"I thought you didn't want to go back to Eden Falls," Alli mutters, finally settling on an episode of Charmed. "I thought you wanted to run away once and for all."
I don't answer, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth. She's right. I never belonged in Eden Falls. It was never home—not like Wildwood.
With an exasperated sigh, Alli pauses the TV show.
"Maybe you should go back there," she says, making my head snap up and my heart beat faster.
"Why do you say that?"
"Those men who ruined your life... and their sons. Don't you think they deserve to pay for what they did to you?"
"It's over now," I mutter, protectively resting a palm on my growing bump.
"But aren't you worried they'll hurt someone else?" Alli's stare is aimed right at me, and I feel shame burning my cheeks. "Don't you think they'll do it all over again? They just need a new victim..."
She's right. If I walk away from Eden Falls and its inhabitants, I've achieved nothing. What I need to do is change the way that town is run. I need to find a way to regain my power. And the only way to do that is to go back to where it all began.
"I'll think about it," I say, and Alli gives me a self-satisfied smile, nodding, and returning her attention to the TV.
I do my best to focus on the show, but my mind is elsewhere. I need to talk to someone who's been in the same situation as me. Someone who broke free. And there's only one person I know who's successfully escaped Eden Falls.
I make an excuse and leave the room. I need to speak to my mother. Because she's always hopped up on something, I've been delaying this conversation for too long. But it's time we finally spoke about it all—my father, Lily Anna, and the wicked town I've wanted to escape for months.
But there's something about Eden Falls, something that's calling out to me like a siren's call, demanding I come back. I know the moment I step foot in town again, I'll be dragged down by the drama and hierarchy of the place. It's been refreshing not to be treated as anyone's bitch in Stormcliff. To be able to live my life the way I want. But I also know my conscience won't leave me alone until I change things for the next newcomer in town.
I find my mother sprawled on a pink velvet chaise in the lounge area. She's eating chocolate pralines while a short-haired woman works on her talons, and her eyes light up when I walk into the room.
"Lily... Err, Pandora!" She beams, and my heart beats with rejection as she motions for me to come closer. "I've been wondering where you were."
"Why?" I sit down on the quilted leather sofa next to her.
"You wanted to speak to me, didn't you?" Her smile is beatific, making me wonder yet again how she can be so observant for someone so utterly careless. "Well, here I am, darling. Shoo."
She motions at the nail technician who makes a face at me before leaving the room with her equipment. Mother blows on her blood red nails and gives me a big grin.
"Did you want to talk about the baby?" she asks candidly. "I know it's a little late, but there are still ways to get rid of it, you know."
"No." I don't even attempt to hide the horrified tone in my voice. "I'm not getting rid of it, mother."
"Oh." She appears dumbfounded by my statement, as if she doesn't quite understand. But her expression changes the next instant. "Well, what is it then, dear? Spit it out. I don't have all day."
Her change in mood is instant and terrifying, but I try not to let it get to me. I knead the fabric of my flowy dress between my fingers, avoiding her gaze.
"I... I wanted to talk to you about Eden Falls," I finally manage.
"Oh, that hellhole." She laughs out loud melodically. "Best decision I ever made was leaving that place, my dear."
"But don't you ever miss it?" Guiltily, I chuckle. "Emilian, your ex-husband... Don't you wonder what your life would have been like if you'd never left?"
Her face becomes more serious and she reaches forward, grasping my palm between freshly manicured hands.
"I couldn't have stayed there. I had to leave."
"I understand."
"He would have ruined me," she goes on, shaking her head. "You don't know Emilian Oakes like I do."
"You loved him once," I remind her.
"That was a long time ago..."
"But still." I know I'm pushing, but I can't help myself. It's as if I'm looking for a reason—for someone to tell me I should go back and face the music, with my growing belly and everything I now know about the town. "You loved him. Enough to have a child with him. Enough to build a life in Eden Falls. Don't you regret not going back?"
