by Ruby Vincent
“I’m almost there,” said Jaxson. “Five minutes.”
“How did this happen?” I cried. “I just saw him. He took me to campus. I thought he was going to class.”
“Baby, I... know where he went.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s something I need to tell you...”
EZRA
“...stupid...”
“...come to me...”
“I was trying to protect you guys.”
“Your brother is in a hospital bed, Brian. How well did that work for you?”
I peeled my eyes open. No point in trying to sleep when they were at it again.
“And don’t get me started on you three.”
Ryder, Maverick, and Jaxson shrank into the couch.
“You should have come to me immediately,” Mom snapped.
“I asked them not to.”
Mom spun at my voice. “Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to sleep.”
“There’s no point. I’m being discharged today, right?”
I’d been in the hospital for over a week. Fate smiled on me that day and the bullet didn’t hit any major organs. Even so, there was a long road ahead.
“Yes, you are, and you’re coming home to recover. I won’t hear any argument about it.”
I did not dare argue with her. Mom was furious with everyone except for me and that was only because lying in a hospital bed with a gunshot wound plucked too many maternal feelings for her to yell at me. Brian and the boys were not stirring the same emotions.
“I told Ezra I was handling it,” said Brian. “I didn’t know he’d try to handle it himself.”
Brian came over to my side. “Thank you for what you tried to do for me, but I’ll never forgive myself for this. It’s my job to save you. Next time, let me be the big brother.” He smiled. “I promise I’ll be a much better one from now on.” Brian snaked an arm around Mom. “And a better son. I’m excited for me, Amina, and the girls to move into the manor.”
“Me too.” Mom kissed his cheek. “Having you all close by and safe while the police chase down the SOS will help me sleep better at night.”
“At least they caught the shooter.”
That was an “at least” I was pleased about. Dax made it all the way back to Brooklyn before Roman’s conscience won out. It turned out he did recognize me from an old photo in Brian’s house. Getting his younger brother shot was apparently where he drew the line on fucking up my brother’s life, but putting one vicious piece of shit in jail wasn’t enough to end an organization.
“They caught him and recovered the money, but the last I heard from the NYPD is that Dax isn’t talking,” said Mom. “I’ve dispatched my best to New York to begin digging into the SOS. I’ll join them myself in a few weeks.” She stroked my cheek. “After Ezra gets on his feet.”
“You’re leaving?” I asked.
“Yes, but your father will be here with you.”
I turned my head to Hakim. He was sitting next to my bed where he’d been all week.
“What about your family?”
“You are my family, Ezra.” He smiled. “They can spare me at home for a few more weeks. Besides, my wife and I were just speaking about the three of them coming to see you. It’s past time you met your brother and sister.”
“Hey, guys.” I shifted to address Mom, Brian, and the boys. “Can you give us a second?”
One by one they filed out of the room, leaving us alone.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Dad, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about for a while,” I began. “And after an experience like this, I’ve realized I may not have as much time to do that as I thought, so it’s better to say it while I have the chance.”
“I see.” Hakim sighed as he straightened. He looked like a man preparing to face a firing squad. “I’ve been expecting this for a while, my son, and I’m ready. Everything you have to say, I deserve to hear. Don’t feel you must hold back.”
I collected all the anger, frustration, and disappointment brewing for the last nineteen years and finally said what I needed to say.
“I forgive you, Dad.”
“You... forgive me?”
“You had a choice back then. You picked your home and your fiancée before you knew about me. I won’t lie and say that growing up I didn’t wish you made another one. It was hard knowing you could have hopped on a plane any time but chose not to.”
Hakim dropped his head. “Oh, Ezra.”
“We wasted nineteen years of my life being polite strangers to each other and I don’t want to waste any more.” I squeezed his shoulder. “I forgive you, Dad. Let’s start over.”
Hakim placed his hand over mine. “I would like that very much, Ezra, and I want you to know that choice wasn’t easy for me. If you can believe it, I thought I was doing what was best for you. I see now, much too late, that wasn’t good for you or me. I will not let another nineteen years or nineteen months go without seeing you again.”
I smiled. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Ezra, sweetie?” Mom pushed open the door. “Can we come in? We have to finish packing your things to go home.”
I looked from Mom to Hakim. “One more thing,” I said to him. “Are you and Mom having an affair?”
Mom tripped into the room. “Ezra James Lennox!”
“We are not—”
“How could you suggest—”
“Asking your father such a question!”
Mom’s face was beet red. “I’m so sorry, Hakim. I swear I raised our son with some manners!”
I grinned. “She did, but I’ve been shot, so I get to be blunt.”
“You most certainly do not. Keep that fresh mouth quiet and let’s go home.” She bent over and kissed my forehead. “Cora made you something special.”
“Oh, Cora. I missed her most of all.”
VALENTINA
I moved the daisies across the room and set the peonies on the bedside table. I stepped back to admire my handiwork.
“What do you think, Adam? Will the flowers brighten up the room and make Daddy Ezra think of springtime?”
