Because of the Dark: A Dark Standalone Romantic Suspense Novel (The Dark Series Book 4)

by Danah Logan

  I held my phone out, and she took it without a word. She scanned the screen for what seemed an eternity.

  "What does that mean?" Her voice was barely audible. She full well knew what it meant.

  "You guys, where are you?" Rhys's question drifted into the hallway.

  A silent communication passed between D and me—something we had developed over the last few months since all our lives had been turned upside down. Besides what happened to Lilly, Den had lost her longtime boyfriend, and I had found out that Lilly hadn't been the only one lied to. Rhys had kept me in the dark as well, and used our friendship to his advantage.

  Den turned toward the opening. "Go ahead. Sheats needs to take a shit. We'll take one of the other cars and meet you."

  I couldn't even muster a remark to her excuse.

  "You sure?" Lilly called, concerned. She wasn't stupid.

  "Positive, babe. See you in a few." D faced me again and held out her hand. I grabbed it without a word and let her pull me up.

  We never met up with Rhys and Lilly that day.

  After the initial shock had worn off, I started making calls.

  Den and I were sitting on the bed in my room—one of the many guest rooms the place held. "How can they just reevaluate the funds? You were their number one player. That's what your coach kept telling you since you got signed for the team," she asked out loud what had been reverberating through my head. I wanted to know the same fucking thing.

  Scrolling through my contacts, I pulled up Jonah's number. I had met some of the players during an early meet and greet a few months ago. I hit dial and waited.

  After three rings, my ear was assaulted by bass and word fragments I had to piece together in my head to complete the sentence.

  "Wes—…—fuck happened? How—…—tell us—…—off the team," he yelled into the phone. "Catfish Billy" by YelaWolf was blaring in the background.

  "Turn that shit down, asshole." Probably not the politest greeting since I wanted something from him, but I had zero patience left. Jonah and I had hit it off during the M&G, so I knew he wouldn't hold it against me.

  The music cut off, but was replaced by several female giggles. "Be right back, ladies," his muffled voice came through the earpiece, and I curled my lips.

  "Sorry, man. You kinda interrupted something." The smirk on his face was audible.

  "Well, I feel honored that you still answered," I replied, forcing a lightness into my voice that I didn't feel.

  Jonah laughed. "After what happened to you, of course I answered."

  What happened to me?

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Dude, you serious? The Babysitter? Lilly McGuire? Ring a bell? Your name was mentioned several times in the news. The friend of… Coach almost had an aneurysm."

  What the—?

  Jonah continued, oblivious to my rapidly increasing heart rate. "When the school found out, they had an emergency meeting. Coach left in the middle of us running drills. You would've thought his ass was on fire."

  The sophomore, junior, and senior players had already started practice a few weeks ago. The freshmen were supposed to arrive in a couple of days. "The next day, he called all of us into the locker room, announcing that you're off the team. Duuude, you should've seen the guys. They almost started to cry. You were supposed to bring us the title this year. Coach refused to give us anything else, but it wasn't hard to figure out. Dex is banging this chick who works at the office."

  J paused, and my free hand balled into a fist. "Spit it out!"

  My former teammate drew in a long breath. "The school doesn't want any bad press. And you being associated—well, more than associated"–Jonah chuckled–"with the case and people involved, you would bring a lot of negative attention to us. Star player and all."

  I pressed the phone harder against my ear, as if causing pain would make me un-hear his words. Make them not true.

  When I didn't say anything, Jonah sighed, "I'm sorry, man. If you ask me, it's complete bull—"

  I ended the call before he finished his sentence.

  I lost everything I had worked for because of my…friends.

  I didn't leave my room the rest of that day. Den made up excuses, which everyone knew were horseshit, but no one questioned The Bulldog.

  D stayed with me. She only left to grab us food, then she returned to her spot next to me on the mattress. The light faded, and the silence was pressing on me like someone had dropped a hundred-pound weight on my chest.

  Eventually, she interlaced our hands. "We'll figure it out, okay?"

