by KC Kean
It feels like a million needles are pricking my skin as I hear the guys talking around me, but I can’t pick out their words as tears well in my eyes. I grip my phone even tighter in my hand as Tobias comes to stand in front of me, but I jolt back as he tries to reach his hand out.
My world feels upside down, but I push back on Hunter until he releases me, and I brush past Tobias, racing for the door.
I’m not safe here. Not with their games or their strange embraces that are meant to shield me yet burn me all the same.
“We’re not fucking done here.” Xavier’s voice finally filters through my clouded brain as he wraps his hand around my arm, and I scream like my life depends on it. I can’t breathe, fear tearing at my insides.
“What the fuck is going on?” Tobias growls out as Xavier releases his hold on me, and I back away towards the door.
“Stay the fuck away from me. All of you. No games, no seven minutes in heaven, you get fucking nothing at all. Do you hear me?” I’m shaking from head to toe as I continue to walk backwards, and the guys stare at me like I’ve grown a second head. “And you tell Ilana, or whoever the fuck she is, I’m going to find a way to prove she killed my father. Whatever it takes, she’ll pay.”
“Wait, what?” Hunter murmurs, glancing at me, then the others.
“Like you don’t fucking know. She’s the whole reason I’m here, without my mom, and why my dad is dead.”
Lingering on the edge of having what I believe to be a panic attack, I can barely breathe, my world spinning, and I can’t calm my pounding heart or overactive mind.
They all stand in shock, Tobias and Hunter more than Xavier, as I turn around and run, thankful with every ounce of my being that they don’t chase me.
18
Eden
Coffee in hand, I find myself out by the pool the following morning, relaxing back on a sun lounger in my bathrobe, and if I hadn’t been here last night, seeing the party with my own eyes, I would never have believed there had even been one.
Not an ounce of litter or empty bottles to be seen. Either these kids are clean as fuck, or someone has an awesome cleanup crew in place. Not even a sleeping body or two.
I’ve barely slept a wink, if at all, after racing from Xavier’s house last night. Instead, I lay on my bed, looking up at the ceiling helplessly, until the sun came up and I could no longer stay inside my room when it felt like the walls were caving in.
I’m running with the fact that this Ilana woman is Xavier’s mom, and deep down, I know it shouldn’t surprise me that he’s related to the bitch that has me here. Xavier Knight, son of the bitch, Ilana Knight. All I can think about now, since I’ve calmed a little, is how I’m going to convince Xavier to share information with me.
Surely he must know something about his mom, anything at all. You can’t have what seems to be a powerful woman as your parent without knowing even just a tad of information.
Last night was just… Fuck. Swiping my hair back off my face, I tilt my head up to the sky, feeling the sun beat down on me. Last night was not how I planned to relax at all. I went from hanging out with Charlie to being chased around a damn mansion by the Allstars.
I hate how my heart beats rapidly for a totally different reason when I think about it. I hate them, all three of them. They literally are the biggest assholes I’ve ever met. They don’t play fair, and it seems they always get what they want. But not from me. I refuse. They can have my anger and rage instead.
Walking away from that house last night, I left with them firmly as my sworn enemies, which doesn’t help my cause right now or offer me answers to my dad’s death, but I hate how they fuck with my mind with the games they play.
With a heavy sigh, I stand from the lounger, forcing myself to stop getting lost in my mind again, but it’s difficult without a distraction.
Walking towards the balcony edge, I stare out at the water, letting the sound of the waves crashing wash over me.
I would usually go for a run at times like this, but I’m not going back down to that end of the beach right now, and there isn’t much beach in the opposite direction. Besides, I’m so exhausted, I feel like death warmed over.
My phone vibrates in the pocket of my bathrobe, and guilt hits my gut as I see Charlie’s name flash across the screen with an incoming message. I’d left her last night, not intentionally, but I did manage to send her a message when I got back, and she’d instantly responded that Archie had taken her home in her car.
