by Mya West
The man is a driver for Arthur Cain, and gets all prissy when I need a ride? I don’t get it.
I look at my phone and see a text from Bryce, asking if I’m still coming. The man needs constant assurance that I’ll be there. I send him a picture of myself dressed and ready to go with a thumbs up. Bryce asks me if I have heard from Danna, and I tell him I have been hitting up her phone all day but have gotten nothing. Bryce says it’s not like her to ignore him like this. I reassure him that no matter what, I’ll be there tonight for him.
I take out my cell and open the Uber app. I go outside and sit on a bench in front of the guesthouse, sorting through driver profiles. It’s still way too early to leave for the function, but I’m starving and wonder if I should hit up a drive through. If I go to another fancy function and eat pea sized servings of food, I’ll freak out. A juicy burger sounds good.
The security guard, Bart, walks up to me. “I’m so happy you didn’t walk out with your running shoes. You had my heart palpitating.”
“Well, I can’t promise I won’t have a late-night jog.” The more I think about a fast food burger, the more I feel I will need a run after the function.
A black Jeep pulls into the driveway, and Bart looks at me. “Your ride?” I know instantly it’s Jaxson, but didn’t expect to see him. I can’t hold back my smile.
Jaxson gets out of his Jeep and walks toward me. I stand when he gets close, and he kisses me lightly. He looks me up and down with a devilish smile. “Wow, girl, you’re something else.” My smile widens. “I know you weren’t expecting me, but I just had to see you.”
“And I need a ride, so it works.” I kiss him again. This time, we take our time. I open one eye and notice Bart gawking at us.
Jaxson notices as well. “Uh, hey, man. I’m Jaxson Davis.”
Bart shakes his hand furiously. “Oh, I know. I keep track of the up and comers. Your last game against the Fallon Hill Cougars was insane.”
“Thanks, man.”
There is a silence afterwards, and I assume Bart will catch on that we would like to be alone, but it goes right over his head. “I mean, that one throw you had in that game must have been some type of record, right?”
I stare at Bart coldly. “If you don’t leave right now, Bart, I’ll run at least three times tomorrow.”
Bart smiles back. “My day off, so have at ‘er.” He looks at Jaxson, who is looking at him weirdly. “Well, you two have a fun time.”
Jaxson turns to me. “I know you have your friend’s thing tonight, but I just wanted to steal you for an hour.”
“If you’re okay with dropping me off after, that works. What did you want to do?”
He puts his forefinger to his mouth. “Can’t say. Jump in.”
Jaxson looks so manly when he drives his Jeep. I mean, he looks sexy no matter what he does, but something about this powerful man driving a massive vehicle is just hot. Jaxson puts on his sunglasses when the sun blisters through the windshield.
Although he looks good as always, he doesn’t seem as chill as he usually does. He usually looks relaxed, with one arm on the wheel and the other on my headrest. Today, he moves almost robotic. It’s just odd.
“You okay?” I ask.
Jaxson looks at me without much expression. “Yeah, of course.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jaxson upset before, and wonder if this is how it looks. “You’re not mad or anything?”
He shrugs his shoulders. I wonder if it has to do with Chase. It’s not exactly normal for someone to be seeing two people romantically who live at the same home.
I decide to change the subject. “So, any clues as to where you’re taking me?”
“None. You just have to trust me.”
“That I can do,” I say with a smile. He looks at me if I insulted him.
After a few more minutes, Jaxson puts the turn signal on and drives into an empty parking lot.
Jaxson finally smiles at me. “This is one of my favourite spots in this town. There’s a small lake close to here. I used to come here all the time when I first came to Ryland. It was my thinking spot, you know? I’d come out here close to sunset, take in the scenery. I wanted to take you here today, so we can take it in together.”
“Are you saying I need to think more?” I ask, laughing.
“No, of course not, I—"
I punch him in the shoulder. “Let’s go, big guy. Show me your special spot.”
We walk towards the lake hand in hand. Jaxson is carrying a few blankets with him. I remind him of Bryce’s function, and he reassures me we won’t be here long. When we finally make it to the lake, Jaxson rolls out one blanket. We sit, and he puts the other on top of us.
The scenery is beautiful, and the lake looks crystal blue. I wonder if it’s manmade, because it looks so perfect. Despite the romantic idea of what Jaxson is doing, he still looks upset. If he wasn’t taking me somewhere special, I would almost assume he was breaking up with me or something.
We look out onto the beautiful scenery. The mix of orange and blue across the sky as the sun begins to set is beautiful. I look at Jaxson, who maintains his awkward mannerisms. He looks across the lake as if he’s seeing something on the other side that’s insulted him.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” I ask.
Jaxson grabs my hand tightly. “I just—I really like you.”
I sit in between his legs and face him. “I feel the same about you. I know this thing with Chase and you isn’t ideal. I feel terrible. I don’t want to you to feel like I’m leading you on for no reason. I just really like you too. I get really confused.”
Jaxson nods his head. “I get it, I do.” He looks at me shyly and quickly looks away. He stands up abruptly and wipes off some dirt from his jeans. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
“I just forgot something in my car. I can run back really quick and be right back.”