“Yes, Mommy. Flowers are pretty.”
The four-year-old crossed the carpet and carefully placed Ezra’s clothes in the dresser. Adam and I were happy to go ahead and prepare Ezra’s room for his homecoming.
I picked up the baby on his way back and snuggled him to my chest. “You and I are going to stay over for a few days to take care of him. Would you like that?”
“Yes,” he said, waving his little pudgy hands.
“Knock, knock,” a voice called. “Val, it’s lovely in here. Thank you so much.”
Amelia came in and held open the door. Ezra followed, pushed in his wheelchair by Hakim. The boys were on their heels.
“Thank you, Val and Adam.” Ezra pointed at the open box on the bed. “Couldn’t resist helping yourself to my chocolates, though.”
“Those are my chocolates actually,” I said. “Austin gave them to me. He sent you the DVDs. He’s a really nice guy, Ezra, and I’ll admit I like him a hundred times more now.”
Amelia smoothed back her son’s hair. “He ran to help you while everyone else ran away. I’d say that earns him coming over for dinner.”
“That’s why I invited him over this weekend,” he said. “We’re going to watch some of those movies too.”
“Hold up,” Jaxson said. “Are you telling me Ezra made a friend other than us? Can he do that?”
Ezra busted out laughing and immediately regretted it. He clutched his chest, wincing. I rushed to his side while Amelia chased the others from the room.
“Want a snack, Adam?” she asked. “Cora made you cookies.”
My son didn’t need to be asked twice.
Everyone stepped out, allowing us time alone.
“Can I help you to the bed?” I asked.
“Only if you’r
e going to join me.”
I pecked his lips. “That comes later. There’s something I have to talk to you about.”
“What is it?”
“The day that you—” I tried again. “That day we promised to sit down and be honest with each other. It’s time I did that, Ezra.”
No more secrets. No more lies. I almost lost the man I loved with a thousand confessions on my lips. I don’t care what Leighton does to me, I’m telling the truth.
“It’s about the night I was attacked,” I began. “It wasn’t just Dimov I recognized. It was Logan too.”
The light behind his eyes went out. “Val?”
I forced myself to keep going. “Hudson rescued me and brought me to the Sallys. Afterward, Leighton, Reagan, Patricia, and I went to his dorm.”
I told Ezra the whole story—the murder, the blackmail, and the promise that her “friends” would take care of everything.
“Friends?” he hissed. “What the fuck is that? What kind of friends dispose of dead bodies for you?”
I met his gaze. “The same friends who kidnap people off the street and fake reasons for why they’re gone.”
“Sawyer,” he said, his expression grim.
“You were right all along, Ezra. There is something very wrong going on behind the walls of those perfect houses.”
He cupped my face. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“The truth?” I whispered. “I was afraid of what would happen if you guys rushed in to save me. Leighton is unpredictable. She’s dangerous. She knows things she shouldn’t know, and she’s fixated on me.” My eyes swam with tears. “I can’t stand for anyone else to get hurt, Ezra. There’s been so much blood, death, and pain around me my whole life. I just wanted it to stop.”
“It’s okay.” He gently brushed the wetness from my cheek. “I understand. You were scared, traumatized, and being blackmailed. You did what you had to do.”
“No, I didn’t, and it hit me while I sat next to your hospital bed. If I want this stuff out of our lives, I have to do something about it. No one is looking for Teagan or Sawyer, and Leighton is hanging a murder she committed over my head. Something has to be done.”
“What are you going to do?”
I dried my tears and rose to my feet. “I’m turning her in. Leighton, Reagan, and Patricia. I’ll tell the police about Logan and their friends. I’ll deal with whatever happens after that.”
“You won’t do it alone, Val. You have us and we won’t let Leighton carry out her threats.”
I smiled. “I know you won’t.” I held my hands out to him. “Let’s get you in bed. We can talk and get everything else out.”
“I love you, Val.”
“I love you too.”
I PARKED IN FRONT OF the Sally house and shut off the engine. For a while, I stared at the pristine façade. I couldn’t begin to understand what was going on. If they were a cult, they were hiding in plain sight because I doubt Mai, Keily, Palmer, or my other friends had a clue. No one on this campus had a clue that Leighton and Aiden were more than they appeared.
My talk with Ezra included the truth of the Sams’ initiation ceremony. Aiden’s cryptic taunt about Sawyer being in a better place solidified that I was doing the right thing.
I made the climb up the steps, holding that thought in my mind.
I’ll give her one last chance to confess, and then I’m calling the police.
I walked inside and made it two steps before a sound stopped me. In the living room, three girls were huddled together crying.
“Palmer? What’s wrong?”
“Val.” She ran over and gave me a tight hug. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“What happened?”
She sniffled in my ear. “It’s awful. We didn’t want to tell you while you were with Ezra, but... Leighton’s dead.”
I went rigid. “Excuse me?”
“She’s dead, Val. She went to visit her parents last weekend and got into a car accident on the way there.”
