Eden High Series 2 Book 5 Read online

  “Shayne!” Dammit. He turned his attention to his oldest friend and I felt bad for putting him in this position, both of them.

  Shayne put his hand on his shoulder and I guess we all had grown tonight, because his answer wasn’t the one I was expecting.

  “Jace I love you bro, so I’m not gonna say anything. I need you to sit this one out.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? what do you know?”

  Shayne shrugged his shoulders and looked at me.

  “I tried. You’re at bat.”

  “Okay Jace, but remember before I say anything. Think of Sian and what whatever decision you make is gonna mean to her.”

  It was only as I was saying those words and seeing the glint in his eye that was caught by the moonlight that I realized I genuinely feared what he would do.

  “Does this have anything to do with Sian, with what happened tonight?” I dropped my head and looked down at the marble floor of the balcony, still struggling with the right thing to do here.

  This was a tight spot to be sure, and for once I appreciated my dad’s constant lectures about not following the crowd, and doing what’s right even if no one else is.

  Jace is my friend, and Sian is my baby sister. If I tell him this shit and he goes off and does something stupid, they’ll both lose. I can’t let that happen.

  I picked my head up and ignored Shayne and Alec as I opened my mouth and lied. “No, it’s like I said, we thought we’d go back to the house and look around, see if we could find any clues the cops missed.”

  I was banking on the fact that he knows I don’t lie. I’ll make this up to him somehow, but for now it was more important that I keep him out of trouble.

  I didn’t release my pent up breath until he relaxed under the hand I had on his shoulder and nodded his head once. I wasn’t sure that he believed me but at least for now he was standing down.

  I saw the other two relax and the three of us shared a look of relief before Shayne wisely changed the conversation. I took that opportunity to make a quick escape.

  “I’ll be right back guys, I’m gonna go check on Red.” I walked away headed for the room down the hall.

  She’d put on a good face sure, but I know her, she’s probably tossing and turning in her sleep from worrying. I’m not sure what the other girls think but she didn’t buy the faulty wiring story for a second.

  If Stanley really is the one responsible I’m gonna pound his ass into the ground for that alone. She’d been looking forward to this weekend with her friends. Something that she hadn’t had before we came here and my sister took her under her wing.

  I approached slowly, quietly, so that I didn’t wake her as I walked over to the bed and looked down at her in the moonlight.

  She was in the middle of the mattress with the sheet twisted around her. I’d put my shirt on her when we first got to the room and for some strange reason the sight of her in it made me feel…hot.

  I took my time appreciating her curves that were outlined by the sheet that had drawn taut around her middle and thighs.

  Now that she wasn’t awake to hide herself from me I could look my fill without embarrassing her. She’s so beautiful. I don’t know why she doesn’t see it.

  How can she not see what I see when I look at her? How can she not know how her beauty shines inside and out?

  Maybe it’s this town filled with superficial women whose idea of beauty has become warped over time. That teaches girls that they have to fit into a certain mold to be accepted.

  It pisses me off that someone as brave and smart as she is, with the heart that she has, thinks that she’s not worthy because other people look down on her size.

  I hate that she sees anything wrong with herself because of other people’s stupidity. I’m going to make it my life’s mission to get her to see herself the way I do if it takes forever.

  I want her to see only beauty when she looks in the mirror, the way I do when I look at her. My fear is that she still doesn’t believe me. That she still hasn’t really accepted my true feelings for her.

  How can I get her to believe that I love everything about her when everyone else makes her feel like she’s less than?

  I love the fact that she’s so different from the norm in this town. That she’s one of a kind. I love that she stands out from the rest of the crowd. In short I’m crazy about her body.

  But for some strange reason she seems to think that she’s not good enough for me. I wonder who the hell she thinks she’s supposed to be with if not me?

  I know she thinks I’m too good for her, silly girl. If only she knew how my heart beats for her. How each time she enters my thoughts I feel a smile in my heart.

  How I go to bed at night, excited for the next day to come because I know I’m going to see her.

  Will she ever believe that she’s my ideal; that she already lives in that secret place inside me that no one else can ever dwell?

  How long will it take before she believes me when I say that I love her just the way she is? That I love everything about her.

  I love her sassy red curls that go all over the place, and her eyes. Those clear blue orbs that shine when she’s giving me shit, or when she’s just plain happy. Which seems to be one and the same.

  I smiled when I remembered some of her antics and knew that if she could make me smile at a time like this, then she’s the one I want by my side.

  I need her to accept all those things before we move on to the next step. She doesn’t know that that’s why I chose not to touch her.

  But I don’t want her giving herself to me until she was ready. And she won’t be ready until she learns to accept herself the way I have.

  As much as I wanted to crawl in and cuddle with her, I had to get back out there. I wasn’t too sure about my lying skills and Jace was on the edge.

  I trailed my finger softly down her cheek and she sighed and shifted in her sleep. “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt tonight Red.” My heart hurt just thinking about the possibility.

