Evergreen Academy - The Complete Series
Page 88
“I’m fine, Mom,” I wheezed. She was squeezing me hard enough to crack a rib. “The nurse even said I could leave.”
“How can you be fine?” She kissed my cheek again. “I almost had a heart attack when I saw that video. I agreed to your plan, but you”—Mom promptly dropped me and spun on Maverick—“were not supposed to wait so long to call the police! That girl almost threw her off the roof.”
Maverick didn’t try to defend himself. “I’m sorry, Miss Moon.”
“Mom, don’t blame him.” I tugged her arm and pulled her back to me. “I made him promise to wait until Ace— I mean, Ciara said something that would nail her. She admitted to setting my room on fire. She’s going away for a long time.”
“She admitted to more than that,” said Sofia. She leaned over and took my hand. “I still can’t believe this stuff about the families and the Evergreens thinking they have the right to rule us like this is their kingdom.” She shuddered. “You once called this place a haunted house horror show. You were right.”
All of us were squeezed into the nurse’s office. It was hard to believe only hours ago I was on that roof with Ace, but dawn brought a swarm of police and all the people I loved. Maverick, Jaxson, Ryder, Ezra, Sofia, Mom, and of course, my Adam. Adam twisted out of Ryder’s hold and reached for me. I took my baby and let him snuggle into my side.
“The horror show is over,” I said. “I knew once I texted Ace those names that the Spades would try to get me alone to threaten me. I’ve been wearing that button cam night and day—which turned out to be smart because I wasn’t really expecting them to kidnap me from bed.” I shook my head. “But it’s okay. The Spades are exposed, we know where Eric is, and Ace is going down hard.” I let my head fall back onto the pillows. “It’s finally over.”
Ryder came up to me and stroked my cheek. I leaned into his touch. “If the nurse said you could leave, let’s get out of here. I have a feeling classes are canceled today. I want to get you away from this place.”
Mom patted Ryder’s shoulder. “The best thing I’ve heard all day. Come on, baby. I’m getting you out of here and you’re not coming back until those awful people have been handled.”
I opened my mouth to argue but the look on Mom’s face made me think better of it. “Okay.” I picked up Adam and climbed out of bed. Ezra took my hand as we headed out of the door and my boys fell in around me.
Adam put his arms around my neck and rested his head on my shoulder. My heart swelled as I kissed his curls. “It’s over,” I whispered. “Everything is going to be okay.”
One Week Later
I SAT ON MY BED, STARING at an unseen spot on the wall. Around me, my room was a chaotic mess of strewn clothes, open suitcases, and upturned textbooks.
“...down to the car.” I heard his voice before he stepped into the doorway. “Hey, baby. Do you need help?”
“No, Jaxson. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” He came fully into the room, not worrying about the rules. No one had to worry about the rules now. “Doesn’t look like you started.”
“No, I...” At that second, I made up my mind. “I have to do something first. I’ll be right back.”
I stood and made for the door. Jaxson stopped me at the threshold. “Hold on. Where are you going?”
“I need to talk to someone.”
“Who? I’ll go with you.”
I cupped his cheek. “You don’t need to be so protective of me anymore. I’ll be right back. I promise.”
I sidestepped him and slipped out of the door. The dorm was a mess of noise, shouting, and chaos, but I passed through it and stepped outside. The sun shone fiercely on the academy, heating up my skin as I crossed the lawn and stepped into the courtyard.
If I thought too hard about it, I might talk myself out of what I was going to do, so I trusted the part of me that spurred me on.
Mrs. Khan’s desk was empty when I walked inside, but Evergreen’s wasn’t. He looked up at my footsteps. “Miss Moon.” He set down the stack of papers in his hands. “What can I do for you?”
I walked inside and closed the door behind me. “I thought we could talk.”
Only the slight wrinkle between his brows gave a hint to his feelings. “What about? As you can see, I’m very busy right now.” He stood and crossed to the bookshelf. He began emptying the shelf and moving the books to a box at his feet.
“I wanted to talk about Nora Wheatly and Walter McMillian.”
Evergreen stilled. A book dangled from the tips of his fingers over the box, but he made no move to let it go. He made no move at all.
“You don’t have to worry,” I continued. “I don’t have any cameras. I’m not recording you. I just want the truth.”
“The truth about what, Miss Moon?”
“You know I broke into your office and looked through the yearbooks. I found Scarlett’s yearbook with your last name, and put the pieces together. I realized I was wrong about her age. If you were her father, then she was born when you were seventeen, and there was one other person I know who became a teenage parent at that time: Nora Wheatly.”
