Chapter 29: Taunt Her: Chapter 29

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask, stepping from the pool house to find none other than fucking Michaela walking towards me.

Her eyes widen at the state of me, but she doesn’t comment. “I’m just helping set up the party.” She smiles sweetly at me, and it makes my skin crawl.

I look her up and down. It’s weird seeing her out of her cheer uniform, but I can’t say losing it makes her any more appealing.

“Why?” I spit. She’s the last person Remi would ask to help with the party—the one she probably doesn’t want in the first place.

After last night, I can’t imagine she wants to be anywhere near the place. Or me.

“Sarah asked me to help.” She bats her eyelashes at me.

“And you’re coming down here why?”

“We’ve run out of tape. James thought there might be some—” She glances over my shoulder and I stiffen.

“There isn’t.”

“I’ll just have a quick look.”

“No,” I spit. “No, you won’t. Go to the fucking store if you have to, but you’re not going in there.”

“Oh don’t be so ridiculous. He told me exactly where he thinks it is. I’ll be in and out. You won’t even know.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “I said no.”

“What’s wrong? Got some poor naive victim chained to your bed or something?”

Rearing back, I snap, “What the fuck is wrong with you? I don’t want you near my shit. Now fuck off.” Taking her shoulder in my hands, I physically turn her and push her back toward the main house.

I follow her all the way, and once we’re inside she turns left to the living room while I go for the kitchen.

I can’t remember when I last ate something, and I’m fucking starving.

“Ace, how are… oh my goodness,” Ellen gasps, her hands coming up to cover her gaping mouth.

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“F-fine?” she stutters. “You are not fine. Come and sit down here and let me look at you. You might need stitches.”

“I said I’m fine.” She pales instantly. “Sorry,” I mutter. “It was a rough night.”

“So I see. What do you need?” she asks, changing tack.

“Food. Whatever you’ve got.”

She immediately turns toward the refrigerator and pulls a load of ingredients out.

The sound of chatter and crashing about comes from elsewhere in the house, and as I look toward the door, I realize that the counters are full of party food.

“Have you made all this?”

“With my own fair hands,” Ellen says, focusing on what she’s doing.

“You’re wasted here.”

“Nah, I spent too many years catering. I love looking after you guys.”

“Really?” I ask incredulously. Even our own parents didn’t want to look after us, I find it hard to believe that a random woman wants to.

“Really. You’re not as bad as you try to make out, you know. I see you,” she says, looking over her shoulder and winking at me.

Shaking my head at her, I allow silence to descend as she cooks and the others get the house ready for this fucking party.

I’m in two minds as to whether I should hang around for it or disappear for the night. I do know one thing, though—I’m not going back to the Heights anytime soon. I still have no clue what the hell happened last night, but I’m not risking showing my face for a while. Donny is clearly after my blood for some reason. I know I missed a few messages from him, but sending Bruce after me seems a little much.

“Whoa, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes this morning, brother,” Conner announces as he and Cole join me at the table. “Remi finally seen the light and tried to knock some sense into you?”

“Oh yeah, this was totally R… her.” Fucking pussy, I can’t even say her fucking name.

The pain that ripped through my chest when I pulled out of her last night once again slices me in two as I think about her.

“Trouble in paradise?”

“Like you give a shit. You were betting on me fucking up from day one. Well, you were right, brother. Well done. I fucked it up.”

Pushing the chair out from behind me, I stalk to the door.

“Ace, your—” Ellen cuts herself off when I look up at her.

“That’s it. Run away like a fucking pussy.” Not wanting to hear any more from him, I turn the corner. “The girl fucking loves you, man. Pull your head out of your ass for once…” His words die as I get to the front door and fly down the stairs.

I can’t fucking be here right now as I watch them all get ready to celebrate her birthday. They’re all fucking delusional—Sarah for thinking she wants a bullshit party with people she can’t stand. People who make her feel less than she is. Ellen for thinking she can look after us like we’re her cute little boys. James for thinking this could ever fucking work.

We don’t belong here, and we never will.

Ignoring my bike, I take off across the garden. I take the same route we did the night we had our one and only party here, and before long the beach appears in front of me. Finding a soft bit of sand, I drop my ass to it.

I sit there for the longest time, just watching the waves crash in on the beach. A few people walk past, but no one really pays me any attention. Hell, I wouldn’t if I found a guy who looked like I do right now.

My cell vibrates in my pocket. A little bit of hope races through me that she’s going to try to fight for me, just like she did the last time I fucked up. But that thought is shattered the second I look at the screen and find Cole’s name staring back at me.

“Yeah, well James can go fuck himself,” I mutter to myself. All of this is his fault.

All of it.

I lie back and stare up at the clear blue sky above me. My mind spins as I think about our short time here and the events that led up to it.

I remember that night two weeks before Mom died like it was only yesterday. I was doing a drop for Donny. He’d sent me to some warehouse in the next town over that I’d never visited before. He’d told me to pull up in the parking lot and to wait. Someone would come to take the bag and then I was done until my next phone call.

It was an easy drop. I was relaxed and ready to head home to see what state I might find our mother and the trailer in. The last thing I was expecting was for a fucking ghost to appear from the shadows in front of me.

“Son,” he said as my eyes widened and I did a double take.

It had been years since I saw him, and although he was obviously older, I recognized him instantly.

“D-Dad?” He nodded. “But… but you’re… dead.”

An unamused chuckle fell from his lips. “Yeah, that’s what he wants you to believe.”

“He? Who’s he?”

He leaned into me and whispered, “Give me what I need, and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

I should have known better than for him just to turn up out of the blue and tell me all his secrets.

