Wrong Crowd (Kingsley Academy Book 1)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  I wait a few moments for it to download, struggling to hear over my heavy breathing.

  A soft voice singing, smooth and relaxing, comes through the speakers, and a small smile pulls at my lips when I realise it’s my mum.

  I wipe at the tears, but they keep flowing, blurring my vision.

  “Are you coming to the party? Sam’s here,” a female voice asks.

  “Coming,” Cara calls out, right before the tape cuts off.

  It’s static for a few moments, until the sound of music plays quietly in the background.

  “She’s out of it,” a male voice taunts wickedly, sending a shiver down my spine.

  “I don’t care if she’s awake or asleep. When we get the Monroe empire, nothing will stop us. Royce Monroe will be the name everyone remembers.”

  Royce.

  His voice isn’t as deep on the tape, but I’d recognise it anywhere.

  The recording goes static again, and I lean in closer. A scream has me jumping back, my hand covering my mouth as I listen to my mum beg.

  “Don’t do this. Please, don’t do this, Royce. I’m a virgin.”

  “Good!” Royce sneers, sounding closer to the recording.

  “Please! Oh my god! Please, stop! Neil, make him stop!”

  “No,” the other man says, before telling Royce to hurry up.

  I cover my ears when an earth-shattering scream echoes through the speakers. Unable to bear another moment, I click it off, just as another voice taunts that it’s his turn.

  I gasp for air, fighting to stay conscious.

  The diary was right. Everything she wrote, everything she felt… it was true. My mother wasn’t who she was by choice. She was who they made her to be. And she had no one at her side to help save her.

  They covered it up.

  All of them.

  Grabbing the cassette and disc, in a rage, I race downstairs, finding Nova in the living area, sipping from a cup of tea.

  “You lied,” I accuse, breathing heavily, tears streaming down my face.

  She turns to me, quickly jumping from her chair. When she gets close, I put my hand up to stop her. “Don’t touch me!”

  “Ivy, what’s happened. Are you okay?” She looks down at my hands, her face paling. “Is that your mum’s cassette player?”

  “Yes, but you would know that, wouldn’t you,” I bite out.

  “Ivy, what’s going on?”

  “She was raped!” I scream at the top of my lungs. “She was raped, and you lied to me. You made me believe she was a pathological liar. She wasn’t. Royce and whoever Neil is, are liars.”

  Nova blanches like I slapped her, before composing herself. “Ivy, you need to understand. I lied to protect you.”

  I force out a laugh, slapping her hand away when she reaches for me. “To protect yourself, you mean. You lied to me. You fucking lied to me. You let that man near me!” I scream at her, clenching my hand into a fist.

  “He’s a monster,” she yells back, startling me for a moment. “Look what he did to her! I didn’t want that to happen to you. Our grandparents were strict, they had roles, rules, and we had to abide by them. Cara accusing Royce and Neil, Grant’s father, was frowned upon. They were men with a lot of power, power to order us what to do. So we were forced to keep it quiet. We didn’t have a choice. I was scared what he would do to you.”

  I look at her in disgust. “Do you fucking hear yourself? You always have a choice. You let her go off into the world, knowing she was hurting. She had her power stripped away from her, her choice, in the worst possible way, and you let her wither into the ground like ash. You let her waste away.”

  Nova shakes her head sadly. “I didn’t find out until the night she told Flora and Nina what they did to her. I didn’t believe her until after I caught her in bed with Sam. She was too far gone by then that everything that came out of her mouth was a lie. I didn’t know.

  “Sam explained what happened, why he got drunk that night with her when he never drank before. I didn’t know. I tried, Ivy. I tried. I knew something was wrong. Looking back, there were times I think she was trying to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen.”

  “So why did you lie and say she was lying?” I ask, anger pumping through me.

  “I needed you to believe my lie. I needed you to stay as far away from this as possible. He’s a dangerous man, Ivy. He has a lot to lose with this getting out, and I was afraid of what he’d do to you if you knew. He already stands to lose a lot by you being here.”