The book finally fell into the box. Evergreen turned to me, his face tight. “If you want me to confirm that Nora is Scarlett’s mother, then the answer is yes.” He gestured to the door. “Now is that all? I am busy—”
“Why did you mark her?” I demanded. “Ciara said all Evergreens are Ace. You were Ace. You marked the person carrying your child. Why? Was it to punish her for cheating on you?”
Evergreen’s face crumpled into a scowl. “It was a punishment, but it certainly did not come from me.”
“What does that—”
“It was my father.” Evergreen sighed and the exhalation of breath seemed to take his strength with it. He slumped against the bookshelf. “It was bad enough that I had sullied the Evergreen name by getting a girl pregnant, but when she came clean to her other boyfriends about me and the baby, word got back to him. He told me to push her aside and deny the child. It could be Andrew’s or Walter’s or who knew who else. I couldn’t let her ruin my life. I refused him and the next day, a card appeared in her locker.”
“Your father sounds like a hard man.”
“Yes, he was.” Evergreen slowly returned to his desk. He sat down, turning his chair a bit away from me. “It was impossible growing up under his shadow. He suffocated me with his expectations, and though I tried to spare Scarlett the same pressure, just bearing my name meant people expected more of her. I thought it would be easier for Ciara if no one knew she was my daughter, but I underestimated my father’s influence.”
He tossed his head. “No, I cannot blame him. I should have seen what was going on.” His face was turned away, but I read the agony in his stiff jaw and the lines around his eyes. “I’ve failed my daughters in every way.”
“And Walter?” I pressed when the silence grew unbearable. “What did you do to him?”
“Nothing.” Evergreen shifted, shrouding his face in shadows. “Not what you’re imagining.”
“Then tell me what happened.”
“There is no purpose. Nora passed away five years ago. Walter is long gone, and his killer can never be brought to justice.”
“Is that because he went missing years ago too?”
Evergreen’s head jerked up. “What did you say?”
My hands shook in my lap. I clasped them together to still them. “I had a good look at your yearbook. I never checked the junior class which is where I finally found him: Benjamin Shea.” The name tasted bad on my tongue, but I forced it out and kept going. “I know now that he was a Spade. I also know that he doesn’t take it well when he discovers that he’s been cheated on.” My gaze bore into Evergreen. “Nora had a boyfriend in every grade. Was he one of them?”
Stricken, Evergreen seemed to age before my eyes. The lines on his face became more pronounced as he paled. “Yes,” he whispered.
“He was the violent, possessive boyfriend.” It was a statem
ent, not a question. “He gave her the black eye.”
He nodded without speaking.
“And he killed Walter when the boy she chose over him took it a step further and tried to turn the school against the Spades.”
Evergreen sat unmoving for so long, but I waited him out. “He didn’t tell me that was what he wanted to do.” The words came slow, as though they were being pulled out of him. “He said that we had to do something. If I wanted to prove to my father I was worthy of being Ace and not a useless embarrassment, I had to step up.” Evergreen’s eyes were unfocused as he gazed at a spot on his desk. “He was good at that—getting right to your weaknesses and using them against you.”
I found myself nodding.
“We went to Walter’s room that night,” he continued. “We were only going to rough him up, scare him a little and tell him to back down, but...”
“But Shea took it too far,” I finished.
“Walter had an asthma attack and Ben snatched the inhaler away from him. I told him to stop messing around and give it back, but he wouldn’t. I tried to take it from him, but he turned on me. Benjamin knocked me out and when I woke up... Walter was dead.”
“And you never told anyone.”
He shook his head. “Ben made it clear he’d deny it and say it was me. Nora was carrying my child. It would look like I was the one with the real motive to hate her boyfriend, and I couldn’t reveal the Spades. So I... told no one.”
I nodded, letting that sink in. “I guess that explains it.”
“Explains what, Miss Moon?”
“Why you’ve been so accommodating to Caroline Shea. Why you gave in to her request for late admission for a fifteen-year-old mother, and everything else she has asked you over the years. It wasn’t because of how much money she’s given the school; it’s because of your guilt.” I knew how harsh I sounded, but I could not hold back. “If you had told the truth, she never would have ended up married to that violent brute.”
Evergreen tried to hold my gaze, but in the end, looked away. “You may be right.”
“You don’t have to protect the secret of the Spades anymore and Benjamin is not here to throw the blame on you,” I said. “I know you’ll tell the truth now.”
“Why do you believe that?”