I needed to thank him for that today. Charlie is nothing like Lou-Lou from back home. Lou-Lou could handle herself better than a forty-year-old bodybuilder, whereas Charlie has completely different vibes. I know she isn’t my responsibility, but I left her in the lurch last night so I could get my phone back.
Charlie: Hey girl, you sleep yet?
Me: It doesn’t feel like I have.
Charlie: It’s almost ten, Eden. Let me know if you need to chat or eat. I’m free all day.
Me: Thanks.
“Good morning.”
I turn quickly, to see Richard standing just outside the open patio doors. His eyes are trained at the floor as he runs his fingers through his already messy hair.
“Morning,” I murmur after checking to make sure he was actually talking to me, but there isn’t anyone else around.
He slowly walks around the pool before leaning against the balcony beside me, and I turn to take up the position I was in moments ago, mirroring him.
Nobody speaks for a moment as we both look out to the ocean. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to this man who seems to be forced to home me, but thankfully, he speaks first.
“Is everything okay? I saw you race in last night and you looked a little panicked, but I didn’t want to disturb you after you locked yourself in your room.”
I watch out of the corner of my eye as he frowns, almost disappointed that he didn’t stop me last night, but if he’d have tried, I wouldn’t have listened anyways.
“I’m okay, I just learned some things about Knight’s Creek is all.” I don’t trust this guy enough to be more specific, unless he’s going to offer to help.
“Ahh, and there is never anything good to learn about this place,” he responds, and he’s not wrong. I haven’t learned anything decent since I came here, but I guess I’m also not looking for happy information either.
“That is a very true statement.”
Turning to look at me head-on, my heart pounds a little in my chest as I watch his eyes swirl with pain. It reminds me that he lost his wife, and he must have loved her very much. He looks a little more put together than the first time we met, but there is still a lot going on under the surface with him.
Before I can say anything else, he pats my shoulder and stalks off without a backwards glance.
Okay, then. Great talk.
“Morning, Dad. Hey, Eden, come be my friend.” Archie appears in the open doorway, his arms out wide as he grins at me.
“You have way too much fucking energy for me right now,” I grumble, but he continues to rush over to me.
“Be my friend, Eden,” he repeats, giving me puppy dog eyes like a child as he stops just before knocking me over, and I’m too damn soft on him.
“What did you want to do?”
“It’s Saturday, and we won yesterday. I’m hungover from celebrating, so I want video games, then food. I’ll let you chill beside me while I shoot my shit on Apex, a battle royale shooting game, but I just want some company,” he admits, his voice getting quieter towards the end, and I can already feel myself relenting.
His blond hair is stuck up in all directions, his eyes tired as he offers me a soft smile.
Pulling my bathrobe tighter, I huff at him as I brush past and head towards the house. I don’t even bother to look back at him as I holler over my shoulder.
“Archie Freemont, if you think I’m going to sit by and watch you play, you have another thing coming. Lifeline is my favorite.”
It
takes him longer than I expect to catch on to what I’m saying, but I’m pretty sure he squeals like a girl before chasing me down. Suddenly lifted off my feet, Archie does some crazy kung fu shit, and I’m suddenly on his back getting a piggyback ride as he carries me into the house and down the stairs.
“You are my new best friend,” Archie states, and I grin.
“Whatever you say, bestie,” I joke back, and he purposely bounces so I hold on tighter, panicked I’m going to fall.
I’ve never been down here, especially since I always see Richard head this way and I’ve wanted to keep out of his path. The mini landing we come to is neutral tones with cream carpet lining the floor, and there are five or six doors leading off, but Archie takes the second to the right.
Swinging the door open, my jaw drops as I take in the room. There are no windows in here, and when Archie flicks the light switch, LED lights come to life around the edge of the room, offering the perfect glow for the gaming setup of all gaming setups as they come into view.
Oh my fucking god. Six gaming monitors line the far wall, each hooked up to a PC and Xbox, with a headset and controller at each station. Top of the range gaming chairs sit in front of each. All from the same company, but in different colors.