I stand up. “Okay, let’s go.”
Jaxson puts up his hands. “No, just chill. I’ll be right back. Take in the scene.”
I point to my head. “I’ll do some more thinking.” Jaxson smiles at me before turning and heading back to his Jeep.
I take Jaxson’s words seriously and do some thinking. Jaxson or Chase?
How shitty am I for doing this to both of these great guys? Should I just flip a coin?
I look at my cell and reassure myself that I’ll be at Bryce’s function on time. I look out onto the skyline and take in its beauty some more. A slight breeze makes me cover myself better with the other blanket Jaxson brought.
I hear some movement on the path behind me. I turn and expect to see Jaxson coming back. I know he’s fast, but not that fast. Instead, I see nothing but an empty trail.
Where was I? Oh yeah, trying to think—which is why I’m having a hard time. I need to make my decision on which man to move forward with, and soon. It’s not fair to anybody if I keep doing this.
Some more rustling on the path behind me makes me turn my head. This time, I see a man wearing a grey hooded sweater walking quickly towards me. At first, I think he’s just another man who likes to come out here to think, but as his pace quickens, I realize the only thing he is here for is me.
The man in the grey sweater raises a hand towards me. It takes me another moment to realize a gun is in his hand.
The man grabs my hand and pulls me close to him. He points the gun at my temple. “I told you that you would fucking pay! I told you, little Birdie.” I close my eyes, waiting for him to pull the trigger.
It isn’t just him calling me ‘Birdie’ that gives it away, but his stench as well. “James? James Richardson?”
The man takes off his hood, and I open one eye cautiously.
“You fucking left me to die in that fire, like your parents. You stabbed me!”
This is it for me. I realize instantly no matter what I say, I’m not walking out of these woods. “You tried to rape me, you piece of
shit. I’d burn my house down a million times to keep you away from me.”
“You killed your parents,” he says, shaking his gun in my face.
“That wasn’t my fault. I didn’t want that to happen. My boyfriend is fucking huge, you better leave.”
James smiles. “Because of you, he’s going to be dead next.” He points his gun at my head again. “No more talking, little Birdie.”
I look behind him, and he raises an eyebrow and puts his gun at his side. “I’m not falling for that.”
I strike him hard between his legs as quickly as I can. He fires a shot into the sky. The sound echoes as I move away from him. I run and hear him firing a few more shots towards me. I get behind a tree and notice a larger one a few feet away. I make my move, but a shot strikes the tree I’m hiding behind, almost hitting me.
“You are a fucking bitch!” James screams. “I’m going to really love putting bullets in you. Go ahead, peek out at me. Little Birdie needs to leave the nest.”
I think about running as I hear him getting closer. I feel like I’m trapped.
James runs around the tree and raises his gun at me. Before he pulls the trigger, a medium sized rock strikes him in the head. He drops the gun and covers his face.
Jaxson comes out of nowhere and tackles him to the ground. Jaxson is ruthless as he lands continuous blows to James’s body and head. Jaxson grabs his head and bangs it against the hard ground several times.
When James stops moving, Jaxson stands up. I grab the gun from the ground. Jaxson looks at me confused. “What are you doing?”
I feel so anxious and full of adrenaline that I seriously don’t know what my body is doing. I turn the gun to its side and hand it to him. “Here.” I pull out my cell phone, about to call 911.
Jaxson puts his hand over mine. “Wait. Are you okay? Did you get hit?” I shake my head no. He pulls me closer to him. “Thank god. When I went back to the parking lot, there was this black Dodge Charger there. It must be his.”
It’s all starting to make sense now.
“It was James Richardson all along,” I say.
“You know him?”
“He was one of the people I thought was dead from the fire. There’s more I need to tell you about the fire. The time I got shot at in the woods. It must have been him too.” I look over at James, lying on the floor motionless. “Is he dead?”
“No…at least, I don’t think so. Don’t worry about a piece of shit like him,” Jaxson says. I open my cell and start to dial 911, but Jaxson pulls me closer to him and hugs me tightly. He kisses my lips softly. I look up at him and a tear is welling in his eye. I wipe it from his face.
“Jaxson, I’m okay, thanks to you. You saved me,” I say, almost laughing at what’s happened. It’s weird to hear myself laugh after what just happened, but I think I’m in some state of shock.
Jaxson pulls me closer to his chest again. “I think I’m falling for you, Elle.” He pulls me in tighter, and I start to feel pain in my lower back. “I think I’m falling for you.”
“Jaxson, you’re starting to hurt me a bit. Just loosen your grip, and we seriously need to call 911.”
He ignores me and continues to hold me tightly. I hear some rustling on the path again, and see another man wearing a hooded grey cloak. The man is holding a camera towards us and seems to be recording.
“Just do it already,” he says.
Jaxson shakes his head from side to side. “I can’t. Don’t make me.”
The man takes off his hood. Nathanial Price stares at Jaxson coldly. “I knew you couldn’t fucking do this.”
I look at Nat and then Jaxson. “What are you doing?”
Jaxson tightens his grip around my waist. “We can take her back to the city. Forget all about this. Nobody will know.”
