by R Holmes
“We didn’t check the basement. I thought I heard something when we were leaving, but I figured it was the house shifting. What if it wasn’t? Man, what if we killed someone? This shit isn’t just arson anymore.”
Oh, God.
An audible gasp escapes me before I can clamp my mouth shut and my heart stops beating in my chest. I don’t even think, I just turn on my heel and run. As fast as my legs in these stupid shoes will carry me. I slip out the back exit door as quietly as I possibly can and fly out into the cool summer night air, taking in gulps like I’m drowning.
Maybe I am.
Does this make me an accomplice to murder?
I run over to the side of the building, where it’s dark and I’m hidden by shadows, then drop my hands to my knees while I try to catch my breath. Not from overexertion, but because of the enormity of what I just witnessed.
“Don’t fucking move.”
A cold, unnerving voice comes from behind me. Whipping around, I suck in a cold, hard breath of the air that’s piercing my lungs.
“I-I…” I start as Rhys comes into view under the streetlamp. His face is a mask of no emotion, showing nothing but the signature scowl on his lips. He looks deadly. He stalks forward as I get up and take steps backward, until I feel the cold brick against my back. My backpack lays on the ground next to where I was moments ago.
“I-I didn’t hear anything,” I say, stuttering over my words.
My voice shakes from fear. I’m scared shitless of the guy standing before me, and I’m scared with the way he’s looking at me now, I might be next on their list.
Get a grip, Valentina. He wouldn’t hurt you… Would he?
“You’re lying,” he sneers, standing right in front of me now.
“I’m not.”
He smirks without a trace of humor and brings his hand up to my hair, twirling a piece around his finger.
“I detest liars,” he says simply. “Who are you?”
“Don’t touch me,” I spit back at him. I jerk from his hold, trying to create distance between us, only for him to cage me in even closer.
He chuckles darkly.
“Oh, little lamb… you’re not in any position to sass me, now are you? All alone out here in the dark, no one around to hear you.”
“Get off me. I didn’t hear anything, I didn’t see anything. I just want to go back to my dorm. Let me go, now.”
“That right?” The muscles in his jaw tick as he clenches his teeth tightly. He’s close enough that I smell his cologne. Musky, manly, a hit of cedarwood.
I nod.
I go to open my mouth to speak, and he places his finger against my lips, silencing me. My heart pounds in my chest so hard it feels as if it may come out of my skin, and a shudder racks my body with his hands on me.
His eyes drag up and down my body in a slow perusal until the bottomless black pits of his irises bore into mine. They search my own, for what, I don’t know, but seconds pass in uncomfortable silence.
“Let me tell you how this is going to go…” He inches even closer until I’m pressed tightly against him and his finger still rest on my lips, gently yet menacingly rubbing my tender flesh. His knee parts my legs, wrenching them further apart. I’m pinned against the cold brick of the building and he has no qualms about how he’s invading my personal space. Being in my presence seems to do nothing but make him even more angry.
“You’re going to take your books, and go back to your dorm, and forget you ever came here tonight. Obviously, you’re a nobody, or I’d know who you were.”
My hands are shaking against the wall as I dig my fingers into the frigid, hard brick, trying not to show any sign of weakness which would only allow him more power.
His finger leaves my lips and his hand travels to my throat, where he wraps his fingers around me, squeezing gently. Not enough to hurt, but enough so that I feel the threat in them. The tension in the air is so thick, it’s suffocating. Completely.
And I feel it. I feel exactly the message he’s trying to convey. Do not fuck with the fallen angel of St. Augustine. They call him fallen for a reason. Do not cross these boys. There’s nothing remotely innocent about his touch. He’s trying to scare me, to hurt me for what I’ve overheard.
“You must be new here… maybe not, I don’t really care either way. I’d hate to have to slip into your dorm while you were asleep, unsuspecting, and make sure you keep that pretty little mouth shut.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and nod.
