Sinners: A Reverse Harem Bully Romance (Pawns of Patience Book 1)

by Cassie James

  After a few minutes, OG Khakis comes back from the bathroom hallway. His eyes scan the room, doubling back twice to look at the booth where I was sitting before. I know he’s looking for me, and it makes me wish I’d gone and found somewhere besides the bar to hide out until I can find a ride home. OG Khakis gives up and returns to a spot at the bar next to Kathryn and Other Khakis Guy. He gets the bartender’s attention, and when that guy makes his way over they talk for a minute before the bartender turns and points right at me. Dammit. OG Khakis studies me for a moment, then turns to Kathryn and Other Khakis Guy. He leans close to Kathryn and speaks directly into her ear, but before I can wonder if he’s decided to play with her after all, she turns to look at me, too. Her eyes flash with anger as she climbs down from her stool and slowly makes her way towards me.

  Kathryn wedges herself next to me, pinching the back of my arm as she forces me off my stool. She bats her eyelashes at OG Khakis, who leans on the bar like this is a casual first meeting instead of a creepy second approach. “Have you met the lost Lexington?” Kathryn pushes me forward like she’s offering me up to him on a silver platter. “This is Juliet. She’s new.” It sounds like she’s selling a car, not introducing a person. “And Juliet? This is Brock Forrester.” She says the name like I should know who he is—and I do, kind of.

  “Brent Forrester’s dad?” Brent Forrester was the one that threw that yacht party Sadie took me to. Brock’s smile slips a little and I’m sure I’ve just broken etiquette by asking that here. But c’mon, this guy can’t be serious. I turned him down pretty clearly in the bathroom hallway. Now he’s not only harassing me again, but he’s involved Kathryn, who I’m sure is furious that I’ve gotten his attention after she failed to. I’m sure that will make class super fun next week. Kathryn doesn’t strike me as the kind of girl who forgets being slighted like that.

  Brock slides another step closer to me, effectively blocking me in. “You have surprisingly questionable manners for a Lexington.” He’s standing too close for comfort, but at least he looks me in the eyes when he’s talking to me. He doesn’t try to touch me, either, even though I’m easily within his reach. Thank fuck for small miracles.

  “And you have surprisingly questionable manners for a married man,” I shoot back. Screw having manners, I’m more worried about getting out of here without getting assaulted by some rich creep.

  He looks down at his wedding ring ruefully. “No need to be so feisty, I’m only making conversation.” He pulls out a stool and sits, probably to seem less threatening, and I have to admit it does work. I stay standing because I’m looking for a chance to leave without worrying this guy’s gonna follow me out. “I guess I could understand why you’d be so defensive. I imagine they’re giving you a hard time around here now that you’ve thrown a wrench in their silly treasure hunt.”

  “What treasure hunt?” I’ve been frowning this whole time, but now he’s got my attention. I can feel my whole body relax now as I sit back down on my stool, careful not to let our legs brush as I spin to face him. Damn my ability to get caught up in any news about my family or my presence here or really anything else that feels like a secret no one’s let me in on yet.

  “Hollis Lexington was known for his old oil money, but he used to tell people the real fortune was in Lexington Estate.” Hollis was my grandfather. I can picture him in my mind from the pictures Pearl showed me. He was a slightly rotund man that always seemed to be in a formal suit anytime he was photographed. Aside from Pearl talking about what a traditionalist he was, I don’t know much else.

  “Like, the land?” I ask. That might explain why the Harringtons ending up owning part of his land started such a strange family feud.

  But Brock shakes his head with a grin. I’m sure he realizes he’s hooked me now. Only for the story, though, I still don’t want to sleep with him. “No, like a hidden treasure. Or at least that’s the story that keeps the rumor mill churning.” He seems amused by the whole thing, like he doesn’t buy into the hype.

  “They think he buried money somewhere?” Thinking about the expanse of land that belongs to the estate, it’s not that hard to imagine I guess. Who knows how long it would take to dig up all that land to find anything someone thought to bury there? It seems like a ludicrous thing to do, but after everything that’s happened around here, I’m starting to think anything is possible.