  “Why?” I ask, confused.

  “Sam’s business has a clause in it. If his heir—his daughter—doesn’t claim his fortune, the business gets transferred to Royce when Sam dies or decides to leave.”

  I laugh. “So not only did he kill Mum, he wants me dead too.”

  She rears back, shocked, shaking her head in denial. “He didn’t kill your mum. He didn’t.”

  I grab the phone out of my back pocket, giving her the proof. “Try explaining that to me. And Nova, if you delete any of that before I have a chance to hand it to the police, I will kill you myself.”

  “Ivy, where are you going?” she calls out when I turn to leave. I pause at the door, tears streaming down my face.

  “I’m leaving.”

  “No, wait, don’t—oh my lord,” she gasps, and I turn, watching her sway on her feet as she reads the messages.

  She looks up, pain filling her features. I don’t care. I don’t feel anything right now. She betrayed me, lied to me. She let me get close to her, all the while lying to my face.

  I can’t bear to look at her.

  There is one thing I need to know before I go. “Tell me one thing—did Kaiden know?”

  She shakes her head, still in a daze. “No. I don’t think so.”

  I walk out, and a moment later, I hear her high heels pattering on the floor as she chases after me.

  “Ivy, please don’t go. We need to sort this out,” she yells.

  I spin around to face her when I reach the door. “No! You lied to me when I asked you to be nothing but truthful. About my own mum. You made me believe she was a terrible person,” I yell, hiccupping. “You made me believe she wasn’t someone capable of love, but she was. She could have been a different mother had the people who were meant to love her stood with her.” I stab my finger into my chest. “I could have slept at night not having to worry about the man she was in bed with. I could have gone to school with fresh clothes. My mother could have gotten married, had more kids, been happy. But she wasn’t. And why? Because you guys are too concerned about your precious reputations. Money isn’t everything, Nova. People survive without it every single day. What you did was worse than what they did. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  “I’m sorry,” she sobs out. “There’s no excuse. None at all. And I wish every single day I had done things differently. She was my best friend until that happened. She was everything, the other half to who I was. I loved her, and I failed her. I’ll never forgive myself for it. I might not be able to make up for my part, but I can make certain the same thing doesn’t happen to you.”

  “I can’t trust you,” I tell her. “I never want to see you again.”

  “Ivy, please, please don’t leave,” she begs. “What about Kaiden? What about this?” She holds the phone up, pleading with her eyes for me to stay.

  I ignore the phone in her hand, keeping the cassette and disc on me as I grab my bag from the hook by the front door. “I’m going. I need to be away from you, away from this. Away from it all. You lied to me, Nova. You lied to my face and told me she lied.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  “So am I,” I tell her, leaving the house.

  I quickly run to the garage to grab my bike, ignoring the stares coming from the partygoers next door. I must look like a right state with the tears running down my face. I put the disc and cassette in my bag and pull it over my head, before getting on the bike and pedalling the fuck out of there.

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  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  It isn’t until I pass the gates that have trapped me inside the gated community that I realise I have nowhere to go.

  I have no one.

  He killed my mum’s spirit, her soul, when she was only fifteen years old, and had the rest of her murdered.

  Were they all in on it? Am I the only one who didn’t know?

  I still don’t know if Kaiden knew, and that betrayal is the worst of them all. I gave him a part of me I’ve never given anyone in my entire life.

  I gave him my trust, despite the beginning of our relationship.

  And if he knew, he stomped all over it like it meant nothing.

  I don’t know who said it—my mind is a mess—but the words, ‘keep your friends close, and your enemies closer’ keeps repeating in my head. Does that mean Kaiden was keeping me close, so I didn’t spill what his dad had done to my mum? Was everything a lie?

  I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I need to get out of here.

  I skid the bike to the side of the road, gasping for air. I feel like I’m being sucked into a black hole, my chance of keeping my grip on reality being as likely as escaping its event horizon.