“Heed my warning. I don’t fucking joke. This is not a game, and you are not safe here any longer. Every corner you turn, I’ll be there. Every time you walk into a room, you’ll feel my presence even if you can’t see me. There’s not a place you can run that I won’t find you… little lamb. This school is mine and everyone here is in my pocket. Be a good girl and keep your fucking mouth shut. You were never here tonight.”
I feel his breath dance across my lips as he threatens me, and a shiver runs down my spine. Fear mixed with a forbidden amount of arousal. This is wrong, everything about it. His hand is still pressed tightly against my throat and the feel of his skin burns against my body. I shouldn’t feel anything but disdain toward Rhys, yet here I am practically panting beneath his touch. It’s fucked-up. My heart is pounding so ferociously in my chest, my fear is palpable. I know it, he feeds off of it.
“Go. Don’t forget… I have eyes everywhere,” he commands, letting go of my throat, allowing me to grab my backpack and run. And I run until my legs burn with pain, until they can’t carry me any further. I never look back at the cold boy with the endless, sad eyes. My stomach is in knots, fear consumes me. I feel like I might actually puke from the mixture of adrenaline and dread. I can’t calm the racing of my heart inside my chest.
I have a feeling this is not the last time I’ll encounter Rhys Blackwood. And that thrills me and terrifies me all at the same time.
Generally while in the midst of getting my cock sucked, I’d be more engaged. But, as it is, the busty red head between my legs taking my cock down her throat like a Hoover fucking vacuum is just not doing it for me. Don’t get me wrong, she’s hot and the way she’s gagging on my cock generally would have me coming down her throat. But my thoughts are elsewhere tonight. The last place I want them to be, and all that does is make me furious, distracting me from the task at hand.
“Get up,” I tell her, pulling her mouth off of me.
She looks up at me through tear-filled eyes under thick lashes and uses her thumb to wipe the corners of her mouth. Those tears aren’t from my sudden denial or having her feelings hurt, but the fact that she’s been deepthroating me for the last hour.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Nah, just not feeling it.”
She gets up off her knees, fixing her pleated uniform skirt, and leaves at my dismissal. My thoughts stray back to the dark haired vixen from tonight.
Fuck.
I run my hands through my hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. There is this strange feeling of unease that's settled in my stomach and I don't fucking like it. She wasn't supposed to be there tonight.
No one was ever supposed to know what happened outside of the four of us.
Now, she has the power to bring us to our knees right in the palm of her hands.
A loud pounding on the door pulls me from my thoughts, and seconds later, Sebastian and Ezra bust through the door, not bothering to wait for a reply.
They saunter into the room and flop down on the dusty couch next to me. The room is lit only by the glow of candles that have been placed around in the room by the dozens. We partied at an old abandoned house a few miles from campus. Somewhere along the way it was dubbed “the Abbey” and it stuck. There was no power, so we lit the room with candles we got from the church.
"So, are we just going to pretend that shit didn't happen while you're in here getting your dick sucked by the little mermaid?"
"Fuck off."
"Seriously,
Rhys, what the fuck are we going to do?" Ezra asks.
"Nothing. We're going to go on like nothing ever happened. I stopped her outside and I scared the fuck out of her, she's not going to say shit. She looked like she was about to cry."
A few moments pass in silence before Sebastian speaks, "Yeah, what makes you so sure?"
"Because I'm going to make sure of it."
And I will.
Like always, I will handle whatever the fuck is thrown our way, just like I have since we were kids.
"Now, how about both of you quit sulking around like a bunch of pussies and go get some? You’re stressing me out."
Sebastian grins and gets up from the couch.
"You're right. Quit being a drag, Ez, it's fine. Everything's good. We have nothing to worry about," he says before leaving through the large door that he just came through minutes ago.
"I can't get kicked out of here, Rhys, you know… my dad…” He trails off, looking over at me. His eyes are filled with turmoil, and he doesn't have to say aloud what he's thinking because I already know. I know what he's been going through since we were kids.