  That one sentence made me snap. "Figure what out?" I barked at her. "I can't afford anything beyond community college without a scholarship."

  My family wasn't poor, but we also were not rich enough for my parents to send me to any school on their dime. And that was okay; I had been working toward this scholarship for years. I never worried about my future because I knew I could do it on my own.

  Not anymore. How could this have happened?

  Initially, I blamed them—my friends—anger and frustration clouding my judgment. I'd been there for them—loyal to a fault. I had helped Rhys hide from his family—from Lilly. Yet, he never revealed the real reason to me, and I let him. I thought he'd tell me eventually, but he never did—not until he was forced.

  Was that friendship?

  Lilly's search for answers had put everyone at risk. She became a target, and not just to the real villain hiding in the shadows. She found out who she was. To Rhys. To the people she thought were her family. None of that was her fault. Shitty fucking circumstances were the reason, but…Lilly ended up in the spotlight. Half the country felt for her; the other half crucified her. And I chose to stand by her side.

  Big mistake, as it turned out.

  I lost my future while they'd be living their happily ever after. I couldn't afford UG's tuition. Not that I wanted to attend that school after they dropped me. My dream school, since I was a little kid, had shown me the middle finger. Well, fuck them.

  The next day, I went to find Rhys and Lilly in the kitchen. Lilly was in the process of making her signature Earl Grey while Rhys was sitting at the island, scrolling through his phone. Both turned as I entered, and there might as well have been a flashing neon sign hanging from the ceiling. They knew.

  Fuck. Me!

  "D told you?" I didn't think she would, but how else—

  "UG posted an article that their biggest prospect would not be joining the team next year as planned. Jager texted this morning, asking what happened," Rhys elaborated with hollowed cheeks.

  Double fuck me. It was already out? And Jager, of all people. He used to be one of our teammates in high school until the first article about Lilly hit the pages. Jager ran his mouth, and Rhys let his temper get the best of him. We were on neutral terms with him those days, but that didn't change the humiliation choking me that he was the one that had found out first.

  "UG took the funds for my scholarship away," I explained in a flat tone.

  "What?" The shrill pitch in Lilly's one-word explosion made me flinch. She slammed her Yeti on the countertop and spun around.

  "Why?" Rhys slanted his head and watched me as I dropped down onto the bench of the breakfast nook.

  I placed my hands, palms down on the tabletop, and repeated the phone conversation with Jonah without looking at them. Den joined us a few minutes into my recap and slid in next to me, her leg pressed against my thigh in silent support. The more I talked, the more my chest compressed.

  "They can't do that!" Lilly exclaimed, outraged when I finished.

  "Bro, is that even legal?" Rhys looked between all of us.

  "It is." That was the first thing I checked yesterday.

  "I'll give you the money for school. Just pick where you want to go," Lilly said calmly.

  My head jerked in her direction, and I felt my eyebrows near my hairline. "Excuse me?"

  Before Lilly could respond, Rhys interjected, "Of course.
I mean, uh…"—he glanced at his girlfriend—"it's Calla's money, but…" He trailed off. Rhys never used Lilly's given name anymore. It was either babe or Calla, the nickname he had given her years ago—before their falling out—and now picked back up again.

  Lilly rolled her eyes at him, then focused back on me. "I have more money than I can ever spend, I'll pay for your—"

  "NO!" I interrupted, and Den jumped in her seat next to me.

  "Why not?" Rhys stared at me incredulously.

  Of course he doesn't get it.

  The association with Lilly had already cost me my future. Who the fuck knew what would happen if it came out that she—her family's money—paid for my education? My reputation—if I would even get a chance for a professional football career—would be a joke. Everyone would assume I bought my athletic career.

  "Just…no." I emphasized my refusal by pushing myself upright, leaning forward on the table.

  "But—"

  "Leave it, McGuire," Den barked at Rhys.

  He glanced at Lilly, ready to push more, but she shook her head.

