by J. L. Beck
“Stay the fuck out of my way. Next time I get you alone, there will be bloodshed.” My booted feet slap against the floor as I leave the room, uncaring of what happens next.
Aspen is no longer my solution. She is the enemy, and I’ll make her pay for stealing from my sister.
36
ASPEN
Fear immobilizes you. It consumes you even when you don’t want it to. Every day I stay here, I become more afraid of what will happen next. Quinton is on a warpath, and he won’t stop until he’s destroyed me. I stay hidden in my room, too afraid that if I leave, I may run into him in the corridor. His parting words linger in my mind, and every time I close my eyes, I see him standing there, hovering over my bed, staring at the bracelet.
I wish I could explain how I got it. I know he thought I stole it, but I didn’t, and blind with rage, he couldn’t see past that.
Lying in bed, I stare at the door, waiting for something bad to happen. It’s only a matter of time. I can’t eat, sleep, or even shower. I’m looking over my shoulder even when I know there is no one else inside the room with me.
I’m freaking myself out, and I don’t know how to make it stop. More than that, my heart is aching because stupidly, I thought we were becoming something else. Not lovers, or even boyfriend and girlfriend, but maybe equals.
I know I should eat something, but I ignore my rumbling stomach. I’ve eaten very little, and hunger is finally catching up with me. Pressing my head into the pillow, I let my eyes fall closed and try not to think about Quinton rushing into the room to choke me.
The reminder of what he did sticks with me. I can still feel his fingers around my throat, still feel his boiling rage threatening to consume me.
He almost killed me. He could’ve, but for some reason, he didn’t. Probably so he could elongate my pain and fear.
The sound of a key card entering the door has my eyes opening and my body on high alert. My heart thunders in my chest, and I look for the nearest item that I can use as a weapon, but there is nothing. The door squeaks as it opens, and my heart sinks into my stomach when Matteo appears on the other side.
“Get out!” I order, my voice unrecognizable.
“Really? That’s the greeting you offer me after ditching me after the founders’ ball? I’d expect better from you.”
“How did you get in here?” I try to hide my fear and straighten my shoulders to make myself appear taller and stronger.
He smirks. “A key.”
“How did you get the key to my room?” I press, unable to hide the trembling of my lips. I know the answer. I don’t even have to ask, but I want him to speak the truth out loud. I need him to say it, so I can force myself to believe it.
“Quinton gave it to me. In fact…” He slides a hand into his pocket and pulls out his phone. My stomach knots, my eyes darting toward the door, which surprisingly has been left cracked open.
If I scream, would anyone come for me? Doubtful. I have to get out of this room and save myself. I have to find a way to leave this place for good.
Whatever monsters are out there cannot be worse than what is hidden behind the walls of Corium. Matteo types something into his phone and then turns the device toward me.
“Remember when he fucked your face?” When he hits play, vomit claws up my throat, and I look away, unable to watch the video. That day still haunts me, and to know that it’s been recorded… “Unfortunately, I have more bad news. Quinton sent me a message saying he wants me to share it with the entire school. Told me he doesn’t care who sees it.”
My heart splinters, and while I expected something to happen, I never could’ve anticipated it would be this. I was stupid to have ever thought I could trust Quinton.
All it took was for one misunderstanding to occur, and he and I were on opposing sides again. There was no equal ground between us, and I was too blind not to realize it.
“Poor, Aspen, got her tiny little heart broken,” Matteo taunts. He rushes toward me, and I dart away, but he’s bigger and faster and manages to grip me by the wrist, tugging me back toward him. My lungs heave in my chest, and my only thought is to escape. I have to get away.
“You can’t leave, not yet. I haven’t gotten what I came here for.” The hand at my wrist tightens, and his other hand comes up to my head, his fingers sink into my hair, and he yanks hard. Fire burns across my scalp, and I let out a yelp as he tosses me toward the bed.
“You owe me a blow job, bitch,” he sneers.
“I owe you shit. Let me go.” I try to shove him away, but he just tightens his grip.
Why did Quinton not show me a move out of this?
“Or what? What are you going to do?” He laughs, the sound only reminding me of that night. I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing that this wasn’t real. Why do I keep ending up in these situations? Why can’t people just leave me the hell alone?
“Let her go, Matteo.” A voice cuts through my haze of fear, and my eyes fly open, just in time to see waves of anger flash over Matteo’s face. I glance past him to the door, and to my utter amazement, I find Ren standing in the doorway of my room.
“What is wrong with you and your cousin? Since when do you care about scum like this, especially this one? You should be cheering me on, holding her down while we take turns fucking her. Did you and your family go soft—”
Ren moves as fast as lightning and grabs Matteo by the neck, pulling him off me with one hand. In the same movement, he slams his fist into Matteo’s face so hard, his head snaps to the side, and his eyes roll back, the single punch knocking him out cold. He falls to the floor like a bag of sand with a loud thud. I would feel sorry for him if he was anyone else, but since he is who he is, I feel like a tiny bit of justice has been served.