  And my mum… God, what she must have gone through. She was still a child, and she was violated in the worst possible way. Not once, but twice. Then had to live with those men in her life with no support from her family. They didn’t protect her. Not one person. No wonder she turned out the way she did.

  Her behaviour makes sense now; how, after each man she let have control over her body, she would withdraw further into herself. She would take more drugs, drink more alcohol. She’d disappear further away from me.

  I need to talk to someone who can make sense of every jumbled thought in my head. I just need someone, anyone, to tell me everything will be okay. Someone who isn’t related to a Monroe or a Kingsley.

  Mrs White.

  Elle. She will know what I should do, what to say to make this not seem so bleak. With a destination in mind, I push off, making my way towards her home.

  The road blurs in front of me as tears fall freely down my cheeks. When a car revs behind me, startling me, causing me to jerk the handle bars, I quickly straighten the wheels. I take a quick glance over my shoulder, my eyebrows scrunching together when I see a black Mercedes parked in the middle of the road, its windows blacked out.

  I peddle faster, breaking out in a cold sweat, alarm bells ringing in my head. I’m right to be fearful when I hear the tyres screech on the road, the smell of burning rubber filling the air.

  My eyes widen when I glance behind me, seeing it coming at me, fast. My legs burn as I try to outrun the car, fear filling my veins.

  I’m not being paranoid; this is really happening. Someone is coming after me.

  Is it Kaiden? Did he find out I know what his father had done?

  My bag is a heavy weight on my shoulder, the contents more important than ever.

  Up ahead, a motorbike roars, coming towards us, and panic begins to take over.

  I’m going to die.

  It’s only moments when the car reaches the side of me, but it feels like hours. It swerves, and I scream, twisting the handlebars to the right. My wheel hits a stone, and I fly forward, skidding across the gravel, jagged pieces of stones slicing into my hands and legs. My chin knocks onto the ground, and I immediately feel warm liquid run down my neck.

  I roll over and try to sit up the second I stop, pain shooting up my left arm when I put weight on it.

  The motorcyclist skids to a stop in front of me, whipping his helmet off.

  Carter Remington.

  He looks back down the road, his eyes wide at the car growling to a stop further up the road.

  “Ivy?” The car engine revs, and I glance at Carter, fear stricken. “Get on the bike! Now!” he yells, grabbing the helmet off the back.

  On wobbly legs, I quickly make it to my feet and rush over to him, snatching the helmet out of his hands and swinging my leg over the bike as I place the helmet on. Adrenaline pumps through my veins, and I no longer feel the abrasions and broken arm.

  Carter doesn’t waste time waiting for me to place my arms around him. The second my arse hits the seat, he’s shooting off.

  “Why is someone trying to kill you, sweetheart?”

  I jump a little at the sound of his voice through the speakers in the helmet. “Could be anyone,” I mutter, ignoring his deep chuckle.

  “We’re going around a bend, follow my body,” he yells.

  Follow him? Where the fuck is he going to go?

  When his body leans to the side, I get his meaning, moving with him. The car behind is close, gaining speed.

  “Did you see who it was?” I ask, since he drove straight past the car.

  “I didn’t get a clear look, but it was definitely a male.”

  My heart pummels in my chest. “Kaiden?”

  “No, I’d recognise that twat anywhere.”

  “Faster!” I scream. The car is nearly touching the back of the motorbike’s wheel. It swerves in the road, trying to get at the side of us, but Carter moves smoothly, blocking its way as he revs the throttle, going fast enough to make my stomach turn.

  I grip him tighter as I brave another glance behind me, squinting to see the shape of a man in the driver’s seat.

  “Fuck!” Carter hisses, forgetting I can hear him.

  “What?” I ask, sounding petrified for the first time in my life.

  “He’s getting close after each bend,” he explains.

  “Shit!” I hiss.

  “He’s going to fucking kill us,” he grits out, sounding pissed.

  “No shit! I can’t see who it is.”