“Because I saw it in your eyes when I told you what Scarlett had done and you apologized for failing me and the students she assaulted. Your remorse was real, and I realized then that even though you are a terrible headmaster, you’re not a bad person.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. “How can you say that? You were correct that day. You were marked and I did nothing to help you.”
“No, you didn’t, but I can understand that you were caught up in what you were raised to believe.” I glanced around. “Plus, I’ve already seen justice done to you and this school. I’m not angry at you anymore, but I hope that you will tell the truth. I couldn’t find anything on Nora, but I did learn Walter has elderly parents that retired to Florida. I’m sure they would like to finally know the truth of what happened to their son.”
Evergreen shifted around and looked me in the eyes. “I’m sure they would. You are right, Mis— Valentina. It’s time to tell the truth.”
I nodded and left it at that. I shut Evergreen’s door and walked out of administration. Four boys were standing in the hall when I stepped out.
A smile tugged at my lips as I looked at Jaxson. “I told you to turn the protectiveness down, playboy.”
“Not a chance, mama. Why would you speak to Evergreen alone?”
“We had some things we needed to clear up. Everything is fine now.”
Shaking his head, Ryder took hold of my wrist and pulled me to him. “So you just had a nice chat after you got his daughter arrested, outed his secret society, and got the school closed down?”
It had been a crazy week. Ciara was arrested and the Spades hauled in for questioning. The police were very interested in their elaborate plans to frame and blackmail. As well as the influence of the thirteen families that drove them to it. A lot of well-known, wealthy people were in hot water.
“Yes,” I replied. “It turns out Seamus Evergreen knows where the blame truly lies.”
“Still,” said Maverick. “Let’s get out of here. Your mom and Adam are at the dorm packing away your things. It’s time to go.”
I moved out of Ryder’s hug but held tight to his hand. Ezra came up to my side and took the other one. “Even after everything that’s happened,” I said, “it’s hard to believe the five of us won’t be at Evergreen anymore.”
Ezra snorted. “Booted in the middle of our last semester too. All of the students are being sent to other high schools.”
“I’ll have to re-enroll at Joe Young High,” I said as we stepped out into the courtyard. “I’ll be hours away from you guys.”
“Not if we go to the same high school,” said Ezra. “Another academy. All four of us will apply.”
“What other academy?” Jaxson asked. “Who would even accept us this late?”
“I’ve been looking up schools since they announced this place was closing. I found one close by called Breakbattle Academy.”
“Breakbattle?” I repeated.
“Yeah.” Ezra lifted his arm and draped it over my shoulder. “It’s a weird place, but as long as I’m with you, I don’t care.”
I rested my head on his shoulder, grinning as his spicy sweet scent enveloped me. Ryder’s hand was warm in my grasp, soothing me like the presence of Maverick and Jaxson at my back. Things had been tough, but all of it had gotten me here to this moment with these amazing guys. I would go to Breakbattle, or anywhere else if it meant we would be together. Then fall would see us all living in Ryder’s home with Adam.
I came here to create a future for my family, and as I walked away from Evergreen Academy surrounded by my loves, I knew we were headed for one even better than I imagined.
“I love you, Jaxson. I love you, Maverick. I love you, Ezra.” I squeezed Ryder’s hand. “And I love you.”
“We love you too,” Ryder said. He stroked the inside of my palm the way he knew made me shiver. “Now, let’s go home. We have to start on those applications.”
If you’d like to continue the story of Valentina and her boys in Ruthless, click here.
Ruthless
Valentina
Evergreen Academy was supposed to be my fresh start...
...and Somerset University my second chance.
All I wanted was normal. Normal classes. Normal professors. Normal sorority.
I wanted the Somerset Sallys to be like every other Greek house.
I wanted the pretty, fun, sweet sisters to be genuine. I wanted the smile of their enigmatic leader not to conceal a secret.
And I wanted the story they told me to be true.
I should have known that was too much to ask.
Ezra
Somerset University was the first step.
I’d make excellent grades, better connections, and take over the Media Maven’s empire.
Joining a fraternity wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was stumbling into a disturbing plot, witnessing a kidnapping, and having the world think I’m delusional.
The Somerset Sams are not what they seem, and when they struck, they brought me to my knees.
But I am not what I appear to be either. Beneath the charming persona is the man who’ll protect the woman he loves at all costs.
For Valentina Moon, I will be what I have to be.
Ruthless.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ruby Vincent is a published author with many novels under her belt but now she's taking a fun foray into contemporary romance. She loves saucy heroines, bold alpha males, and weav
ing a tale where both get their happy ever after.
Copyright © 2019 by Ruby Vincent
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Marked | Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Broken | Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Bound | Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Unmasked | Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Ruthless
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