  I leaned over and kissed her forehead before stepping back away from the bed. I felt tired to the bone as I walked away. But if I close my eyes, I’m afraid Jace would level the damn town.

  With one last look back at her I closed the door softly behind me and went back to join the others.

  3

  Jace

  Liars, every last one of ‘em. Yep! I’ll play their game for now, but I hope they know there’re eyes and ears all over this place.

  If it comes to it, I’ll just hit replay on this sector and this room and read their fucking lips if I have to. I didn’t let my thoughts show on my face as I contemplated doing just that.

  Alec and Shayne should know by now that they can’t hide shit from me, I know them too well. I kinda get why they were keeping secrets this time though, they probably think they’re protecting me.

  “How’re the girls doing?” I asked once Jared returned. Sian was finally asleep. I’d had a hell of a time getting her to go to sleep after slamming her.

  She was worried about everybody else and wanted to go check on them. Since she’s my only concern right now I nixed that shit.

  I was afraid if I let her go wandering around with her nosy ass she might learn the truth about what

  happened tonight. Right now she’s still under the impression that this whole thing was an accident and I’m trying to keep it that way for as long as possible.

  I’m gonna have to come up with something soon if she doesn’t stop beating herself up with guilt for putting her friends in danger though.

  That I cannot allow. Even more reason for me to hunt down that bitch Mandy and wring her damn neck. I know she’s behind this somehow even if no one else believes me.

  “They’re asleep and they don’t know anything.” I acknowledged Jared’s words with a nod. “Keep it that way. If one knows it’s a good bet they all will find out and I don’t want Sian stressing over this shit, that’s my job.”

  “So, when w
as this investigation supposed to start?” The three of them were doing some quick thinking to come up with another lie so I took the decision out of their hands.

  “How about now?” I jogged down the steps from the balcony and headed around the side of the house to the garage before they could object.

  I half expected one of them to call a halt and fess up, but the three of them climbed into the truck with me without uttering a word.

  The stark difference between this trip and the one we took earlier was glaringly obvious. The silence was almost deafening compared to the camaraderie of just a few short hours ago.

  It’s amazing that so much can change so quickly and annoying as fuck that it was at someone else’s hand. I hate that this had touched her.

  She might’ve escaped being seriously hurt, but the fact still remains that someone had tried to hurt her or worst. Even harder for me to accept is that it’s because she’s mine.

  These are things my dad have warned me about in the past, but I never expected to face them in my youth. I’ve tried hard to live my life free of such worries for now.

  I never pay much attention to my family’s wealth. It’s just something that’s just always been there. When females started flocking around me from the age of twelve, I didn’t put much stock in that either.

  My looks, my wealth, my intelligence, those things that others envy had never meant much to me. But I know it means a lot to others.

  That idiots like Stanley envy me because of those things. And people like Mandy would do anything to get close to me because of them.

  I don’t kid myself for a second that her feelings for me are genuine. People like that can’t really love. Her fucking heart’s too black.

  To her I’m nothing more than a bank account. Someone who can open doors for her in the future and elevate her lifestyle to something she could only dream of.

  I have no one to blame but myself for getting tangled up with her in the first place even when everyone I cared about was dead set against it.

  But once I called it quits that should’ve been the end of it. But I guess the thought of losing the golden goose was too much for someone as twisted as she is.

  I’d ignored her attempts to get me back, foolishly thinking that that’s all that was needed. That she’d get the message and move the fuck on.

  I could’ve carried on ignoring her for the rest of my life, but she’d brought Sian into this shit and that’s a big fucking no-no.

  I don’t care what anyone else says or believes, I know she’s behind this somehow. That she was the one to set this shit in motion. I also know that I’m going to make her pay for fucking with Sian. This was the last straw.

  Those were the thoughts going trough my head as I drove. I was ashamed of myself for not protecting her better. For letting her go through something like this again.

  It hurt me to my very soul that her life was being fucked with like this for any reason let alone because of me. I know my parents and now my friends are trying to avoid me ending up behind bars.

  But what kind of man would I be if I didn’t do something about this shit? She’s wearing my ring. That shit should be enough to keep everyone at bay. And it usually would under normal circumstances.

  There aren’t that many people in this town or the country for that matter who’d go after me or mine. Not if they had any sense.

  That’s how I know that Mandy was behind this, that she was somehow involved. In her twisted mind Sian had taken something from her. She wouldn’t dare come at me directly, she knows better.

  But she’d got it into her head that all she needed to do was get rid of Sian and I’d take her back. The fact that I still refuse to give her a reason for breaking up with her has a lot to do with that I’m sure.

  Whatever, I don’t have to explain shit to her and I have no plans to. I can imagine how someone like her feels having lost her meal ticket. How it must kill her inside seeing Sian and I together.

  It was sheer luck that I met Sian when I did. I honestly wasn’t looking for her, but she came when she did and I knew her the moment I saw her. Knew that she belonged to me in a way no one else ever have nor ever would.

