a backup in case something happens to the one she likes.”

I release my breath. “I need to go by my house to pick up my suit.”