  “Not actual money, but something worth enough that he chose to hide it on his own property instead of putting it in a safe deposit box at the bank.” He seems to think about it for a moment. “Technically, I think most people believe whatever it is it’s actually hidden inside the house, but that might just be because no one’s found it yet and plenty of people have tried outside with no luck. Most people never manage to talk their way inside the house, not without being under Pearl’s careful watch, at least.”

  Like at the party. She kept most everyone contained to the main part of the house, ushering back anyone that dared try to stray. The obvious exception being me, Sadie, Smith, and Jax, though I have no way of knowing whether the guys were allowed to be upstairs or not. They very well could have still found some way to sneak up. I know firsthand how cunning the two of them can be. Pearl knew Sadie was coming up, though, but only to help me, and she only grudgingly allowed that. I also can’t forget when Ace brought me home from that party—as much as I’d like to forget about it. She let him stay alone with me to go get me water or something. Which would make a lot more sense if she did that because she was worried about him wandering the house alone. And when Jake stayed with us a few days? Pearl made sure he stayed in the room right next to hers, keeping him close when the two of us weren’t together. What if she was worried he’d found out about the little town treasure hunt and wanted to take a chance on it himself? That would be reason enough for her to be suspicious of him.

  God, am I actually buying into this bullshit? I hate how much sense it’s making. “You sound skeptical.”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m as convinced as anyone that Hollis hid something in that house, I’m just not convinced it’s as valuable as everyone thinks.” Brock drums a quick beat on the bar top like he’s getting restless. I’m sure gossiping about my family with me isn’t what he had in my mind, but that’s all he’s gonna get. He clicks his tongue. “Hollis was eccentric at best, it would have been completely in character for him to brag about some big treasure only for it to turn out to be something that was only valuable to him. He loved getting people all worked up.” Brock shrugs with his whole body. “Hollis never wanted anyone to forget his legacy, and now thanks to all the rumors he kindled, no one ever will. Not in Patience, anyway.”

  “That is… way more interesting than the family history my aunt’s given me.” Something’s bothering me about this—something besides the fact that it’s completely scandalous to imagine my grandfather creating such a messy situation for our family. “And everyone around here knows about this?”

  Brock nods with no hesitation. “God, yeah. It’s like our own personal urban legend. Nearly everyone in this damned town has tried their hand at Hollis’ treasure hunt.” He makes a face, and I’m not sure what it means but it doesn’t look good. “Some people are more obsessed than others.”

  I have so many questions, but it doesn’t seem like Brock’s the right person to ask. If everything he’s saying is true, I need to be more careful about who I’m hanging out with. And who I’m talking to. I can’t help but wonder if this might have anything to do with why Jax told me not to tell Dr. Peterson anything. I can’t imagine Jax doing anything in my best interest, though, especially not when he’s led the charge to try to scare me off. But maybe that has something to do with this, too. I’m second-guessing everything now.

  The one person I’m not second-guessing is Sadie. I like to think the two of us have become pretty good friends. It would have been so easy for her to look for an open pass to hang out around Lexington Estate, but she hasn’t tried that at all. I’m p
retty certain that makes her trustworthy. Anyone else surely would have taken advantage of the growing trust between us. Still, I wonder why Sadie didn’t say anything. There’s been plenty of times it would have made sense for her to mention the scavenger hunt that’s apparently been taking place right under my nose.

  Speaking of Sadie—my phone finally buzzes. Give me five. Surely I can survive five more minutes. When I look up from my phone, Brock is watching me. “My friend’s coming to pick me up,” I tell him, because it was nice of him to share what he knows, but I don’t want him to think this is going to turn into a quid pro quo situation. He hasn’t earned anything from me by sharing what he knows.

  “Nothing I can say to change your mind?” He scans my face, probably looking for any sign that I might be willing to change my mind, but if so he’s going to be disappointed. “I can be discreet, if that’s what you’re worried about.” It sounds sleazy, but his lazy grin makes it clear he’s only teasing now. Lucky me, it only took rejecting him twice for it to sink in.