She pulls away then, fiddling with a ring on her finger. It has an enormous diamond, and I speak up softly to break the tension. "That's a beautiful ring."
She laughs bitterly. "My engagement ring."
"You still wear it?"
She nods. "I can't help it. I did love him, you know."
Now it's my turn to nod. "I get it."
"He was a bad person," she mutters. "But I couldn't stay away, not even when people warned me to keep away from him. Have you ever felt that way?"
I swallow the lump in my throat, nodding. I don't trust myself to speak.
"Then you know." Mother seems more lucid than she has since I met her, and we share a rare moment of understanding as our eyes meet. "These men are bad for us... but we can't resist them. Maybe we were meant to be with them... Maybe I shouldn't have resisted as hard as I did. Sometimes I wonder if this is my punishment."
"What do you mean?"
She shrugs. "The pills. The alcohol. Maybe I'm doing all this to forget that... I'm not his anymore."
Her bottom lip wobbles and I blink away tears in my eyes. I understand better than she could possibly know. Her situation with Father sounds similar to what I'm going through with Dex. And yet I still don't know which one of us made the right choice—her, for leaving, or me, for going back.
I already know I'm going back now.
There's no avoiding it.
Dexter—and the rest of the Firstborns, along with Father—deserve to know about the baby.
"I think I have to go back," I admit in a trembling voice.
"I know." Mother pats my hand. "Whenever you're ready, darling. And you're always welcome here, you know that."
I pick myself up from the sofa, grateful for the rare moment of companionship. I feel her gaze on my back as I leave the room, heading back upstairs where Alli's eyes are still glued to the TV screen. The moment I walk in, she turns it off, turning to face me with a concerned expression.
"How many Xanies today?" she asks, and I shrug, sitting down on the bed with a sigh.
"Believe it or not, she seemed pretty lucid. We had a good talk."
"I'm glad," Alli smiles. "So, what's the plan? Are we going back to Eden Falls?"
"Yes," I nod, watching her beam. She's heard so many stories about the town now. She's eager to see it for herself, though I don't quite understand why she wants to visit so badly. Most of what I've told her is terrible, and yet I've never met someone so eager to walk right into the snake's den.
"That's good," she nods. "It's time, I think. Aren't you excited?"
I ponder her answer. God knows what awaits me when I return. I'll have to visit Dexter in jail, tell him about the baby. I'll have to face all the Firstborns as well as Father. Dread settles in the pit of my stomach, mixing with excitement to form a peculiar mix.
"I suppose," I finally mutter. "Are you?"
"Yes," she beams. "I get to meet the elusive Dexter Booth..."
I laugh, but can't help the pang of jealousy her words send through my body. Alli's pretty. Like, way prettier than me. And I can't help but wonder what Dex would think of her.
"But there's something else you should know," Alli mutters then, looking away to hide the guilt in her eyes. "I found something."
"What is it?"
She won't meet my eyes. Instead, she just passes over a slip torn out of a checkbook. My eyes widen as I take in what it says.<
br />
The check is for two-hundred thousand dollars. And it's addressed to my mother. The check is embossed with a name I know all too well—my father's.
"What is this?" I ask, trying to hide the tremble in my voice.
Alli shrugs. "I guess your dad is paying your mom."
"Do you think he knows we're here?" I whisper.
"Probably... I mean, surely he does."
"But he told me she was dead," I manage brokenly. "And he's been in touch with her this whole time?"
"I'm sorry, Pandora."
I want to scream, but I manage to hold it in and pass Alli the check back. "Where did you find that?"
"It was... in the foyer," she says, quickly averting her eyes. Something tells me she's lying, and I decide to press further.
"She wouldn't just leave that lying around. Did you go through mother's stuff?"
Alli's lips form a defensive line and she crosses her arms. "You deserve to know the truth, Pandora. Too many people have been hiding things from you."
I can't deny that, and even though I want to tell her not to snoop again, I can't bring myself to do it.
So, Father knows I'm here, and yet he's done nothing to bring me back to Eden Falls. I don't know whether I'm relieved or disappointed.