I handed him the bag, assuming that was what he meant, but it seemed he was after more. That’s if there was anything other than a couple of bricks in that bag. As per Donny’s rule, I never looked.

“Happy?” I asked as a cold, vacant expression washed over his face. I remember the shudder that ran down my spine. He was meant to be my father, yet in that moment I was more terrified than I think I’ve ever been in my life.

“I need money. Every penny you’ve got, kid, or I’m coming after the one weakness you have left.”

“I don’t have one. You’re going to need to try better than that,” I said, puffing my chest out. It was almost true; I cared about very little in life.

“I’ll start with your whore of a mother. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll move on to your bastard brothers.”

I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him that he’d never touch his own sons. I knew he had a temper, but up until that moment I never thought he’d hurt his own flesh and blood.

“All of you are just as worthless as her. Fucking cheap whore who opens her legs for any bloke who looks her way.”

“What are you—”

“I’m not your fucking father, boy. I never could have fathered three pathetic boys like you. You’re all nothing to me, fucking nothing. Now get me what I need, or I’ll be coming back for her.”

I sit up and suck in lungfuls of air. My stomach turns over, making me heave. Thankfully the lack of contents means there’s nothing to throw up.

“Fucking lying asshole,” I scream into the silence around us. My heart races and my fists curl, the tidal wave of emotions I felt that night as I stared at my dead father, hitting me. The confusion over what he was telling me. The anger that burned through me as he spoke about those I loved like that. The regret that I didn’t do more, that I didn’t force all of the truth out of him.

He didn’t wait for me to give him everything I had. He had already seen our mother and set his plan into action. I have no idea if he drove her to the overdose or if he forced it.

There’s a chance I’ll never know.

When he’d come back, I had given him the money as requested, hoping like hell he was going keep his promise, unaware that it was already too late. He whispered one single name to me as he disappeared.

I still don’t understand it. James wanted him dead. Why? And why couldn’t he have found someone capable of getting the job done?

Unable to sit there any longer with my head full of questions and wondering what kind of disaster is happening at James’ house, I push up and make the short walk back.

I have every intention of slipping around the edge of the grounds and disappearing into the pool house, but that’s all ruined when I find Remi standing around the pool, dressed in a skin tight, short little black dress with her hands on Bexley.

He’s standing in her personal space and smiling down at her like a lion who’s hungry for his lunch as she rests her tiny hand on his forearm and laughs at whatever dumbass comment he just made.

A red mist descends over me, and before I know I’ve moved, my feet have carried me halfway toward them. The few people who were loitering around jump out of my way, and a couple of members of the football team shout the motherfucker’s name to give him a heads-up about what’s coming for him.

I pass the screen that Sarah demanded was here so she could show cute baby pictures of Remi—as if anyone really fucking cares. That woman’s heart is in the right place, but she’s a clueless idiot sometimes.

“Get your fucking hands off her,” I bark, wrapping my arm around Remi’s waist and pulling her away from his body.

The music that was booming around the yard is turned down, and more kids spill out of the doors to see what’s about to kick off.

My skin burns the second Remi’s angry stare lands on me, but instead of ripping me a new one like I’m sure she was intending to do, a gasp falls from her lips.

“Oh my god, Ace.” Remi gasps. “What the hell happened?”

“Leave it,” I bark, taking a step toward Bexley.

His shoulders widen as he tilts his head up. He’s a fucking stupid motherfucker for going up against me.

“Looks like the odds are in my favor this time, Jagger. You seem to have got your ass handed to you. Now it’s my turn to prove you’re not as fucking scary as you think you are.”

I take another step toward him, a growl rumbling up my throat.

“Okay everyone,” someone shouts over the noise. “Remi’s mom has a video she’d like to play.”

Remi groans behind me, but I doubt anyone’s attention turns to the fucking screen with Bexley and I about to go at it.

“Go on then, big man,” he taunts. “Fucking hit me.

I pull my fist back, ready to do just as he suggests when my voice from behind me stops all my movement.

“Last chance to change your mind, Princess. If you have any doubts, now’s the time to say.” I turn slowly, and my heart plummets.

My video.

The one I was going to play.

The one I was going to use to ruin her.

The one I changed my mind about.

“No. No doubts, Ace. I want you to be my firrrrst,” Remi’s voice sounds out all breathy and needy.

“You motherfucker,” Bexley roars.

Remi screams as the reality of the situation hits her. I turn to her, wanting to tell her that this wasn’t me. That I changed my mind. I wasn’t going to play it. I took the card out of the camera and was going to throw it away.

The next few seconds happen so fast that I’m not entirely sure what happens.

Bexley puts his entire weight behind the punch that comes hurtling my way, but at the last minute a head full of brown curls flashes in front of me. The pain from his fist never comes, but a cry of agony comes from elsewhere.

I glance to the side to see Remi falling, her body limp as it tumbles toward the still water of the pool behind us.

Jumping onto action, I race to catch her, but I’m too late. Her head collides with the tiled edge and the water engulfs her.

I don’t think, I just act.

Diving in after her, I gather her body up in my arms and as fast as I can get her above the water. By the time I reach the top step, silence surrounds me as our entire class, including my brothers, watch in horror as I lower her lifeless body to the ground.

Pushing her hair from her face, I drop my eyes to her chest to see if she’s breathing. “Come on, Remi, baby.” I gently shake her body. “Princess. I’m here. It’s okay.”

Something catches my eye, and when I look down the water dripping off her body is red.

“Someone call a fucking ambulance.”

I pull Remi on to my lap and hold onto her, praying that it’s not the last time I’m going to get the chance.