  “You’ve been here five minutes from what I’ve heard. Who could you have possibly pissed off?”

  I force out a laugh. “Can you concentrate on the road?”

  “Sweetheart, I’ve been doing this since I was four.”

  I growl, making him chuckle as we grow closer to the car up ahead. “Everyone. Pretty sure you’re on that list. Don’t think I didn’t see it was you who called the cops.”

  He laughs. “As much as I’d like to take credit, I didn’t. I just wanted to see what you would do if you thought I did. You didn’t tell the Kingsley’s.”

  “Can we chit-chat when we don’t have a car trying to ram us off the road? I’m not feeling secure right now.” He laughs, but when it suddenly cuts off, I begin to panic. “What?”

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” he roars, the sound of a phone ringing echoes in my ear. If it weren’t life or death, I’d be amazed he has Bluetooth attached to his helmets.

  “Yeah?” a male voice answers.

  “You couldn’t wait to call your boyfriend?” I yell, holding him tighter.

  “Who’s the girl?” the voice teases.

  “Ry, I need you to come out to Hartbury Lane. We’re coming up to the crossroads near Halewood.”

  “Why?” he asks, losing the humour.

  Carter feeds my panic with how nervous and worried he sounds.

  “Because I have Ivy Monroe on the back of my bike and someone trying to run us off the road.”

  He ends the call as Ry begins to rant down the phone. “Please tell me we’re going to be okay,” I plead, squealing when the driver of the pursuing car holds down on the horn.

  “Ivy, I need you to do as I tell you. In about a minute, a van is going to be driving towards us. I’m going to try and get around it, but to do that, I need to slow down.”

  “You can’t slow down!” I squeal, my heart racing.

  “We’ve got no choice. Be prepared to crash.”

  “Oh my God,” I whimper.

  “This is my favourite bike,” he whines.

  I look over his shoulder, scared to death when I see the large van heading towards us. The road is narrow, not enough room for the two of us, even if we are on a bike.

  “Oh fuck!” I chant, closing my eyes.

  I feel the bike
slow down and open my eyes, locking gazes with the driver of the van. He breaks hard, not far in front, but it’s no use as the car behind knocks into the back wheel. Carter has no chance of gaining control of the bike. The wheels lock and we’re both flying off, into the middle of the road, bouncing once, twice, before rolling through the gravel. I try to stay conscious, my head feeling heavy.

  I blink, the sun blaring down, blinding me when I hear a car door open.

  “Hey, what are you playing at?” I hear yelled.

  My head tilts to the side, and I force myself to stay awake as I watch the person approach. From this angle, all I can see are their legs, black suit trousers and polished shoes. I blink, looking just past him to see Carter, closer to the bike, out cold.

  I shiver, my teeth rattling together as the anonymous feet step into my line of vision. I struggle to see who it is, finding it harder with each second to stay awake.

  My body jerks when someone roughly grabs the strap of my bag. “No,” I croak out, my vision blurring.

  The man laughs, bending down until he’s shading me from the sun.

  Fear runs down my spine when I see his face, shaded by a baseball cap. I blink, watching as he reaches out to me, his hand covering my mouth.

  My eyes widen as I try to struggle, my entire body on fire.

  “Hey!” I hear yelled, right before my world turns black, the last breath escaping my lungs.

  TO BE CONTINUED…

  Acknowledgements

  I just want to say thank you to all who have taken a chance on Wrong Crowd. This story is nothing like anything I’ve ever written before, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

  Please, if you’ve read Ivy and Kaiden’s story, leave a review on the appropriate platform. I love hearing what you guys think. Always.

  I want to take the time to say a massive thank you to Stephanie Farrant, who once again worked her magic getting Wrong Crowd completed. She goes above and beyond, and I’ll never be able to thank her enough. I sometimes feel like editors don’t get enough credit, so I hope she knows how truly grateful I am for her hard work and dedication. You are an awesome person, an incredible friend, and the perfect woman to have as an alibi if I ever need one. I loves you.