Ren turns his icy glare on me, and I shiver at the darkness there. “I still hate your guts, but lucky for you, I hate this guy more.”
I move off the bed, not wanting to stay in this vulnerable position, but then I’m at a loss as to where to go? Matteo is on the ground in my room, and when he wakes up, he is going to come after me regardless.
“You look scared,” Ren states the obvious.
My lip trembles, and a response sits on the edge of my tongue.
Do I tell him how scared I am or keep pretending? Fuck it.
“Of course, I’m fucking scared. Everywhere I go, people have it out for me. I can’t even hide out in my own room without people coming in, trying to hurt me. What am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go?”
“You’re gonna be okay,” His voice is almost soothing.
Frenzied, I shake my head. “No. I’m not okay. I’m… I have to get out of here. I can’t be here anymore. It’s not safe.”
I don’t know why I’m telling him any of this. It’s not like he cares, and I know he would never help me do something like that, not without there being a price.
“Look.” Ren runs a hand through his hair, and his eyebrows pinch together almost like he’s contemplating something. “Let me help you.”
I’m shocked. Confused. Everything is upside down, and I don’t know which way is up or down. How do you escape a box of torment when you can’t find the door?
“Help me?” I croak.
“Yes, let me help you get out of here.” He pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing. “I have a helicopter that I can get you on. It’ll fly you to the airport. After that, you’re on your own, but it’s better than nothing.”
He’s giving me a way out, an exit. I’d be stupid not to take it, but what if it’s a trap?
What if it isn’t, and you pass up the opportunity?
Knowing that Quinton won’t protect me any longer and that I’m nothing to him gives me the push I need.
I can’t stay here. Not anymore. Not without his protection.
“You would do that?”
“Don’t get any ideas. I’m not doing it for you, but yeah, I would do it.”
I nod. “Okay, take me to the helicopter.” I swallow
around the knot of fear in my throat. I can’t believe I’m doing this.
“Are you sure?” Ren asks earnestly.
“Yes. Please, help me. I can’t stay here any longer. I’m not safe.”
With a nod, he takes a step back and walks around me. I quickly grab a bag from under my bed and stuff the essentials inside. While Ren is on the phone with someone telling them to get the helicopter ready, I put on my boots and jacket. When I’m finished, I stop and stand in front of Ren. I give him a nod, signaling that I’m ready.
He surprises me by reaching for my bag and offering to carry it without words. I hand it to him, grateful for his kindness.
Matteo groans on the floor as he starts to come back to, and the need to get out of here reaches a new peak.
“Follow me,” Ren orders, and like a mouse, I follow him. I wrap my arms around myself, trying to keep all my broken pieces together.
Ren doesn’t look at me, not when we step into the elevator or even when we reach the double doors that lead outside. The cold air pricks my lungs, and for a moment, I can’t breathe. I’m chilled to the bone, the cold air seeping into every pore on my body.
Ahead a helicopter sits, its propellers slicing through the air. It’s now or never, I tell myself. Ren hands me my bag and gestures toward the helicopter. I look back at the elevator doors, almost willing Quinton to appear, but he won’t. He doesn’t care about me.
“Thank you!” I yell, hoping he can hear me over the propellers as I climb into the helicopter, where a pilot is sitting in the seat. He doesn’t look back at me, and I don’t say anything. My hands shake as I buckle myself, and I blink back tears, trying to stop myself from crying. He doesn’t deserve my tears or pain, but they belong to him anyway.
Ren gives me a wave, a smirk on his lips, and then the helicopter is rising into the air, the engine roaring in my ears.
Why is he smirking, and why do I get the feeling that something bad is about to happen?
37
QUINTON
The ringing of my phone startles me awake, and for a moment, I’m disoriented with the lingering sleep. Patting the bed next to me, I search for my phone. When I find it, I squint while looking at the screen and see Scarlet is trying to FaceTime me.
I sit up and use the back of my hand to rub the sleep from my eyes before I answer the call.
“Hey.” Her smiling face comes into view. “Sorry, did I wake you up?”
“It’s fine. I was just resting my eyes.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Why do you think something is wrong?”
“Because you are not even fake smiling. You look sad,” Scarlet points out. Dammit, why does she have to be so attentive?
“I’m fine. Just tired,” I lie. Well, it’s half of a lie. I am fucking tired, but I’m also upset.
“Is it about Aspen? Did you guys have a fight?”
I huff out a breath. I don’t particularly want to talk to Scarlet about this, but I also know she’s not going to let it go, and it’s not like I can talk to anyone else.
“I wouldn’t call it a fight. I just found something out about her, something that proved to me that everyone was right. She’s just like her father, someone who can’t be trusted.”
“What happened?”
“I found Adela’s bracelet in her room. She stole it from her. Probably to use it as blackmail or whatever was going on in her slimy mind.”
“Wait. Aspen has Adela’s bracelet?”