  I can’t help but laugh a little. “No, I definitely don’t doubt that.” Any man that’s married and picking up underage girls in a bar must know how to be at least somewhat discreet. The men around here aren’t nobodies, I can only imagine what kind of scandal it would create if what happened in this bar were to get out to the wrong people. The people here might be willing to watch each other’s backs, but I’d be willing to bet that’s not a courtesy they’re afforded everywhere. Normal people would definitely raise some eyebrows about this kind of stuff.

  “Can I walk you out?” He stands and offers me a hand getting off my own stool. I let him help me down, but I take my hand back the second my feet touch solid ground. “Before you say no, you might want to consider how many of the men in here are still checking you out. You might not be interested in me, but I’d be willing to gamble that you’re not interested in any of them either.”

  He’s definitely right about that. A quick glance around reveals that Kathryn and Cece are both gone—so nice of them to give me a head’s up they were leaving—and several of the men here still look like they’re waiting for their chance to pounce. “I go to school with your son,” I remind him.

  He lets out a groan as he places a hand on my back to guide me towards the door. I don’t complain because his hand is safely in the middle of my back, nowhere near the curve of my ass. “Thanks for that reminder. Maybe don’t mention tonight to him, yeah?”

  “Trust me, I don’t plan to.” His son Brent is infamous for hosting the school’s biggest parties and also for being the go-to drug dealer. I’d rather not get involved in their family business. Snitches get stitches, I can thank Nikon Park for how deeply that lesson is engrained in me.

  I don’t tell Brock he can walk me out, but I don’t stop him from doing it either. That seems like the closest thing to middle ground I can hope for at the moment. We step out the front doors at the same time Smith’s car rolls into the parking lot. He pulls around to the front, his engine purring as he idles near the curb. We’re still standing under the shadowed overhang by the front entrance, so I say goodbye to Brock there in the hopes that he won’t walk out any further with me and risk Smith seeing us together.

  He takes the hint, but asks me to wait while he takes out his wallet. “Take my card. If you ever find that family treasure of yours you might find yourself in need of a private banker.” His fingers caress my palm as I take the card from him as he winks at me. “Or feel free to call if you change your mind about the other thing.” I have to make a concentrated effort not to shudder. I don’t love being hit on by a guy old enough to be my dad, but tonight he’s given me something no one else has. No strings attached answers.

  When I got to the car, I’m surprised to find there’s no one in the passenger seat. It’s only Smith, Sadie’s not with him. He must see my confusion as I climb in. “She’s been drinking. I told her she wasn’t getting in my car unless she could guarantee she wouldn’t puke.” He makes a disgusted face. “So she stayed behind. Patrick’s keeping an eye on her.”

  That sends my eyebrows shooting up. “You trust him alone with her?” Every time I’ve seen the two of them together, it seems like Patrick’s feelings for her are more than friendly. There’s always a nauseating amount of flirting on his part.

  “He’s harmless. He’s not actually interested in my sister.” I’m not so sure about that, but I guess Smith knows better than I do. He reaches over and pushes some of my hair out of my face, and I try not to recoil in surprise. It’s such a surprisingly tender moment between us considering how hot and cold we run together. Out of all the assholes running around this town, Smith is easily the hardest for me to figure out. I’m pretty sure he’s interested in me, though I’m not sure to what extent. It seems like we have an equal number of nice moments and shitty ones. I can’t help but wonder how many of the shittier moments are because of Jax’s influence.

  Smith is still looking at me intently. The car’s engine is running but we haven’t moved. Something suddenly seems to hit him. “Hey, was that Brent Forrester’s dad that walked you out?”

  Chapter 13

  I’ve been here for a month and this is the first time I go searching the house for Pearl. We’ve given each other space, which has been nice while I struggled to come to terms with all these life changes, but now I have questions. I find her out in the gardens at the back of the house. To my surprise, she’s kneeling down in the dirt to weed around a pretty set of rosebushes that are losing their blooms. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen a gardener here despite all this crazy landscaping. There are a couple of cleaning ladies that I’ve seen around, and someone does the grocery shopping every week though I never see that person coming or going. From what I can tell, the staff Pearl keeps would be considered a skeleton staff by anyone else around here’s standards. As far as I know, Pearl herself hasn’t left the house once since I got here.