"I'm glad you've decided to go back," Alli speaks up again. "That town, and especially the men in it, deserve to be brought to their knees. And you might just be the person to do it, Pandora Oakes."
I look up at her and smile. The light falling through the bay window in the room illuminates Alli, making her even prettier. Fear grips me tightly, but I do my best to ignore it. Dex cares about me. He wouldn't just abandon me at the sight of some pretty girl... Would he?
"And the best part," Alli goes on, taking my hand in hers and grinning wickedly. "Is that I'm going to help you every step of the way. I know just how to bring them all down. Here's what we're going to do..."
Chapter Four
Dexter
"Oakes."
I look away from the wall, to the guard that's unlocking my cell. I must have a visitor—probably the shitty lawyer I've been appointed by the state. I pick myself up from the scratchy, hard bed and approach the bars, holding up my wrists so the officer can cuff me. I'm well-versed in this by now. I've been stuck in here for months, with no hope of getting out anytime soon.
"No need for handcuffs today," the guard mutters, unlocking the door and showing me down the hallway. "You're free to leave, Dexter Booth."
My heart catches in my throat. I've been waiting and waiting to hear those words and yet they never came.
"What do you mean?" I ask, fearing he's just fucking with me, getting a kick out of my misery.
"Your bail's been posted," the guard shrugs, yawning. He doesn't give a shit about this, he just wants to get rid of me as soon as possible. "You coming or not?"
I follow him down the hallway, pondering who would've been crazy enough to pay the million-dollar bail.
Not Emilian Oakes. He's hated me ever since his precious Lily Anna.
Not Pandora—she has nothing, and she's gone, anyway.
I don't have anyone else.
All I know is, they finally found someone who remembered me from the dorm party I went to that night Lai died. It took fucking months, but finally, I have an alibi. And since they couldn't place me at the murder scene during the time of Lai's death, the authorities allowed for bail to be posted in my case. Still, I didn't see a way out of that prison cell—not when I had nobody on my side anymore.
Worry and disbelief course through my veins as I change back into my own clothes—the ones I was brought into the precinct in months ago. It feels strange to be in anything other than the fucking unflattering orange uniform I've been wearing for too long.
I'm guided out of the facility and down a long corridor underground. Finally, I appear in front of the gates leading into the prison. I don't have a clue how the hell I'm going to get back home from here. I don't have a penny to my name, so I'm guessing I'll have to fucking hitchhike. Me, Dexter motherfucking Booth. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
But when the gates open, I realize I won't be needing a ride after all.
Because right there, next to a shiny white Escalade, are the friends I thought I lost. Easton, Caspian and Julian raise their eyes as they see me exiting the prison. I brace myself for the impact of the first blow, but it never comes.
I approach them warily. None of them make a move, they're all just staring me down.
Finally, Julian speaks up.
"Been a long time, Booth."
I nod. I feel sick. The group doesn't feel the same without Lai, and for the first time since he died, I feel the loss of my best friend like a punch to the stomach. I groan, running a hand through my dark, unruly hair.
"He's really gone, isn't he," I mutter. "He's never coming back."
The weight of the truth hits me like a ton of bricks and I lean against Caspian's car, feeling sicker than ever. The boys make room for me, and we stand there, with me still wondering whether they're here to finish me once and for all. I wouldn't blame them. I don't know whether I even deserve a place on earth anymore. Not after everything that's fucking happened. But I still have a purpose—a driving force that's pushing me forward.
I need to find Pandora, and I need to fucking kill Lily Anna for what she's done. And I won't rest until both of those things are fucking over and done with.
A heavy hand lands on my shoulder, and I look up into Easton's eyes.
I don't know whether he'll comfort me or hit me. But I see the pain in his eyes—the pain of losing one of us. Lai is truly gone and our group will never be the same, not without him.
"I know you didn't do it," Easton speaks up, his words making a gigantic weight fall off my chest. "But you need to start fucking talking, Booth. You need to tell us the truth."