  No one talked about the topic for two days. Not until I received another call. I didn't recognize the number and therefore let it go to voice mail. When I later listened to the message, my mouth went dry. The longer the caller spoke, the faster my pulse thrashed in my veins.

  "Mr. Sheats, this is Harrison Brown. I am on the admissions board of Pine Hill University in Texas. We would like to offer you a spot on our football team with a full scholarship to attend our institution. Please give me a call back so we can discuss our offer further. You can reach me at—" I pulled my phone away from my ear and gaped at the screen.

  Pine Hill? They were a private university known for their athletic programs. You couldn't even apply to the school; it was by invite only. They scouted their prospects for years before offering them a spot. My initial excitement turned to suspicion. Something wasn't right.

  With my phone in hand, I headed toward the basement. Lilly and Rhys, with the help of her new security shadow, Marcus, had converted the lower level into a state-of-the-art gym. It was the time of day they would be down there, and I heard the punches before I reached the bottom step.

  With George, her family's head of security, being out of town, Marcus was in charge of her safety and training. Not that he normally wasn't. Marcus was in his early thirties and had been working for George for years. A couple of weeks ago, he fully took over for G as Lilly's personal bodyguard. George's focus had shifted to the Babysitter case and overseeing the legalities. That was when Marcus moved in. He was around twenty-four seven since Lilly, thanks to the media harassment, couldn't go out on her own anywhere—hence his nickname, Shadow.

  Marcus held the large rectangular pads strapped to his forearms while Rhys kept punching and kicking. Lilly was nowhere in sight. Neither was Den.

  "Hey!" I called out, and Rhys halted.

  "Yo. What's up?" He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his taped hand.

  I held up my phone as if that would explain everything. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

  Rhys clapped Marcus on the shoulder. "Give us a sec," he said before walking toward me. "To do with what?" He was breathing heavily.

  "Pine Hill offered me a spot on their team." I kept my tone unemotional, assessing his reaction in explicit detail.

  "Dude, that's awesome! How did that happen?" Rhys's face lit up, and I cocked my head, trying to gauge the sincerity.

  "No clue, man." I was not convinced that a university like Pine Hill would just offer me a full ride after a regular college dropped me for potential bad press.

  Rhys hooked his arm over my shoulder. "Either way, we need to celebrate. Plus, Texas is way closer than UG. We can hang all the time."

  "I guess," I replied, staring at my feet as he led me up the stairs. My gut was telling me that something wasn't right.

  Den was ecstatic when she heard the news. Lilly smiled and gave me a hug, but I knew her too well. The girl couldn't act or lie for shit, and the way she fidgeted next to Rhys told me more than words. I kept watching her throughout the night. We got takeout, and Den talked us into opening one of the ancient bottles from the wine cellar. Not that I particularly like red wine, but that was what we had on hand. And according to D, the bottle was worth more than my 4Runner.

  I returned Mr. Brown's call the next day, and we spoke for forty-five minutes. He assured me that they had been following me for a long time but could not move forward, as I had signed with UG during the early signing period. He would be emailing me all the paperwork to finalize my spot at Pine Hill.

  Whenever the four of us were in the same room, Rhys would be überhappy, as if overcompensating for his girlfriend's lack of participation. Lilly was keeping something from me, and I was a hundred percent certain she was keeping it from Den as well. D would've told me otherwise, no matter her loyalty to her best friend.

  A few days later, Den and I were headed to the airport. Marcus was driving, with Rhys in the passenger seat, Lilly and Den in the middle, and me in the third row. My phone rang, and recognizing the number, I answered. "Mr. Brown. Did I forget to fill something out?"

  "Good afternoon, Mr. Sheats. No, no. We have everything we need. I was just wondering if you could provide me with the financial adviser's number for Miss—"

  My entire body tensed at financial adviser, and I interrupted him without thinking. "Excuse me?"

  Brown coughed. "I seem to have misplaced the number. He asked me to provide him with a receipt once the funds for your scholarship were received."

  "My scholarship," I repeated slowly and zeroed in on Rhys as he turned around.