These fuckers are my brothers. I'd give my life for them, and they know it. If anyone knew what happened on that night, our lives would be ruined. And Ez had nowhere to run to escape from his dad but St. Augustine. A safe haven of sorts, offering the only protection in his life.
Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows, sometimes they walk in plain sight. Sometimes they're the people who are supposed to love us the most.
"I've got it under control," I tell him coolly. Rising from the couch, I pull my phone out of my pocket and check the time. It's close to midnight and the party is nowhere near dying down. Perfect time to slip away while my friends are tied up with whatever girl they choose for the night.
"I'm out, I'll see you later," I tell Ezra, who nods from his spot on the couch. I open the door to leave and the music from the portable speakers seeps into the room, vibrating the walls.
"Get out of here. I'm handling it. Trust me. I've always had us," I say before shutting the door behind me.
I planned to handle it, starting with the little lamb with the bright blue eyes and a sinfully lush mouth.
After spending the remainder of the night in the library scouring over student files, I finally found what I was looking for. Not the first time the staff keycard has given me access to places a student is forbidden to enter.
Good thing I don't give a fuck about where I'm not supposed to be.
Her file was tucked away in a filing cabinet in the back corner. Thankfully, I've picked a fuck-ton of locks in my lifetime, so it was easy access. The manila folder felt heavy in my hands even though it seemed to only contain a few sheets of copy paper. I open it to reveal her student ID photo next to the information.
Valentina Carmichael. 4.0 GPA, in line for valedictorian of the senior class. A perfectly clean record with no infractions. Not that I expected anything different from the little lamb.
I take the file and lock the cabinet back, tucking it into my jacket as I make my way out of the library. Once I'm back in my dorm, I shed my jeans and pull on a pair of sweatpants, then crawl into bed. The dorm is quiet with Ezra and Sebastian out, and Alec not expected to return until tomorrow. I can’t remember the last time I skipped a party and was in bed before two. I spend the next few hours scouring over the file until I have it memorized. Every page, every sentence. Where she lays her head, what classes she takes. What her home address is. Where she plans to apply for college. Her advisor is thorough, to say the least.
The next morning, I realize I must have fallen asleep reading, because I'm face-first in the manila folder that's now crumpled slightly below me. A loud banging sounds from the other side of my door and a panicked, muffled voice comes from outside.
"Rhys, dude, get out here now." The banging continues and I groan, rising from my spot in bed.
I check my phone and see that it's barely past eight. Why the fuck is someone banging on my door this early on a Saturday?
"Chill, I'm coming," I grumble, pulling my sweatshirt over my head before throwing the door open.
Rowan, a guy I play hockey with, is standing outside the door with a look of panic on his face. He's out of breath and fumbling over his words.
"Dude, there are cops everywhere. I…" He trails off, trying to catch his breath. "I think they're arresting him. Fuck, what happened?"
What the fuck? Who?
I don't bother grabbing anything but my phone as we run the half a mile over to the courtyard. The first thing I see are the officers. Some dressed in SWAT gear, some dressed in regular uniforms. Fuck, this is bad.
"What's going on?" I bark to a guy standing near the crowd of cops.
"No one knows. We woke up to sirens, and they've got Ezra handcuffed on the bench. Over there." He nods toward a bench that's completely blocked off by a circle of cops.
I push through the crowd to get to Ezra, but the cop pushes me back forcefully and tells me to stay back. Before I can stop myself, I’m shoving his chest backward, causing him to stumble slightly.
“Kid, chill the fuck out or you’ll be in handcuffs next to him,” he spits, righting himself.
"He’s my brother. What's going on?"
Fucking asshole looks at me, then steps back, closer to Ezra. Like he's a flight risk. Like he's going to run.
Ezra shoots me a tortured look, then drops his head into his handcuffed wrists.
This is so fucking bad.
Sister Mary Margaret walks over to me, her face is a mask of disappointment.