  “Good morning,” she greets me without turning around. She takes a handkerchief out of her shirt pocket and wipes a bit of sweat off her forehead as I walk around to face her. I wring my hands together, unsure how to say what’s on my mind. “Have you finally come round to ask for a car? I’m sure the Harrington spawn will be none too pleased to lose your company.” She rests her hands on her knees and looks up at me expectantly. “Did you have something in mind? I was partial to BMWs myself back in my day, but I’m not sure one would be to your tastes.” She eyes my outfit. I’m wearing jeans she paid for, but I’ve paired them with one of my own t-shirts from home. It’s seen better days.

  The car thing kind of gave me momentary conversation whiplash, but it’s not what I’m here for. “Actually,” I can’t believe I’m doing this, “I wanted to talk about Hollis.” Pearl looks everywhere but in my eyes as she pushes herself up to a standing position. I try to offer her a hand but she waves me off.

  “What about him? He was your grandfather.” Obviously I know that. I suspect she knows exactly what I’m trying to ask so I don’t know why she’s being so obtuse about it.

  “Pearl.” I’m feeling so frustrated that there’s a sharp pang running through my chest. “Why did no one tell me the whole town thinks we’ve got some kind of hidden treasure on our property?” It feels so cheap to refer to it as a hidden treasure, especially after hearing Brock joke about its value, but I’m not sure what else to call it.

  She lets out the most sarcastic chuckle I’ve ever heard. “Well, of course no one told you. The whole lot of them are terrified you’ve got an unfair advantage now that you’re here.”

  “What about you?” I frown. She’s been here this whole time, shouldn’t she be the one everyone’s concerned about? “No one seems to bother you.” In fact, most people treated her with what seemed like polite respect when the whole town packed in here for that stupid welcome party she threw me.

  “If I was going to solve the damned thing, I’m sure I’d have done it by now. Don’t you think?” She shakes her head
. She looks tired, and I feel bad for being responsible for that, but not knowing all of this has just given me yet another disadvantage in this town. “I keep people out the best I can, but I’ve given up any hope of solving your grandfather’s mystery myself. If he meant for me to know, he would have left whatever it is where I could find it.” Her answer is annoyingly pragmatic. “Besides, curiosity killed the cat, Juliet.” There’s something so dark to the words, like there’s more to them than a silly childhood warning. A chill whips through the air and I hope like hell I’m not just imagining it.

  “So you don’t even know what it is?” She’s told me before she lived here her whole life with her brother. Whatever he’s hidden would have had to be in plain sight at this point.

  There she goes shaking her head again. “No clue.” I’m not so sure that I believe her answer. “Anyway, it’s best if you don’t get too involved in all that nonsense. Every year we get someone who gets too caught up in the mystery of it all, and they never find an answer and that only makes them unstable. Never underestimate the danger of someone who thinks they’re smarter than everyone else and then proves themselves wrong.” She looks off into the distance, and I wonder who she’s thinking of. How many times has she watched someone fall prey to an unsolvable mystery?

  All this time I’ve spent wondering why she doesn’t leave the house or socialize, and now I know it’s because she’s cursed to be this place’s gatekeeper. It makes me sad for her. It makes me wonder, too, is my true legacy my grandfather’s secret? Because if I’m the only family heir left after Pearl—does that mean her responsibility as gatekeeper will someday fall for me?

  “There are people at school… some of them haven’t been so friendly. Do you think that’s because of what you said? That they’re worried me living here now has given me an advantage over them?” It would explain a lot, though it’s not an explanation I like. Money is just money. Whatever Hollis might’ve had, I don’t think it’s worth trying to destroy someone’s life over. And even if any of the Patience guys had managed to run me out of town, it wouldn’t have gotten them any closer to uncovering the mystery.