“Holy fucking shit. I feel like I just walked into the Power Rangers’ headquarters or something.” Archie barks with laughter as he places me back on my feet, and I straighten my robe. “This place is awesome as shit, Arch. My dad would have fucking loved it in here.”
The smile drops from my face as a surge of guilt shoots through my body, any inch of excitement or joy instantly gone. I don’t want to feel any of that, not without my dad.
“Hey. Hey, Eden. Where did you just go?” I can see the sadness in his eyes, as if he knows exactly where I just went, and I can bet everything I have that he does the same when he thinks of his mom. “Now, I’m not going to pretend that I know who your dad was because I didn’t. But if your dad would have loved something like this, would he have wanted you to pass up on such a good time?”
Archie’s words make me pause and practically rewire my brain, if only for a moment, because he’s right—my dad would be furious, in the best way possible.
With a deep breath, I stand tall and shake my hands out. “You’re right, but if you think I’m carrying you, you are truly mistaken, understand?” I’m bragging, but I am good at this game.
With a huge grin on his face, he leads me to the purple chair, and I turn everything on as he grabs two bottles of water from the small fridge in the corner of the room. There is a huge stack of candy beside it too.
Ultimate fucking setup.
Taking the seat to my left, he quietly gets ready too, and I actually feel excited.
“Champion squad or nothing. Agreed?” I ask, and Archie nods repeatedly.
“Always, cookie.”
This one’s for you, Dad.
“Yes! Fuck yes!” Archie yells, rising from his chair and punching the air ecstatically again. I laugh along with him, feeling the endorphins boost my mentality as we win another game. “Where have you been all my life, Eden? That was fire.”
Shaking my head at him, I focus on the screen, readying up for another game as he finally takes his seat.
“You aren’t as bad as I worried you would be, Archie,” I say with a grin, and he just laughs louder.
“You are queen at this, I swear. We have to make a commitment to the game now, Eden. The battle pass only has another four weeks left, and I need to get to tier one hundred.”
Laughing at his enthusiasm, I nod. “We’ll figure it out.”
“You’ll figure what out?” a deep voice interrupts us from behind, and I already know who it is, and I find myself losing all the happiness I had just moments ago, a stark reminder of who he is repeating in my mind.
I turn my eyes to my lap as Archie greets Xavier, Hunter, and Tobias, and they all talk football for a minute.
I feel the seat to my right pull out, and moments later, Hunter sits down.
“You play video games, huh?” I hum in agreement but don’t lift my gaze from my twiddling fingers in my lap.
“Play video games? Man, she just got kill leader four games in a row,” Archie boasts, and I feel a little embarrassed under their watchful gaze. “You want to join us? There are too many of us for—”
“Actually, we stopped by to talk to Eden about last night,” Xavier says, cutting Archie off, and my hands instantly fist in my lap at his arrogance to do so.
“There’s nothing to talk about. Let’s ready up, Arch,” I murmur, meeting his gaze as he sinks back into the chair beside me.
“It wasn’t a request,” Hunter adds, and the telltale sound of my Xbox being shut down sounds out around the room, and I instantly throw him a glare as I refrain from throwing my controller at his head.
His smug ass face grins at me as he purposely holds his finger against the console, driving home that he did indeed switch it off.
“What’s going on?” Archie asks, his voice laced with concern, and I sigh.
Just as I open my mouth to answer him, a hand is clamped over my mouth and an angry Xavier is leaning over the chair glaring down at me.
“It’s a private matter,” he barks, but Archie instantly stands and crowds in over me.
“Xavier, I respect you man, a lot, but you better take your fucking hand off her. Right now.” He’s rigid from head to toe, his eyes searching mine as he stands his ground.
Tobias chuckles from somewhere behind me as my hands dig into the armrest, refusing to show weakness and try to fight him off. It’s useless right now.