"Mr. Blackwood, it seems like you're going to be making a trip to the station this morning, along with the rest of your friends, to clear up the mess that you all have gotten into. I'm sure this is all just a miscommunication. St. Augustine’s students have never been in this type of trouble."
"Don't know what you're talking about, Sister."
"Don’t play coy, Mr. Blackwood. You and your band of hooligans think you can run this school and town, but finally, your sins are catching up to you," she snaps, then does a Hail Mary and leaves me standing there, still wondering what in the fuck is going on.
They know. It's the only reason they'd be here, the only reason he'd be handcuffed. So many unanswered questions, and I don't want to face the answers, even when they're right in front of my face.
Father William, the headmaster and my unfortunate guardian, walks up. He smiles at the cop warmly, and offers him his hand to shake. I'd rather take a swift kick right to the dick than have to say anything to him beyond what's absolutely required.
"Officers, a word please?"
The two that are apparently in charge follow him off to the side, where they speak in hushed tones. I try and overhear what they're saying, but there's too much commotion around to make out anything. My eyes search the courtyard for Sebastian’s or Alec’s faces, but I don't see either of them. Instead, I see her.
Valentina Carmichael.
She's standing off to the side of the crowd, in her rumpled uniform, obviously the same one she was wearing last night. Only in the daylight, I can see her better.
I really see her. The way the baggy cardigan she wears is meant to cover the curves of her body. The skirt that's the generic length, not rolled ten times to show off her upper thighs like most of the girls here.
Long, dark hair that is meant to be wrapped in a tight fist. She's fucking beautiful. Sinfully so.
Her attention is fully on the sister she's deep in conversation with. She’s nervously picking her nails as her eyes scan the courtyard, then they meet my own.
The blue of her irises stare back at me, locked in a gaze so intense I feel it deep in the pit of my stomach… unease that seeps its way into my bones.
Then it hits me. How even across the courtyard, I can tell how nervous she is. How she refuses to meet my eyes, instead looking anywhere but where I am. Why the police are here, why they're arresting Ezra. You see… only us four kne
w our secret. Me. Ezra. Sebastian. Alec. Only. Us. Four. We swore we'd take it to the grave. We had too much to lose to let anyone in. Until last night when she hid behind the bookshelves and stole what was ours.
It was never her secret to take.
I gave her the chance to keep her fucking mouth shut. She had the chance to walk away from this, unscathed. Untouched. Back to being a nobody like she was before she put herself in my fucking life. Yet, here we are, less than twelve hours later, and now Ezra is handcuffed. Not only did she give him up, she has the nerve to show her fucking face here after the fact. Maybe the little lamb is braver than I thought.
"Rhys?" My name being called causes me to avert my gaze to William, who's standing in front of me with the cop he was just talking with.
"Son, you need to come with us. We have some things we'd like to discuss with you. Your friend here is being arrested for arson and attempted murder. We have reason to believe you were involved. We’d like you to come down to the station, willingly." The officer speaks next. His meaty fist wraps around my bicep and guides me out of the courtyard to the gates, where a cruiser is parked.
He doesn’t bother being gentle as he ducks my head down and shoves me into the backseat of the car.
I spend the next three hours locked in an interrogation room downtown at the precinct, with a cop who smells like week-old sweaty-ass socks. The same questions, over and over, ten different ways. I had the same answers, no matter which way he asked them. I'd never give them what they wanted. Finally, after three hours, the dickhole let me leave, only to say that they'll be in touch. More questions, more time wasted. Except the next time, they better have a warrant in hand.
I couldn't get the fuck out of there fast enough. I had to find Sebastian and Alec. And I had to find them before the cops got to them. We’d never let Ezra go without a fight, and it would be the fight of our lives. You bleed, I bleed. There’d be no prisoners of the war we were going to fight if it meant keeping him safe. I will burn the whole fucking world down if it means saving those that I love.
Starting with Valentina Carmichael.