Her parents?
My eyes rose to the ceiling and the bedroom above that didn’t contain a single photo of family.
“Did anyone ever meet her parents?” I whispered.
“What?”
“Nothing.” I hugged her back. “It’s awful. I’m sorry you guys have been going through this.”
“We’re planning a memorial for her now. It’ll be small, but it’s something we can do.”
“Who is in charge now?” I asked. “Reagan?”
I felt her shake her head. “Reagan left, Val. Her and Patricia. Leighton was their best friend and they couldn’t face staying.”
“They’re gone?” Disbelief rooted me to the spot. All three of them gone in less than a week? “Did they tell you they were leaving?” I asked.
“No. They didn’t want a sad goodbye, so they left during the night. They texted us after saying they loved us and good luck.” Palmer let me go and pointed up the stairs. “Reagan did leave you something. We were going to bring it to you. It’s in Leighton’s old bedroom.”
“Thanks.” I gave her one last hug and headed upstairs.
Leighton’s room was stripped bare. The fish tank headboard was gone. The draped ceiling was removed. All that was left of the hanging chair was the lone hook in the ceiling and a peek into the closet revealed neither clothes nor books. The only thing to see was the single wrapped present lying on top of the mattress.
I tore the paper, tossed it to the side, and lifted the cover.
Lying on top of the tissue paper was a bloody knife wrapped in plastic.
As I stared at the gruesome gift, I knew with certainty, Leighton was not dead.
“DEAD?”
“That’s right,” I said into the phone. “Apparently, she went to visit her parents and got into an accident. Just like Sawyer’s supposed sister got in a car accident. They’re all gone, Ezra.”
“So what now?”
“I don’t have Leighton. I don’t have a body. And the murder weapon incriminates me. Our plan is ruined. If we’re ever going to discover the truth about Sawyer, Teagan, the Sallys, and the Sams, I have to stick around and find more proof,” I said. “Aiden or someone may slip up.”
“I don’t like this, Val. You said you were going to drop out.”
“I can’t now. We’re the only ones who know something is wrong and you can’t go near the Sams. Anyway, it’s safer for me now. I have the knife.”
“What will you do with it?”
“On my way to take care of it now.”
Through the windows, dense forest surrounded me. Soon it would give way to miles of sandy beach and a teeming ocean. Few people lived out here and those that did were wealthy and obsessed with privacy. The only cars on this stretch of road for the last several miles were mine and a white car puttering behind me.
“I’m going to Jaxson’s beach house to throw the thing in the ocean. No one will notice me and they won’t care if they do,” I said.
“Just be careful.”
“I will. Love you. Bye.”
I made good on my promise. I drove the hour to the beach house and flung the knife into the waves with all of my might.
Done. Now I’m going home to curl up with my son and my man. I’ll figure the rest out tomorrow.
I got in the car and set off for home. Twenty minutes in, I squinted at the rearview mirror.
“Is that...?”
I picked up my phone and called Jaxson.
“Hey, baby. What—”
“Jaxson, I think I’m being followed.” My eyes darted to the mirror and the same white car. “They were behind me on the way to your beach house and now they’re following me back.”
His tone sharpened. “Do you recognize them?” he asked. “Dad? Dad! Call the police.”
“No, I— Hold on. They’re getting closer.”
The glare off the windshield made it nearly impossible to see. As the distance closed between us, I made out a green hood and white h
ands clutching the wheel.
“I’m not sure who it is,” I admitted.
“It could be one of your security team.”
“No, I told them not to follow me. I had to do something in private and—”
Suddenly, the car accelerated.
“Jaxson!”
They rammed my bumper. The force sent me and my phone flying. The seat belt snapped, biting into my neck, and I gasped from shock and pain.
“Val,” I heard. “Val, what happened?”
“They hit me,” I screamed. “They hit me on purpose.”
The car came for me again.
The impact knocked me sideways and the car veered off the road. My screams tore the silence as I sped off the embankment headed for the trees. The last thing I saw before the impact was a squirrel scurrying out of the way.
If you’d like to grab the neck book in the series, Wicked, click here.
Wicked
Valentina
I don't know the secrets that lurk within my sorority, and apparently neither does anyone else.
My search for the truth behind the disappearances meets with blank stares and pleas of innocence.
But someone knows.
They're watching. They're waiting. They're hiding. They're attacking the man I love.
The only way to put an end to it is to bend the Sallys to my will.
I'm taking over and hunting the kidnappers down.
Before the next person to disappear is me.
Jaxson
Valentina and I share a lot of things: a love of music, dancing, and the feeling that someone is out to get me.
A year of playing servant to the wealthy, demanding, and talented is what I expected.
But I wasn't ready for sabotage, malicious whispers, and an unknown enemy following me wherever I go.
Wicked is the one who promises with their lips but lies with their eyes.
When the unthinkable happens and Valentina is taken, I make a promise of my own.
I will save the woman I love... and destroy anyone who gets in my way.