“You know the rules,” Nat says to him. Nat takes something out of his pocket and walks towards me. “I fucking have to do everything.”
I feel Nat puncture my skin on my lower back, and I scream. Jaxson covers my mouth. After a few moments, I feel my body going limp.
Jaxson delicately lays me on the ground. I feel like I’ve taken too much Nyquil and can feel my eyelids close against my will.
As my eyes shut, Jaxson looks at me, wiping a tear from his eye. Nat stands over top of me with the camera recording every moment. I try and speak, but no words escape.
As my world fades to black, I hear the distant sounds of shouting, then nothing at all.
The Beast-ess
Ryland Academy Rules
Book 3
Mya West
Prologue
Lance
Summer before senior year.
My father sits at the dinner table with a steady smirk on his face. I do not think I have seen him maintain such a pose since before mom passed. Unless talking about money, I do not think I have seen him ever show this much of an endearing expression.
This is going well, I tell myself.
Selena tosses her long blonde hair to one side as she continues to tell my father about a cheerleading camp she attended last month. “It’s not as lame as it sounds, Mr. Cain. A third of the time we are at camp they are preparing us for university. One instructor attended Yale and showed us how cheerleading helped her on her application. She walked us through the whole application process.”
My father’s smirk turns into a smile for a moment. “That’s lovely, Selena.” He lifts his wine glass and takes a sip. Marta, one of my father’s maids, stands over him and pours more wine when he lowers his glass. My father nods ever so slightly, not even looking at Marta, before she becomes part of the background again.
Marta smiles at me, and I try my best to ignore her. Marta is doing a poor job at being part of the background. The huge smile that’s plastered on her face is unavoidable. She looks at me and raises a thumbs up discretely. I roll my eyes and pretend I didn’t notice.
Marta’s gesture reassures me that this is going well.
I have managed to bring home a girl that my father approves of.
Why wouldn’t he approve of Selena Jensen? She is gorgeous with a great body, but more importantly to him, she has a solid last name. Jensen. It is not the wealthiest name around the town of Ryland, in fact, my father wears that title, but it is worthy of a Cain’s attention.
Selena is the first girl I have ever brought home to meet the infamous Arthur Cain. I am certainly not a saint by any means, but when a man like Arthur Cain is your father, you cannot bring home any girl without her being grilled to meet his measure for the kind of woman I should be with.
Selena glances at me with a smile and looks back at my father. The two continue to talk about what she wants to do after high school. Under the table, Selena places her hand on my upper thigh.
Selena Jensen truly was the perfect girl to bring home.
She was the perfect girl for my father.
What about for me though?
Sure, she is the hottest girl at school, but at times, I see a nasty side of her, especially around those she considers less then herself.
I push my thought aside. Why the hell am I self-sabotaging this?
Things are going great with her and my father, which is something of a milestone.
I notice briefly Marta’s smile again. When I look over at her, she winks at me.
I love Marta to bits, but man, is she annoying me right now.
Can she be any more obvious?
She only wants the best for me, of course, and is happy that our dinner together is going amazing.
So why do I feel so uneasy?
Fuck, I need a cigarette.
I glance at Selena, then back at my empty plate where the remains of a porterhouse steak are.
Selena is in love with me. It is obvious. Plain as day. My father must see it too, and Marta.
I do care for her too on some level. It is not exactly love, but I guess it could grow into that. I look over my father’s head at a picture on the wall behind him. It was a family por
trait of me, my father, and mother on our family boat. My father had bought it almost a year before my mom passed. Some of my greatest memories of my family were on that boat.
I imagine what my mother would think of Selena. Would she be as impressed as my father seems to be?
“Not everything that looks pretty is pretty in the inside,” my mother told me once. I was a young teenager and was starting to notice girls more. Hell, girls were noticing me in groves.
Jenna Cain was a woman known for her charity work, her caring nature for community and others. My father, on the other hand, had a different reputation.
“What do you think, son?” My father’s voice interrupts my thoughts, and I realize I have not been paying any attention to the conversation.
Selena notices the family portrait behind my father. “Is that your mother? She is beautiful. I wish I could have met her today.” I lower my head. “Sorry Lance,” she says while squeezing my thigh under the table. Selena looks at my father. “He doesn’t like to speak about her too much. I didn’t mean to upset you both.”
I do not raise my head but can feel the cold stare of my father.
We make it through the dessert course of the meal with no issues.
My father looks at me. “Excuse me, I need to make a quick phone call.” He smiles at me briefly and leaves the table. He takes out his cell phone and walks into another room.
Selena fixes her red dress and looks at me. The love in her eyes is even more evident.
“Holy shit! This is actually going well,” she says, unable to control her enthusiasm.
I laugh. “I knew my father would like you.”
“Arthur Cain! I still can’t believe I’m in your house. We’ve been seeing each other for months now, but I never thought I’d actually meet—” I shush her a bit. She kisses me softly on the lips, then brushes her mouth against my ear. “So, you know, I’m not wearing any panties right now.”
The thought makes me smile. Maybe I can fall in love with a girl like Selena Jensen after all.