“Do you really want to make threats, Archie? Throw everything away for a girl who just showed up? Where’s your loyalty?” Hunter asks, and Archie wastes no time responding.
“With her. My loyalty is with her. She has no one. Fucking no one, and I refuse to let her get lost to this sick and twisted town.”
His words lie heavy on my chest as they wash over me. He isn’t wrong. The one person I always had, no matter what, is gone, but I hate that Archie’s putting everything on the line for me. I’m not worth it. Meeting my gaze, I plead at him to stop, but all he does is roll his eyes.
“Even now, she’s trying to tell me to shut the fuck up so nothing happens to me, trying to protect me from the moment she arrived. Well she deserves that in return too. So like I said, take your fucking hand off her.”
Silence fills the room, no one utters a single word, until Xavier suddenly releases his hand from my mouth. I watch as Archie swallows past the lump in his throat as he stares the Allstars down, but it’s Tobias who finally speaks first.
“Nice speech, Archie,” he mutters before my chair is suddenly spun around and I come face-to-face with Tobias. My hands cover the armrests, so he places his hands over mine as he looks down at me. “Eden, we need to talk.”
His words are sincere, but his facial expression is much harsher, and as much as I fucking hate these assholes right now, if they’re willing to talk, I might be able to get some answers for myself.
Wetting my lips, I keep my eyes trained on him, not looking to the others. “I can talk, but I have questions too.” He nods in agreement, and I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I don’t think I can take any of these guys at their word, but I have to try if I want answers. My body hums with trepidation. I can’t tell if it’s from the adrenaline of Archie’s little showdown or from Tobias’ touch, but I refuse to focus on it. “I would rather talk somewhere neutral, preferably with food, and with Archie present too.”
Tobias stands back, and I miss the warmth of his touch instantly, but to my surprise, the others all move back too, looking at Xavier for the final answer.
Sighing, he rubs the back of his neck, and I notice it’s the first time he’s ever shown an inch of uncertainty. He doesn’t like my mouth, we all know that, but he must want to talk enough to consider my demands.
“Deal. Get dressed. We’re going to Pete’
s.”
19
Xavier
Pulling into the parking lot at Pete’s, my fingers wrap tightly around the steering wheel of my Jaguar F-Pace. I’d offered to drive everyone, but Eden refused. Some shit about not choking on our toxic air.
She gets under my fucking skin, and I seem to just let her. But what stuns me most is Archie finally finding a reason to stand up for something, or someone in this case. The determination in his gaze as he tracked his eyes from where I held Eden to mine left me speechless for a moment.
I don’t know how I feel about it, but for now, I guess he can pretend to be the hero in Eden’s story.
Looking in the rearview mirror, I watch as the two of them jump down from Eden’s SUV, laughing and joking like we aren’t trying to find out some important information.
“Stop gripping the wheel like it’s treating you badly, X,” Hunter mumbles from beside me, and I frown at him as I release my grip on the wheel. We drove in silence, as they likely felt the stress written all over my face and the tension from my body.
“Let’s just get this over with. I have better shit to be doing.”
Jumping down from my SUV, I slam my door shut behind me, and even I can admit that was more than necessary. I’ve been antsy as hell since Eden left our home in a blind panic last night. I don’t like her knowing things I don’t.
Hunter had been the first to jump into action and at least made sure she got to Archie’s unscathed. We didn’t need her running out into the ocean in her state, since a dead body wouldn’t go down well for the Allstars.
We then spent the rest of the night trying to figure out how she thinks my mother had something to do with her father’s death, and it wasn’t until Tobias suggested just actually asking her that I considered it. I was all out of options myself.
So here I am, being forced to fucking socialize with the enemy.
Pushing through the doors of Pete’s, I don’t bother holding it open for anyone as I head straight to my usual table. It’s not overly crowded in here, but there are a few tables filled with couples and families, all of whom make sure not to meet my gaze. They all know who I am, or my mother at least. The power I seem to wield almost feels fake, but I’ll take anything as a barrier between us and this town, my mother included.