  I didn’t stop to think of how it would look, me finding someone so soon after dropping Mandy. I’d never really seen our short-lived fling as anything more than that.

  I never imagined that she wouldn’t move on and out of my life like so many before her had done. I should be the one with vengeance in my heart after what she’d done.

  The fact that I don’t care about her and show it is probably the reason why she can’t let go. I never imagined that things would go this far though.

  But I should’ve known how she would react and been prepared. If I had, none of this would’ve happened. And Sian wouldn’t be a fucking target.

  When Sian and I got engaged I wasn’t thinking about anything else but making her mine. I’d missed a step there as well.

  Our engagement wasn’t as small a deal as I made it out to be. She doesn’t know it yet because I’ve been waiting until school was over to make the official announcement.

  But when she became my fiancée, it put her in a completely different league. I haven’t prepared her, was giving her more time to enjoy what little freedom she has left before opening that door. In one move I’d made her an heiress to a fortune that was in the top one percent.

  I’d planned to tell her once school was out. I’d wanted to ease her into it slowly until she learned to accept what it truly meant to be the wife of Jace Sanders.

  I know she doesn’t have the slightest clue and the truth might freak her out a little. That’s one of the reasons I love her, because I know that my wealth instead of drawing her closer will send her running scared. She doesn’t have a greedy bone in her body.

  Unlike Mandy, who probably sees my wealth before she sees me the person. Sian has no idea what meeting someone like her meant to me, because to her, I’m no different to the others.

  I wanted to keep it that way for as long as I could before turning her life upside down. But with all that’s been going on I might have to burst her bubble sooner rather than later.

  I can’t leave her exposed like this any longer. Though I haven’t divulged the whole truth to her, I was sure that everyone who’s supposed to know that she’s now a member of the Sanders house knows and know what that means.

  It means she’s off fucking limits, untouchable. As soon as we’re married her freedom will be limited and people will treat her differently because of who her husband is.

  We’d both have to make some big changes, something I’ve been trying to put off for as long as I could. I hadn’t even told her parents and had forbidden dad from divulging too much to her parents for now.

  But I was sure there weren’t too many in this town that didn’t know the truth. How this twit didn’t get the message is beyond me. Or was she really dumb enough to think that I was coming back to her?

  I should’ve taken care of her ass before things got this far. The first time she went after my girl should’ve been the last. I have no one to blame but myself.

  I just didn’t think that anyone would be stupid enough to touch what’s mine. I guess I didn’t take into account the fact that Mandy is one warped fucking female who has it in her head that I’m in love with her or some shit. Silly me!

  “Jace, bro, slow down.” I looked over at Shayne’s outburst.

  “What?” I looked at the speedometer and saw I was pushing a hundred. Shit, no wonder my parents wanted to stick me with a driver.

  Thankfully the streets were dead at just before dawn so I didn’t run over anyone. I cleared my head and focused on here and now. I’ll deal with that other stuff Monday when school started.

  There was no other recourse open to me now, not after this shit. I’d rather curb her freedom than see her go through one more experience like this.

  What’s she going to do anyway? It’s not like she could leave me; I won’t let her. She�
�s just gonna have to deal same as I.

  I smelt smoke when we pulled into her parents’ driveway. Pissed me the fuck off! I have to find a way to keep her with me. Just the thought of her coming back here makes me sick.

  For the rest of my life I’m gonna hear that sickening boom. See the panic in her eyes when she thought her parents were hurt.

  I stopped the SUV and got out with the others close on my heels as we headed around back where the caution tape had been strung up.

  “Jace you can’t go in there.”

  “Actually I was coming to get you three to come here. Sian needs her damn pills. I’m going in.” I ducked under the tape and held my breath against the acrid smell of smoke.

  The whole back wall was practically gone and we pulled away the pieces of plywood someone had nailed over the hole to get in.

  Upstairs her bedroom was a blackened mess which I ignored as I made my way to her bathroom. If I stayed in there too long my mind would only fuck me over with what-ifs.

  The bathroom was untouched except for a few pieces of broken glass that had flown through the open doorway.

  I stood there for the longest time taking it all in. How could one room be so totally destroyed when the other looked like this?

  I stepped gingerly over the glass and opened her medicine cabinet, grabbing her pills and her makeup bag. I saw my own reflection when I closed it back and….

  Jace, come on…” Someone was slapping my face. No not slapping, more like tapping. The shit was annoying. I tried opening my eyes to tell them to fuck off but my lids felt heavy. What the hell? Am I dreaming?

  “Jace come on brother don’t do this shit to me.” Jared? Why the hell does his voice sound like it’s coming through water?

  I heard Alec and Shayne in the background. Were we in the pool? I don’t remember going down to the pool and I don’t feel wet.

  Then I heard… Track? “What the fuck is going on. Where’s Valerie? What happened to him? Move!” My body was being lifted. I wanted to laugh, he’s so damn dramatic. If I was hurt it wasn’t that bad because I was feeling no pain.