I nod and motion to the car. "Can we go to my place?"
We all get in the car, with Caspian in the driver's seat. The drive to my house is thirty minutes, and we spend them sitting there in silence. I can't speak yet. I need to wrap my mind around what happened first.
Finally, the familiar sight of Booth Manor shows up in front of us, and I'm shocked when someone opens the gate for us. We park in the driveway and I see a figure I know all too well standing in front of the house.
Anders.
We exit the car and my butler and I face off. He looks tired, but determined. Anders was never one for showing affection physically, but when he pats my back, I feel as if he's letting me know everything's going to be okay.
"What are you doing here?" I mutter. "I can't pay you anymore, Anders. Haven't you heard? I'm fucking broke."
"I don't care," he shakes his head. "I'm here to help, Master Booth. I don't want payment."
Emotions threaten to break through my stone-cold facade, but just like always, I push them back down and give Anders a curt nod. The group of guys files into the house. If they're surprised by the state of it, they don't comment on it.
We all settle in the living room. Anders makes us some drinks, and I lean back against the couch, appreciating the comfort I haven't felt in months.
"You'd better start talking, Booth," Caspian says. "We need an explanation. We know you're not guilty, but we need to know who is."
I nod. The secret I've been keeping for many, many years weighs heavily on my mind and heart.
"It was Lily Anna," I get out through gritted teeth. The guys exchange glances, probably thinking I've fucking lost it, but I know I have Anders for backup. He knows she's alive—after all, he helped me take care of the girl. And he'll back up everything I'm saying.
Slowly, I regale the guys with the story of Lily Anna. Of wanting to escape Emilian Oakes, of her slow decline, of her breaking point. I don't hold back. I tell them everything and I don't skimp on the details. I walk them through the story up to my imprisonment, and the guys stare at me with shocked expressions.
"Why didn't you tell
us?" Easton finally asks. "Why didn't you tell us she was still alive?"
"Be glad I didn't," I mutter. "Lai is the only one who knew, and look what happened to him."
We all sit there in silence, quietly mourning the loss of our friend.
"She needs to pay for this," Julian finally states. "Lily Anna can't get away with what she's done."
"I know," I mutter. "And I think she's going to go after Pandora next—if she hasn't already."
"Fuck," Easton mutters. "Do you remember... years ago. Before she disappeared. Do you remember what happened with Lily Anna and me?"
My hands form fists and I can barely contain the snarl on my face. "You mean when you forced yourself on her? You fucked her. She told me everything."
"And you actually believed her," Easton mutters, shaking his head. "You believed her this whole time."
"Are you denying it?" I hiss. This isn't a small matter—it's the reason I fucking hate Easton's guts.
"Yes," he replies with the same outraged expression. "For fuck's sake, Booth, don't tell me you still trust a word out of that girl's mouth. She's a goddamn liar, and you should know better by now. She hated me, she hated Lai."
"She hated all of us," Caspian adds.
"She did," Julian nods. "She hated that we were friends. Remember how jealous she used to get? She didn't want us around you. She just wanted you to herself. That's why she fed you all those lies."
"What lies?" I mutter.
"I didn't force myself on her, for one," Brantley gets out through gritted teeth. "It was the other way around. She fucking spiked my drink with something. When I came to, she was on top of me. Fucking riding me. She was delusional, Dex. She was fucking herself with my dick, at the same time telling me what a goddamn monster I was. That she was going to tell you what I did to her. And I didn't do a fucking thing."
My hands form fists at my sides. It does sound like her—not like the Lily Anna I once loved, but the monster I now know she was all along.
"We need to find her," I finish my thought. "We need to find her and bring her to justice before she kills more people."
"How the fuck are we going to do that?" Caspian hisses. "This whole town thinks you're guilty. Even if we tell people about Lily Anna... who's going to care enough to bring her to justice?"
A Hurt So Sweet: Complete Dark Bully Romance Series Box Set: Elite of Eden Falls Prep Page 49