“Had,” I corrected her. “I took it from her.”
“Did she not explain how she got it?”
“Explain?” I ask, dumbfounded. “What is there to explain? She stole it. She stole from us, from her. I didn’t give her a chance to say anything after I found it. I don’t want to hear another word out of her mouth. Ever.”
“Quinton, I don’t think it’s what you think. The bracelet wasn’t stolen. That was just a story Adela came up with.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Adela told me that someone attacked her that night at the fundraiser. Some guy cornered her when she went to the bathroom. She said there was a girl her age who came to her rescue. Adela gave her the bracelet as a thank you, begging her not to say anything. I had no idea that it was Aspen.”
“What? No, no, that can’t be right. You are making this up. We would’ve known about that. Adela would have told me.” I keep shaking my head, trying to pull the memories from that night from my brain.
“Adela didn’t want to tell anyone. It was the first time she was allowed to go out with you guys. Dad was already so worried about her all the time, hovering over her. She thought if she told you or Dad, it would only get worse. That’s why she kept it from you.”
“Fuck!” I’m so stupid. Why didn’t I give her a chance to explain? “I gotta go, okay? I’ll call you back tomorrow.” I hang up the phone before Scarlet gets the chance to say goodbye. Shit, I feel like a fucking douchebag.
I made a mistake, and I’m man enough to admit that, but am I ready to tell Aspen? I can still see her eyes brimming with fear, my warning lingering in the air between us. I just saw red that day.
Between the bracelet and the memory of Adela, coupled with what Brittney told me, it was too much to handle.
Now I’m agonizing over doing the right thing and apologizing, something I never do, not for anyone. Apologizing means admitting you were wrong, which is something I normally avoid at all costs.
Fuck it. I don’t give myself time to think it through. All I know is I need to be near her. Getting out of bed, I get dressed quickly and head out.
On my walk to her room, I think about what I said again. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t left her room. I’m sure she’s been too afraid to even risk being seen.
As I get closer to her room, I reach into my pocket to grab her key, just to find it empty. What the hell? I must have dropped it in my hurry to get dressed. At least that’s what I keep telling myself, but with each step, there’s this strange awareness that pricks my senses.
I look up and find Ren standing at the end of the corridor. That’s when I know something is really wrong.
“She’s gone,” he says. I’m not sure I’m hearing him, so I rush toward him.
“What?” I ask, my tongue feeling heavy.
“She left. Got on the helicopter and left.”
Nothing that he’s saying makes sense. Why would she leave? She wouldn’t, would she? There is no place safer than Corium for her. The second she leaves, she becomes fair game to every single one of her father’s enemies.
“Why? What do you mean? When?” The questions come out in a haze. Ren just stares at me blankly, like he’s shut down his emotions.
When he doesn’t answer me, I start toward the elevator, pressing the button, willing it to move faster. I can feel Ren behind me, his movements mirror my own, but he doesn’t seem to care. It’s almost like…
“What’s going on, Ren? Why did she leave? What did she say to you?” The questions come out in a roar this time, the elevator dings, and the doors open.
I rush out into the cold, the wind whipping past me. The organ in my chest skips a beat, and something I haven’t ever felt before cuts through me. It’s an emotion I can’t quite pinpoint, and I imagine it’s what they call heartache. I look up into the sky and see the helicopter heading away from us. Fuck. I have to figure out how to get it to circle around and come back.
“Make them turn around! She can’t leave here, or she’ll fucking die,” I yell. Ren still appears to be in a trance.
“She got on the helicopter by herself. Obviously, she’d rather die than be here.”
I don’t believe that for a second. The reason she got on that helicopter at all has everything to do with me.
I did this to her. I pushed her to leave.
Heartache becomes horror when the helicopter starts to descend toward the forest. What is the pilot doing? Why is he… the question doesn’t even f
inish forming in my mind. Not when the helicopter disappears into the forest, and a plume of fire and smoke appears a moment later.
My hands start to tremble, and I take a step forward like I might be able to help in some way.
“I’m sorry,” Ren whispers. “I’m sorry it had to be this way.” It takes me a moment to digest what he’s said, and I turn to face him, staring into his vacant eyes, which are focused on the fire off in the distance.
“What did you do?” My voice cracks, all my emotions giving way. I don’t even have to think about it. She’s dead. There is no way she survived a crash like that, yet I somehow hold on to the hope that she did because the thought of her dying because of me kills me.
When Ren finally looks at me and replies, my entire world flips upside down. “What you couldn’t.”
First of all, Thank you for reading King of Corium!
Second, we are deeply, deeply sorry about this cliffhanger. Please, we beg you for your forgiveness and promise we will deliver a worthy continuation in book two of Corium University Drop Dead Queen.
Did you know Quinton’s parents, Xander and Ella have their own book?
Check out Keep Me now!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
J.L. Beck and C. Hallman are a USA Today and international bestselling author duo who write contemporary and dark romance.
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