  I fucking knew it.

  I hung up the phone without waiting for another reply. They went behind my back. My spot at Pine Hill was bought. The school was never interested in me. My friends fucking lied to me—after I told them that I didn't want the money. It had to have been Rhys's idea, and Lilly went along with it. Did he think I was an idiot? This would've come out eventually. And then what? Rhys didn't care about anything but himself. He'd been using me for years, and now he was using his girlfriend's money to ease his guilt.

  We were about ten minutes out from the airfield, and with every passing minute, the rage building in my core grew. I could feel the muscles in my jaw tic. Digging my nails into the palms of my hands, I needed something to keep my temper subdued. Unfortunately—or maybe not— the sting was not able to outweigh the betrayal. The girls missed the entire exchange, engrossed in some type of Westbridge High drama that had been unfolding over the summer.

  When the SUV halted, Rhys got out and opened the door for Lilly and Den. My fists were curled tightly, the skin over my knuckles white, and I watched my friend through slitted eyes as I exited the vehicle last. He was not prepared for my next move. Lilly was engrossed in a conversation with Marcus, with Den standing slightly behind her, ignoring Marcus as usual. As soon as my feet hit the polished concrete of the private hangar, I took a step to the side and allowed Rhys to close the door. He was about to face me when I drew my arm back and let my fist shoot forward. I clocked him in the jaw, and his head snapped to the side. Rhys caught himself against the side of the car. Behind me, Lilly shrieked in shock, and Den called my name. But everything was muffled over the hammering in my ears.

  They fucking lied to me. I asked him, and he lied to my face.

  I grabbed Rhys by the shirt and slammed him back against the car. A pair of arms latched onto my torso and pulled me away. Not letting go of his shirt, it ripped.

  "HOW COULD YOU?!" I roared in his face, spit flying. I probably looked deranged, but I didn't care. I had covered for him for years while he kept secret after secret from me. I was there for him. For both of them. I told them I didn't want the money.

  Lilly stood warily next to her treacherous boyfriend, who rubbed his jaw, not saying a word.

  I was sure it was his idea to ignore what I had said, but she provided the funds for this farce.
I would've been a fucking joke at Pine Hill.

  Marcus dragged me away, and I struggled against his hold. I wanted to get another punch in. Not that I could have, now that Rhys was prepared. But in my rage-filled mind, that was all that counted.

  "Wes! What the hell?" Den grabbed my hand as Lilly's shadow tightened his arms further. "Marcus, let go of him!" she shouted.

  "No can do," was growled into my ear.

  "You fucking went behind my back, you asshole. I told you I didn't want her money. And you? You probably guilted her into forking over what? A couple hundred grand? You knew I wouldn't take it. I've been by your side for years, and what do you do? You fucking betray me!"

  "Wes—" Lilly took a step forward, but Rhys grasped her hand before she could get any closer.

  I barked out a cynical laugh. "What? You think I'd hit her, too?"

  Rhys still wouldn't say anything, but the guilt was written in bold letters on his forehead.

  "Rhys, get Lilly in the car and wait for me," Marcus ordered from behind.

  "But—" Lilly tried once more.

  "Football has always been your dream. We just wanted to help," Rhys finally spoke up.

  "FUCK. YOU!" I spat at them. "You turned me—my dream—into a fraud." I attempted to shrug Marcus off. "Let me go, Shadow! I'm done here."

  Lilly nodded at her security detail, and he loosened his grip. Shaking him off, I turned on my heel and marched toward the jet. Not that I wanted to take this damn thing home now, but I couldn't afford a commercial ticket—not if I wanted to find a way to still go to school.

  CHAPTER THREE

  My alarm is blaring. Whyyy, my foggy brain whines in confusion. I run through all the scenarios in my head. There's no class today—not that I would be held accountable if I didn't show up.

  Why the hell is my alarm going off?

  After confessing my stupid fucking actions to my friends, I didn't get to bed until the sun was coming over the mountain range.